This was a really good week – food-wise. Did everything on the menu including several new recipes and a birthday dinner. This is probably good because next week is a hot mess with lots and lots of very late nights. I can’t quite decide if I want to do a menu or just wing the whole week. *sigh*
Sunday Roast / Birthday Dinner for my son’s 30th birthday – the leg of lamb turned out perfect and all the fixings, including rice pilaf, asparagus with Hollandaise, and peas & onions, were delicious and dessert: Austrian Coffee Cake (photo at the top of the page) was the perfect capper. I do think it is funny – when my Heart said he was making Austrian Coffee Cake… well, I pictured one of those breakfast coffee cakes and was thinking… odd Birthday cake but, ok. *smile*
Fish Monday: Pasta with Shrimp, Marsarpone & Lemon – This turned out perfect and I basically “followed” the recipe – WOW! There was something about the smoothness of the sauce but with that slight zing of lemon that really pushed it over the top. Also, the leftovers reheated perfectly.
Tuesday: Because I work until 10:15pm or so on Tuesday, my Heart is sweet enough to make dinner and I.Love.Pizza.Night – not much more I can say about that. One note about the pizza pictured (Pizza #2) – the bacon, mozzarella, Stilton, and apple chutney. The chutney was from my Heart’s son and daughter-in-law who would love to have their own baking business / cafe some day. It was amazing, sweet but with heat… totally addicting!
Wednesday: Sherry Mustard Chicken with wilted spinach – I have no idea the last time I made this but it has been years but it was a dish we really enjoyed. I was a little worried about the gluten-free bread crumbs (which basically is cornmeal) but it tasted just fine. Also, I tried a different method for cooking the spinach and liked it a lot. I know it is not as healthy as the usual way, wilting it with boiling water and then ringing it out, but for a change – yum!
Thursday: Super Simple Basic Slow Cooker Beef Stew – Turns out this would have been better for later in the week since it is snowing now but it was really good and there is something so satisfying about coming home and knowing that dinner is “done”.
Friday: Chicken & Veggie Rice Bowl with Egg – Ski nights (when my Heart is coming home from the ski resort where he teaches part-time) I like something that either simmers (like a soup or stew) OR something I can put together right before or after he gets home so that it is hot and perfect. This dish definitely fit the bill.
Saturday was our usual apres skiing fare: McKee’s Tavern at Liberty. The quesadillas is really huge and not a horrible deal for the price (ski resort prices are notoriously high because it is generally not convenient to leave to go somewhere cheaper) and we’ve found their French Onion soup is pretty delicious and is very satisfying if you are especially cold, which we both were.