Mixing Things Up in Meal Planning, The Masters and David Bowie

Well we are officially at the Ides of April. 

Yesterday was quiet, though I did watch the last two hours of The Masters and got to see Adam Scott win in a nail biter!  Congrats to Australia!  I thought of you, Ruth!

Oh, and Game of Thrones had a shocking ending, so had to stay up late reading to get over the adrenalin rush!

This is a busy week for me - I have my final meeting to sort out my retirement details, am off to Moncton to attend an evening event featuring Deepak Chopra and Thursday evening, Barry and I have tickets to see a Classics Album Performance of the Ziggy Stardust Album.  Bowie has always been one of our favourite and we have seen him in concert before, and apparently these Classic Albums events are quite fun and the musicians do the album note for note (I have never gone to one of these, but Barry has seen a Pink Floyd one and a Supertramp one).  I will let you know what I think of all of these things. 

I have not yet heard all of David Bowie's new album, The Next Day, but it is getting a lot of buzz, much of it good, and so I have decided to download it this week and have a listen, since in advance of this Thursday's event, I have been listening to Ziggy Stardust, which would be one of my favourite albums.

Oh, and tomorrow I am taking son to order his tuxedo for Prom.  This is fraught with peril.  His idea is to get a silver suit with a black shirt.  His girlfriend is wearing a pale pink chiffon gown with roses appliqued on the back around a pale pink tulle faux back.  She does not want him to wear a silver suit and black shirt.  Given his penchant for being a diva himself and since i am paying, I am helping them get it ordered and since she is planning on a Downton Abbey kind of look with this dress, I am hoping to find something in that vein that lets him be a peacock but not overwhelm her.  Sigh..

But I digress on all of these things.  Today's topic is supposed be about mixing up my supper/dinner menus (what you call it is dependent upon where you come from!).  I was in the winter cooking rut.  We seemed to be eating the same things over and over again.  I am also challenged because son is vegan, Daughter and Husband would eat meat and potatoes at every single meal if that was at all possible (it is not) and I am eating less and less meat, but have food allergies that limit some of the things I can eat (fish, nuts, peas/beans - the latter are in the legume family and while I am technically not allergic to them as I will not get hives or an anaphylactic shock, they give me terrible pain and are just not worth it) - in other words, we are pains!

So the last two weeks, in order to get out of this rut, I have sat down with my cookbooks on Thursday night and done up the menu for the entire next week.  This is proving to be not only helpful in ensuring that I am cooking some new and different recipes, but it is also significantly reducing our grocery bill as we are only buying what we need now, not what we think we might need to cook with!

Last night was particularly good: two recipes by Ina Garten - Lemon Chicken Breasts (and Tofu!)  and a Middle Eastern Vegetable Salad, paired with grilled flatbread.

The chicken was some  of the juiciest I have ever eaten and the salad was excellent so wanted to share these recipes:

Lemon Chicken Breasts

2010, Barefoot Contessa How Easy is That?, All Rights Reserved

Prep Time: 15 min

Inactive Prep Time: 10 min

Cook Time: 35 min

Level: Easy

Serves: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup good olive oil
• 3 tablespoons minced garlic (9 cloves)
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 boneless chicken breasts, skin on (6 to 8 ounces each)
• 1 lemon

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Warm the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, add the garlic, and cook for just 1 minute but don't allow the garlic to turn brown. Off the heat, add the white wine, lemon zest, lemon juice, oregano, thyme, and 1 teaspoon salt and pour into a 9 by 12-inch baking dish.

Pat the chicken breasts dry and place them skin side up over the sauce. Brush the chicken breasts with olive oil and sprinkle them liberally with salt and pepper. Cut the lemon in 8 wedges and tuck it among the pieces of chicken.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken breasts, until the chicken is done and the skin is lightly browned. If the chicken isn't browned enough, put it under the broiler for 2 minutes. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and serve hot with the pan juices.

Middle Eastern Vegetable Salad

2010, Barefoot Contessa How Easy Is That?, All Rights Reserved

Prep Time: 15 min

Inactive Prep Time: --

Cook Time: --

Level: Easy

Serves: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

• 10 scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced
• 1 pound ripe tomatoes, seeded, cored, and 1/2-inch-diced
• 1 hothouse cucumber, halved lengthwise, seeded, and 1/2-inch-diced
• 1 can or jar (12 to 16 ounces) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
• 1/3 cup julienned fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (4 lemons)
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup good olive oil
• 8 ounces good feta cheese, 1/2-inch-diced
• Toasted pita bread, for serving

Directions

Place the scallions, tomatoes, cucumber, chickpeas, parsley, mint, and basil in a large salad bowl and toss to combine.

In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the lemon juice, garlic, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Slowly whisk in the olive oil to make an emulsion. Pour the dressing over the salad, tossing gently to coat all the vegetables. Add the feta, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss gently. Serve the salad with the toasted pita bread.

I left out the chickpeas for mine and those who wanted feta added it at the end so that it stayed within the vegan category!

How about you?  Do you find you get into terrible ruts with your cooking? Please share and inspire me! I am so looking forward to local berries and veggies!

Have a wonderful day and stay safe out there!