Monday, April 15, 2013

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!

40 comments:

  1. The Masters...cutest guy won. David Bowie...jealous. Game of Thrones...poor Jamie. Em and I also think the guy who helped Theon escape is the bad guy.

    Cooking...for quite a period of time every time I was asked by family "what's for dinner?" I would respond "Slop!" No matter the effort, the ingredients, the time involved that is how it was viewed. I have since become the sous chef and Hunter has become the head chef. Your chicken recipe looks great and easy - may try this week.

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    1. Well, I wish we were really seeing Bowie this week - he was so amazing - this homade should be neat! As for slop, you made me laugh out loud with that one!

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  2. GoT must be on HBO as I don't think we get it.

    I love to cook! DD1 is vegetarian, but not vegan, so cheese is fine( not here now anyway). Many of our meals are veg, but here we can get the best local grassfed meat. I have a million cookbooks, but I make variations most of the time. Love Ina, but no way would I put 480 calories of olive oil in a four chicken breast dish. It must be tough not to have beans esp; I make a batch of some type of bean every week (almost never canned). No lentils then either? How about frittatas with lots of veg and some cheese? Farro salad with ricotta salata and veg?

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    1. HI Lane - do all of that, and yes, no lentils! I usually take out a bit of her oil, but in this recipe, it mostly sits on the bottom and is left there. Yes GoT is an HBO thing - I think the first two seasons are out on DVD, so are probably available on netflix!

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  3. Squeal! So excited you name-checked me, but v embarrassed that I had to google Adam Scott.... I am so un-Australian! Shocking!
    Those recipes look delicious. Must give them a try. We also get into a total food rut,and haves a house of difficult eaters....
    How exciting about your son's prom. Good luck negotiating the correct clothing choices for it!

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    1. Maybe he'd consider white tie? That would go with date and sure would be eye catching.

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  4. Oh, and love David Bowie. Particularly love Ziggy Stardust.

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  5. PROM-INENT WMM, maybe DS is channeling David Bowie's early attire for his big dance vision. Good of you to hold the purse strings and think of the GF. Maybe show him some piccies of parentals in less than enduring choices and remind him that photos will live on 'net forever?

    Like Lane, I would have a hard time without legumes. We do make a detailed meals and shopping list each week. Curbs impulses and ensures with only two people leftovers get transformed/ eaten, and veg. drawer gets emptied. I find it harder to pre-plan once all the farmer's markets open, but veg. also more universally appealing then. Have you tried all the grains for a substantial dish base and then individualized toppings (farro, quinoa, spelt, barley, cous cous, different rices)? That's how hubs and I have "survived" when I was veggie and he was definitely not. Another thing I find helps is roasting a batch of meaty veggies like portobellos, japanese eggplant, with either Italian or umami/ soy type seasonings. I tend to pick a favourite cookbook a month and make new things from it. Also have my books stacked and marked seasonally so they all get a turn.

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    1. Thanks! I do all those grains and good heavy veggies, too! I love me some good veggies!

      Hey - the sun just burst forth - yippee!!!

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  6. Oh my, that does look like a busy week. I am not a David Bowie fan though I can't say I don't like him... I don't know him well enough! We don't have this Prom traditions here, so this is something I don't really know and I don't think I will have to worry...
    Yes winter seems to last forever... I am struggling with evening cooking for many different reasons. One of them is that I started juicing (veggies and fruits) in January and this takes me already quite sometime in my evenings... And then as you, we are not easy as we don't really like the same things... So putting up dinners are not an easy task... I am looking forward the salad seasons, but my son is not really keen on this ( he is 10)... I made myself the promise to work again on weekly meal planning (I was doing it before the juicing) but dropped it since then and have not resume it yet. One main concern I have is to include more raw food in our diet and I don't find this easy... Thanks for sharing those recipes and have a good one.

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    1. It is complicated when everyone wants something different! I think we all deserve some nice weather and good fresh fruits and veggies!

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  7. Thanks for the recipes. They look delish, healthy & easy to do. You are right. I have saved so much if I plan the meals for a week rather than try to wing it & cook whatever comes to mind.

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    1. and then there is the wasted food, like GF said - that bothers me the most! We have a little butcher's shop down the road that sells organic, field raised meat and chicken and now I only purchase from there on the day that I plan to cook it, so nothing more to waste there!

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  8. Definitly will try the chicken recipe,but i will maybe take a little less oil:)

    I try a lot of new dishes ,but i also have a lot of favorites that everybody loves.
    Most of the new recipes that i try are out of food magazines and i have stacks of those.
    The tastes are divided by gender:girls love noodles and veggie dishes and the male side is more meat and potatoes.

    What did you decide with the banana tank?
    I am tempted to order it with the next promo.

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    1. I haven't cancelled it , though I am leaning there - I can't do a racer back and my bra cup size means I would have to get it altered under the armpits to not show bra. Having said that, I really think it is fun, so I may just wait and see!

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  9. A couple of months ago, I subscribed to a website called The Fresh 20. The plan assumes that you have 20 designated pantry items (things like dried oregano and veggie broth) on hand. Then every Friday, you get a shopping plan of 20 items that make 5 dinners (4 servings each). Weeknight meals average about 30 minutes of cook time. It works out great for us because we use the 2 extra servings for lunch the next day. We find ourselves wasting less food. Plus, our grocery bill is way down - about $80 for the Fresh 20 shopping list and another $20 or so for fruits for snacks.

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    1. wow! Last month we spent $1500 on food for the four of us! My goal is to get it down to $1200! All Barry and son do is eat, eat, eat! They are both 6'3" and bottomless pits! I am inspired!

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    2. Wendy, we pay a lot more for groceries in Canada, particularly dairy and egg products, which can be as much as 3x higher than U.S. prices so don't feel bad about what you spend. My husband and I probably spend close to that much just for the two of us, although he does eat a lot.

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    3. Wendy xoxo is right across board on supermarket and household supply pricing, with exception of a couple of cities (Manhattan) or gourmet markets. I think when can it really helps to shop in season, and sounds like you are really making progress there. I am also learning to throw less expensive house parties ( French stews, Indian, Tex Mex, pasta, my baked potato bar). The "theme" foods are mostly flexible and just as much fun. Hubs and I were finding end of 2012 a big portion of market budget was going to party & cocktail/ snack food. Still want to entertain, but finding ways to do well for less.

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    4. I'm giving this Fresh 20 a shot for three months. It's going to be be crazy busy around here and this just might help.

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    5. Blue Booby, just checked and like The Fresh 20's simple format, fact it comes from a real family/ mom and has veggie/ gluten-free options as well as not a lot of "instant" food or preservatives. Reminds me of Jamie Oliver's 20-minute meals. At $5 p/m seems worthwhile.

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    6. For comparison, my weekly grocery bill has fallen from an average of $120 to $80. But as I mentioned, that amount doesn't include fruit. It also doesn't include things like soda or alcohol. Overall, though, I think it's been a big cost savings for us, especially because we hardly ever eat out mid-week anymore. This particular plan probably wouldn't work well for a family with food allergies or aversions (it's too restrictive), but I just wasn't making the time on my own to think out a meal plan for the week. So, for us, it's been a God-send.

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    7. I think it is a neat idea and am off to take a look! I have another thing I want to share with you all about food tomorrow, too! I must be hungry!

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    8. GF, It does add up, all those parties and dinners. I did not know how spendy food is in Canada! I buy nothing pre-made so save there, but quality ingredients are pricy here too. We try to buy from farmers when possible. Do you have farmer's markets in the city?

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    9. Yes Lane, we are fortunate to have a summer to fall farmer's market in a square a couple of blocks from our house. And we are also decent weather walking distance to this city landmark:
      http://www.stlawrencemarket.com/
      (There are permanent greengrocers and stalls in one building, a weekend farmers' market directly opposite. But they also sell wine/ micro-brews and great gourmet jams and condiments, can be "dangerous" to go, esp. with hubs.)

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  10. We were listening to Bowie's new album on the weekend and it is good. There has been a lot of positive buzz, particularly around his ability to reinvent himself. The more I learn about him the more I am impressed.

    I am going to try the salad recipe, it looks delicious.

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    1. It is good! There was enough left over last night for dinner tonight, so am going to make a simple lemon spahetti dish with fresh breadcrumbs. I do love me some pasta!

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    2. Oh gawd, me too! Made an Italian sausage/mushroom/pea/tomato farfalle one this weekend and still heating up the leftover.

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    3. WMM, I like pangritata made with good bread (crumbs), olive oil and maybe some rosemary etc. as much as parmesan I think. The satisfying crunch really adds something to simple pastas.

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  11. I do get in ruts with the dinner thing I have to say. Sometimes I just get very tired of serving dinner, cripes I've been doing it for 20 years! When this happens I typically take out my Nigella and Jamie Oliver books and make up a couple of weeks of menus. My veg delivery every Tuesday forces me to plan differently too since I never know what's coming.
    Since our son moved out we spend much less on groceries, those 6'3" guys with their "empty pit of misery" stomachs really can create a huge grocery bill. For our February and March visits to see him that old rascal asked me to "pick up a few things for him at the store" (he has to take the bus to get his groceries home). Well he texted me lists each time and looking at my visa breakdown I realized those "few things" cost $670!! And we give him a generous food budget!
    Anyway food is expensive and it is so much work to keep everyone fed, never mind if allergies and vegan people have to be taken in to account. I think you have a good amount of cheer and organization around the whole thing!

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    1. Dani - I hear you! we just got home from ordering the prom tux and he is just eating a can of beans!

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  12. I just got home and am so concerned about the events in BOston now. Terrible. I was running too late to respond to your post this morning.
    That vegetable salad sounds delicious- although I prefer blue cheese or parmesan to feta. I feel for you- that is a lose- lose situation. Crossing your son, or a girl's dress plans(which sound lovely) for the senior prom. Good luck!

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    2. KnitYarns, just catching up on the news (I try to stay away from my phone and the whole digital stream when head-down on a project). I have been to meet friends who ran Boston and know that area well. So devastating, I do hope in addition to the 2 now confirmed losses none of the 23 (or more) injured are lost.

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    3. I am just heartbroken about Boston - I love it there so much and all those people and now at least one of the dead is an 8 year old boy. I am going to be doing a lot of praying and hoping tonight

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  14. Hi Wendy,
    I've been making that chicken recipe for about a year and my family loves it. The house smells great and I serve it with angel hair pasta. Have you tried her roasted shrimp with orzo recipe ? You can make it the day ahead and it gets rave reviews.

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    1. My friend Martine makes that a lot - unfortunately, shrimp is not on my list either :-(

      My son adores it!

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  15. Hi Wendy, there are many days where I dread the inevitable "what's for dinner" question. I am totally dependent on my Nigella cookbooks. If you compare their books, Nigella and Ina Garten often do very similar recipes, but I find Nigella's recipes are simpler and take less time to prepare, with excellent results - not as fancy but it's not like my kids are demanding a gourmet meal.

    I have been glued to the news coverage re: the Boston bomb attacks. It is horrible - who could think of doing such a thing? It is just runners, their families, and well-wishers.

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