Let's Meal Plan Together for 10/26/09

Vegetable soup au pistou.  Last night's dinner. 

I'm back in the swing of cooking after about a week off of eating dinners out to celebrate my 40th.  Last night I was craving simplicity and made a delicious vegetable soup using marrow-rich beef shank bones as the base for the broth which I cooked in the oven for about 5 hours (look how clear the broth is--that's the beauty of the oven method.)  I added in loads of green veggies from the farmer's market: kale, cabbage, celery, zucchini, green beans, as well as garlic,  carrots and waxy potatoes.  I cooked some pasta separately and added those to the soup just before serving and it was topped with a zingy basil-garlic-pecorino Romano "pistou."  And it was yum.

Since I made about a gallon of soup, it will be repurposed tonight. I'm going to add some tomatoes and some sausage, some beans and some small pasta, and it will be minestrone.  What are you making this week?  Please let me know in the comments!

• Monday--Minestrone and salad
• Tuesday--Chicken and merguez sausage tagine with dried apricots, prunes and thyme, cous cous
• Wednesday--Omelettes and tomato- and garlic-rubbed toasted baguette (breakfast for dinner)
• Thursday--Saucisse de Toulouse with white beans, salad
• Friday--Dinner out, I think
• Saturday (Halloween)--Bunny has requested pumpkin soup and so my little Cleopatra shall have it
• Sunday--The month-long (or at least until Thanksgiving) "mostly vegan" challenge begins.  Maybe grilled portabello burgers...going to spend the week poring over my vegan cookbooks, of which I have surprisingly many.

Sunday also begins my most favorite time of the year--the holidays. I spend the entire month of November thinking about, mulling over, and eventually planning a special Thanksgiving meal. Even if we spend it away from home, I always cook a Thanksgiving dinner at some point over the weekend anyway.  I just have to do it because in the end, we like our own turkey, gravy, stuffing, and mashed potatoes best, don't we?  Are you thinking about Thanksgiving, too?  If you are, I won't think you are weird. Kindred spirit, here.

Comments

[Amelia Sprout]

Monday - Pot roast in the crock pot.
Tuesday - Tandoori chicken (store bought marinade) and maybe some takeout veggie dish.
Wednesday - Pork dumplings and something else, not sure what.
Thursday - Beer brats on the grill (while we still can) and veggies.
Friday - Breakfast for dinner, cereal and scrambled eggs (favorite around here)
Saturday - A couple of parties and likely dinner out somewhere fun.

I always do Thanksgiving as well. My husband prefers tradition over experimentation, but I usually try to do at least one fun thing. It has allowed me to find fun things that have become part of the tradition, like Brussels sprouts with warm garlic Dijon vinaigrette.

[Mara]

Not inspired this week, but didn't want you to think I was ignoring your request!

Here's a contribution though: On Halloween I hollow out mini-pumpkins, fill them with homemade applesauce, and bake them in the oven. They are dreamy served with pork chops.

[Emily]

I'm finally getting sorted foodwise as life is getting back to some sense of normalcy.

So this week:

Monday - Beef fajitas w/homemade guacamole

Tuesday - Jalapeno salmon cakes w/salad

Wednesday - 'Garden Patch Pasta' (veggie pasta w/basil cream sauce)

Thursday - Homemade pizza night

Friday - Black bean soup with spicy italian sausage & spinach

Saturday - Pumpkin, sweet potato & banana curry

[Courtney]

Monday - homemade Mexican chicken soup (from freezer in crockpot), husband's beans (also from freezer), and various things that go with (chips, cheese, yogurt, salsa, tortillas, etc)

Tues - IKEA meatballs and gravy/sauce over egg noodles with peas (thanks gramma for picking up).

Wed - mashed potatoes (from CSA), green beans (local), and chicken/apple sausages (freezer).

Thurs - "smorgasbord" whatever is leftover that we will eat.

Fri - Adults at a party. Kid with gramma - whatever she makes/buys/goes out to for him.

Sat - pizza for Halloween.

[Jenny]

I am thinking of Christmas. We host it here at our house both eve and day and this year I am doing simple christmas day. So, I am trying to figure out what to have ready for a nice slow family christmas day. Soup and smoked salmon and crusty bread.

Dinner this week (trying not to buy anything except fruit and use up what we have in the fridge/freezer)

Sun: was away
Mon: take out, just got home
Tues: Pork Chops roasted with peppers and garlic and egg noodles
Wed: Chicken Pot Pie/frozen veg/potato/chicken broth from freezer
Thurs: Pot Roast made with a Paula Deen recipe I have never made, mashed potato and green beans and mushrooms
Fri: Chicken enchilada and squash
Sat: Pizza take out for halloween

[Di]

Sounds like a great plan!
Sun: XL baked spaghetti
Mon: homemade chicken tenders, salad and fresh fruit
Tues: left-over baked spaghetti
Wed: black beans and sausage in the crock-pot, served over rice
Thurs: sauteed shrimp in creamy white wine sauce with angel hair pasta
Fri: homemade pizza
Sat: something yummy in the crock-pot

[Karen]

I have been out of the habit of meal planning (see what you do?) so here goes for this week...

Sun - moussaka w/gr turkey, salad
Mon - bean/cheese tostadas, rice, corn
Tue - nutty squash soup, will try my hand at GF biscuits
Wed - picadillo w/gr turkey, rice
Thu - gnocchi w/pumpkin sauce, salad
Fri - artichoke crema pesto pasta
Sat - Halloween potluck - I'm bringing crispy pumpkin wontons w/simple tomato sauce
Sun - don't know yet, maybe roast chicken

I love cooking for Thanksgiving. Last year I made a little "book" with all of the recipes that we like (including your persimmon green beans). When I am ready, I just whoop out that book for shopping & cooking. And yes, I've already looked at it!

[LizP]

Monday-hamburgers
Tuesday-leftover sauce from Alica Paulson's recipe with penne, then baked
Wednesday-
Thursday-
Friday-
I have a kielbasa and a small rump roast in the refrigerator, along with too many zucchini and mushrooms. There have to be options in there somewhere.

[charlene/crazedparent]

I think Di and I were communicating via food telepathy when we made our lists for two days!

Sun - Roasted pork loin with homemade applesauce, asparagus and green/blue/cheese/pear salad (I love Sunday cooking!)

Mon - pasta carbonara a la "Hungry Mad" (test kitchen)

Tues - Preschool dinner

Wed - Cuban beans/sausage over rice + sweet peppers (if CSA brings it in time)

Thurs - Homemade pizza + salad

Friday - Carrot risotto + salad

Sat - Halloween pizza party

[erin]

Apparently my daughter planned this week's menu but I haven't heard exactly what it is. I was instructed to get taco stuff last night which I did. Monday night the boys and I got Hot Lips Pizza while W and R went to La Sirenita.

Here's to a week of surprises for me!

One note: I just got a "soupscription" from SoupCycle which is a soup (and salad and bread) delivery service (on bikes of course) so now we are getting a meal every Tuesday. I love Portland!

[JO in Hawaii]

Please share how you made the clear soup in the oven...
Also, loved Mara's applesauce in pumpkin idea!