Last week was an absolute blur of kids home sick, after-school activities, science fair projects, and all things Valentine’s Day. The girls exchanged Valentines at school on Friday (thankfully still a thing), and we celebrated as a family in the evening. In keeping with a tradition that my family started years ago, we made homemade pizza and watched a movie. The girls chose The Greatest Showman, which we all thought was wonderful. On Saturday, we hosted brunch to celebrate a couple of family birthdays. I made Smitten Kitchen’s Brussels Sprout and Bacon Frittata. Eating Brussels sprouts at brunch felt so virtuous! I could certainly justify more doughnuts because, you know, balance.
Monday, February 10, 2025
Pork Fried Rice (The Kitchn)
This is one of our quickest go-to weeknight dinners. I especially love this recipe because it does not involve mincing ginger or garlic. It also tastes like take-out and the leftovers are just as good the following day. Make the rice in the morning and store it in the refrigerator, so it’s cold when you need it, and add additional soy sauce to taste. Roasted broccoli and edamame on the side.
Tuesday, February 11, 2025
Chicken and Red Lentil Soup With Lemony Yogurt (New York Times Cooking)
I’m always looking for new ways to get my family to eat more pulses. This soup looked like it had potential with 5 stars and 1,732 reviews. The girls actually ate it, drizzled with the yogurt sauce and a sprinkling of fresh herbs, but it wasn’t their favorite. I thought it was fine. However, I would have added fresh lemon juice directly to the soup to give it a bite of acidity. Roasted squash, warm naan, and salad completed the meal.
Wednesday, February 12, 2025
Ina Garten’s Linguini with Shrimp Scampi (Food Network)
An easy, no-wine-required shrimp scampi recipe. We ate ours with salad, as well as frozen Brussels sprouts and butternut squash roasted on a sheet pan at 425 degrees for about 25 minutes. Nobody wanted those Brussels sprouts except for me. They were all mine. No complaints here.
Thursday, February 13, 2025
Leftovers
Friday, February 14, 2025
Homemade Pizza (Dinner a Love Story)
Sadly my crust didn’t rise, but we made do. The girls made “heart” shaped pizzas and Joel and I stretched ours over a small sheet pan. Our favorite topping is always sautéed sausage with wilted swiss chard. We steamed broccoli to eat on the side and sampled many assorted chocolates.
Breakfast of the Week
Overnight Chia Oats (Alexandra’s Kitchen)
I make this breakfast once a week for myself and get two servings out of it. It’s my favorite weekday breakfast, especially when I have fresh berries and walnuts on hand to top it off. The combination of vanilla, cinnamon, and maple syrup is delicious and the chia seeds leave me feeling full until lunch. Nothing beats opening the refrigerator to a pre-made breakfast.
The Weekly Galette 