Snow
Yes! Snow! Finally! We’ve waited all winter for it and here it is blanketing everything in sparkly drifts and mounds. There’s something about fresh snow for Valentine’s Day that just feels festive and cozy. Bear has been out sledding the past few days and we have big plans to build a snow fort in the front yard. I can’t wait to celebrate Valentine’s Day tomorrow, like we do every year, with homemade pizza and a movie. As a special treat, I’ve also hidden a tray of pink, sugar-dusted, whole wheat raspberry ricotta scones in the freezer. I’ll pull them out tomorrow morning and bake them up fresh for Bear to enjoy before school.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Last Week’s Menu
Sunday
Sheet Pan Roast Chicken with Brussels Sprouts & Balsamic (recipe from Alexandra’s Kitchen)
Charred Creamed Corn (recipe from Molly Yeh via Food Network)
I love making this recipe for chicken with brussels sprouts. It requires little work and the payoff is huge! First of all, dark meat is where it’s at. It’s always flavorful and juicy. Second, the brussels sprouts cook in the chicken fat and the tops char ever so slightly in the warm oven. Once tossed with the balsamic reduction, the result is crisp, sweet, and salty.
The creamed corn went nicely with the brussels sprouts and chicken. I particularly enjoyed the gentle heat bestowed on it from the two teaspoons of smoked paprika.
Monday
Leftovers
Tuesday
Fragrant Beef Curry with Rice (recipe from Bon Appetit via Epicurious)
I was really excited to try this recipe after devouring a delicious beef curry at Stewart’s last year and thinking about it incessantly ever since. However, this was nothing like the dish I had, and I am going to blame it on my curry powder. I used this curry powder and I just don’t like it. Dinner tonight received a big F for fail at our house but, if you have a curry powder that you love, give the recipe a try. The chutney, lemon juice, and cinnamon sticks all sound like they should go so nicely with tender beef and hot rice
Sides: Roasted broccoli and sweet potatoes
Wednesday
Minestrone Soup
Tonight I made my favorite recipe for minestrone soup. I got the recipe off of Genius Kitchen last year, and thankfully I printed it, because it’s gone. Just gone. It was titled Copycat Olive Garden Minestrone Soup by Todd Wilbur and posted by Suzy9725. Instead, my searches keep landing me on this recipe, which is not at all the recipe I make. Stay tuned for the recipe down the road when I have more time to type it out, and take this as a suggestion for minestrone on your meal plan.
Sides: Bread, cheese, & salad
Fortunately, I can share a dessert recipe with you. Bear and I made Molly Yeh’s Whipped Cheesecakes with Pistachio Crust for dessert. We substituted roasted pecans and walnuts for the pistachios and topped our cheesecake cups with sliced fresh strawberries. We didn’t have all of the ingredients to make the recipe as written, but we enjoyed our adaptation.
Thursday
Leftovers
Friday
Pizza!
Saturday
Jennifer ate leftover taco meat over quinoa with salsa while bouncing baby L. non-stop on her hip. Bear ate something delicious at her cousin’s house. Joel had the guys over for fillets. Who lost this dinner round? Jennifer.
(Feb 3rd, 2019 – Feb 9th, 2019)