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Menu for The Week of May 19, 2012

Tracey — Fri, 18 May 2012 13:10:43 +0000

This week is supposed to be well and truly summer weather in much of the U.S., with temperatures like July early in the week. So we’ve got a couple of dinner salads, as well as a couple of meals that can be prepared completely on the grill, to save our kitchen and cooling bills. A couple of the menus can be made either on the stove (rather quickly) or outside on the grill, using a cast-iron skillet.

Our world tour this week includes a Pesto Pasta Salad with Grilled Chicken and an Artichoke Frittata (both Italian, including the cooking technique on the frittata); a Spring Salad with Tarragon Vinaigrette and French-style Adult Burgers (relax, there’s a simple option for the kids), as well as a Cajun grilled meal, Thai Lemon-Grass Chicken, and a pork steak salad with plenty of flavor. This week’s bonus is my very favorite breakfast year-round, but one that’s great in warm weather because the only heat used is in making the coffee! It’s got hundreds of variations, the exact number of which my son the algebra nut could figure out, probably. I’ve been making it for about 3 years and have not yet tired of it.

Finally, the noodles. I know some subscribers are here because they need a low glycemic or low carb way of eating; others are here for gluten-free purposes. So as in cases where I’ve put tortillas on the menu, please buy what you know fits your way of eating. The shiritaki noodles are actually appropriate for both. I’ve just tried them this week myself, and I love them. You just have to make sure to eat them with something substantial, because not only do they have almost no carbs, they also have almost no calories! I ate a cup for lunch with just a light soy ginger dressing I made up, and then left to run an errand. Five minutes away from home and I was hungry again! They come pre-cooked, never dried that I’ve seen. You can drain them before heating them, but you’ll probably want to rinse them either before or after. The liquid they’re packed in can taste a little like seaweed, but they themselves don’t really have a flavor and will absorb whatever you use with them. Soaking them in the sauce for at least 20 minutes really helps.

I’m already planning next week. I can’t believe I’ve been invited to THREE Memorial Day picnics! Next week I’m going to give you a variety of sides you can take, and a dessert. If you’ve been a subscriber the last month or so, you’ll also have several recipes for cold picnic-style salads from those.

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Menu for The Week of May 12, 2012

Tracey — Fri, 11 May 2012 03:58:56 +0000

It’s officially getting hot where I live. The wild asparagus is just to the point of being ready here, and the domestic asparagus is in full swing in the markets. We’re probably going to be seeing it for a couple of weeks more while it’s still officially “in season”, and then it will be gone for another year. That’s the thing about seasonal eating: you miss it like crazy while it’s not in season (or pay dearly for it), and then after it’s been in season for a few weeks you’re ready to move on. By the time it’s in season again, you’re hungry for it again.

This week, we’re having a “tortilla” from Spain that is actually the same thing as the frittata from around the corner in Italy. We’ll also be grilling a bit, between the Chipotle Cheeseburgers, Chicken Shish Kabobs, and chicken and steak for a couple of salads. We’ll also use the oven just a bit for some Baked Cod Provençal. Subscribers can skip the restaurant lines on Mother’s Day with Flint Hills Steak Salad from the Detroit-area restaurant’s recipe, with a Crab Louis appetizer that sounds fancy but is simple. We’ll round out the week with some Italian-style grilled pork chops; a variety of side salads and this week’s bonus: Chocolate Cupcakes with Orange-Coconut Frosting! Subscribers who are new and didn’t get the recipes for the mayonnaise and ketchup (sugar-free, gluten-free and no artificial sweeteners) please contact me and I’ll send them to you.

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Menu for The Week of May 5, 2012

Tracey — Thu, 03 May 2012 21:23:08 +0000

The weather is still a bit unpredictable where I am, and probably where some of you are, too. For example, I had to cover plants twice this week due to frost warnings, but some of the the daytime temperatures were fine for sunbathing! So we’ll continue with recipes you can make indoors and out. If it’s nice, feel free to grill the Jamaican Jerk Chicken and Teriyaki Steak; but if it’s not, the stovetop and/or oven will work just fine. The Taco, Composed, and Niçoise Aparagus Salads will work fine on the deck or in the kitchen. And the two Italian dishes are quick enough they won’t heat up the kitchen much. One of the Italian dishes is from Indianapolis favorite Italian restaurant Salvatore’s, a family-owned business that bit the dust after the stock market did. It’s Race Month here, and many fans have eaten at this Northwest-side hole in the wall with terrific food. I’m friends with the past owner’s niece. They would use fresh artichokes, but to save time, we’re using frozen.

Subscribers get these recipes and shopping list, plus this week’s bonus: a nice, fast cheesecake!

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Menu for The Week of April 28, 2012

Tracey — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 15:36:39 +0000

This week, we have a Thai grilling night, with Thai Pork Burgers and Thai Slaw. We’ve also got slow-cooked Italian Chicken and Vegetables and a quick Greek night. We’re doing a couple of very, very spring menus, one a quick salad and the other a quick dish I’d call a stir-fry, except it’s French on just slightly slower, with Lamb, Asparagus and Snow Peas. And we’ll also get spicy with a traditional fish dish from Belize! As always, feel free to move dishes to nights where they make more sense to you. None of these take very long, but the Italian Chicken does take 6 hours in the slow cooker. If you have a programmable slow cooker, which are pretty inexpensive now, this shouldn’t be a problem.

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Menu for The Week of April 21, 2012

Tracey — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 17:02:48 +0000

Last year at this time, the lilacs were out in full bloom and only the late daffodils were still around. This year, their both done, and I have roses already! It’s been a bit warmer than usual here, but still a bit chilly for outside dining because of the wind. So we’re getting beautiful scents blowing through the windows, but the breeze is cool enough to make it comfortable to not worry too much about warming up the kitchen. So the week’s grilling can be done inside or out, depending on the weather where you live.

Subscribers this week get an interesting Mediterranean twist on a familiar favorite with Mediterranean Meatloaf; a simple French treatment of grilled salmon and asparagus; a slow-cooked Mexican-style brisket with a spinach and orange salad; the brisket returns later in the week as burrito bowls. There’s also an Indonesian Satay Salad; an Italian chicken salad and Cajun pork steak with the original, homemade dressing from a ranch that’s hard to find. The bonus this week is pound cake. You can use this cake topped with whipped cream; with ice cream; or use it to make strawberry shortcake!

Maybe it’s because of the nice weather, but it seems like everything has kicked into high gear. Most of this week’s recipes go by so fast if you blink you’ll miss them! The salmon and asparagus dishes cook super-quick on the grill. The burrito bowls and pork steaks likewise are so quick you’d better set the table first before you start cooking. Even the Satay Chicken Salad goes together quickly. The meatloaf has a quick prep time, even though it will be in the oven awhile. The Chipotle Beef is the only thing that requires a bit more, but it slow cooks all day and is well worth it, because not only is it that meal but the basis for the burrito bowls later in the week.

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Menu for The Week of April 14, 2011

Tracey — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 19:48:27 +0000

This week, it’s been getting warmer, so we’ll be grilling more. But for most of the U.S. we’re supposed to have cooler temperatures later in the week, so you can always do the grilling on a tabletop grill or do it in the broiler oven, or even stovetop. We’re also going to see a main course salad, something we’ll do more of as the weather heats up. And we’re taking advantage of seasonal veggies like spinach, lettuce, asparagus and radishes. We’ll travel the map starting in Graceland, then heading from central and southern France to Italy and China. The bonus this week is another necessary but simple condiment that you can choose to use in Menu 7, rather than buying it. Another thing: you might also have wild asparagus growing near you! If you have an herb garden and have lettuce growing, you can eat the freshest way without spending much to do it.

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Menu for The Week of April 7, 2012

Tracey — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 13:17:19 +0000

Spring is being tricky this year. As I write this, it’s snowing all over my bright green grass! Lamb is in season, but still a bit pricy, so Sunday for Easter it’s a classic baked ham with a special spring dessert that appears decadent but isn’t! We’re also doing a turn in Italy; spending a little time in springtime France with a fish dish with asparagus in a mustard-tarragon sauce; and even going out of the way to Vietnam for an easy chicken salad before returning to a bit of comfort food. And we’re reusing leftovers 3 different times this week, to make up for the extra effort Sunday! Subscribers get full recipes and shopping list.

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Menu for The Week of March 31, 2012

Tracey — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 13:35:51 +0000

The weather is still a bit dodgy, although the daffodils are out where I live. It seems to go back and forth between being warm enough for shorts to requiring a winter coat (and having to cover plants at night)! It’s also not quite anything season where I live, either, although gardeners that started vegetables in cold frames might now have spinach and radishes, and possibly asparagus. I figure wild asparagus is 2-3 weeks away in the Midwest.

Because of the unstable weather, please feel free to move menus around to nights when they work best. You can do this for any reason, of course. But if it’s going to be chilly a certain day, that would be a good day to make this week’s soup or French spring quiche. While the French-style burgers, Italian-inspired pork chops or the Korean-style steak would go best on nights when it’s nice enough out to grill—and you can do them in your broiler or table-top grill if it’s just miserably drizzly all week.

Bonus recipes this week are an improved, sugar-free ketchup with no artificial sweeteners or gluten, which some early subscribers may already have, but which is going to be vital over the coming months because it’s used in several sauces (and you may want it on burgers anyhow). So there’s a second bonus recipe this week, for a two to three-layered Fresh Berry Mini-Cheesecakes. You can choose whether you want to ice them which chocolate ganache or leave them plain. They use some ingredients I don’t use often at all, but work well here. Look in health food stores to get the best quality for these.

One last thing: you’ll notice that this week there are many fresh herbs used. Believe it or not most of these are already coming up in my garden! If you can even plant a few herbs in a couple of pots, or even in a rain gutter fastened waist-high to the side of a wall, you’ll save lots of money. Herbs add loads of flavor, minerals and vitamins to your food. Many herbs will overwinter in many parts of the U.S. This year I’m going to have to replace my rosemary (it’s iffy here and sometimes will survive several winters); my stevia; cilantro and basil, which always need replacing for me. I may add dill and parsley this year as I convert what was a lettuce bed into all herbs.

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Menu for The Week of March 26, 2012

Tracey — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 01:16:31 +0000

This week, spring has finally sprung. Here, we’ve leaped right over it with temperatures over 80 two days in a row! You’ll notice that for the first time in a very long time, there is no soup on the menu. And for the first time in a very long time, one meal can be grilled! The weather is still unpredictable enough that there are still plenty of recipes for the stovetop, oven and slow cooker. We’ll also be using some early spring vegetables, even though for many of us they’re not up yet—at least they’re less-expensive in the stores than they were last month! We’re using mushrooms, asparagus, spinach and artichokes this week, with not a turnip in sight. In addition, besides several French country and Californina-style dishes, we’ve got Mojo Chicken with Cumin Mushrooms; a Thai curry; and a delicious, traditional Spanish almond cake!

A couple of notes on this week’s ingredients. I’m using True Orange, which is simply dried orange juice crystals. It packs a punch of orange flavor where orange juice would have too much sugar. In place of the lime and lemon juice, you could use True Lemon and True Lime, if you have them, but they’re not naturally as sugary as orange juice.

There will also be several leftover vegetables this week. I suggest you chop these up and use them for snacks, either for you or your kids!

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Menu for The Week of March 17, 2012

Tracey — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 02:26:30 +0000

As I write this, I’m contemplating opening my windows, because it’s supposed to be in the sixties today [as it turned out it hit 82!]. Winter breathes its last this week, at least in the Northern Hemisphere. But for most of the north, it’s not yet time for early spring vegetables, unless you have a greenhouse. So there aren’t as many soups as we’ve been having, but we’re still having one! This week, we’ll have some Tequila Chicken, along with an omelet made from the leftovers, as well as a twist on classic State Fair Italian Sausage. I do have a pork and cabbage dish you can move to St. Patricks Day if you like, but it’s not your grandda’s corned beef and cabbage! Which isn’t authentically Irish anyhow, so I had fun with it. A couple of French-inspired dishes and a Key West take on seafood are here, too. Subscribers will also get a tasty bonus recipe kids of all ages will love!

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