Menu Week of March 7, 2011

Gotta keep things simple because who knows when this babe will make his grand entrance. So, instead of assigning certain dishes for certain days, I'm just going to be flexible.

Broccoli Soup and Chicken Salad Sandwiches
Roast Chicken, Rice and Brussel Sprouts
Spicy Maple Salmon ( think I'll try a glaze, mix it up a bit), broccoli (hey, it's in season), Goat Cheese Quinoa
Pasta Puttenesca (have to have this every week now, per Andy)

Split Pea Soup

I woke up the other day salivating for my mom's split pea soup of my youth. Split peas fall apart in a soup so there's no need to puree anything and it's just so easy to make and it smells delicious even if you're just learning to use your new dishwasher and accidentally melt a plastic lid and don't notice until you're like, what the hell? It should only smell like soup in here! Oops.

Tipsy Shrimp

I intended to make shrimp scampi but had no white cooking wine on hand, just beer so I had to improvise! Which is good because seriously a new house deserves some new recipes, yes? Even if the kitchen is still roughly the same size? Yes.

Cantaloupe Sherbet

Oh, man, between moving and Baby-Wait 2011, I've been pretty busy! But one of the great things about moving is unearthing all the stuff I'd all but forgotten about. I don't know how I forgot I had an ice cream attachment for my Kitchen-Aid, it's practically brand-new, but I did forget. No matter, I'll make up for it.

So, anyway, I bought a cantaloupe this week and was completely overwhelmed by the amount of fruit it yielded. I'm only one person, I can't eat that much fruit before it goes bad! Sherbet to the rescue

Homemade Granola

La Brea Bakery has an amazing granola that comes in a tiny bag but costs $7! About a month ago, I checked out the ingredients and thought, um, I need to make my own. I don't know exactly what's in the La Brea Bakery version but mine is a hit at home and is SO GOOD. Also, very easy to make.

Cottage Cheese Pancakes

I LOVE pancakes, Every one of my friends knows this because when Andy is gone for the evening a couple of them never fail to ask me if I'm making pancakes for dinner and a lot of the time the answer is "Yes, of course I am." It's a snack/meal/dessert all in one and they are an awesome vehicle for whatever: fruit, bacon, whipped cream, you name it. So, yeah, pancakes are the best.

Recently, I found a recipe over at a health site that intrigued me because as much as I LOVE pancakes, I have gained a ton of weight this pregnancy and really need to watch my carbohydrate intake. Boring, I know. At any rate, I whipped these up yesterday and, holy crap, I'm sold. They are packed with protein and they taste so much like real pancakes that I still felt guilty. And guilt is the byproduct of a really good snack/meal/dessert. SMD? I'll work on it.

Salt-baked Fish

It's getting closer and closer to BABY TIME and I am finding it hard to focus. We're also moving. I told Andy we would be living like bachelors for a few weeks: no new recipes, no baking. But. I had to try a new preparation last night for some whole trout.