Week of April 11, 2011

Monday
Roasted Chicken Thighs
served over chopped mushrooms, zucchini, and cabbage stir-fry

Tuesday
Shrimp, snow peas, red and yellow peppers, and mushrooms with chimichurri
served over cauliflower rice

Wednesday
Beverage: Cucumber-ginger-lemonade
Dinner Salad: spring mix and arugula with goat cheese, pecans, red grape halves, dried cranberries
Desert: Homemade frozen yogurt with blackberries and raspberries

Thursday
Salmon Croquettes served over Arugula Salad

Friday
Chilaquiles w/ greens, ground beef, cheddar cheese, and corn tortillas

Saturday
Roast Chicken
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Mashed Rutabega
Helen's Golden Apples

Menu Plan for the week of January 30, 2011

Sunday:
Green Salad
Shrimp and Grits
Sweet Potato Pie

Monday:
Chana Masala over Brown Basmati Rice
Raita
Steamed Cauliflower

Tuesday:
Broccoli-Cheddar Quiche
Green Salad

Wednesday:
Halibut with lemon-butter sauce
over a bed of spinach
and red quinoa

Thursday:
Vegetable Soup w/ black beans and leftover rice
Homemade Whole-Wheat Bread

Friday:
Homemade Fettucini
with Bolognese Sauce
Green Salad

Saturday:
Roast Chicken
Mashed Rutabagas and Potatoes
Steamed Broccoli


See other great meal plans over at Meal Plan Monday.

Menu Plan for the week of November 14, 2010

Sunday:
Vegetable Mafe
Spicy Ginger Cookies

Monday:
Salmon Croquettes
served over arugula salad

Tuesday:
Black Bean Quesadillas with
Roasted Brussels Spouts
and Roasted Butternut Squash

Wednesday:
Feta Fettuccine
Green salad

Thursday:
Lentil Soup with Greens and Poached Egg
Pumpkin Muffins

Friday:
Broccoli Gratin

Saturday:
Indian Chickpeas and Greens
over brown rice


See other great meal plans over at Meal Plan Monday.

Menu Plan for the week of November 7, 2010

Sunday:
Turnip and Tater and Beetroot Pie
Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Monday:
Indian-Style Chickpeas, Kohlrabi Greens, and Tomatoes
over brown rice
Baked Apples

Tuesday:
Cincinnati Chili over Spaghetti
Green Salad with Raw Veggies
Corn Bread

Wednesday:
Quiche Lorraine
Sauteed Mushrooms, Diced Zucchini, and Autumn Greens

Thursday:
Hamburgers with homemade whole-wheat buns
Roasted Potatoes
Broccoli

Friday:
Salmon with Asian Flavors
Served over Red Quinoa
Snow Peas
Homemade Challah
Solar-Oven Brownies

Saturday:
Pumpkin Pasta
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Crunchy Vegetable Salad


See other great meal plans over at Meal Plan Monday.

Menu Plan for the week of October 31, 2010

Sunday:
Leg of Lamb
Stir-fried Kale
Peanut Sweet Potato Pie

Monday:
Tacos with shredded lamb, arugula, and butternut squash

Tuesday:
Chili with black beans, shredded pork, and green peppers
over red quinoa

Wednesday:
Broccoli-Swiss Cheese Gratin
Green Salad

Thursday:
Spaghetti Squash Spaghetti
Roasted Brussels sprouts

Friday:
11yo son cooks--details to be announced

Saturday:
Lentil Soup with CSA veggies
over brown rice
Pumpkin Muffins

See other great meal plans over at Meal Plan Monday.

Cherries in Winter

When magazine writer Suzan Colon lost her job as the economic crisis came to a head, she found something even more wonderful to replace it: a beautiful life, and a brilliant and thoughtful idea for a book: Cherries in Winter: My Family's Recipe for Hope in Hard Times.

The book--a quick read with print large enough even for those of us who just might be starting to need bifocals--revolves around how Colon's family history sustained her and inspired her through times of trouble.  While they cooked classic family recipes, Colon's mother told her stories about her family's past.  And then Suzan found the writings and recipes of her "Nana" Matilda, who created a life during the Great Depression and WWII years with strength and verve.  The lesson that Suzan Colon uncovered from her family allowed her to recognize her own ability to weather the storms occuring in her own life.

Cherries in Winter is a lovely and relaxing book--but it isn't the perfect read in all circumstances.  Clearly, it is not a political or analytical discussion of the economic crisis.  Neither will it make much sense to anyone who has struggled with any real poverty or hunger.  She and her family have plenty to live a comfortable life--just not the upscale life they had led before.  The book will most appeal to those of us who have been required to cut back on our luxuries but are still doing fine--and those of us who have chosen a simpler life during this time (or before the economic crisis began).

But at the same time, the changes for Colon's family were very real.  As the author says, "I used to tell my parents they'd never have to worry about their old age, that I would take care of them.  Can I say that now?"

The title of the book, Cherries in Winter, is the author's articulation, handed down from the matriarchs of her family, of the idea that very occasional and very special treats can help us maintain a sense of balance: the importance of "spending extra, just once in a while, where there is no extra to be spent.  Because."  Why?  "It's a deep breath reminding us not to become miserly in spirit.  We may be broke but we're not poor."

What is your extravagance, your "cherries in winter"?

In the end, Colon recognizes her bounty: "It wasn't at all bad--sometimes what looked at first like more rotten luck turned out to be fate's little crooked smile."

I highly recommend this light but thoughtful book as the thing to pick up as you relax with a cup of tea in front of the fire--or as you sit under the leaves falling in your backyard on a warm autumn day like today.

(This review is an update of a post I put up on my knitting/gardening/personal blog when the book was released in hardback.  In order to celebrate its publication in paperback,  the publisher was kind enough to send me a review copy.)

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Check out other great "weekend cooking" posts at Beth Fish Reads.

Menu Plan for the week of Oct 24, 2010

Sunday:
Beef Tenderloin w/ clean-out-the-fridge ragout of autumn vegetables
Homegrown Butternut Squash

Monday:
Green Salad
Greek Pasta w/ chickpeas, Swiss chard, artichoke hearts, pesto, and feta cheese
sprinkled with black olives

Tuesday:
Roast Chicken
Sauteed Kohlrabi Greens
Roasted Kohlrabi Root
Peanut Pumpkin Pie

Wednesday:
Quiche with whatever veggies we have on hand from the CSA
Green Salad

Thursday:
out (for Ethiopian? for burritos?) after violin group class

Friday:
Spaghetti Squash Spaghetti w/ tomato-veggie sauce
Green Salad

Saturday:
Roast Leg of Lamb
Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Brussels sprouts

See other great meal plans over at Meal Plan Monday.