Menu Week of 10/22/11

I traveled to Boston last weekend - back to the house that I grew up in, to the neighborhood I used to be a part of, to my mother's cooking, to my brother's teasing, to all those little knick knacks left behind on my shelves, in my drawers, all around the house. Sometimes, we need to return to our childhood, and feel the memories again. Though in my case, a brief reminiscence is preferred.

Every time I go home, I remember the days, when, not so long ago, I was entirely reliant on others. The world outside was full of wonder and opportunity, but inside, it was safe and worry-free. It's the little things that I didn't notice , the little things that, now, I notice every time - probably, because it is now my turn to provide the same way that my mother did for me.

After I started this somewhat impulsive blog, I noticed how many other women, other working mothers, share the same faith in food and its ability to keep a family together. Maybe there's more to it - maybe we cook to relieve our own stress, to express our need for creativity, to simply have some time to ourselves. But, somehow, the entire process - choosing a menu, ensuring it falls within our budget, adding a few surprise elements here and there, shopping, and then, of course, cooking - creates a sense of well being, both within ourselves and our families.

So here's to our mothers who did this for us, and to our grandmothers who taught them, and here's to the younger generation who will hopefully adopt some of what we do for them everyday.

Weekly Menu 10/22/11
(thank you to Erin for sending me the link to Annie's Eats where many of this weeks recipes come from)

Saturday

• Breakfast: Scrambled eggs and toast
• Lunch/Dinner: Left over pot roast, soup, perogis
• Prep: Turkey sausage (recipe with slight modifications)

Sunday

• Breakfast: Sharlotka (attempt #2)
• Dinner: Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya (with modifications)
• Prep: Vegetable soup; Tuna salad; Meatloaf; Roasted chicken; Apple turnovers; Ranch dressing; Gravy

Monday

• Breakfast: Apple turnovers
• Lunch:Tuna salad sandwiches
• Dinner: Soup & salad; Potatoes & Meatloaf
• Prep:

Tuesday

• Breakfast: Yogurt & mini-bagels
• Lunch:Meatloaf sandwiches
• Dinner: Cucumber-avocado salad; Chicken tacos
• Prep:Cook corn, black beans and tomato relish

Wednesday

• Breakfast: Apple turnover
• Lunch: Chicken wrap
• Dinner: Halibut with corn cakes; Soup and grilled cheese for the kid
• Prep: Chicken tenders, Caesar dressing

Thursday

• Breakfast: Cereal
• Lunch: Meatloaf sandwiches
• Dinner: Soup; Caesar salad topped with chicken tenders
• Prep: Cream sauce; mushrooms; Spinach feta dip

Friday

• Breakfast: Breakfast sandwich
• Lunch: Chicken sandwich
• Dinner: Spinach feta dip with veggies; Linguini with cream sauce, mushrooms and left over chicken

Menu Week of 10/15/11

It's a short menu this week. Michael is heading to Ohio for his bachelor party and the kid and I are heading to Boston to celebrate my brother's birthday. Short and busy.

Another Sunday Dinner

I had a dinner planned.... chicken ragu over rice served with tri-colored pepper salad and tandoori bread. Sometimes, the weekend gets away from us. The kid had a last minute birthday party to attend, Michael was working on his homework, and I decided to spend a few hours grooming the dog. As evening rolled around, I knew that cooking dinner was an unlikely event. So I just prepped food for Monday, packed some lunches and dropped by Subway on the way back from the grocery story.

Just a few years ago, Subway was a place I frequented quite a few times a week. That was before Michael and Vizhon. And as I ate my chipotle chicken sub, I realized what Sunday dinner really means. Even on the days when we are exhausted from work, chores, and everyday errands - we find the time to put that extra bit of love in the food we prepare for our families. Somehow, they inspire us to work harder, stay up later, get up earlier and be productive every moment of our day. And only when they aren't there, do we relax and order take out. Because Sunday dinners are just as much about the smells and anticipation as they are about the food itself. Though I doubt Vizhon missed dinner this weekend, I realized how much I had been missing it before I met the two of them. And though Michael and I enjoyed our subs - it just didn't have that touch of wonder and anticipation for the coming week that belongs in a Sunday night.

Menu Week of 10/08/2011

Thank you to WitchyWoman for pointing me to AZ Cookbook. I've adopted some of the recipes for this week:

Saturday

• Breakfast: Breakfast burritos
• Lunch/Dinner: Fried rice, left over saffron orzo, spring rolls
• Prep: Chicken Ragu

Sunday

• Breakfast: Sharlotka
• Lunch/Dinner:Chicken Ragu with potatoes; Tri-colored pepper salad; Tandoori bread
• Prep for Monday: Spanish Tortilla; Tuna salad

Indian Night

Part of the addictive nature of cooking lies in the wonderful variety and never ending possibilities and combinations of new ingredients, spices, techniques. Since I cook for a child as well, I'm usually very careful about international foods. Bold, unfamiliar flavors generally don't sit well with the younger folk. However, Indian night seemed to go very smoothly.

This was my first attempt at both butter chicken and samosas, and the recipes I followed produced very authentic results. I am including a modified version of the recipes below:

Sunday Dinner

There is something wonderful about dinners on Sunday, especially when all the work is done - the house is prepared for the busy work week; Monday's dinner is already warm on the stove; laundry is clean and folded; and, in my case, both the goldfish and the tropical fish are swimming around in a freshly scrubbed tank (we found a surprise new housemate this week, a tiny little snail that magically appeared in the tropical tank).

Everyone can sit down, relax, and enjoy supper with an episode of Lost. Since I had been cleaning, prepping and food shopping all day long, I planned a simple meal that would round up the week - vegetable tortilla soup with grilled cheese. The veggies make me happy, the cheese makes them happy.

Cooking for the New Year

Chernowitz Challah

After the meal - Honey Cake

Before the meal

 
Something wonderful happens when family sits together at a dressed up table for a holiday meal. It could be the anticipation from the night before - the smells of cooking pot roast, the cake, decorated and displayed, but off limits to itchy fingers, the late night preparations. It could be the recipe searches weeks before the holiday, preparations, shopping for seasonal ingredients. But what I have learned in the past few years of family life is that the energy and time that I devote to ensuring everything comes together shines brightly on the faces of those who sit with us during the festive meal. As any mom knows, there is nothing better than that.

World History for kids

We live in Bridgeport, a poorer, though not the poorest, neighborhood in the south side of Chicago. With the lower income, come schools with less potential, individual attention, and fewer talented teachers. I have been struggling with the curriculum since I first began participating in raising Vizhon (three years ago). At first, I thought that math practice and reading assignments at home would do the trick. But the kiddo is in sixth grade and the paucity of education she is receiving is devastating. So, the poor child is faced with math, grammar, science, geography, world history and US history lessons at home. It's hard, but doable.

Great New Recipe

For dinner last night, I planned to make some maple-glazed tuna accompanied by pear-potato salad. Since I grabbed mahi mahi at the store instead, I'll try the maple glaze next week. The potato salad, however, was quite refreshing. Curry, pears, potatoes, almonds and a hint of lemon... light, complex (and I try to use that word sparingly), inviting so many creative pairings.

Goldfish drama

A few years ago, I adopted two goldfish from a family who no longer wanted to participate in the weekly tank scrubbings. Goldfish are not an easy task. As I learned, they need at least 15gallons of water per fish to stay healthy. They can live up to 30 years and that most often they die from organ failure from not having enough space to grow.

One of my fish has developed a strange growth over the past few months. It's not an ulcer and it doesn't seem to be filled with liquid. And he's no longer growing, unlike his buddy. He is also very sensitive to water quality - the slightest variations cause sores to appear on his tail. They have been pretty serious on a few occasions. These, I've learned to battle somewhat successfully. PimaFix, MelaFix and an AquaClear Filter. I love the filter since it lets me remove the carbon filter without losing all of the filtration - and this, for fish as dirty as goldfish, is quite important. The foam insert keeps a lot of the debris out of the water and the medication has time to take effect. Between the three of these items, we have overcome everyone of his diseases. Believe me, I was sure he wasn't going to make it quite a few times.

Strange how attached we become to even the smallest creatures.