Am I the only person whose menu is affected by the weather? I just looked up my 10-day weather forecast to help me decide what we'll be eating, and on what day, this week. Do other people do that? Can you stand eating hot soup on a warm day? Do you reject cold entrees on a chilly day? Does your menu change if it's raining? It's only at certain times of the year that I actually have to check. Summer will be, oh, HOT AS THE... well, hot. Uncomfortably hot, so there's no surprise there. Winter will be refreshingly, beautifully cold. In between is where the surprises hit me. I keep planning soup and getting 85 degree days. This week I'm looking ahead.

Monday: (Sunny; High 84/Low 59) We have a 7pm meeting on Mondays, so I'll make a big batch of vegetable stir fry and rice noodles that we can eat in a hurry, or even on the way if necessary. Plus there will be extra to nosh on when we get home (around 10, probably) if we're still hungry. Who am I kidding with the "if"? I'm four months pregnant; I'm always still hungry.

Tuesday: (Rainy; High 71/Low 58). It's DATE NIGHT, so I won't be cooking a dinner meal. I might whip up some blackberry muffins in the morning. I have just enough blackberries from my summer berry picking, bagged and frozen, needing to be used. I like muffins.

Wednesday: (Showers; High 68/Low 51). Now we're getting into my kind of weather. Cooler. I even like gray, rainy days. I didn't get to that fresh tomato soup I had on the menu last week, so this might be the night for that. Or maybe chicken enchilada soup. Guess which one my husband would like better.

Thursday: (Sunny; High 74/Low 52). My Memaw died last Thursday. She was sick, and it wasn't unexpected, but it's still sad and I feel bereft. I lost my other Grandmother in May of this year, so now I have only one grandparent left, my mom's dad. And Memaw was my Mom's mom, so it's one more link to my Mom gone, which makes me sad too. I pulled out Mom's recipe book, which I haven't really looked at since I brought it home last year. I found her chicken and dumplings recipe, and it sounds exactly like what I want. Actually, what I want is to be sitting in Memaw's kitchen watching her and Mom argue over how much milk to add. Weather really had nothing to do with this menu choice... weather of the soul, I guess...

Friday: (Sunny; High 75/Low 55). Since Thursday night meal was for me, and since my dear sweet wonderful husband doesn't really like chicken and dumplings but won't ever complain about it, I will make Friday's dinner for him: some kind of cheesy hamburger pasta casserole-type thing. I know that's kind of vague... I'll come up with a recipe before then. This is his version of ultimate comfort food. Everybody should get some comfort this week. He will have just finished his first full week at the new job. Perfect time for a congratulatory comfort dish.

Saturday: (Showers; High 67/Low 52). Since it's another rainy, cool day, soup is on the menu. I love soup. I'll make whichever one I didn't make on Wednesday, along with a Crustless Jarlsberg Quiche. It's also a recipe from my Mom's book, but a newer addition that I don't remember her having made. I think it was in the "to be tried" category. (She had a lot in that category. So do I.) Sounds amazing, I love quiche, and I really don't like making crusts. It's on.

Sunday: (Showers; High 66/Low 50). Sunday is an iffy cooking day. I keep it simple. I don't plan anything elaborate, because we often end up going to eat with my in-laws (always a yummy good time) or out to lunch with friends from church. If it's one of the rare Sundays when we come straight home, we'll have a) leftovers, b) cold cereal, c) sandwiches, or d) some sort of amazing concoction Joe comes up with while I feed the kids bananas and left-over quiche. He's a great Sunday short-order cook.

Monday: HA ha ha! You actually thought I had something planned that far away?

(Sorry. Couldn't resist. But you don't get next Monday's meal until, well, next Monday...)

Are you menu planning? If you're not, click on the button at the top of the post and get in on the fun. Yes, I said fun. And I meant it, too!

Wordless Wednesday

Can't beat fresh, buttered toast (from homemade bread) with a generous spread of butter and drizzle of honey. Add a cup of hot coffee... Mmmm.

I make a batch of bread about once a week. I don't even have to look at the recipe now... it's simple and it always comes out. I'll put the recipe below.

My three favorites from this week's WW:

Chica at Photo-Projectz: Great horse pic.

Robin's Woods: blackberry blossoms. (I'm going blackberry pickin' next week!)

Kim at What's That Smell?: love it!

THE RECIPE

Easy Homemade (White) Bread

See more at Wordless Wednesday

We stopped at Bread Co. for dinner tonight. I got the chicken salad sandwich. Okay, not as good as Mom's (no one else's ever is) and I should have gone with my standard panini.

Except that's what Joe did, and they kind of forgot to paninize it. Or something. I think they put it together and just skipped the whole heating-squishing process. It was a pre-panini'ed panini, which ends up just being a sandwich.

Kind of like my chicken salad sandwich. At least I expected mine to be cold.

Panini is a great word. It fits into the Food category of "Words-You-Cannot-Sound-Macho-While-Saying," like couscous and escargot. I don't care how gruff and deep and manly your voice is, when you ask for a big helping of couscous and endive salad, all the macho has left you. Bye bye.

What Joe actually ordered was a grilled panini. According to Wikipedia, the inerrant source of all information, a panini - or, to be proper, a panino, which is the correct singular of panini - is simply a "sandwich made from a small loaf of bread, typically a ciabatta." A heated and pressed panini, er, panino, is just one type of many possible panini.

(If you Google Image Search for panini, though, you'll find pictures of grilled panini until the 5th page of results, where this one shows up. I cannot tell if it is grilled or not. I'd like to try it with Filling Option #6. That tasty cheese is irresistible. You'll also find a picture of the Smurfs on the 1st page of results. I bet they like mushrooms in their panini.)

I guess Joe's cold sandwich still counted as a member of the panini panoply, then. I won't call customer service after all.

Resources: Can't get enough? Okay then:

Get your panini grills here. They are the latest rage in food service. And did you know they can cook virtually anything? "Yep, Bob, just throw that whole chicken on my panini grill there. Oh sure, it can handle it..."

The Panini Happy blog. Good recipes. I wish I had a panini grill.

Of course, a Squidoo page. How could there not be one?

Image Credit: The beautiful portabella and mozzarella panini picture is from daisygp at BiggestMenu.com. People at that site are licking the picture. The panini craze has gone a bit far.

The indelibly grill-marked panini image is from Chef Max Huppert, who says that panini "is simply the Italian name for sandwich, however it is mostly used in reference to sandwiches that are placed in a two-sided cooking press that compresses and grills the sandwich until hot and toasted" (emphasis mine). Hmm. Maybe I should call customer service. He is a chef.

And this picture of a great big panini grill for the accident-prone is from SnapDragon.com. You'll have to go there to find out exactly why it has such long handles...

Tools of Simple Lunches

To-go containers
Leftovers
Non-cook options
Heated options
Prepared fresh food

Using the Tools

To-Go Containers
For those who must take their lunches or prepare them for others who take them to work or school, your choice of to-go containers can make lunch simple or complicated. Disposable, restaurant-style boxes are a good option if you find that your Tupperware never makes it home. Yes, it is more waste and more recycling, but if your plastic containers disappear you have to replace them. Better to replace paper than plastic.

A good thermos is indispensable for colder weather. Sandwich bags, zipper-type bags, paper lunch bags, plastic wrap, foil: there are endless options. The best way is to determine what type of lunches you will be making regularly, then stock up on containers that work for you. If you, your spouse, and/or your child will bring home reusable containers, they are best. If not, get something inexpensive and make of recycled materials if possible, and keep a good supply on hand.

Leftovers
You can provide almost every lunch from left-over dinner meals, if you so choose. Make more than is needed for dinner for your family, and go ahead and portion it out into the appropriate lunch container before dinner. Don't feel that you have to wait until everyone has eaten and scrape up what is left. If you know you have more than enough, remove the part that will be someone's lunch. We tend to eat as much as we see available: more if there is more, less if there is less. Help fight obesity and remove the lunch portion before it disappears at dinner! Read the rest of this entry »

The Tools of Simple Breakfasts

To-go breakfast edibles
Options: non-cook, quick-cook, make-ahead
A well-stocked freezer
A specific breakfast time

Using the Tools

To-Go Breakfast Edibles
Every now and then, or perhaps more often than that, you're going to have a morning that just won't come together. It's best to be prepared and keep a supply of breakfast items that can be eaten en route. Granola bars, protein bars, bananas or apples, or any of the multitude of breakfast bars are all good options. Except for the fruit, all of those options are rather over-processed to be a healthy choice for every day. But when you're in a pinch and you know it, it is better to eat something processed than nothing at all. Combine a banana or apple with a protein bar and you won't be doubling over from hunger at mid-morning.

Options: Non-Cook, Quick-Cook, and Make-Ahead
Non-cook options include cereal and milk, yogurt and granola, fresh fruit of any kind, bagels, and smoothies.
Quick-cook options include oatmeal, cream of wheat type cereals, toast, and eggs.
Make-ahead options include breakfast casseroles and any baked goods you make yourself: muffins, scones, biscuits, etc.
The idea is not to have all of the options listed above and pick your way through them each morning. We're going for simple. Knowing your morning schedule and approximately how much time you have both to prepare, eat, and clean up breakfast, you need to choose the options that best fit. If you're looking at ten minutes, go for the non-cook options, preferably those with little or no cleaning needed, like fruit and bagels. Add a glass of milk to get some protein. If you have twenty to thirty minutes, you could opt for one of the quick-cook options. Twenty minutes is enough time to make toast, scramble an egg, eat, and put your dishes in the dishwasher. Thirty minutes is enough time to make oatmeal, cream of wheat, or an omelet, eat, and clean up.
The make-ahead options could work for shorter or longer time periods, if you have the time and desire to make breakfast the night before. You can put together a breakfast casserole while you're cleaning up dinner (or during your extended weekly prep time) and keep it in the refrigerator. In the morning, simply pop it in the oven while you shower and dress, then take fifteen minutes to sit and eat. Or if you enjoy baking, make up a batch of muffins or scones. You can go ahead and cook them so they're ready to grab on your way out the door, or you can get the batter from the refrigerator, cook them while you get ready, and enjoy them warm and fresh.
What you don't want to do is take on more than your morning can accomodate. Don't try to make an omelet if you have to leave in ten minutes. Save those labor-intensive, more elaborate breakfasts for the weekends. Waffles, pancakes, and the like are great as a Saturday morning brunch or a Sunday evening meal. Read the rest of this entry »

The Tools of Simple Weeknight Meals

A weekly meal plan
A well-stocked pantry
An uncomplicated kitchen
A weekly grocery trip
One extended prep time per week
Simple staples
Leftovers

Using the Tools

A Weekly Meal Plan
There is menu planning, and then there is life. The two don't go together very well. You can plan all you want to make that beef stroganoff and rice pilaf and chocolate mousse on Tuesday evening, but when the washer breaks and floods the basement on Tuesday afternoon, your dearest plans are (literally) washed away. We don't know exactly what a day will throw at us. After unexpected and stressful situations, there is nothing worse than realizing you have nothing to eat that will not demand an hour's prepping and cooking time. Not good.

A weekly meal plan is sort of like a menu, but allows for ahead-of-time preparation and flexibility. Assuming you will eat out one night per week, you are left with six nights that demand some sort of meal for yourself and your family. A weekly meal plan could be as simple as this: 1) Pasta, 2) Soup, 3) Chicken, 4) Sandwiches, 5) Fish, 6) Slow Cooker. You can have the same kind of pasta, soup, chicken, etc. every week if you want to, or you can mix it up a little and do a different pasta sauce and a new kind of slow cooker dish. You have six options, however, and you shop for and prepare for the six options each week. Then, whatever the day throws at you, you have food that is planned and somewhat prepared and requires little more time or effort from you. Read the rest of this entry »

Variety is the spice of life, but when it comes to food and sanity, repetition is key to success. Food can be as complicated or as simple as you allow it to be. Most of us don't spend much time thinking and planning, so menus and meals become a complex and frustrating burden. The truth is, we eat the same things most of the time. If we would plan for that and learn to shop ahead and prepare ahead just a little more than we usually do, meals can become simple and enjoyable. When you don' t have to scramble and spend lots of time in the kitchen for every meal, you might find yourself wanting to make something a little extra, like a new dessert or loaf of bread.

You don't need to feel bad about feeding your family the same things more often than not. We all like what is familiar; there is something very comfortable about knowing what to expect. Introducing new foods and recipes comes much easier when you are not stressing about every meal. Let simple routines take the place of the frantic look through the refrigerator. Let a well-stocked pantry take the place of last-minute runs to the grocery store. Let easy, fresh side dishes take the place of over-processed mixes. Simplicity in your meals does not mean you only eat bread and water; it means you stick to what you know, plan ahead, and add in new dishes as your time and budget allows.

Go to Simple Living: Weeknight Meals
Go to Simple Living: Breakfast
Go to Simple Living: Lunches

10 February - We Will Overcome

Success with the alarm and with staying awake! I am beginning to really enjoy this monthly challenge. I've always liked getting up early, but I've never been consistent with it for a long period of time. I haven't exactly hit "long period of time" - this is only Day 10 - but the actual getting up part is much easier than I anticipated.

This last week of half-success with getting up early while sick has led me to new conclusions in the area of cold and flue treatment: I'm thinking there is a definite medicinal value in coffee. I know I feel better after a warm, smooth cup with Creme Brulee creamer. Nutritionally, perhaps, it doesn't sound helpful but on a more visceral (and effective) level I know it does me good.

Diet is a tricky thing. I hate weight-loss or special diets of any kind. My experience with them is limited but so terrible that it has kept me from them, probably forever.

First, back in early high school years, my whole family went on a Cabbage Soup Diet, which is as torturous as it sounds. After a week of smelling and eating cabbage soup, I gained two pounds.

Then, in my later high school, we became vegetarian for a while. Vegetarian was tolerable; there were plenty of options and I've always enjoyed fresh fruits and vegetables. It was when we decided to go vegan that my food life went downhill. Think The Titanic in culinary terms. Filmy soy butter and plastic, shiny slices of soy cheese appeared in our refrigerator. We ate veggie burger (not bad) and fake "meat" crumbles (horrifying) and seasoned everything with Bragg's Liquid Aminos (distinct).

I think it was the soy dairy that did me in. Something deep inside me (the part that really likes butter, I guess) rebelled at a diet that replaces good and real, albeit fattening, food with processed, colored, imitation products of soy. The answer is simple: do without dairy, real or otherwise. Simple, but unacceptable for me.

To the successful vegans out there, I say more power to you. You have my respect and admiration. But don't feel you have to invite me over for dinner.