I foraged in the refrigerator and pantry for Tuesday and we had breakfast for dinner.  I had potatoes, bacon, tomatoes, mushrooms, cheddar, leftover grits from the weekend and of course eggs.  The grits were a side dish and everything else became a skillet mixture with eggs on top. Pretty good for a last minute recovery. 

Last night I planned to have dinner ready at 5, when husband got home, we could eat and then I was heading off to a Culinary Historian Event about tomatoes.  I knew we would be tasting tomatoes but didn't think there would be a meal.  I expected snacks. 

I planned macaroni and cheese for last night and started it around 3:30.  Lots of cheese to grate.  And then messaged with my husband who didn't think he would be home.  Oh well, that's why we have a refrigerator.  The mac and cheese was very good, I used Martha Stewart's recipe.  I also divided the recipe. 

One for the freezer that is frozen unbaked:

One that was baked for dinner:

I had a little dinner, wasn't too hungry, wrapped everything and headed into the Atlanta rush hour traffic.  The program started at 7, so I allowed an hour to get downtown.  The program was at the Piedmont Cancer Wellness Center and the topic was tomatoes. 

The program was in two parts, the first part Deb Duchon talked about the great tomato debate - fruit or vegetable?  Why?  She traced how tomatoes arrived in America, they had quite a journey and there was some discussion in the group about fruits and vegetables.  Very enjoyable, informative and entertaining.  

The next part of the program was the food portion with Nancy Waldeck.  Nancy is a great chef, wine person and nice person.  She was assisted by her sous chef Lea. Yes, that's Lea in the background, well her back, she was working hard.  

Nancy talked about the Cancer Wellness Center, what she did with the center and also about all of the food she made.  Healthy, delicious food.  And much more than a little snack.

We started with a field greens salad with tomatoes and a ranch dressing. 

Next up a chilled tomato soup with crab and creme fraiche. 

We also had a tomato and eggplant gratin and tomato cupcakes.  I had some of everything!

If you didn't make it to the event, you missed a good one.  If you are interested in future events, check out Culinary Historians of Atlanta on facebook and see what's going on.  Food, friends, a chance to learn, what could be better?

I have had Nancie McDermott's cookbook Southern Cakes for several years.  I first met her at a Women Chefs and Restaurateur conference and got her book there.  I followed that with her Southern Pies which I also love. I've gotten to know her better and found that she spent time in the Peace Corps and had written several cookbooks about Thai food, stir fry and Vietnamese foods.  I had to order some. 

I decided that this week would be an all Asian menu.  Luckily my husband is fine with whatever crazy ideas I come up with.  Last night was the first meal from Nancie's 300 Best Stir Fry Recipes.  I did all my prep first which is especially important with stir fry meals. 

I wanted to serve the stir fry with rice so I put that on first.  It takes the longest at about 16 minutes.  I wanted to have leftovers to use in the fried rice later this week. 

I mixed chicken with sherry and cornstarch and let it marinate while I prepped the other ingredients. 

Peppers thinly sliced.

Fresh garlic, ginger and hot peppers minced.

Soy sauce, chicken broth and a little sugar. 

The wok, a large skillet will work also. 

Hot, fresh, fast food!

Sunday I made a chicken potato casserole to be sure I had leftovers for Monday night.  Monday night I was teaching a class at the Y so I had an early dinner and my husband had dinner when he got home from work. 

Tuesday is always forage for myself night so that was fine.  My husband has a meeting Tuesday nights. 

I roasted some chicken breasts and thighs on Wednesday and served them with fresh green beans and stuffing from the freezer.  I planned for cold roast chicken for Thursday night since I was working a bridal event for KitchenAid in the evening.  I made a chicken sandwich before I left for the event and my husband had chicken and stuffing when he got home.  At least I'm pretty sure he did, he's been having a busy week at work and is on call so we didn't chat much when I got home last night. 

Today is an easy pasta dinner because I am teaching an in home class for an individual from 4 until about 6.  She wants to start eating some meat but because she's been a vegetarian for 20 years does not know how to choose meat or cook it.  We're going to meet, shop and then do some basic cooking techniques.  So when I get home I'm pretty sure I can boil some pasta, saute some sausage and spinach and mix it all together.  We can't go out since my husband is on call.  Also before he left this morning he said he might be working really late.  So this dinner might migrate to tomorrow and I'll forage.  It will work out. 

The only way I can have dinner at home every night is to menu plan.  And as part of that plan use leftovers and quick things that are in the freezer.  I enjoy dinner at home though and it's worth it to me to take 30 minutes or so to plan a menu while looking at my calendar.  No stress, good food!

There were a few steps but nothing difficult.  First a lemon olive oil made with lemon zest, juice and olive oil.  My husband did that.  Then I made sure I had Parmesan grated, oil, zest, worcestershire and red pepper flakes ready, and garlic with anchovy paste. 

Then I washed and chopped the romaine.

My husband started the Big Green Egg and I started the water for the linguine.  I skewered the bread cubes and shrimp and brushed them with the lemon oil.  Onto the grill until the sweet Georgia shrimp were cooked and the bread was toasted. 

Drain the pasta, toss with the small bowls, wilt the romaine, top with the skewers.  Delicious!

Great way to start the week.  Last night I taught my monthly class at the Y so no dinner cooked Monday.  Tonight is "whatever" night so I had a good lunch with the kids.  Tomorrow may be sauce from the freezer.  Menu planning for me means I always know what's for dinner with no stress.

The meal was delicious!  I made Mushroom Wellingtons with a salad of spinach and arugula.  The recipe was nice because it served 2 and that's the number of people I planned for dinner.   

Mushroom Wellingtons with Walnuts and Roquefort Cheese from Cuisine at Home February 2011

Roast:

2 large portobello mushrooms(at least 7 inches wide), stems and gills removed

2 tsp. Dijon mustard

1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme

salt and pepper 

For the filling, saute:

1/2 cup minced leeks

2 tbsp. minced shallots

1 tbsp. minced garlic

1 1/2 tsp. olive oil

1 cup each stemmed and minced button and shiitake mushrooms

1/4 cup toasted walnuts, chopped

2 tbsp. minced fresh chives

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme

For the wellingtons:

2 tsp. Roquefort cheese

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed

1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp. water

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with  parchment paper. 
2. Brush each portobello, gill side up, with 1 tsp. Dijon and 1/2 tsp. thyme;season with salt and pepper, roast until slightly browned, 20 minutes.
3. For the filling saute leeks, shallots and garlic in oil in a skillet over medium high heat until softened, 4 - 5 minutes. Add button and shiitake mushrooms;cook until liquid is evaporated and mixture is soft, about 7 minutes. 
4. Stir in walnuts, chives, 1 tsp. Dijon, and 1 tsp. thyme, then season with salt and pepper. 
5. Sprinkle 1 tsp Roquefort on each roasted portobello.  Divide filling evenly between portobellos.
6. Cut two 5-inch rounds from puff pastry.  Roll each round on a lightly floured surface to 10 inches in diameter.  Place a portobello in center of each round, then fold pastry edges inward, leaving a small gap on top.  Brush each wellington with egg wash;transfer to prepared baking sheet. 

Bake wellingtons until pastry is golden and puffed, 20 to 22 minutes. 

I used the salad suggestion of spinach and arugula from the same magazine but didn't make the dressing.  The dressing with the recipe was champagne vinegar, minced shallots, honey, olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.  I had some dressing I made the other night using my new favorite elderflower vinegar, olive oil and Penzey's Foxpoint seasoning.  It's a little sweet and the seasoning has shallots.  

I did shave some Parmesan over the salad.

I had a customer meeting at 6:30, so I roasted the portobellos, sauteed the vegetables and assembled the wellingtons this afternoon.  I brushed them with the egg wash, covered them and put them in the fridge.  I left oven heating instructions so my husband could bake them when he got home and we could eat after my meeting.  Perfect timing!  They took a few minutes longer since they were cold but otherwise perfect. 

No leftovers for me tomorrow but my plan is to make a giant batch of spaghetti sauce so I think tomorrow's dinner will be pasta for me. 

When I looked at the menu Thursday after dinner I found that I didn't have anything on the menu plan for Friday and asked my husband what he'd like.  His usual answer is "something good" which isn't much help but he answered "something on the grill".  A better answer so off to the freezer to see what I had to grill.  I discovered that I don't have much beef so need to order that but I did have pork tenderloins. I grabbed one.

Friday evening I still wasn't totally clear about dinner except that I was having pork tenderloin on the grill.  Better but not perfect.  I  foraged in the fridge and saw the last bit of My Southern Pantry Heirloom Grits.  I also found a package of baby spinach.  The grits take about the same amount of time to cook as the grill takes to heat up so that seemed to be a good plan. 

I got the grits simmering, I sauteed the spinach, I got The Big Green Egg heating, I had a clear plan.  Once the grits were done I added a little parmesan and the spinach.  I butterflied the pork, dusted it with Hot Northwoods Seasoning from Penzeys and tossed it on the grill.  After 3 minutes on one side (the grill ranged between 400 and 500 degrees) I turned it, about 4 more minutes and dinner was ready.  And delicious!

I decided I probably had enough things in the refrigerator and pantry that I could make pizza and that we could try using The Big Green Egg.  Pizza was an excellent plan but I didn't look at the weather forecast and yesterday was a rainy, cold, windy day.  Not a day that I was going to man the Egg. 

I found the pizza dough recipe on the King Arthur flour website.  Since I hadn't planned, I used the "Easiest Pizza You'll Ever Make" recipe.  I made the dough, covered it to rise and found something else to do for 2 hours.  I was thinking about toppings. 

Foraging in the refrigerator I found one sauteed chicken breast, some arugula, Asiago cheese with rosemary, Italian blend cheese, cheddar cheese, mozzarella cheese, leftover lemon cream white sauce, one parboiled russet potato and fresh rosemary. In the pantry I found salsa verde, salsa, black beans, and canned tomatoes. 

I decided to make 2 different pizzas and hope one was good.  The first one I spread with salsa verde, then shredded some chicken, sprinkled with black beans, a little cheddar, a little mozzarella.  Looked good.  Tossed it in the oven and 15 minutes later had a beautiful pizza. 

While the first pizza was baking I made the second.  I spread on the lemon white sauce, then thinly sliced potatoes, chopped fresh rosemary, shredded chicken (it was a big piece) some Asiago and a little Italian blend cheese.  Once the first was out the second went in.  We tasted the Mexican pizza and it was great! 

The second came out and it looked good.  Of course we saved room for a taste of it.  It was delicious!  We need to have pizza more often!  It's a great way to clean out the refrigerator. 

So now there is leftover pizza in the refrigerator and 2 balls of dough in the freezer.  Not bad for a blank Saturday menu.  

Surgery was 2/4 and so far so good.  I was face down again until today but the pain was less than last time so I don't have to check out with percocet.  Yay! 

My husband did take over cooking duties again but there were no major holidays like Thanksgiving that he needed to deal with. I planned a menu that was simple and took us through tomorrow but I'll be able to make dinner tonight.

So here is my surgery menu planning, I hope that I won't have to do it again, but it does work.  Surgery was Friday very early and I wasn't sure if I'd want to eat so Thursday's dinner was meatloaf, scalloped potatoes and spinach.  This allowed for good leftovers for my husband and I had purchased cheddar bunnies in case I needed them.  

Perfect plan.  Saturday he did not need to work so I planned a simple chicken pasta dish from Everyday Pasta.  Giada's cookbooks are easy to follow and tasty.  He made a delicious dinner.  The plan for Monday was leftover pasta and salad.

Sunday the plan was to roast chicken breasts and thighs and use some stuffing from the freezer.  There would be enough chicken for leftovers for lunch or dinner.  Easy to roast chicken pieces and heat stuffing.

Monday the plan didn't work so well.  Maybe it's the pain medication I was taking then and a little stress, but there weren't many leftovers.  Plan B was salad and some salmon fillets from the freezer.  Worked perfectly!

Tuesday we had chicken, stuffing, forage for yourself.   My husband worked from home Tuesday and went to his meeting Tuesday night.  Today is more normal.  Husband went to the office, I can eat cold chicken, baked gnocchi for dinner.

I do not do well letting people take care of me even when I have to and I know they want to.  I'm working on that.  We also have some nice beef stew from my friend Rosemary.  She also brought over some delicious whole wheat bread and dessert.  The bread and dessert went on Monday's meal.  

So I am fortunate that recovery is easier so far.  I have a follow-up appointment Friday and hope all is well.  

I didn't get a lot on Sunday because I'm working on the pantry and the freezer but did pick up a few fresh things.  My husband ended up working from home everyday except Friday and all of our evening events were cancelled but my menu plan didn't really change. 

Sunday we had Stuffed Poblanos using up potatoes and cheese that I had and some black beans from the pantry.  No leftovers! 

Monday was a forage for yourself night because we were both supposed to be out that night but we had leftover beef stew and leftover chicken cacciatore to choose from.  

Tuesday was whatever night and I hadn't planned for a dinner for two, but I foraged in the freezer and found potato leek soup and multi grain bread.  Empty the freezer! 

Wednesday we were supposed to go to a class in the evening so dinner was planned to be quick so we could get to Sonya's at 7.  I had cheese ravioli in the freezer, some Via Elisa pasta sauce and a salad planned.  We stayed with the plan. 

Thursday I had casually planned to have some kind of salmon with some kind of potatoes and spinach.  I sauteed the salmon with some Southern Pantry Pecan Smoked Salt, roasted the potatoes with some fresh rosemary found in the fridge heated the spinach.  I try to always have spinach in the freezer. 

Friday I had planned Italian Beef Stew, a new recipe from the current Cooking Light.  I served it over egg noodles.  There is plenty for another meal so that went into the freezer this morning.  Labeled! 

My menu planning usually goes from Friday to Saturday, but I didn't have anything on the plan for today.  I gave the beef stew to the freezer and took from the freezer Buffalo Chicken Pasta and some applesauce. 

I try to keep nuts in the pantry and I bought oranges on Sunday, we always have cheese around and I like Stacy's Naked Pita Chips.  My husband could easily forage for breakfast and lunch as he grazed through the day while working.  

So we made it through the week with no meal stress and no need to get to the grocery store.  We are out of bread, I discovered that this morning as I started brunch.  I did however have 2 bagels in the freezer, Southern Pantry Heirloom Grits, bacon, eggs and orange juice.  We'll be okay without bread today.  

I'll need to go to the library Monday or Tuesday so I'll go to the bread store and stock up with a couple loaves for the freezer.  We'll be set again.  

Avoid stress with menu planning!  

Monday wasn't much different for me than a usual Monday.  I did some office work in the morning, did a load of laundry and spent a lot of the day knitting with Lifetime movies in the background.  Yes, there was a nap too.  I didn't cook for us since we had both planned to be out Monday evening and we had planned leftovers. 

I had a Chicken Cacciatore sub and my husband had Beef Tagine.  We both had delicious dinners.  Tonight I of course had planned "whatever" for my meal but my husband's meeting was cancelled so I foraged in the freezer and came out with potato leek soup and multi grain bread.  Another delicious meal with no cooking! 

I've heard a lot of talk about Meatless Mondays but I haven't scheduled Monday as meatless days in my menu planning since we often have meals without meat.  So Sunday was a meatless day since I had an abundance of potatoes and cheese in the fridge. 

Potato-Stuffed Poblanos from Cuisine at Home February 2011

serves 2

Roast:

2 large poblano chiles

For the filling, boil:

12 ounces small red potatoes, cubed, about 2 cups

1/2 cup sliced onion

Mash:

1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided

1/4 cup chopped scallions

3 tablespoons cream cheese

3 tablespoons canned diced green chiles

1 tablespoon seeded and chopped jalapeno

1 tablespoon sour cream

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Coat a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. 
2. Roast poblanos over a gas burner (or place under broiler 6 inches from element) until skins blacken.  Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and steam 10 minutes.  Peel blackened skin from poblanos. 
3. Cut a slit the length of each poblano down one side:discard seeds.  Set poblanos aside. 
4. For the filling, boil potatoes and onion in a pot of salted water until tender, about 7 minutes;drain and return to the pot.  Stir potatoes and onion over high heat 30 seconds to evaporate moisture.
5. Mash potatoes and onion with 3/4 cup Jack cheese, scallions, cream cheese, green chiles, jalapeno, sour cream, garlic powder, and cumin.  Stir in lime juice and season with salt and pepper. 
6. Divide potato filling between poblanos and sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup Jack cheese over each one.  
7. Bake stuffed poblanos on prepared baking sheet until cheese is golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.