MPM--Keepin' On

Hello, menu planners! Reviews and links for last week below this week's menus. This week, in approximate order, as there are some evening events (baseball games, etc.) that I know are coming but I can't think which night.

Monday: onion quiche, salad, beets; probably these tilapia since I didn't make them on Sunday

Tuesday: crock pot chicken roll ups, veggie shu mai from Trader Joe's from the freezer. The kids may starve.

Wednesday: oh, I am so hoping to be at a bloggy gathering but alas, I'm having trouble finding a sitter. Pesky academic calendar!

Thursday: tacos

Friday: pizza, since we didn't make it last week, alas.

So, last week, this was great, although more involved than I wanted it to be. The chicken with almonds and green olives was wonderful but would take an alternate universe for it to be an "under an hour" dish for me. I will be very interested to see if Deb's recipes change when her baby comes though I suspect she has had enough awesome cooking experience that it won't change her very much. But if you are in the mood to dirty your food processor and chop or slice five ingredients, this is totally totally worth it. I also learned something this week: holy crow, the four drumsticks and four boneless skinless chicken thighs cost a ton less than equivalent amounts of chicken breast. But I am a dedicated white meat girl, so while I ate the boneless thigh I wasn't thrilled. And Deb was totally right--this is a really fatty recipe that is hard to skim with the bread soaking up the liquids. So next time--and don't misread my tone, there will be a next time--I think we'll split two chicken breasts and use those with four drumsticks and we'll all be happy--everyone's favorite parts, less fat.

We also had the lemon-scented quinoa. I used a shallot instead of the red onion (what I had but I would do so again), but the dressing was too much tahini for me. Next time I think some Annie's Goddess dressing or something else would be more to my taste...the sesame overwhelmed the lemon. But the basic idea is fabu. And the commenter who suggested a sprinkle of rice wine vinegar was totally right, and helped me work down yet another thing in my cabinet.

We also got to the Gourmet magazine black bean burgers. I heeded the suggestion to double the bread crumbs and used panko for lightness in both flavor and texture. And I would cheerfully eat the stuff from the food processor as a dip at any event in my life. The burgers held together, and my husband liked them, but the kids were unimpressed. Sigh.

Oh, and the Real Simple Ravioli? I stored the extra peas separately from the ravioli, then combined on the stovetop and added some cream left over from Easter cooking. Delicious. And even better with the leftover Easter ham.

Finally, we had forgotten just how much our kids love pesto. The one who normally won't touch non-wheat plant-based foods ate three bowls and had to be restrained from licking the bowl clean. And then he asked for a fruit smoothie. Miracle!