So, here we are at the unofficial start of summer...ahh! The pool is open, the swim team season is underway, the boys are sleeping well at night (coincidence? I don't think so).
Monday: Roasted turkey breast, tzatziki or cucumber salad (or both!), stuffing, asparagus
Tuesday: Tacos
Wednesday: Spaghetti
Thursday: chicken, rice, leftover asparagus
Friday: Maybe pizza?
We'll see how the end of the week goes.
Last week I made one of my pinterest pins (finally) for shrimp corn chowder. It was bland but that just made it easier to jazz up. Since I am the only soup eater in the house I won't put it on the sidebar here but it was a yummy basic recipe and very easy to boot.
This is the tzatziki recipe I am trying this week:
Tzatziki
Serves 4
This side-dish works best in the summer and can be served with bread, lamb, vegetables and potatoes. It is a mainstay in middle Eastern cuisine, although we are bringing it here as a Greek dish. Give it a try, close your eyes and picture yourself on a beautiful beach in Antiparos.
Ingredients:1 cup natural yoghurt (greek-style is best, particularly sheep-milk yoghurt)
1 firm cucumber
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
Sea salt
1 firm cucumber
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
Sea salt
Instructions:Take a bowl and fill it with the yoghurt.
Peel the cucumber, grate it and put it into a separate bowl adding some salt. Let it draw some water and then drain it well by pressing it into a sieve using a large spoon. Add it to the yoghurt. (You can reserve the juice and drink it – it’s delicious and healthy.)
Peel and finely mince the garlic cloves and mix it into the yoghurt mass along with the vinegar, olive oil, mustard and a little salt to taste.
A few finely chopped mint leaves are optional, and taste lovely in the mix.
Peel the cucumber, grate it and put it into a separate bowl adding some salt. Let it draw some water and then drain it well by pressing it into a sieve using a large spoon. Add it to the yoghurt. (You can reserve the juice and drink it – it’s delicious and healthy.)
Peel and finely mince the garlic cloves and mix it into the yoghurt mass along with the vinegar, olive oil, mustard and a little salt to taste.
A few finely chopped mint leaves are optional, and taste lovely in the mix.
And of course now that it is almost 80 degrees I am immediately thinking about my detox soup as well. Mmmmmm.
Last week was a bit of a bummer--I made the Joy of Cooking ribs, which we thought were great, but my rib-loving oldest wouldn't eat them. He orders them from restaurants all the time so I am a little bummed out about this. What we are eating is dwindling, dramatically, and it makes me sad. Some of it is me. I am worn down by making lunches and grateful to just put the same thing in the one lunch, and frustrated to the point of wanting to give up on the uneaten lunches on the other side. Right now I try to console myself that I am at leaf getting the highest nutritional punch possible out of what I serve and hope it works out in the end.
I don't mean to end on a melancholy note but that's kind of where I am in the kitchen right now. Wishing you a happy Memorial Day--may it be filled with good memories, new and old.
