Greens with Double Garlic

This recipe works with bok choy, mustard greens, young dandelion greens, spinach, etc. It doesn't involve any fancy ingredients--make it the next time you can't resist those gorgeous clumps of greens at the farmer's market. The garlic mellows as it cooks; it's not overpowering.

From How to Cook Everything, 10th ann. edition

• 1/4 c. olive oil
• 1/4 c. thinly sliced garlic (5 or 6 cloves), plus 1 teaspoon minced garlic, or more to taste
• 1/2 t. hot red pepper flakes, if desired
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 pound greens, stems chopped separately if larger than 1/8-inch thick*
• 1/2 c. water or stock
• lemon wedges for serving

*make sure you wash greens thoroughly, especially if they're home grown or bought at a farmer's market; they can be pretty sandy/dirty since they grow so close to the ground.

1. Heat oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add sliced garlic, pepper flakes, and salt and pepper, and cook for about 1 minute.
2. Add the greens and stock (I like to add a little soy sauce, too). If using bok choy, give the stems about 3 minutes head start, covering the skillet if necessary. Cover and cook until the greens are wilted and just tender but still a little firm, about 5 minutes.
   
3. Uncover the pan and continue to cook, stirring until the liquid has all but evaporated and the greens are quite tender, at least 5 minutes more. Taste for seasoning and add red or black pepper and salt as needed; add the minced garlic, cook for 1 minute more, and serve hot, warm, or at room temperature, with lemon wedges.

Serves 4

Spring Produce Tips

(written a few weeks ago; since our temperate weather and vast amount of rain have prolonged spring veggies, I thought I could still post it!)

I enjoyed seeing a greater variety of produce at our local farmer's market this morning. My kids are enjoying our weekly excursions: cheese to sample, dogs to pet, fountains....

In our neck of the woods (Southeast US), we're seeing broccoli and sugar snap peas and snow peas coming in! Cabbages, bok choy, lettuces, spinach, and greens of all shapes and sizes have been abundant now. Strawberries are still in full swing (and are so good!!!). Beets, green onions, radishes--even some carrots are appearing. I hope my own garden is doing well enough that I won't be dependent on the market for my tomatoes and cucumbers later in the summer.

So, what do we do with all this spring produce? I'd venture to bet that most of us can whip something up pretty easily with fresh summer produce (peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, etc.). But greens? Bok choy? How many things can you use cabbage for? Here are some tips:

If your greens/lettuce are wilting before you can eat them up, try immersing them in water for about 30 minutes. They're probably plump back up.

Wash newly picked greens/cabbages/lettuces in 3 changes of water to remove all the sand (I just put mine in a big tub and let them swish around--my preschooler loves to help with this task). If you must choose, eat freshly picked peas first. They'll lose some of their sweetness as they age; greens, etc. will keep a bit longer. If you're going to be eating stuff raw(like broccoli), eat it sooner; if you'll be cooking it, it can sit a bit longer in the fridge.

Farmer's Market Tips

My friend Bridgette and I met up this morning at one of our many local farmer's market spots (the same farmers, for the most part, come to 5 area locations throughout the week; the Saturday morning one is the biggest and is downtown). This was the second week for both of us this year, and we are learning as we go. Some tips:

1. Find out where your area has a farmer's market or local produce stands! (Check out localharvest.org)
   
2. Go once to check it out with no expectations (i.e. what specific produce you'll find).
3. Bring cash (we can also use a debit card to get wooden tokens called "market money"--my daughter loves to "pay" with these and it helps keep me to my budget...ahem...).
4. Bring your own bags, if possible.
5. GO EARLY for best selection (and to beat crowds).
   
6. Know before you go how much produce your family will/can consume. The produce you buy at the market is super fresh and will taste best if you can consume it promptly (certainly within the week). Otherwise you may, like me, be giving away excess to neighbors later in the week!
   
7. Stop and talk to people! Ask questions about what they're selling. Sometimes the vendors can tell you how to cook an unfamiliar type of cabbage or will introduce you to a new kind of sheep's cheese they make.
8. Enjoy the day: buy a sweet treat for your kids; bring the dog; stroll around.*
9. Remember that the majority of the money you're paying will go back to those same farmers (maybe all), unlike what you'll spend in the grocery store. The farmers can tell you how they grow the produce/what they put on it for pest control and the like. I've been amazed at how a relatively small amount of produce goes a pretty long way; the price is worth it, in my opinion. I also tend to waste less if I've paid a slightly higher price. On the flip side, some farmer's market produce can be much, much cheaper than your local grocery store.
10. Try a new vegetable each week! (or buy something you might now buy in the store).
    

*Even if your farmer's market is in a massive area with the same vendors nearly all year, you can still make it a "local" experience. My sister and I used to go to the Georgia State Farmer's Market in Atlanta, and it was HUGE. We'd split a big bag of freshly shelled purple hull peas, a bushel of local peaches, and buy up all the red peppers (3/$1) we could carry!

What Our Family Eats--Week 1

This is inspired by a really fascinating book my neighbor turned me on to: What the World Eats. The authors portray 25 different families: their food for the week and a breakdown of categories, cost, etc. Very, very interesting. What will stand out the most if you've read this book is the variety available to my family (particularly in produce and type of grains/starches) as well as the low amount of meat (compared to other industrial countries/US families). Maybe I'll keep this up for a bit--it will help me know how much food to buy for us because it will show me how much we go through for a given time period. I don't have the cost breakdown for what is below and this was a particularly "light" week for us in some ways, but here it is:

Starches/Grains:

• cornbread (1 1/2 batches, homemade)
• 3 loaves whole wheat bread
• 5 c. raw rice
• 1 box Life cereal
• 1 box Cheerios
• 2 c. oats
• apple muffins (homemade)
  

Dairy:

• 4 c. cottage cheese
• 2 g. milk (including that used to make yogurt)
• 1-2 # cheese (not sure)

Eggs/Meat:

• 3 doz. eggs
• 1 4-pound chicken
• 1.5 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast

Produce:

• 1/2 pound red beans
• 1 red pepper
• celery
• broccoli
• mustard greens*
• lettuce/salad*
• bok choy*
• snow peas*
• cucumber
• apples
• grapes
• onion
• garlic
• carrots (~1 pound)
• strawberries
• 2 c. blackberries* (frozen)
  
• 1 c. cherries (frozen)
  
• bananas
• 2 pounds potatoes
• 1 c. craisins
• 1 c. raisins
  

Beverages:

• 4-oz. loose tea
• 4-oz. coffee beans
• water
• (milk, mentioned above)
• 1 bottle wine
• 2 Dr. Peppers
  

Snacks:

• 1 bag tortilla chips
• 1 box graham crackers
• 1 jar peanuts
• 2 c. chocolate chips
• 1 large chocolate bar
• 1 c. corn kernels (for popcorn)
• 7 Cliff bars
  

Condiments:

• 1 bottle Ranch dressing
• 1/4 bottle Balsamic vinaigrette
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1 c. honey
• 1 jar peanut butter
• olive oil
• canola oil
• miscellaneous spices
• mayo
• salt and pepper

*homegrown by me, a friend, or a local farmer

Main meals that this went toward:

• Cereal/breakfast (eggs on toast, cottage cheese pancakes, oatmeal, etc.)
  
• cheese and crackers/leftovers/pb&j for lunches
  
• Herb-Roasted Chicken, mashed potatoes, salad
• Red beans and rice, cornbread, greens
  
• chicken salad (made with leftover chicken)
• Baked chicken, leftover mashed potatoes, salad
• Risotto (made with leftover chicken and stock from roasted chicken), salad
• Leftover risotto, stir-fried veggies
• we still have greens left!!!
  

New Feature on full tummies!

In an effort to make some recipes easier to find, I've created four new categories:

• Seasonal: Spring
• Seasonal: Summer
• Seasonal: Fall
• Seasonal: Winter

These categories (left-hand margin) are not indexed (yet), unfortunately, but they contain recipes that go particularly well with those particular seasons. In our day and age, no ingredient is truly unobtainable, no matter the season; but, if you're shopping the farmer's markets, growing your own produce, or just in the mood for something "fall-ish" or "spring-y", then browse through these categories.

Homemade Microwave Popcorn

This is a terrific trick to know: if you like popcorn, enjoy being frugal/healthy/"green" all at the same time, AND have the EXACT same amount of time as you need to make a normal bag of microwave popcorn, then this recipe is for you.

Recipe from Alton Brown

• 1/4 c. popcorn kernels
• 2-3 t. oil (olive, canola, etc.; you can also use melted butter)
• 1/4 t. salt (kosher or popcorn salt work best)*

*kosher and popcorn salt are finer and "stick" better; I just use regular 'cause that's what I have

Mix ingredients. Pour into a brown paper lunch bag and fold over 3 times (small folds--you'll need to leave enough room for the corn to pop). Place bag on its side on a plate in the microwave and pop for 2-3 minutes on high (until there are about 5 seconds between pops). This is about the same amount as is in a regular size bag of storebought microwave popcorn, so your microwave's "popcorn" setting will probably work.

I always sprinkle on extra salt at the end. Mmmm.... This makes enough for my kids to each have a good-sized (kid-sized) bowl and my husband and I each to have a moderate serving (if all the kernels pop). It's much, much cheaper than most of the other snacks they like, so I'm going to be dishing this up a good bit (it also has no hydrogenated oil or other weird ingredient....).

Chocolate Oat Bars

A recipe from my friend Betsy. She had these out one night when we came over for dinner. I don't know how many I ate before dinner even started....

• 2 c. quick cooking oats
• 1 1/2 c. flour
• 1 c. brown sugar
• 1 c. chopped pecans
• 1 t. baking soda
• 1/4 t. salt
• 1 c. butter or margarine, melted
• 1 1/2 c. chocolate chips or M&M's
• 1 (14-oz.) can sweetened condensed milk

1. Combine first 6 ingredients. Mix in butter until crumbly. Reserve 1 1/2 cups of this mixture. Press remaining mixture into lightly greased 10x15-inch jellyroll pan. Bake to 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool.
2. Microwave 1 cup chocolate, stirring at 30 second intervals, until melted. Stir in condensed milk. Spread over crust leaving a 1/2-inch border. Combine reserved crumb mixture and reserved 1/2 cup chocolate. Sprinkle over chocolate mixture that is spread on the crust.
3. Bake 18-20 minutes at 350 degrees. Let cool before cutting.

Toffee

Another of my friend Rachel's recipes. Mmmmm.... toffee

• 1 c. butter
• 1 c. sugar
• 1 (7-oz.) Hershey milk chocolate bar, broken into pieces
• 1 small package slivered almonds

1. Boil butter and sugar in medium saucepan until dark caramel color or until 290 degrees F. (about 30 minutes) Stir constantly while boiling.
   
2. Pour caramel mixture into greased 9x9 pan (glass is best), and, while still hot, sprinkle Hershey bar on top.
3. The Hershey bar will start to melt, and after a minute or two, spread the melted chocolate all over the top of the toffee.
   
4. Immediately sprinkle almonds on top.
5. Refrigerate a few hours until cooled.
6. Break toffee up with tip of a sharp knife before serving.
   

Peppermint Rounds

A recipe from my friend Rachel!

• 1 c. butter, softened
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 t. vanilla
• 2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1 c. regular oats, uncooked
• 1/2 c. peppermint candy, crushed
• frosting--see below

1. Beat together butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla.
2. Add flour, salt, oats, and peppermints. Mix well.
3. Roll about 1 tablespoon of dough into a ball, then flatten to 1/2-1/4-inch thick. Place on greased cookie sheets.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Cool.
5. Mix frosting together and frost cookies when cool.
6. Dip frosted cookie tops in colored sugar or sprinkles if desired.

Frosting:

• 2 c. sugar
• 1/4 c. half and half
• dash salt
• 1/2 t. peppermint extract

Mix together.

Simple Risotto (and a killer "leftover" variation)

I wouldn't ordinarily make risotto--especially as a side dish--because it involves a bit of work and attention. However, after making the "leftover"variation (see below the main recipe), I'm a total convert. My family devoured it, it was inexpensive, and it's fairly healthy as a main dish; it's also SUPER tasty.

Recipe from How to Cook Everything, 10th ann. edition

• 2 T. butter or olive oil, to taste (I used olive oil)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• large pinch saffron threads (optional--I left out)
• 1 1/2 cups Arborio or other short- or medium-grain rice
• salt and freshly ground black pepper*
• 1/2 c. dry white wine or water*
• 4 to 6 cups chicken, beef, or vegetable stock
• 2 to 4 T. softened butter or extra virgin olive oil*
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

*If you're using homemade, well-seasoned stock, you may need no extra salt and the wine might also be easily left out. Also, depending on whether you skim the fat off of your homemade stock, you might not need the extra butter/oil at the end.

1. Put the 2 tablespoons butter/oil in a large, deep nonstick (or heavy duty stainless) skillet over medium heat. When hot, add onion (and saffron) and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens, 3 to 5 minutes.
2. Add the rice and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is glossy and coated with butter or oil, 2 to 3 minutes. Add a little salt (if needed--see note above) and pepper, then the white wine or water. Stir and let the liquid bubble away.
3. Use a ladle to begin adding the stock, 1/2 cup or so at a time, stirring after each addition. When the stock is evaporated, add more. The mixture should be neither soupy nor dry. Keep the heat at medium to medium-high and stir frequently.
4. Begin tasting the rice 20 minutes after you add it; you want it to be tender but still with a tiny bit of crunch; it could take as long as 30 minutes to reach this stage. When it does, stir in the softened butter or oil and at least 1/2 cup of Parmesan, if using. Taste, adjust the seasoning, and serve immediately, passing additional Parmesan at the table if you like.

Serves 4-6

Brown Rice Variation
You can buy short-grain brown rice, which you can use in this recipe. You should know, though, that it will need 8+ cups of stock/water and take more than an hour. Tasty, but tedious.

Leftover Variation
Make the Herb Roasted Chicken (whole chicken style) and then make stock that night: throw the carcass in a pot and add a bunch of water. Salt if desired. Let it boil down until you have about 8 cups or so. This will give you a very rich (and very flavorful) stock. Make the risotto above, throwing in 2 cups or so finely chopped leftover chicken with the rice and using the homemade stock. This was so perfectly seasoned for us that we left out the extra cheese (yes, we really did!), and didn't miss the wine or any added salt. Very, very tasty--and such a classy use for leftovers! You could do this with any well-seasoned, homemade chicken stock , but the herb-roasted variation really seemed to go nicely with the idea of risotto.

Cape Cod Oatmeal Cookies

From The Fannie Farmer Cookbook, 13th edition

• 1 1/2 c. flour
• 1/2 t. baking soda
• 1 t. cinnamon
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 c. sugar
• 1/2 c. melted butter
• 1 T. molasses or sorghum
• 1/4 c. milk
• 1 3/4 c. oats, uncooked
• 1/2 c. raisins, optional
• 1/2 c. chopped nuts, optional
• 1/2 c. chocolate chips, optional

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
   
2. Mix flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together. Add remaining ingredients and stir well.
   
3. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto unbuttered cookie sheets and bake until edges are brown, 10-15 minutes (depends on size of cookie).
   

Serving Others and Practicing Hospitality Spontaneously on a Budget

My friend Bridgette recently posed a terrific question in her latest post (so good that I'm going to post my response even though I'm "taking a break" from my blogging...): "I have a weekly grocery budget that I go off of, but I struggle when I prepare a meal for an event. How do you balance your normal grocery needs, plus another meal for an event?"

Great question, huh? My family operates on a monthly grocery budget: I get all the funds dumped into my grocery account at the beginning, and I have to make it last until the end. In addition, I HATE running to the store at the last minute to pick something up. That being said, we've managed to feed a lot of people in addition to our little family. How do I do it? How do I balance the budget and my time? There are several strategies I've employed in the past:

1. Stock Your Freezer (part 1): You can buy meat and other supplies on sale when you have extra money in the budget. For instance, I usually have a pound or two of boneless, skinless chicken in the freezer that isn't "committed" to anything. I also keep some frozen veggies on hand, and my stash of rice, flour, etc. is usually up to the challenge. If I have some staples like that on hand, an unexpected meal is easier on the budget.

2. Stock Your Freezer (part 2): There are some meals that I like to keep on hand in my freezer. I keep a rotating stock of soups and chicken stock (which I can turn into soup); I also like to have 1-2 extra meals in the freezer that aren't "committed" in my weekly menus. This month, I happen to have some extra hamburger patties from our recent power cooking day. I also have some extra fish packets from the same day, along with two lemonade pies and a pound cake! Voila! Covered dish dinner? I'll bring pound cake. Unexpected company? We can pull out extra hamburger patties. Need to take a meal to someone? I can serve my family extra fish packets and use another meal that we might have eaten, but which "travels" better, to give someone else (for instance, I have the supplies for beans and rice--that would travel better than my fish packets). I mentioned extra hospitality as a major benefit of power cooking back in the fall.

3. Stock Your Pantry: This is similar to the above in idea; you just have staples in your pantry that you can make a meal of. This might be a family favorite (such as our Salmon Cakes) that you can substitute in for one of your scheduled meals, freeing up some money or that extra meal. Or, you might decide to keep spaghetti supplies always on hand. Canned beans and rice make a terrific quick meal that's cheap and nutritionally sound.

4. Have a Few Tricks Up Your Sleeve: have a killer from-scratch homemade rolls recipe? Keep those supplies on hand. You can dress up a super simple soup with some dynamite cornbread or rolls. Carrie's easy toaster strudels are another good example of an easy, but impressive, dessert to offer someone; you can freeze the pastry and keep the canned filling in the pantry. Homemade muffins are super easy and cheap--you probably have the supplies on hand to make several varieties already.

5. Keep It Simple! Your willingness to show hospitality will overshadow even the simplest of meals. We had church canceled on us one Wednesday night at the last minute (an ice storm that day). Another family from our church came over to our house, we pooled our resources, and had a terrific "breakfast-for-dinner" evening together. Take people up on their offers to bring something. Don't be afraid to serve basic food (chicken and rice) or something picked up on sale at the last minute at the store.

6. Double The Fun! If your family only eats 1/2 a casserole that freezes well, get in the habit of budgeting for the whole casserole and freeze the other half--it will be there when you need it. (Think: lasagnas, other pasta/cheese combos, etc.). If you're making meatloaf, make two and freeze the other. If you can work ideas like this into the budget, you'll soon have lots of options for unexpected meal-needs.

7. Just Say No: If you can't afford it, just say so. Sometimes, we don't volunteer for things because it won't fit in the budget. Or, we'll bring something we have on hand instead of a meal (maybe plastic forks are needed and you have some; perhaps some decorating is needed and you have extra streamers lying around). Usually, though, there's enough floating around our house that we can always sacrifice and eat beans and rice, beans and cornbread, breakfast-for-dinner, or something similar and give the event/person in need what we might have eaten.

Group Power Cooking Day Lineup (Bulk Cooking Line-Up #4)

My friend Bridgette and I learned a lot from our grueling power cooking marathon in the fall. We've decided to try to do this periodically with other people and keep our list small--our Power Cooking Day involves very little actual cooking this time, as a matter of fact, but it does involve assembly that will greatly speed the actual cooking later on. I worked most of these into my May menu. Three of us met at 7 a.m. with no children in tow and worked for 4 hours. That's it! That includes clean-up, too. Above is one of the "stations" Bridgette set up--it's the "chopping/mixing" station, complete with ingredients and recipes.

Bridgette figured out costs for each recipe, so I'll put that in parentheses. Costs are for the equivalent of 1 recipe (plus or minus--there are quite a few staples left over and the cheese was not on sale). We each walked away with a slightly different number of meals, depending upon whether our individual families wanted one, two, or even three of certain meal items. Below is what I came away with (and my chicken is organic chicken--bought on sale).

• 16 seasoned hamburger patties ($13.00 for 5 pounds)
• 2 Herb-Roasted Chickens ($6.50/chicken)
• 3 Chicken for Stir-Fry ($2.01/recipe)
• 1 Sausage Pie (Quiche) ($8.98/pie)
  
• 1 Spinach Pie (Quiche) ($5.24/pie)
  
• 8 Fish Packets ($1.12/packet)
• 1 Pound Cake ($2.00 for a loaf-pan size)
• 2 Lemonade Pies ($2.24/pie)
• 2 batches Pancake Mix ($0.49/batch)(this is a different one than my usual one; it doesn't have dairy already in it, which means we'll add the buttermilk on the day we make the pancakes)
• 
  
• Group Total Meals (1 recipe = 1 meal): 46: 3 sausage quiches, 4 spinach quiches, 6 stir-fry batches, 6 herb-roasted chickens, 4 loaf-pan sized pound cakes, 4 sets of fish packets (16 total), 5 lemonade pies plus a tray of mini-lemonade tarts, 4 batches of pancake mix, 12 pounds of hamburger patties (44 patties!)

Sausage Pie (like a quiche)

This is nearly identical to Spinach Pie; the primary differences involve sausage in this one and more veggies (the same ones as below) in the other. Both are prepped the same; they're a good pair to make at the same time if you like a little variation in the menu but want to save on prep time. This filling recipe makes a very full pie (even with medium sized eggs); if you are tripling the recipe, you will probably get 4 pies out of it instead of 3!

Recipe from Meals for a Month

• 2 9-inch pie crusts*
• 1 pound bulk pork sausage
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 T. flour
• 1 c. frozen cut-leaf spinach, thawed
• 1 c. frozen chopped broccoli, thawed
• 5 eggs
• 1/8 t. pepper
• 1 (8-oz.) package ricotta cheese
• 1 (3-oz.) package cream cheese, softened
• 2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 c. grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 T. milk

*If making as part of a freezer cooking day, you might consider buying the crusts that come with their own aluminum pie pans. Also, you will only need 2 crusts if you want to top the pie like you might a chicken pot pie. Otherwise, you can leave off the top crust.

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a 9-inch pie plate with one crust. In heave skillet, cook sausage with onion and garlic until sausage is thoroughly cooked. Drain fat, then sprinkle flour over sausage. Cook and stir for 2 minutes, then remove from heat.
2. Drain spinach and broccoli well. Beat eggs, pepper, ricotta, and cream cheese until well mixed. Add vegetables, then add pork mixture, mozzarella cheese, and Parmesan cheese. Mix well.
3. Pour sausage mixture into prepared pan. Top with remaining crust, if desired, and crimp edges. If using crust, cut vent holes and brush with milk. Bake for 50 to 65 minutes, until crust is browned and pie is set. Let stand 10 minutes before serving or cool in refrigerator and wrap for the freezer.
   
4. To thaw and reheat: Thaw pie overnight in refrigerator. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until thoroughly heated. (You can also freeze and reheat individual slices; shorten reheating time to 10-15 minutes.)

Serves 8

Lemonade Pie

This is an old recipe my mom just told me about! We made it during our recent freezer cooking day, and it is super easy AND super tasty. You might even have all the ingredients already on hand!

1 (12-oz.) can evaporated milk, chilled
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. lemon juice (fresh is preferred, but from concentrate also works)
1 graham cracker crust or graham cracker crumbs

If using graham cracker crumbs, spread in bottom of 8x8-inch pan. If using pie crust, have it ready to go (already cooked).

Whip milk in an electric mixer until it starts to stiffen--it won't get as stiff as whipped cream, but it will start to thicken up. Add the sugar while mixing. Add the lemon juice while mixing. Pour into shell or prepared pan and freeze for several hours!

To make lemonade tarts or individual servings:
Pour into individual molds and freeze. Unmold onto a plate spread with crumbs (or line the molds with crumbs they are a plain shape).

Full Tummies Maintenance Info

I'm taking a blogging sabbatical again (I do this every once in a while). During the month of May, there will be few recipes posted (only the ones I've already scheduled). I need to do a bit of blog maintenance--updating recipe indexes, etc. But, I encourage any faithful readers to do the following:

Subscribe if you don't feel like checking back every once in a while to see if anything's new (left-margin).

Comment!! I hear through the grapevine that people enjoy this little site, and that's fun to hear. While I started this really as a place to store my own favorite recipes, I'm delighted that other people enjoy it. Taking the time to go back to a recipe you enjoyed and commenting on it helps other readers know which recipes to try themselves.

Cook: Browse through the recipes already on here (you can use the recipe index link in the navigation bar under the title/header for that). Try something new.

May 2-week Menu

I didn't use all of my April meals for one reason or another, so some of them are re-appearing here.... I write this up and then make up a master grocery list off of it, buy the non-perishable stuff at the beginning and get the produce/dairy as I go along. Most of the meat I buy the month before when it's on sale. If/when we entertain, I skip one of these meals and do a new one or just double/triple what's on the menu. We had our neighbors over for an impromptu tofu stir-fry on Friday, and it worked great! They brought veggies to add, too, and everyone enjoyed it.

Week 1

• Monday: Herb-Roasted Chicken, potatoes, green veggie
• Tuesday: Risotto with leftover chicken in it, salad or green veggie
• Wednesday: Red Beans and Rice (with sausage), veggie or fruit
• Thursday: Chicken Kabobs, fruit, bread or rice
• Friday: Pork Stir-Fry
• Saturday: Hamburgers, crudite, baked beans
• Sunday: Sandwiches (maybe hamburgers); dinner is Sausage Pie--we'll eat the leftovers for breakfast!

Week 2:

• Monday: Pork Roast, Sweet Potatoes, Corn Muffins, Green veg.
• Tuesday: Something with leftover pork... not sure what yet....
• Wednesday: Beans and Rice
• Thursday: Empanadas, Fruit, Crudite
• Friday: Chicken Stir-Fry
• Saturday: Fish Packets, Baked Potatoes, Fruit
• Sunday: Sandwiches; nachos for dinner ... maybe....

Lunches/Breakfasts

• Oatmeal and Oatmeal Muffins
• Granola and Yogurt
• Cereal
• Eggs and Toast
• Pancakes
• Cottage Cheese Spinach Gratin
• Sandwiches
• Leftovers
• Salads (Greek, chicken, etc.)