April 2017 Weeknight Dinner Ideas Part 1

It’s hard to believe I almost let April fly by without a new post!  Just wanted to share a few of my favorite recipes from the month in case you need any dinner inspiration.  The steak and soba stir fry was a somewhat healthier and faster option than ordering takeout if you need something quick and easy after work.  

Our fondue dinner was a great excuse to clean off the fondue pot that had been untouched since we moved in last year.  Do you have any kitchen gadgets you feel like you need to use or donate?   

Ok, I am off to grocery shop for the week.  As always, please let me know if you enjoyed any of the recipes featured below, and share my blog with your friends!  

RECIPES

Chicken Saltimbocca with Asparagus, Source: Food and Wine Magazine, April 2014, page 72

Steak and Soba Stir Fry, Source: Bon Appétit Magazine, April 2016, page 138

Pan-Seared Tuna Steaks with Ginger Vinaigrette, Source: Food and Wine Magazine, April 2015, page 64

Roast Pork Tenderloin with Carrot Romesco, Source: Bon Appétit Magazine, April 2014, page 40 

Chile-Cumin Lamb Meatballs With Yogurt And Cucumber, Source: Bon Appétit Magazine, April 2015, page 108 

Classic Cheese Fondue, Source: Food and Wine Magazine, April 2017, page 68

Steak and Soba Stir Fry

GROCERY LIST

Produce

2 bunches sage

1 bunch parsley

1 bunch oregano

1 bunch mint

1 bunch scallions 

1 pound thick asparagus

2 heads baby bok choy 

1 bunch broccolini 

1 hothouse cucumber

2 pounds carrots

2 cups spicy greens, watercress or baby mustard

2 lemons

1 apple

1 head garlic

1 small onion

Ginger root

Lemon juice

Dairy and Frozen

Unsalted butter

Eggs

Whole-milk yogurt

1 pound Apline cheeses, Gruyère, Emmental and/or Comté 

Meat and Seafood

8 3-ounce chicken cutlets

12 ounces skirt or flank steak

1.25 pounds ground lamb

1 large pork tenderloin

8 slices prosciutto 

Salumi

2 yellowfin tuna steaks

Interior Aisles

Olive Oil

Vegetable oil

Toasted sesame oil

Rice vinegar

Red wine vinegar

Sherry vinegar

Salt

Kosher salt

Pepper

Crushed red pepper flakes

Aleppo pepper

Cumin seeds

Fennel seeds

Ground coriander

Ground cumin

Sweet smoked paprika

Toasted sesame seeds

Flour

Cornstarch

Sliced almonds

Pine nuts

Chicken stock

8 ounces soba

Oyster sauce

Soy sauce

Crusty bread

Root vegetable chips

Dried apricots

Pickles

Mirin

Sake

Pinot Grigio

Cognac

Hard to Find Ingredients 

Vin santo

Pasilla chiles

March 2017 Weeknight Dinner Ideas Part 3

Happy Spring everyone!  I am so glad winter is finally behind us, and grilling season is quickly approaching.  Who else is looking forward to spending their evenings cooking and eating outside again?  

In the mean time, I wanted to share a few more March recipes for anyone who looking for some quick dinner ideas.  Both the zucchini noodles and flank steak are super fast and easy.  For the flank steak marinade I used an immersion blender rather than my big blender, and it worked out great with a lot less clean-up.  I was able to quickly make the marinade in the morning so the steak was ready to cook as soon as I got home from a busy day.   

Ok, time to start the pork belly for tomorrow night, and finish cleaning up the kitchen!  As always, please let me know if you enjoyed any of the recipes featured below, and share my blog with your friends!  

RECIPES

Roasted Lamb with Chanterelles and Garlic Rabe, Source: Bon Appétit Magazine, March 2010, page 18

Seared Sea Scallops with Ricotta and Spring Pea Mash and Chive Oil, Source: Food and Wine Magazine, March 2015, page 13

Pork Belly Carnitas with Tomatillo Salsa, Source: Food and Wine Magazine, March 2014, page 99

Cuban Flank Steak, Source: Food and Wine Magazine, March 2017, page 40

Zucchini Noodles with Chicken and Ginger Dressing, Source: Food and Wine Magazine, March 2016, page 84

GROCERY LIST

Produce

4 zucchini 

1 bunch watercress

1 pound broccoli rabe

1 pound fresh chanterelles

1 pound tomatillos

1 bunch scallions

1 bunch oregano 

1 bunch thyme

1 bunch cilantro

1 bunch mint

1 bunch basil

1 bunch thyme

1 bunch rosemary

4 ounces chives

2 serrano chiles

1 habanero

Baby peas

2 limes

1 orange

1 lemon

2 mangoes

1 pineapple

3 heads garlic

1 onion

2 shallots

Ginger root

Lemon juice

Dairy and Frozen

Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Ricotta cheese

Butter

Meat and Seafood

1 rotisserie chicken

1.5 pound flank steak

2 pounds skin-on pork belly

2 1.25-pound racks of lamb

12 extra-large sea scallops

Interior Aisles

Olive oil

Canola oil

Balsamic vinegar

Kosher salt

Pepper

Whole black peppercorns

Cumin

Cumin seeds

Bay leaves

Fennel seeds

Dried marjoram

Crushed red pepper

Cardamim

Toasted sesame seeds

Sugar

Low-salt chicken broth

Flour tortillas

March 2017 Weeknight Dinner Ideas Part 2

Happy almost St. Patrick’s Day y’all!  Who else is really excited to celebrate their minimal Irish heritage on Friday?  I’m going over the top with corned beef and cabbage, Irish Soda bread, Bailey’s Irish Cream Panna Cotta, and of course, lots of Guinness!  In case you haven’t thrown a brined slab of brisket  in your sous vide yet, I included a recipe you can make on Friday below (:

  

In other weeknight dinner hacks, I modified the turkey taco recipe to fit a busy work schedule, but ended up not modifying it enough to make it a truly quick weeknight meal.  Instead of following the recipe, I marinated the turkey legs in a vacuum sealed bag overnight, and dropped them in the sous vide on my way out the door for work this morning.  When I got home this evening I wrapped the legs and sauce in the banana leaves, and finished cooking them in the oven while I made the black beans and salsa.  Lesson learned: make the salsa ahead of time, or skip roasting the turkey legs after cooking them in the sous vide.  You need to factor in lots of extra time to separate the hot turkey meat from all those darn tendons!  

Ok, I am off to get the sous vide ready for our corned beef.  As always, please let me know if you enjoyed any of the recipes featured below, and share my blog with your friends!  

RECIPES

Turkey Barbacoa Tacos With Black Beans, Source: Bon Appétit Magazine, March 2015, page 90

Your New Favorite Pork Chops, Source: Bon Appétit Magazine, March 2015, page 35

Torn Chicken with Crispy Rice and Kimchi Vinaigrette, Source: Food and Wine Magazine, March 2017, page 87

Corned Beef with Pickled Cabbage and Potato Salad, Source: Food and Wine Magazine, March 2017, page 46

Grilled Black Cod Lettuce Wraps with Pickled Cucumbers, Source: Food and Wine Magazine, March 2014, page 122

GROCERY LIST

Produce

3 small bok choy

1.5 pounds green cabbage

1 head butter lettuce

2.5 pounds plum tomatoes

1 cucumber

1 bunch parsley

8 sprigs sage

2 medium carrots

2 celery stalks

2 heads garlic

5 medium to large onion

1.5 pounds baby red potatoes

Lime juice

Dairy and Frozen

Unsalted butter

Queso fresco

Meat and Seafood

4 pound chicken 

4 turkey drumsticks

5 pound corned beef with seasoning packet

2 1.5 inch thick bone-in pork rib chops

1 pound skinless pacha or black cod

Interior Aisles

Olive oil

Canola oil

Vegetable oil

Distilled white vinegar

Unseasoned rice wine vinegar

Red wine vinegar

Apple cider vinegar

Kosher salt

Pepper

Bay leaves

Mustard seeds

Sesame seeds

Cumin

Oregano

Sugar

Honey

Dijon mustard

Whole-grain mustard

Chipotle chiles in adobo

6 ancho chiles

Dried black beans

Corn tortillas

Jasmine rice

Sweet potato chips

2 12-ounce bottles pale ale

Hard to Find Ingredients 

Kimchi

Thai basil

Shiro miso (light miso)

6 morita chiles

Banana leaves

March 2017 Weeknight Dinner Ideas Part 1

March sure did enter like a lion this year!  Here I was, all excited about Spring arriving early, and now I may have to plan my grocery shopping around a snow storm this weekend? Ugh!  I guess the upside is a snow storm is the perfect excuse to stay inside and bake a cake!  

To add to my list of first world problems this week, I searched four grocery stories, but was unable to find both the Arctic Char and sunchokes for the recipe below.  If anyone is able to make the dish I would love to hear how it turned out!  As always, please let me know if you enjoyed any of the recipes featured below, and share my blog with your friends!

Roast Pork with Fingerlings and Grapes with a side of roast carrots

RECIPES

Soy-Sauce-and-Citrus-Marinated Chicken, Source: Bon Appétit Magazine, March 2017, page 94

Seared Boneless Short Ribs With Salsa Criolla, Source: Bon Appétit Magazine, March 2017, page 34

Roast Pork with Fingerlings and Grapes, Source: Food and Wine Magazine, March 2017, page 45

Spiced Arctic Char with Crushed Sunchokes, Capers and Lemon, Source: Food and Wine Magazine, March 2016, page 95

Bucatini With Lemony Carbonara, Source: Bon Appétit Magazine, March 2017, page 94

GROCERY LIST

Produce

1 bunch cilantro

1 bunch thyme

1 bunch parsley

1 bunch scallions

1 red chile

1 poblano chile

1 large red bell pepper

1 plum tomato

1 grapefruit

1 orange

1 lime

3 lemons

1 pound red seedless grapes

1 lemongrass stalk

1 ginger root

2 heads of garlic

1 small sweet onion

4 shallots

1 pound fingerling potatoes

Lime juice

Dairy and Frozen

2 ounces parmesan cheese

2 eggs

Meat and Seafood

1 3.5-4 pound chicken

1.5 pounds boneless short ribs

1.25-pound pork tenderloin 

4 5-to 6-ounce skin-on arctic char fillets

Interior Aisles

Olive oil

Distilled white vinegar

Champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar

Kosher salt

Black pepper

Dried oregano

Ground cumin

Caraway seeds

Fennel seeds

Coriander seeds

Hot smoked Spanish paprika 

12 ounces bucatini or long-strand pasta 

Soy sauce

Fish sauce

Anchovies, oil-packed

Capers

Sugar

1 baguette

Hard to Find Ingredients 

1 pomelo

1.5 pounds sunchokes

Sweet pimentón de la Vera

6 ounces guanciale, pancetta or slab bacon

February 2017 Weeknight Dinner Ideas Part 1

Are y’all enjoying this warm February weather as much as I am?  I can’t believe it’s 70 outside!  All of this sunshine and warm weather is causing me to clean up our patio and order new outdoor dishes so we are ready for Spring!   

I know it’s hard to grocery shop and get ready for the work week when it’s this beautiful outside, but hopefully I can help you find a few quick dinner ideas to make cooking this week a bit easier!  Most of the recipes featured below are super easy to make after work.  You can prepare both chicken dishes the night before, and finish cooking them in under 30 minutes.  The pork tenderloin was also a quick and flavorful meal— serve it with a side of microwave spaghetti squash and dinner is on the table in under 30 minutes. As always, please let me know if you enjoyed any of the recipes featured below, and share my blog with your friends!

Chicken with Crispy Rice next to the recipe

RECIPES

Hanger Steak with Spicy Lemon Couscous, Source: Bon Appétit Magazine, February 2013, page 43

Chicken with Crispy Rice, Source: Bon Appétit Magazine, February 2017, page 30

Skillet Pork Tenderloin with Mustard and Smoked Paprika, Source: Food and Wine Magazine, February 2017, page 44

Fried Catfish, Source: Bon Appétit Magazine, February 2012, page 79

Easy Chicken Masala, Source: Bon Appétit Magazine, February 2010, page 54

Thai-Spiced Lamb Shoulder, Source: Food and Wine Magazine, February 2016, page 104

GROCERY LIST

Produce

1 lemon

1 lime

1 avocado

1 bunch cilantro

1 bunch Thai or regular basil

2 bunches scallions 

4 small carrots

1 small fennel bulb

1 ginger root

2 small onions

2 medium shallots

1 head garlic

Dairy and Frozen

Plain whole-milk yogurt

Meat and Seafood

1 pound hanger or skirt steak

2 chickens cut into pieces

2 1-pound pork tenderloins

4 pounds well-trimmed boneless lamb shoulder

6 5-7 ounce catfish fillets 

Interior Aisles

Olive oil

Vegetable oil

Kosher salt

Black pepper

Crushed red pepper flakes

Smoked paprika

Cayenne pepper

Garlic powder

Black peppercorns 

Soy sauce

Fish sauce

Thai red chile paste

Dijon mustard

Hot sauce

Low-sodium chicken broth

Granulated sugar

Flour

Baking powder

White cornmeal 

Couscous

Green olives (Castelvetrano)

Sushi rice

Hard to Find Ingredients 

Garam masala

Palm sugar or light brown sugar

Chinese black vinegar or aged balsamic vinegar

Thai shrimp paste or 3 minced oil-packed anchovies

January 2017 Weeknight Dinner Ideas Part 2

Happy final day of dry January!  Have you been able to successfully keep any cooking resolutions you made for 2017?  I am happy to report that I have completed both another dry January, and avoided restaurants for the month.  Many of the recipes featured below did double duty for both dinners and lunches!  

Furthermore, after seeing so many inspirational pictures online, I'm already thinking about fully embracing the Cook 90 challenge in 2018.  For anyone who successfully completed the Cook 90 challenge, what are your tips and tricks for unique breakfasts and lunches while working a full-time job?  Would love to hear if you had success with Dry January or the Cook 90 challenge, and how you made it through the month!  

As always, please let me know if you enjoyed any of the recipes featured below, and share my blog with your friends!  

RECIPES

Skirt Steak Sizzle with Carrots and Arugula, Source: Food and Wine Magazine, January 2017, page 91

Braised Chicken Thighs With Squash And Mustard Greens, Source: Bon Appétit Magazine, January 2017, page 100

Butter-Basted Halibut Steaks with Capers, Source: Bon Appétit Magazine, January 2014, page 75

Indian Lamb Chops With Curried Cauliflower, Source: Bon Appétit Magazine, January 2010, page 45

Pork Chops with Cider, Horseradish and Dill, Original Source: The Smitten Cookbook by Deb Perelman, page 177

Zucchini Noodles with Turkey Meatballs, Source: A Cozy Kitchen

GROCERY LIST

Produce

10 scallions

1 jalapeño

1 acorn squash

4 medium zucchinis 

1 large head cauliflower

3 multicolored carrots

1 horseradish root

1 bunch mustard greens

6-ounces arugula (not baby)

1 bunch thyme

1 bunch parsley

1 bunch sage

1 bunch dill

1 ginger root

1 lime

1 red onion

1 yellow onion

1 head of garlic

Fresh lime juice

Apple cider

Dairy and Frozen

Unsalted butter

Whipping cream

Eggs

Parmesan cheese

Meat and Seafood 

4 pounds skin-on bone-in chicken thighs 

1 pound ground turkey

1 pound skirt steak

4 bone-in pork loin chops

2 4 to 5-ounce lamb shoulder blade chops

2 14-16-ounce bone-in halibut steaks

Interior Aisles

Olive oil

Vegetable oil

Toasted sesame oil

Unseasoned rice vinegar

Apple cider vinegar

Kosher salt

Table salt

Crushed red pepper flakes

Cayenne pepper

Black pepper

Coriander seeds

Sweet paprika

Toasted sesame seeds

Dark brown sugar

All-purpose flour

Dried breadcrumbs

Dried chiles de árbol

Capers

Low-sodium chicken broth

1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes like Sam Marzano

Dry white wine

Soy sauce

Tortillas

Hard to Find Ingredients 

Mango chutney

January 2017 Weeknight Dinner Ideas Part 1

Happy New Year y’all!  I hope everyone had an enjoyable holiday season, and is committed to the first day of their NYE resolutions.  January first marks the start of my busiest six weeks in the kitchen as we start our home cooking challenge giving up restaurants, takeout, and alcohol (hubby also gives up carbs) until Valentine’s Day! It’s crazy to realize that this is our fifth year of self-imposed sobriety, and third year of giving up dining out (work functions excluded) for an extended period.  I have learned a lot over these past few years about giving up restaurants and take-out and want to share my top 5 takeout takeout tips:

1. Have a plan- Plan out your meals, snacks and grocery lists at least a week in advance.  I personally plan our meals and shopping lists before the start of each month, and try to grocery shop every Sunday.

2. Buy in bulk- If you have the space, take your monthly shopping list to Costco or Sam’s Club to stock up on spices, meat, nuts, canned vegetables etc. 

3. Slow cook- Invest in a sous vide machine or slow cooker so you can start dinner in the morning and come home from work to a prepared meal

4. Leftovers- Leftovers will become your best friend.  Get creative in how you repurpose them, and make sure you have the right containers to pack and heat your food at work

5. Celebrate- Plan something extra special for Valentine’s Day to celebrate your six weeks of hard work and discipline!

For anyone who has been successful with their whole 30, Cook 90, or takeout takeout challenge, what other tips and tricks do you have?  

As always, please let me know if you enjoyed any of the recipes featured below, and share my blog with your friends!  

Sticky Baked Chicken Wings

RECIPES

Sticky Baked Chicken Wings, Source: Food and Wine Magazine, January 2017, page 128

Black Cod With Swiss Chard, Olives, And Lemon, Source: Bon Appétit Magazine, January 2013, page 40

Weeknight Porchetta, Source: Bon Appétit Magazine, January 2015, page 30

Grass-Fed Strip Steak With Spicy Hoisin Sauce And Cucumber Relish, Source: Bon Appétit Magazine, January 2010, page 99

Chunky Lamb Ragu with Celeriac Noodles, Source: Inspiralized

Paleo Baked Turkey Breast, Source: Living Well Mom

GROCERY LIST

Produce

2 large bunches Swiss chard

2 English hothouse cucumbers

1 celery rib

1 medium celeriac (celery root)

1 bunch scallions

1 bunch cilantro

1 bunch rosemary

1 bunch thyme

1 bunch mint

1 lime

1 lemon

1 ginger root

2 heads of garlic

1 small yellow onion

2 Maui or Visalia onions

4 medium shallots

Dairy and Frozen

Eggs

Meat and Seafood

5 pounds chicken wings

2-2.5 pounds boneless skinless turkey breast

2 1-pound 1" thick grass-fed New York strip steaks 

.75-1 pound lean ground lamb

1.5 pounds pork tenderloin

Bacon

4 4-ounce pieces skin-on black cod fillet

Interior Aisles

Olive oil

Canola oil

Coconut oil

Unseasoned rice vinegar

Kosher salt

Iodized salt

Pepper

Crushed red pepper flakes

Coriander seeds

Cumin seeds

Ground cumin

Fennel seeds

Onion powder

Garlic salt

Nutmeg

Toasted sesame seeds

Soy sauce

Hoisin sauce

Honey

Ketchup

Tomato paste

14.5 ounce can crushed tomatoes

1 can low sodium chicken broth

Oil-cured black olives

Hard to Find Ingredients 

Tapioca flour

Almond flour