I just typed “11″ for November and realized we are nearing the end of the year already! Yikes! Where did the time go? I’m sure it has nothing to do with nurturing two little sets of hands and feet (and mouths!) at our house, one of which has just figured out how to get wherever she wants and, in her newfound independence, has (sometimes) been refusing to take a bite of anything that is not either (a) what the rest of us are eating or (b) held by her own little hands. I love being at home raising my kids, though, and couldn’t think of a better way to spend my time.
This week I am trying out a few new recipes that look tasty but are a little more within the limits of what I know our family likes and won’t make a wreck of the kitchen. Last week’s celeriac dumplings in tomato broth were good but way too much effort for something that’s not over-the-top excellent. I used the grill, the food processor, two pots on the stove, a mixing bowl and a cutting board and spent over 1.5 hours multitasking and frantically cranking through the steps in order to pull it off. I think next time I’ll just make the celeriac root like mashed potatoes, as Betsy (a commenter) suggested! Also, the sautéed fennel and mushrooms didn’t work so well, either. I could see how, if you like the anise/licorice flavor of fennel, the mushrooms and fennel would be an amazing pairing, and if I could forget about the queasiness the anise flavor gave me, it was great. But since my husband and I strongly dislike anise, it was hard to get through. (I will be gifting any future fennel bulbs to my friend Amy, who loves it.)
(For reference, L is for lunch and D is for dinner. Links are to the recipes we’ll be using.)
Wednesday
L: leftover celeriac dumplings in tomato broth (for my husband and me) and grilled ham and cheese (for our 3-year-old)
D: whole wheat pasta with roasted tomato sauce from the freezer
Thursday
L: leftover pasta with roasted tomato sauce
D: with family
Friday
L: apples with peanut butter, cucumbers with feta, carrot sticks, homemade popcorn
D: cauliflower and Parmesan cake using leeks instead of red onions, pan-fried green tomatoes
Saturday
L: leftover cauliflower and Parmesan cake
D: curried lentils and sweet potatoes with swiss chard, brown basmati rice
Sunday
L: some type of sandwiches, fruit
D: pasta with creamy pumpkin sauce, substituting butternut squash for the pumpkin; roasted beet salad with goat cheese, basil and balsamic vinaigrette
Monday
L: leftover pasta with creamy pumpkin sauce
D: leftover cauliflower and Parmesan cake, roasted beet salad with goat cheese, basil and balsamic vinaigrette
Tuesday
L: peanut butter and jam sandwiches, fruit
D: leftover curried lentils and sweet potatoes, leftover rice
Breakfast options for the week: homemade granola with yogurt, hot cereal from freezer, pancakes (Saturday, with leftovers)
Thanks for linking my recipe! I’ll be curious to hear how it turns out with butternut squash instead of pumpkin, but I think it sounds fantastic. Let me know what you think