Pasta puttanesca, chicken noodle soup, glazed pork with brussel sprouts and sweet potatoes, mushroom beef poutine, meat pie and homemade pizza.
We enjoyed some brief spring-like weather on the weekend, and I was able to spend some time in the woods, my favourite place. The Kinglets are back, although I wasn't able to get any photographs. So tiny, so fast, and so high up in the treetops! I also saw at least one Hermit Thrush (and maybe two!) I was super excited about that because although I often hear them in the woods, once the leaves are out they are nearly impossible to see. There were a lot of Round-lobed Hepaticas in bloom, so this seems to be a good year for them. (Yay!) It snowed the very next day, so I'm not sure what happened to them after that. I haven't had a chance to go back to the woods to see, but I'm hoping they were able to weather the cold snap.
Here is this week's meal plan. Somehow I missed a week at the start of the year, or at least I have always been a week behind during 2019. This week I'm catching up, so you will notice a gap (or rather a missing week) in my meal plans. This is our actual meal plan for the week of April 14 - 20. I hope you enjoy it!
On the menu - April 14 - April 20, 2019:
Sunday Leftovers / eat out / takeout
Monday Pasta Puttanesca with green salad and baguette
This will probably seem funny to you, but my first recollection of hearing the word "puttanesca" was during an episode of Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events on Netflix. Violet and Klaus Baudelaire were ordered to cook a meal for Count Olaf and his entourage, and with nearly bare cupboards, Pasta Puttanesca it was. My cupboards are far from bare, but I did have some oil-packed sundried tomatoes to use up, and this seemed like a good way to do it. The recipe didn't use the entire jar, but there are definitely fewer in it now. This recipe also used anchovies (I have never cooked with those before!), capers and black olives. A group of my dearest friends were my taste testers tonight and everyone seemed to enjoy this dish. The anchovies completely disappeared in the sauce, so no one need ever know they are there, unless they have an allergy. I would make this again - as a (nearly) meatless option, we found it filling and delicious. I was a little concerned that there wouldn't be enough sauce for all of us, but I mixed the sauce and pasta together as directed (I used an entire box of penne) and it was perfect with just enough leftovers for lunch for one.
Tuesday Roasted Chicken Noodle Soup with fresh buns and cheese
My original plan was to make pork tenderloin tonight, but I am suffering with a nasty cold this week, so I opted for some homemade chicken noodle soup instead. This is the ultimate comfort food in my opinion, and my all-time favourite chicken noodle soup. It may seem like carb-overload with both egg noodles and potatoes, but it is just so good. I cut back on the amount of potatoes and usually only use 2 cups which is still plenty. I also like to add 1 cup of green peas at the end for some colour. With the wet, dreary weather today, and my cold, this was just the pick-me-up I needed.
I love how quick and easy this pork recipe is, and although my son isn't a fan of sweet potato cooked with apple, I think it is delicious. I also wanted to try these roasted brussel sprouts and they did not disappoint. I will caution you, though - don't make the mistake I did and tip your baking sheet so the glaze runs off of the parchment paper and onto the sheet. You really want to keep that lovely glaze on the sprouts and not on your pan because it was brutal (or should I say impossible!) to get off after baking. Happily, it did not impact the flavour of the sprouts in any way.
Thursday Gravy Smothered Beef and Mushrooms with cheese curds, Crispy Garlic Baked Potato Wedges and green salad
My son requested this tonight since I have failed to deliver on serving it at least once per month as I apparently promised. For the sake of time, I purchased some frozen potato wedges and a premade salad at the grocery store since the rest of it could pretty much cook while I was out. We still love this recipe - comfort food at its finest - and it makes a big batch so it would be perfect for company as well. I did half it this time, but you definitely wouldn't have to. We love this!
Friday Aunt Aggie's Meat Pie with Italienne coleslaw
Today it poured rain for much of the afternoon. This was just the right thing on a rotten day and came together quickly. I used a bag of Italienne coleslaw that comes with dressing and toppings (one of our favourites) instead of a green salad tonight. If you don't think you like meat pie, you really need to try this recipe. It is just that good.
Saturday Pesto Pizza
I had another meal in mind for tonight, but again, it poured rain and was windy and cold. I purchased some pre-made pizza crusts from our local bakery and cleaned up a few things in the fridge by making homemade pizza. This Pesto Pizza recipe was the starting point for my own version (top photo). I used mozzarella instead of feta, but I think the feta would have been great. I also made a pizza with tomato sauce, pepperoni, red pepper, mushrooms, red onion, green olives and tomatoes, and one with red onion, mushrooms, chicken and barbecue sauce. I love pizza!
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