The Week our Oven Died for the Third Time--- (What We're Eating: 10/17-10/23)

I made this menu for the week yesterday, but already I'm changing it up. Changes because I suddenly have time or because I can't stop thinking about the tub of miso in the back of our fridge.

Sunday: Maybe. Just maybe.... fall is here. I put my puff coat on to walk the dog this morning and we made a fire pit. We also made TWO noshie boards with cheese, sausage, fruit. You call is charcuterie. I call it a noshie board. Potato. Potatoh. But know this.... my family was doing charcuterie and drinking seltzer way back in the 80s before it was ever hip to do so. 

Noshie Boards, Mango & Watts

Monday: Our tomato and pepper plants seem to have enjoyed this extra summer. I'm thinking of making stuffed peppers with the fruits of our labor tonight.  But I also might make this chicken. 

OR....I may have gotten excited about having a day off (it's fall break, baby and we have a teeny tiny break to celebrate) and getting errands done (Mail back that dress that my bum refuses to fit in. Get that oil changed. Buy those new windshield wipers. Go grocery shopping. All of these tasks checked off and so I made some quintessential chocolate chip cookies. They're not my usual recipe- the ones with oatmeal- but it's a recipe that reminds you of toll house. It screams comfort. The bonus is that I doubled the recipe and baked half and rolled the other half to be sliced and baked in the future. Then, after I made those I made the pork schnitzel I was going to make tomorrow night. It just seemed right. So tomorrow night I'll make stuffed peppers and all will be well. 

Pork Schnitzel

Tuesday: Occasionally I feel like Watts has talked about schnitzel. I have no idea in what context he's talked about it, but I know he likes it. So I saw this recipe for pork schnitzel and it seems easy enough for a Tuesday. 

Wednesday: I think it will be a good night for pasta. Actually, I've been think about spag bol. Here's a recipe for bolognese that I've been wanting to try. Or I might use one from Giada. Either way it will be a veggie version. 

OR I will make this Miso-Butter Pasta with Butternut Squash. In fact, I'm almost positive this is what I'll make because I went ahead and bought that butternut squash today. 

Thursday: In passing, I was reminded of a red lentil soup that I used to make all the time. It was probably the first recipe that I followed for red lentils. It was a soup I made once for a colleague who was out for an operation. Our department organized a meal train and I made this. I had only been working there a year at most and this colleague was notoriously grouchy. Needless to say I was shocked and pleased when he emailed me asking me about the soup I made because he actually liked it. It was filling without being heavy and didn't have any cream in it like all the other soups and casseroles he was being brought. 

Note: We ate lasagna because it was a busy day and all I had to do was microwave defrost it and then nuke it to the proper temperature. It was just me and Nuala and it we had shows to catch up on: Grey's Anatomy, Bake-Off. Then I promised her I'd take her to the bonfire at her school. I pictured small fire pit, but what we got instead was giant flaming pile of pallets that set a tree on fire. Good job the fire department was there with their hoses. I have a lot of questions about that whole night. A LOT!

Friday:  I made a lasagna this past Friday that we never ate. It went to sleep in the freezer. Tonight it will be eaten. 

Note: By mid-morning I realized I was going to be making dinner for three teenage girls and I loved this idea. I loved it even more that these teens all love to eat and two out of three are vegetarian. Our oven still wasn't working, so I adapted our sheet pan tostadas to stove-top tostadas and everyone was happy. Some chips and guac on the side and Oreos for dessert before I dropped them all off at the football game. 

Saturday: A lot will depend on what we get up to and who exactly is around. So we'll wait and see. I have a spaghetti squash and so maybe we'll do some veg bolognese on top of that or maybe we'll have a fire pit and grill those hot dogs and smart dogs I bough for just in case.  

Note: Apparently, I had lots of grand plans this week, but didn't follow through with any of them. We did however, volunteer for a race which was fun and I made these Singapore Noodles with Charred Scallions that were to die for. We fought for the leftovers for lunch the next day.