A few weeks ago, Mom remarked on how I tend to cook the same things. I doubt she even remembers saying this as it was just a comment in passing. But it resonated with me in a serious way. I'm such a creature of habit. Sad, but true. The more I thought about it, the more I realized how right she was. (Yes, Mom, you were right for the 586,739th time) Here's the thing: I love to cook, eat, and clip recipes to fill my beautiful blue Martha Stewart recipe box.
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How-everrrr.....I rarely venture beyond my comfort zone. In an effort to remedy this problem, I planned this week's menu last Friday with four new recipes and grocery shopped on Saturday. So, I was ready to begin on Sunday.
Le Menu
Sunday: Coq au Vin
Monday: Pot Roast with Vegetables
Tuesday: Shredded Beef Enchiladas aka Southern Enchiladas
Wednesday: Chicken Cacciatore
Thursday: Baked Pasta
Friday: Pasta Carbonara
Saturday: Reward yourself by eating out :)
I'm only halfway through the week, but I must say, I've enjoyed experimenting with new recipes. And if I must say so myself, each of the meals have been {insert French accent}superb! I'm also proud that I planned the meals so that some of yesterday's leftovers could be transformed into today's meal a la Robin Miller.
*A few notes: Sunday, I almost burned the coq au vin. A quick change of pots allowed me to salvage the meal. Despite the near-burn incident, the meal was quite de-lish. I chose to have the slow-cooker pot roast on Monday because who wants to come home and cook on Monday? Pas moi. When I stepped into my apartment and smelled the yummy aroma, I felt like announcing, "Honey, I'm home." Who needs a housewife when you can have a slow-cooker? Cooking food in the slow-cooker makes me feel like this woman:
image via here
Tuesday: I've never cooked enchiladas, only enjoyed the fruits of someone else's labor. I did know that sometimes the meat inside can be semi-bland. So, I flavored mine with onions, chili mix and cumin. David deemed them "Southern Enchiladas" because he said they weren't authentic Mexican, but instead Mexico meets the South. After sampling Mexican cuisine, I moved on to Italy with chicken cacciatore. It was so yummy and worth the one-hour cooking process. At one point, David and I both dropped our forks and ate the chicken with our hands....ah-hem....Southern style, y'all. I suppose David and I have Southern-ized Mexico and Italy this week. Like I said, we've been very busy.
5 comments:
YUM! I am the same way...I cook what I already know how to cook! I need to branch out as well.
Pasta Carbonara! One of my favs! May I invite myself to dinner Friday night?
Absolutely! If you were to drive up from Mobile to Birmingham for my humble pasta carbonara, I would be supremely honored and happy!
Impressive menu! Planning makes all the difference, don't you think?
Thank you, Jen. Yes, planning makes a huge difference. During the week, I don't even have to think, I can just cook!
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