Tuesday, 4/7/26

 OK, I wouldn't call lemony dumplings with peas (NYT) a total flop, but it wasn't my best work. I think I made the dumplings (more like a large spaetzle and honestly I should have just made spaetzle instead) too big, and even though I added extra salt, pepper and some parsley, they were still a tiny bit bland. The lemon butte sauce was good; Jason said there were too many peas. They just sort of flopped all around in the water....not appealing to look at. Probably won't go into rotation.

Monday, 4/6/26

 Grilled chicken with a coconut-chipotle marinade, from the NYT. After looking at the comments, I added some lime and a little fish sauce to the marinade; I skipped the step of basting and flipping the chicken, opting to instead reduce the leftover marinade in a skillet and then add the cooked chicken to the sauce. Served with rice and some roasted broccoli. I wasn't sure how this would be---the marinade wasn't super delicious on its own, but it was actually very tasty. The chicken was nice and moist, even though I subbed in breasts for thighs.

Sunday, 4/5/26

 Carter and his friend Jayme came for dinner; we kept it pretty simple with pepperoni pizza, salad and some of the lemon cookies. I think it went well, although she didn't eat a lot miss always makes me nervous.

Saturday, 4/4/26

 Celebrated the end of a heck of a week with dinner with Jen and John. Two Blue Aprons , both sort of rice and chicken bowls with slightly different toppings. Jason made a rye bread and Jen had some very nice cheese to go with it. Lemon cookies from "Dorie's Cookies"....I followed my own advice from last time and added extra lemon zest and could have added even more. Watched a dumb movie and got home late.

Friday, 4/3/26

 After a very stressful day (back to back appointments with the tax people and the dental surgeon, yay) we had a peaceful evening at home with tomato soup and Yorkshire pudding (a little undercooked but probably just as well what with the dental stuff).

Thursday, 4/2/26

 Dinner with Jodi....we made a quick pasta with tomatoes, beans, onions and basil, and Jason made a loaf of bread. Since the boys aren't around meals are much less exciting, but the company is good.

Wednesday, 4/1/26

 Somehow we have many different kinds of cornmeal hanging around, so we decided to make polenta for the first time in a while. I made it the night before, when I was in a big hurry, so it wasn't as lump-free as I might have hoped (I was very irritated with myself). Luckily, once it was pan-fried and covered with tomato sauce and fresh mozzarella you couldn't tell. Very tasty! Served with a spinach salad.