Tuesday, 4/14/25

 Cauliflower piccata from the NYT, which hadn't realized I have made before. Apparently I only gave it 4 stars, but I must have upped my game (or more likely, the butter) because it was delicious. Tossed with pasta and topped with a little Parm blend.

Monday, 4/13/26

 I wasn't that excited about tofu, rice, and asparagus, but it was so good that I surprised myself. I am also surprised that I haven't memorized the recipe (from the NYT); it turns out so well every time..

Sunday, 4/12/26

 Dinner with Jodi....she came up with the idea of ersatz Reubens, with seitan in lieu of corned beef or pastrami or whatever you put in them. We also didn't have Russian dressing (OK by me) or Swiss, but we grilled up what we had in the panini press and they were pretty good (obviously I skipped the sauerkraut). Jason had made some pretzels which were both delicious and superflouous.

Saturday, 4/11/26

 We had picked up a chicken from BJ's and I used it to make chicken enchiladas, from "I Dream of Dinner".  They tasted OK, but weren't cheesy enough and were also a bit soggy. I may not actually like enchiladas that much---at least not how I make them. Served with some roasted mushrooms and zucchini.

After dinner, we were texting with Jen and John and the next thing we knew, we were over there, having a cocktail, eating popcorn and watching a crappy movie. A surprising and fun end to the day!

Friday, 4/10/26

 It was not a light day of eating....the Year of Pizza served up a flop this month (won't be going back to the Chicopee Pizza restaurant anytime soon) and dinner was chicken tenders and french fries, per Jason's request. The tenders (from Aldi and done in the air fryer) were only OK, and while I like french fries, deep frying them at home (even just the frozen crinkle cuts we use) just seems like a lot of bother. But it's only fair to let Jason pick every now and then. Oh, also there was salad. Whatever.

Thursday, 4/9/26

 I wanted to make the roasted pepper bread salad from "I Dream of Dinner" again, since I felt rushed the last time we had it. The only changes I made were to slice the stems off the peppers for easier eating, and to be a little more generous with the olive oil. Oh, and I added some roasted plum tomatoes. Excellent! A real keeper of a recipe.

Wednesday, 4/8/26

 The last time we were in Big Y, there was a sale of something ambiguously called "Chinese brand sausage", which looked suspiciously like Italian sausage. We decided to give it a try, although I had no clear idea what it tasted like (it wasn't real Chinese sausage, which is typically cured and kind of small and dry) or what to do with it. So I went with a very neutral giant sheet pan of cabbage, green beans, potatoes and onions, with the sausage nestled in, and roasted it in a hot oven. I made a chili crisp vinaigrette to go with it, and it wasn't bad! The sausage is a little sweet, with maybe a 5 Spice powder taste? Honestly my favorite part was the potatoes, especially the ones on the bottom that got crispy, but it was a easy and fairly quick meal.