Tuesday, 1/27/26

 Beans and rice, but make it complicated. I had cooked the pinto beans in the Instant pot on Sunday, so that was easy, but then I decided that we needed guacamole, some pickled red onion, and zucchini that I roasted in a hot oven with cherry tomatoes and mini bell peppers. So it wasn't as quick as it could be. Doused the whole thing with my new obsession, taijin seasoning.

Monday, 1/26/26

 Another snow day! I was planning on beans and rice, but Liz invited us over for pizza so we postponed. The roads were still pretty dicey, so we made in an early night.

Sunday, 1/25/26

 Snow Day! I made a big pan of SK's cauliflower gratin ; I added some pasta and some green beans and we called that a whole meal. The other changes I make are so minor (omit nutmeg, panko instead of regular breadcrumbs) that they hardly count. This batch was a little light on sauce, but it baked up so crunchy and tasty that I didn't mind.

Saturday, 1/24/26

 Jen and John were throwing a little surprise party for Gus, who is headed to Spain for the semester. We were invited as a cover story; Jason made bread again (pretty good for a rush job) and I helped John make a couple of pots of chili. So many teenage boys. They ate a whole sheet cake.

Friday, 1/23/26

 Dinner with Jodi, Jason made a loaf of bread, and we made a pasta dish on the spot with onions, garlic, white beans and cherry tomatoes. Dessert was just some peppermint Oreos that we brought over....Jason was being extra bossy and wouldn't let me make any dessert. Jodi did like the cookies, though.

Thursday, 1/22/26

 I didn't care about the haters in the NYT comment section; taijan slow cooker chicken sounded great and it was. And so easy! I just rough chopped some bell peppers and garlic, opened a couple of cans of green chilis and a pack of chicken thighs and literally just threw them in the slow cooker with a couple of tablespoons of tajin seasoning. I did also add a small can of chopped tomatoes w/green chilis, and used a big can of hominy instead of pinto beans; I stand by both of those decisions. We had it with tortilla chips, radishes, cherry tomatoes and avocados; would also make a nice taco filling.

Wednesday, 1/21/26

 Yeasted waffles from the Smitten Kitchen version of this recipe. I started it in the morning and we had them with some sausage links (I meant to also have bananas but we just didn't feel like it). These waffles are so good: crispy and light and very flavorful. Sure, the batter smells a bit funky after sitting out all day, but it hasn't killed me yet.

Tuesday, 1/20/26

 A recipe from the NYT for a stew that was like minestrone meets curry. Pinto beans, kale, onion, ditalini, and curry spices. I found it a bit salty the night we ate it, but the leftovers were much better; I think the addition of spicy chili oil did the job.

Monday, 1/19/26

 Jason convinced me that we should have leftovers for dinner, and he was right. Even a modest Thanksgiving and sending food home with the kid makes a lot of food.

Sunday, 1/18/26

 The long weekend meant I finally got around to making Thanksgiving Part II:

-gravy

-mashed potatoes

-sweet potatoes with mini marshmallows (Jason's request)

-rotisserie chicken (honestly didn't reheat super well and was eclipsed by side dishes anyway0

-green bean casserole: SK sauce (minus garlic, plus minced onion), frozen green beans, French's onions. I didn't mix any of the fried onions into the beans but put them all on top. This was the correct move

-dinner rolls: Thank you Jason for your service

-stuffing: doctored up box from Aldi with lots of vegetables

-canned cranberry sauce (Carter will stand for nothing less)

-apple crisp from Sally's Baking addiction.  Alas, I was too lazy to make a pie. Honestly, I should have made a half batch. We were all too full to do it any justice. 

I think it was a success! It's pretty easy to make if you are only cooking for three.

Saturday, 1/17/26

 Yes, I am very susceptible to certain food words, like "buttery gochujang glazed". No regrets; this tofu and broccoli was a little spicy, a little sweet and nicely rich from a healthy bit of butter added to the sauce. To simplify, I roasted the tofu and steamed the broccoli rather than trying to stir-fry everything in batches. For dessert I finally got around to making hotteok,  a Korean pancake with a brown sugar and walnut filling. The yeasted dough was a surprising flavor; Jason compared them to Pop-Tarts (he is wrong), but I thought they were great. And quick if you think to plan ahead and start the dough.

Friday, 1/16/26

 We had a fun day with Ramona and then a surprise invitation to dinner with Jen and John. Jason quickly made some pita bread (not his best; he used the wrong flour) and hummus. We made a baked potato bar for dinner which was super fun. Cozy fire, a glass of red wine and a little TV to round out the evening.

Unexpected car nap

Thursday, 1/15/26

 Dumpling salad with smashed cucumbers and peanut sauce, from the NYT. We had a bag of homemade potstickers in the freezer, so I used those; good taste, but true to their name they did indeed stick a bit. I also added cherry tomatoes and avocado because I didn't have as much cucumber as I thought. Very tasty and a nice winter alternative to the summer version with tomatoes and chili crisp vinaigrette. We served it over rice which wasn't strictly necessary but it did make a good vehicle for sauce. Bonus: yet another thing out of the freezer.

Wednesday, 1/14/26

 A barley and sweet potato bowl situation that I wasn't delighted with. The barley is fun, and my gochuchang sauce was pretty good, but it needed something else. I think pickled radish instead of the cucumbers.

Tuesday, 1/13/26

 Cauliflower shawarma (NYT) to use up the last of the pita. I improvise toppings with what is on hand (tonight was cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, radishes, feta, pepperoncini, and oven roasted tomatoes). There is a quick yogurt-tahini sauce but to me the real key is a drizzle of pomegranate syrup. It adds a perfect bit of tartness and sweetness. Altogether much tastier than you would imagine.

Monday, 1/12/26

 I can barely believe this myself but we went back to Jodi's to help eat up the leftover pizza from Friday. Officially the last last last visit with Zack. the pizza was only ok reheated, but Jason's parents brought some Atkin's donuts so that was a treat.

Sunday, 1/11/26

 I spent all of Saturday roasting a pork shoulder only to discover that while tasty, it wasn't exactly falling off the bone. Oh well...chopped it up and added BBQ sauce and it's still a pretty good pulled pork sandwich. I also made a broccoli salad from the NYT that had good flavors (pepperoncini, provolone, olives) although I slightly overcooked the broccoli. Caramel popcorn for dessert; we  remembered to increase the popcorn while keeping the caramel the same for a still delicious but slightly less sweet end result.

Saturday, 1/10/26

 It was good to have a night at home, since Jason was still feeling a bit peaked and I wasn't up to talking to people. I made fish cakes from the NYT (left out the potatoes but otherwise mostly as written), plus some rice with Goya seasoning and a black bean and mango salad. we also made another batch of caramel popcorn, remembering to add extra popcorn this time---it makes for a still delicious but slightly less sweet end product.

Friday, 1/9/26

 Another pizza night at Jodi's house, this time with 12 giant pizzas (they were from Primo's II and not bad) and many many strapping young men who kept arriving like the dwarves in The Hobbit, but with beer. We left around 8 but according to Jodi those boys were up late late late. Getting all the Zack time in before he leaves for Nepal.

Thursday, 1/8/26

 Dinner at Jason's parents: we made 5 pizzas and Zack's girlfriend Ina made a chocolate cream pie (excellent). Dinner at their house isn't always the most fun (Jason had a cold and Carter was grouchy) but they seem to like it, so I guess that's good. 

Wednesday, 1/7/26

 I brought home a silly book called "Your Pasta Sucks", and I knew immediately that I needed to make pasta al limone. I had some the last time I was in New York, and since that set me back $24 if I could make my own, so much the better. Could not be simpler: a little butter, cream, lots of lemon juice and zet, parm and pasta water. I loved it (Jason liked it well enough but it is more my stye). The only thing I would do differently is add some peas. Served with a salad.

Tuesday, 1/6/26

 Beef biryani from the NYT. Had I had time to do some prep this would have been a quick dinner, but it was still doable for a week night. Basmati is cooked with whole spices in the Dutch oven (glad I followed a reader suggestion to put the spices in a tea ball. Much easier than trying to fish out 7 cloves from a big pot of rice!). Cook onions and ground beef with lots of spices in a separate pan with a bit of yogurt at the end, then add them together to finish cooking. Really flavorful! Served with a cumin raita which really added a lot. I thought I had cauliflower in the fridge, but it turned out it was a cabbage. Roasted that instead which was fine.

Monday, 1/5/26

In a case of the tail wagging the dog, we had pita with fried eggplant slices (from the freezer) ,feta and various vegetables in order to use up some yogurt-tahini sauce. Only to find that the sauce had gone off and I had to make some more. Oh well, it's a quick and delicious dinner anyway (and I made a much smaller amount of sauce this time so we wouldn't make the same mistake again).

Sunday, 1/4/26

 Dinner with Jen and John. started with one of the tastiest cocktails I have had in a while (called "Juliet and Romeo"; gin, lime, simple syrup, cucumber, mint and a little rosewater). two Blue Aprons: a chicken in a peanut sauce and salmon with a sweet chili pan sauce. Roasted broccoli and rice. I am not sure if it was my best work (I find their pans annoying to work with) but everyone was happy. Caramel popcorn for dessert, which would have been better if I had remembered to increase the plain popcorn in the recipe. Good but very very sweet.

Saturday, 1/3/26

 Another dinner from "Beans, Grains and Greens". This one looked far more complicated than it was. You just heat up pinto beans and kale with jarred salsa (I also added a lone zucchini) and serve that over mini corn waffles that were super quick to put together. I didn't have soy milk but regular milk worked fine. Topped with some cotija cheese, avocado and radishes. This book is batting 1000 so far (even with me un-veganing everything).

Friday, 1/2/26

 I brought home a book called "Greens, Beans and Grains" that had some promising looking combos. It wasn't til I was reading it more thoroughly that I realized it was vegan, but it is easy enough to sub dairy back in from soy cheese or whatnot. You never hear people in the comment section asking how to make something un-vegan, after all. Anyway, the first dish I tried was a riff on tagine that I went even more off-book on, since I had neither preserved lemons not couscous, which honestly felt like the real sine qua nons of the dish. But tiny Italian pasta and plenty of fresh lemon worked quite well. Basically a stew with potatoes, zucchini, peas, chickpeas, carrots and onions. It took some tweaking of the spices and salt to get it really tasty, but the end product was good. Plus there will be plenty of leftovers for my lunch.

Thursday, 1/1/26

 New Years Day dinner with Jodi, the boys, and Jason's parents. Zack orchestrated a giant bibimbap feast; we contributed mainly by providing some ingredients, an extra rice cooker, and our chopping skills. Jason did make some superfluous flatbread as an appetizer. Everything was so delicious (although I meant to bring some kimchi and forgot to), especially the dessert of sticky rice with mango and coconut (reminiscent of a dessert we had at a Laotian restaurant in Lowell). Jason's parents brought some soju, so it was a festive evening, and probably the last night that all three boys will be around for a while.

Carter looking as jolly as ever (his stomach hurt)

Wednesday, 12/31/25

 Quick dinner of leftover fried rice before heading to Diane and Ellen's for game night/NYE party. I ate way too many cookies and Lisa made an amazing cake with whipped cream and raspberries. Fancy! Jason made oatmeal cookies that I confess I did not try. Home before midnight but not by much.

Tuesday, 12/30/25

 I used leftover rice, quinoa and fried rice to make a Frankenrice with roasted broccoli and tofu. Yes, I was on the porch swearing and yes it was maybe 10 degrees?? But the rice was good with our fancy new chili crisp that is VERY spicy and garlicky.

Monday, 12/29/25

 Tacos with corn tortillas, with black beans, sweet potato, radishes and guacamole; there was also a crispy cheese layer that through my own error never really achieved crispiness. But melty cheese is never a bad thing and these were delicious anyway.

Sunday, 12/28/25

 I made a batch of ersatz minestrone over the weekend, with tiny tiny meatballs, kidney beans, zucchini, carrot and celery. I was going to add ditalini, but decided we could add leftover quinoa instead; this wasn't terrible but really didn't add anything but a slightly odd texture. Nice and cozy with plenty of leftovers for lunches.