Friday

Baked tarragon fish (recipe in the comments)
Harvest grains
Sauteed spinach and garlic

Hot tea
Peach and blueberry panna cotta (thank you Trader Joe's!)
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Well, we'd planned to have a ham and gruyere bread pudding tonight until M remembered that today is Friday and it's Lent. Yep, we're among the group that still does fish (or vegetarian most often) on Lenten Friday's. Back to the drawing board for dinner. Luckily, this fish recipe has been on our radar for a while, so we had a ready idea. In the end it was good and easy, but not amazing. The sides were definitely the stars of the show and that's a pretty clear indication that, while good, this won't make it back into the rotation.

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Easy
Chopping: Red onion, garlic
Time: 25 minutes
Make ahead: I would definitely do the fish last minute, but you could do the onion sauce ahead.

Reaction
J: "Good, but not transcendent."
M: "Fragrant, but thin."
Mn: "A tasty Lenten meal."

Thursday - Out to dinner at Logan in Ann Arbor

Fennel salad - J
Crab cake - M
Gruyere custard - Mn

Green papaya salad (mini) - M
Logan salad (mini) - Mn

Roasted asperagus penne - J
Seared tuna steak - M
Bourbon pork tenderloin - Mn


Cookies and milk - J
Goat cheese cheesecake -M
Pear pastry - Mn

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We tried a different restaurant in Ann Arbor for our first night with M's mom, Mn - Logan on Washington St. This is a small place that we have seen many times, but haven't heard much buzz about. That said, the menu looked very good. We have since moving here been to hear more and more about Logan, especially on Chowhound.com and Arborfood.com. We decided we had to try it to see what it was like and I can un-qualifiedly say it's our new local favorite. The food was all excellent, and picky foodies that we are we could only find minor things to nit-pick about that were negatives (my balsamic reduction with the fennel salad was SO reduced it was hard to get any on my greens - when that's your level of complaint you're at a top drawer place!). The atmosphere was wonderful, the cocktails inventive and EXCEPTIONAL, the sommelier (owner too? we think so) was dead on with his INEXPENSIVE choice, and the waitress was perfection. This is another hit that makes us happy we live here.

Reaction:
J: "How can we have lived here for almost 1.5 years and not tried this place?!??!??"
M: "A new A2 fine-dining favorite."
Mn: "Awesome."

This story from the NY Times today is all too familiar. Now that T is 20-months-old, and an excellent sleeper to boot, M and I have a safe span between 7 pm and 7 am to make about as much noise as we'd like. That said, 20 months is only 15 months older than 5 months, which has not been long enough for amnesia to set in. T was a hard infant and his sleep was often very hard won. The prospect of it being wrecked by a dropped pot lid is still cringe worthy all these months later. We did not make as fancy dinners as these folks when T was a 5-month-old, but we did use a lot of their techniques - initially in a one bedroom apartment and then, once T was about three months old, in a three bedroom house. Here were our favorite "silent chef" techniques:

1) Make as much of dinner early in the day as possible
2) Work slowly to limit dropped items or clanging pots on stove burners
3) Only make meals that can be prepped ahead and reheat well
4) Make double recipes of some things so you can just defrost and re-heat on really hard days
5) Know when to bag it and order pizza (but stash your dog in the basement before the delivery guy comes so he won't bark!)

Wednesday

Potato, spinach,and kidney bean curry (recipe with proposed changes in the comments)
Cucumber salad
Naan
Greek style nonfat yogurt
Emergency microwave rice (the curry was hotter than planned)

Hot tea
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This is a real flyer. We found a recipe for a spinach and potato curry that was intended to be a side dish, that we added the beans and changed the cooking technique on to make it more of an entree. We love currys and don't have a good spinach and potato one that's good for you. When you take risks, sometimes the outcome isn't what you plan. This was FAR hotter than we anticipated or even like and we had to make some rice to make it tame enough for our palates. This is most impressive as we added the beans to the recipe and didn't add anything spicy! Imagine the original! Anyway, the flavors under the spice are excellent, so the posted recipe is edited to dial down the spice and incorporate our other changes. It was ok tonight, but we think this is actually a real winner. Let us know if you try it!

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Easy
Chopping: Potato, cilantro
Time: 30 minutes (maybe less with our changes)
Make ahead: Yep. I think that would be fine.

Reaction
J: "A good start on a great curry."
M: "This is going to be good."

Tuesday -Take out from Lucky Kitchen

Steamed dumplings
Special hot and sour soup

Hunan chicken
Lucky deluxe her fun

Hot tea
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So I haven't been feeling up to snuff today and we had a ton to do tonight, so it was emergency take out for us. Hopefully we'll have the new curry we had planned soon. We're trying yet another new Chinese place, as we haven't been happy with any of the places we've tried here in Ann Arbor that deliver (critical). We were both very impressed with Lucky Kitchen. The food has a very fresh taste, low salt content, and didn't seem greasy at all. Best of all the Hunan chicken was a little spicy for me - meaning it's ACTUALLY spicy! This seems rare here in Michigan. All in all, I think we'll be going back when we need a Chinese fix.

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Easy by design

Reaction
J: "I'm a new fan of Lucky Kitchen."
M: "Yum."

Monday

Gnocchi with zucchini ribbons and parsley brown butter sauce (recipe in the comments)
Salad

Hot tea
Winter peach pie
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This is rich comfort food with a very basic and convenient staple - shelf-stable potato gnocchi. If you find a good brand of these , they make a wonderful base for many recipes. You may have to try a couple though. The first two brands we tried were too starchy and sticky. With several years between trying brands (after one of the starchy/sticky meals one gets a bit gun-shy), it's only relatively recently that we've made gnocchi a feature on our dinner plans. Unsurprisingly, the ones we like come from Trader Joe's. This sauce is a wonderful topping for the fluffy gnocchi. The brown butter sauce is not heavy at all and brings out the deep flavors of the zucchini, while the grape tomatoes give it enough moisture to keep it "saucy". It's an easy vegetarian pasta dish that really hits the spot.

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Easy
Chopping: Shallots, zucchini, grape tomatoes, Parmesan, parsley
Time: 25 minutes
Make ahead: It's ok leftover, but I would make it fresh.

Reaction
J: "Brown butter *is* all that."
M: "Molto yummy."

Sunday

Plum Island Sound clam chowder (recipe in the comments)
Sourdough bread
Sauteed green and red peppers

Hot tea
Winter peach pie
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We're making a big batch of soup tonight so that we can eat half and take half to some friends who have a brand new baby girl. This is a wonderful clam chowder - not at all heavy, but with a hint of creamy-ness that makes it feel special. Oddly, it's made with no cream at all, so it's one of the healthier clam chowder recipes I've seen. The addition of marsala gives it just the right finishing touch to keep it from being too ordinary. The peppers were a wonderful side, but just a bit of bread and salad would make this a most satisfying meal.

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Moderate
Chopping: Bacon, onion, celery, potato, parsley
Time: 45 minutes
Make ahead: This saves and even freezes well.

Reaction
J: "Can we move to Plum Island?"
M: "Holy chowder, Batman!"

Saturday

Dublin parsnip colcannon (recipe in the comments)
Bangers
Pickled beet salad with scallions

Hot tea
Winter peach pie (yep, homemade!)
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Michael and I have begun our annual celebration of our non-Irish heritage! M and I together represent many geographical areas, but Ireland is, sadly for us, not among them. Our annual exploration of Irish fare was prompted by my mom (L) unexpectedly purchasing an Irish cookbook for us several years ago. We were initially surprised by this gift, but both ended up reading the cookbook as a pleasure book (yes, we are that nerdy) and were fascinated by the variety of foods and the wonderful prose accompanying the recipes. We found ourselves wanting to try more Irish recipes. So each year (and it seems to start earlier and earlier each year) as St. Patrick's Day approaches, we begin having Irish themed meals. It's a great tradition! The Dublin-style parsnip colcannon is a wonderful blend of mashed parsnips and potatoes with kale. It's a glorious green color and wonderfully tasty. We made it early this afternoon (along with the pie) and reheated it when we grilled the bangers (Irish style sausages). I looked forward to this dinner ALL day and it didn't disappoint!

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Moderate
Chopping: Potatoes, parsnips, kale, beets, scallions
Time: 45 minutes
Make ahead: I'd do the bangers last minute, but everything else saves well.

Reaction
J: "You don't have to be Irish to love this dinner!"
M: "Food even a leprechaun could love!"

Here's a piece that I've been sitting on since M sent me this article while we were away. It's a New York times piece on rethinking meat consumption. My delay has only made the topic more timely as many people are probably "Rethinking the Meat-Guzzler" post beef recall. The recall has certainly made me happy that I know a LOT about where all our meat comes from. I'm also suddenly a lot less worried about how much this meat is costing me :)

Things have been pretty hectic around here, what with getting back from our recent travels and it's been a while since I did more than just my typical meal post. This week I heard an NPR piece I had to share though. On Wednesday's Fresh Air Terry Gross interviewed Michael Specter about the carbon footprint of our food. Check out this fact: apples (purchased in the US) imported from New Zealand can have a lower carbon footprint than apples grown in upstate New York, depending on time of year and location of purchase. WHAT??!?!?!!!! Worse, that's not the only counterintuitive fact he shares. As if buying food responsibly wasn't hard enough already. Specter makes many compelling points about how the carbon use of food production and distribution is not as straightforward as we'd like it to be. Good lord, what do we do now???

Friday

Black bean soup (recipe in the comments)
Sauteed swiss chard and beet greens with red wine vinegar
Grainy rolls

Hot tea
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This is one of our old stand-bys! We've been making this since early 2001 and it is one of my favorite soups. This was the first soup we made with our immersion blender, convincing us that it was an indispensable tool. This soup is easy to make and has a rich flavor that highlights all the components, earthy beans, tart lime, hot chili powder. The condiments really make it shine - sharp cheddar, spicy scallions, and creamy sour cream. Don't go overboard with the additions though - more than a tiny amount of sour cream will overwhelm the soup and then that's all you'll taste. This soup is great with grainy bread dipped into it and a simple salad or quickly sauteed or grilled vegetables make fine pairings.

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Easy
Chopping: Onion, garlic, scallions, bell peppers
Time: 30minutes
Make ahead: This is great leftover.

Reaction
J: "I think this is our best soup. Am I really saying that? I think I might be."
M: "Way yum."

Thursday

White cheddar mac n' cheese (yep, out of a box)
Sauteed fresh spinach

Hot tea
English toffee
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Well, I guess it's true confessions here folks. I like box mac n' cheese. I don't think it tastes like macaroni and cheese that M and I make from scratch (which we have several excellent recipes for), but I like it. It conjures up all sorts of comforting feelings from my childhood. M had an unplanned dinner thing for work tonight and I was looking at my options (leftover so-so fish from last night, canned soup, take out) and mac n' cheese won. I suppose being honest about this is all in service of admitting that I'm human and we don't eat exceptionally all the time. Also, no one should feel bad about their box mac n' cheese habit.

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Super easy!
Chopping: Nothing!
Time: 15 minutes
Make ahead: If you have to :)

Reaction
J: "Definitely better than last nights fish :)"

Wednesday

Citrus sole packets (recipe in the comments)
Orzo with parsley
Three bean salad with red bell pepper

Hot tea
English toffee
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This is a new recipe for us, but it uses one of our favorite fish preparations - packet cooking. Especially if you're new to fish cooking and wary of either over or undercooking, packets are simple and offer a very consistent product. They're also a very healthy way to make fish, as very little added fat is involved. I'm also a big fan of packets because often everything gets cooked together, you typically add raw veggies, fish, and sauce and, presto, dinner! So, all that said, this particular packet recipe is not my favorite. First, there's a fair amount of prep before you load the packets. Second, M and I both felt the result was fine, but not much more than fine. Definitely not a repeater. Oh well, it happens.

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Moderate
Chopping: Chard, carrot, celery, scallions, orange, lemon, red bell pepper
Time: 45 minutes
Make ahead: The bean salad can be done whenever. The greens can be done ahead, but the fish should be last minute.

Reaction
J: "Not worth it."
M: "Our super easy poached fish is better than this."

Tuesday - M & J's anniversary

Beef Daube Provencal (recipe in the comments)
Egg noodles
Roasted asparagus

Hot tea
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Here's the good news: this is the best beef dish I have ever eaten and certainly that I have ever made. Here's the better news: this recipe is so straightforward it's fail proof. Here's the best news: it's made in the slow cooker so your whole house smells wonderful when you come home and all you have to do is boil water for noodles and pop some asparagus in the oven. A fantastic, elegant dinner with almost no effort. This is especially true if you do the prep the night before, so even your morning is hassle free. It's perfect for holidays (we've done it for Easter and it would be amazing at Christmas), guests, special occasions, or when you just want an extraordinary meal. When we make it for more people we add an appetizer, a salad, and a dessert. Tonight we have a more scaled back feast and will have plenty of leftovers tomorrow - it's a gift that keeps on giving.

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Moderate, the prep is more intense than our usual crock pot fare (about 40 minutes)
Chopping: Garlic (crushed), chuck roast, carrot, onion, rosemary, thyme
Time: 40 minutes the night before, 25 minutes (mostly unattended) right before you serve
Make ahead: Crock pots are miracle workers in your kitchen

Reaction
J: "The best."
M: "Fantastique."

Monday

Polenta with spinach, black beans, and goat cheese (recipe in the comments)
Fresh pears

Hot tea
Valentine chocolates
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We needed a fast prep meal for tonight because we are actually cooking two dinners. Tomorrow is the anniversary of when M and I started dating and as we're celebrating the actual night at home, we wanted a festive, but EASY meal for tomorrow. As is so often the case when we're looking for a low pressure meal, we've turned to our slow cooker. Stay tuned for our amazing Beef Daube recipe. Anyway, tonight's dinner is unexpectedly easy and very unusual - a great, if atypical combination for a fast meal. The sun-dried tomatoes (not a typical favorite of mine) blend so well with the spinach and goat cheese. That complex and, yet harmonious, flavor is perfectly complimented by the creamy polenta. Even if you're skeptical, make this and you'll have a new busy night favorite.

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Super easy
Chopping: Garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, pears
Time: 20 minutes
Make ahead: So long as you do the polenta last minute, you're fine.

Reaction
J: "Yummy, filling, and surprisingly speedy."
M: "Culinary sunshine."

Sunday

Slow-cooker borscht (recipe in the comments)
Pumpernickel bread
Green beans in tarragon onion butter

Hot tea
English toffee
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I feel like I start a lot of posts discussing some food item or preparation-style that M and I love (witness last night's risotto love) and today is no different. We love beets! With a passion! The color is fabulous and brightens winter fare and the flavor is unparalleled. We like them pickled, roasted, in risotto, straight out of the jar, and in vegetable melanges. I have been on the lookout for a borscht recipe for ages, but never found one that sounded good. Many are very complicated or simply very long to prepare. Other seem like they'd end up rather flavorless - not a good way to enjoy beets! Whole Foods, once again, comes to the rescue with a slow-cooker borscht recipe. This is easy to do, though you do have to add the cabbage about 45 minutes - 1 hour before the borscht is finished (meaning you have to be home to do so), but it's otherwise simple to prepare. The result is hearty without being heavy and highlights the wonderful beet flavor perfectly.

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Easy
Chopping: Beets, onion, potato (all halved); cabbage, dill
Time: 30 minutes (divided), plus 9 hours unattended
Make ahead: The whole plan

Reaction
J: "Beets me!"
M: "Da, Da,Da!"

Saturday

Mock risotto (recipe in the comments)
Arugula salad with grapefruit

Hot tea
Valentine chocolates (J)
Karmel sutra ice cream (M)
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M and I love risotto, but don't love the attention-intensive time it takes to prepare or the typical load of fat in most recipes. We're always on the lookout for ways to make risotto-like recipes without this major detractors. This is our latest shot, from Eating Well, and it was AMAZING. Such creamy goodness! Such rich flavoring! Such a LONG recipe to make. Sad, but not Eating Well's fault. The original recipe called for Instant brown rice and would have taken about 25 minutes to make total. We couldn't find it at Whole Foods or Trader Joe's and went with normal brown basmati rice, using less rice and more liquid. Thus, the long cooking time. We plan to make this again SOON and go to a normal grocery store and get the faster cooking rice. We hope to replicate our fantastic results and will keep you posted, and will include the faster recipe if it works out. I am also excited because you could very easily use any vegetables you had to change the tenor of the dish, adding them a bit earlier for denser veggies (beets) or later for more tender items (peas, leafy greens). M liked this with just a taste of balsamic drizzled on top (a technique we first enjoyed on our honeymoon, subtitled "M and J eat Italy", over a lovely pumpkin risotto), but J liked it best plain.

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Moderate
Chopping: Onion, garlic, pepper, asparagus
Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes or so unattended
Make ahead:

Reaction
J: "Can I die and go straight to risotto heaven????"
M: "Mmmmmmmmmmmm..."

Friday

White beans alla Pines of Rome (recipe in the comments)
Hearty bread with roasted garlic
Seasoned broccoli

Hot tea
English toffee
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This is a recipe M and I created to mimic a wonderful appetizer from a restaurant outside of Washington, DC called The Pines of Rome. Pines is a low brow American-Italian style restaurant that I have been going to for as long as I can remember. I introduced M to Pines early in our relationship, and he is now an ardent fan as well. I love these beans because they're easy, good for you, and SO comforting. They were the perfect way to welcome ourselves to our first real weekend at home in a long while. We elevate the appetizer to entree status with some bread (or rice) and a side vegetable. Our friends F and E joined us at Pines while we were in DC (because they're awesome and trained down from CT to see us!), so I hope they make this and let me know how it compares!

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Easy
Chopping: Onion
Time: 20 minutes
Make ahead: It's best fresh, but we make a lot and keep the leftovers, which are also good. If you make it with rice store them separately so the beans stay juicy.

Reaction
J: "Did Pines move to Michigan?"
M: "The pupil has surpassed the teacher."

Thursday - Happy Valentine's Day!

Gourmet picnic fare courtesy of Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, and Zingerman's Deli!!!!

Pinot grigio salami
Duck armangnac pate
Brie
Basque shepard's cheese
Baguette
French green beans (raw)
Strawberries
Mixed olives

Profiteroles
Chocolates

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M and I started a tradition of an indoor picnic in front of a fire MANY years ago to celebrate Valentine's. This way we don't have to deal with the crowds at restaurants, bad service, etc. Also, we started dating on February 19th and still celebrate that anniversary as the most important one to our relationship (our wedding anniversary is somehow less of an event). This is two big celebrations right together (and right after my February 5th birthday!) and so a lower key Valentine's is excellent. We love this and eat all sorts of bad for us things - it's wonderful!!!!

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Prep?
Chopping: Merely unwrap and enjoy!
Time: None
Make ahead: The best make ahead - made by someone else!

Reaction
J: "Can we bottle this post-postprandial feeling???"
M: "If this doesn't get you in the mood, nothing will!"

Wednesday

Warm chicken sausage and potato salad (recipe in the comments)
Asparagus with lemon

Hot tea
Karmel sutra ice cream (Ben and Jerry's)
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We're back! We had a lovely trip, both the business end for M and the family visit end for T and I, but it was a long time to be away from home. We're glad to be back in our own digs and cooking again! This is an excellent and easy feast that really could be a one dish meal, but we like to add a bit more fruit or vegetable on the side. We initially had this with sliced pears and grainy bread. I think the bread is superfluous, but pears would be just as good as tonight's asparagus. The original recipe suggested you have this with a good ale and we heartily agree. I would caution you not to go with a heavy ale though. The one I got for tonight is a bit too dark for my taste and overwhelms the flavors, especially of the arugula. I think we had an I.P.A. (Indian Pale Ale) last time and that was perfect.

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Easy
Chopping: Sausage, potatoes
Time: 30 minutes
Make ahead: I like to do this last minute so that it's warm.

Reaction
J: "Holy cow! Or should I say, 'Holy chicken sausage!' "
M: M is still composing his response :)