Well, yesterday's post was the last real post for a while. We're less than a week away from moving and have entered the hard core cleaning out the freezer/take out stage as we get down to the nitty gritty. We will be in the process of moving through early July, so you can expect daily posts to begin again in mid-July. Wish us luck and we'll be back once we're in Buffalo!

Thursday

Melon pasta salad (recipe in the comments)
Arugula salad with balsamic dressing

Hot tea
Oatmeal raisin cookies
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This is a flier of a recipe. I saw it and thought the concept was pretty good - a use for very firm and not very sweet honey dew. Melons are from the same plant family as cucumbers and so have a similar flavor, especially when not very ripe. We were both very impressed with this and it makes a great addition to the pasta salad arsenal. It's truly different than any pasta salad we've made or even had before. I think next time we will try cutting the mozzarella and adding even more vegetables to make it truly a one dish meal. The original recipe is the one I've posted. Stay tuned for an updated version.

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Easy
Chopping: Honey dew, tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, scallions
Time: 30 minutes
Make ahead: As this chills, it's great to make ahead. We did it last minute though and it was fine not thoroughly chilled.

Reaction
J: "Woah. This is way good."
M: "Savory."

Wednesday

Sausages and grapes (recipe in the comments)
Whole wheat cous cous
Arugula salad with balsamic dressing

Hot tea
Oatmeal raisin cookies
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This is a long standing favorite. We've made this since early in our time in California. I think of this as one of the first really unusual dishes we ever made, launching a career of non-traditional favorites. I'm not sure if that's true - maybe we'd been making tons of unconventional stuff, but in my mind this was a watershed recipe. It's actually a traditional northern Italian combination and unbelievably simple. You brown sliced sweet Italian sausage (we use chicken) in a skillet, add garlic and saute until beginning to brown, and then add whole grapes to heat through. The result blends the spices in the sausage with the sweetness of the garlic and the grapes. Yum. You can use green or purple grapes - we've done both.

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Super easy
Chopping: Garlic, sausage
Time: 25 minutes
Make ahead: Do this last minute.

Reaction
J: "Still feels gourmet!"
M: "So good and so simple."

Tuesday

Linguini with spicy red clam sauce (recipe in the comments)
Broccoli
Italian country rolls

Oatmeal raisin cookies
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M & I have a vermicelli and white clam sauce that we've been making for many years now. I think we first made it in college. Regardless, it's been a mainstay of the repertoire for a long time. I saw this recipe last summer for a spicy red version and thought,"That could be just different enough to be worth trying." INDEED, it was! What a great new recipe. The fresh pasta, spicy pepper, tomatoes, and fresh parsley make it totally different and totally wonderful. This is a new favorite that is easy enough to be perfect for very hectic nights. The original recipe doesn't make enough for any leftovers and to leave enough for T for tomorrow, both M and I ended up a bit hungry. We'll double it for later versions, leaving us with lots of leftovers for lunches.

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Easy
Chopping: Onion, garlic, parsley, basil
Time: 25 minutes
Make ahead: You could make the sauce early and reheat it while the pasta is cooking.

Reaction
J: "A new clam sauce!"
M: "This, you know, rocks the house!"

Monday

Black bean burrito bake (recipe in the comments from November 5)
Avocado and tomato salad

Hot tea
Vanilla ice cream
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There's something about this dish. It's one of the easiest things we make and, yet, it's just incredible. It's flavorful, unusual, and comforting. How often does that happen??? Besides it gives us a chance to have an avocado salad - an experience we relish. T has started to like avocados more and so it's now universally exciting (for a long time he didn't like plain avocados, but loved guacamole - who knows what drives his tastes???). The countdown to the move has gotten very low (10 days!) so we're looking for easy and yummy. This was perfect. We spread the salsa more evenly over the burritos and thought the result was especially moist and good.

Difficulty: Super easy
Chopping: Chipotle chili, grating cheese, avocado, tomato
Time: 15 minutes to prep, 20 minutes to bake
Make ahead: It best to make this fresh.

Reaction
J: "More decadent than it should be."
M: "Spreading the salsa was the right thing to do. Very good tonight."

Sunday - Happy Father's Day!!!!

Pan fried fish - no recipe needed :)
Harvest grains
Artichokes

Hot tea
English toffee
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We're having a celebratory meal tonight! All of us love fish and this is a new method we've tried out. Pan frying sounds like heavy batter and lots of oil, but it doesn't have to be. We dip the fish in skim milk and then dredge in seasoned flour (flour, salt, pepper, and a bit of cayenne). You then heat a thin coat of oil in a large skillet over medium heat and fry the fish until browned and cooked through. A spatter guard is useful, but not very necessary if you keep the heat moderate. The rest is just yummy - a mix of non-traditional grains from TJs and artichokes, one of our favorite vegetables. What a great meal!

Note: We had our nascent Father's Day tradition (two years!) of doughnuts in bed this morning. What a life!

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Super easy
Chopping: Artichoke leaf tips, top and stem
Time: 30 minutes
Make ahead: I always make the artichokes ahead so we can eat them room temp. The rest should be done last minute.

Reaction
J: "Fried fish meets 'the 5' - AMAZING!"
M: "A fish for all seasons."

Friday

Chickpea florentine (recipe in the comments)
Rice
Salad

Chocolate ice cream
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Here's a dish J loves, while M's usually luke warm. It's an odd combination of flavors - roasted peppers, lemon juice, spinach, and chickpeas, flavored at the table with a tiny bit of soy sauce. that said, it's a wonderful alchemy and very filling. It's a stormy night here so the warmth is welcome, but the dish is light enough for summer. We made several alterations (reflected in the posted recipe) to tailor this to M's preferences and the effort was very helpful. Both of us liked this better than usual - enough so that I think M will be happier to see it in the rotation.

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Easy
Chopping: Onion, garlic, roasted peppers, oregano, spinach
Time: 35 minutes
Make ahead: Make the rice fresh, the chickpeas keep beautifully.

Reaction
J: "Even better than usual!"
M: "A step forward on an old stand-by."

Thursday

Pan bagna (recipe in the comments)
Brussel sprouts

Peach ice cream
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This is a wonderful Mediterranean inspired sandwich. You mix a vinaigrette with tuna, tomatoes, olives, and some other vegetables combine that tasty mixture with crumbs from the interior of a loaf of bread. The filling is then reloaded into the bread and served as a sandwich. It's truly yummy and very easy to prepare. This is a another recipe with no cooking involved, so it's great on a hot night. We usually have it with cold artichokes, that I've made that day or the night before. I lost track of time yesterday and hadn't made them, so we had brussel sprouts from the freezer instead. Since M and I love brussel sprouts, this was no hardship. We'll ahve the artichokes tomorrow.

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Easy
Chopping: Tomato, pepper, scallions, garlic, olives, thyme (if fresh)
Time: 25 minutes
Make ahead: I make the filling and then add the crumbs last minute and load it into the bread just before serving. You can eat this the next day, but it's not quite as good.

Reaction
J: "Truly summer."
M: "The perfect summer dinner."

Wednesday

Leftovers!
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It's like take out from your kitchen :)

Tuesday

Beef and bean chili verde (recipe in the comments)
Salad
Cornbread

Hot tea
Chocolate ice cream
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I have to admit that while we're obviously making different things each night, I am noting some trends that are feeling a bit rut like. On Saturday we had a Mexican style pasta salad, on Monday we had tacos with a creamy salsa verde sauce, and tonight we're having a salsa verde based chili. Honestly we didn't notice this when we made the list. Perhaps the need for 24 oz of salsa verde should have tipped us off, but it didn't. Anyway, the dishes are different enough that we're not suffering unduly, but I would expect a hiatus from Mexican for a while. Then again,we eat a lot more Mexican style food in the warm seasons, so maybe this was just an enthusiastic kick off. Like much of the country it has generally been VERY warm here. Today was the coolest day of the week, so the chili seemed like a good idea. We haven't made this before, but it seemed exciting because we love chili and salsa verde and, as this recipe contains no tomatoes, it seemed different enough from our standard meat chili that it was worth a try. Flavor-wise it's completely different than our other chilis and totally amazing. We both loved it. The combo of veggies and salsa verde makes for a lighter feeling chili than most typical tomato chili recipes. The spice level was perfect. If you wanted it hotter a bit of hot sauce or green chili sauce at the table would be great.

Note: T and I made the corn bread this afternoon - FUN! Fun was DEFINITELY had by all.

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Easy
Chopping: Pepper, onion, garlic, cilantro, cheese
Time: 40 minutes
Make ahead: The recipe even says it saves well.

Reaction
J: "Woah, this is really good."
M: "Our third fantastic chili!"

Monday

Almost no cook tacos with creamy salsa verde (recipe in the comments)
Galia melon

Hot tea
English toffee

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This is an old stand by from early in our days living in southern California. It's a great summer dinner because you don't have to heat up the house much to make it. The recipe we based this on was billed as completely no cook. The taco filling is tons of raw veggies and black beans. This makes for an unusually crisp taco with lots of flavor. We added the rice to make it slightly less raw, because the original seemed a little too acidic and not very filling. Cooking 3/4 of a cup of rice is fast and not too heat intensive, but if you want to avoid the heat completely use frozen rice in the microwave. The sauce, which was far more complex in the original, is stupidly easy in our version and truly amazing. Make double to use as a great dip for veggies or tortilla chips. We've served this for casual company many times and it's always a hit because it's so unique. Tonight's version seemed unusually good, but, as is so often the case, we can't figure out what we did differently. I think we put more cilantro in, which is reflected in the posted recipe, but am not sure that's it.

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Easy
Chopping: Celery, tomato, cilantro, serrano
Time: 35 minutes
Make ahead: This saves really well. Don't mix the sauce in while you save.

Reaction
J: "Better than usual - I feel like I keep saying that!"
M: "Super fresh."

Sunday

White beans ala Pines of Rome (recipe in the comments from February 15)
Rice
Lemon scented broccoli

Mini oatmeal raisin cookies
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We had this back in February as a re-vamping of a meal we've made for many years that just needed a boost. It was fantastic then and fantastic a second time. The new recipe (actually quite different from the original) is truly outstanding. We had the beans with roasted garlic bread last time and I think I liked that better than over rice, but it was still excellent. Sometimes trying an old stand-by in a new way is really rewarding.

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Super easy
Chopping: Onions
Time: 25 minutes
Make ahead: The beans keep for several days.

Reaction
J: "I'm still VERY impressed with this version."
M: "The new version is even better than I remembered."

Saturday

Pasta salad with corn and roasted peppers (recipe in the comments)
Grapes

Hot tea
Cinnamon grahams
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This is the perfect summer one dish meal. Even better it's the perfect EARLY summer one dish meal, because it's cooling but doesn't rely on the fresh ingredients that aren't really at their peak until August. Frozen corn, jarred roasted peppers, and grape tomatoes (typically good even this early in the season) give this salad a summer-y feel before you've even seen a tomato flower on your vines. We originally planned to try this the week T was born (about 2 weeks early) and so, it was, unsurprisingly, put off until last summer. As I said to M the first time we made it, the recipe is worth the wait! This is a summer staple and great to take places as it's good warm or cold and can be vegetarian (beans) or not (tuna). It's a one dish meal (chock full of veggies and proteins), so it's ideal for picnics. Yes, I cannot sing its praises enough. Try it - you'll sing too.

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Easy
Chopping: Peppers, garlic, grape tomatoes, onion, cilantro, avocado, Jack cheese
Time: 35 minutes
Make ahead: Absolutely!

Reaction
J: "The signature salad of June."
M: "So good! So good!"

Friday

Smoky corn and black bean pizza (recipe in the comments from January 26)
Sliced oranges with cinnamon

Hot tea
Oatmeal raisin cookies
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This is an easy dinner and, boy, do we need it! It's been a crazy week of planning for the move, having prospective new tenants for the house we're renting now over to look it over, trying to keep things normal for T, packing, etc. Anyway, we need a relaxing night and this is it. Tasty, easy, and comforting - if unusual. We made a few changes tonight (more BBQ sauce, yellow pepper) and both liked it, but not as well as the original. That said, we think the original could use a tweak too. Maybe red onion next time.

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Super easy
Chopping: Tomato, oranges
Time: 20 minutes, 12 of which is cooking
Make ahead: This is actually good cold, but I make it fresh since it's so fast.

Reaction
J: "Is it pizza or is it BBQ?"
M: "It's like one step away from perfect. What is that step???"

Recipe correction!

On May 4th, I posted the recipe for spaghetti with caramelized onions and anchovies with a very misleading error. Instead of saying to reserve 1/3 cup of pasta water, I left out the word cup, making it seem like you were supposed to reserve a third of the pasta water to add to the sauce! This would be terrible. I have fixed the original post of the recipe and am reprinting the recipe here with the correction.

Spaghetti with Caramelized Onions and Anchovies – M & J (Inspired by Eating Well Healthy in a Hurry)
Serves 4

2 T extra-virgin olive oil, divided
4 cups thinly sliced onions (2-3 medium)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 2-oz can anchovy fillets, rinsed and minced or 5 t anchovy paste
½ t red pepper flakes
Pepper to taste
12 oz whole wheat spaghetti
¼ cup coarsely chopped parsley
2 T Italian-style panko breadcrumbs
Parmesan
A tiny drizzle of Balsamic vinegar per plate

Put a large pot of water on to boil.

Heat 1 T oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring often, until golden and slightly caramelized, 10-15 minutes. Stir in garlic, anchovies, and red pepper flakes, continue cooking and stirring, for 2-3 minutes. Season with pepper.

Meanwhile cook pasta, reserving ⅓ cup of the cooking water. Drain and add pasta to the onion mixture. Add the remaining 1 T oil and the water. Toss well. Serve sprinkled with parsley, breadcrumbs, and Parmesan and drizzled with Balsamic.

Thursday

Rice and beans with avocados (recipe in the comments)
Cabbage salad

Hot tea
Chocolate ice cream
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So it was close to 90 today, humid, with the constant threat of thunder storms that never really appeared. In other words, today it was Summer with a capital S. This sort of weather is unusual for Michigan for early June, but nonetheless, we're running with it and having one of our summeriest dinners. This is great because there's minimal cooking (and we tried it with frozen brown rice, so there's even less cooking!), lots of fresh flavors, and it's a great way to serve brown rice to the brown rice wary folk in your life. The new version with microwave rice worked really well, so either way approved by our family!

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Easy
Chopping: Onion, cherry tomatoes, avocado, cabbage
Time: 45 minutes (though most of that is unattended while the rice cooks)
Make ahead: This saves very well, though we don't re-heat, but eat it cold to preserve the raw veggie flavors.

Reaction
J: "Summer, summer, summer!"
M: "Summery, but filling."

Wednesday

Roasted chicken and artichoke calzones (recipe in the comments)
Spinach salad

Hot tea
English toffee
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We haven't made this recipe very often and we're both unsure why. It's a great dinner, is pretty easy to make and the leftovers are easily transportable for lunch. I think we just don't make a lot of chicken, so it doesn't come to mind. That said, if you do make a lot of chicken or get roasted chickens from your grocery store, this is a great use for leftover chicken. You only need about one breast's worth of meat and you have a whole second dinner. We made some alterations tonight to kick tis up a bit and it was amazing. I certainly hope we'll have it again sooner this time!

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Easy
Chopping: Artichoke hearts, garlic, spinach, chicken
Time: 35 minutes (if your chicken is pre-cooked)
Make ahead: You can reheat these in a toaster oven or microwave for great day-after lunches.

Reaction
J: "Truly superb."
M: "Mamma Mia!"

Tuesday

Whole wheat pasta with green pea pesto (recipe in the comments)
Sauteed grape tomatoes

Hot tea
English toffee
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So, we're trying another new recipe from Whole Foods tonight - hopefully with more success than yesterdays (which was MUCH better today - a lot more ginger flavor after sitting all night - hmmmmm). This is the continuation of a theme we hadn't realized we were beginning until we made the list this week - three weeks of pestos. Last week we did spinach and arugula pesto, this week a new green pea pesto, and next week the last of the frozen pesto from last summer! We're pretty stoked. Tonight's has no cheese and the recipe has you make it with whole wheat pasta. We both loved this as the original recipe came out, but wre made a few changes to make it even better, including adding some Parmesan and adding the walnuts to the pesto to make it smoother. This is a totally different pesto - the mint really makes it unique. This is definitely a new member of the repertoire.

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Easy
Chopping: Nothing!
Time: 25 minutes
Make ahead: I often do pestos ahead and then toss with hot pasta.

Reaction
J: "It's a whole new pesto!!!!!"
M: "It'sa totally new take on pesto!" (These reactions were determined COMPLETELY independently :)

Monday

Chinese longevity noodles (recipe in the comments)
Chicken shu-mei (TJ's was out of our preferred edamame variety)

Hot tea
Oranges
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So, I saw this recipe on the Whole Foods website and was inspired to try it because of Elmo. Yes, Elmo. T doesn't watch a lot of TV, but we have recently started getting some Elmo's World DVDs from our library and he LOVES them. While I don't really consider myself a big proponent of TV for little kids, I'm amazed at how much fun he and I have watching Elmo together and also at how much he's learned watching even a very small amount of Elmo. I really think Elmo has prompted T to his new interest in imaginative play - something I can't get enough of. Anyway, in the segment on family, a young Chinese girl was talking about going out to eat with her family to celebrate her grandmother's 80th birthday. They went to a Chinese restaurant and had traditional longevity noodles to celebrate a long life. The meal ended with sweet oranges to encourage a sweet life. It sounded cool and when I saw the recipe thought,"we should try this". Well, it turned out a bit boring. It was fine, but didn't inspire joy like the version in the Elmo video. I've posted a stab at a better version. Let me know if you try it...

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Easy
Chopping: Ginger, garlic, cabbage, snow peas, cilantro
Time: 40 minutes
Make ahead: I would do this last minute.

Reaction
J: "I think the posted version will be better."
M: "It turned out just ok."

Sunday - Delivery from Cottage Inn

Antipasto salad

Thin crust pizza with black olives, sweet red peppers, broccoli, and onion
Thin crust pizza with black olives, green peppers, mushrooms, fresh tomatoes, onions, and extra sauce
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T cracked his head open on our coffee table this afternoon. We spent five and a half hours in the emergency room and have seven sutures and a lot of stress to prove it. Pizza. Definitely pizza. Stay tuned for a cool new recipe for Chinese longevity noodles tomorrow.

These "we need a break because something crazy happened to our son" nights are coming alarmingly frequently.