Tuesday

Bowties with sausage and sage (recipe in the comments November 4, 2007)
Salad with balsamic dressing

Hot tea
M & Ms
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This is fall. Warm pasta with tomatoes and chicken sausage and SAGE. In fact we increased the amount of sage we used this time, since we have a bumper crop still. It was even better than usual. The rain and cool weather have continued - in fact we never even made it to the mid-50s today. The warm pasta and obligate glass of red wine were very welcome. I'm already excited about my lunch tomorrow :)

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Easy
Chopping: Onion
Time: 25 minutes
Make ahead: I was working at home today and so I made the sauce before I went to pick upthe boys. We made pasta when we got home and, presto, dinner!

Reaction:
"Rainy day perfection" OR "Sage is my best friend!"

The kid report:
Direct quote: "You know the thing about this dinner? I just LOVE it!"

Not kidding :)

Monday

Chili relleno casserole (recipe in the comments from January 10, 2008)
Corn tortillas, red salsa
Canteloupe

Hot tea
Reaspberry lemon ice
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This was the perfect meal for tonight. It was pretty chilly today and by evening very rainy. The warm casserole was great, but the lighter even summer-y flavors were perfect for early fall. Also, this may very well be our last local melon for the year and it was AMAZING! This is also a great meal because it's so easy. There were no classes today (Yom Kippur), so I came home early to work and quickly made the casserole before I went to get T from daycare. M pulled the casserole out just as we got home. How easy is that?

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Super easy
Chopping: Scallions, grate cheese, melon
Time: 10 minutes to prep, 35-40 minutes to bake
Make ahead: I often will put the solid layers in the pan and whip the eggs and milk ahead, pouring the custard on just before baking.


Reaction:
"It's like a mix of summer and fall - just like our weather!"

The kid report:
T loved this and even was unusually excited about salsa tonight. We were so excited about watching him eat little burritos :)

Sunday

Spicy red lentil dahl (recipe in the comments for January 18, 2008)
Multigrain flatbreads
Cucumber salad

Hot tea
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This is bar none my favorite of our dahls. It's easy, but somehow the result is incredibly complex and satisfying. The taste profile is almost a combination of Indian and Thai, rather than some of the more strictly Indian dahls we do. I expect it's the light coconut milk and lime. Regardless this is fantastis and fail proof. I wish everything worked this well in life :)

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Easy
Chopping: Onion, garlic, cucumbers
Time: 30 minutes
Make ahead: Easily.

Reaction:
"A family favorite."

The kid report:
T was distracted early in the dinner process, but then returned to eat with fervor, so I'd say overall highly positive.

Tuesday

Polenta and vegetable bake (recipe in the comments from February 17, 2009)
Salad greens with herbs in a creamy garlic dressing

Hot tea
Grapefruit sorbet and orange wafer cookies
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We first made this back in February and I just noticed that I said it was the perfect dish for winter when I posted then. How funny, since I now think it's perfect for early fall when the eggplant and zucchini is pouring out of a Farmer's Market near you! We made this for one of the graduate student's M works with who came to dinner tonight. It is the first time she's visited and we wanted something that most people would like. I didn't remember to be nervous about whether she liked eggplant until she was here, but, thankfully, she does, so no worries! This casserole is truly yummy, enough gooey cheese to feel indulgent, but enough veggies to balance. I just love it. And, apparently, it's a crowd pleaser as well :)

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Easy
Chopping: Eggplant, zucchini, basil, polenta, shredding mozzarella (unless you buy it shredded like I did :)
Time: 25 minutes to prep + 15-20 to bake
Make ahead: I think this would save fine.

Reaction:
"One of the better casseroles possible."

The kid report:
T was VERY lukewarm on this, but he had eaten a fair amount of cheese, crackers and tomatoes before dinner and we had a charming and entertaining guest to show off for instead of eating. It's worth another try on him.

Friday

Pasta with pesto (recipe in the comments from November 24, 2007)
Sauteed yellow and red cherry tomatoes

Hot tea
Chocolate chip cookies
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So, we did get another pesto meal this year! The recent sun has encouraged growth, such that we harvested all our plants and had enough for 2-3 more batches. We were running late tonight, so we only made tonight's, but the rest of the basil is in the fridge awaiting transformation. I'm glad it wasn't just the once, as this really is one of our favorite meals. The tomatoes are so sweet right now, you barely need to do anything to them. Mmmm. Everything was lovely and a great kick off to the weekend!

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Easy
Chopping: Peeling garlic, grating Parmesan
Time: 25 minutes
Make ahead: We often even freeze it.

Reaction:
"Probably the last batch pre-freezer."

The kid report:
T loves pesto - ALWAYS.

Thursday - Out to dinner at Verbena

Yes, this is our new favorite restaurant and since we had a coupon expiring on the 30th we had to go back before the end of the month! The evening did not disappoint. If anything, the minor glitches from our last visit were non existent. The food was wonderful from bread to dessert and the environment so wonderfully comfortable and relaxing. I felt like M and I laughed and enjoyed ourselves more than we have on a date just the two of us in a while. Perhaps great food will do that. Yes, we will be back!

Appetizers:
J - Grilled peach and bacon salad
M - Seared scallop with pureed beets and roasted cauliflower (special)

Entrees:
J - Halibut in ginger soy broth with shrimp, edamame and glass noodles
M - Venison with lots of other wonderful things

Dessert:
Peaches with crumble-y goodness and ginger ice cream

Wednesday

Spaghetti squash with caponata
Warm white bean salad (recipe in the comments from December 16, 2007)
Green salad with tarragon dressing

Hot tea
Zucchini bread
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I just saw an article about bringing kids into the kitchen to cook with you featuring spaghetti squash. I will be up front and say spaghetti squash is not my favorite squash, as it's not as flavorful as many squashes. BUT it is a great vehicle for sauces. We used a jarred version of caponata (a tomato based sauce with eggplant, roasted red peppers, olives, and capers) today with great success. I am always careful with jarred sauces to check the nutrition profile, especially for saturated fat and sodium. This one seemed exceptionally low in both and VERY flavorful! T was, indeed, in to making the "spaghetti". The white bean salad is a standard "adding protein" side we use and has a summer and winter version. Both wow me every time we have them.

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Easy
Chopping: Onion, red pepper, garlic, thyme, basil, parsley, spaghetti squash (scraping up the strands)
Time: 25 minutes to steam the squash (unattended), 30 minutes to do the rest
Make ahead: All of this would be fine reheated.

Our reaction:
"We will be using this caponata again!" OR "All salad all the time tonight."

The kid report:
T was verbally very enthusiastic about this meal, but didn't eat much. Then again he didn't eat much dessert either, so maybe he just wasn't very hungry.

Tuesday

Tomato curry (recipe in the comments)
Rice
Yogurt
Cucumber salad

Hot tea
Zucchini bread
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We have been making this since college as well (just like the Minestrone from Saturday). Maybe we're on a nostalgia kick. Honestly, this has long been one of my favorite curries. It's unusual - very tomato-y, but with a classic curry seasoning. The eggs give it the protein boost such a light curry needs to be filling. That said, this has long NOT been a favorite of M's and we have worked to make it more to his liking. Given that we've collected many curries over the years, we haven't made this one in a long time and so I was somewhat shocked when he suggested we make it this week. But, I never look a gift horse in the mouth! It was just as good or better than I remember!

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Moderate
Chopping: Onion, pepper, garlic, ginger, cucumbers, eggs
Time: 50 minutes (some unattended)
Make ahead: I made this early this mornign so it was ready when everyone got home.

Our reaction:
"An unusual and yummy curry!"

The kid report:
T liked this, but didn't want to mix his rice and curry. The tomato curry itself was pronounced, "Mmmm", but more rice actaully got eaten :)

Monday

Naan pizzas
Steamed broccoli

Milk
Oreos

Hot tea
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We made these for T and his babysitter last week and he (and we) ended up loving them, so they're back for all three of us to use the remaining sauce and naan. This doesn't really require a recipe. You buy plain Naan (Indian flatbread) and put tomato sauce (we buy an herby (low sodium) one from Wegman's) on and top with your favorite toppings. We used fresh mozzarella and oregano today. Then you back at 450 for about 10 minutes. How easy and, yet, how good?

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Super easy
Chopping: Cheese, oregano, broccoli
Time: 25 minutes
Make ahead: Nope.

Our reaction:
"The easiest of homemade pizzas!"

The kid report:
T says he likes personal pizzas better than slices!

Sunday

Steaks
Roasted fingerling potatoes
Grilled green bell peppers with blue cheese

Hot tea
Fresh peaches with vanilla ice cream
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How weird is this? A meat, a starch, and a vegetable! It's like we're real adults! At least that's how I feel whenever we make a dinner like this :) The vision for this meal came last time we grilled green peppers, when T's request for cheese resulted in blue cheese crumbles being on the table. He is responsible for the amazing discovery of just a tiny amount of blue cheese crumbled onto hot, grilled peppers. The slightly caramelized sweetness of the pepper and the pungency of the cheese blend in an exceptional way. It's great. We wanted to make a meal with that as the focal point, so a simple meat and starch seemed best. Grilling season will be coming to a close soon, so why not take advantage, right?

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Super easy
Chopping: Potatoes (sliced), peppers (quartered)
Time: 7 minutes to prep potatoes + 45 minutes to cook, cook steak and peppers during last 12 minutes or so
Make ahead: You can roast the potatoes for 35 minutes and then toss them in for the last 10 minutes just before you eat. Do steaks last minute.

Our reaction:
"We love our grill"

The kid report:
T still loves the blue cheese and pepper combo.

Saturday

Minestrone (recipe in the comments)
Tuscan garlic bread
Salad

Hot tea
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This is one of our oldest soup recipes - we started making it in college! This is the quintessential vegetarian minestrone (unless you use chicken broth) and it always comes out perfectly. It's easy and make huge use of all the fresh veggies that are out right now. We always make it this time of year and it's a universal favorite. This is a great company dinner too, especially given how easy it is to make. We always have this with bread to dip and a simple salad. Add a glass of wine and you have the perfect early fall dinner!

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Easy
Chopping: Potato, cabbage, zucchini, carrots, onion
Time: 15 minutes prep + 30 minutes to cook (partially attended)
Make ahead: You can make this early and add cooked pasta to it last minute.

Our reaction:
"The perfect fall food."

The kid report:
We had to prevent him from scooping it up with his hands :)

Friday

Creamy avocado and white bean wrap (recipe in the comments from July 1, 2009)
Grilled red and green peppers with shallots

Hot tea
Oatmeal raisin cookies
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We loved this recipe when we tried it last July and Theo liked them as well, so they were an obvious choice for making now that we're trying to make relatively easy things so we can eat with T. The slaw that goes in the wraps was a bit spicier than I remember, but T loved it anyway. The whole thing was easy, yummy and a great start to the weekend!

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Super easy
Chopping: Chipotle chile, cilantro, shallot, peppers
Time: 20 minutes
Make ahead: I would do this fresh.

Our reaction:
"Happy Friday!"

The kid report:
T LOVED this, eating a whole burrito :)

Thursday - Out to dinner at Sorrentinos

We were planning to go to the movies tonight and so we went to dinner on Main St with Theo before our sitter was scheduled to arrive. We've been wanting to try Sorrentino's, a classic red sauce Italian place, for some time - especially because it is so close. We were definitely happy with the trial. The sauce was good, the garlic bread great, and the atmosphere fun. The place was packed on a Thursday night. What fun! We'll be back.

Wednesday

Sloppy lentils (recipe in the comments from April 15, 2008)
Asian slaw
Corn on the cob

Hot tea
Chocolate and vanilla swirl ice cream
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Now that we're eating with T each night, the need for the slow cooker is even more apparent. Food RIGHT AWAY when we get home is critical. Nothing better than having it all ready to go (and making the house smell wonderful) right as you walk in the door! This is the first time we've made this in our new slow cooker (the old one broke right before the move to Buffalo) and I think we need to amend the recipe for this cooker to have less water (4 cups instead of the listed 5). If you tend to have a cooker that overheats, go with 5 cups. Otherwise, try 4. The slaw tonight was Napa cabbage, carrot shreds, and celery with Wegman's new yogurt based coleslaw dressing - too yummy! And we're still doing at least once a week corn while the pickings are good :)

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Easy
Chopping: Onion, bell pepper, husk corn
Time: 20 minutes prep + 8 hours to cook unattended
Make ahead: You'd better ;)

Our reaction:
"This is even better than we remembered."

The kid report:
T was super excited about something called "sloppy", but liked the bun separate from the lentils. Both were good though. Nothing is as good as corn.

Tuesday - Out to dinner with friends at Taste of India

We went to Taste of India on Sheridan with friends tonight. We knew them in college and they have a daughter who is about 2 years older than Theo. Despite the age gap, they seem to like each other a lot, which is good since M and I like the parents a lot :) Fun was had by all. The kids managed to use their indoor voices most of the time and the food was very good. The buffet was very much appreciated by hungry kids and adults!

Monday

Turkey and balsamic onion quesadillas (recipe in the comments)
The other half of the galia melon

Hot tea
Mint meltaways
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We knew in advance that no one would be home to start dinner tonight, so we planned one of our fastest meals. It took about 32 minutes from the moment we walked in the door to the moment we were sitting down to eat - pretty good, eh? Sadly, while we've made this many times, somehow tonight it just wasn't it's best and neither of us is sure why. We both think this is the first time we've made it in Buffalo, so maybe the new brand of turkey or tortillas is off, but we're just not sure. Regardless, this is a time tested winner, so I wouldn't let it being slightly off tonight put you off. This is an unexpectedly elegant flavor combination - especially given the simplicity factor.

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Super easy
Chopping: Slicing onions, turkey, grating cheese, melon
Time: 24 minutes (the other 8 went to getting in the door, setting stuff down, and cleaning up a milk spill :)
Make ahead: I would do these right before serving.

Our reaction:
"Not quite as good as usual. Not sure why."

The kid report:
T didn't mind :) He was very in to two fisted eating due to our late start :)

Sunday

Summer pasta with tomatoes, arugula, and bacon (recipe in the comments)
Galia melon

Hot tea
Chocolate chip cookies
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This is one of those limited time meals. You can only make this when cherry tomatoes are fresh and super sweet. When you make it when you're just getting pints at the grocery store, the flavor is truly pale and it doesn't seem worth it. But now, when we get cherry tomatoes at the farmers market that taste almost syrupy, this is a dream. You can do it with two pints of red tomatoes, but the mix of colors is really fabulous (orange is my favorite). We have tried this in the past with spinach when the arugula didn't look good and it's really flat, so hold out for a week with good cherry tomatoes AND arugula. It's worth it.

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Easy
Chopping: Garlic, tomatoes (halved), melon
Time: 30 minutes
Make ahead: This is best fresh, but hold up unusually well for lunch the next day.

Our reaction:
"A perfect version for early fall OR late winter!"

The kid report:
T liked all of this except the arugula, but he thought the fettuccini was hard to eat.

Saturday

Autumn/winter tortellini soup with carrots and spinach (recipe in the comments)
Grilled zucchini

Hot tea
Banana cream pie (Thank you Wegmans!)
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M and I have a tortellini soup recipe we love (Tortellini and spinach in broth), so when I saw a somewhat similar recipe in the Wegman's Meal magazine for fall, I jumped on it. The problem was their version sounded really dull and potentially a bit too much like our old recipe. But I was convinced that the addition of the carrots would make a great richer more fall/winter soup. So, I tinkered and came up with a radically different soup than either our old one or the Wegman's recipe. The rich beef broth and the veggies combine with the nutmeg and balsamic for a wonderful result. We both think meat tortellinis would be best in this, but cheese or even pesto filled could work. T was a HUGE fan, having to be told repeatedly to use his spoon, not his hands on the soup!

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Easy
Chopping: Onion, halving zucchini
Time: 30 minutes
Make ahead: This will save well, but will be far less brothy after it sits. You could add more or eat leftovers more like pasta.

Reaction:
"A perfect version for early fall OR late winter!"

Friday - Out to dinner at Mother's and Sample

After a brief break, it's date night. T is thrilled that his babysitter came and they got to make mini pizzas (on Naan bread, a great revelation that we will re-visit ourselves next week) and bake cookies. M and I tried a place down in Allentown, Mother's. Even though it was a tad chilly we decided to make use of their lovely patio while it's still possible. The ambiance was perfect. The food was generally good, but not great. My salad was overdressed, M's duck was too sweet,and my pasta was too rich and salty. However, the flavors were generally good, the service was excellent, and they make good cocktails. We went to Sample for dessert. We haven't been there since right after we moved here and we were again impressed. The desserts were inventive and good, the decor excellent, and the service excellent. We should go back for a full meal soon!

Thursday

Pasta with pesto (recipe in the comments from November 24, 2007)
Grilled peppers

Hot tea
Oatmeal raisin cookies
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Pesto is one of the few foods that we normally eat REALLY often. When our basil is coming in during the summer, it is not uncommon for us to have pesto once a week. I know, how un-TenDinners! The fact is that we love pesto and when you grow enormous amounts of basil, why not. The sad truth is this is the first time we've made it this year. It's been cold and wet this summer and our normally lush basil has been struggling along. Only the recent heat and sun has made it take off enough that we could safely harvest a cup - usually not a problem. I expect we'll have pesto again this year, but probably only once and I doubt we'll be freezing any, when we normally freeze 3 or 4 batches for winter consumption. We'll have to hope for next year!

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Easy
Chopping: Peeling garlic, grating Parmesan
Time: 25 minutes
Make ahead: This pesto saves wonderfully. Just toss it with fresh pasta.

Reaction:
"I wish we *could* eat this weekly this year!"

Wednesday

Soba noodle and tofu stir-fry (recipe in the comments from June 28, 2009)
Cucumber salad

Beer
Oatmeal raisin cookies
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Now that T is capable of staying up until 7:30 or 8, we have begun to regularly eat dinner all together most nights instead of once or twice a week. Everyone is loving the new system, as it means we all eat together and M and I are getting to eat before 9! It's a bit crazy trying to get dinner on the table by 6:15 or 6:30, but we're doing a pretty good job and we're enjoying cooking with T - as is he! At any rate, because of this relatively new system, we're repeating a bit more for a while,so we can get the kinks worked out. We had this soba dish for the first time in late June and it was a huge hit. Thus, we're making it again to both solidify the meal in the repertoire and to have a sure fire bet for our new group eating plan. At any rate, the results were fantastic and T LOVED it. We had to remind him several times to use a fork or spoon instead of shovelling the soba and tofu in with his hands. Once he had calmed a bit, we even rubber banded some chopsticks together and he tried those. It was great!

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Easy
Chopping: Zucchini, garlic, ginger
Time: 35 minutes
Make ahead: I'd do this last minute.

Reaction
"A family favorite!"

Tuesday

Spaghetti with Grammie's sauce (recipe in the comments from February 22, 2008)
Broccoli with lemon

Hot tea
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We had planned to go out tonight with some good friend's, but M has been feeling under the weather and was really badly off last night. We decided to cancel to protect everyone's health. This, of course, means we sort of punted for dinner. Luckily, we had the last stash of Grammie's sauce and some extra linguini around + a bag of frozen broccoli. The meal was perfect and so much the better because there was next to no work involved in preparing it :) T seemed especially pleased.

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Super easy
Chopping: None
Time: 15 minutes
Make ahead: We did :)

Reaction:
"Plan B is the best plan"

Monday - Happy Labor Day!

Hot dogs on whole grain buns
Local corn
Baked beans
Sliced local tomatoes and peaches

Beer! (Also local :)
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Everyone loves an American holiday and we are always up for grilling. Before coming to Buffalo I wasn't a big hot dog fan,but we have two local purveyors here that make an entirely different product from the one's you get in the deli case in most grocery stores. This time around we tried Wardynski's All Natural ones and they were very good. For the Buffalo insiders, I think I like Sahlen's spicing a little better, but I don't think they do an all natural. We may have to do a tie breaker soon :) The corn season will end in a couple weeks and we just can't help taking advantage. The sweet corn this year has been out of sight - same goes for the peaches. I love harvest!

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Too easy
Chopping: Husking corn, slicing tomatoes and peaches
Time: 20 minutes
Make ahead: Why?

Reaction:
"A meal for a day of relaxation!"

Sunday - Birthday Party

Tonight we went to the 3rd birthday party for the grandson of some of our closest friend's, Chris and Cathy. Jacob (the birthday boy) came to T's party a few weeks ago and it was so nice to see his birthday too. T was a bit shy tonight, but he told us he had a very good time. The dino theme was very popular!

Saturday

Vegetable tagine (recipe in the comments)
Whole wheat cous cous
Orange flesh melon

Hot tea
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This has actually been posted before, but it was during a catch up week where I didn't comment on it. This is one of my ABSOLUTE favorite new recipes we've made. It is totally unexpectedly flavorful - and uniquely flavored at that. It goes great with whole wheat cous cous and no other side is necessary. We're finishing up the orange flesh melon, but otherwise could have called it a one dish meal. This is full of veggies and the unusual combination of spices and a well zested lemon make for an incredible dish. Everyone should be eating this tagine!

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Moderate (but close to easy)
Chopping: Onion, carrot, zucchini, garlic, lemon (zesting), cilantro, melon
Time: 40 minutes
Make ahead: This saves beautifully!

Reaction:
"Escape to Morocco!"

Friday

Roasted corn and tomato pasta salad (recipe in the comments)
Fresh peaches

Frozen custard from Anderson's
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So, I just spent about 10 minutes searching the blog for this recipe because I CANNOT believe that we haven't posted this. This is one of our best summer salad recipes. We were inspired by a Whole Foods recipe where you add blue cheese to a pasta salad with corn, but we ended up changing their version to make it more vegetable heavy. The last time we had this T loved it, but this time he completely rejected it. Ahh, the vagaries of the 3-year-old :) The peaches were so perfect they could have been my whole meal.

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Easy
Chopping: Corn, tomatoes, peaches
Time: 35 minutes
Make ahead: This saves pretty well (excellent for a picnic), but I like itbest fresh and a little warm from the pasta.

Reaction:
"Blue cheese makes everything better!"

Thursday

Pasta Amatriciana (recipe in the comments from December 5, 2007)
Green beans with tarragon vinaigrette

Hot tea
Chipotle chocolate cover hazelnuts
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It has been too long. Way too long on this recipe. We had left over Canadian bacon from my dad's visit (he likes it for breakfast) and this pasta recipe came to mind. It's exquisite and just as good as I remember. We should have this more often. Also the green ebans gave us an excuse to use more of our fresh tarragon. Always a plus :)

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Easy
Chopping: Onion, garlic, tarragon
Time: 35 minutes
Make ahead: Make the sauce and toss with fresh pasta.

Reaction:
"Still one of the best pasta dishes ever"

Wednesday

Rice and beans with avocados (recipe in the comments from June 5, 2008)
Orange flesh melon

Hot tea
Hazelnut chocolate bar
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When we had this last summer it was a rare very warm and humid day in early June in Michigan. Today it made it into the upper 70's, but has cooled into the low 60s tonight. Regardless, this dish shows off summer flavors so well and is a welcome meal. It's also very easy to make, which is good during the first week of classes! This is another of our dishes (like spaghetti estivi) where the warm grains get mixed with cool raw ingredients. This time we do it with brown rice, but the effect is somewhat similar. Regardless, it's a wonderful summer meal. The orange flesh melon (sort of a cross between honey dew and canteloupe) was the best I've ever had. Ahhhh, summer.

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Easy
Chopping: Onion, cherry tomatoes, avocado, melon
Time: 20 minutes (with frozen rice)
Make ahead: This saves very well, though we don't re-heat, but eat it cold to preserve the raw veggie flavors.

Reaction:
"It's almost like summer in Mexico, but cooler outside."

Note: Since many of our meals are repeats, we're moving to a joint reaction to preserve creativity :)

Tuesday

Cauliflower and potato sabzi (recipe in the comments from April 20, 2009)
Naan
Cucumber salad

Hot tea
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This is the dish that convinced T he liked cauliflower so much. Perhaps you have a confirmed cauliflower hater who needs a wake up call? If they like flavor, this is the recipe. Everyone we've served this to loves it and it seems to always turn out well. This is definitely one of our "curries" that I like best with bread instead of rice, but both work. The fresh cucumbers (not to mention potatoes!) from the farmers market make an incredibly good salad. Yum!

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Easy
Chopping: Cauliflower, potato, cucumbers
Time: 35 minutes
Make ahead: The re-heats very well.

Reaction
J: "Does sabzi mean curry?"
M: "Always yummy!"

Monday - Take out from Golden Duck

Today was the first day of class for me and the last day of prep before the first class for M. M didn't quite finish and so there was some to do at home, thus, take out seemed called for. Golden Duck remains our favorite Chinese place in the area so far (though there's a new one on Maple we want to try). The food is SO flavorful. The sauces are light and not at all greasy and EVERY dish is packed with veggies. This is the perfect Chinese for us :)

Steamed dumplings
Hot and sour soup
Shredded pork in garlic sauce
Shrimp and broccoli
Vegetarian fried rice

Hot tea

What a great way to relax after the big kick off day!