Saturday

Bread rounds with artichoke heart/red pepper tapenade

Pork chops with zesty sauce (recipe in the comments)
Mashed cauliflower
Butter lettuce salad with radishes, tomatoes, and dill

Hot tea
Heath bars :)
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This is another of our favorite Jacques Pepin recipes. This sauce on the pork is a blend of the weirdest ingredients - everything from kalamata olives and fresh tomatoes to A1 steak sauce and chili sauce. Yet, somehow, the blend is exquisite. Everyone we've made this for raves about it. I think it's improved because we always make it with our mashed cauliflower, which is a revelation in the side dish department. It's somewhat like mashed potatoes, but is so much more flavorful and also lighter. They will never replace mashed potatoes (quite the ultimate comfort food!), but they mix things up in a fantastic and unexpected way. The slight bitterness of the cauliflower really accents the savory sauce perfectly for this meal. Thus, this is a go-to meal for impressing others/enjoying ourselves. As tonight is a bit of a celebration - it being my mom's last night here -we thought this would be perfect. It was.

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Moderate
Chopping: Tomato, onion, cauliflower, scallions
Time: 45 minutes
Make ahead: Yes on the pork, not as good on the cauliflower.

Reaction
J: "Pork perfection."
M: "Ridiculously elegant and easy."
L: "Delicious. *Very* delicious."

Tuesday

Black bean and goat cheese quesadillas (recipe in the comments)
Avocado halves with spicy red sauce

Spicy cocoa
Almond biscotti (not homemade ;)

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We've been making these for a long time and love them - the avocados are a new side dish innovation. We used to make a vinegar coleslaw (not creamy) instead.

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Easy
Chopping: Onion, garlic, cilantro
Time: About 40 minutes (including make ahead)
Make ahead: I prepped all the ingredients and made the red sauce about an hour before we began officially cooking.

Reaction
J: "These taste sinfully good."
M: "I think this is one of the best things we make."