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."