Teenagers in the Kitchen

The Short version:

Monday: Gail cooking Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad
Tuesday Gail Cooking not sure what yet.
Wednesday:  Kurt cooking while Gail out playing so most likely he will take the girls out to eat.
Thursday:  Morgan cooking  Pasta with Broccolli, garlic and red pepper flakes, green salad with blue cheese dressing & rolls (because I was a bad mom and did not make rolls on Sunday. gasp!)
Friday: Date Night for mom & dad, fend for yourself (leftvoers or hamburgers) for the girls
Saturday: Lexi cooking Pork Saute with Lemon Caper Pan Sauce, butternut squash and mashed potatoes
Sunday:  Feeding the Missionaries, Yet to be determined.
Monday:  Blair cooking Roast Chicken, flavor yet to be determined.
Wednesday: Morgan cooking Quick Ravioli with Herbed Ricotta Filling, Mid-Summer Salad (aka Lexi Salad), Artisan Bread
Friday: Lexi cooking Chicken Saute with White Wine Vinegar Pan Sauce, Baked Rice and Roasted Asparagus.

Now for the long version:

My girls are each going to be making dinner once a week.  They will be primarily working out of this cookbook:

I love this cookbook.  It is the one I wish I would have had when I got married.  I bought it a few years ago and it changed my life.  Basically it is broken up into basic techniques and then variations on flavor and ingredients.  Each girl has chosen a chapter/technique that she will be working on for a month or two and then we will change it up.

Morgan chose Pasta, Lexi chose Sautes and Pan Sauces, and Blair chose Roast Chickens.

My girls are all very proficient at following a recipe.  The goal here is to learn to make a quick delicious dinner with real ingredients that you have on hand or whatever is seasonal and cheap.  For example,  while Blair will learn to roast a whole chicken, she will also make a dinner or two using the roast chicken techniques but with chicken leg quarters (the least expensive meat you can get at any grocery store.) which is also a great option if you are a college student or missionary who is cooking for one or two people.

I will keep you all posted as this experiment progresses.

What's for Dinner? November 24-26, 2013

We will be going out of town for Thanksgiving, so my menus for today through Tuesday are an attempt to work through the produce I bought because I forgot that it was going to be Thanksgiving week.  As I have said before, I am seasonally confused.  It does not feel like fall, but our walk on the beach today was lovely.  Now, on to the menu.

Sunday: Tri-tip roast with red wine sauce, braised red potatoes, baked butternut squash, spinach apple salad, sunday rolls, gingerbread cake with bananas and whipped cream.

Monday: Chicken with Sherry Mushroom Sauce (new recipe we will be trying), lemon asparagus risotto, grapes.

Tuesday:  Beef and Asparagus Stir-fry with mushrooms, brown rice and whatever fruit is in the house.

What's For Dinner Archive

So, On facebook, I am part of a group called "What's for dinner?"  The idea is that every one posts what they are having for dinner in order to inspire each other.  This is great, except for one thing.  There is really no way to go back and see what a specific person posted in the past without scrolling through the whole dang thing!  Therefore, I have decided to post my dinner menu's here as well.  I know there are entire blogs dedicated to this kind of thing.  i just want a history of my own dinners in my own space.  Origninally I was just posting a dinner here and a dinner there, then I started posting my plan for the week.  These are the ones I found from the past. (I do not post on that group every week)

Novermber 4, 2013

the plan for the week of Nov 4-10:
Monday - Sole Meuniere, Braised Red Potatoes, fresh green beans
Tuesday - Teriyaki Chicken, Rice, Veggies
Wednesday - Frittata (ingredients yet to be determined), green salad
Thursday - Roast Pork with Honey-Cider Vinegar Sauce a l'Ancienne, lemon asparagus risotto, green salad (to welcome company)
Friday & Saturday - Not yet decided which is a bad plan since we will have company.
Sunday - I am thinking Boeuf Bourguignon, because I will be having the missionaries over and I need something that can be made ahead.  (Note:  I actually ended up making Arrezio Pasta with Artisan Bread and a salad, Lemon curd pie for dessert)

This thing is LONG!  so proceed with caution.