No meal glitches last week! Hooray! We’re starting this week’s plan with a cleaned out refrigerator and a fresh meal list.

An asterisk indicates the recipe is included below.

Sunday: Asparagus risotto and salad, browned butter Rice Krispie treats* for dessert.

With the appearance of asparagus in the markets, I can’t resist. Yes, the kids will balk a little to start, but they will eat some of it. They actually like, thought they are several years from admitting that. And it’s just so tasty.

The Rice Krispie treats are just a little less sticky and a little more grown up than the standard recipe. You are going to love them.

Monday: Taco salad

To kind of make up for Sunday’s meal, a very kid-friendly meal. Instead of prepared dressing, I put out salsa and sour cream for the kids to add as they choose.

Tuesday: Pasta with pancetta and tomatoes*, salad

We love, love, love pancetta in this house. I don’t use it too often, but I’ve been craving it a bit lately, so it’s appeared twice in the last couple of weeks.

Wednesday: Leftovers for the kids, pasta with potatoes and rosemary for the adults.

As usual, the kids are fed earlier on Wednesday due to evening commitments and my husband and I eat together later. I have some rosemary from last week that I need to use, and we already have potatoes.

Thursday: Bratwurst and hotdogs, salad.

Thursday is going to be a busy day, so I think a super easy meal is in order.

Friday: Homemade pizza.

Sometimes I make the dough myself and add fresh herbs to the dough, sometimes I pick up premade crusts at the market. It depends on how I feel that day. If I do make the crust myself, I have a recipe that gets most of it done in the food processor*.

The kids like the standard toppings for pizza: cheese and pepperoni. Usually we make one or two as such and get a little more inventive with a third: instead of red sauce and cheese we’ll use hoisin sauce, chicken, water chestnuts and scallions for a Chinese pizza, for example. Pizza is a great opportunity for creativity.

Saturday: Marinated pork chops, rice pilaf, vegetable, salad.

I picked up an interesting looking marinade at Trader Joe’s recently, and now that pork chops are on sale, it’s time to try it.

Browned Butter Rice Krispie Treats

2 sticks unsalted butter
Pinch of salt
1 10 1/2 oz bag of mini marshmallows
1 12 oz box of Rice Krispies

Prepare a sheet for the treats with well-buttered wax paper or parchment paper.

In a large pot, melt the butter over medium-low heat until it is browned and smells nutty. Watch it closely! Then stir in the marshmallows and salt. Stir constantly as the marshmallows melt until the mixture is evenly light brown, but not dark.

Turn off the heat and mix in the cereal. Press into prepared pan and let cool.

Pasta with Pancetta and Tomatoes

2 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
generous inch of so of pancetta, chopped into small pieces
1 tbsp parsley, preferably fresh
1 large can peeled tomatoes, chopped
1 pound shaped pasta
Parmesan or romano cheese for garnish

Cook the pasta to almost al dente. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large saucepan in medium heat and add the pancetta. Saute the pancetta until the fat starts to render. Add the onions and garlic and sauté for a minute or so. Add the tomatoes and most of the sauce to the pan and let cook for 5-10 minutes to bring the flavors together. Now add the drained almost al dente pasta to the pancetta-tomato sauce and let finish cooking in the sauce for another five minutes or so. Serve with the cheese as a garnish.

Food Processor Pizza Dough

1 1/3 cups lukewarm water
1 package dried yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 1/2 cups flour
Extra flour (for kneading)
Extra olive oil (for the bowl)

Fit the food processor with a steel blade and pour the water into it. Sprinkle the yeast onto the water. Let it sit for 5 minutes

Add the sugar, salt, oil, and 1/2 cup of the flour. With the lid in place, whir these ingredients in an on-off motion just until they are combined.

Turn on the motor and add the remaining flour through the feed tube. When the dough comes together and forms a ball on top of the blade, let it whir for another minute. Then turn it out onto a lightly floured board, smooth the edges with your hands, and transfer it to an oiled bowl. Turn the dough over in the bowl so it’s oiled all over, then cover it with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place for 45 minutes.

Punch the dough down and use.