There’s one carryover from last week to this week. We ended up going out to dinner spur of the moment on Friday, so the Roasted Carrot Risotto moved to this week.

This is a also spring vacation for the boys, so the potential for meals to get jumbled is high. We don’t want to be too rigid on a “vacation” week, even though the adults in the house don’t have vacation time.

Also, I bought a small package of edible flowers yesterday. I think I’ll sprinkle those on the salads for a couple of nights. Spring is springing, in every way.

Recipes with an asterisk are included below.

Sunday: Roasted Carrot Risotto from last week, salad, chocolate chip cookies for dessert.

We will be focusing on yard work during the day on Sunday, so a rich and filling meal seems about right.

Monday: Grilled Bratwurst on sub rolls, salad.

I’ll even get sauerkraut for the boys. I can’t stand the stuff myself.

Tuesday: Pasta with Pancetta and Tomatoes*, salad

Woody has been asking for something - anything - with pancetta.

Wednesday: Grilled marinated chicken breasts, roasted broccoflower*, salad

Since the boys are off of school and most regular activities are suspended, no eating separately tonight. I’ll use up some marinade we have in the refrigerator and we’ll use broccoflower in our favorite roasted cauliflower recipe just for fun.

Thursday: Pastrami Paninis*, salad

You don’t need a panini maker to make paninis. I use a foil-wrapped brick, a grill pan and a frying pan.

Friday: Fondue with various veggies and bread.

This is Alfs’ request. Fondue is often a little too rich for me, but this recipe is made with hard apple cider and I like it very much.

Saturday: Rock Sugar Ginger Chicken, stir fried broccoli, rice, salad.

This is a standby recipe for us.

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
1large 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 ago. Serve with the cheese as a garnish.

Roasted Cauliflower or Broccoflower

One head of cauliflower or broccoflower, cut into bite sized florets
4 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp chopped fresh sage leaves
Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put the cauliflower on a baking sheet or in baking dish with sides.

Melt the butter over medium heat and cook until it just browns and smells nutty. Add the olive oil and sage. Pour over the cauliflower, then season the cauliflower with salt and pepper. Toss to coat.

Roast 30 to 35 minutes, stirring several times. The cauliflower should be light brown around the edges.

Pastrami Paninis

Sliced pastrami in a quantity appropriate to your family/guests
Sliced swiss cheese in a similar quantity
Loaf of good Italian bread, sliced
Dijon mustard
Olive oil for brushing on the outside of the sandwiches
Cooking spray for the grill pan

Grill pan
Frying pan with a base that will set down into the grill pan
A brick, cleaned as well as you can and covered with foil

Spray the grill pan with cooking spray and place over medium heat while you prepare the sandwiches.

For each sandwich, spread mustard to taste (optional) on the inside of each piece of bread. Layer cheese and pastrami on each side, too. I like to have cheese as the outer layer closest to the bread for better adhesion to the bread and meat. I typically use one large slice of cheese and two to three piece of pastrami on each side. Flip one side on top of the other.

Brush olive oil on the top of each sandwich. Flip them over to place them oiled side down in the grill pan. Place the frying pan with the brick inside on top of the sandwiches and press down a bit with your hand to get some good squashing going. You don’t have to continue pressing, but you can if you want. After a few minutes (when you have some good grill lines going and the lower cheese has started to melt, remove the frying pan and brush this side of the sandwiches with oil. Using a spatula, carefully flip the sandwiches over and repeat the pressing process with the frying pan and brick.

Removed the paninis to a cutting board and cut in half diagonally and serve.

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