Looking through my recipe box this weekend, I found a recipe for roasted barley pilaf that used to be one of our favorites. In fact, we used to eat a fair bit of barley.

I have no idea why we stopped eating barley, but I suspect it had something to do with kid meals. During that phase with the kids were very young and their diets limited, the recipe must have fallen out of mind, and, therefore, out of practice.

I decided to make the roasted barley last night with our grilled porkchops and grilled asparagus. The nutty flavor of the roasted barley paired well with the grilled food. And the kids liked it! Most of it anyway. The boys claim not to like mushrooms, but my daughter loves them. I think we’ll be having more barley.

Barley is a healthy, versatile grain

A member of the grass family, barley is an ancient crop. While typically used in beverages and for cereal, it’s also great at the dinner table. It’s good source of dietary fiber and will absorb well the flavors of the liquid in which it is cooked. I used to make a vegetable and barley soup in which I would puree the vegetables before adding partially cooked barley. After the barley was completely cooked, the soup was thick and rich and very filling. It was perfect for winter nights - or even chilly spring nights.

I decided to look up some other barley recipes, and there are quite a few out there that look interesting. There’s Barley, Feta, and Pear salad, Barley Risotto with Asparagus and Hazelnuts, Barley and Apricot salad, and many, many more. Some of these recipes could work well for picnic salads and wraps.

Roasted Barley Pilaf

1 tbsp olive oil (butter also works nicely)
1 c pearl barley, rinsed
2 shallots, chopped fine
¼ lb sliced mushrooms
2 c low sodium stock (vegetable, chicken or beef all work well depending on what you pair with the disk) or water
Salt and pepper

In a heavy saucepan, heat oil or butter over medium heat. Add the barley and cook, stirring often, until the barley starts to brown and give off a nutty aroma, about 10 minutes. Add the shallots and cook for 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook 3 minutes more. Add the stock carefully and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until all the liquid is absorbed, about 45 minutes.

Season well with salt and pepper and server immediately.

Happy Mother’s Day! I hope all of us moms have (or had, depending on when you read this) a happy, happy Mother’s Day.

You know, in spite of the craziness of baseball season, meal planning has been swimming right along. Not many shakeups lately. My ‘fridge is not loaded with leftovers (a couple, but not bad at all), but there are still enough bits for a back up meal. If only those food prices would back off. Grocery shopping is no fun lately. Sigh.

Recipes marked with an asterisk are below.

Sunday: Marinated, grilled pork chops, grilled asparagus, salad, rice pudding for dessert.

Please tell me I’m not the only one plans and prepares her dinner on Mother’s Day. Oh, the family does things for me, meal-wise, but usually breakfast or a light brunch. By the end of the day, they are done with the whole taking care of mom thing and tired…so tired. So back to me the meal production goes. I’ll keep it simple, though, utilizing the grill. I just love grilled asparagus.

Monday: Turkey Barbeque Chili, salad.

The kids balk a little at the beans, but mostly do well with this meal. I’ll put it over tortilla chips unless I get motivated to make some cornbread.

Tuesday: Baseball night! Curry chutney chicken salad wraps.

Both boys play tonight so I’ll get most of this ready Monday night then toss it all together Tuesday as the boys change into their uniforms.

Wednesday: Chili dogs for the kids, carrots. Italian tomatoes and eggs for the parents.

Without one going to baseball, it’s just our “usual” crazy Wednesday. I’ll put some of the leftover chili from Monday on hot dogs for the kids.

Thursday: Baseball night! Meatball subs, carrots.

Again, both boys play tonight, so we’ll get parts ready on Wednesday night for easier final prep tonight.

Friday: Baked pasta with cauliflower and gruyere*, salad.

I’ll probably get orange or purple cauliflower for color interest in this dish. I was reading somewhere recently that orange cauliflower has 25 times the vitamin A of regular cauliflower. Cool.

Saturday: Ham and cheese paninis on the road.

Saturday is our most challenging day. There are two birthday parties, a baseball game, and a couple other things. We’ll need to eat in the car between baseball and the second birthday party. So much for that car detailing I had recently.

Baked pasta with cauliflower and gruyere

2 c milk
3 ½ tbsp unsalted butter
3 ½ tbsp all purpose flour
Pinch of salt
Nutmeg, preferably freshly grated
1 small head of cauliflower, about 1 lb, cut into florets
½ c gruyere, shredded
1 lb pasta shape

Warm the milk in a saucepan on the stove, but don’t boil it. Turn off the heat.

With the butter, flour, and warm milk, make a Bechamel sauce. When all the milk is absorbed into the sauce, season with salt and nutmeg, cover and keep warm.

Meanwhile, steam the cauliflower until barely tender and cook the pasta until it is about half cooked.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter/grease a baking dish, preferably oval.

Spoon a couple of spoonfuls of the sauce into the baking dish. Place the pasta in the dish, then the cauliflower on top of the pasta. Pour remaining sauce over the top and sprinkle with cheese.

Bake until a golden crust forms, about 20 minutes. Serve right away.

Juicy, distinctively fragrant and citrusy-tart lemons, when added to your favorite desserts, heighten their swooning sweetness. The potently flavored lemon peel punctuates cakes and quickbreads, the lively fresh-squeezed lemon juice enhances the natural sweetness of pies and crumbles, and the unmistakable aromatic lemony scent infuses every dish containing this bright yellow citrus. In addition, lemons adds vitamin C to your treats.

How to juice a lemon

No store-bought lemon concentrate or lemon juice can beat the invigorating flavor and essence of freshly squeezed lemon juice. Fresh squeezing your own lemons is near effortless and a fun activity to teach your kids.

Always start with room temperature or warm lemons because they juice easier. Squeeze the lemons on the counter, rolling them back and forth to break up the membranes to more easily release the juice.

Lemon wedges: An easy way to add a little lemony flavor to food and drink is to cut a lemon into wedges and use your fingers to squeeze out the juice - be sure you catch any seeds that try to escape.

Whole lemons: However, for recipes requiring more than a squeeze, you will get more juice much quicker if you juice whole lemons (otherwise you will be squeezing wedges all day!).

The fork method: To juice a whole lemon, you can simply stick a fork deep into the flesh and, while wiggling with fork back and forth, squeeze the lemon with your other hand, letting the juice drip into a bowl. This method is great for keeping seeds inside the lemon instead of in your juice.

The juicer method: Alternatively, you can use an orange or citrus juicer - a bowl with a long, wide, pointed center. Cut your lemons in half crosswise and, one half at a time, place flesh side of lemon onto the center, press down and squeeze the lemon half, turning it back and forth, letting the juice and seeds flow out. Once you have the juice you need, strain out the seeds and you have lemon juice to use in any number of recipes.

You can store lemon juice in an airtight container in your refrigerator for up to five days.

Lemony dessert recipes

Melissa Murphy, author of The Sweet Melissa Baking Book, uses lemons in a variety of to-die-for desserts, from scintillating strawberry lemonade that is a light and refreshing sweet beverage to luscious lemon bars that will buckle your knees. There seems to be a universal love of lemons by people of all ages - your family will especially enjoy these lemony desserts courtesy of Melissa Murphy.

Strawberry Lemonade

Makes 1 1/2 quarts of lemonade

Ingredients:
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup very hot water
1 cup fresh lemon juice
4 1/2 cups cold water
1 recipe Fresh Strawberry Sauce (recipe follows)
Confectioners’ sugar, for the glasses
Fresh strawberries for garnish

Directions:
In a pitcher, combine the sugar and hot water and stir until the sugar has dissolved into a syrup. Stir in the lemon juice and cold water.

Add the strawberry sauce and stir to combine. Pour lemonade over ice into tall glasses rimmed with confectioners’ sugar and garnish glasses with strawberries. Strawberry lemonade keeps at least three days in the refrigerator.

Fresh Strawberry Sauce

Makes 1 cup sauce

Ingredients:
1 dry pint fresh strawberries, rinsed, hulled
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons cold water

Directions:
In a food processor or blender, puree the berries, sugar, juice and water until smooth. Strain the berry mixture into a clean bowl and discard the seeds. Stir in additional sugar, if needed. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Lemon Bars

Makes 1 dozen bars

Ingredients for the crust:
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup sliced blanched almonds, toasted
1/2 teaspoon salt
20 tablespoons (2 1/2 sticks) cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

Ingredients for the lemon filling:
4 large eggs
1 3/4 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar for sprinkling

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and spray a 9 x 13-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray. Make a parchment (or foil) sling by cutting two pieces of parchment (or foil), measuring 16 1/2 inches long by 12 inches wide. Place one piece across the length of the pan and the across the width of the pan, with the excess hanging over the edges. This will allow you to easily lift the finished bar from the pan. Spray the sling with nonstick cooking spray.

To make the crust, pulse flour, sugar, almonds and salt in a food processor until combined. Add the cold butter in pieces and pulse until the dough comes together in a ball. Turn the dough out and press evenly into the bottom and 1 1/2 inches up the sides of the prepared pan. Cover the dough with a piece of parchment or foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden. Remove parchment or foil and continue to bake for 10 to 15 more minutes. Remove pan to a wire rack to cool.

To make the filling, in a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar until smooth. Add the almond extract and flour, whisking until smooth. Add the lemon juice and whisk to combine.

To complete the bars, pour the lemon filling into the prepared crust. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F. Bake for 30 minutes or until the filling is firm and lightly golden. Remove to a wire rack to cool.

When cool, use the sling to life the entire bar from the pan and onto a cutting board. Slice into twelve 3 x 3 1/2-inch bars. Using a sifter, dust the bars with confectioners’ sugar. The bars keep in an airtight container for up to two days. You can also wrap well and refrigerate for five days or freeze for three weeks.

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If you have yet to recover from turnip trauma from your childhood - when your mom forced you to eat variations of turnips that, to this day, make you shun this spring root vegetable - maybe it’s time for you to try some tantalizing turnip recipes that will lessen your reticence to give turnips a place on your dinner table.

Get reacquainted with turnips

The turnip is a root vegetable from the cabbage family, with white smooth skin, a rosy-red or red-purple blush and white flesh that turns delectably tender when cooked. Turnips have a taste similar to radishes and can be rather hot. They are used often in root vegetable stews or pureed like potatoes and can be turned into a wide array of appetizing dishes that will pleasantly surprise even the most turnip-maligning palate.

Choose small to medium-sized turnips that have smooth skin and feel dense. The ideal turnip will be firm, not rubbery or mushy, and the turnip greens attached at the top should be bright green, fresh, and tender. The leaves of the turnip root have a mild bitter flavor similar to mustard greens and are delectable when sautéed with garlic and toasted nuts.

Even though turnips are available in most places year-round, spring is the peak season - so now is the time to go turnip shopping! Bring those turnips home and try the following undeniably tasty turnip recipes.

Turnip Recipes

Tasty Turnip Puree

Serves 4

A creamy flavorful puree is a delightful side-dish for a grilled entrée - pair this turnip puree with succulently grilled chicken or pork chops for a weekend meal that will make your family go “Wow!”

Ingredients:

1 medium-sized russet potato, scrubbed, diced (peel, if desired)

2 medium-sized turnips, scrubbed, diced

1 large clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1/4 cup evaporated milk (more or less to achieve your desired consistency)

Salt and pepper to taste

2 heaping tablespoons fresh finely chopped parsley

Directions:

Cook potato and turnips in a large pot of boiling salted water until very tender. Drain into a colander and transfer to a food processor. Puree vegetables, set aside and keep warm.

In the pot used to boil the vegetables, combine garlic, butter and milk and bring to a low boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally.

Add the potato-turnip puree, stirring to combine, adding more evaporated milk to thin to your desired consistency, if necessary. Season with salt and pepper. Serve garnished with parsley.

Prosciutto and Pinenut Wrapped Turnips

Serves 4

Prosciutto is a salty cured Italian ham that is sold packaged in paper-thin slices in the deli area or gourmet section of most supermarkets. Some deli counters even sell this unforgettably delicious meat freshly sliced. If you can’t find prosciutto, you can substitute pancetta or another thinly sliced deli ham. Serve these delectable wedges of turnip tastiness with a crisp green salad for a light lunch or dinner.

Ingredients:

16 paper-thin slices of prosciutto

4 medium-sized turnips, quartered

2 eggs, beaten in a wide shallow bowl

1 1/2 cups finely chopped pinenuts (use a food processor for easy chopping)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Wrap a piece of prosciutto around each wedge of turnip. Place pinenuts in a wide shallow bowl. Dip each turnip wedge in the egg mixture and then coat with pinenuts.

Place turnip wedges on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 10 minutes or until turnips are fork tender. Use tongs to turn the wedges after five minutes to evenly cook and brown all sides. Serve turnips warm.

Tangy Turnip Salad

Serves 4

Turn your turnips into a tangy salad that rivals your best coleslaw recipe. Consisting of crunchy vegetables, this turnip salad is a healthy side-dish that pairs impeccably with turkey burgers or slow-roasted ribs. For the best flavor, make this salad a day in advance.

Ingredients:

3 medium-sized turnips, scrubbed

1/2 cup shredded carrots

1/4 cup finely sliced celery

1/4 cup sliced black or green olives

1/4 cup lite or fat-free mayonnaise (more or less to taste)

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

Pinch of sugar

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Using a food processor fitted with a shred blade (or using a box grater), shred the turnips. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well. Cover bowl and refrigerate overnight or for a few hours before serving.

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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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I think I’ve joined, completed my membership obligation, quit, then joined again the cookbook book of the month club five or six times. I’ve had subscriptions to four or five cooking magazines at a time. I’ve sought out regional cookbooks while on vacation. I always stop in the cookbook section at Borders.

Obviously, I like the kitchen stuff. What else would you expect from a woman who waxes poetic about kitchen gadgets and sings the praises of novelty bakeware?

Of the cookbooks lining my kitchen bookcase - and yes, I do have a pretty good sized bookcase in my kitchen - there are recipes in each and every one that I consider core, can’t live without recipes. When I am looking for a new recipe, I have a strategy for how I look through existing cookbooks, too.

For general how-to, you can’t beat The Joy of Cooking. It’s a classic for a reason.

For appetizers, I have a few Junior League cookbooks from around the country. There’s always something good to be found in one of those. And the Silver Palate books.

If it’s pasta I crave, I go straight to The Silver Spoon. It’s a recently translated Italian cookbook with some really interesting meal options. Only look through the “Variety Meats” chapter if you are feeling adventurous and open-minded. You’re going to look anyway? Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

For meats that need to be done perfectly and presented, I go to Julia Child’s The Way to Cook first, and I’m Just Here for the Food by Alton Brown second. Sometimes I sit with both of them and compare. Nothing beats the “critter maps” in Alton Brown, though, for knowing exactly where to find a cut of meat. Awesome Food Network show, too.

For vegetable side dishes, it’s The New York Times Cookbook by Craig Claiborne, the books by Sara Foster of Foster’s Market (a former haunt), or an old Victory Garden cookbook by Marian Morash.

I have Moosewood cookbooks for vegetarian cooking, of course, and a couple of books focused on cooking with the kids.

For general desserts, I go to The Martha Stewart Cookbook. For more specific desserts, I go to Rose Levy Beranbaum’s The Cake Bible and The Pie and Pasty Bible. There are great basic cake and buttercream recipes in the Rosie’s Bakery All-Butter, Fresh Cream, Sugar-Packed, No Holds Barred Baking Book. Rosie’s Bakery made my wedding cake, so I tend to trust them on the subject. The Rosie’s Bakery cookie cookbook is the source of my favorite holiday cookie, the Chocolate Snowball.

There are several restaurant cookbooks in there. I love that I have the recipes for specific favorite dishes, particularly the White Chocolate Challah Pudding with Bourbon Sauce from Figs.

If I’m trying to find something kid-friendly, I start with a cookbook called One Bite Won’t Kill You. It’s reassuring that my kids are not the only ones who refuse Brussels sprouts.

We have a couple of cookbook collections. Years ago Williams-Sonoma had a bunch of single topic short cookbooks. I could probably weed out a few, but the pasta books and the chicken books have yielded some good dinners.

We have a larger collection of recipe annuals from Sunset magazine, and were so disappointed when Sunset stopped producing these several years ago. When I need general inspiration, I go here first, and Sunset magazine continues to be a regular recipe source for me.

Eating Well is gaining on my list, too. Sometimes the ingredients are a little obscure, especially when considering the kids, but they often sound really, really good – healthy, too.

Then there are the passed down recipes. We have a few longtime family favorites from generations past.

It’s an eclectic grouping on my shelf. It helps me maintain a variety of options for meals, though some might say too many options. The books are like my old friends. When I look through them, I often find notes on recipes I tried once or twice and think to myself, “Oh, yeah, those corn fritters were pretty tasty.” I do clear the bookcases every now and again, sending mostly unused books to the swap shack at the transfer station. It can be hard to say goodbye to some old friends, but if someone else in town can make more complete use of them, then that’s better.

I hope you have built a cookbook and recipe collection that feels that way to you.

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One of my favorite vegetables is the artichoke. I remember my father teaching me how to eat one when I was a little girl: peeling off the outer leaves one by one, dipping them in a little melted butter, scraping off the tender bits at the bottom of the leaf with my teeth, slowly making my way down through the layers of leaves of various maturity to the fuzzy stuff that could be a flower, to the heart. The tender, delicious heart.

Okay, so in this scenario, the artichoke is just a delivery system for butter, but really, I do love the flavor of the artichoke.

Sometimes, when I look at artichokes, I wonder how on earth anyone thought to try to eat them. Really, how did they make the jump between giant flowering thistle and dinner? No matter, really, because we do eat them.

Several years ago on vacation in California, we drove through Castroville in Monterey Country. Castroville claims itself the artichoke capital of the world and hosts an annual artichoke festival. We stopped at a local market and sampled the fried artichoke hearts. Oh, goodness, those were tasty (though, again, not the healthiest preparation). My husband and I talked about those yummy little gems for months afterward, so much so that when we saw fresh baby artichokes in the market, we bought a sizable quantity determined to make our own artichoke fritters.

Hours later, the amount of work it took to turn those artichokes into edible fritters was more than we are willing to spend on a regular basis, as delicious as they were. Artichokes do tend to be a time-intensive (and mess/debris intensive) vegetable. We decided to steam whole artichokes as we usually do.

A few years later we saw blooming artichokes by the road in Doolin, County Clare, Ireland. As often as I had consumed artichokes over the years, I’d never seen one in bloom. It was beautiful! I had a new appreciation for the plant itself, as well as renewed appreciation for whomever figured out eating them.

When I started finding frozen artichoke hearts at Trader Joes, I was turned around again. I never was a big fan of canned artichoke hearts (I’m not a fan of most briny things). I started making artichoke risotto and looking for other artichoke recipes. Yum, yum, and more yum!

I am so enamored of artichokes that I am going to try growing them this year. Just like the multi-step effort to eat the artichoke, the seed packed gives multi-step directions to planting the seeds. I’m sure it will be worth it.

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We still haven’t had the spaghetti carbonnara. Just one meal glitch from last week, really, but that glitch pushed out the carbonnara meal once again.

I feel confident that we will have the spaghetti carbonnara this week. This week we must address a significant schedule change that will affect meal planning. This is also the first of two major schedule changes with meal-time impact this month, and a third will be upon us in June.

Starting this week, my husband will be picking up the kids - and cooking - two nights per week. At the end of the month, it will go back to one night a week, but that adjustment will coincide with little league baseball season. We’ll get to all that then; it’s not likely to be pretty. In the meantime, recipes with asterisks have the recipe included below.

Sunday: Balsamic-roasted chicken*, roasted carrots and potatoes, salad. Ice cream for dessert.

A good sit-down Sunday meal to start our week off right.

Monday: Spaghetti carbonnara and salad.

Finally!

Tuesday: Alf’s birthday! Burgers, salad, birthday cake.

My oldest son’s birthday is on Tuesday. That meal choice is all his. Also, he gets to pick what he wants for breakfast that morning. He has asked for blitzes.

Wednesday: Chicken quesadillas for the kids, Rosemary and White Bean Soup for the adults

Our typical Wednesday, with the kids needing to eat earlier and the adults having a couples meal.

Thursday: Pasta with red sauce and meatballs, salad.

Now, my husband can cook more complicated meals than this. In fact, he is a better cook than I am. But as we get into this routine change, best to keep things as simple as possible for all of us.

Friday: Chicken Pad Thai Salad*

Saw this one in a cookbook, and it sounded really good! Also, I need to expand our repertoire of salad meals for the change that occurs in late April.

Saturday: Quiche - probably with leftover chicken, peas and cheese, plus salad.

The Science Fair is Saturday. Something fairly simple seems right. I can pick up a prepared pie crust at the market.

Balsamic-Roasted Chicken

1 roasting chicken, 3 1/2 -4 pounds
6 sprigs fresh marjoram or sage
1 lemon, cut in half
1 yellow onion, cut in half
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup dry white wine or apple juice
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
kosher salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash and dry the chicken, and carefully loosed the skin around the breast. Place about half the marjoram or sage under the skin. With the chicken breast side up in a roasting pan, squeeze the lemon over the whole chicken. Put the lemon halves and the onion inside the chicken cavity with the remaining marjoram or sage. Pour the vinegar and the wine or juice over the chicken, then rub the olive oil, rosemary, salt and pepper over the chicken breast, then turn the chicken over so it begins roasting breast side down.

Roast 30 minutes, basting occasionally with the pan juices. Turn the chicken breast side up, then continue to roast about another 50-55 minutes, basting frequently with the pan juices. The skin should be golden brown and a meat thermometer should register 180 degrees in the thickest part of the thigh. Juices should run clear.

Let rest 10-20 minutes, loosely covered with foil, before carving.

Pad Thai Salad with Chicken

1/2 pound flat rice noodles
shredded chicken
1/4 snow peas or snap peas, stem ends and strings removed, blanched and julienned
1 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and julienned
1/4 small head of savoy or napa cabbage, cored and thinly sliced
2 scallions, minced

2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 tbsp chopped fresh chives
1 cup unsalted roasted peanuts, finely chopped
2 oz bean sprouts or pea shoots

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, optional

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup Pad Thai Vinaigrette

Set aside half of the peanuts and half of the bean sprouts for garnish.

Boil four cups of water in a large saucepan. Remove from heat, and immerse the noodles in the hot water. Let them sit in the hot water for about 10 minutes. They should be tender but firm. Drain well.

In a large bowl, combine the noodles with the remaining ingredients. Toss gently with the vinaigrette. Garnish with the reserved peanuts and bean sprouts.

Pad Thai Vinaigrette

2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp Thai fish sauce
2 tbsp tamarind paste
2 tbsp light soy sauce or tamari
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
Zest and juice of one lemon
Zest and juice of one orange
1 tsp crushed red pepper or chili paste, optional

Whisk together all the ingredients. Use immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1 week.

How is it possible? Two weeks in a row of no glitches in the weekly meal plan. That (almost) never happens.

Recipes with an asterisk are included below.

Sunday: Asian baked tilapia from Entrée Vous, vegetable, salad, brownies

I went to a political event at the local Entrée Vous the other evening. While I wasn’t making food, I was pleasantly surprised at the number of frozen items made by the staff and available to take home, no work for me. I chose this fish dish. If it’s half as good as some of the samples that were set out during the conversation portion of the event, this store will be excellent backup for our family meals.

Monday: Leftovers, a green treat of some kind

Yes, I know, not in the least bit exciting, but I hate seeing food go to waste. Leftover night has to happen once every week or so. Since it’s St. Patrick’s Day, I’ll come up with some green treat to add to the meal.

Tuesday: Pasta with sausage and spinach

This is a family staple.

Wednesday: Meatball subs*

I have to be out for a dinner event on Wednesday night, and Alfs has choir. Meatball subs will be easy to prepare on the fly.

Thursday: Barbeque country ribs, rice pilaf, salad

I marinate the ribs in barbeque sauce most of the day, then bake them for a good long time. It a sticky but fun meal.

Friday: Chicken in Riesling, Mediterranean couscous, vegetable, salad

Thanks to Betsy for pointing out this recipe!

Saturday: Spaghetti carbonara*, salad

We parents might be out on Saturday night. I’m not sure yet. We can scale the pasta up or down depending on whether it’s for just the kids or the whole family.

Meatball Subs

Frozen meatballs, about five or six per person. Turkey meatballs work just as well as traditional meatballs
Marinara sauce
Slices of provolone cheese
Sub rolls

Thaw the meatballs according to package instructions. Then simmer the meatballs and the marinara sauce about ten minutes. Turn the oven to broil.

Slice the rolls lengthwise and place on a baking sheet. Place a line of meatballs in the roll. Spoon a little sauce on top, then place slices of cheese over the top. Put under the broiler for just a few minutes, until the cheese is starting to turn golden brown and bubbly. Watch them closely! Let cook for just a couple minutes and serve.

Spaghetti Carbonara

8 slices of bacon
1 pound spaghetti or other long pasta
2 egg yolks
1 whole egg
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (Romano also works)

In a large frying pan, cook the bacon until crisp. Drain. When the bacon is cool, crumble it into small pieces.

With a fork, scramble the egg yolks and the egg together in a large serving bowl. Add the cheese and mix well with the egg.

Cook the pasta until al dente. Drain, then immediately pour the hot pasta over the egg-cheese mixture. It’s the residual heat that cooks the egg in this dish. Start tossing the pasta with the egg-cheese mixture, really getting down to the bottom of the bowl. Spend a good minute doing this tossing and mixing; the pasta should be nicely coated with the sauce. Sprinkle the crumbled bacon over the pasta and toss some more.

You can always put the finished product in the microwave for a few moments if you have a question about the egg being fully “cooked.” We have never had an issue, but, of course, your mileage may vary.

So lately I’ve been using the Google Calendar application to plan my menus and you know what? It kicks butt! In fact, my husband and I use the Google Calendar application exclusively for planning everything.

We each have our own calendars, we have a joint calendar, we have a calendar for the kids, plus we have the menu planning calendar. All color coded and set up so we both have access to them - and they all overlay each other so we can see everything that’s going on at a glance. I can access/update the calendar via my iPhone browser, but of course I mostly maintain it from where I sit most of the day, everyday: My computer.

Don’t ask me what’s for dinner.

One thing I particularly like about this approach is that hubby can look at the calendar and see what’s for dinner. If there’s nothing on the calendar… dude. Then there is nothing planned. He would be wise when observing this phenomenon to NOT ask that dreaded “what’s for dinner” question. Heck, he can even feel free to suggest an answer and do all the work.

Another thing I like is that as I’m inspired, I can add a menu idea to the calendar and paste a link to the recipe in the notes section of that entry to reference, research or print later. If I change my mind about the order of things, I can drag and drop the entry to another day.

My menu plan. (Do try not to drool on your keyboard!)

So here’s our plan for this upcoming weekend and week. Feel free to share your plans via comments, so I can be inspired.

Friday: Goat Cheese and Walnut Souffle and salad

My family loves this, even the kids! I make the salad with butter lettuce instead of the frisee and watercress. Mainly because I always have some in the fridge.

Saturday: Mesa Chili with cornbread. (Recipe below.)

It’s normal chili with ground beef and chopped onion and tomato sauce/crushed tomatoes, but instead of kidney beans, we use white beans. Also a nutmeg/cumin/chili powder spice blend make this unique and interesting. Recipe is adapted from the Chandler Chili recipe in the Best of the Best from Arizona Cookbook.

Sunday: Coq a Vin

It’s a lot like beef burgundy, except with chicken instead. This especially easy version caught my eye in latest Cookie Magazine.

Monday: Asparagus risotto, salad, browned butter rice crispie treats

Thanks to my fellow ChefMom columnist, Jen!

Tuesday: Vegetarian Cassoulet

Wednesday: Taco salad

Thanks again to Jen for the idea!

Thursday: Migas

I’ve never made these before. I saw a recipe on the back of a corn tortilla package and thought… yum.

Friday: Probably dinner out or takeout. I like a break every once in awhile.

Saturday: Chicken fajitas with crunchy lime cabbage and avocado

We had this recently with orange slices, chips and guacamole (I cheat with wholly quacamole) on the side and it was a hit!

Mesa Chili

Ingredients

1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 teaspoon ground oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespooons red chili powder
2 cups crushed tomatoes
1 14.5 oz can cannellini beans (white beans), drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 cup water

Directions

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil in large pot or dutch oven until onion is soft. Stir in ground meat and brown it. Add oregano, cumin, nutmeg, chili powder, tomatoes, beans, parsley and water. Cook for two hours over low heat, adding more water as necessary. Serves 4-6.