One of the things we strive for when planning our menus is making everything fit together into one nice, neat little package. We look to use ingredients in different ways throughout the week so that we’re benefiting from the ability of do-aheads and being able to buy in bulk. We also benefit from a well-stocked pantry.
I wasn’t planning on doing a menu this week. I’m tired from lack of sleep earlier this week (once you fall behind, it takes forever to catch up), and I’m trying to pack to leave for the Dole Summit with some fellow bloggers, who I’m pretty excited to see.
Then I realized that I already did the menu so Ole knew what there would be to cook. Yes, Ole cooks. Actually, Ole cooks just as much as I do outside of baking (but he does some of that too). While I’m in California, he will be here cooking the family meals and sitting down to eat together, and next month when he’s in California, well, I get to do it on my own.
Tara was kind enough to put all of the Virtual Thanksgiving Dinner posts into an ebook for us, so please do check it out.
If the preview above isn’t working, click here to download your copy!
Monday – Potato Leek Soup
Tuesday – Chickpea and Rosemary Frittata
Wednesday – Smoked Barbecue Ribs
Thursday – Chana Masala
Friday – Garlic Flatbread Pizzas
The Preparation Shortcuts:
1. Boil extra potatoes while making the soup to use in the frittata on Tuesday because we’re doing both chickpeas and potatoes.
2. Make extra chickpeas to use in the chana masala.
3. We have smoked ribs in our freezer. We have pork shoulder too. It comes in handy for times when I’m gone and Ole needs an easy meal, and it’s easy to do. Just freeze in airtight containers. Run under warm water (still in the container) to thaw or place in the refrigerator the night before. Toss on the grill to heat, add sauce if you would like and then enjoy.
4. It’s a pizza day again. I’m thinking of putting leftover ribs on the pizza myself, but they’ll catch whatever didn’t get eaten throughout the week, be it chickpeas, onions and peppers or barbecued ribs.
The Shopping List:
2 racks of baby back ribs
3 leeks
1 lemon
fresh ginger bulb
1 hot green chili pepper
2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes or fingerlings
3 cans or 1 pound chickpeas
3 tomatoes
bunch of fresh thyme
bunch fresh rosemary
4 ounces heavy whipping cream
8 ounces Parmesan cheese
16 ounces mozzarella
Pantry Items:
dry active yeast
flour
garlic
olive oil
white wine
barbecue sauce
dried herbs
bay leaves
white pepper
coriander
cumin
paprika
amchoor powder
garam masala
salt and pepperLast week from Food for My Family:
Apple Pie Cheesecake
Mustard-Crusted Turkey
Pumpkin Pie Fruit Roll-Ups
Red Velvet Sandwich Cookies
Thanksgiving Favorites: Green Bean Casserole, Sweet Potato Casserole + More!
Homemade Green Bean Casserole: No Canned Soup Here
Getting Organized for Thanksgiving with Food Network’s Melissa d’Arabian
Rainy Day Turkey Noodle Soup
Saving Money: Buying in Bulk
What a lovely thing. *downloads*
Love the Thanksgiving Day guide! Thanks for putting this together.
I wish we had Thanksgiving in the UK…
-~. I am really thankful to this topic because it really gives up to date information ,“