meal plan, 3/29-4/4

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The week has a fair amount going on.  The household calendar shows a doctor appointment, our HOA meeting, a financial advisor appointment, and a concert.  The meal plan is optimized for things we can put together quickly.

  • Sunday: mushroom bourguignon
  • Monday: hummus, pita, cucumber salad, baby carrots
  • Tuesday: frittata, fruit
  • Wednesday: choose your own adventure from whatever’s in the fridge?
  • Thursday: mushroom bourguignon again?
  • Friday: dinner out before the Punch Brothers concert
  • Saturday: no idea at all

We went to the farmers’ market and picked up:

  • eggs (for baking and the frittata, which might be simplified to scrambled eggs)
  • brown and white mushrooms (for the aforementioned bourguignon)
  • clementines
  • strawberries
  • kalamata olives
  • hummus, pita, green harissa sauce (most of Monday night’s dinner)

marmalade cookies

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Michael made his very first batch of marmalade.  He wasn’t prepared for how much marmalade comes out of just a few Seville oranges.  Half of the marmalade was refrigerated for 24 hours before being canned, the other half was refrigerated for 48 hours.  The 48-hour marmalade has a lot more depth of flavor and more bitterness than the 24-hour marmalade.  I started looking for marmalade recipes for our sudden abundance of marmalade, and came across one for marmalade cookies.  I skipped the icing. The cookies are more cake-y than I usually like, but it works with the bite of the marmalade.

Ingredients

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup orange marmalade
  • 1 tbsp lemon or orange liqueur (optional)

Preheat oven to 300°F.

In a medium bowl, Whisk together the dry ingredients.

Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add in the eggs one at a time, stirring after each to incorporate.  Add half of the dry ingredients, then the marmalade, and then the final half of the dry ingredients, stirring after each to incorporate.  Refrigerate the dough for about 30 minutes.

On a parchment-lined cookie sheet, drop a scant teaspoonful of cookie dough.  Bake for approximately 20 minutes per cookie sheet, turning the cookie sheet halfway through the baking.

Makes approximately 4 dozen cookies.

Experiments

13 Sept 2015: I wanted more marmalade flavor, so I tried doubling the marmalade.  They taste good, but they flattened as they cooled.  I think I’ll try again, but replacing half the butter with shortening.  There’s also some great thoughts in this thread for more ideas.

26 Feb 2018: I tried this with strawberry jam (6 3-ounce jars), and with the shortening/butter ratio that I listed in Sept 2015. This worked out really well: the cookies didn’t spread.  However, the cookies also turned out really sweet.  Cut back on the sugar to 3/4 cup next time.

29 Jan 2019: I tried out bar cookies based on this.  I doubled the marmalade, replaced half the butter with shortening, and added 2 cups of chocolate chips.  It baked in a 13×9 pan at 300 for about 45 minutes (more or less, honestly I wasn’t keeping track).  This was a great variation, and tasted even better the next day, so deserves some more time playing with it to get it right.

shepherd’s pie

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Shepherd’s pie is a good weekend dinner during the winter (at least, as much winter as we get in Northern California). It’s a bit too involved and time-consuming for a weeknight dinner, but it’s got a lot of time built in where you can do other things like tidy up the kitchen or whip up a batch of banana bread or marmalade cookies. (Or, all of the above.) It leaves enough leftovers for dinner another night, and I usually end up with a couple of lunch-sized portions too (which fit perfectly in the freezer). I adapted this from The Dean & Deluca Cookbook by David Rosengarten by adding more vegetables and broth.  I keep on meaning to try an all-vegetable version of this, but haven’t quite gotten around to it yet.

Ingredients

  • 2 large baking potatoes (about 1 pound), peeled
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/2 stick butter, divided
  • 1-1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1 pound ground lamb or beef
  • 1 cup chopped mushrooms
  • 1 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary
  • 1-1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 4 teaspoons flour, divided
  • 1 cup minced onion
  • 1 cup diced carrot
  • 4 cups beef stock
  • 1 cup frozen corn kernels
  • 1 cup frozen peas

Make the mashed potatoes

Put potatoes in a large saucepan, cover them with water. Bring to a boil and cook for about 40 minutes, until potatoes are cooked through. Drain potatoes and place in bowl. Mash them with the milk and 2 tablespoons of the butter. Season with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt. Set aside.

(This makes about 3 cups of mashed potatoes. If you were planning ahead, you could make the mashed potatoes in advance.)

Brown the meat

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over moderate heat. Add the garlic, ground meat, and mushrooms.  Cook, stirring frequently, for 5-7 minutes until the meat is well-browned. Season with the rosemary, Worcestershire sauce, and the remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Stir well and then sprinkle mixture with 2 teaspoons of the flour. Stir again and cook for an additional five minutes. Remove meat with a slotted spoon and set aside. Pour excess grease out of the pan.

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Prepare the vegetables

Add the onion and carrot to the pan and cook over moderate heat for 5-7 minutes, until onion is translucent. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 teaspoons of flour and stir. Increase heat slightly, and add the beef stock, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to release any caramelized bits. Cook for another 7-10 minutes, or until the liquid is reduced by half.

Combine the casserole ingredients

Add meat mixture, corn, and peas. Stir well and cook another 3-4 minutes. Enough of the liquid should have evaporated so that the mixture is held together by a nice thick gravy.

Bake

Butter a 9″ square casserole dish well and spread the meat mixture over the bottom. Cover the meat with the mashed potatoes and smooth the top. Bake casserole, uncovered, in the oven for 40 minutes, until heated through.

mushroom bourguignon

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I knew I had to try this recipe when I stumbled across it.  Mushrooms in a rich broth?  Yes, please.  I modified it a tiny bit: I doubled the amount of broth because I thought it was too dry.

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 2 tablespoons butter, softened, divided
  • 2 pounds portobello mushrooms, in 1/4-inch slices (you can use cremini, white, or a mix)
  • 1 cup pearl onions, peeled (thawed if frozen) (or 1 leek, white and light green parts only, finely diced)
  • 1/2 carrot, finely diced
  • 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 cup full-bodied red wine
  • 2 cups beef or vegetable broth
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (1/2 teaspoon dried)
  • 1-1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • egg noodles, for serving

Heat the one tablespoon of the olive oil and one tablespoon of butter in a medium Dutch oven over high heat. Sear the mushrooms and pearl onions (or leeks) until they begin to darken, but not yet release any liquid: about three or four minutes. Remove them from the pan.

Lower the flame to medium and add the second tablespoon of olive oil.  Add the carrots, onions, thyme, salt and pepper to taste, to the pan. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for one more minute, until fragrant.

Add the wine to the pot, then turn the heat to high and reduce the liquid by half. Stir in the tomato paste and the broth. Return the mushrooms and onions to the pan with any juices that have collected.  Bring the stew to a boil, then reduce the temperature to simmer for 20 minutes.  The mushrooms will be very tender.

Combine remaining butter and the flour with a fork until combined; stir it into the stew. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 more minutes, or until it has reached the desired consistency.  Season to taste.

chocolate-chip cookies

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I love chocolate-chip cookies.  My current favorite recipe is very slightly adapted from Epicurious: I increased the vanilla, I added a refrigeration step (optional, but please do it: you get such a better depth of flavor for such a small investment), and I make mini-cookies instead.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 12-ounce package semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F. Using electric mixer, beat both sugars, shortening and butter in large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Mix flour, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture and mix until blended. Stir in chocolate chips. Refrigerate dough for at least 30 minutes, and up to 24 hours.

Drop dough by scant teaspoonfuls onto heavy large baking sheets, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Transfer baking sheets to racks; cool 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to racks; cool completely.

strawberry bars

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My husband has taken up jam-making.  We now are the people who give jam away to anyone who will hold still for a few minutes.  Even with our aggressive gifting efforts, there’s a need to use jam in other ways.

Martha Stewart provided the basic recipe for almond-fruit bars.  They’re like a fruit crumble in cookie form!  I decided that I prefer the bars without the almonds.  Strawberry is my favorite jam for these bars; you can substitute any jam you like.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 cup strawberry jam

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter an 8-inch square baking dish.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy.  Beat in the egg. Mix in the flour mixture a third at a time.

Stir the jam to make it spread easily.  If your jam is difficult to stir, warm it in the microwave for 10-30 seconds.

In the prepared baking dish, press about 1/2 of the dough into the bottom of it.  Spread the jam over the top, leaving about 1/4 inch border so that the jam doesn’t stick to the side of the pan.  Sprinkle the remaining dough over the top.

Bake until top is golden, 25 to 30 minutes (20-25 minutes in a convection oven).  Cool completely in dish. Cut into bars.

Variation

Cherry-almond bars: Mostly as above.  Stir 3/4 cup ground almonds, 1/4 cup honey, and 1/2 teaspoon almond extract into the dough after you have added the flour mixture.  Spread cherry jam over the dough.

beef tacos

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I love tacos.  How can you not?  They’re small, eaten by hand, and infinitely customizable.  When I was growing up, I thought tacos weren’t very exciting.  My parents would use some kind of pre-made taco seasoning in a packet, and the resulting tacos were just what you’d expect: bland and bland, with a side of bland.  On moving to California, I learned that tacos didn’t have to be like that.  I set out to make great tacos at home, and came to this.  It takes more time than I expected after all those years of quick-but-tasteless tacos, but it’s not a lot of effort, and the end product is definitely worth the wait.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 4-5 white mushrooms, diced (optional)
  • 5 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • 3 tablespoons paprika
  • 1/2 onion, chopped finely (reserve other half for another use, or chop it finely for serving)
  • 1/2 bell pepper, chopped finely (reserve other half for another use, or chop it finely for serving)
  • shredded cheese (for serving)
  • chopped tomato (for serving)
  • sour cream (for serving)
  • guacamole (for serving)
  • tortillas or taco shells (for serving)

Directions

Place ground beef, mushrooms, and spices in medium saucepan.  Cover with water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer meat for an hour, breaking up meat into small pieces with a potato masher — the final product should not be lumpy. Add water during the hour if needed. Add the onion and bell pepper to the saucepan, and simmer for another half hour.

Optionally, to lower the fat content, pour into strainer, reserving liquid. Let liquid cool and skim fat off. Stir 1 teaspoon cornstarch into 1/4 cup cold water. In a small saucepan, bring liquid to a boil, then pour in cornstarch. Let simmer for five minutes, then fold into meat.

Serve with tortillas, cheese, and all of the other yumminess.

spicy roasted cauliflower

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This is my current favorite way to prepare cauliflower.  Roasting cauliflower gives it a slight nutty taste, and red pepper gives it a nice edge that makes it anything other than boring.  Finish it off with a bit of good parmesan, and you’ve got an awesome side dish that goes with many main dishes.

Ingredients

  • 1 head cauliflower, cored and cut into florets
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 – 1 tsp red pepper flakes
  • salt, to taste
  • 2 tbsp parmesan (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400°F.  In a medium bowl, combine the cauliflower, olive oil, red pepper flakes, and salt.  Toss to combine.  Roast for 30-35 minutes, until the cauliflower is soft and golden brown.  Remove the cauliflower from the oven and place in a bowl.  If you’re using the parmesan, add it to the bowl and toss to coat the cauliflower.

Serving notes

One of our frequent meals includes roasted potatoes, onions, and carrots; spinach bolani; hummus; and this spicy cauliflower.  It’s a great vegetarian meal.  If you’re not feeling like a vegetarian meal, cut up chicken into small chunks, coat in tahini, and fry or grill on skewers.