Sleepy Mealplan Aug 16-22

I threw a surprise birthday party for my husband this past weekend. We all had a blast barefoot barhopping and late-night pool-swimming. And so far this morning I’ve baked three pies…two of the Chicken Pot variety for company tonight and one Blueberry for the Birthday boy. I don’t remember ever being so exhausted. So, with all that being said…Here’s what I think we may be eating this week.
Gnocchi Caprese
We had this last night and it was awesome. I just used store bought gnocchi and tossed it in a quick sauce I made with some of my mother’s garden tomatoes, our homegrown basil, and some fresh mozzarella.
Chicken Pot Pie
I’m very proud of my chicken pot pie. I make my own pastry crust (I try to make sure I already have some in the freezer), poach the chicken and make my own stock…it can be a little time consuming but we don’t have it very often so I like to make it special. This is tonight’s dinner and it smells delicious baking in the oven!
G’s Birthday Dinner
I asked my husband several weeks ago what he wanted for his special night (which is Tuesday) and he said he wanted Cornish game hens, some kind of sweet potato and greens. So…I’m making Orange-glazed Hens with a Sweet Potato, Cheddar and Chipotle Gratin and Sweet n Sour Kale. And for desert we’ll be having the beautiful blueberry pie I baked this morning. By the way, the easiest way to orange-glaze a meat is to use orange marmalade, straight out of the jar.
Creamy Tarragon Tomato Soup with Grilled Strawberry, Brie and Onion Croissants
I love making my own tomato soup. I usually make an Italian version with basil and Parmesan and serve it with panini but I have some Brie leftover from last week’s carpet picnic dinner and a couple of leftover croissants, so that made me change my plans. The sandwich might sound a little odd to some of you, but the combination is wonderful (Brie is best eaten with something sweet, in my opinion.) You can easily make your own tomato soup by using a can of plain tomatoes (diced or whole) and adding a little chicken stock and/or cream, along with any other flavors you want. Then puree the mixture in a blender or use an immersion blender right in the pot (my favorite way).
Thai Chicken Pasta
My mother made this all the time when I was little and it is soooo good. You make your own peanut sauce out of peanut butter, hot sauce, cilantro, ginger and garlic (among a few other things) and toss that with some linguini, chicken strips and a ton of fresh veggies. Everyone I’ve served it to has fallen in love with it. Thanks, mom!
Steak Night
I have a flatiron steak in the freezer and I think, even though it’s G’s birthday week, I’ll make him cook my favorite meal of his. (We have it a lot, I’m sure you can recall…it’s the one with the roasted garlic, parsley potatoes and red wine sauce…yum).
I hope you all have a wonderful week – Happy eating!