May 10, 2025

WEEKLY MENU 05.11.25

The Weekly Menu 05.11.25 is brought to you by fate, flashbacks… and a fully functioning appendix.

What’s bizarre on the Weekly Menu 05.11.25: Four years ago this week, I cooked steak salad, went to bed, and woke up needing emergency surgery. This year? Same salad, same weekend — but thankfully, no appendix drama. It wasn’t until I looked back at my old post from 2021 that I realized the unintentional (and slightly spooky) repeat: post-mass steak salad followed by Shredded Italian Beef — just like the night before my appendix got evicted.

Coincidence? Probably. Weird? Definitely.

But even stranger: I’m not cooking this week either (during the Weekly Menu 05.11.25). Bert and I are heading out of town, and while the kitchen will be used, it won’t be by me. And yes, I feel like a bit of a Well-Seasoned Fraud… but even seasoned cooks need a break, right? (Shout-out to Baby Boy for my new name. And for taking over the kitchen while we’re out of town.)

And another big shout-out to all the moms (especially the ones who’ve fed us through surgeries and chaos). I hope your Mother’s Day is filled with love, leftovers, and zero emergency room visits. If you need a great meal to celebrate Mother’s Day, consider having the kids make this one:

MOTHER’S DAY DINNER AND SHOPPING LIST

Here’s the original post from four years ago ~ Enjoy!

We’re jumping ahead during the Weekly Menu 05.16.21 – did you notice we skipped a week?

Last Friday morning, after popping a pot roast into the crockpot (and smothering it with marinara), I took care of a few work items before heading to our family doctor. Bert took me, which is two oddities at the same time. I’m not much on calling the family doc into play, and I’m usually more than capable of taking myself if I need to go. Friday was… weird. After being poked and prodded, I was sent across the street to the Emergency Room for suspected appendicitis.

I haven’t been to the ER for nearly ten years. (That’s another oddity – especially with three very active sons.) I was into my very own room pretty quickly, and Bert was able to join me, despite the Covid restrictions. Then the waiting began. Blood tests, urine tests, EKG’s, and finally, a CT scan.

THEN – proof! The old appendix was on the fritz.

I had surgery late Friday afternoon. Unfortunately, the appendix had ruptured by then, which necessitated a full-on gut cleanout and massive IV antibiotics. And an extended stay at the horspistal. (My Mother’s Day visitors had to come in one by one. I do have pictures of the appendix, but I didn’t think they’d be really appetizing.)

Everyone at the hospital was honestly wonderful, and the experience was better than I would have expected. But.

Many, many moons ago, when the boysies were very young and sleep was a commodity that was in short supply, I used to fantasize about getting appendicitis so I could spend one night in the hospital to catch up on some zees. Yeah.

I would NOT recommend.

So I never got to the weekly menu last week (being in the hospital and all), but it didn’t matter, because our people took such good care of us. We had a fantastic variety of food from family and friends who realized, correctly, that I am the one who usually feeds us. Bringing food is a classic gesture that was awesome and humbling in action.

Two fairly amusing experiences from the hospital? They wanted to take even more blood, and when I asked why, she told me that they wanted to check and make sure I wasn’t pregnant. It seriously hurt to laugh that hard. After the operation, my wonderful, albeit very young, nurse asked if I had any trouble covering up my C-section scars when wearing a bikini. That guffaw hurt even more.

To the Weekly Menu 05.16.21!

We’re letting Bert take on the lion’s share of dinner this week. I am still recuperating, after all. Plus, the weather in Erieland is spectacular and perfect for grilling. Spring is fast around here, but it’s mighty. On Tuesday, Bert’s beloved Penguins continue marching toward the Stanley Cup. We’re going to eat in front of the TV with an arena-themed dinner.

We’re doing an easy take of a popular sausage sandwich in Cleveland – the Polish Boy Sandwich. Bert’ll grill kielbasa, and we’ll serve up all the fixin’s on the side – chips, cheese sauce, barbecue sauce, and some shredded iceberg lettuce. Even slice up some fresh jalapeno for a bit of heat. We’ll put the sausage in their hot dog buns and wrap them in foil to keep warm. There’s just something about being in that little cocoon that makes these sammies.

We’ll serve up the nachos on a sheet pan, and charge $14.50 for a beer so everyone will feel like they’re actually at the game!