February 7, 2026

WEEKLY MENU 02.08.26

We’ve got festivities all week during the Weekly Menu 02.08.26~

We are partying during the Weekly Menu 02.08.26! Hello, Super Bowl Sunday! Hellooo Valentine’s Day!

Now, I have to admit, I don’t love either of these celebrations for the actual reason that I’m supposed to. I don’t follow football at all, but I love a Super Bowl Party. Getting together with family and good friends, eating appetizers and easy eats while watching the commercials and half-time show is all the fun I need. And Valentine’s Day is an excellent excuse for chocolate!

Okay, okay. I understand the theory behind Valentine’s Day, but I think it has become completely commercialized and ridiculously expensive. Too much pressure on all those lovebirds out there. Don’t even get me started on “special menus” out at your favorite overcrowded restaurant. The first Valentine’s Day Bert and I were together, we actually had dinner at a great Italian place with Bert’s boss and his wife. Yep. His boss. Turns out Bert accepted the invite because he really didn’t care much for the “big day”. Plus, it was his boss, after all. I’m not sure what his boss was thinking. Apparently didn’t care much for the big day either.

Dinner was fine, but it set the tone for Valentine’s Day between us. We would occasionally cave to pressure and buy expensive cards to show that we loved each other best. {Ugh}.

I like the little, subtle ways Bert tells me he loves me better.

I’ve gotten Friday Flowers every week since we got married. That’s over 32 years (1,664 Fridays), for those keeping track. The flowers make me smile every time, no matter how big the bouquet is (or isn’t.) And have I ever mentioned that I’m not entirely sure where the gas gets pumped into my car? Bert takes care of that, too. (I kid. I know where it goes. That little pump icon on the dashboard tells me.) And Chinese. Saturday lunch – weekly. It’s the little things. So we agreed long ago to skip the cards and make it less about Hallmark and more about us.

Plus the boysies. When they were little, I’d set the dining room table the night before, complete with red napkins and small boxes of heart-shaped chocolates. In the morning, they’d get up a little earlier than usual, and we all sat down to a healthy-ish breakfast. Bert would drop them off at school instead of the bus. It was a tradition for years! Check out the post for pictures of them as young ‘uns:

Valentine’s Day Breakfast

We’re going with a reasonably priced Steak Dinner this Valentine’s Day, but if you’re feeling a little frisky, how about this:

Romantic Dinner at Home

It turns the meal around so you can eat dessert first. That’s a perfect dinner right there! First, though, we’ve got the Super Bowl Party on the Weekly Menu 02.08.26. Check out that link for all the menus. The menu is influenced by the cities that are involved in the big game. This year, we’ve decided to revert to a Hot Dog Bar with all the fixin’s. (Bert has indicated that some chicken fingers should be included. Say less. Both teams would be best served with seafood-themed menu items, and we have a LOT of non-seafood lovers coming.

Super Bowl Party Menu

When I say “menus,” I mean MenuS. The post includes menus from Super Bowls gone by, too. So there are OPTIONS upon options.

Weekly Menu 02.08.26

If we were football-oriented, we would have cheered for Cleveland, Pittsburgh, or Buffalo, as we are in the middle of that triangle. We’re giving a little shout-out to Buffalo on the Super Bowl Menu. They were so darn close.

We’re getting back to basics on Monday – there isn’t much better for warming your soul on a cold day than New Orleans-style Red Beans and Rice. We’re on the fence about whether it will be a meatless meal. I usually cave and saute some sausage links to go with. The ideal would be andouille, but Italian hot sausage is easier to come by, so I’ll probably go that way. Or, I might slide in some turkey sausage. Don’t tell Bert.

I’ll probably use frozen meatballs in the Meatball Parmesan, a casserole-ish dish inspired by one of our favorite restaurants in Buffalo, Chef’s. We’ll mix cooked spaghetti with some marinara and BUTTER! Then dot with meatballs and smother with mozzarella. Yes. It really is as good (and easy) as it sounds.

Wednesday is crazy simple: Crispy Chicken Bowl with (instant) mashed potatoes, corn, and gravy. They were on the menu last week (Weekly Menu 02.01.26) but we got a better offer, so off we went. We’ll see if they make it to the plate this week.

On Valentine’s Day – Saturday, as discussed, we’ve got options. If you don’t like celebrating at breakfast or eating dessert first, might I suggest steak? That’s what we’re planning. We go out for dinner a lot on Saturdays, but with Valentine’s Day night, it just isn’t worth it. Save some money and enjoy a perfectly cooked steak at home!