January 10, 2026

WEEKLY MENU 01.11.26

WE’RE starting THE BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS DURING the Weekly Menu 01.11.26!

Who are we celebrating during the Weekly Menu 01.11.26? Just the birthday of my absolute favorite baby seester. I have three sisters, but only one baby one, in case you were wondering. She is almost fourteen years my junior and has always been one of the most prominent lights in our lives. I’ve waxed poetic about her in the past, but it truly bears repeating. Our boysies love AF almost as much as we do. She’s funny, smart as hell, and beautiful inside and out.

She was in the first selfies I ever took, way before cell phones. I think this one is taken with a Disc Camera. Remember those? I cut off my double, trip, and quadruple chins. You don’t need to see that, dear reader. I have upped my selfie-taking since then. I promise.

Here she is with another sister. How cute is that fake smile?

And the baby picture – just in case you needed any further proof of cuteness:

Happy Birthday, F. Aurelia.

So. HOW are we celebrating? Chicken Crepes. Sans crepes.

Back (WAY BACK) in the day, I liked to create dinners for the whole famdamily. My beautiful baby sister is the youngest of eight kids, and cooking for us all was a masterclass in endurance. I was gifted a crepe pan and, in an attempt to utilize it to its best life, I came up with Chicken Crepes. They took FOREVER to make for all of us, as it was a multiprong process. I had to debone the chicken breasts for all ten of us because chicken was not sold in its current form at the time.

I got pretty good at butchering, but even after I got the breasts off the bones, I needed to cut them into chunks. Then I sauteed my enormous pile of chicken, a few handfuls at a time, with some chopped onions. And yes, I would cry while chopping two or three large yellow onions into tiny pieces.

Once the chicken was cooked through, I added it to the enormous pot of cheese sauce that I had made. THAT required shredding, and shredding, and shredding.

Once the chicken filling was ready? I made a double batch of crepes. Then everyone got a serving with a couple of crepes fully loaded with delicious cheesy chicken. And some rice and some peas, because I’m a well-rounded cook.

The problem? It was absolutely delicious.

Of course it became a family favorite, and I was asked to make Sunday dinner again (and again) despite the fact that it took hours to prepare. Eventually, someone clued me in on the fact that the crepes themselves were just not that important to the overall dish, and I promptly quit making them. I eventually even got rid of the crepe pan.

Nowadays, it takes way less time. Boneless skinless chicken breasts are cheaper than bone-in and way more available, and I’m no longer making dinner for ten. Sometimes I even use pre-shredded cheese. Don’t tell the food police.

This was a really long-winded way of saying that we’re making Chicken Crepes (sans crepes) to celebrate AF on her birthday.

Weekly Menu 01.11.26

What else is for eats on the Weekly Menu 01.11.26? We’re going “light” on Sunday because we’re NOT going easy on AF’s birthday. Garlicky, Mozzarella-stuffed bread knots to start, followed by classic Spaghetti and Meatballs with a green salad. Right now I’m skipping dessert in favor of birthday cake the next day. (Does anyone else have Christmas cookies left? And do you think Sour Cream Drops, made with real sour cream, keep for weeks at a time on the counter? Asking for a friend.)

Monday is the big day, and I’m channeling a favorite restaurant from way back, the Aviation Country Club. They’ve been closed for years, but my mom was able to sweet-talk the chef into giving us the recipe for Devilled Crab. Sure, it called for ten pounds of jumbo lump crab, so I need to cut it down a bit, but it’s a delicious, nostalgic recipe. I’ll make some Dill Dip for the table – it’s amazing spread on toasties with a little schmear of butter.

Taco Tuesday, we’re back to reality, with ground beef Taco Salad, and we’re going rogue for Take-Out Thursday with French Bread Pizzas. I love it when the menu for the week makes me look forward to dinner.