September 26, 2020

WEEKLY MENU 09.27.20

Our Weekly Menu 09.27.20 is cruising towards October with an artsy street view. And some do-able art of our own, proving that we aren’t completely non-artistic.

The post picture was taken in Florence, Italy. It depicts an artist using chalk to recreate a stunning portrait on the street. Surely there are many inspirations in Italy, and probably nearly as many artists, but this is absolutely gorgeous. Look at the eyes – they’re practically gazing at the artist as he draws.

I was lucky enough to spend a recent weekend with high-school friends. One of the activities that we did besides drinking wine (and some tasty micro-brews) was creating a sign using stencils and paint. I lamented the fact that I wasn’t very creative, and a friend (from all the way back in grade school) immediately discounted that assertion saying that I was very creative – I just manifested it differently. She’s right.

I am creative, dammit.

Picture from Weekly Menu 09.27.20 — It turned out pretty well, don’t you think? I picked the colors all by myself.

I think we’re all creative – in different ways. Going into a Michael’s Craft Store might give me the heebie-jeebies, but get me into a grocery store or the kitchen and I am in heaven. I love creating new recipes and putting together menus.

I watch a lot of cooking shows too. (Bert might say I’m obsessed with them.) I watch the Food Network, where my favorite chef is probably Michael Symon. (I love Guy Fieri too – does he count as a chef?) And I watch createtv. All. Of. The. Time. Patty Jinich, Lidia Bastianich and Nick Stellino bracket the incomparable delight of watching Jacques Pepin and Julia Child, well, create.

Part of Our Weekly Menu 09.27.20 is inspired by Christopher Kimball.

He hosts Milk Street Television on createtv, and concentrates on making great food with attainable ingredients and simple recipes. We’re making the Tlayudas from a recent show. They’re basically supercharged quesadillas filled with black beans (from a can) and melty cheese. Then they get topped with a bunch of fun toppings, including some quick red onion pickles and crumbled chorizo sausage. It’s perfect for a Tuesday night!

Sunday Night is Italian Night~

We’re making Braciole – a piece of thinly sliced beef wrapped around stuffing. We’re going to start by making a box of premade stuffing (don’t tell the food police, please.) Then we’re going to bump up the flavor with garlic, Italian seasonings and some (read: a lot of) cheese. We’ll cook the braciole in our easy pasta sauce in the slow cooker. (Affiliate links follow – see Disclaimer Page for more details.) This Wonder Woman Slow Cooker seems appropriate, doesn’t it?

We’re using the slow cooker again on Thursday. We’re mixing up a classic recipe by using chicken instead of roast beef. Mississippi Crock Pot Roast is spectacular, but using chicken should lighten it up a little bit. I’ll let you know how it goes.

We’re returning to Friday Soup Night now that it’s getting a little cooler. Yippee! The hamburger soup is a classic of my Mom’s. And it’s super easy – browned ground beef, chopped potatoes and mixed veggies in a beefy/tomato broth. I can’t wait. It’s paired with a ridiculously easy homemade cracker recipe. If you’ve never tried making crackers, give this one a try – they end up tasting and looking like Cheezits and they only have four ingredients. You’ll make them time and again. Sometimes they even last until dinner.

WEEKLY MENU 09.27.20

The (authentic) Braciole Recipe is from NonnaBox. Our favorite Creamy Parmesan Dressing is found at A Fork’s Tale. The Tlayudas are via 177 Milk Street. The Swedish Meatballs are from Damn Delicious. And the simple Cheese Crackers are from Chew Out Loud.