November 6, 2021

WEEKLY MENU 11.07.21

We’re falling back during the Weekly Menu 11.07.21, so we’re trusting comfort food to light up the place.

Daylight Savings Time ends during the Weekly Menu 11.07.21. There are really only two positions on the slowly dwindling hours of sunlight that lead up to the Winter Solstice – you either love it (like me) or you hate it (like Bert). The end of DST this weekend ratchets up the evening dimness, throwing me full on into candle mode. I’ve never seen or smelled a candle I haven’t loved, especially at this time of the year. They add so much ambiance to every area they’re in that I light, light, light.

My favorite place to buy them is probably TJ Maxx, although Dollar General has a nice selection. I also receive a LOT of candles as gifts, which makes me a very happy camper. Amazon has plenty of candles you can buy in bulk, which is awesome on a table scape – plan now for Thanksgiving – you can use oodles of tapers to make a big statement without a lot of money. (Affiliate links precede and follow – see Disclaimer Page for details.) You can buy a pack of candle holders at Amazon, although the Dollar Tree has cute candle holders that you can buy in mass quantities too. Or you can use tea lights – they come with their own holders, and look great scattered across the table.

Or you can use both, which is what I like to do.

The more the merrier, as I always say. Since it’ll be dark while we’re eating during the Weekly Menu 11.07.21, I should probably get some more candles to stock up my candle drawer. Yeah, I have a whole drawer devoted to tapers, sorted by color. I might have a little problem.

And it’s really not too early to plan for Thanksgiving – it’s coming fast! We have two guides: one for the full-on traditional meal is at:

Thanksgiving 101

And one that is for the newbie, planning a more intimate meal:

Covid Thanksgiving – Small Batch and Easy

We’re sticking with comfort food during the Weekly Menu 11.07.21 – and nothing says comfort quite like an Italian meal. We’re having Chicken Cacciatore on Sunday, which is basically Italian chicken stew. It’s easy and delicious, one of my favorite trait for meals. Bert isn’t a big fan of pasta, so I’m making risotto, or cheesy rice, as the boys like to call it.

Red Beans and Rice will slow cook for the day in the crock-pot, and will be ready for us when we get to it. Meatless Monday is a treat with this filling recipe.

We absolutely love my Creamy Garlic Parmesan dressing, so we’re going to use it marinate boneless, skinless chicken breasts in for about half an hour before we pop it into a 350 degree oven to cook. Depending on the size of the breasts, it shouldn’t take more than thirty minutes or so to cook. (Use your trusty instant read meat thermometer to check for doneness.) We’ll roast small potatoes and green beans at the same time.

WEEKLY MENU 11.07.21

^{Photo by Sixteen Miles Out on Unsplash}

The Chicken Cacciatore recipe is from Cafe Delites. I found the Parmesan Risotto at Grace and Good Eats. The Big Italian Salad is from Once Upon a Chef. Guys fabulous Garlic Bread is via the Food Network. The not too sweet Biscotti is from Savoring the Good. The (apparently award winning) Cheeseburger Soup is via The Recipe Critic. And you HAVE to try this Crusty Bread from Life as a Strawberry. It is divine – and ridiculously easy.