Category: Pasta

What's Cooking This Week--Fast and Faster

9/21/2014

When you are fortunate enough to spend some time in beautiful San Francisco (see below) instead of the grocery store, you do it. Even with a few post-golf, post-Dragonboat racing, post-errand running dinner guests this weekend, we are starting with a bit of leftovers. Quick, weekday meals are on the docket.

Save me San Francisco.

Meatless Monday
Simple Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce. Had a weekend project and made homemade tomato sauce. A mother son weekend project that worked out well on all fronts. Posting the recipe later this week.

Leftovers Tuesday
Kalua pig and cabbage. It's not always pretty, but it's great home-cooking.

Revival Wednesday
Linguine and Clam Sauce. We've missed you, welcome back to the weekly menu. We shall eat this and think of our Birdie and New England ohana.

Thursday
Kara-age Chicken, rice and Namasu. Easy to do on a weekday.

Panini for Hockey Opening Season Friday!
It's the first home game, albeit pre-season. Hope springs eternal. Roasting what may be the last of the home-grown tomatoes for caprese panini. Tomatoes, basil and mozzarella on a good crusty Italian bread. Perfect.

After School Extras for the Hungry Birdie
Single Scott's Chocolate Pie. I dropped the pre-made pie crust, so I smashed up the rest of the Oreos, pressed it into the handy-dandy springform pan. Voila chocolate tart-ish.

Li-hing Pineapples for afternoon snacks.

Grandma Nancy's Ranch Dip and bags of carrots and snap peas.

All manner of hard and soft cheese and homemade pita chips.

Have a good week all!

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What’s Cooking This Week--Learning to Feed My Ohana

6/22/2014

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GUEST POST BY BIRDIE #1, who is learning to cook and blog this summer.

Coming soon!!

Learning to cook is an essential college skill. Cooking Well is even more important, because food should be something to look forward to, not just subsist on. And cooking Well means that friends will do your bidding in exchange for a non-dorm meal.

So, armed with olive oil, garlic, and a very patient Ohana, here’s what’s cooking this week.

Meatless Monday
Rat-pa-tooty, now known as Ratatouille, because all the veggies are in season. Plus, we just received a bunch of fresh bell peppers from the grandparents.

Experiments on Tuesday
Spicy Chicken Spaghetti, courtesy of a newspaper recipe. It is advertised as quick and easy cooking. We’ll see.

Possibly Meatless Wednesday
Panini, with left-over veggies and bread from Ratatouille. If I’m feeling fancy, I might try something with strawberries too, because they’re in season. I’ve heard they pair well with brie and turkey.

Throwback Thursday
Nakayoshi Gakko Somen Salad. I made this in summer camp, and I miss it. Plus, if I was able to make it as a little bitty camper kid, I should be able to do it as a college student.

Fish on Friday
Fish Jun with Kochojang Sauce. One of my favorites. I need to learn to cook this well.

Have a good week all.

Disclaimer: Mama Birdie has made me write the following "Cooking is an important life skill."

Plus it's fun.

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What's Cooking This Week--Birdie Favorites

6/3/2014

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Kale for Birdies

This week is dedicated to birdie favorites, who are all back in the nest. Mama birdie is mighty pleased.

Meatless Monday
Co-worker Kale Salad. Birdie back from college likes this simple summer salad. No cooking whatsoever. And the best part, Birdies can drive and make this themselves!

Scalloped Tuesday
Scallops with butter, garlic and crushed Ritz crackers (Mahalo New England Ohana!) and roasted green beans.

Who doesn't love Spam Musubi?!

Wednesday
Spam Musubi. Birdie LOVES Spam musubi and it's not even a special occasion.

Thursday
My Mom's Chicken Katsu. Grandma made this especially for non-cow-eating birdie when said birdie was very young. It has been a well-loved favorite ever since.

Friday
Bacon Cauliflower Mac and Cheese. Happy comfort food.

Have a good week all!

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What's Cooking This Week--Chez Dorm

4/13/2014

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This week's menu is compliments of Birdie #1, who crafted a dorm-friendly Feeding My Ohana weekly menu from a combination of dorm food and a few items from the grocery store.

For all birdies out there far from the nest, this one's for you.

No more snow...

Birdie #1 reporting from finally-warm again New England. Warm weather means it's bearable (and even nice) to be outside again, and walking to the grocery store is finally an option. Birdie does not do the whole “walking two miles in the snow just to get to a grocery store” thing.

Dorm food is great, but you can only eat mass produced meat and veggies for so long. So after months of stalking Mama Birdie’s blog, I decided to bring Feeding My Ohana to the dorm room.

Make-it-at-the-Dining-Hall Meatless Monday
Class ends at late, but making On the Fly Orzo Salad in a dining hall isn’t too hard. Delicious, no cooking and only assembly required.

Sandwich Tuesday
Great left over sandwich and some fruit from the dining hall. As a bonus, it was free cone day at Ben and Jerry’s.

Kale Chips and Laundry Water?

Experimental Wednesday
Tried a new soup recipe off Buzzfeed and Kale Chips. Looks a little like pond water, but hey, it beats dining hall food.

Note from Ohana Mommy--It is very, very easy to make Kale Chips in a dorm. The soup includes beans, red onions, kale, ginger, vegetable broth and cilantro, and I make no claim on it.

Birdie rocks tofu!

Tried and True Thursday
Tofu "Cubed" Steak. Tofu and Sriracha provided by the dining hall. Yes, you read that correctly. Tofu and Sriracha are regularly available items in a college dining hall. Added spinach as a bonus.

Fried Rice Friday
My (Poppa's) Fried Rice with left over rice from Thursday, plus whatever add-ins I can obtain from the dining hall.

Shout out to my Birdie family back home.

I miss you all (really, I promise), and can’t wait to see you this summer.

Have a good week all!

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What's Cooking This Week--Late-season "Cold" Weather

3/31/2014

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Cherry blossoms in the rain

When "occasional" showers are in the forecast, it never fails that "occasional" will happen during kid pick-up at school and during work commute. So while Monday's dinner was made at home, it was by no means 'homemade.' But it was meatless and we did eat together, which is what we aim for.

Pre-packaged Meatless Monday
Cheese ravioli with pesto sauce, salad. Thank goodness for the refrigerated food aisle at Safeway.

Soup and Salad Tuesday
Clam and cannellini bean soup, toasted bread and salad. We will use cans of clams and beans, this is is still definitely more homemade than dinner by Safeway. A good soup for the 'cold' California weather. I can hear already hear certain New England Birdies snickering. Loudly.

Wednesday
Myles' Last Resort Meatloaf (with ground turkey). Husband will eat it with rice, and I'll eat as an open-faced sandwich with lettuce, sliced tomatoes and mustard on toast. Teenage boy will eat probably eat both versions. In one sitting.

Experimental Thursday
Kung Pao Chicken Tacos. I tore the recipe out of a Cooking Light because I liked the idea of Chinese food tacos. However, it will definitely require re-tooling as the only seasoning in the marinade is shoyu(!). Time to ask my Mom, my sister, the Food Network and Aunty Google.

Meatless Friday
Rat-pa-tooty, aka Ratatouille. It's been much too long since we've had this. And I'll make some extra so we can have it for snacks over the weekend. Cold rat-pa-tooty works really well as a cracker spread.

Have a good week all!

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What's Cooking This Week--Home Sweet Home

3/9/2014

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California fresh, I have missed you

After travelmania, I'm very happy to be back home.

And so for Lent, I'm giving up eating like I'm traveling, and hopefully traveling too. This is not a sustainable pattern unless I'm planning on gaining a lot of weight or training to be some kind of Olympic athlete in a sport where middle-aged women can excel.

So here's what's cooking this week.

Meatless Monday
On the Fly Orzo Salad. With 70-degree weather and daylight savings kicking in, we may even eat outdoors.

Tuesday
Chicken apple sausage with red peppers, onions and zukes. I've noticed that Spaniards and Bostonians do not believe chicken sausages. No recipe required.

Leftover curry + tonkatsu = Katsu curry!!

Wednesday
Katsu curry (Leftover Japanese curry stored from the freezer + Tonkatsu), namasu and salad.

Nearly Meatless Thursday
Okonomiyaki with kamaboko and a bit of char siu. Easy comfort food and minimal meat.

Fish on Friday
Simple Salmon baked with rock salt and fresh cracked pepper (no dill this time), rice, and roasted asparagus and tomatoes. I may add some tea rice at the end.

We had the fancy version of this at the Pineapple Room a couple of weeks ago, but it will be nice to have the home cooked simplicity.

Thank you all for keeping me honest with the weekly menu schedule. Your support is much appreciated!

Aloha to all.

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What's Cooking This Week For Real

1/19/2014

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Send us some snow!

Last week was a blur with sending kids back to school both locally and not-so-locally.

Note to parents of college and high school-aged children
It Does Not Get Easier to see your bouncing baby (at least in your eyes) go solo through security and off and away.

And the corollary--
It's rather painful for the child at home because Teenage Boys Do Not Appreciate Being Smothered. At All.

So this mother is cooking and then sending a food care package, of course! Here's what's cooking this week.

Meatless Monday
Bought mushroom/artichoke pasta with pesto sauce. If it didn't come in a takeout container, it still counts as cooking.

Tuesday in the Oven
Mayonnaise Chicken, roasted tomatoes and roasted asparagus. Maximize the oven. Plus, the radiant heat carries over into where we watch TV. With store-bought jalapeno cheddar bread, pickled lemons from Israel and homemade pickled green beans.

Wednesday
Orange salsa pork chops, chard and jasmine rice. Another 1-pan dinner, plus rice cooker.

Thursday
Spicy turkey burgers and roasted sweet potatoes.

Mollusca Friday
Clam and canellini bean soup. And bread for sopping things up.

There may be some change-ups as I just noticed that this week is a little rice-light. Also trying to make homemade granola. It uses flaked coconut, so I hope not to set the oven on fire. Again.

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What's Cooking This Week--Happy New Year

1/6/2014

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Foo-foo Falafel

Happy New Year of the Horse!
Christmas and New Year's leftovers have been eaten, so it's time to, well, get back on the horse and start cooking for a temporarily full house again.

Comfort food is cooking this week.

Meatless Monday
From-scratch falafel, that we make into patties, with dollop of yogurt/cucumber/dill sauce and a few squeezes of Sriracha sauce.

Tuesday
Zippy's Chili When You Are Far Away. Chili and rice always makes us happy.

Wednesday
Mayonnaise chicken, with a little Parmesan cheese thrown in.

Thursday
Bacon cauliflower macaroni and cheese. By request of college kid who makes her mother happy by faithfully reading this blog. I guess we'll pay her tuition for next semester.

Fish on Friday
Salt and Pepper Shrimp. I can only eat a few, but man are they good!

Have a good week all! To my many pals who will be in Las Vegas at CES this week, take care of your tootsies and enjoy at hot chocolate at the Sugar Factory.

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What's Cooking This Week--3-Bean Veggie Chili

11/13/2013

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Why should we have four distinct recipes for chili? For the same reason I have many more than 4 pairs of shoes. Depending on how you feel, you need something a little different. This week, we are having a new chili recipe and 'mixed plates.'

Meatless Monday
Oh my goodness. The CARNIVOROUS and anti-celery husband has been converted. I take no credit whatsoever for this winner-winner-veggie dinner. He started with a recipe from the PickyEater blog (which is well-worth perusing!), and proceeded to turn out a wicked chili that includes 3 cans of beans, celery and is completely meatless. It's not faux-Zippy's, our standard (turkey) meat chili, or the sweeter Farmer Kenny's chili, but it is definitely a keeper! We dressed ours up with some pickled peppers and Monterey jack jalapeno cheese. Super spicy and very satisfying.

Food that makes you happy!

Turkey on Tuesday
In preparation, or perhaps in defense of Thanksgiving, turkey burger sliders with fresh cranberry sauce, and a Honeycrisp apple thrown in. We are practicing for turkey day!

Wednesday
Clam pasta and soyrizo. We made this awhile ago and it is long overdue to gt back in the rotation. Using the very last of the summer tomatoes. Love the gentle California stretch into fall/winter.

Humble yet deeply satisfying

Thursday
Variation on lemony-bacon farfalle with greens. After 16 meetings in two days, this will be a little bit of a desperation dinner. Pasta, Italian (turkey) sausage, arugula and a little chicken broth, red pepper flakes and garlic. And ice cream, straight out of the carton. Chunky Monkey is the potion of choice.

Friday
Oyako donburi. Since taking on FTE, the husband has been cooking quite often.This is one of my favorite meals. Nothing fancy, just good homecooking. Perfect way to end the week.

Very excited to be planning for Thanksgiving in a couple of weeks.

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What's Cooking This Week for Halloween

10/30/2013

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We will not be having chocolate for dinner. But dessert is pretty close on its heels.

No. This is Not My House.

Meatless Monday
Simplest Spaghetti Sauce.The husband made this in a wok this time and it was a successful cross between spaghetti and pan-fried noodles. Unconventional, but it worked.

Minimally Meaty Tuesday
Chicken and Bok Choy stir fry. Just a little oyster sauce. Thirty minutes, start to finish, including making the rice.

Wednesday
Ma Po Tofu. Another 30 minutes start to finish.

Happy Halloween Thursday
Braised Kabocha and My Mom's Miso Soup. Just because it's funny to have pumpkin on Halloween. And we shall have no dead flesh for Halloween either. And hopefully some leftover Snickers, Hi-Chew, Three Musketeers and Milky Ways.

Friday
Okonomiyaki, with char siu.

Extras from the Trader Joe's run
1) Simply almonds, cashews and chocolate trail mix with unsalted pistachios mixed in
2) Coconut cashews. Good with milk and granola or mixed in with work-oatmeal.
3) Maple pecan granola.

Happy Halloween to all!

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What's Cooking This Week--Fast and Faster

What’s Cooking This Week--Learning to Feed My Ohana

What's Cooking This Week--Birdie Favorites

What's Cooking This Week--Chez Dorm

What's Cooking This Week--Late-season "Cold" Weather

What's Cooking This Week--Home Sweet Home

What's Cooking This Week For Real

What's Cooking This Week--Happy New Year

What's Cooking This Week--3-Bean Veggie Chili

What's Cooking This Week for Halloween

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