December 7, 2024

WEEKLY MENU 12.08.24

Weekly Menu 12.08.24 is here for the ride into mid-December!

HOW can the Weekly Menu 12.08.24 already have us through half of December? We’ve been experiencing something of a snowmageddon here in Erieland this past week (see this GoErie article for deets) and one thing that being snowbound does well is make hyper-focusing on Christmas and what still needs to be done inevitable.

It’s easy to become a little hum-buggy in the throes of everything Christmas. Try not to! When you go into it planning on enjoying it, you’re more likely actually to enjoy it. Stop going overboard and take the things you want to do one step at a time. We’re all in the same boat – too much to do with too little time. Make a conscious effort to pare down what doesn’t work for you or make you happy. And make every effort to meet up and see the people that matter.

Pshew. Sorry for the rant.

Check out my How-to Host the Best Holiday Open House to invite over friends and family to celebrate the season with.

If you’re still scratching your head over gifts, check out the 50+ Epic Gift Ideas Post. It’s full of fun and different gifts that you don’t have to go to the mall to buy. (Affiliate links precede and follow; see Disclaimer Page for details.)

And it’s actually time to plan for the end of the year! How to Revel in a Special New Years Eve and/or 20 Seriously Festive Cocktail Recipes can give you a leg up on that.

Time for the food portion of the Weekly Menu 12.08.24 ~

We’re trying something new with our Pork Milanese recipe this week—we’re making it into Pork Parm! Fingers crossed: I’m going for a simple Parm that stays crispy. A healthy 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese added to the breadcrumbs makes them “pork parmigiana.” (And yes, I do use the pre-grated stuff in the jar.) We’ll put the sauce under the pork cutlets and liberally cover with mozzarella cheese before a brief stint under the broiler. Fingers crossed, they are crunchy, but they’ll still be super yummy, even if they’re not.

I’ll make some pasta sauce using olive oil, a garlic clove, tomato sauce, Italian seasonings, red pepper flakes, and a good squirt of honey. It’s easy, fast, and cheaper than most store-bought pasta sauces. Plus, you can add as much or as little of the seasonings as you like.

We’re starting with Pepperoni Balls. We actually have some in the freezer, because they’re an Erie staple, but if you aren’t lucky enough to have some available, you can make your own. Pepperoni Balls in a Pinch try to replicate our iconic treat.

I almost buried the lead –

Sunday, December 8th is National Brownie Day

So we’re going all in with a Brownie Ice Cream Sundae. I’ll make the brownies in my fabulous mini cast-iron skillets then top with ice cream, hot fudge and a little bit of salted caramel for some dimension. Talk about yum. Of course we’re using boxed brownies. I might zhuzh them up a little bit with some chocolate chips and a little chocolate liqueur, a la “Signature Brownies”

On Tuesday, the Weekly Menu 12.08.24 is going down and dirty with the Chicken Rice Soup – poached boneless skinless chicken breasts will be shredded and returned to the poaching liquid (or, you know, broth) with a bag of frozen mixed veggies. I’ll put a hefty scoop of prepared Minute Rice into a bowl and ladle the brothy chicken/veggie goodness over the top. I don’t add the Minute Rice to the soup pot because that stuff will keep growing and growing, and you’ll have a bowl of rice with a bit of broth. Tasty, to be sure, but not what we’re going for.