WEEKLY MENU 01.31.21
Mid-winter hits during the Weekly Menu 01.31.21 and the weather is proving it!
True confession time: I really do love winter and the snow. Wonderful Erieland supplies both, usually in abundance with lake-effect snow churning up the white stuff. As of the date of this post, Erie is winning (a term I use loosely) the spot at the top of the Current Top 25 Snowiest Cities, something that thrills me to no end. Driving in Erie during the winter is learned early, as the place does NOT slow down when we get eight inches, ten inches, or a foot of snow.
Winter rules are in effect.
Stopping at the red lights is not as strictly enforced – some leeway is necessary for vehicles moving a little too fast to stop on a dime. The main streets are usually plowed first (and look SUPER wide) but you can’t see lane markings, so a lot of two or four lane roads become one and two lanes.
It’s not unusual to see a car, a little sideways, gunning the gas while getting pushed up a slippery hill by helpful locals. I think there is less swearing in general, unless someone makes the mistake of slowing down too far. You have to keep moving!
Walking in the snow, on the other hand, is not my favorite thing to do. My daily two miles takes longer, of course, but it also makes muscles work that normally don’t. I’m sure it’s still good for me though, even though it is a pain in the a-double donkey, literally.
The Weekly Menu 01.31.21 keeps us warm!
We’re starting out the week with a super easy and delicious pork loin. I love how inexpensive pork is, but even more than that I enjoy the flavors you can incorporate. This pork loin recipe is one we’ve used many times. The boysies always complain when pork is on the menu, but once they’re eating it, it’s all yums and smiles.
We’re having a classic combo on Monday – sausage and pierogis. We have the standard frozen pierogis, plus we bought home-made ones (is that an oxymoron?) at Christmas time, so we’ll have some of those too. We’ll pre-cook the sausage in a little bit of water before grilling it on our cast iron griddle/skillet combo. (Affiliate links follow – see disclaimer page for details.)
Baby Boy is the guest chef this week – he offered, then said he would find something from my cookbook (A Well Seasoned Mom… Begins) to make. He’s chosen well. Italian Sloppy Joes are easy, meaty and super fast. He’s adding in a favorite from the grade school cafeteria: Garlic Elbows. Cooked macaroni tossed with olive oil, garlic powder and a little parsley.
Guaranteed bad breath.
We’re loving “family-style” sandwiches lately. We’re treating Pops with a carby version this time. I cut an entire loaf of Italian bread in half (horizontally), scoop out some of the innards, and pop it under the broiler – just until lightly toasted. Then we’ll add in the perfectly cooked, store-bought fish sticks (one of Bert’s favorites) and top with some American cheese. Back under the broiler for about a minute, then the whole shebang gets topped with shredded lettuce and some homemade tartar sauce. Slice and serve!
The Hasselback potatoes don’t really go with the Fish Sammy, but we saw them in a picture from a local restaurant and I’ve been dying to try them. Subbing in tater-tots would probably work just as well. Potato – potato.
WEEKLY MENU 01.31.21
RECIPE LINKS
HONEY GARLIC GLAZED PORK LOIN
NO BAKE CANNOLI PIE
ITALIAN SLOPPY JOES
ROASTED GREEN BEANS
CHIPOTLE CHICKEN BURRITO BOWL
HASSELBACK POTATOES
The Honey Garlic Glazed Pork Loin is from Diethood. The No-Bake Cannoli Pie is from Everyday Pie. The Chipotle knock-off Burito Bowl is from Well Plated. And I found the Hassleback Potatoes at Evolving Table. (For Thursday night dinner, we’ll skip the bacon. And maybe the sour cream. Maybe.)
Check out our menus from years gone by:
