WEEKLY MENU 03.26.23
Our Weekly Menu 03.26.23 is deeply influenced by our recent travels – in all the best ways~
The Weekly Menu 03.26.23 is being impacted by multiple foods that we have either had or saw during our most recent travels. This is not a new phenomenon, by any means. I see food on menus when we’re out to eat that I incorporate into our meal plan all the time. Do you see or taste something out that you know you have to try at home too?
We visited one of my seesters when we were out and about, and planned on eating dinner at a fantastic sounding restaurant. Unfortunately, we were not alone on our quest for a tasty meal, and the wait was an unacceptable 2 hours. (I mean, come on – it would have been almost time for our next meal by then.)
So we moved on.
But in this day of TripAdvisor and restaurant menus, we had already seen what we wanted to actually eat that night. And one of the things on the dessert menu was a Coconut Macadamia Nut Cheesecake. And Bert loves himself some coconut. I love cheesecake, so it seemed like a marriage made in heaven. Alas, the restaurant that we ended up at didn’t have anything even close.
So I’m making one on Sunday. And I’m basing it on three different recipes – one that has a divine looking macadamia nut crust, one that has a beautiful looking coconut cheesecake and one that is for white chocolate whipped cream. Because every cheesecake needs a topper, and Bert likes white chocolate almost as much as he likes coconut. Doesn’t that sound divine? I’ll take pictures and post them soon.
The next recipe is one that we actually got to eat…
We were visiting dear friends in Virginia and Janet put out an absolutely fabulous “Better Cheddar Cheese Spread”. It’s a super simple recipe that she was nice enough to share with me. It only has 4 ingredients – sharp, aged cheddar (I’m thinking the Irish cheddar that usually goes on the cheese plate) mayo, chives, and the secret ingredient: liquid smoke.
After shredding the cheese, we pop it in the food processor with enough mayo to make it spreadable and a touch of liquid smoke. (A little goes a long way!) After it’s processed, some chopped chives are mixed in. It needs to sit in the fridge for at least 8 hours and then we can dig in. This is fabulous on some pretzel thins. Have you tried those? They’re almost like crackers. So delish. (Affiliate links follow – see Disclaimer Page for details.)
This stuff is so good, though, that I’ve been dreaming about other ways to use it. It would be perfect spread on a thick ham sandwich. Or smeared on a piping hot baked potato. Or just, you know, eaten out of the container on a spoon. I’ll post more about that later too. The recipe. Not me eating it on a spoon.
Pittsburgh influences our food too~
On our last regular Friday during Lent (Good Friday is Pancake Dinner Night at our house), we’re having a Pittsburgh Pierogi Pizza. Years ago, I made a deep dish potato pizza based on an appetizer that we had at Pizzeria Uno (yep, you guessed it – we were out of town). Dear reader, I am exaggerating a little, but we almost died this thing was so dense and heavy. It made a much better appetizer than a meal.
We were thinking of ways to lighten it up, and Bert suggested maybe using a thinner crusted pizza. And adding some onions. And something creamy. When I searched Pinterest, the first thing that came up was a pierogi pizza. Which is perfect – I’ll probably use a sheet pan and a batch of my Pizza Dough, but it would be great on a prebaked shell, store bought pizza dough or even some French Bread. We’re topping it with mashed potatoes, so it has to be good.
What else is on the Weekly Menu 03.26.23?
Well, let me tell you. We have a great Grilled Chicken Cordon Blue recipe onsite, but grilling out at this time of year is a little dicey. Even though we don’t have any snow (and haven’t, most of this very odd winter) it is chilly, windy and wet. But it is lighter longer – so Bert doesn’t have to use his trusty headlamp to cook by.
But I digress – we’re trying a new “Chicken Cordon Blue in Pastry” recipe I found. It looks super simple and completely delish. It won’t take too long to prep, so I’ll have plenty of time to make Bert’s dessert.
Family requested Sloppy Joes start out the week – and we’re going old school on those. We’ll use the meat from the Sloppy Joe Sliders on regular buns. We have a pork tenderloin languishing in the freezer, so we’re using a nice southwestern rub and some Chimichurri Sauce to bring it into the light.
It seems like soup season might be coming to an end, so we’re sneaking in some Buffalo Chicken Chowder on Wednesday. Italian night during the Weekly Menu 03.26.23 is another super simple meal: Ravioli Lasagna. It’s got all the joy of regular lasagna with a tiny bit of the work.
WEEKLY MENU 03.26.23
