WEEKLY MENU 03.27.22
We’re not theme-parking during the Weekly Menu 03.27.22, but we do feel like we’re on a roller coaster.
WHAT is going on during the Weekly Menu 03.27.22? Typical Erieland stuff: we’re under a winter weather advisory tonight and tomorrow with 8 – 12″ of snow expected (and some fun wind chills) but it’s supposed to be a balmy 65 degrees on Thursday. I don’t know how you spring, but this is pretty typical for us.
Easter can go either way – as do the ladies fashions. It’s not unusual to see a spring frock and Easter Bonnet accessorized with a fur coat. Thank god for hat pins. If it was a month from now, I’d expect this snow to be the last. But this weekend? It’s part of the whole shenanigan’s that are winter around here, despite the calendar saying it’s spring.
So we have to plan accordingly.
Comfy, cozy soup and crusty bread grace the menu on Sunday and a grilled chicken cobb salad hints at spring for Thursday. With a few meals in between!
Our appetizer on Sunday is heavily influenced by Ina Garten. A couple years ago I was watching a show where she put out fig spread with a cheese plate, so we tried it. Mind. Blown. Now, around here, the fig spread isn’t in the jelly and jam aisle at the grocery store. It’s in the exotic and foreign foods aisle. Specifically the “English” section. Yeah. I don’t get it either, but there you go.
Fig Jam exalts cream cheese~
To nosh on Sunday afternoon, as we watch the snow gently drift down, we’re taking a softened brick of cream cheese and spreading it beautifully on a platter. Then we’ll drizzle a little honey and melt a couple of tablespoons of fig jam (in the microwave) and drizzle that on top. Sliced almonds top out this super simple and absolutely fabulous appetizer. Are you a fan of Hot Honey? This would be a great vehicle for that instead of regular honey. Bert’s not a fan, so we’re going old school. Crackers and carrots for the delivery devices on this one.
Pro tip (as if): Peel and cut your carrots about 15 minutes before you serve them, and sprinkle them with a little bit of kosher salt. It makes all the difference in the world for the veggies.
Bert and I travelled to and fro Las Vegas this past week for a conference, and I had one of the best airport burgers I’ve ever enjoyed at the Denver Airport. I don’t know if it was the beef, the cheddar cheese or how it was cooked, but it really made the 4+ hour delay almost bearable. And the nap on the subsequent three hour flight necessary. That’s channeled into the Baked Cheddar Burgers on Wednesday that we’re pairing with all the little spuds aging (not so) gracefully in the pantry.
The snow will melt (fast – that’s one of the perks of a spring storm) and Bert will have a clear pathway to the grill on Thursday. We’ll add only salt and pepper to the chicken breasts before he cooks them so that GRILLED (!) chicken is all you’ll taste. I make Cobb Salad on our big platter (Affiliate links precede and follow – see Disclaimer Page for details) with a base of romaine. I put all the ingredients on the platter lined up separately, making sure that the hard boiled eggs don’t touch anything else. Obviously, those are not universally enjoyed by all.