September 23, 2023

WEEKLY MENU 09.24.23

It’s somebody’s birthday during the Weekly Menu 09.24.23~

It’s MY birthday during the Weekly Menu 09.24.23. And it’s a biggy. H U G E. Milestone worthy. I turn the big 6-0 on Monday, dear reader, and I am thrilled about it. When Bert hit the same milestone years ago (why yes, he IS much older than me) it bothered him. When my oldest brother hit it many, many years ago, it bothered him (a lot) too. I think it’s because men and women deal with it so differently.

Men face their mortality when they hit a landmark (or any) birthday. Women, at least this one, are more likely to look back at how far they’ve come. I am better at sixty than I was at 50. And I was better at 50 than I was at 40. I loved turning those ages – it felt like my self confidence surged at both. It looks like it’s going that way this time too.

Doesn’t mean I’m not a little weepy.

Part of the annual retrospection includes thinking about who has been lost through the years. Monday morning won’t begin with a wake-up call from Dear Old Lovable Dad singing Happy Birthday with a slightly raspy first-thing-in-the-morning-voice. No matter how much I wish it would. And Mom isn’t going to wish me a heartfelt “Happy, Happy Birthday”. Although I’ll feel it.

I DO expect at least seven phone calls and texts from my siblings. That hasn’t changed. Some years I only get six, which cracks me up, and the apology belated birthday call was something to look forward to the day after the big day. I also expect a bottle or two of wine, some candles, some flowers and a tasty cake. I’m a pretty easy gift recipient. Plus somebody better sing to me.

Don’t get me wrong. Aging isn’t all awesome.

I’m watching what I eat and exercising for my health instead of looking good. (Mostly.) There are weird aches and pains all the time. (I stressed my ankle the other day walking down the stairs.) And it’s a constant battle to keep my advanced hypochondria under control.

One of the biggest problems, at least for me, is reading. What in the hell happened to my eyes? On a positive note, cheaters have gotten darling over the years. I bought a pair at the Paula Deen Store in Savannah that are simply divine. Luckily, they’re cheap too, since I can’t keep track of them. At all. Bert says I’m Fred Sanford with my eye-glass collection. (Affiliate links follow – see Disclaimer Page for details.)

Check out the selection though –

And they’re (mostly) cheap, which is a plus.

What’s for eats for the big day? The kitchen is closed, and we’re going out. So I’ll have to let you know what I choose off the menu at my favorite in-town restaurant.

Weekly Menu 09.24.23

Sunday, though, we’re having a requested dinner: Guinness Braised Beef. I think we can all agree that summer eats leave a little to be desired as far as comfort food goes. The weather isn’t supposed to be too fall-like, but we’re heading that way with dinner. We’ll pop it into the crockpot to cook, since we’re planning on toasting the sunset (with a glass of wine) on my final evening as a fifty-something.

We missed the Irish Festival last weekend, but D got there and had a tasty nacho dish that is pretty easily replicated. The base of the “Irish Nachos” is kettle cooked chips. We’ll put a bagful on our sheet pan. Then we’re topping with sliced deli corned beef and shredded Swiss cheese before popping it under the broiler for a brief minute. We’ll have that before we head out to watch the sunset.

I found the homemade Crunch Bars on Pinterest, so we’re giving that a shot on Sunday too, as I expect some cake will be leftover from Monday. (Did I mention that it’s my birthday?)

Tuesday is a super tasty meal that we found a while back called Mexican Picadillo. It’s skillet cooked ground beef with potatoes. The potatoes soak up a little of the beef fat and seasonings. Chefs kiss on that one. It’s delicious. Especially in a flour tortilla.

Friday night is a fabulous Detroit Deep Dish Pizza recipe that I bake in the 9 x 13 pan I actually bought a couple of years ago just for this recipe. I love the pan even more than the recipe, and use it all the time.

We’re hoping for cool weather again on Saturday. It’s always fun to re-introduce soups. Potato Leek is a perennial fave.