Went to Giant yesterday for the first BIG shopping trip in a few weeks. The kids all needed stuff for their lunches, and it seemed we were out of fresh produce of any kind. My DH mentioned he was craving steak, so I picked up some nice looking sirloin to marinate and cook London broil style. Half of the left over pork roast from Sunday night, went into homemade BBQ last night with coleslaw. We had gotten some really yummy sauce from the East Carolina BBQ company when we were down there in November. I love the vinegary flavor it adds to the shredded pork. Then just some good old fashioned KC masterpiece finishes the sandwich.

The rest of the pork leftovers will go into these great little tacos – here’s the recipe

Shredded pork roast (shoulder is best, but loin will do)
Thinly sliced radishes
Sliced avocado
Cilantro with stems
Plenty of salt and pepper
Corn tortillas cooked in a little oil until they’re mostly soft with a few crispy places.

Just roll the stuff up inside the tortilla – very different and very yummy. You can add sour cream if you like, but I find that the subtle blend of flavors is great without.

They had beautiful ground beef, so I made some chili for Wednesday night. And picked up some sirloin to marinate and grill Thursday. So, my weeknight meals are done! Happy happy!

I also picked up the January issue of Bon Appetit - lots of yummy ideas in there to try - I'm especially excited about the sweet and salty dessert ideas.

Looks like my oldest daughter and her best friend will be studying for midterms tonight. The friend is a vegetarian, so I'm re-thinking tonight's dinner. I had a wonderful pasta dish at CD Cafe with artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, and feta cheese. I actually have all that stuff on hand, so I'm going to give it a whirl. This recipe from Epicurious looks like a good start.

1/4 cup olive oil
2 cups chopped onions
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 14 1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice
1 8-ounce package frozen artichoke hearts, thawed, hearts cut in half
1/2 cup chopped drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
1/3 cup chopped pitted Kalamata olives or other brine-cured black olives

12 ounces linguine
1 7-ounce package crumbled feta cheese (about 1 1/3 cups)
3/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Heat olive oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions, garlic, rosemary, and oregano. Sauté until onions are tender, about 5 minutes. Add diced tomatoes with juices, artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, and olives. Simmer until sauce thickens slightly, about 3 minutes. Season sauce to taste with pepper. Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid. Return pasta to same pot. Add sauce; toss over medium heat until sauce coats pasta, adding reserved cooking liquid by 1/4 cupfuls to moisten if pasta is dry. Mix in 3/4 cup cheese and 1/2 cup basil. Transfer pasta to bowl. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and 1/4 cup basil.


We can have the chicken and sweet potatoes later in the week.

Back to life as we know it

It always seems that I never cook over the holidays. And yet, we always have plenty. How can this be? Maybe it's just that I'm so caught up in holiday business that I don't remember cooking - except for Christmas Eve, which is our big celebratory meal. There's always a ham, from which we usually get several meals, then bean soup.

So here we are. Inventory at the shop is over, and I can almost breathe again. What's for dinner this week? Hmmm. My wonderful husband picked up hamburger and buns at Giant today, so dinner was easy after a long day at the shop. He wants a meatloaf and a London Broil later this week. I'd like to use up the sweet potatoes in the pantry. And we have a 2-lb. bag of shrimp in the freezer. Pasta one night appeals too, but not with a tomato-based sauce. What though? Hmm. I'll have to take a look at Giada's site.

Here's the recipe line-up so far. This will get the last of the ham out of the fridge, keep me from having to cook up a big meal after the last of inventory, and stave off a big-deal grocery trip until maybe next week when more stuff is on sale!

Monday - grilled ham and cheese paninis

Tuesday - Pasta with sundried tomatoes, feta, and artichoke hearts

Wednesday - Shrimp with pesto linguini

Thursday - London Broil and sweet potatoes or baked potatoes

Friday - Pizza night!

Saturday -

Sunday - Meat loaf, baked potatoes, broccoli