Here in Northern California, we’ve been experiencing cold, rainy weather–something that we haven’t had in several long years of drought and heat. In the Valley, we have had more than 17 inches of rain for the season so far, more is predicted next week. For us, it’s been cold–in the 30’s at night and in the 50’s during the day. I see a lot of you rolling your eyes, but seriously–it’s what keeps folks like us living out here–the weather is practically perfect most of the time, and when we get chilly weather, we unpack our sweaters, roll up in them and revel in it!
I’ve been embracing the cold and rain by cooking hearty, comforting meals.
This week, I started with braised short ribs. It is one of my signature dishes–a serious crowd-pleaser that folks ask for by name. The recipe makes a lot, so I use the leftover meat to create new meals for the next 3-4 days.
I love it the first night with polenta and a vegetable or a green salad. The next night, I might make sauce for pasta out of the braising liquid and some of the meat, with the addition of some canned tomatoes. Another day, I’ll use up the last of the meat by adding potatoes, carrots, onions, celery and the like to make a sort of mock beef burgundy. Whatever is left of the beef burgundy will reappear the final night in a pot pie–I like to make individual pot pies with a puff pastry “lid.” It’s super easy and very quick–just spoon the reheated leftover beef burgundy into an individual crock, cut a lid from the pre-made puff pastry, pop into the oven, and viola! dinner is served!
I love to have soup on chilly winter nights, also, so I’ve included a couple of nights of split pea soup. A pot of split pea soup should be enough for dinner for a couple of nights, but if you need to stretch it a little further for the second night, you can always add in a grilled cheese sandwich–how comforting would that be?!
For my optional dinner in or out meal, I have chosen Panko-crusted tilapia, which is one of my favorite ways to prepare this fish–it’s easy and delicious; and tilapia is a great, sustainable fish that is super low in fat, a good source of protein and vitamin D.
Let’s get started, shall we?
Saturday:Breakfast or brunch: Spinach and egg casserole, Keri’s Killer Roast Potatoes, sausage; Dinner: Braised short ribs, polenta, green vegetable
Sunday: Breakfast or brunch: Baked potato scramble, sausage; Dinner: Braised short rib pasta sauce, vegetable
Monday: Mock beef burgundy stew, salad, bread
Tuesday: Beef pot pies, salad, bread
Wednesday: Split pea soup, salad, bread
Thursday Panko-crusted tilapia, quinoa, asparagus
Friday: Leftover split pea soup, salad, bread (or grilled cheese sandwiches)
Hope you enjoy this week’s offerings. Until next week–
Peace, love and good food!
Keri
