Welcome! For this week’s edition, I’m covering it all: ways to keep your entire weekend fun and productive, the excitement in the world of grocery shopping, cookware you need to buy, midterm election results that made history, and more!

As always, the bonus is extra fun and Snacks! are filled with recipes you may want to make this weekend.

Enjoy! 

1. No surprise here, but Sunday is often the least-favored day of the week. It’s the day before Monday and is the last day of the weekend. It’s also when I’m the most busy doing the least exciting of activities.

Now, how about we take back the dread of Sunday and make it one of our favorite days of the week? This article has loads of tips, tricks, and new ways to turn your Sunday frown (or fear) upside down.

2. Grocery stores, giant behemoths filled with food and food-related goods, have always fascinated me to a degree. So many choices! So much to look at! And now that we share our dinner with the world every night (hi, Instagram), grocery shopping and the general act of acquiring ingredients has taken on even more meaning. I mostly enjoy it!

Take a look at this piece that discusses the nitty-gritty of the grocery world and why right now is the “golden age” of grocery shopping. I’ll give you a hint: for customers, it’s all about convenience! 

3. Mid-term elections were this week and some pretty exciting things happened. One cause for celebration was that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez became the “youngest woman ever elected to Congress.” How awesome is that?!

Even cooler? She’s saying that her “campaign started in food...and in a lot of ways evolved out of food.” Settle in for a great, and informative, read.

4. My husband, Seth, has been a fan of cooking with cast-iron pans for years. He takes great care of his collection of such cooking instruments and I’m starting to understand why: our food just comes out better and even more delicious.

Now, I don’t think they’re a life requirement per se, but I do agree they work wonders on certain ingredients. Click the link to read about how this writer-and-cook’s life, and food, vastly improved when he finally gave in and bought a cast-iron pan for himself. He couldn’t be happier!

5. Here’s a topic that I’d like to know more about: the restaurant scene (right now) in Paris. Luckily, this handy-dandy piece features eight new restaurants that are a must-go when visiting the forever-chic city. Let’s book our flights soon - sound good? I’ll see you there!

Bonus! 

Are you a fan of the Great British Baking Show? I find it enjoyable, relaxing, and impressive. Those contestants can bake! Take a peek at some of the most elaborate bakes from all of the seasons - they’re really quite a treat!

Snacks!  

Anytime roasted veggies are tossed with pasta, consider me convinced to make it immediately. Throw butternut squash into the mix, and now I want it pretty much instantly.

Cauliflower is such a versatile vegetable. My favorite form of it is roasted (sense a theme?), but I’m learning to enjoy it in quesadillas (this week!) and as a rice replacement. But how about form it into a patty and fry it? That seems luxurious and indulgent. 😎

Say what you will about tofu, I must admit I don’t always avoid it. I even enjoy it here and there! Speaking of here, this recipe that involves a maple-soy glaze sounds right up my alley. And looks great for a weeknight.

Let’s include a little smoky meat, shall we? I don’t love pancetta all of the time, but this dish featuring it being braised with greens and garlic sounds delightful. A perfect meal, or side dish, to include for any upcoming event - even if your event is just a Tuesday night!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Gluten Free Mollie D | Eat, well.