A Select, Divine Few

In an exciting turn of events, Seth had to travel for work this week which left me on my own for dinner two nights. If you weren’t aware, he does all of the cooking around here; I handle the baking. 😳

I am not saying I don’t like cooking, but I fully admit it’s not my favorite activity. I love planning menus, finding recipes, and researching, but the process of cooking...I’m not the biggest fan.

So when he had to travel, I made a point to cook one meal that would work for leftovers later in the week (I had other leftovers also available). I didn’t wimp out and skip straight to frozen pizza. 😏 I picked a recipe I knew I could handle and that we’ve made before - therefore I knew the result would be delicious.

So, how did it go? Pretty well! Our first meal of the week, before he left, was a boisterous salad that was big enough for a couple extra lunches. Then I cooked one on my own, enjoyed leftovers from another night, and then by the time he returned we had the leftovers from the meal I cooked, and finally we went out.  

What I learned from this week is that not every dinner needs to be complicated, leftovers are acceptable, and a little change to routine never hurt anyone. In fact, changing things up may be exactly what we need. 

Let’s dig in! 

Greek-ish Grain Salad

Source: Where Cooking Begins by Carla Lalli Music

Tip: Replace farro with a gluten free grain such as brown rice or buckwheat. We used brown rice to keep it simple (and we had run out of buckwheat!). 

Review: While I was already sold on the glory of this new cookbook due to the enticing cover photo alone (hello, beautiful scallops), I was even more enamored by it once we made one of the recipes. Man, this is a good book. And wow, was this dinner fresh and delicious. 

This salad was both light and hearty which is something I’m starting to embrace wholeheartedly as the spring/summer salad season begins. It was a big bowl of romaine, but dotted with brown rice, torn olives, sliced red chiles, and salty chunks of feta. A dressing that was both noticeable and mysteriously minor covered everything, but it did not overpower.

And while I loved when a bite included every ingredient, I found the bites that focused on only one or two elements just as satisfying. A rarity in the salad world!

The joy in this “Greek-ish” salad was that it had the hints of a classic Greek medley, but not quite. Were tomatoes noticeably absent? Not to me. The red chiles provided a great flavor and spice; no tomatoes needed.

Was it strange having a grain mixed into it all? Nope! And in fact, that may have been the best part. Brown rice sprinkled throughout made this salad a much bigger meal, acceptable for a dinner, and was a welcome addition to what some would consider just a big pile of greens. With extra large chunks of feta. ;)

I loved this salad the night we made it and enjoyed it equally as much the next day for lunch! That’s right; this is a dish that’s ripe for more meals. Make it once and eat for days. Or bring it to a picnic! I guarantee everyone will love it. 

Sheet Pan Chicken Meatballs with Tomatoes and Chickpeas  

Source: Basically for Bon Appétit. Grab the recipe, here. And save it! 

Tip: Make sure to use GF panko in the meatball mixture. We use Aleia’s. 

Review: Not to toot my own horn (ok, fine, I will), but Seth now refers to these as “Mollie’s Magnificent Meatballs,” which I take as a supreme compliment given the hanger that rose within me as I prepared this dish. Remember at the beginning when I said I’m not a huge fan of cooking? Well, I’m not. Except that I kind of love making meatballs.

And while I don’t love preparing an entire meal while hungry, hi hanger, I was able to pull this one off while he was away for work and I simply had to make dinner. Frozen food? Nope. Leftovers? Those were for tomorrow. This night was for meatballs. 

These meatballs were without a doubt, divine. They were made with ground chicken, harissa, feta, parsley, panko, and a little salt, which turned them into the most scrumptious food that was spicy and salty. Two of my favorites! 

Baked on a single sheet pan with chickpeas that crisp (a little) and tomatoes that burst (a lot), this dinner was an all-in-one rockstar that took fairly minimal effort. Before you know it everything is in the oven and soon enough you’re biting into your first, spicy chicken meatball and weeping. Oh wait, maybe that’s just me...

This dish is awesome for one or two people because there will be leftovers if you’re careful; it would also be cute for a dinner party of four. However, I would consider doubling the recipe since your guests will want seconds. And you will want leftovers.

I have waxed poetic about my meatball passion before, and while I don’t always believe the ones I make are “magnificent,” I will for sure keep making them because that’s a title I’d love to keep. :)

Italian Flag Baked Pasta

Source: Now and Again by Julia Turshen

Tip: Make sure to use gluten free pasta! We used Jovial Foods’ GF penne.

Review: No, I didn’t make this again. There were leftovers! 😍 I specifically saved some of this amazing pasta for one of the nights Seth was traveling because honestly, I was exhausted after work and quickly re-heating dinner in a pan was all I felt like doing. Joyfully, leftover baked pasta is one of the true wonders of the food world.

Sure, it wasn’t as sparkly as the first night we made it, and the pasta was a bit mushy, but overall I’d say the flavor was still fantastic. I’m  learning to like and appreciate reheated pasta dishes more and more; this one in particular is an especially excellent option.

So if you’re in the mood for leftovers (plenty of them), then make this amazing meal on the weekend and reap the rewards for days afterward. I guarantee you’ll love it right out of the oven and continue loving it until the very last bite, many meals later. 

Eats of the Weekend

Full disclosure: we started the weekend early and went out on Thursday night. All in the name of fun, my friends, and well, why not? Some weeks just need a night out before Friday and this was one of those weeks.

Also, we had a long weekend so uh, Thursday night was basically our Friday. 😉

Where did we go?  

Thursday dinner: The Bancroft for my favorite hot and cold combo; shrimp cocktail and French fries. It’s a classic. ;)

Friday lunch: Artistry on the Green for a relaxing lunch of mushroom risotto and a glass of Prosecco. A day off can still feel like a vacation! 

Friday dinner: Love at First Bite for scrumptious Thai food and fun cocktails. It was our first time here and it did not disappoint! Plentiful GF options served in a welcoming, happy atmosphere. Can’t wait to go back! 

Crispy Tofu - my new favorite snack.

This weekend was the grand combination of Passover and Easter and we celebrated accordingly. On Saturday we spent time with my family and had a Seder, plus a delicious meal. On Sunday, we visited Seth’s family and had a terrific Easter lunch. 🙂

All in all, a busy couple days, but fun nonetheless because we got to spend time with our families and kick off the spring season. Even the weather (mostly) cooperated! 

We hope you had a great weekend celebrating as well. I’m sure the food was the delicious and company a delight! 

Eat, well.

Mollie and Seth

:)