Weeknight Dinner Recap: Volume XXX

Welcome to the thirtieth edition of Weeknight Dinner Recap! It’s our first full week of cooking in our new place and we couldn’t be happier with the new setup. Gas stoves really make all the difference! They also allow the oven to heat up much more quickly which is perfect for when you need to bake a last-minute batch of cookies. What? Just me? Don’t pretend you haven’t done the same. 😉

I literally can’t even. 😮 More to come soon... 🍪

Let’s dive into the dinners, shall we? If you’re curious about those cookies, then you’ll need to wait for my baking series this month, which is going to be served hot and fresh oh-so-soon!  

Until then... dinner! 

Pink tulips really pop in our new dining space.  

Sunday’s Dish: Thai Style Beef and Broccoli Curry

Recipe: Weeknight Gluten Free by Kristine Kidd

GFMD: This recipe was entirely gluten free and no changes had to be made. Just make sure to use GF Tamari! 

Outcome: A little of this and a little of that! While I loved all of the components of this meal, I’m slightly wary to make it again with this exact same ingredient list. Yes, I love beef, broccoli, and curry. And usually all together I enjoy them quite a lot! However, I think for this dish, I’d swap out the beef for chicken or seafood. 

While beef and broccoli is a classic combo, and a major player on the Chinese food restaurant buffet scene of my high school days, I need to say with curry I’m not as big a fan. The curry has a terrific flavor and it just has to compete too much with the beef. Let the curry shine, beef! Let it shine!

And despite being all about following the recipes, at least on the first time around, next time I think we will opt for another choice of protein. But! You may disagree with me completely and that’s OK. Kind of. 😉 Beef and broccoli is a combo that will benefit from any number of sauces being added, however; curry may not be the perfect one. In my opinion. 🤷‍♀️

Editor’s note: this dinner was delicious since the sauce and broccoli were my favorite parts! The beef was awesome on its own - didn’t need the curry! 

Monday’s Dish: Lamb Burgers with Mint Greek Salad

Recipe: Weeknight Gluten Free by Kristine Kidd

 GFMD: This recipe was naturally gluten free and no changes had to be made.

Outcome: I’ve said this before and I’ll say it daily for the rest of the time you’re willing to read and listen: lamb burgers rule. Other burgers drool. I joke, I joke... But seriously, lamb burgers are so freaking amazing that each time we make them (in burger or meatball form) I’m crying as soon as they are gone. So delicious. So awesome. So yummy. Too good. 

The recipe for these is simple and paired with a Greek salad you’ve got your protein and veggie bases covered. True, we go bun-less for burgers made at home, but honestly? Who’s missing the bun? I’m not. I’d rather have a bite that’s all burger and Greek salad anyway. So much more flavor! And for the record, I’m not a fan of GF burger buns sold in stores. 😬 Sorry! 

And that salad?! Couldn’t be easier to make and packs such a great burst of flavor in every bite. Yes, it’s filled with feta, cheese extraordinaire for this salad specifically, which definitely helps the overall composition, but the cucumbers and tomatoes are just as important. This one in particular is also sprinkled with mint, which was just the right amount of brightness to round it out.

This dinner could have been enhanced with another option, such as quinoa, rice, or even potatoes of some kind, but I found it to be extremely satisfying on its own.  And joyfully quick to put together! 😊

Tuesday’s Dish: Chicken and Rapini Stir Fry

Recipe: Myers + Chang at Home by Joanne Chang with Karen Akunowicz

GFMD: This recipe was easily made gluten free by using GF Tamari. No other modifications were necessary. 

Outcome: Without even realizing it, we made a few favorites this week, thus having repeats. The horror! While we used to have the same meals week after week, it was time to switch it up and this blog has encouraged trying five new meals every week. But, life can get in the way, or in this case, my tastebuds, and sometimes there are repeats! Thankfully, this was another great one.

Minor kitchen fire aside (it was brief!), this dinner was amazing! Seth loves using the wok to make stir fries now that we have a gas stove and it makes everything taste better. And cook so much faster!

This dinner has a lot of components, but once the cooking began it was very quick. If you’re ever interested in learning how to “velvet chicken,” we now know! And trust me, I think you need to know. The end result was stupendous. 🤗

This cookbook, from one of our favorite South End restaurants (Myers and Chang), continues to inspire us. When we make certain dishes on repeat, such as this one, we love being able to reminisce about past times going there for dinner (usually post-gym and starving), and sitting at the kitchen bar watching the amazing staff wok their way (joke intended) to dinner success. Delicious food and a relaxed environment- at their bar or now, at our home! 

Wednesday’s Dish: Mustard Dill Turkey Burgers with Mustard Dill Slaw, side of sautéed kale.

Recipe: Weeknight Gluten Free by Kristine Kidd

 GFMD: This recipe was naturally gluten free and no changes had to be made.

Outcome: OK, there was a lot of mustard and dill on this plate, but I need to admit: I loved it!! These may be my favorite new way to have turkey burgers - topped with slaw - because of the awesome flavor and abundance of goodness in every bite. Crunchy slaw mixed with a juicy burger and every ounce bursting with joy is a hard pin to point, but this recipe succeeded! And did you notice? They were bun-less, once again. 😉

For those who know me, which is not too many of you (but, hi, Mom!), know that I’ve avoided mustard for a very long time. Much like mushrooms, I was never a fan until all of a sudden, poof! I enjoyed it all. Well, that seems to be the case with mustard suddenly as well.

I no longer avoid it, I don’t refuse it, and when it’s incorporated into a dish when we are out or a requirement of something we make at home, I gladly welcome it to the table. So for this recipe, where mustard was a key element, I was almost even more excited to taste it. And much to my own surprise, I loved it!

Let’s take a moment for the sautéed kale, shall we? A great, simple side dish enhanced easily with garlic, lemon juice, and a little salt. It doesn’t take the spotlight off of the other foods on your plate, but it doesn’t shy away either. I’d like to say this loud (LOUD?) and clear: I’ve joined the kale club and am on temporary leave from the (cooked) spinach club. There. I said it. Maybe you’ll join me? 

Thursday’s Dish: Slow-Roasted Cod (Halibut) with Bell Peppers and Capers

Recipe: Claire Saffitz of Bon Appètit magazine- March 2018 issue. 

 GFMD: This recipe was naturally gluten free and no changes had to be made.

Outcome: Lucky Thursday! We’ve been picking recipes from magazines more and more lately and the latest issue of Bon Appètit has some major dinner winners. Last week we made the best shrimp risotto of my life and this week, from the same issue and seafood feature, we decided on this slow-roasted fish dish. It was de-lish. 

While not a quick meal, I’d recommend making this when you have an abundance of time, or your spouse (or whomever is making it) has joyfully decided to begin the prep hours ahead so you can eat before midnight. Seth had the day off from work and was able to do the majority of the prep before I was home, thus leaving only the fish-baking left. Hooray!  Hanger is real, my friends. Time-saving techniques are always appreciated. 

Notes on this fish! We used Halibut for a couple reasons instead of cod, as the recipe requested, and here they are: 1) there was no cod to be had at the store we went to for ingredients (blasphemy). 2) I honestly adore halibut even more than cod and it’s more luxurious, in my opinion. So! We got Halibut.

I’m sure you could use another white fish with equally awesome results, but we chose Halibut. Actually, Seth chose it. Who am I kidding? He did the grocery shopping while I was at work that day and knows how much I love that fish. Joy! 😊

In terms of the end-result, we were blown away! But hungry. We loved the flavors of the roasted peppers, the fish, the topping, all of it! So scrumptious. However, the food world that lives in my brain forgot to tell me to include a starch because I must admit we were a little hungry after only having fish and peppers.

Next time, I wouldn’t change the existing recipe, but I would add some small potatoes to bake alongside this meal. I think they would be supremely yummy when dipped in those juicy, spicy roasted peppers. Who wouldn’t love potatoes being added to their dinner? 😉

Friday + Weekend:  Like all great weeks of food, this one ended on a high note. We went out! Toasting a full week in our new apartment, another snowstorm, and plans for much-cookie-baking, we went to The Bancroft and relaxed all evening with cocktails, polenta fries, steak (for me), and salmon for Seth. A delicious dinner at one of our go-to weekend spots, I think their bar is one of my favorites for a relaxing night amidst the crowds. Plus, the cocktails are delightful! 

Polenta fries. Something we will never make at home because they are too good. A fried treat reserved for dining out! A separate fryer makes this all possible! 😍

The rest of the weekend was spent baking cookies (all of them) for March’s baking feature (another sneak peek below), buying pillows for our new couch (love them!), and making a scrumptious feast of spaghetti and meatballs on Saturday night. A dinner so cozy and crave-worthy, I am deeming it my ultimate winter comfort food. ❤️

Cookies! 

Homemade spaghetti and meatballs. Ultimate comfort food.  GFMD - just use GF pasta and breadcrumbs for this dish to be made safely.  

Are you drooling yet?  

We hope you had a delicious weekend filled with some of your favorite foods and places, too! 

Thanks for reading, and eat well,

Mollie and Seth

Is it spring yet?! A snowy Sunday walk. 

Thinking spring looking into the living room.