Food for Thought

I'm, seemingly, back in the saddle for menu planning -it's always a struggle for a few weeks after the holidays are cleared away.

I needed a side for the Tri-tip Steak hubby was smoking for dinner.  What goes better with steak, than potatoes, so Salt and Vinegar Roasted Potatoes with Smoky Garlic Mayo seemed like a good pairing.  And it was.  The potatoes were crispy and the mayo had a nice zip.  I didn't get a lot of vinegar, though.  And frankly, I don't know if I'm supposed to get a tang from it or not.  I did cook about a half-pound more than the recipe called for (was serving eight), without altering the vinegar, so I don't know if that mattered - but they were good nonetheless.

I wanted a dessert that worked with what I had on hand.  I have frozen bananas - enough for a zoo-full of monkeys - so Monkey Squares fit that bill.  I opted for the 9x13 size and they were moist and banana-y.  The browned butter frosting was sweet with a bit of salty-nuttiness that worked well with the bananas.

I mentioned I'm trying to get more fish on the menu, at least a couple times a month.  With Lent coming up I'll have plenty of weeks with fish, but it's the non-Lenten weeks I'm trying to get a handle on. So when I scrolled up to Chili Rubbed Salmon with Avocado Salsa, it went on the menu.  I loved the sweet and spicy rub (use a heavy hand and pack that rub on) with the richness of the salmon and the avocado salsa was cool and creamy, just the right topping.

Our multi-schedule night needed something that cooked up quickly for those leaving early, but was good later for those late arrivals.  This Chicken Chilaquiles worked on both counts.  It was quick to pull together, even with making the chips.  I used salsa verde, rather than a chile verde sauce - I like the chunkier texture.  I topped with sour cream, and would have loved some avocado.

I made Crock-Pot Citrus-Soy Chicken Drumsticks for a night when both boys had a Confirmation meeting.  I figured it would hold until they got home, but their meeting was cancelled, so we enjoyed an unexpected meal together.  The drumsticks were not only easy to set up, but were tangy with a bit of citrus and fell off the bone.  Taking the lid off, as noted, lets the sauce thicken a bit.  I served it up with a side of Pioneer Woman's Simple Sesame Noodles.  I was planning to use linguini noodles, but someone has been enjoying them raw.  So, my only other thin-noodle option was egg noodles.  They worked surprising well - I like the wide, but short noodle and the sauce is amazing!

We have a weekend full of activities.  After a couple weekends of fantastic weather and nowhere to go, we'll get to do our running around in freezing temps.  yeah.

Happy Friday,