Menus for the week: Jan 18

Brussels Sprout & Mushroom Ragout
from Vegetarian Suppers
~~
Walnut Crostini with Cambozola & Pears
from Small Plates
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Buckwheat Crepes with Fried Eggs
from Vegetarian Suppers
~~
Guacamole & Chips
n/a
~~
Leap year cocktail
from what’s-its-name cocktail book

The media tells me that during a recession, people nest (tangential: and so big-screen TVs may do OK after all). During a recession, we all hunker down: conserve resources, have friends over for dinner, reduce-reuse-recycle, save.

And indeed, this weekend I spent two nights out of town, but at a friend’s house rather than a hotel, and contrary to custom there was no fancy restaurant involved. Instead, last night H made paella and we played with the baby and drank wine in the living room and looked out at the lake.

Today I logged on to PlanetOrganics.com to check out my upcoming produce order, and rather than my usual attitude of ‘let’s see what’s in the vegetable box and cross our fingers that it goes together to create dinner,’ which does occasionally result in my throwing out things that I either didn’t have time to prepare or just didn’t get around to, this week I planned what I will cook. See above. I’m assuming some nights of bread and cheese and a frozen pizza or two and fruit salad and mac-and-cheese and a couple of nights out.

Given that this week I’m also going to a Sharks game and presenting to one of our Most Senior Execs at work and trying to make progress on the Crazy Project and going to the gym three times (three! not two like last week!) and probably some other stuff too, I figure this is plenty ambitious. One relatively fancy thing, two simple yummy standbys, and a medium-difficulty. Not bad, I hope. The mushrooms are there as a tease, to get me to do the most complicated thing early-on, before they have time to go bad. If I can pull that off, the others will be easy by comparison.