May 6, 2010

what's cooking: last week's menu

May already, and I have managed to make dinner every weeknight since the big ball dropped. I'm pretty proud of myself! Hardly a resolution anymore -- it's just the way we do things now.

Here's the recap:

Monday - leftovers (my parents were in for the weekend, and we had a ton of food in the fridge, so leftovers it was!)
Tuesday - Potato Pizza with Side Salad
Wednesday - Chicken Curry over Coconut Rice
Thursday - Mushroom Bowties
Friday - Turkey Burgers with Avocado & Pepperjack on Pretzel Rolls

Favorite? A two-way tie: loved the pizza and really loved the burger, too.

Well, the streak is over... there is a least favorite this week. I was not a big fan of the curry. The sauce had plain yogurt and milk, and despite adding 3 tablespoons of curry powder and some sauteed onions, I still just tasted all that dairy. The coconut rice was pretty tasty, though, so at least there's that.






(Potato Pizza, Chicken Curry & Mushroom Bowties)

Potato Pizza
(I made up my own version after tasting this at one of my favorite pizzerias here in Chicago, Frasca.)
Roll out 1 lb of pizza dough and place in a large, cornmeal-dusted sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil and set aside. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium-high in a large skillet. Add 2 medium shallots, thinly sliced and 1 clove minced garlic. Cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Meanwhile, thinly slice 1 large potato and arrange slices on top of shallots and garlic in pan. Saute until browned, flip and saute other side, about 4 minutes each side. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle dough with 2 cups lite mozzarella cheese and spread potato mixture evenly over cheese. Top with a dash of red pepper flakes. Bake in a 425 degree oven for 15 minutes or until edges of crust and cheese are golden brown.

Mushroom Bowties
Cook 3/4 lb bowtie pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente. Drain and set aside, reserving 1/2 cup pasta water. Meanwhile, heat 2 tbsps olive oil over medium-high in a large skillet. Add 1 diced shallot and 2 cloves minced garlic. Cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add 1 package sliced baby bella mushrooms and saute until browned. Season with salt and pepper. Remove pan from heat and add reserved pasta, 1/2 cup rough chopped parsley, and 1 cup grated parmesan cheese. Toss it all together (adding pasta water as neeeded) and serve.



Bon appetit!

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

you are a cooking fiend! the burger sounds so delish & so does the pizza! and the mushroom bowtie (bowtie is my hubby's fave)! well, so does the chicken curry, except that you said you didn't like it. i'm inspired to cook better!

kate said...

YUM!
velvetcupcakeskvf.blogspot.com

Vivalaflav said...

Best menu ever...can I come over for dinner?? :]

Minnie said...

Ah, you are so adventurous in your cooking. I seem to get stuck on the same repertoire just because it's easy, quick and I know the kids will eat it! But I am still making your spinach calzone so I think I'm going to give the potato pizza a try! Glad I read this before my weekly food shopping.

Kristin said...

you all are so kind! glad you're enjoying the menus. I'm definitely enjoying the eating! ;)