Summer, I guess...

If you're like me, you love eating dinner outside with a nice refreshing white wine and having Hoyt, Hoyt McFloyt for dessert. If you're like me, you're still patiently awaiting those lovely summer nights by which to enjoy your Russian River Valley Chardonnay and your Hoyt, Hoyt McFloyt.

I'm sure that summer will get here - even if we have precious few days which can be called a "real summer". Try to plan to take advantage as soon as summer gets here. Some of the meals for this week would transport well for a picnic dinner. A beautiful peach or nectarine makes a lovely dessert. Even just putting a dollop of vanilla yogurt on top makes it feel a little more decadent.

Here's to hoping that we all get enjoy what little summer is on the way!

Good luck and eat well!
Menu, Shopping List and Recipes

Recovering

So with the crash of our server and the loss of 100% of my original Mealtime Workshop documents and templates I've been slow to recover and start over. So slow, in fact, that I didn't even make it to the grocery store once this past week to prepare for our meals. I've also been surprised at how much busier my life is now that I'm working full time. This seems like an obvious realization, but I am still adjusting in regards to managing our household and my social life as well as the various other commitments the Watson family was already handling.

The grace and ease with which some women navigate their busy lives gives me hope that I too might be a super woman. In the meantime I'll continue to rely on divine strength, a patient husband, and peace in the knowledge that even if dinner is late or somewhat unimpressive everyone is still fed.

There are some new meals in here this week, pinto bean tacos for one; and Moroccan carrot soup for another.

Good luck and eat well!
Menu, Shopping List and Recipes

Crash....and burn

This week our server died. I didn't think too much of it at the time because the document I was working on I had saved to my desktop. The problem arose, however, when I sat down to start writing this week's menu and I realized that all of my templates and recipes were stored on the server....oopsie. When I say "burn" I mean that there was actual smoke coming out of the hard drive. Apparently this is not supposed to happen and means you have problems.

My devoted husband has been working diligently on testing circuits and has replaced the power source (I guess that's an actual "thing") in the hopes of getting it back on line. The good news in all of this is that we have been subscribing to a back-up service that updates daily. This means that all of our stuff isn't gone for good, I just don't know how to resurrect it at this very moment so I'm starting from scratch. Hopefully by next week we'll have all of our can't-live-without items back, including all of the Mealtime Workshop menus and recipes!!

Also - sorry for all the salads, I wish it were summer already.

Good luck and eat well!
Menu, Shopping List and Recipes

Good memories, exotic places

I am so sorry for the absent week and for any of you that didn't know what to make for dinner... Hopefully this week's menu will attempt to make up for that gap. The meal I am most excited about is the Vegetarian Moussaka. When Adam and I traveled in Greece and Turkey last year, we fell in love with moussaka and ate it every chance we got. I hope that this version will bring me back to Greece even if only for a moment.

What are the meals that remind you of a special time or place? I think that food can so clearly and quickly bring us back to a specific time in our lives. Any peach-flavored beverage reminds me of the summer I spend at Malibu Club in Vancouver BC; oatmeal cookies (Dunking Platters) remind me of a certain winery lady and the times spend at her kitchen counter; stuffing always makes me think of my dad and the care he always gives to his Thanksgiving meal. More than the neat places and fond memories, I hope this week that you get to break bread with someone special in your life - share a meal and make a memory.

Good luck and eat well!
Menu, Recipes and Shopping List

Special guest menu

This week's menu is created at the request of my husband. He has mentioned to me several times that he has a few favorites and would like to see them repeated. I usually try to keep things new and fresh for all of you, but I think Adam is on to something. If a dinner is particularly tasty - why not have it a second time?

The seven meals for this week are ones that Adam specifically selected as some of his favorites. There were a few more on his list that I'll have to find a way to incorporate for future menus. What are some of your family's favorite meals? There must be a meal or two that makes your family say, "Oh, that was sooo good. I love it when you make this!" Does anyone feel adventurous or brave enough to share their family fave with Mealtime Workshop? I'm always looking for new crowd pleasers.

Don't be shy, you can even email me privately if you like. I look forward to your suggestions!

Good luck and eat well!
Menu, Recipes and Shopping List

Trying something new

I am very excited this week as the menu includes saag paneer. This is one of my all-time favorite Indian dishes and is such a treat for me. You might wonder, "what on earth is saag paneer?". This dish is a creamy, slightly sweet a little bit spicy dish primarily made of spinach and cheese cubes. This cheese - paneer - is not your mama's cheese-food-hydrogenated-oil-cheddar-flavored-who-knows-what. Paneer is light, fresh, and deliciously chewy.

If you're up for trying the saag paneer this week, there are two ways to get paneer. 1) Go to your Asian or Indian market and purchase it. 2) Make it from scratch at home. If you purchase it at a market, it may be difficult to justify the price for how much you get (we paid $5.85 for 8 ounces). Additionally, you might not live in an area where finding an Asian or Indian market is particularly easy. Should you decide to try it at home the recipes found on-line vary wildly and aren't generally very instructive - except for this one: Paneer Recipe. I have yet to actually try to make paneer at home, but next time I have a recipe that calls for it I will definitely use this recipe.

Good luck and eat well!
Menu, Shopping List and Recipes

Ch-ch-ch-changes

This is my last set of recipes before I go back to work full time. I anticipate that there may be a period of transition in the next few weeks. As always, I will endeavor to continue posting yummy, healthy meals (with the exception of this week's mac & cheese), but please be patient with me as I am unsure how this transition will go. 

Our household has been very, very busy this weekend so I apologize for the short note. As I write, my husband is working on replacing the sub-floor in the laundry room that was found to have severe water damage and dry rot. I should post quickly and see if I can be a good little helper.

Good luck and eat well!

Menu, Recipes and Shopping List