Bon Appetit

I love doing a weekly menu. I do mine on Wednesdays so that I can shop on Thursdays and not have to fight any crazy shopping traffic on Saturdays. It's lovely. It's also very nice to be able to look at the menu in the morning and know what I have to do to get dinner on the table that night. As opposed to looking at the clock at 5:30 p.m., pondering for a minute, and then making nachos. As a rule, I like to experiment and try new foods, so nachos get old after a while--even if you alternate between chili, beans, and chicken.

I think I'll share my menu, in case anyone is looking for inspiration, or proof that I'm a crazy hippie, or just has a weird, insatiable curiosity about what goes on the nightly table at daltonhouse. Or maybe this will help you decide when to invite yourself over for dinner. Also, since I'm trying to cook mostly vegan, there's sure to be a story every time.

Thursday Black-Eyed Peas with Spinach (from Moosewood Cooks at Home), Tomato Slices, and Polenta

Friday Leftovers/Clean Out the Fridge Night

Saturday Quinoa, White Bean, and Kale Stew

Sunday Japanese Curry

Monday Artichoke Tetrazzini (daltonboy loves all things artichoke, so this is his Valentine's dinner--and this is where the meat comes in, and the cream, and the Parmesan--mmmmm!)

Tuesday Autumn Acorn Squash with Green Salad

Wednesday Vegan Split Pea Soup

The Q,WB, & K stew was delicious. As we were eating, daltonboy asked if I had put licorice in it. There was a little bit of fennel in the recipe, which does, in fact, taste something like licorice.

Me: I'm impressed. I really can't taste the fennel. In fact, I'd forgotten I'd put it in. I still can't really taste it, even after you brought it up.

Daltonboy: Well. It's subtle. Probably only discernible to sensitive palates such as mine.

To his credit, he wasn't able to finish the sentence without cracking up.

Me: This from the guy who asked if we had any Spam to throw in the pot when we sat down to the table?