Weekly Wrap Up

It was a super busy week!  Monday was a tough day at school -- I was not on my game, and neither were the kids.  A good day to forget.  Tuesday was okay at school, but I had fun afterwards.  I took a demo cooking class on Moroccan cooking at a local restaurant.  The class cost $50 and ran ostensibly from 6-8:30.  In reality, I left at 9:45!   It was a lot of fun, though it was more demonstration than actual cooking.  As one of the other participants said, "This is more like an interesting, educational dinner party than a class!"  There were 10 of us and we helped prepare the menu, and then we ate.  We had a really delicious soup made from tomatoes and orange juice; we were all surprised at how good this was.  This was followed by a beet and orange salad with fig dressing.  The main course (which we'd helped prepare) was a lamb tangine with couscous, and we ended with sweet mint tea and the best rice pudding I've had in years.

Harira (Soup)

2 28 oz cans of crushed tomatoes  
2-3 cups of orange juice
1 tsp dried basil
salt and pepper to taste
pinch of saffron (optional)

Put all the ingredients in a blender or food processor.  Strain and heat.  If it's too thin, you can add some pureed chick peas.  Garnish with fresh basil.

Wednesday I was a bit on the sleepy side when I headed to school since I"d been up so late on Tuesday.

And then Wed. night we had play tickets to see "Hair!" at a local theater.  This was a national tour company presentation.  We went with some friends and had a great dinner out, and then watched the production.  I have to admit that despite my baby boomer status, I had not seen this play --I'd only heard about it.  It wasn't what I'd expected.  It was a much darker play.  It was well done, but once again, it was a very late night.  I didn't get to bed until 11 pm!

Thursday and Friday were luckily back to normal routine days.  It's fun to do something out of the rut, but my body pays for it.

As far as this week's meals -- other than the 2 meals out, nothing particularly special.
Last Sunday I roasted a small eye of the round which we had with garlic mashed potatoes, peas, and gravy.  I do make a very low fat gravy which makes this a bit healthier.

Low fat Gravy

1 can beef broth
Pan drippings (fat strained off)
1/2 cup +/- of red wine
about 1 tbs of cornstarch

Combine all ingredients.  Stirring constantly, cook over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil.  If it's not thick enough, add more cornstarch and continue cooking. If it's too thick, add more broth or wine.

Monday night I pan-broiled center cut pork chops seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic, and Italian herb mix.  I also made some farro, seasoned only with salt.    My husband's not crazy about "alternate" grains, but I liked it.  I actually ate the leftover farro for breakfast the next morning:
   Breakfast Farro

  Cooked farro  (I had about 2/3 cup)
  handful of dried cranberries
 handful of chopped walnuts
2 Tbs half and half
1 tsp maple syrup

Combine all ingredients and heat in microwave, about 90 seconds.

Tuesday and Wed. were dinner out.  On Thursday I used the left overs from Sunday to make shepherd's pie:  Cut up the beef into small cubes, mix with leftover gravy, added 1/2 chopped onion, and 1/2 bag of frozen mixed veggies.  Covered with the potatoes, sprinkled the top with smoked Spanish paprika, and heated in oven for about 40 minutes.
Friday night I just made pasta:  Penne pasta with spaghetti sauce and a couple of chicken sausages which I'd cut up into small pieces.

Yesterday was soup day -- I made a version of cabbage  refrigerator soup.   Started with stew beef, which I browned, then added a chopped onion, some carrots, some turnips, some sunchokes, 2 large cans of diced tomatoes, 1/2 head of cabbage, about 6 cups of beef broth, and sugar and vinegar to taste.  This simmered most of the day, and we dipped into it as the stomach growled.

Today??? Well I have no idea.  My husband is off grocery shopping so we will eat what he brings home!