Recently I arrived at an Alamo Drafthouse less than 30 minutes before my movie started and got an awesom seat.  I wasn’t skipping work at 10am on a Tuesday nor was I watching a bad movie on its way out of theaters.

(Well, I was watching Wrath of the Titans so that last statement may not be 100% true.)

Even so, I wasn’t the only one at this movie and I got a great seat, my tardiness – in Alamo time anyway – notwithstanding. What’s my secret? Who do I know? Who did I have to blackmail? Great seats at Alamo usually come at a price and that price is precious time spent standing in line for an hour or more before a movie. So clearly there were shenanigans afoot.

Happily, no felony was committed in the acquisition of my prime movie viewing location. Instead I availed myself of Alamo’s newly minted (and apparently recently revised) reserved seating option. For just a mere two dollars more than a regular ticket price you can now reserve a specific seat in the theater that remains yours even if you slide into the theater during the previews.

A (Mostly) New Day for Theaters in Austin

Until now this marvel known as reserved movie seats was only available at the upscale (and up-priced) iPic theater at the Domain. With base seats starting at $19 and the comfy reclining seats even mor expensive at $29, iPic is truly a special occasion location. In the past I’ve believed its well worth the price – in my time-strapped opinion anyway –  when you want to watch a premier of a major release ( Harry Potter or Twilight are two recent premiers I’ve watched there) without the hassle of standing in line for hours on end. I’ll be honest, I’m just too old to camp out for any movie.

For all other not-so-special-or-screaming-pre-teen-filled movies where nibbles and beverages (other than hot dogs and Icees) are desired, Alamo is of course the best option. And with reserve seating it’s gone beyond best to out of this world fantastic.

When Reserved Seats Are Critical

I’m so giddy over this new seating policy I almost can’t contain myself. Not that you could tell or anything. Reserved seating is perfect for all sorts of film-watching situations:

• Heavily anticipated movies on opening weekend or the first few weekends after
• Movies you plan to watch with squirmy kids (or husbands)
• Group excursions where sitting together is critical to optimial fun
• Crazy busy lives (like mine!) where a hour sitting in line is like squeezing blood from a turnip

And if the concept of reserved seating itself wasn’t just plain lovely, you can even pick specific seats within the reserved section. If you’re a sit smack dab in the middle sort of person then those seats are yours. If you prefer the aisle for quick access to restrooms then the aisle it is. Seat selection is first come first serve, so if you buy the last two tickets you’ll have to take what you can get. And once all the reserved seats are gone it’s back to general admission otherwise known as the cinema cattle call.

Not Everything Can Be Perfect

Sadly there are a few drawbacks to the new system:

• Only the Ritz, South Lamar, and Slaughter Lane theaters currently offer the reserved ticket system. For those of us more northerly we’re SOL or we have to travel a bit further. I desperately hope they extend this system to all Drafthouses in town.
• There are only 20 or so reserved seats so you have to buy your tickets in advance to be assured you’ll have access to this seating nirvana. For premier weekends this means planning ahead a bit and watching for notes on when tickets go on sale. I’d say this is a decent reason to sign up for the Alamo newsletter.
• The online ticketing system doesn’t play particularly well with a mobile device, or at least it didn’t with my iPhone. You can buy a reserved ticket but when you try to select your seat the system gets hyper confused and makes you start the process again. If you just buy the reserved ticket without making a selection a seat is assigned to you, which may be okay but may not be depending on the size of your theater-going party. You can also buy reserved seats from Fandango but they won’t let you select a seat either, so there’s some work to be done for the mobile ticket buyer.

The few blimishes aside, I’m beyond thrilled that Alamo has developed this new approach to seating. It makes me love them even more as an Austin original (even if they are building a new theater in NYC) and helps me fit a great movie experience into my busy life. Of course I may have just shot myself in the foot by raving about reserved seating in this public forum, but the story just had to be told.

Slaughter Lane Footnote

By the way, the new Slaughter Lane location where I tested the reserved seating system is great. It’s clear Alamo took all of the lessons they’ve learned over the last few years and put them to good use when planning this newest theater. The rows are wider so it’s easier for everyone to move around in the theater, there are small tables shared by every pair of seats so it’s easier to get in and out of a row, and the lobby and adjacent restaurant 44 Rabbit are perfect for hanging out before or after a movie. The food and drinks are about the same as those at every other Alamo although they do offer seasonal specials and a few unique items. All-in-all it’s very well executed.

Chef John Bullington of the Alamo Drafthouse cooked an entire cow over open flame. What else is there to say?

Visiting from San Antonio, Chef Jason Dady paired big flavors in his charred brisket with blue cheese spoonbread, caramelized onion purée, house made pickles, and Guinness gastrique.

Chef Josh Watkins of The Carillon deep fried beef cheeks (Fried beef? Yes please!) and added crunchy Brussels sprouts on the side so we could all remember what a vegetable looks like.

While the smoked tri tip was the star of this dish from Chef Jonathan Gelman of The Driskill made a corn relish with popcorn he popped right over the wood stove. Oh my!

The butchery team from Whole Foods Market got in on the game with barbacoa with marrow butter.

And of course we couldn’t have a beef party without Franklin BBQ. They mixed their famous sausage and their famous brisket together. Swoon!

If you missed Live Fire keep your eyes out for Wine and Swine pig roast in November when the alliance puts porky in the spotlight.

Temperature Tatrums – I’ll admit I’ve never been 100% clear on the just right temperature for different wines nor how to practically keep them there for parties of all sorts. In this somewhat nuts and bolts demo that’s all about temperature I’m hoping Anthony Giglio will demystify all things related to the best temperatures at which to serve various wine varietals and the practical ways to get them to those temperatures and keep them there.

Pink Without Blushing: The Allure of Rose – Pink wines are completely underappreciated. They are great for summer sipping and quite frankly do just wonderfully the rest of the year as well. They just have a bad rap because they are, well, pink. I’m looking forward to finding out which pinks Mark Oldman likes this season and adding a few more options to my summer wine cabinet.

Sparkling Substitutes – Years ago when I learned that Champagne was just a place and a method, and that sparkling wine can be great even when not officially “Champagne” my eyes were opened to an entirely new part of the wine world (one that I could afford). Truth is I drink at least as much bubbly as I do any other wine and I wouldn’t dream of throwing a party without it. I’m looking forward to discovering new cost-effective and therefor party-friendly sparklers during yet another Mark Oldman demo. Who knows what fun find will grace my holiday wine bar this year.

26 More Demos, 2 Tastings, and More To Come

In the last couple of posts I’ve only covered 6 of the 35 demos anyone attending the festival can choose from. With just a few days left until the event kicks off there’s much planning left to be done. And of course much eating and drinking. If you’re planning to be at the festival please let me know in the comments, I’d love to connect. And if you’re going to participate virtually by following social media, keep an eye on the blog as well as my Twitter stream and the Austin Food Lover’s Companion Facebook page for photos, tips, tricks, and other shenanigans.

Bring on the Flavor - Over the years I’ve learned that one of the best ways to get guests to explore a new flavor or technique is to start with something they know and love and then add an unexpected twist. Of course if the twist is a little too much this approach can go very wrong very quickly, which is why I’m interested to see what tips Michelle Bernstein has to offer for adding “exciting flavors to simple recipes”.

Global Street Food – What do great street food and great party food have in common? They are both easy to make ahead and to eat while on the go, weather it be walking down the streets of a hidden foreign town or simply around a party mingling with other guests. While I know Andrew Zimmern’s demo will be influenced by his Bizarre Foods adventures, and thus not necessarily 100% applicable to every party I might throw, I’m expecting to learn some new techniques and flavor combinations that will add some zest to my future menus.

Game Day Grilling – Let’s face it, we do a lot of grilling here in Texas. From picnics to tailgating to easy al fresco dinners in the summer when the last thing you want to do is turn on the oven, grilling is as common of a cooking practice as you’ll find around these parts. I’m pretty handy at the grill (I’ve got baby back ribs cooking low and slow even as I write this), but even so I’m always looking for ways to do  more with my grill. If an hour and 45 minutes with Tim Love won’t help me do that I’m not entirely sure what will. When I’m done with this demo I bet my Longhorn and NFL season opener party menus will be well on their way to being locked and loaded.

Up next: my top three wine picks for the avid party-thrower. Because it’s never, ever just about about the food.

What demos are you most interested in attending at the festival? Please share in the comments!

Beef Supremacy & Flame Mastery

I can’t think of a better phrase to sum up the mutli-sensory experience that is the Austin Food and Wine Alliance Live Fire event.
Okay, so maybe that’s why it’s their tag line. Who am I to mess with a good thing?

This reverent homage to all things cowlicious debuted last year at the final Hill Country Wine and Food Festival and will act as a bridge to the new Austin Food and Wine Festival. Relocating to the Salt Lick Pavillion this year, the evening promises all the best in Texas food, drink, and chef talent. The newly minted Austin Food and Wine Alliance is the benefactor of the event’s proceeds, rounding out the many great reasons to spend a Thursday night with fellow beef aficionados.

Not Your Typical Festival Event

Live Fire is different from many food festival events because a single ingredient –  albeit a very large ingredient – takes center stage. This is a special treat for chefs and attendees both becuse it allows for a true food luxury: exploring an ingredient in ways not practical in a restaurant setting. Chefs experiment with cuts of beef they might not normally offer on their menu. Attendees experience the ingredient from a plethora of preparations and culinary points of view. All around there will be more cow cooked and consumed than would normally be considered reasonable by any, well, reasonable person.

The menu for this year’s Wild Fire was recently released and I’ll admit I drooled a little on my keyboard. I’m pretty sure no one was there to see it. And if they were I’d have only had to show them the menu and they would have understood (and possibly drooled right along). While I’m looking forward to trying every single chef’s offering, these jumped out to me almost immediately:

• Charred brisket with blue cheese spoonbread from Chef Jason Dady who will drive in from San Antonio. Beef and blue cheese is one of my favorite combinations but this takes it to a whole new level.
• Grilled beef shanks with Maker’s Mark sauce from Chef Adam Sappington of Portland (aka the Austin of the Pacific Northwest). Beef with Maker’s Mark, what more do I need to say?
• Beef tongue pastrami and Maker’s Mark onion jam from Chef Ned Elliot of the acclaimed Foreign and Domestic. More Maker’s Mark. I detect a trend.

I could go on and on, but I’ll let you read the menu for yourself. In fact, why don’t you share in the comments which menu time your most excited about and why.

Looking Back at Last Year’s Live Fire

As I was looking forward to this year’s Live Fire (and planning my all vegetable diet in preparation for the beef bonanza that is to come) I revisited some of the photos I took at last year’s events. Of course they made me hungry and just a little bit more excited for this year’s event. And while we won’t see these exact dishes at this year’s event, they are a good indicator of what we have to look foraward to in less than two weeks.

What's the best way to cook a whole slew o' tenderloin? Over a long bed of hardwood of course. What's the best way to shred beef? With a mallet of course.

The one menu item from last year that will appear again this year is Franklin BBQ's famed brisket. I'll wager my own plate of brisket that the lines this year will be as long this year as they were last.

Of course beef needs some sides as partners. They help round out the plate and distract us just a bit from the sheer bulk of beef we'll happily consume.

When the day of luv falls on a weeknight things get a little tricky because, alas, Valentine’s day doesn’t warrant a full day off. I’m left to to squeeze dinner in among work and after school activities. In short, I need a menu that packs a punch of elegance lickity-split. Lamb, a meat that everyone things is so tricky to cook and that looks so beautiful in presentation, is my secret weapon this year. Paired with short-cut mashed potatoes loaded with bacon and cheese and some roasted baby carrots, we’ll have a feast on a weeknight (and you can too). Oh, and let’s not forget dessert. Puff pastry (another of my go-to secrete weapons) makes a beautiful and quick dessert when topped with Nutella and strawberries. Add some bubbly to the mix and the evening will be just right.

The Menu

Lamb Chops with Pomegranate Red Wine Sauce

Thyme-Roasted Carrots

Bacon and Cheddar Smashed Potatoes

Chocolate Raspberry Pastry Cups

Shopping Tips

• If your meat counter doesn’t already have lamb chops pre-cut, ask them to separate the chops in a rack of lamb for you. You’ll save some prep time and their chops will be prettier than yours (unless of course you’re a trained butcher).
• Buy baby carrots with the tops still on if you can find them. They’ll cook a little faster and will be so pretty on the plate.
• The quality of the bacon and cheddar in your potatoes can take them to a whole different level. I don’t recommend using the reduced-fat cheddar the recipe calls for. Instead go full fat and pick an aged cheddar with enough flavor to match that of a good bacon.
• The “apricot glaze” in the puff pastry hearts can really just be apricot jam that you melt in the microwave. Or, you can skip it all together and they’ll still be fantastic.
• Feel free to substitute sliced strawberries for the raspberries in the dessert, or use a mix of berries.

The Game Plan

Set a pretty table, gather your serving dishes, and put the puff pastry in the fridge to thaw the night before. Then plan about 45 minutes to an hour get dinner on the table on the big night.

• The carrots have the longest cooking time so get them started first. Preheat the oven while you peel and prep. If you were able to find baby carrots with their tops intact, leave about 1/2 an inch of the carrot tops on for an extra oomph to the presentation.
• Once the carrots are in the oven peel the potatoes and prep all of the other ingredients but don’t start the microwave until you start the lamb chops. Cold mashed potatoes will totally put a damper on this dinner (ha!).
• Prep all of the ingredients for the puff pastry cups. When the carrots come out of the oven you can reduce the temperature by 25 degrees and slide the puff pastry cups in to cook while you finish getting dinner on the table. Take them out and they’ll be cool enough to handle after dinner.
• The lamb chops come together quickly so get all of the ingredients together and ready to go before you start them.
• Once the chops are done everything else should coming together and while it will be a bit of a juggle it will be over pretty quickly. Plate the lamb chops and carrots, finish the potatoes, and move everything to the table. Don’t forget to take the puff pastry shells out of the oven! After you finish dinner dessert will come together in about the time it takes your family to clear the table.

I’m not quite sure why we Americans have such a love affair with chicken wings. Maybe it’s because the chicken wing can take on so many different flavors and has a convenient built-in handle. Or possibly our inner children still love to make a mess while we eat and there are fewer finger foods that have such a mess-making potential as the chicken wing. And then there’s the near ubiquitous pairing of sports and chicken wings. A big game watching party is just missing a bit of something if there aren’t chicken wings about.

While I’m a fan of the traditional Buffalo wing with it’s buttery pepper sauce, and I’m not going to turn down a chicken wing bathed in BBQ sauce, I’m always on the lookout for fun twists on wings recipes so I can offer a bit of the unexpected on my game watching party table.

Sriracha-Glazed Chicken Wings from Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food magazine embody that twist. Sriracha, a traditional Thai condiment featuring chiles and garlic, add spice and heat to the wings while soy sauce gives some depth of flavor. Fresh ginger offers nice back-of-the-throat burn that’s different but complimenatry to the heat from the Sriracha and honey adds a bit of sweetness to balance it all out. These wings are baked instead of fried making them less-messy and just a little better for you than a traditional fried wing.

Save Yourself Heartburn, Prep Ahead

While it only takes a few minutes to whip the Sriracha glaze together for these wings, and they technically only need 30 minutes of marinading time, you can do the whipping and marinating much further in advance to give you one less thing to do just before the game starts.

• Toss the wings with the sauce the morning before the party, cover, and let sit in the fridge until you’re ready to bake them. Pull the wings out at the same time you preheat the oven so they can shake the chill a bit, then bake as directed.
• Freeze the wings in the marinade in a heavy duty zip-top bag for up to a month. The night before the party move the bag to the fridge so the wings can thaw safely overnight. Set the wings out on the counter while the oven preheats and bake away.

Burn Baby, Burn

Even though the name implies that these wings might be extra spicy, a single tablespoon of Sriracha really doesn’t bring that much heat to the party, particularly when spread over a pound and a half of wings. You can easily double the Sriracha or if your guests have varying levels of heat tolerance, serve some Sriracha on the side so those who so desire can turn up the heat all they want.

Make Extra, It’s Easy

Besides being quick and easy to put together, this recipe is easy to double or triple to serve a bigger crowd. Just be sure to use a big enough baking dish so the wings aren’t crowded while they bake or you’ll risk soggy, undercooked wings. You can keep extra wings warm in a crock pot on low so fans can nosh (or possibly stress eat) throughout the game.

As preparation for making a strong return to cooking at home, I’ve reminded myself this week of my top three reasons for making eating out a treat instead of a regular occurrence:

• Eating out is not budget friendly. If you want reasonable food for a family you have to (and should) pay for it. Spending $50 – $70 every now and again is okay, but not on any sort of a regular basis. And inexpensive fast food is not an option with the exception of an occasional trip to Chick-Fil-A.
• Restaurant food isn’t generally waistline friendly. Research regularly shows that restaurant meals are full of fat and salt, largely because that’s what we all love so that’s what chefs give us. And while there may be dishes on the meal that are marked as “light” or seem light, because I’m not preparing the food I don’t actually know how many calories I’m consuming.
• Family dinner time just isn’t the same at a restaurant. I’m a big proponent of the importance of family dinners. And while I’ll take family dinner time at a restaurant over no family dinner time at all, which we had to do just this past week, the value of family dinner is the strongest when we enjoy it in our own home.

As I’ve planned my menu this week I’ve returning to my tried and true approaches to making the males I plan actually happen:

• KISS (Keep it Super Simple). Because I’m a food blogger I tend to want to make every meal a production, thinking about how I can use what I’ve learned on the blog. I have to remember to set that aspiration aside and instead aspire to cook a good meal for my family that we can enjoy together. That means returning to simple recipes that come together quickly.
• Prep ahead whenever possible. After a fully day of running, work, and playing mom’s taxi service I’m often just too tired to contemplate making dinner. if I can do some prep work the night before (before I sit down – once I sit down it’s all over), I’m that much closer to dinner the next night.
• Have a contingency plan. Even the best menu plan goes the way of mice and men, so I’ve added a couple of frozen pizzas to my freezer stash. While not an idea solution, a pizza is still a budget-friendly option and when accompanied by a quick salad I can stay more-or-less waistline friendly.
• Plan and shop ahead. My new job at Whole Foods has thrown me out of my planning and shopping routine. Instead of stocking up at the store for a full week, I kept telling myself “I’ll just run by the store on the way home.” The reality is that when I’m done with work I just want to go home and then we don’t have groceries with which to make dinner. I’ve moved back to a once-weekly shopping trip and will keep a quick trip to the store on the way to the car in reserve for ingredient emergencies only.

This Week’s Plan

I’m finishing some recipe testing for the blog so we’ll be having some big game food for dinner this week. I’m pretty sure the family won’t complain and the recipes are all fast and easy. I’m also running a 1/2 marathon on Sunday so Saturday will be a carb-load day and Sunday will feature brunch and  an easy dinner.

• Monday: Buffalo chicken sliders, veggies and dip
  I’m working on a recipe that turns the traditional chicken wing into a slider and I’m testing the latest version this week. In homage to the traditional chicken wing accouterments, we’ll have fresh veggies and dip as a side.
• Tuesday: Pasta with sausage and broccoli
  This dish has been a family favorite for a few years now and it comes together quickly. I’ll also prep the meatballs for Wednesday’s dinner before I’m done in the kitchen so I’ll have a head start.
• Wednesday: Meatball sliders, salad
  Can you tell I’m working on a sliders blog post? We’ll use up our extra slider buns and I’ll have leftover meatballs to put into the freezer stash.
• Thursday: Chick-Fil-A
  Speaking of the occasional trip to Chick-Fil-A, we’ll have to make one this weekend because there simply won’t be time around activities to have dinner at home. I’m working on some ideas for portable dinners but for now I can be okay with eating out as long as I’ve planned it.
• Friday: Fajitas, fixin’s, rice, beans
  I’ll take advantage of the pre-seasoned meat from the meat counter downstairs to save myself from prep time on this Friday dinner. Pre-sliced onions and peppers will also be time savers to make this Friday night dinner something I can pull off no matter how tired I am.
• Saturday: Gnocchi with Prosciutto and Parmesan, roasted vegetables
  For my pre-race carb load I’m going to replace pasta with potato dumplings in this simple yet hearty dish. Roasted vegetables will be easy on the stomach and round out the meal.
• Sunday: Tuscan Lamb and Chicken Skewers, naan, tomato and cucumber salad
  I’ll round out my blog post cooking by converting another family favorite recipe into kebabs perfect for game-day noshing. I’ll put the meat into marinate on Saturday night so dinner will come together quickly after my post-race nap.

How do you fight the desire to let someone else do the cooking when you’re tired? Do you have special tis and tricks for sticking to your menu plan? Please share them in the comments. I need all the help I can get!

Resources for Menu Planning

While Rachel Ray would have us believe the meals in 30 minutes are the bomb, it’s possible to get dinner on the table in 15 minutes or less, as all of these recipe collections show.

• My Recipes 15 Minute Meals Collection
• Martha Stewart’s 15 Minutes or Less Main Dish Recipes
• Real Simple Dinner in 15 Minutes Flat
• Steamy Kitchen’s 15 Minute Asian Light Meals
• The Kitchn’s 10 Meals to Make in 15 Minutes or Less

This Week’s Plan

Last week not-so-gently reminded me that our regular schedule is not to be reckoned with. By the time Friday rolled around I was “stick a fork in me” done. With a little bit of R&R this weekend though I’ll be ready to tackle next week with some new easy recipes and even some fun football fare over the weekend. The kiddo does have a basketball game to cheer at so that’s one less meal I’ll be cooking.

Do you have any favorite recipes that take 15 minutes or less to prepare? Please share them in the comments!

I just finished putting our holiday decorations away which always makes me a little melancholy. It seems like just yesterday I was stringing lights and decking the halls (as it were). Still, with the turning of the year comes all sorts of possibilities so I’m choosing to focus on starting the year with a bang (or at least a solid thump).

Menu planning during the holidays becomes the epitome of a juggling act, making school year men planning look like a walk in the park. There are visitors, parties, holiday to-dos, and so much more to plan around, and the mix of “big meals” and quick on-the go dinners is almost dizzying to consider. Frankly, I’m happy to be back in a normal menu planing routine – or at least as normal as any thing can ever really be around here.

Menu Planning Resources: Pinterest Boards

As a new addition this year to my menu planning posts I thought I would add a section on menu planning resources and tools. Some weeks this might just be my own tips and tricks, learned thanks to trial by fire as the family menu planer, and others it might be great sites, cookbooks, or articles I come across. I thought I’d kick this new feature off by linking to some Pinterest boards focused on easy and weeknight-friendly recipe finds.

• Lara Liles Weeknight Meals board includes family-friendly dishes like pizza casserole as well as some more grown-up dishes like easy crab cakes in a muffin pan.
• Amanda Perez Weeknight Dinners board includes lower-fat options as well as links to recipes for mini versions of meatloaves, tarts, and chile rellenos which are just plain fun.
• Viktoria Berkes Fast for Dinner Recipes board will make you rethink sandwiches (in a good way).
• Amanda Landau’s Weeknight Dinner board has links to several recipe collections and some great crock pot options.
• Gaby Dalkin’s Savory board isn’t dedicated to easy recipes in specific but she’s a busy woman with great taste so most of her recipes are easy yet just a little on the gourmet side.
• Alli Worthington’s Cooking This One Day board is full of family-friendly and weeknight-ready recipes because Allie lives a crazy busy life and has a rollicking family so she’s in the know about what sorts of recipes are going to be tasty and easy.
• Cooking Light’s No-Cook Recipes board is a quick way to find some of the best easy recipes on their site in one place.
• My Easy Weeknight Dinners board is where I keep the recipes I want to try for fast yet healthy and tasty dinners.

To find your own boards full of weeknight options try these search terms (and remember to search for boards, not pins or people):

• Weeknight dinners
• Weeknight recipes
• Easy recipes
• Fast recipes
• Kid friendly recipes

What is this Pinterest of which I speak? Oh my friend, if you haven’t discovered Pinterest you’re missing out. This beautiful site is the home of thousands of virtual pin boards where community members keep track of everything from recipes they want to try to great outfits and beautiful hair styles and even inspirational photos. I wrote about it earlier this year and it’s one of the fastest growing social networks out there, and for good reason. A warning though, pinning can be a bit addictive, so be ready to loose yourself in it a bit, particularly when you first start pinning. Over time you’ll find a healthy balance, or at least that’s what people tell me.

This Week’s Plan

We’ll of course hit the ground running this week with practices and classes in full swing. To top it off the kiddo is headed out of town this weekend which means a night out for the adults and a chance to try a new fish dish.

• Monday: Make Your Own Pizza, the Meatless Monday version, and a side salad
  For a fun and easy dinner the first day back to school and work we’ll have pizza night but the one rule will be no meat on the pizzas. I’m working on having more meatless meals in our world without causing rebellion in the house and pizza is a good way to start.
• Tuesday: Pineapple Chicken Satay, steamed rice,  and sauteed broccoli
  Who doesn’t like food on sticks? The whole family can help put this easy dish together and leftovers will be great for lunch. I’ll make extra rice for fried rice later in the week.
• Wednesday: Cincinnati Chili, pasta, and fixin’s
  This family favorite dish isn’t your typical chili. We serve it over angel hair pasta with grated cheddar cheese and it’s pretty fantastic. I hope to get my act together and share my recipe before chili season is over.
• Thursday: Almost Classic Pork Fried Rice
  Leftover rice will help this one-dish dinner come together quickly. I’ll buy pre-cut veggies to save on prep time.
• Friday: Parents’ Night Out
  With the kiddo winging her way to visit her grandparents for the weekend the adults can go out for happy hour drinks and dinner on a Friday night. If you don’t mind making a dinner out of appetizers, happy hours are a great way to have a wonderful dinner without breaking the bank. Of course I have to run 20 miles on Saturday morning so I won’t be taking advantage of the drink specials (well, maybe just one glass).
• Saturday: Lemony Halibut en Papillotes, roasted root vegetables
  I love to cook in parchment paper because it’s easy and relatively mess-free. We’ll be trying this new recipe for healthy halibut for a romantic dinner for two at home on Saturday night.
• Sunday: Five Spice Baby Back Ribs, green beans, corn cakes
  I’m going to let the crock-pot do the heavy lifting on these ribs because I have to work a trip to the airport into my typically busy Sunday. I’ll make extra green beans to have for lunch next week.

Are you pinning fun and easy recipes on Pinterest? Share the link with me in the comments so I can follow you!