Category — Food

One of my favorite blogs to read is Domestic Reflections.  I love her wit, her little bits she gives us about what she loves and her home (which is amazing).  One thing she does every week is plan out her meals - which I think is not only a good way to attack the  the nightly 5pm “what are we eating tonight?”  question but a great way to put it down for yourself so it doesn’t go anywhere.  I used to put write it out on a piece of paper and then it would be lost by Tuesday.

We may not have a family, but Raff and I are officially saving for a wedding.  So what a great way to start of the new year with a little weekend meal planning!

Here we go:

Friday

Semi-homemade pizza w/cheese, sauce  & green salad (oranges, fennel, parsley & lemon vinagrette)
Saturday

Chicken Enchilada verde  w/green salad

ps. new year’s resolution is to eat more salad & veggies.

I used to hem and haw over the menu for Thanksgiving.  Wanted it to be good food, but also a little unusual.  Due to lack of time and energy this season, I turned to Raff and asked him what he wanted to cook for the big Turkey-day.  His response:  Our theme this year should be “keep it simple”.  I couldn’t agree more.

Here is the menu:

Appetizers:  Antipasto w/provolone, procuitto, salami, artichoke hearts, pickled veggies.

Roasted Turkey via Alton Brown (Raff thinks he is a genus and we’ve been doing this recipe for 3 years now)

Huge bowl of Mashed Potatoes

Stuffing (courtesy of Mary Lou - we don’t do stuffing very well and she is the master)

Green Beans w/Shallots and Pancetta

Roasted Acorn Squash (cut into quarters)

Cranberry Sauce (Recipe on the back of the Ocean Spray Package)

Popovers (if I can handle it - didn’t come out too good last year.  I found out the secret is to pre-heat the pan)

Dessert:  Ricotta Pie (Another Mary Lou favorite that I now can’t live without) & Pecan pie (My first attempt at a pie, we’ll let you know how it goes)

A few weekends ago I met Dad out in Stow, MA for lunch at this fabulous Spot,  Nancy’s Airfield Cafe.

My dad is huge aviation buff.  He had his license a while back and knows every plane inside and out.   So it was ideal that we meet at this little gem of a spot in Stow for a light lunch.  Most of their ingrediates are local - I had a wonderful mixed green salad w/goat cheese and topped w/salmon.   And I couldn’t resist the rose wine list they had by the glass offering 7 different wines. Yum!

They have their own herb garden as you walk in the front door w/every possible herb.

The cafe is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner - so if you are even remotely near Stow, you have to go.