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Dinner Divas Weekly Menu Plan: Week 11

Dinner Divas Weekly Menu
Dinner Divas Weekly Menu Plan is back and this week we are sharing Red, White & Blue recipes.  Just in time for the 4th of July, here are 7 recipes to help you enjoy this holiday weekend.

How it works:  Every Friday morning, a new meal plan will show up in your email.  It will consist of 5 dinner options, plus 2 extras.  Those two extras could be side dishes, dessert, drinks, etc. The Dinner Divas weekly menu plans will feature (mostly) healthy, seasonal foods that don’t take all day to prepare.   Getting the weekly menu delivered to your inbox on Friday morning gives you the chance to make your shopping list and get organized for the week ahead.  We’ve got so much good stuff this week!  I’d love to hear from you & see your creations!  Post a pic using #DinnerDivas and tag @pookspantry!   I hope this weekly menu plan provides inspiration and makes life a little easier… one meal at a time. 

First up this week are these Hot dogs with Fancy Condiments from Comfortably Domestic.  Everyone grills hot dogs, so why not up your game with the toppings?

Dinner Divas Weekly Menu

Next up this week is Tortellini Caprese Salad from Pastry Chef Online.  Stuffed pasta tossed with basil and mozzarella, perfect weeknight dinner.

Barbecue Chicken with Pinot Noir Blueberry Sauce from Girl in the Little Red Kitchen is my kind of recipe.  I can guarantee this will be in my menu very soon.

 

The Chef Next Door has Heirloom Tomato Pesto Pizza this week and it looks delicious!

Finally, my Eggplant Caprese Stacks end the week.   These were so very good, that I will admit to you (only because we’re friends) that I ate 3 of them.  I couldn’t help it, they are THAT good.

Caprese Eggplant Stacks | Pook's Pantry

This week, Comfortably Domestic offers Dill Potato Salad as a side.  It would be perfect with her hot dogs.

Last, but not least,  these Fresh Fruit and Yogurt Popsicles are my new favorite thing.  They are so simple to make and contain a handful of ingredients.  You can beat the heat and not worry about artificial anything.

Finally,  I would like to wish you a happy and safe 4th of July!

The Dinner Divas Weekly Menu Plan

Dinner Divas Weekly Menu Plan: Week 3

Dinner Divas - week 3
Welcome Back to Dinner Divas! We have another amazing week of recipes to share with all of you! The weather here has flipped a switch and it is getting hot. We’re already experiencing 90+ degree days, so I’m looking forward to lighter fare and refreshing beverages!  Have a wonderful weekend and make it a delicious day!

This comforting meal is exactly what I’d want to eat while snuggled up on the couch with a movie! It looks so good, and has everything I love!  Gnocchi with Chicken Sausage, Brussels Sprouts and Apples from Girl in the Little Red Kitchen

 

Meatless meals don’t have to be boring!  This Asparagus Carbonara with Horseradish Breadcrumbs from The Wimpy Vegetarian  looks absolutely delicious!  Asparagus is in season now, so it’s the perfect time to make it!

 

Chicken with Mushrooms and Thyme from Pastry Chef Online is one of my favorites!  I make something similar at least once a month here! It’s incredibly delicious and it delivers big flavor without demanding lots of time and effort. That’s a midweek win!

 

I have a meatless meal offering this week – my Soba Noodles with Stir-Fried Vegetables.  So good, you honestly won’t miss the meat.  If you have a carnivore in your house that just can’t live without it, shrimp or chicken works beautifully here.  I’ve even done it with beef or pork. This is a solid recipe with lots of room for variations.

 

This Spring Vegetable Tart from Comfortable Domestic would make a wonderful light dinner or a brilliant brunch.  Cooking for Mom next weekend?  I think you found your recipe.

 

This Spicy Succotash with Bacon and Fava Beans would go perfectly with the Chicken on Wednesday.

 

These Lemon Blueberry Scones from The Chef Next Door could be dessert, afternoon snack, breakfast, etc.  I don’t care when you give them to me as long as I get to eat them.

Thank you for joining Dinner Divas!  We look forward to helping you plan your weekly menus and hope that it makes life easier, one meal at a time!

Brought to you by:

The Dinner Divas

Dinner Divas – Weekly Meal Plan: Week 2

Dinner Divas Weekly Menu Plan - Week 2 | Pook's Pantry
Greetings! Welcome to week 2 of Dinner Divas Weekly Menu Plan!  How it works:  Every Friday morning, a new meal plan will show up in your email.  It will consist of 5 dinner options, plus 2 extras.  Those two extras could be side dishes, dessert, drinks, etc.   The menus will feature (mostly) healthy, seasonal foods that don’t take all day to prepare.   Getting the meal plan delivered to your inbox on Friday morning gives you the chance to make your shopping list and get organized for the week ahead.   I hope this weekly meal plan makes life a little easier… one meal at a time. 

This week, the Dinner Divas put together an amazing meal plan.  We have delicious dinners, a lovely side dish and a beverage!  Spring is in the air and I don’t know about you, but I’d rather be outside enjoying the weather than standing in front of an open fridge at 5:30 wondering what I can pull together that will pass as dinner.   Planning ahead has been a HUGE gamechanger for me and I hope it has for you as well.

DINNER DIVAS – WEEKLY MENU PLAN: WEEK 2

This Meatless Monday meal sounds so delicious, I can hardly wait to have this for dinner!   Mujadara with Roasted Tomatoes and Greens from the Wimpy Vegetarian  is also a perfect side for lamb.

 

Casserole Supreme from Jenni Field’s Pastry Chef Online is the epitome of comfort food to me.  It’s exactly what I think of when I want a “food hug”.

 

Roasted Chicken and Vegetable Sheet Pan Supper from Pook’s Pantry (me!) is one of my “go-to” dinners.  Sometimes, you just need to get dinner done without a sinkful of dirty pots and pans.   Oh, did I mention it’s about a half hour from fridge to table?  Yeah, winner winner chicken dinner.

Bucatini with Spinach Pesto from The Chef Next Door is a great weeknight meal that comes together quickly and is minimal fuss!   This vegetarian dish would also be fantastic with a little grilled chicken on top!

 

Al Pastor Pork Stuffed Sweet Potatoes from Girl in the Little Red Kitchen  I love my Instant Pot and I’m always looking for more recipes that use it.  Combine that with the fact that these are Whole 30 compliant – JACKPOT!!!  I’m over the moon for these!

And now, for the extras!

This lovely Asparagus Gribiche from The Wimpy Vegetarian would be a wonderful brunch item or side to a Spring menu

 

Homemade Lemonade Concentrate from Comfortably Domestic  is my summer dream come true.  Who doesn’t love lemonade?!  You can make pitchers of lemonade for a fraction of the cost of buying it!

 

Thank you so much for joining us!  I look forward to seeing you here every Friday for more menu plans brought to you by:

The Dinner Divas

 

Roasted Chicken and Vegetable Sheet Pan Supper

Sheet Pan Supper – Chicken and vegetables roasted all together on one pan for a super easy dinner with minimal cleanup.  Meals like this are a lifesaver during hectic evenings when you need to get dinner on the table without a lot of effort. 

Also known as “clean out the fridge dinners” around here.  You know how it goes, you’re running around trying to get everything done, making sure you have clean clothes, the dog is staring at you like “Um, hello… Could I get some food down here too?”.  You open the fridge to find some carrots, peppers and maybe a few other veggies.  Onions, potatoes and tomatoes are always on hand, so you are halfway home.  If you don’t eat meat, or if it’s a “meatless Monday”, you’re done.  Otherwise, a couple of chicken breasts thrown on with the veggies and some seasoning makes this a slam dunk in record time. The most time consuming part of this is chopping the vegetables.  If I know that I’m facing a busy week, I chop veggies ahead of time and store them in the fridge.  

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Winter Market Buddha Bowls with Potato, Quinoa and Beets

Winter Market Bowl Idaho Potato - Pook's Pantry
This post is sponsored by Idaho®Potatoes. All opinions are my own.

Potatoes.  Everyone loves them and they are available year round.  However, I’m sure you get stuck in the same potato rut like I do.  You need new ideas!  Well, this one is our new “Go-To”.  It has tons of veggies, it’s healthy, it’s gluten-free and if you leave the egg off, it’s vegan.
We all have a piece of that or a hunk of this in the fridge just waiting to get used up in something , right?  Here is the perfect way to use up a few of those ingredients that are hanging out patiently awaiting their destiny.

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Can All The Things!

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I met Rebecca Lindamood a few years ago at a food blog conference in Orlando.  One day, we were talking about trading goods with each other (local food for local food).  A few weeks later, much to my delight, a quart of Grape Pie Filling (p.31) shows up on my doorstep.  I had never tasted grape pie filling before, so I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect.  I was in for gastronomic bliss of epic proportions. If you pay attention to things I swoon about, you know THIS is at the top of my list.  Think of the juiciest, “grapiest”,  most luscious grape you’ve ever had.  Now multiply that by 10.  That’s Rebecca’s grape pie filling.

When there was talk of this book happening, I was beyond thrilled for my friend.  Her food is amazing and creative.  It is beautiful and yet,  practical.  As a former cook and Mom of 5 boys, she knows a thing or two about feeding people.   I couldn’t wait to get this book and review it because I knew it was going to be one of my “go-to” guides for canning.   I’ve made chutneys and jams, pie fillings and pickles,  chow chow and pickled beans… and then they sit there. Sometimes I get around to actually using them and sometimes, I give it all away because I can only eat so much of it.  Here’s where Rebecca saves the day:  there is a corresponding recipe for all of the things you’ve just canned!!!  I can’t even begin to explain my excitement about that!  

After all, a beautiful jar of something sitting on the shelf doesn’t do anyone any good unless you know how to use it!   -Rebecca Lindamood

If you or someone you know enjoys canning, get this book! There is something for everyone. It would make a great present for any occasion.  Or just because it’s Tuesday. I can’t recommend it enough.  It’s written in a way that makes it accessible for beginners and at the same time, appeals to experienced canners as well.  The recipes are unique and so varied!  Everything from the aforementioned grape pie filling to cardamom extract.   Make the cherries in red wine syrup this weekend (while you can still get this little ruby fruit) and enjoy the fruits (see what I did there ;)) of your labor in the fall or winter when you use those cherries to make Filet Mignon with Red Cherry Wine Sauce!  Make a batch of Ginger Peach Butter now, enjoy Peaches and Cream Baked Oatmeal later!   The entire book is like this!!!  Can you tell how much I love that?  It’s brilliant!

My dream pantry is lined top to bottom with beautiful jars containing their jewel colored treasures.  This book has me on my way to achieving that dream.  Thank you Rebecca, for reintroducing me to my love of canning.

Here is an affiliate link to Amazon to make getting your book even easier!

Happy Canning!

Summer Grain Salad

summer grain salad

It’s the unofficial start to summer and you know what that means:  dining alfresco!  Whether it be picnics, backyard BBQ’s or lunch hours outside on a bench while soaking up a little sunshine, this grain salad with it’s rainbow of colors has you covered.

It’s the perfect time of year to enjoy nature’s bounty of fresh vegetables.  If you are trying to eat a little cleaner and healthier, grain salads are for you!  The satisfying chewiness of whole grains, the crunch of fresh veggies,  the freshness of herbs and the zing of red wine vinegar make this salad a home run. 

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Veggie Cakes

Veg Cake
Cooking for people who don’t particularly care for vegetables can present a challenge.  Do you know anyone like this?   I have a number of clients are who aren’t huge fans of vegetables, so I have to think of ways to make them appealing.  You could pull a tomato off of the vine and hand it to me with dirt on it and I’d eat it without protesting,  but I love vegetables…    …

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Pickled Vegetables aka Curtido

9.9I have been waiting for this supposed “cauliflower shortage” to work itself out because I have been craving these pickled vegetables and I was not about to pay $7 for a head of cauliflower… Call me crazy.

I had completely resigned myself to the idea that I was not going to fulfill my craving anytime soon because the price of cauliflower was not budging and i just could not bring myself to pay three times the normal price.   However, that little  (ever-present, annoying, extremely loud)  nagging voice in the back of brain said “Hey, let’s just walk over there and check”.   Gah, I hate when she’s right…  well, maybe just this once it’s okay.

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Mango Lime Quinoa

Mango Lime Quinoa

Welcome to the first installment of “Client Food Fridays”.  Every other Friday, I’m going to share recipes I cook for clients in hopes that you can expand your weekly repertoire and incorporate some new dishes into the rotation.  We all fall into cooking ruts, ALL of us.  It’s so easy to make the same things over and over because we can do it by rote memory.   And let’s be honest, sometimes that’s exactly what we need after an exceptionally long week.   But then, there are those days when we are feeling good and we are totally in the mood to try something new (whether or not anyone else in our house is on board is not an issue… picky eaters, beware.  we’re coming for you).

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