I am very excited because L. and I are making brunch for some dear friends on Sunday; we we have not seen them in several years so this feels like a particularly celebratory occasion. Also, they are major foodies so I feel that I really need to up my game when cooking for their discerning palates and also bring out the "good" wines!
I am hosting a dinner party on Monday as well, so my personal challenge this week was to create 2 separate menus (so that Monday's guests did not feel that they were getting leftovers from Sunday brunch), while using recipes that were similar enough that I could do a lot of joint prep over the weekend. So...Sunday's cream puff dough recipe will be doubled and turned into cheesy gougeres on Monday evening, the polenta that I will prepare for Sunday's panisses will do double-duty and star in Monday's butternut squash and polenta layered casserole, the Shashuka and the chicken sauce have the same base, and the chocolate filling and whipped cream for Sunday's cream puffs will be gussied up and report for duty as dessert on Monday as chocolate pudding. This all will still mean a lot of cooking but this planning ahead will certainly make it manageable and even more fun - for the likes of me at least.
I will deliberately "cheat" on this week's 20-minute challenge (sorry). I am hoping that I can bring the cucumber salad, flank steak and bok choi dish to the table in under 20 minutes but the rice will take slightly longer if I want to make it perfectly (and I may or may not count the 2 or so minutes to assemble the marinade in the morning). So there. Still, this seemed like more of a challenge to attempt than, say, Tuesday's pasta or Thursday's soup, which I can definitely make in less than 20 minutes. I did tell you that my food is really not as complicated as some of you seem to think it is...
Sunday Brunch
Polenta Panisses with Za'atar and Whipped Feta (with drinks)
Bouillabaisse Mini Soups
Beet Marinated Octopus, Pea Leaf Salad with Lemon Dressing, Pickled Red Onion
Green Shashuka
Chocolate Cream Puffs
Sunday [usually "Proper" Family Meal but...]
"Kitchen Sink" Sandwiches due to Big Sunday Brunch above
Monday [usually New Recipe but I am having a dinner party and a request for this chicken dish came in...]
Gougeres (with drinks)
Arugula Salad with Pickled Persimmons, Walnuts and Walnut Oil Dressing
Polenta, Butternut Squash and Gruyere Layered Casserole
Chocolate Pudding with Whipped Cream
Tuesday [Pasta]
Zucchini "Involtini" Salad
Sicilian Anchovy and Lemon Angel Hair Pasta with Toasted Breadcrumbs
Wednesday ["Ethnic" Food]
My Mother's Chinese Cucumber Salad
Grilled Vietnamese Flank Steak
Stir Fried Bok Choy with Garlic and Black Beans
Thursday [Soup and Homemade Bread]
Thai Inspired Fish and Shrimp Ball Stew with Coconut Milk and Crispy Rice Squares
Friday [Vegetarian]
OUT
Saturday ["Picnic" Dinner]
Mixed Salad
Welsh Rarebit