April 20 Menu

I'm getting a jump start on this menu because this is the week my wife will be going on a business trip. Without her help, I'll have to focus on dishes that can be done relatively quickly so that I can attend to my daughter as well as prepare meals; dishes that can feed both her and myself, which is a bit of a challenge since she's only 12 months old and hasn't fully transitioned to adult foods; dishes that taste good, otherwise, what's the use.   Any and all suggestions would be welcome.

I have a feeling I'll have more than my usual number of crockpot dishes.

Monday - Fish Tacos

• thanks to my sister who forwarded this recipe from Rick Mooney, and what a great idea, fish, easy to prepare and tasty
• 1 1/4 lb fish, vegetable oil with rub (1 tsp chili, 2 tsp coriander ground, 3/4 tsp cumin ground) baked in oven 425 degrees for 15 minutes, or grill, if you have a house with a backyard grill, which I don't
• soft corn tortillas
• taco fix-ins (greens, tomatoes, grated cheese, salsa, sour cream, guacamole)

Tuesday - Crockpot Burritos

• http://crockpotrecipes101.com/blog/2005/08/crockpot-burritos.html
  
• use prior evening's fix-ins
• soak black beans for tomorrow

Wednesday - Black Bean Soup (moved to Sunday)

• oh, i have group meeting where dinner is being served, yay!
• it seems that all black bean recipes stage the cooking process, i'm going to try and just do one long cook
• http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Spicy-Slow-Cooker-Black-Bean-Soup/Detail.aspx
• should add some ham hock and maybe a can of tomatoes
• since I'll be cooking this on Sunday now, I'll have more time so I'm thinking of switching to this recipe
• http://crockpotrecipes101.com/blog/2006/09/crockpot-black-bean-soup.html
  

Thursday - Crockpot Chili

• thanks to my "sesame street live" friend, steve, here's a blog with a couple of tried recipes, I'm going with the chili, and, steve, sydney and i are in row Q, right behind you for next saturday, and what's the deal with $15 tickets but like $7 ticketmaster fees, no wonder other agencies are trying to find a way to break their hold on the market, and you also pay $2.50 for will-call, i've never bought tickets from ticketmaster before but that's just plain nickel and diming
• http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2009/01/30/the-frugal-magic-of-the-five-ingredient-crock-pot-meal/
  

Friday - Dare I say it, PIZZA!

• The place up the street on Huron Ave is great, straight neighborhood thin crust slices.  No fancy goat cheese, truffle oil, or whatever.  Pepperoni and grease, please.

Shopping List for me:

• Meat, Fish, Poultry - fish, sirloin stew beef, ham hock, ground beef
  
• Dairy, Eggs, Juice - grated cheese, 
  
• Vegetables, Fruits, Herbs - greens, tomatoes, cilantro
  
• Condiments - salsa, jalapenos, chicken broth
  
• Other - Corn tortillas, taco seasoning, refried beans, dried black beans, 2 cans of beans
  

Shopping List Addtl:

• Dairy, Eggs, Juice - sour cream, guacamole
  
• Vegetables, Fruits, Herbs - green onions, onions
  
• Spices - garlic powder, chili, cumin, cayenne pepper, black pepper, salt
  
• Condiments - hot pepper sauce
  
• Other - black olives, jalapenos,  tomatoe sauce, crushed tomatoes
  

Notes for the Week:

1. Black bean soup was moved to Sunday and was a great start for the week.  I put only 1/2 a jar of salsa and added smoked bacon.  Lastly, I pureed it for smoother texture to remind of my college days.  A book store called Atticus served a smooth black bean soup that I craved for on many occasions during study breaks.

2. We did fish tacos but I didn't follow the recipe because I ended up cooking at a friend's kitchen.  I used a mix of Old Bay Seasoning and Adobo but instead of a dry rub, I mixed it into olive oil and chopped garlic and then spread the mixture on the fish.  Either way it was a great meal.

3. Crockpot burrito didn't come out as expected because I put TOO much water in the pot.  I was going to be away for 12 hours, so I added some more water, but that turned out to be a bad idea.  Also, I realize that I am not a big fan of taco seasoning mix and I will do a better job to find a more authentic burrito recipe.

4. Crockpot chili came out much better than I had expected.  Who would have thought just a jar of tomato sauce was all it took?  I skipped the chili powder so that my daughter could have some and it still came out tasty.

5. Spending a whole week with my daughter alone has been an incredible week.  We really formed a bond and now I get emotional when I drop her off at daycare.  We finished several art projects and made real strides in eating.  She's growing up so fast.