July 27 Menu

Due to an unforeseen and very much unfortunate set of circumstances, we did not go to London last week. And I riase my hand solely in a "mea culpa" and hope my daughter will be able to forgive me when she gets old enough to realize what she missed out on. And of course, my wife has forgiven me, or rather, has extended to me a bargain that I couldn't refuse - ten years of servitude, to put it bluntly. So this week's menu is going to be all korean, and this may be a regular thing, as that is her favorite menu of choice.

On a side note, if you are bemused by this little blog, I would suggest another that I have started: www.hybridskeptic.blogspot.com. This blog is a result of a contest that Lexus is running, the winner of which will be able to test drive their new hybrid for a year. When we first bought our car, an RX350, we quickly dismissed the hybrid version because of the fact that the cost clearly outweighed the slight environmental benefits. Lexus promises this version to be different, and I'm willing to take them up on on their promise and see if they really deliver - on all fronts. So, if you believe in what I'm proposing, please vote for me.

Without further ado, here's this week menu (and I apologize that I'm posting this on Sunday, probably well after everyone's done their grocery shopping for the week). All dishes come with rice, I mean served with rice.

Monday - Sam Gae Tang (Chicken Soup)

• http://www.maangchi.com/recipe/samgyetang
• I've had this menu on before. If you don't have the dates, feel free to use any dried fruits. I've used apricots once and it was fine. You can also leave it out. Hopefully, you'll have some leftover ginseng root from last time.
• You can always opt to get the prepackaged sam gae tang herbs/ spices at the local korean grocer.

Tuesday - Soft Spicy Tofu Stew

• http://www.maangchi.com/recipe/soondubu-jjigae
• Don't be afraid of "spicy." Like many things, it's in the eye of the beholder - just tone down the hot pepper flakes.
• Also, this dish can be 100% vegetarian, as I have had it that way many times.

Wednesday - Braised Monkfish

• http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/585171
• The ingredients for this dish can be quite overwhelming. I say, don't sweat the small stuff. If you have the soy bean sprouts, you're all set.

Thursday - Leftover Fried Rice

• So, after having cooked up Yang Chow Fried Rice, I've come to the realization that fried rice can really be an incredibly flexible dish. So, I'm proposing to take the left over monk fish to make fried rice.
• Follow the Yang Chow Fried Rice recipe, but use monk fish instead of the salty fish. You can also skip the shrimp because the monk fish is going to bring a lot of salty/ spicy flavor.
• http://www.nibbledish.com/people/chaditz/recipes/yang-chow-fried-rice

Friday - Pizza?

• Probably only if I beg.

Shopping List Addtl:

• Fruits, Vegetables, Herbs - summer fruits and vegetables, shitake mushrooms, soybean sprouts,
• Meats, Poultry, Fish - whole chicken, monkfish
• Dairy, Cheese, Egg, Tofu - tofu, eggs
• Frozen - Peas
• Specialty - dates, ginseng root, kelp