Something’s happening among my food writer colleagues: We’re burning out. This past weekend two essays appeared, one by Ashlie Stevens in Salon and the other by Maggie Hoffman in Epicurious, both about how they love love love cooking but just can’t muster the energy any more. I know exactly how they feel, and I’m guessing you do, too.
This slog of three meals a day at home, with maybe some takeout every once in a while, takes a lot out of a person. My god, the lunches. Why are there so many lunches? And the fact that it’s clearly not ending any time soon just makes me wilt.
I had the incredible privilege of escaping to Maine for a week recently, and even ate some restaurant meals. But as my husband pointed out, in the end it kinda backfired. We spent two months looking forward to the trip—it helped us get through a summer locked down, mostly inside our apartment. And while we were up there, life felt… possible. We could look out at the boats in the harbor from the patio of the AirBnB and convince ourselves that the world outside wasn’t happening.
Now that we’re back, though, there’s no carrot on a stick to keep us moving forward. The real world feels very much like it did before we entered our Maine bubble, possibly even a little more mind-boggling and scary. Most weekends look just like weekdays. And meals just keep needing to be prepared.
I know, I have some nerve complaining. I’m appalled, too.
Before you get too far into the day’s hubbub, read those two essays. See if they don’t make you feel a little better. Seeing the two of them in quick succession shifted my mood, and helped me craft the menu you’re about to read.
Here’s the menu for next week:
OPTIONAL SUNDAY PREP: Sunday Stash Sweet Potatoes from Epicurious and sweet potato gnocchi. Maggie Hoffman’s essay inspired me to plan this, the part where chef Anita Lo talks about how making fresh pasta helps her stay engaged. Baking a bunch of sweet potato halves will give you enough for tomorrow’s dinner as well as Thursday’s. And making the gnocchi lets you achieve that tactile thing, to reconnect yourself to the pleasure of cooking. You don’t have to do all this today, of course, but if you do, tomorrow night will be a breeze.
MONDAY:
Photo courtesy Damn Delicious
Brown Butter Sweet Potato Gnocchi from Damn Delicious with a simple salad. Once the gnocchi are formed, dinner takes very little effort. If you don’t have sage for the brown butter sauce, thyme or rosemary would also work.
TUESDAY: Quick BBQ Chicken or BBQ Tofu Sliders from Budget Bytes, with chips. Meat-eaters, tonight you’ve got a choice. You can either make the tofu slider recipe entirely and embrace temporary vegetarianism, or you can make the slaw and use the BBQ chicken recipe instead—chop it up and use it for sliders. No matter which protein you make, cook a double-batch to use on Thursday.
WEDNESDAY:
Photo courtesy TheKitchn
Potsticker Stir-Fry from TheKitchn. I’m taking a cue from Ashlie Stevens’ essay and including a night of shortcut cooking. Use any kind of frozen Asian dumpling you like, and whatever vegetables you enjoy in a stir-fry. (You could even use a package of frozen stir-fry vegetables, for an even faster shortcut.) If your kid is like mine and will eat the dumplings but not the vegetables, hold some out separately.
THURSDAY: BBQ Chicken or Tofu Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes from Delish. Using the pre-baked potatoes and the leftover BBQ protein means that all you need to do tonight is heat everything through. For picky eaters, you can let everyone assemble their own potatoes. If you’d like to make another salad, that’ll be nice, too.
FRIDAY: Snack Plate Night. Yup, another page from the Salon playbook. Raid your fridge and your pantry for whatever easy protein you have (or pick up some deli meat or rotisserie chicken) plus cheese, easy vegetables, some kind of starch, and nibbles like nuts, fresh or dried fruit, avocado, pickles, olives, roasted peppers, etc. IMPORTANT: I’m not including ingredients for tonight’s dinner in the shopping list, since it’s entirely a matter of what you’ve got available.
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Here’s the shopping list:
Keep in mind that this week’s plan is intended to be extra-super-flexible so you can treat yourself gently. Don’t sweat it if you don’t have the exact right ingredients for any recipe—email me and I’ll help you figure things out. And as always, an asterisk * indicates an ingredient for vegetarians.
Produce
8 large sweet potatoes, 9-12 oz. each (M, Th)
2 cloves garlic (M)
1 small red onion (Th)
1 bunch sage OR rosemary OR thyme (M)
Vegetables for a simple salad (M and maybe Th)
1 package shredded slaw mix (T)
2 (14-oz.) packages firm or extra-firm tofu* (T, Th)
Vegetables for a stir-fry, like mushrooms, carrot, bell pepper, scallions, zucchini, OR frozen stir-fry vegetables (W)
1 small jalapeno OR pickled jalapenos, optional (Th)
Pantry
Vegetable oil (M, T, Th)
Olive oil (M)
Apple cider vinegar (M, T)
2 to 2 1/2 cups flour (M)
Cornstarch (T*, W, Th*)
Sugar (W)
Smoked paprika (T, Th)
Garlic powder (T, Th)
1 jar barbecue sauce (T, Th)
1/3 cup mayonnaise (T)
Honey (T)
Dijon mustard (T)
1 bag potato or tortilla chips (T)
Rice vinegar or Chinese black vinegar (W)
Soy sauce (W)
Asian sesame oil (W)
Pickled jalapenos OR fresh (Th)
Meat Counter
2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs (T, Th)
Dairy
1/2 cup ricotta (M)
4-6 oz. Parmesan (M)
1 large egg (M)
1 stick unsalted butter (M)
1 cup shredded smoked Gouda OR cheddar OR Monterey jack OR other melty cheese (Th)
Bakery
8 slider buns or 4 hamburger buns (T)
Freezer Case
1 bag potstickers or dumplings, any flavor (W)
Frozen stir-fry vegetables OR fresh (W)
On Saturday, paying subscribers will get the details on how it all comes together.
Stay safe, be kind, wash your hands, and wear a mask.
Debbie