I recently received a request for which pantry staples I consider necessary and some organizational ideas. I have to say the question really got me to thinking because I have pantry space many people may not – so I keep many different items that I may not necessarily. With that in mind, I thought ‘what are the items I use regularly or that I want on hand if I need to improvise while making a meal’. Therein lies the conundrum, as I found that with so many more ingredients then I had ever considered before, it was hard to decide what was necessary. So in thinking back to when I first began cooking for myself, I came up with the solution below. I have listed what…

Well, I had a tough time sticking to last week’s menu plan as you may have seen. I switched up Monday’s meal for Wednesday’s dinner, then went out Wednesday and skipped dinner altogether on Friday. So, that means I have a few meals to move forward to this week – namely Bulgogi Rouladen and Yellow Curry Chicken. Those dishes are a great start to this week’s menu planning and the other meals will be equally delicious, even if I say so myself! Shall we get started with planning what is for dinner this last week of November? Sunday – Thanksgiving Leftovers I finished up the Thanksgiving leftovers while watching football. It was a great day to stay in and just…

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  Of course, this week’s menu will include Thanksgiving and I am getting a treat. Two of my brothers are coming over and we will be preparing a feast. Both of my brother’s have serious kitchen skills so this dinner will be nothing short of amazing. I nicknamed my younger brother ‘Iron Chef’ many years ago based on his fearlessness in preparing new dishes. He will deep fry the turkey after it has had a nice long soak in his top secret brine. Last year’s turkey was incredible and I am sure this year’s will be also. My other brother will bring dessert; a family favorite and staple of Thanksgiving, pumpkin pie, that never fails to…

Well, this weekend in the Pacific Northwest has been interesting weather-wise. As I write this post, the snow is falling and beginning to pile up. This snow event is definitely atypical for this area and makes me want to cook carbohydrate laden meals and prepare for hibernation! So I will try to resist that desire when planning this week’s menu so we do not fall into late Autumn lethargy. To combat that ‘carb coma’ trap, I will toss several stir fry type meals into the menu to inject vibrant fresh vegetables and robust flavors. Of course, I will not completely remove all those wonderful Fall comfort foods from this week’s menu. Everything in moderation, right? Here we go, let’s…

Here we are quickly closing in on the holidays as October ends and November begins. The weather is getting cooler, the days are getting shorter, and comfort foods are on my mind. This week’s menu is based on previously posted recipes that showcase simple yet delicious comfort foods… or at least my type of comfort foods. I am sure as the weeks go on, I will showcase many other ‘comfort foods’ I have posted in the past. For now, let’s just enjoy these! Sunday – Schnitzel, Spaetzle, and Rotkohl Could I eat this meal every week? Yeah, I could… but I won’t. Monday – Beef and Bean Enchiritos These hybrid of two popular Mexican restaurant staples is another…

Well, here we are moving right on through October with another weekly menu. I followed last week’s menu well so let’s see how well I do this week. I hope these weekly menus provide some help in your own meal planning. I know they really benefit me in grocery shopping and kitchen time management so I enjoy my evenings. Of course, the menu also gives me something to anticipate when dinner time comes around!  So without further ado, let’s jump right in! Sunday – Berbere and Orange Chicken Breast Salad Tonight it is time to enjoy something light… but filled with flavor! Monday – Egg Roll Noodle Bowl I have a guest requesting this dish from a post a few week…

I hope you have enjoyed following along with the dinner picture posts on Instagram form the past two weeks. Keeping the trend going, here is the menu for the coming week. This week I am re-using many previously posted recipes like I have in each of the prior weeks. Again, the goal is to enjoy a variety of delicious meals while minimizing waste. Last week was fun since I ended up swapping a few meals around during the week to accommodate my schedule. It will be interesting to see how this coming week pans out. Are you ready to see what is on deck for the week?  OK, let’s go! Sunday – Swedish Meatballs With the warmth of allspice and nutmeg prominent in these meatballs…

Well, now that we are fresh off the success of last week’s menu planning, let’s keep up with this concept and put together another weekly menu. Did you see the common ingredients that were shared in last week’s menu? Did you also notice (via @cooking_4_one Instagram updates) which meals I switched during the week to show flexibility? I invite you to follow me there and see pictures of the previously posted dishes I prepare. Besides who doesn’t love the plethora of food pictures flooding social media?  Anyway, this week will follow the same focus – a wide variety of meals to enjoy while optimizing ingredients to minimize waste. So if you are ready, here’s the plan! Sunday &#8211…