The week that was January 24, 2022

 Another week and another threat of snow. The northeast is currently getting dumped on by a blizzard and here in NC the snow is melting fast. So we are lucky as far as I can tell. All the "weather" threw our regular grocery runs off schedule so the fun for me this week was how to make great meals with what you have. I sent Miguel to the store once with the detailed instructions of "just get whatever you want and I'll get creative" and for a type A list-maker I'm sure it sent him straight into a panic. 

However, the ingredients all came together really well and we managed more than a few excellent meals!

Here are the dinners for the week.

Potato Chip Crusted Chicken Fingers

We had a lonely bag of chips leftover from a long ago lunch so when I was mulling over what to do with these chicken tenders I remembered a recipe I had seen on instagram. The only problem, it was a small bag so I supplemented my crunched up chips with Panko breadcrumbs. The result was excellent and paired with some crispy Brussels and a savory lemon garlic dipping sauce it didn't feel like it was lacking in any way.

Spinach & Meatball Calzone

This was a first for me. Meatballs were not a traditional calzone filling for me growing up so I was a little skeptical. I don't mind being proven wrong, especially when it turns out to be so delicious! I made little baby meatballs which was great because they cooked really quickly. I stuffed those little wagyu meatballs in there with plenty of spinach, ricotta, mozzarella, and homemade tomato sauce. I'm now a big fan of the meatball calzone.

Creamy Spinach and Caramelized Onion Gnocchi with (Yup, Leftover) Meatballs

No waste here! I had a few leftover meatballs and spinach from the calzone so I whipped up a decadently creamy gnocchi. Healthy? No. But comforting and delightful? Obvs.

Loaded Vegetable Korma

Give me all the Curry! I loosely followed the recipe from Spoon Fork Bacon to create this masterpiece. Just whatever veggies were in the fridge and needed to be used. Cauliflower, onion, green beans, and I left the cashews whole because thats how I like it. The best thing about curry? It's even better the next day when the flavors really get time to incorporate. A lunch to look forward to!

Beer Battered Fish Burrito Bowls

Light and crispy beer battered fish is an often requested meal here. I don't mind because its fun to make! I use canola oil in a dutch oven and they fry really quickly. The dutch oven has high walls that help with the splatter. The only con is that the fish doesn't reheat well for leftovers. We've noodled around the idea of an air fryer which I think would be the best way to bring these back to life the next day.

Flakey Southern Butter Biscuits

I'm really getting a hang of making biscuits from scratch! I have to say that I found it pretty intimidating at first but it was pretty easy to overcome my fear of laminating. I made these traditional style biscuits and we enjoyed them on Saturday and again on Sunday. 

I made some sausage gravy on Saturday that was edible but really just barely. I accidentally poured the red pepper flaked from the open side and not the hole side. WAY too spicy! It burned my throat up! But I did a quick rinse and was able to almost salvage.

On Sunday we had a more pleasant experience with some sweet and savory renditions. For me the sweet cream cheese and strawberries two ways was the winner of the three.

Have a great week!

Enjoy