In a few short moments we’re all packing in the very full car and heading down to the Cape! I am SO EXCITED. I’m pretty sure I won’t have Internet access, which I have to admit I am really looking forward to…but that means I’ll miss you all for a week! Please come back next Saturday (8/4) for a report on the vacation…I’ve already snapped some GREAT food pictures and can’t wait to share all my culinary finds from the Cape with you. Have a wonderful week and don’t forget to post your menu here.

Please post your menus! I’m on vacation!

Moving away from New England meant moving away from the ability to make the best hot dogs. There are 2 ingredients that make this possible - New England hot dog buns (aka lobster roll buns) and Piccalilli.

First, the buns: well, you can see what they look like in the picture. It’s KINDA like a piece of white bread folded, but better. To really make ‘em good, you grill them with butter in the pan.

Second, Piccalilli. This is the best relish ever. They have green tomato relish and red pepper relish, but I think the green tomato is perfect for my perfect hot dog. Do I sound a little crazy?

I complete the masterpiece with mustard. I sure love coming out every summer.

Okay, have to give credit to Nate or he’ll get mad at me. He introduced me to all this hot dog goodness when we got married.

It’s official…Cate will have a little sister! Cate didn’t believe the ultrasound tech and told her “No, it’s a brother.” Later when she admitted it’s a sister, Cate told us her name is “little brother.”

We made it safely to NH and I had a great steak & cheese for lunch yesterday…you just can’t get good subs in CA like you can out here…the food binge has begun. Stay tuned!

We have a winner for the Head Country Barbecue giveaway!

Leslie, who said: I’ve been wanting to try this since your ribs post. I hope I win!

Now you can go rib crazy, Leslie! Thanks to all who entered and definitely get yourself a bottle of Head Country!

Leslie, please email weeklydinners@gmail.com.

Don’t forget to enter the Head Country Barbecue giveaway! Seriously, if you haven’t put your name in the mix, get to it - this is dang good sauce. You have until Midnight, tomorrow (Monday, July 23) to enter. Good luck!

(Also, there are 3 new posts on the blog…make sure you scroll down. I thought Friday & Saturday had published, but they hadn’t. Happy reading!)

I have no menu this week, and for a VERY good reason…it’s SUMMER VACATION!!!

Cate and I leave for our East Coast adventures tomorrow! This week we’ll be in New Hampshire with my in-laws and then a week on CAPE COD!!! I am so excited! Finish up the trip with a week in New Jersey with mi familia and you’ve got yourself a vacation. I can’t wait and I’m super excited to eat all the food that I can’t get out here in sunny California (real bagels, real subs, real cannolis, new england hot dog buns…good thing I’m eating for two). I will definitely do some posting while I’m on the road, so please keep visiting!

As for menus…you guys need to share your menus for SURE for the next 3 weeks because I’m not planning on doing any meal planning! Time to inspire one another, which I am certain you will do beautifully.

Last night was our 8th anniversary! We had the chance to stay in the fancy Hyatt Regency La Jolla, and were even upgraded to the 2nd best room in the hotel! (We almost got the BEST room, where Bush and Michael Douglas/Catherine Zeta-Jones stayed, but then it was booked after all…although our room was pretty awesome.)

Nate and I went to Cafe Japengo for dinner. Japengo gets voted “Best Sushi” in San Diego all the time and is supposed to be a great restaurant. We decided to give it a try. Our food was good, although not my favorite, and it took FOREVER…which means we got free dessert! Now, I have a VERY high tolerance for chocolatey things…I’ve never had a chocolate dessert I couldn’t conquer. I met my match at Japengo - I could only eat half of this lava cake. It was CRAZY rich. Nate got an awesome bread pudding. YUM! (Sorry the picture’s not that great…had to make do with my point and shoot and bad lighting…but the desserts were just so pretty I wanted to share!)

My good friend Emily (who is the reason I even know what a blog is!) sent me a link to this great New York Times article today. The article lists 101 Simple Meals perfect for summer that can be made in 10 minutes or less.

There are LOTS seafood ideas, which I’m excited to try. You will find a plethora of fun, easy, fast ideas - from paninis to pasta, salads to sausage!

If by the time you click on the link to the article and it’s been archived, just email weeklydinners@gmail.com - I’ve saved the article and I will send it to you.

Thanks Emily - this article is a great resource!

We had a book club picnic last Friday, which was great fun. I was in charge of dessert, so I made two of my all time favorite cookies. Thought I’d share the recipes with you! (click on the name of the cookie to link to the recipe).

First, Chocolate Swirls. These are ADDICITVE and full of all kinds of fat (butter, cream cheese, chocolate, bring it on!). Don’t say I didn’t warn you. I’ve NEVER met a person who doesn’t like these. I got the recipe at a cookie exchange - no idea what person or what cookbook it came from, but so happy I have the recipe!!!

Second, Mexican Wedding Cookies. These are basically butter balls rolled in powdered sugar. Really, how can they NOT be good? These are pretty common, but I got the recipe from my sister-in-law Cora’s mother, Nicki.

Enjoy!!

I’m excited to announce a random giveaway for the week!
Head Country Barbecue, which I mentioned in my ribs post, is giving away a gift pack with all 6 of their products to one lucky TWFD reader! Gift pack includes BBQ Sauce Original, BBQ Sauce Hickory, BBQ Sauce Hot, Championship Seasoning, Garden Rich Salsa & Premium Marinade. Perfect for summer grilling!

Like all the other giveaways, just post a comment, any comment, by Midnight PT on Monday, July 23. Winner will be announced on Tuesday, July 24.

Head Country BBQ sauce is awesome - make sure you enter!

This week’s menu isn’t very inspiring, so I’m counting on the rest of you - post your menus! I have a few carry-overs from last week, our anniversary is this weekend, and I leave next Monday for 3 weeks…so Sunday night is an easy meal since I’ll be packing furiously! I have some good posts planned for the next few days, so I won’t be a total waste this week.

MONDAY:
- Pat’s Oriental Chicken Salad
- Chicken Shu Mai from Trader Joe’s frozen section
- Ginger Dipping Sauce

TUESDAY:
- Orange Chicken
- Rice
- Veggie
- Leftover Chicken Shu Mai

WEDNESDAY:
- Pork Chops
- Wild & Long grain rice
- Vegggie

THURSDAY:
- Leftovers

FRIDAY:
- Our anniversary! Going out to DINNER…no Cate!

SATURDAY:
- Hot Dogs or hamburgers on the grill
- Chips
- Fresh fruit

SUNDAY:
- Chicken cordon bleu (from the freezer section at grocery store)
- Rice
- Veggie

After all this meatiness, time to feature a VEGETABLE. Without further ado, meet the leek!

When I was looking through my leek pictures to do this post, I noticed there were potatoes and carrots on the cutting board. For the life of me I cannot remember what I was making that night! But I do know this…it was a soup. Leeks are GREAT in soups. There are leeks in the Butternut Squash Soup recipe I have posted and I’ve used them in other soups that are blended at the end (good in veggie soups).

A few other leek-y ideas from Miss Rachael Ray. BLT Smashed Potatoes (I have made these and they were AWESOME) and Bacon, Potato, Leek & Crab Chowder (which I haven’t made but sounds mighty fine).

Why do I like leeks? They are part of the garlic/onion family (they look like HUGE scallions). They are, however, milder and give a nice flavor to whatever you are cooking.

Never cooked with leeks? Here’s how to clean them: Cut off the root end and the green top, leaving 2″ of green. Slice leek lengthwise and clean leek under running water, making sure to get the dirt out of all the layers (when they grow, the pick up lots of dirt inside). Follow your recipe as directed.

First off, my apologies to all the vegetarians out there…this is a very MEATY post. The first time I had ribs, my Aunt Barbara and Uncle Mark made them for the 4th of July and I was SOLD. And, as I mentioned recently, all I want to eat lately is ribs from Phil’s BBQ (here in San Diego).

Nate and I took a hand at grilling our first ribs this weekend (pictured). They were yummy yummy and cost about half as if we’d gone out. So, here’s how Barbara and Mark taught us how to do it - it’s easy, although cleaning the roasting pan - not so fun.

1. Cook ribs in big roasting pan at 250 degrees for about 5 hours. Place ribs on a rack in the pan and keep some water in the bottom of the pan while cooking. You can roast the day before and refrigerate until you’re ready to grill.

2. Cook ribs on grill, low heat setting, for about 30 minutes or until they’re hot. While they’re cooking, keep slathering with BBQ sauce and turning every few minutes.

“What BBQ sauce should I use?” you may be wondering. Barb’s favorite by far is Head Country BBQ sauce, and we have to agree. It is seriously yummy, and you can order it online easy as pie!

Sorry I’m a little late tonight, but it’s still Sunday, at least in California!

Tonight we made ribs. YUM. But I’m putting it on my menu for tomorrow b/c we haven’t had the steaks yet (am I craving meat?), so doing a little swaperoo. Tune in tomorrow for the ‘how to cook ribs’ tips!

MONDAY:
- Ribs
- Summer Squash
- Cornbread
- Zatarain’s Black Beans & Rice (we didn’t eat these last week…they are SO GOOD, you gotta try! My aunt who lived in New Orleans loves the Zatarain’s brand - says it’s pretty authentic tasting)

TUESDAY:
- Breakfast for dinner! Waffles & Fresh Fruit

WEDNESDAY:
- Chili
- Corn chips
- Fruit or something light

THURSDAY:
- Leftovers

FRIDAY:
- Eat out

SATURDAY:
- Pat’s Oriental Chicken Salad
- Chicken Shu Mai from Trader Joe’s frozen section

SUNDAY:
- Orange Chicken
- Rice
- Veggie
- Leftover Chicken Shu Mai

Now it’s your turn - share your menu, whatever it may be!