This Week for Dinner – Weekly Meal Plans, Dinner Ideas, Recipes and More!: the goods

Category: the goods

Sunday, March 11

Week 268 Menu

When I could only eat soft foods two weeks ago, Susan and Sarah commented suggesting I get cream of wheat. I loved that stuff as a kid but had totally forgotten about its existence. I promptly bought a box. It was perfect for when I had to eat soft foods…and I’m still eating it. I don’t know why, but I love it just like I did way back when! Especially with white sugar mixed in. Mmmmmm….

Menu time!

MONDAY:
- Tuscan Tomato Soup

TUESDAY:
- Leftovers

WEDNESDAY:
- Orange Chicken

THURSDAY:
- Fajitas

FRIDAY:
- Pesto Tortellini Soup

SATURDAY:
- Eat out

SUNDAY:
- Paninis (flavor tbd)

I think I might have planned too many meals and one of those nights might end up being more leftovers, but we’ll just play it by ear!

As always, can’t wait to see your menu for the week. I absolutely LOVE browsing through your previous week’s menus on Sunday morning when pulling mine together. It is unbelievably helpful!

Posted by Jane Maynard at 10:45 am 64 Comments
Categories: the goods, weekly menus
Friday, March 9

Classy Candles

Last night we attended a birthday celebration for my friend Wendy. Her husband, Brandon, picked up an AMAZING banana cake from a bakery in Los Gatos called Icing on the Cake. Nate and I have officially found our new favorite place to get cakes in the Bay Area! We’ve really missed Extraordinary Desserts in San Diego…it only took us four years to find a replacement!

Anyway, Brandon also picked up these candles at the bakery.

Are they not the cutest, classiest candles you’ve ever seen? They’re called “Tag Party Candles.” I did a Google search and found them several places around the web, including Amazon. In fact, I just bought three boxes. That’s right, three. I never think to buy candles ahead of time and always end up getting whatever candles are at the grocery store, which are usually boring. Boring no more! The Maynards will have beautiful birthday candles from here on out.

Posted by Jane Maynard at 11:45 am 9 Comments
Categories: fab faves, the goods
Tuesday, February 28

Twice-Baked Potato Casserole

My CSA has had Yukon Gold potatoes recently. Before we get to today’s recipe, let us first ponder on just how delicious Yukon Gold potatoes are. Mmmmmmm…

In an effort to mix things up with all the soft foods I’ve had to eat lately, I wanted to do something a little different with this week’s batch of potatoes.

I don’t know about you, but I love twice-baked potatoes. But, honestly, scooping the hot baked potato out of its skin is one of my least favorite kitchen tasks. The potatoes are always super hot and I invariably break some of the skins. As I was eating mashed Yukon Gold potatoes with the skins mixed in the other day, I had a revelation…as cute as twice-baked potatoes are, if you just mash the skins in with the potato and make a casserole out of it, it would be easier to prepare and probably taste just as good.

And so the twice-baked potato casserole was born! A bit easier to prepare than its classic counterpart and easier to serve to a crowd. And, the casserole version did taste just as good. Hypothesis proven correct! Enjoy!

Twice-Baked Potato Casserole
- 1.5 pounds yukon gold potatoes (other bake-able potatoes will work, too, but yukon golds sure are yummy!)
- 1/2 cup warmed cream
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- ~1 cup shredded cheddar or cheddar-jack cheese
- sliced green onions (optional)

Poke a few holes in your potatoes, wrap in foil and bake in a 350-degree oven for about an hour, until easily pierced by a knife. Leave the oven on.

Mash potatoes with the skins ON in a bowl by hand. Add cream, butter, sour cream, salt and pepper. Mix and mash some more! Spread in a 1-1/2 quart casserole dish. Top with cheese. Bake for about 10-15 minutes, until cheese is all melted. Top with sliced green onions if desired.

Posted by Jane Maynard at 10:28 am 12 Comments
Categories: featured recipes, Recipes, side dishes, the goods
Sunday, February 26

Week 266 Menu

Remember rice candy?

I do. I received a box when I was in first or second grade that I cherished. There’s something about an edible wrapper that seems magical. I don’t even remember if I liked the candy itself, but I loved the idea of it. I haven’t had this candy since then, but last night Cate got her own box for the first time at a birthday party. When I looked at that packaging, it swiftly brought back memories that made me smile. Cate just tried her first piece and said, “It’s good” very matter-of-factly. Then, after a few minutes and the wrapper had dissolved in her mouth, she changed her review to “It’s awesome!” The magic continues.

I don’t even know how to plan this week’s menu, since I can only eat soft foods. Honestly we might end up eating out a lot, but I’m planning a menu anyway to see if I can get my act together!

MONDAY:
- Cream of mushroom soup

TUESDAY:
- Eat out to celebrate my sister’s arrival in the Bay Area! (She’s moving here and we are beside ourselves with excitement!)

WEDNESDAY:
- Chicken Piccata with mashed potatoes

THURSDAY:
- Chicken Soup with Rice

FRIDAY:
- Leftovers

SATURDAY:
- Eat out

SUNDAY:
- Omelettes (I really need to do a post about Nate’s technique, maybe this week I’ll finally take some photos and pull that together for you all!)

It’s time…time for you to share your menu for the week! Remember, we don’t care what’s on the menu, fancy or not just share!

Posted by Jane Maynard at 8:54 am 62 Comments
Categories: musings, the goods, weekly menus
Wednesday, February 22

Ancient Kitchen Treasures, i.e. Kitchen Stuff You’ve Had Forever and Couldn’t Live Without!
Nate and I have been married for almost 13 years (time flies when you’re having fun!). When we got married, we were literally babies and had no money whatsoever. Everything we had to furnish our dark, basement apartment in Arlington, MA was a wedding gift. Which means we didn’t really choose much of anything for our home…some of it we registered for, a lot of it we didn’t. And, the thing is, we couldn’t have cared less. We were so grateful for each and every gift and used it all! (Come to think of it, even our car was a gift from my Aunt Barb and Uncle Mark…a little white pick-up truck fondly known as White Trash, may she rest in peace.)

I still use many of those wedding gifts on a daily basis. It’s kind of amazing how they are standing the test of time! The other day as I was digging around for one of these items, I had the inspiration for this post. I want to hear about YOUR favorite items that have been around forever that you simply can’t live without!

I’ll kick us off with a few of my ancient treasures that I never would have guessed would be treasures when I received them nearly 13 years ago…
- Steak knives. One of the sets of pots and pans we received (which have since bit the dust) came with a set of steak knives. As you can imagine, they’re pretty darn cheap. But I can’t tell you how much I LOVE these steak knives! They cut GREAT and I can use and abuse them without feeling guilty. I really can’t believe how awesome they are. I couldn’t live without them!
- Our everyday dishes from Crate & Barrel. We picked out some random white, basic dishes at Crate & Barrel for our registry, along with a set of blue glass bowls. NOT ONE DISH has broken since we got married. And we use them every single day. The white dishes don’t even have those grey scuff marks that often happens with this type of dishware. They are magical. For two clueless undergrads who had no idea what they were registering for, we totally scored.
- Plastic mixing spoons, ladle, spatula and measuring cups. Again, just random stuff people gave us. I love them all. That spatula has been through a lot with me and has the battle wounds to prove it. And that white spoon? It’s perfect, I tell ya, perfect.
There are definitely a few more items that have stuck around all this time that we still use, but the ones above, well, they are special.

Can’t wait to hear about your ancient treasures!
Posted by Jane Maynard at 11:01 am 27 Comments
Categories: musings, the goods
Saturday, February 4

Silk Milk Challenge Wasn’t a Challenge At All

The week is almost over and I am happy to report that the Silk milk challenge was a success! I was able to use Pure Almond Vanilla and Soy Vanilla Light in place of regular milk with no problem. In fact, the challenge has opened up the world of “alternative milk” possibilities to me and I am looking forward to trying other flavors, especially more nut milks and rice milk!

I knew during the challenge I needed to try baking something that I normally use milk in. I make waffles and pancakes all the time, so I definitely wanted to see how one of those recipes would work subbing out the milk. I decided to try the Pure Almond Vanilla in waffles.

The waffles were delish! My friend Wendy sampled them with me and we both agreed they were great. I used the Pure Almond Vanilla because I thought the almond would make for a nice flavor in the waffles. The waffles cooked a little differently than normal and never got very brown, which surprised me. But the texture was great and Wendy and I both liked the subtle, not overpowering almond flavor of the waffles. I will definitely make them this way again…and of course I’ll share the recipe with you below!

While I’m sure I’ll use cow’s milk again, especially when Owen is less sensitive to it, I am really happy to have discovered some alternatives. I really liked the Soy Vanilla Light and Pure Almond Vanilla that I used this week. Obviously these two milks are both sweetened and have a vanilla flavor. They worked well with my current needs, but I can see that they may not work with everything. As I mentioned before, after having tried these milks and really enjoying them, I’m excited to try other flavors and varieties based on different recipes and uses. And all of your suggestions over the week have been super helpful – thank you! I definitely count the week as a success and look forward to further expanding my milk horizons…

Almond Waffles
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 cups Silk Pure Almond Vanilla milk
- 2 eggs
- 4 Tablespoons butter, melted

Whisk together the flour, salt and baking powder. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, butter and Pure Almond Vanilla milk. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix. Cook as you normally would in a waffle iron. Enjoy with lots of butter and syrup!

This post is sponsored by Silk through Martha’s Circle. All opinions are my own.

Posted by Jane Maynard at 8:00 am 1 Comment
Categories: Martha Stewart, the goods
Wednesday, February 1

Silk Milk Challenge is on its way!
I’m a few days into the Silk milk challenge and so far so good!

At the start of the week I held a milk tasting with my 4-year-old Anna. She is the primary milk drinker in our family. She’s actually kind of obsessed with the stuff. I figured if anyone should test these new milks out with me it should be her!

I poured us each a glass of the Pure Almond Vanilla and the Soy Vanilla Light milks and we dove right in.
- Jane’s analysis: Both milks are yummy! I don’t know what I was expecting. Strange Textures? Weird aftertaste? Well, we had none of that. The flavors of both milks were subtle and the sweetness was just right. Thumbs up!
- Anna’s analysis: “Mmm…chocolate milk.” Yes, the milk is actually vanilla and not chocolate, but that reaction means it’s a definite thumbs up from Anna!
Here are a few other ways I’ve been using the milk:
- I can finally eat my bowl of granola and flakes each morning! I’ve really missed my granola, which isn’t too sweet to begin with, so the sweetness of the Soy Vanilla Light is a perfect combo with the cereal. There are definitely some cereals that would not go well with this milk, but for my granola it works great!
- Have you ever had almond hot chocolate? Yeah, me neither. Until now. I heated up the Pure Almond Vanilla milk, added some of my best shaved chocolate and it was delicious. The texture was good and I liked the subtle almond flavor paired with the chocolate.
Like I said, so far so good! The new milks are serving me well!

This post is sponsored by Silk through Martha’s Circle. All opinions are my own.
Posted by Jane Maynard at 1:30 pm 7 Comments
Categories: Martha Stewart, the goods
Tuesday, January 31

Happy 5th Birthday, This Week for Dinner!

Happy 5th Birthday, This Week for Dinner!

It’s kind of surreal. I really, truly can’t believe I’ve been plugging away at this blog for five years. When I started the blog, I only posted once a week and, quite honestly, I only ever expected my friends Adrianne and Emily to bop on here to tell me what they were cooking for dinner (they were always better planners than me). Little did I know what I was getting myself into! It’s been such a fun ride and has opened up so many amazing opportunities for me. But what I’m most grateful for is all of YOU…for reading, for sharing, and for connecting, with me and with each other. This blog would not be what it is without you. So, happy birthday!

Today I made Julia Child’s Best Ever Brownies to celebrate. And, in true Jane fashion, I undercooked them. I’m always undercooking things when I bake, it’s ridiculous! This morning’s experience reminded me of a comment my sweet husband Nate made when I started the blog: “Jane starting a food blog is like me starting a painting blog.” In case you’re wondering {despite his claims of a Renaissance year in fifth grade} Nate is not artistic, so yes, that made it a sarcastic, snarky comment. And yes, he thinks he’s funny {so do I, actually}. Well, the joke’s on him. I’ve still got a food blog! Neener neener. Although, apparently five years of food blogging has not helped fix my under-baking mental hiccup! But I digress…

To celebrate 5 years, how about a giveaway from KitchenAid? Sounds good to me!

I love KitchenAid. I love my stand mixer. I use it all the time. I love my measuring spoons. I use them all the time. And now…I love my hand blender! I use it…well, I’ve used it twice because I just got it! But it rocked. I’ve always wanted a hand blender and finally I have one! (Thanks, KitchenAid!) My hand blender’s maiden voyage was with cream of mushroom soup. It worked beautifully and the soup had a wonderful texture. And then, this morning as I was whipping up the brownies, I had a hand blender epiphany! The recipe uses a lot of bowls. It’s kind of annoying, actually. There’s a part where I normally beat the eggs in my stand mixer, but I just didn’t feel like getting it out and washing yet another bowl. And I didn’t feel like digging around my utensils for the hand mixer beaters, so I started to whisk by hand. After about 10 seconds, my arm was tired. And then it hit me…the hand blender has a whisk attachment! It was easy to grab from its special storage case, easy to use, and easy to clean. It was quite serendipitous since I was making the brownies for this very post!

This giveaway is now closed. Thank you! And now you have a chance to get your own hand blender and have your own blending epiphanies! To celebrate TWFD’s big day, we are giving away one KitchenAid 5-Speed Hand Blender (retail $129.99)! It’s fancy dancy, complete with chopper attachment, blender attachment, removable pan guard (so you can use it in any pan without damaging the pan), whisk, blade covers, and a storage case. It’s super easy to attach and detach the blades and to clean the various pieces. It’s pretty much just plain old awesome. That’s all.

To enter, just do what you always do! Leave a comment on this post before Midnight PT on Tuesday, February 7. One randomly-selected winner will be announced on February 8.

Good luck! And make sure to eat some chocolate today. The blog wants you to. It is the blog’s birthday after all, you should probably just do it.

Posted by Jane Maynard at 12:46 pm 585 Comments
Categories: Fun Stuff, Giveaways, the goods
Monday, January 30

Silk Milk Challenge Begins!

Shortly after Owen was born, I had to pretty much cut cow’s milk from my diet. If I had milk, then that meant he indirectly was having it as well, which did not make his little belly happy. It hasn’t been too bad, but I have missed milk a lot in a few cases, especially when it comes to a mug of good hot chocolate or a quick bowl of cereal in the morning.

When my friends at Martha’s Circle contacted me about participating in a challenge with Silk, I was all over it. For whatever reason, I haven’t tried other kinds of milk on my own yet, so this was just the kick I needed to see what else I could be using in place of cow’s milk, especially at this time in my life when I need to do so.

So this week I’m doing the challenge. No cow’s milk for one week. Instead, I will be using Silk Pure Almond Vanilla and Silk Soy Vanilla Light wherever I would normally use regular milk. Stay tuned to see how it goes!

This post is sponsored by Silk through Martha’s Circle. All opinions are my own.

Posted by Jane Maynard at 10:00 am 26 Comments
Categories: Martha Stewart, the goods
Wednesday, January 25

My New Favorite Rice: Calrose Brown

A long time ago in a galaxy far far away I mentioned how much I love Calrose rice, the delicious sticky white rice that goes so well with Chinese food. Whenever we have Asian food at home, I lament the fact that my Calrose rice is white because I really like to use brown rice whenever I can. WELLLLL…I don’t know why I didn’t look sooner, but my grocery store carries brown Calrose rice. Woo-hoo!

I love it. There is a bit of a “brown” flavor to the rice, but I like that flavor and the rice is still nice and sticky. I don’t think I’ll ever cook white Calrose rice again. The brown stuff is healthier and tastes fabulous.

That’s all for today. Just a small ode to my new favorite rice.

Posted by Jane Maynard at 10:19 am 17 Comments
Categories: fab faves, Healthy Eats, the goods