Happy St. Patrick’s Day!!! That means GREEN FOOD in the Maynard house, a tradition I’ve inherited from my mother-in-law, Pat. Of course, I can’t go all green or all Irish for that matter… corned beef sandwiches with swiss cheese comprise the main dish (instead of corned beef hash). All of the supporting characters will be tinted with the traditional Irish color… green mashed potatoes? green jello? The possibilities are endless. Here’s Cate 2 years ago… sorry it’s not a picture of green food, but this picture should brighten anyone’s St. Paddy’s Day!

Song of the Week: “Heal Over” by KT Tunstall. You may be sick of her two songs that you hear all the time… but I have to say I quite like her album. “Heal Over” is near the end and I think it may be my favorite song on there. Definitely check it out. Speaking of which, you should really be checking out ALL of the songs of the week… they are all DANG GOOD and you’re missing out if you aren’t 😉 plus you want to be as cool as me, right? Just kidding… but honestly, take a trip to iTunes or my store and check them out!

Keep a look out for more frequent posts! I’ll be doing regular features from now on. If you have ideas or contributions for the features, feel free to email weeklydinners@gmail.com!

Homework assignment #1: Please post your menus! If you already are, you rule! If you aren’t – share! Don’t worry if it isn’t fancy, either. It’s all about sharing and stealing ideas. Homework assignment #2: Pass the blog on to others! Some of you are doing an AWESOME job at that and I thank you!!! 🙂

Erin go bragh!!

MONDAY:
– Lentil Soup
– Yummy bread of some sort

TUESDAY:
– Barbecue Chicken Pizza
– Salad

WEDNESDAY:
– Leftover Night

THURSDAY:
Chinese Take-out Night, Trader Joe’s Style – all items can be found in the frozen section
– Mandarin Orange Chicken
– Stir Fry Veggies
– Chicken Shu Mai

FRIDAY:
– Cuban Mojito Chicken (simmer sauce from Trader Joe’s)
– Rice
– Black Beans
– Spinach Salad

SATURDAY:
ST. PATRICK’S DAY
– Corned beef sandwiches
– All things green! Green fruit dip, green grapes, spinach salad, green french fries (don’t know how that will come out!), green lemon bars

SUNDAY:
– Kitchen-Sink Quesadillas
– Guacamole & Chips

Okay, if you haven’t tried my Fruit Dip recipe yet, I must insist that you do so immediately. I made it tonight and it is just SO GOOD. I LOVE THIS STUFF and it is wicked easy to make. I think I may be a little obsessed with it (more than most people). Certainly not low in sugar or fat, but worth every calorie. And if you’re 2 years old, apparently it’s good for dipping potato chips, just ask Cate.

This morning was “Big Pancake Day” and my first attempt at a smiling pancake for Cate. Cate loved it and called it the Funny Pancake Face. Here he is wishing you all a good morning!

The Margherita Pizza last week was my favorite. I crushed some fresh garlic in the olive oil that I spread on the pizza, and sprinkled fresh parmesan cheese over the whole thing. Salt and pepper the whole crust, esp the edges, salted the cheese a lot too. Lucky for me it all cooked just right – the cheese didn’t overcook by the time the crust was done. YUM! And, yes, you can see from the picture I don’t use a pizza stone… I know, not cool, but it still comes out great so whatever. 🙂

The Song of the Week is “Warning Sign” by Coldplay.When Coldplay first hit the scene I thought I didn’t like them, but now I realize I love them. This particular song I recently rediscovered on The Last Kisssoundtrack, the recent Zach Braff movie that I hear wasn’t so good, but the soundtrack is. Maybe not as spectacular as the Garden State soundtrack, but it can hold its own.

Enough rambling… on to the menu! Have a great week!

Okay, a few repeats this week… last week got a little crazy. But some good new stuff as well to make up for it. 🙂

MONDAY:
– Hamburgers
– Grilled Fries
– Carrots and dip

TUESDAY:
Chinese Take-out Night, Trader Joe’s Style – all items can be found in the frozen section
– Mandarin Orange Chicken
– Stir Fry Veggies
– Chicken Shu Mai

WEDNESDAY:
– Chili
– Corn Cake Toppers

THURSDAY:
– Malibu Melt Wraps
– Potato chips

FRIDAY:
– Pork Chops
– Brown & Wild Rice
– Veggie

SATURDAY:
– Santa Fe Salad

SUNDAY:
– Chicken Parmesan
– Pasta
– Salad

You can now visit us at www.thisweekfordinner.com!! The old address (http://weeklydinners.blogspot.com) will continue to redirect you to the new address.

To those of you new to the blog – WELCOME! And a special THANK YOU to Design Mom and everyone else who has featured the blog and/or set up links on their blogs – I’m feelin’ the love and support and it’s great! And, thankfully, everyone who’s used recipes so far has been happy. Phew.

If you’re a new This Week for Dinner friend, this blog was born after I got a “new” (meaning old) iMac computer in the kitchen. Along with having my recipes at my fingertips (which rules!), I now have iTunes to keep me company while I cook, hence the Song of the Week in my regular posts. For all the moms and dads out there, I’d like to share a whole ALBUM with you as a Mid-Week Music bonus.

Catch the Moonby Lisa Loeb & Elizabeth Mitchell is GREAT for kids and parents! Cate loves it and I like the songs too. Whenever we are in the kitchen she asks for the “choo choo song” and she’s learning cute phrases like “boogie” and “rock and roll” 🙂 If you are a parent, you should DEFINITELY check it out. A welcome change from the usual kids albums out there. Enjoy and “see” you Sunday!