What's for dinner?

Sunday night January 6th:
Miso soup made with homemade chicken stock and dried wild mushrooms
Chicken spring rolls with 4 different sauces for dipping, ginger stuff, spicy vinegar, peanut/mustard and standard sweet spring roll sauce
Rice
Spring rolls innards: Bok choy, bean sprouts, garlic, chopped carrot, yellow squash, red pepper, rice noodles, green onion bottoms sauteed briefly together with green onion tops added at the end along with the key ingredient bean sauce and a dash of soy sauce. You roll them up using Spring roll dough and pan fry them.

Monday January 7th:
homemade vegetable beef soup
Fresh bread from Alon's
lemon poppyseed cake
Eden made choc chip cookies

It's Elvis' birthday January 8th.
A year ago today our dear friend Paul Crank dropped dead at 45.  It has been a weird day. A year ago today our lives changed.  I had known Paul since nursing school and we'd been friends for more than 20 years.  He and Jim went to high school together.  He was a fixture around here… and of all of us, he is the one that should have lived forever. He was in the best physical condition of anyone I knew.  He had been a chef for many years, met and married Kathy and was a carpenter when he died. He had a cardiac arrythmia and never knew what hit him.  When we got the call that he was being taken to the hospital, I knew….I just knew he was already gone.   I was the first of us to make it to the hospital.  I saw a cop with his wallet in his hand standing at the counter.  When I asked for him, the cop wouldn't look at me.  Jim and I had reached Kathy at work and she arrived as quickly as she could.  I was there when they told her that he had passed away.  My 36 year old girlfriend was now a widow.  Life will never be the same for any of us. 

Paul was one of the few who could actually cook with me in the kitchen.  He was excellent help.  I could say do this…and it was done.  I'm efficient in my actions in the kitchen and working with Paul was like dancing in perfect step to a great song with an even better dancer.  We were fabulous in the kitchen together and had a rhythm that few people understand.  He and I have cooked many meals and done parties together, we made it look easy.  I miss you Pauley, we all do. 

So tonight, I thought of Paul as I worked in the kitchen.

We had hamburgers on the grill.  I mixed up a little worchestershire, whole grain mustard and a few panko bread crumbs to make the patties stick together better.
tater tots
a variety of spicy, sweet and dill pickles
creamed spinach
leftover field peas with rice

Kathy turned down dinner with us tonight.  She spread his ashes today in the North Georgia mountains at a place that was special to them.  She says she has a peace that she hasn't felt before.  Our collective love for Paul keeps him close to our hearts.  His picture is still on the fridge and in that way he is still in my kitchen.  Rest in Peace.  I love you!
 

Wednesday night
Chicken pastry with creamy mushroom sauce
salad
yellow squash n onions
mac and cheese

Thursday January 10th
marinated London Broil grilled  I made 2 of them, one will become something else!
stir fried broccoli
jasmine rice
butter beans cooked with ham hocks

Friday night January 11th
Regular Church of the Porch night
Mushroom rissoto made with porcini, oyster and white mushrooms, shallots, celery homemade vegetable stock and finished with aged asiago
French Batard bread
salad with dijon vinaigrette
Homemade Cheesecake for dessert with homemade caramel and chocolate sauces/strawberries
honey liquor

Saturday night
Num Tok (marinated thai beef salad) on a bed of greens with tomatoes, daikon and cucumbers
several varieties of homemade egg rolls: vegetarian or chicken vegetables or chicken with ginger, cilantro and vegetables
Lots of sauces to go with it
Some stir fried brocolli and other vegetables/rice noodles
jasmine rice

Sunday night
Chicken pot pie
homemade vegetable beef soup

Monday night
Mexican night
Chicken and bean enchiladas (beans made from scratch with cheese and salsa blended to make refried beans)
beef tacos with finely shredded cabbage and cilantro for toppings
mexican rice

Tuesday night
perfectly grilled marvelous filet mignons
your choice of baked sweet potato or regular potatoes
roasted asparagus and german bakery rolls
eclairs for dessert

Wednesday night we ordered pizza
Thursday I made chili, thanks Paul for helping me perfect chili!
rice
salad

Friday night we had stuffed shells with spinach and ricotta, cottage, asiago and parmesan cheeses
Salad
lovely bread

Saturday night Snow day!
We had nachos with cheese and chili with jalapenos and sour cream

Sunday night we had a vast quantity of homemade egg rolls, rice and salad with ginger dressing.