Most people probably don’t make chicken broth in their crock pots on a day when the high was 92 degrees F. But I waited until it cooled to 79 degrees and then put the last of the rotisserie chicken in the pot last week. I froze the broth for later on, but I would have lost the opportunity if I had waited, so into the pot it went, overnight. The leftover chicken went separately into the freezer, and the broth will make us a couple of recipes still, even after the multiple meals the chicken has already made for us.
Preserving season has begun. I’ve started to blanch and freeze kale, and I’ll be doing the same with zucchini this week. By next weekend I’ll hopefully have enough beets to start to make pickled beets and can those. And of course, it’s about time to start making basil pesto by the gallon, which we’ll eat all winter. I made my first batch and was very excited about it. And zucchini fritters. And zucchini everything. I really, really love zucchini.
I’m going to start dehydrating herbs next weekend as well, starting with parsley, dill and cilantro from our CSA. And then as soon as the August bounty of tomatoes and fruits comes into play, we’ll go to work on that as well.
Sunday rolled in with rain scheduled for all day, and it was certainly coming down with enthusiasm shortly after I woke up, so today was going to be an indoor chores day. My oldest was still off on their Outward Bound adventure, the younger had an afternoon with a friend, and I was packing for some work travel. We had gone out to an early dinner with my younger one on Saturday, where he tried some new-to-him varieties of sushi, then introduced him to Boba and our local fancy cheese shop. We don’t eat out much – it’s expensive, and we’re very good cooks, but there’s a real joy in showing a newly expanded palate how many options are out there for really good food. It was so joyful for us all.
The phlox and astilbe in the garden are starting to bloom, and everything is green and lush still. Summer at Sithean, especially when there’s no drought like last year, is a delight, if an ever-failing battle of weed management. But it is wet and humid, so much so that I’ve taken to refrigerating the bread so it doesn’t mold quickly.
This week, I’ll be eating out while on the road, but that’s not coming out of our household budget. With our full freezers and pantry cabinets, it’s time to eat down what we have. I ordered a few groceries, mostly fruit and pantry staples, and started a meal plan.
We have plums, peaches and apricots as well as a few apples, a couple blood oranges and a honeydew melon for fruit this week. We consume a lot of fruit generally.
Sunday: Chicken Souvlaki Bowls with Garlic Fries, tzatziki, salad. This is a meal on regular repeat at our house and it is GOOD. It’s a little work, but i create the marinade and marinate the chicken, plus make tzatziki in the morning, chill everything, and then it’s really just the potatoes and salad to prep at mealtime.
I also hard boiled eggs and made a few loaves of Savory Zucchini Bread. The recipe came of me going for zucchini fritters and forgetting to swap the food processor blade, so I made a zucchini/onion puree instead of shreds. Oops. But I think it turned into a very good mistake in the end! I have to make it again with some more precise measurements and then I’ll publish my recipe.
Eli usually makes me a breakfast wrap for the plane ride on Sunday night, because I go before much of anything opens at the airport. I love my homemade breakfast, which i contentedly eat while I watch everyone else line up for Starbucks to open. He is cooking a lot this week.
Monday-Wednesday: Eli and Connor manage the food according to their preferences.
Thursday: I’ll be just back from my trip and need to head to the farm to get our CSA, so Eli will be on dinner again. Simple on the grill – burgers or something like that.
Friday: I’ll finally have some breathing room to cook but not a huge amount of time. I’m planning to try this Lemon Chicken and Orzo which starts with frozen chicken. It’s simple, easy and we have most of the ingredients. If there isn’t spinach with this week’s CSA, I’ll sub in kale.
Saturday: My parents come to dinner and Eli cooks our main course, but I’ll make the sides, including my favorite Kale Salad. Even if you don’t like kale you will eat this, I promise. I’ll probably make homemade bread too.
Sunday: Homemade clam chowder and popovers
Monday: I usually try to prep Monday’s dinner on Sunday. I’ve been meaning to try this Sheet Pan Pretzel Honey Mustard Chicken and Potatoes. I’ll probably make the chicken on Sunday so that when we’re hungry and I’m still working, dinner is just about ready.
Tuesday: I leave for the 7.5 hour drive to get my oldest, so I’ll pack food and drinks for the road, along with some treats for them after 14 days of eating on the trail. We get home around 8-9 pm Wednesday night, and then it’s meal plan time again!
Little House on the Fairy Hill 