What I’ve Planned – Week 4

A long weekend provides such a chance to catch up on my home to-do list, including meal prep for the week ahead. With summer temperatures setting in, it’s going to be more difficult than usual to spend a whole day over the stove. Alternating roasting veggies with a pan of brownies in the oven might be just the motivation I need!

Here’s what I’m thinking for how to use up my basket this week:

    Smoked ribs, roasted asparagus, green salad
    Instant Pot Butter Chicken (will chop up and toss in my tomatoes along with the tomato purée, didn’t get quite enough to cook it down for a substitute)

I’ll probably also use the kale and last week’s green garlic in a quiche. I definitely need to make some salads to work on using up all the romaine we got this week. I have some extra berries in the fridge and I love a Black and Blue salad – I add sliced steak to make it a more substantial meal.

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What I Made: Asparagus

I’m not sure I ever are asparagus before the first week of my CSA.  I have to say, it’s not bad, especially smothered in cheese and béchamel sauce, as in this recipe for asparagus gratin by Closet Cooking.  I kept to the recipe pretty closely, except to add scallions to mine (another CSA item!).

My attempt is below.  Not as pretty as the Closet Cooking version, but tasty nonetheless.

asparagusgratin

(My awesome chicken baker was a gift.)

 

We also grilled some asparagus at a cookout.  They were tossed in olive oil and drizzled with balsamic vinegar.  No photos, but suffice it to say they got a little crispy.  Lesson learned: not much cooking time is needed!