Menu for the week of January 5th

Happy New Year! Hope everyone enjoyed the holiday, and ate some black-eyed peas on the 1st. Who doesn't need a little good luck this year?!?

This week I've decided to cook from only one cookbook - a delightful recommendation from my dear friend Alexis. If you're ever in Napa, be sure to check out her bakery / cafe...her pancakes are pretty spectacular. This weeks cookbook: Alice Waters: The Art of Simple Food

Menu for the Week of January 5th:

~ Sunday, January 5th - Cheese and Pasta Gratin ~
page 272, plus some sort of green vegetable.
This is what grown up macaroni and cheese looks like. But it's so tasty that your kids will eat it too. Here's the recipe, in case you don't own the book:

• Melt, in a heavy skillet: 3 tablespoons butter
• Add: 3 tablespoons flour
• Cook over very low heat, stirring with a whisk for 3 minutes. The roux should bubble gently. 
• Whisking constantly, add, little by little: 2 1/2 cups milk
• Continue whisking until the sauce has the consistency of thick cream. Add: salt to taste
• Raise heat to medium, switch to a wooden spoon, and stir continuously until the sauce begins to simmer. Lower the heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.
• Melt in a heavy ovenproof skillet: 1 tablespoon butter
• Add: 1 1/2 cups fresh breadcrumbs
• Toss the crumbs to coat with butter and toast in 350* oven for 10-15 minutes, until lightly browned.
• Turn off the heat under the white sauce and stir in: 8 ounces grated cheese (almost any cheese, or combination of cheeses, works here except mozzarella, which gets a little stringy)
• Cook al dente in abundant salted boiling water: 3/4 pound short-cut pasta (macaroni, fusilli, penne)
• Drain and pour into a buttered gratin dish. Pour the cheese sauce over the pasta and mix until it is well coated. Taste for salt, and adjust as needed. Scatter the toasted breadcrumbs over the top and bake in a 400* oven for 15 minutes, or until the crumbs are golden brown and the sauce is bubbling.

~ Monday, January 6th - Leftovers ~

~ Tuesday, January 7th - Happy Birthday Ben! His favorite meal: 
   Roast Chicken with Sweet Potatoes, Fennel, and Carrots and a Green Salad ~
pages 108-110
I did this recipe a few weeks back, here's the link again. Make sure you have some crusty bread on hand. You'll need it to mop up all the delicious chicken-y goodness.

And because I'm also a dietitian, here's a note on food safety. I just finished reading a really good article in the current issue of Consumer Reports on food safety and chicken. Please read this, and please, buy your chickens from a butcher that you know and trust. And finally, make sure you check for doneness using a meat thermometer. Your chicken is properly cooked when your meat thermometer reads 165*F.

~ Wednesday, January 8th - Fennel, Lemon and White Wine Poached Fish with Sauteed Spinach and Quinoa ~
pages 144-146
I like to use sole, but many different fish are well suited to this method, so go with what you like. Here's the recipe using salmon.

~ Thursday, January 9th - Leftovers ~

~ Friday, January 10th - Grilled Steaks with Parsley Potatoes and Broccoli ~
I'll be recruiting Ben to man the grill.

And remember, I welcome your comments and questions. Please include them so I know how things are going.

Hope everyone has a wonderful week back to school and work and routines. Here's to a delicious and nutritious 2014!