Monday: Cafe Caturra

I had dinner Monday night with a group of female friends.

Tuesday: Mini Salmon Cakes

Since Paul was recording a podcast with friends, I decided to make my sister’s recipe for salmon cakes. My mom used to make a similar version when I was a kid but I had never made them myself.

(Note: I used gluten-free bread crumbs instead of regular bread crumbs. I also added two eggs instead of one because my mixture seemed a bit too dry otherwise.)

I ate the salmon cakes with ketchup and a side of sliced pickles. I liked them. I wouldn’t say I loved them, but they’re a quick and easy weekday dinner and I would make them again. I ate the leftovers for lunch the next day.

Wednesday: CrockPot Booze-Infused Rosemary Chicken

I had high hopes for this recipe, but I didn’t love it. It’s a bit time-intensive for a weekday dinner because you have to remove the cooked whole chicken from the CrockPot before serving and let it cool before you can separate the meat from the bones. The recipe doesn’t specify that step, but you’d have a bunch of bones, fat and gristle to contend with if you leave it out. It tasted good; I just didn’t think it was worth all the trouble and likely won’t make it again.

Thursday: Diane’s Roast with Pickles

This was my fourth time making this dish since I made it for the first time earlier this year. Paul told me it was his favorite childhood dinner and he’d only ever had his mom’s version, so I got the recipe directly from her.

We both agreed this was my best attempt yet. Paul ate his over rice and I had mine over braised cabbage (Diane always uses noodles as her base, so there are a variety of ways to serve it). I’ll post the recipe soon.

Friday: Leftovers

Saturday: Jenny’s Asian Fusion

Paul and I decided to stay in on Saturday because (due to a vacation, trip to Richmond, and a friend’s party) we hadn’t had a low-key movie night in quite some time. We ordered takeout from Jenny’s Asian Fusion, a local restaurant that I usually tend to avoid because I’ve had more bad experiences with my orders than good ones.

Paul ordered Orange Chicken, which he enjoyed, and I decided to go with Chicken Curry — which, unfortunately, turned out to be yet another bad choice on my part. I was hoping for a nice coconut milk + curry combination, which I love, but I forgot that my favorite curry sauce is actually the Thai version. Chinese curry is thin and brown and not all that appetizing. I ended up picking out all the chicken from the container, served a tiny bit of the sauce over some white rice, and threw the rest of the sauce away.

Sunday: Chocolate Chili

I made this chili for the first time a few weeks ago. Paul and I enjoyed it so much that I had to make it again (in fact, I doubled the recipe because it went so quickly the first time I made it!). This is a good weekend meal because after you get all the ingredients together and bring it to a boil, it needs to simmer for two hours before serving.

Chili doesn’t photograph very well, but here’s a preview of the deliciousness. I’m already looking forward to the leftovers.