monday meal madness!

Happy Monday! Happy MLK Day! What a poignant day on which to have the presidential inauguration fall.

I have been living in a house of sickies all weekend. So sad. Day number five tomorrow, as Mr. Fresh Scratch has already decided he won’t be able to go to work.

But you know me, the kitchen is still in full operational mode!

So if you need a good answer or two to “What’s for dinner??” I have a few for you. Get out those shopping lists!

I made this enormous batch of chili last Monday, then divided it up for us, my grandparents, and our friends Scotty and Regan who are about to welcome their second baby.

It had chocolate in it – what’s not to love?

Mr. Fresh Scratch made his bleu macaroni and cheese again. This time, he put in about half the amount of bleu cheese, thankfully — and I love bleu cheese. This time, it was subtle enough that Teensy-Weensy ate up every last bite on her plate.

And do you ever feed your kids edamame? Mine love it. Always have. If you’re feeling like they aren’t eating enough veggies, try it and see what happens.

I mentioned that last Wednesday I cooked and baked up a storm. This is the cassoulet I made.

Some old co-workers of mine brought a pot of cassoulet over after my younger daughter was born, and I found it to be a type of comfort food unlike any I had experienced before. French comfort food: sausages, white beans, mushrooms, tomatoes.

It’s perfect for January.

I used the recipe in my trusty cookbook The Working Parents Cookbook: More Than 200 Recipes for Great Family Meals, which I am nearly done cooking my way through. Holla!

Just as the Mr. was starting to come down with – dare I even say it? – what is likely the flu, he made us a simple dinner of soba noodles with snow peas, red peppers, sesame seeds, and scallions. There was a yummy peanut sauce clinging to the noodles.

It was a fantastic start to my Friday night, for sure. I stayed up by myself and caught up on “The Office” and “Once Upon a Time” and…Pinterest. I ate lots of cookies. It was kind of nice, though I did feel badly for the sick people at my house who felt like they had to go to bed.

Another weekend, another breakfast-for-dinner, courtesy of The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook. This time I baked Deb’s cinnamon toast French toast. It was delightful. Best part? I could’ve made a lot of it the day before.

Love that!

Though the toast was baked in a fairly custard-y mixture, I scrambled up some eggs on the side, anyway. I also sectioned out the rest of our ruby grapefruits and mixed them with honey.

It was a great meal, even if we were supposed to have enjoyed it with friends, and even if only half of my household felt well enough to gobble it up.

I leave you with the simplest snack for your kids ever. I know I am not the brainchild of the muffin tin snack experience, but I feel like I can share the idea, anyway.

Grab a muffin tin. Look through your fridge, fruit bowl, and pantry. Drop bits of this and that into the tin.

Watch them freak out with delight. There’s always something for everyone. Yesterday there were clementines, olives, graham crackers, raisins, chunks of cheddar, and dried apples.

It was all gone by dinner.

The End.