Dinner Plans: Week 50

It's Week 50 of Dinner Plans and we are starting the countdown to the end of the year!

With only a little less than 3 weeks left in the calendar year, we're revving up to enjoy all the seasonal treats for this time of year. I'm in full gift prep mode as we prep cookie dough for our annual cookie tins along with a few small cakes and preserves like my blueberry butter.

This week we skipped the weekly CSA box since we still have a bit of produce to cook through and I'm really work to clear out our summer freezer goodies so we can prep to preserve a bit of our late autumn and early winter produce.

Seasonal Cooking Tip: Planning a Holiday Menu

The Holiday Party Season is officially underway! Between work gatherings, family gatherings, and parties with friends we may find ourselves hosting or bringing a dish, potluck style. Today, I'm sharing three practices I employ when planning for the holiday menus while keeping with our seasonally focused ingredients:

1. When to Opt for Store Bought: Ain't no shame in the store-bought game. I tend to opt for pre-made food items if I know the size of the gathering is large enough where making a bunch of food can be a challenge both in supplies and in time.
2. Consider Dietary Preferences: Offering a variety of foods that cater to different dietary preferences or restrictions ensures attendees feel included in the meal sharing experience and that they have food options to choose and enjoy. If hosting, ask guests in advance for their dietary preferences or needs. If you are attending, you may want to reach out to the host to see if they have that information to share.
3. Shopping the Pantry, the Fridge, the Box, or Local: If I'm making a dish to bring, I always start with shopping my fridge and pantry. That's in part how my harissa roast carrots came to life last year. Once I've decided on the ingredients, then I'll shop the local farmers market or grocery store for the remaining ingredients. For the holiday season, I'll tend to focus on roast vegetables sides. I'll make cakes and baked good with seasonal fruits like persimmon or apples.

PS: don't forget to check out Part I and Part II of my Pantry Essentials Series for more tips and recommendations for keeping a well stocked pantry ahead of the holiday season.

Dinner Plans for the Week

Since we're skipping the CSA delivery this week, we will turn our attention to freezer tomato sauce, homemade turkey stock for soup and pot pies and lots of comforting dishes. The oven will definitely get its use this week for a number of slow simmered and braised dishes.

Our Game Plan for Dinner this Week:

Sunday: Roast Turkey Pot Pie

Monday: Easy Lasagna Soup

Tuesday: Chicken Enchiladas Suizas

Wednesday: Prosciutto & Pesto Pinwheels with a Fall Harvest Salad

Thursday: Herbed Goat Cheese Quiche with Spinach

Friday: Slow Roasted Salmon with Braised Lentils

Saturday: Pizza with Butternut Squash Sauce, Camembert, Peppers, and Spicy Sausage on repeat

From favorite recipes to new things with a wide variety of ingredients, cooking delicious food with our CSA definitely gets us out of a dinner rut and reduce food waste. I share meal ideas for our busy weeks with our weekly newsletter. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to be in the know when they’re live. 😉

Wishing you a nourishing week ahead. 🧡