Meal Plan Monday

Hello friends!  How was your weekend?  Ours was great!  I think it is safe to say that spring has sprung around here - yippee!  I am anxious to get out in the garden, but I have been battling some hand issues since the start of the year that have been holing me back from some of my regular activities.  Good thing for helpers in the kitchen (even grating cheese causes me a fair bit of pain).  Slowly but surely whatever is going on with my hand is healing, but man is it frustrating!  (and YES, I have been to the Doctor and physiotherapist about it).

Enough of me griping!  LOL Here is this week's meal plan:

Sunday: BBQ Pork Chops, Spaghetti Squash Casserole, Kale Salad

Monday: BBQ Chicken, Spaghetti Squash Casserole, Caesar Salad

Tuesday: Chicken Pot Pie Cupcakes, Kale Salad

Wednesday: Salmon, Grilled Vegetables, Kale Salad

Thursday: Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo (I finally found a homemade Alfredo sauce that I like...recipe coming soon!) and Caesar Salad

Friday: Take out! (Our son's hockey playoffs are this weekend and after his 4 pm game I am volunteering at the raffle tables...so no cooking for me!) 

Saturday: Undecided!

Have a great week everyone!

Recipe Recap #3

OK, I have to tell you, I am just loving this trip down memory lane with my weekly recipe recaps.  What great memories from last year.  And inspiration for me for this year.  So cool!  Welcome to Recipe Recap #3 for the week of February 10 - 16, 2012.  There is one delicious recipe to recap...Enjoy!

Lobster Fettuccine
Our delicious Valentine's treat from last year.  And when I discovered fennel.  Oh yum!  Might be time to make this one again.  Must watch for a lobster sale.

See you next week!

Lobster Fettucine

After his initial "teasings", my husband is quite on board with my resolution to try one new recipe a week, and is even helping with suggestions.  What's funny is that he and I both came across the recipe for Lobster Fettucine within days of each other - he came across it at work and I at home.  Yes, I know, we are meant to be.  So it seemed suiting that I make it for us for Valentine's Day :-)  And...we even hit a sale on lobster, how fortunate was that?! (really...meant to be!).

This recipe is for a dinner for two, so be sure to adjust accordingly.

Here is the recipe:

1 cup thinly sliced fennel

1 tablespoon butter

2 teaspoons flour

1/4 cup dry vermouth

3/4 cup whipping cream (35%)
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 lobster tails, shelled and coarsely chopped
1/2 of a 350 g package fresh fettucine
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Chives, chopped
Fresh pepper to taste

Heat a frying pan over medium.  Add butter and fennel.  Cook, stirring frequently, until fennel is soft, about 4 minutes.

Stir in flour and cook 1-2 minutes.

Add vermouth and cook until completely evaporated, about 2-3 minutes.

Whisk in cream, dijon and salt, stirring constantly until saucy, about 2 minutes.

Add lobster and simmer about 3 minutes.

Cook fettucine in boiling water, following package directions but omitting salt, until al dente, 3-4 minutes.  Drain then stir into sauce along with lemon juice.  Garnish with chives.

Thank you Chatelaine, February 2012 for the recipe.

And THANK YOU Mom and Dad for the vermouth!

VERDICT:
It was delicious!  I had never cooked with fennel (or vermouth) before, so not only was this a new recipe, there were new things that we'd never tried before.  We all loved the smell of the fennel though our oldest son thought it tasted too strong.  Must not have been too strong because he asked to eat the leftovers for supper tonight!  Anyways, this was a relatively easy meal to make, cracking the lobster was the hardest part (and my husband did that for me, thanks hun!).  We all enjoyed the meal, along with the recommended pairing of a pinot grigio (our son had juice, that was a little Valentine's treat for him!).  I did add a little fresh pepper to the dish, but other than that, it was good!

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