It's Monday so you know what that means - menu time! And here at the Piercy house Mondays often mean red beans and rice, the traditional Monday meal in Louisiana. But before we get started, how about a little music?
Monday:
As I said, Mondays are a good day for red beans and rice. It's traditionally the day women devoted to laundry which used to be a pretty onerous chore, thus the need for an easy dinner. Mondays are also my big laundry day (sheets and catching up from the weekend), as well as the day I do some major cleaning and other chores. I also have a meeting at 6 p.m. tonight so I need a meal that I can pull together quickly when I get home between 7 and 7:30. The last time I made red beans I froze some so I pulled out the container last night and put in the refrigerator to thaw. We had a big Mardi Gras party Saturday for which I made two big pots of gumbo. We consumed all but about a cup or less of that but I do have leftover rice. That means dinner tonight will be a breeze.
- red beans and rice (for David)
- frozen veggies over rice, topped with cheese (for me - David LOVES red beans so I'm saving part of them for his lunch Tuesday.)
- salad
- French bread (we have a couple of slices left from the party)
Tuesday:
Tuesday is Mardi Gras or Shrove Tuesday. Pancakes are a traditional meal for this day as people would clear out rich ingredients generally not eaten during Lent. We aren't giving up butter or eggs for Lent but since "breakfast for dinner" is a favorite of David's, we'll observe this tradition.
- homemade pancakes (or maybe waffles)
- bacon (Applegate Farms natural, uncured, nitrate-free)
- fruit smoothies
- coffee
Wednesday:
This is Ash Wednesday and we will be attending the service at church and then I have choir rehearsal following. I might make vegetable soup in the crockpot or we may just each do our own thing. Depends on how the day goes!
Thursday:
Valentine's Day! David and I talked about this last night and decided to wait until Friday to go out for dinner. Valentine's Day is often too busy and servers are rushed. I think we'll have a better time if we wait. I'll fix a nice dinner at home, though.
- steak
- baked potatoes
- salad
- peas
- wine
- maybe some type of dessert
Friday:
Date night dinner out. Other than one dinner out with a business associate of David's the first week of January, we haven't been out this year! I've been hibernating in order to avoid the flu but I need to get out a bit.
Saturday:
I picked up an all-natural turkey during the holidays and stuck it in the freezer. It's taking up a lot of space and besides, turkey sounds yummy.
- turkey
- mashed potatoes and gravy
- homemade cranberry sauce
- glazed carrots (I thought I'd shared this recipe but I don't see it. I'll do that soon.)
- green beans
- biscuits or rolls
What's on your menu this week? Any special meal plans for Mardi Gras and/or Valentine's Day?