Vernal equinox

March 23, 2010
Test lunch #9

Tasters: Lisa, Kristin and Mr. H

Menu:
Orzo and spinach salad with spiced walnuts
Deviled eggs
Kiwi
Lemon roll cakeRecipes, notes and feedback:

Salad: Potluck Blue Ribbon Pecan Spinach Toss. Recipe from Susan Branch's "Autumn" cookbook (p 47). It's a mix of orzo pasta, chopped fresh spinach, feta and spicy/sweet pecans (I used walnuts) with a light lemon dressing. A touch dry even though I already doubled the olive oil. Maybe even more oil if it's sitting over night. I wondered if it needed salt but others said no, they liked the light flavor. Lisa thought this was really only appropriate for nice weather and she's right. A perfect spring/summer salad.

Deviled eggs: used the abundance of hen eggs, mashed the yolks with mayo, mustard S&P then put the egg halves back together like a sandwich so everyone got one full egg. They got a bit watery sitting over night but everyone seemed to like them

Kiwi: One kiwi/person. Peeled and sliced.

Lemon Roll: Susan Branch's "Vineyard Seasons" cookbook (p 123). I love Susan Branch! I used the large cookie sheet which seemed okay although the cake stuck to the towel. Filled with lemon curd from Small Batch Preserving rather than the lemon sauce recipe in the cookbook. This was a big hit with Kristin and Lisa. Mr. H didn't sample.

Other accomplishments:
Did I mention I started using the linen napkins purchased for Lunch Valet?

Goals for next week:
Figure out if I want to continue this.

Preserved

March 16, 2010
Test lunch #8

Tasters: Lisa, Kristin and Mr. H

Menu:
Peanut butter and jelly on homemade bread
Yogurt with strawberries and meyer lemon curd
Sunshine Salad (aka carrot slaw)
Jam Thumbprint Cookie

Recipes, notes and feedback:
PB&J: Jam was a low sugar stone fruit jam I made last summer. Peanut butter was Jif crunchy (the best kind!) and bread was the Simple Whole Wheat, this recipe. It was all okay. Nothing amazing but no major complaints. I found the bread a bit heavy.

Yogurt with strawberries and meyer lemon curd: Homemade plain yogurt, with a few tablespoons of meyer lemon curd and one large, chopped strawberry on top. Lemon curd recipe from Small Batch Preserving (p 111). Yogurt was a total fail. It was gummy--the texture was way off. Oops. The lemon curd and strawberry were great but I should have noted on the menu card that it was "fruit on the bottom" yogurt and should have been stirred. The canning jars worked great but it was a lot of yogurt.

Sunshine Salad: Recipe from Susan Branch's "The Summer Book" (page 72). Subbed about 1/4 part plain yogurt for mayo. This is a basic carrot slaw with mayo, lemon juice, walnuts and raisins. Popular even with Kristin who didn't like raisins. Servings were a bit large.

Jam Thumbprint Cookie: UC Davis Coffee House Cookbook (p 147). Recipe made only about 2 dozen and took more chopped walnuts than were called for. Used stone fruit jam which was perfect. Very tasty cookies.

Other accomplishments:
None, this was a rough week.

Goals for next week:
Do better.

Hot tamale!

March 9, 2010
Test lunch #7

Tasters: Lisa and Mr. H

Menu:
Beef tamales
Green salad with croutons and vinaigrette
Strawberries
Tatros Cookie
Recipes, notes and feedback:

Beef tamales: Shredded beef--tri tip roast cooked on low in crock pot all day with a jar of homemade salsa. Should have added onions and some cumin/spice as it was bland. Masa for tamales: 1 slightly heaped cup of masa, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 t baking powder, 1/8 t cayenne, 1/4 t cumin, 1/4 c veg oil, 1 c juice/broth/fat from crockpot. This was just barely enough for 9 small tamales. Steamed tamales for 1 hour.
Served two tamales per person which was plenty. They were a touch bland to me but Lisa doesn't like spicy food so she liked them and Mr. H didn't complain.

Green salad with croutons and vinaigrette: Used red leaf lettuce from farmers' market and about 1-2T shredded carrot for a simple salad. Vinaigrette was olive oil, garlic, green onion, S&P, dijon mustard and white wine vinegar. A bit tart but okay. Croutons were sourdough loaf in 3/4 inch dice sauteed in olive oil with salt and Italian seasoning.
Folks liked the light salad with the tamales (as opposed to beans and rice) but suggested a more mexican inspired dressing. Perhaps a creamy cilantro? Include a note suggesting that folks add dressing and shake container to distribute.

Strawberries: Two large berries from the farmers' market

Tatros cookie: Recipe from Coffee House Cookbook. SO yummy.

Other accomplishments:
Made menu card!
Bought napkins for Lunch Valet (still need to wash/press them)

Goals for next week:
Start tracking prices
Post a week's worth of menus

Mac'n'cheese

March 2, 2010
Test lunch #6

Tasters: Lisa and Kristin

Menu:
Penne with five cheeses
Broccoli with sesame vinaigrette
Apple
Oatmeal, raisin, walnut cookie

Recipes, notes and feedback:

Penne with five cheeses: Recipe from Barefoot Contessa (Family Style?)
Used half and half rather than cream. Added a slice of kielbasa sausage on top for protein but not sure that was needed. The meal was filling without. If sausage is added, it should be cut into smaller pieces and mixed in.

Broccoli with sesame vinaigrette: I made up this recipe! Lightly steam broccoli. Meanwhile, whisk a tablespoon or so of toasted sesame oil, one chopped clove garlic, salt and pepper and some white wine vinegar. Toss with warm broccoli. Garnish each serving with a sprinkle of sesame seeds. Serve cold or warm.
Everyone ate this cold (which was good) but wondered if they were supposed to. Kristin appreciated a green vegetable.

Apple: boring but nobody reacted badly to receiving a whole piece of fruit. The apple I had was kind of gross, a reminder to not buy apples in March that have been in storage forever.

Oatmeal, raisin, walnut cookie: Barefoot Contessa recipe for Oatmeal, raisin, pecan with local walnuts instead of pecans. So good! Even the non raisin eaters liked these. Barefoot contessa has the best cookie recipes!

Other accomplishments:
None

Goals for next week:
Same