Menu Plan #37 was short and sweet due to a trip to Washington DC and a recognition dinner.  The meal plan for week #37 started with a one pot meal,  The recipe caught my eye for several reasons.  The ‘Ole Buckeye and I enjoy exploring Greek recipes, I had all of the ingredients on hand and I have become a fan of one pot or one baking pan cooking.  I have included the recipe below.  The meal was “fine.”  In fact there was enough left for a second meal and I popped it into the freezer since we were going out of town the end of the week.  I served the dish with a huge Greek salad.

Let me define “fine” for you, at least how it is defined in my world.  Fine would be described as acceptable, satisfactory, adequate.  In fact when the ‘Ole Buckeye says “fine” the hair on the back of my neck bristles a little.  Although we will be eating this meal again during week #38, it will be purely out of convenience.  This one pot dinner will not reappear on a menu plan.  It was “fine”, but not worth repeating.

One Pot Greek Chicken & Lemon Rice | RecipeTin Eats

I want to say the star of this dish is the chicken. But that would be lying to you. Because this, my friends, is all about the RICE! This is a fantastic Greek Chicken recipe for busy weeknights because it’s so fast to prepare and it’s all made in one pot.

Thursday was the ‘Ole Buckeye’s Night.  He was slightly panicked when I reminded him of his assignment.  Luckily we had the ingredients available for a crockpot meal that we have had in the past.  He had plans for the day, so this recipe was perfect.  I also had a head of cauliflower on hand that needed to be used.  We decided to prepare mashed cauliflower to accompany the chicken.  Looming in the refrigerator there was also a pound of mushrooms that would not last the duration of the weekend.   I elected to make a mushroom recipe that I have been meaning to try for months.

The ‘Ole Buckeye’s meal was a success.  However, my addition of the mushrooms was not. They did not go with the meal well.  Simply sautéing the mushrooms with some garlic and onion would have been a better choice.  We did have enough leftovers for another cook once/eat twice.  I combined the chicken, sauce, and the creamy mushrooms and packed them for the freezer as well as the remaining mashed cauliflower.  They will appear again next Thursday for his weekly assignment.  Hopefully everything froze well.

O-M-G BEST Crockpot Chicken EVER Recipe – Serendipity and Spice

This delicious slow cooker meal is perfect for a busy night dinner….my family LOVES this OMG BEST Crockpot Chicken Ever Recipe! It’s oh so creamy and flavorful– it really is the BEST crockpot chicken recipe! OMG the BEST Crockpot Chicken EVER Recipe! Yep, that’s the real name of this recipe so you know it’s GOT TO BE GOOD!

Check out what I found on the Paula Deen Network!Mashed Cauliflower

Mashed cauliflower is as fast as it is easy, this side dish is cooked in the microwave and blended together for a creamy side dish. It comes with chicken broth, sour scream, and salt.

Easy Creamy Mushrooms – Damn Delicious

The easiest, creamiest mushrooms you will ever have – it’s so good, you’ll want to skip the main dish and make this a meal instead! Sorry, guys. This recipe does not bode well with that whole New-Years-resolutions-dieting situation. It’s just amazingly creamy goodness here, so let’s just start talking about that dieting nonsense next week.

Friday morning took us to Washington DC.  I packed the left over Greek salad and some fresh blackberries for the trip.  I never know if we will eat what I pack, but if it will spoil while we are away, I would rather take it with us.

I will post a blog about our trip as well as restaurant reviews later, but I will say that we ate well on the trip.

Monday we rushed home from DC to attend the USO Awards Dinner.  The ‘Ole Buckeye volunteers at the Little Creek USO.  The combined USOs  in the Hampton Roads area have an informal dinner each year to recognize those who volunteer.  This year it was held at a the Young Veterans Brewing Company.

Young Veterans Brewing Company

YVBC – High Speed High Quality. FOR US, THE ANSWER IS SIMPLE: WE LOVE BEER. WE LOVE TO BREW IT; WE LOVE TO DRINK IT, WE LOVE TO TEACH OTHERS ABOUT IT.

Mission BBQ catered the meal.  Mission BBQ is alway delicious and they did a fantastic job feeding all of us great BBQ and sides.

MISSION BBQ serves barbecue in Glenn Burnie area | MISSION BBQ

Barbeque, ribs, sandwiches and all American food plus takeout in Glen Burnie, MD – Call 410-773-9888

Both of these businesses donated time, space, food, drink and talent to support the USO.  Please offer your support to them as well.

On Tuesday I found myself “Cooking Again”.  It seems odd that after nearly a week away from the kitchen I did not look forward to food preparation.  The roast pork with Balsamic, Dijon, and Thyme was excellent.  The seasoning permeated the meat and the pork remained moist and delicious.  I made simple baked sweet potatoes and roasted asparagus to accompany the roast.

Hurrah, asparagus is once again an amazing buy at the grocery.  In fact I purchased enough for several meals.  It is a favorite side and always welcomed when it is back in abundance in the spring.  I roasted it in sesame oil which we enjoy as a diversion from olive oil…very tasty.

Roast Pork Loin with Balsamic, Dijon & Thyme | Kitchen Confidante

Full of flavor, this roast pork loin is simple and versatile. Prepare it in the oven or on the grill, and you’ll have a delicious dinner, perfect for any season.

Week #37 was another week of great eating.  I especially enjoyed a mini vacation from the kitchen and exploring Washington DC during a relatively “Off Season”.