I'll Call It a Success

FOOD: I'll call this week's meal plan a success. All of the menus were cooked, one way or another. Two turned out excellent while one was at least edible. We cooked the beef tips on Wednesday, lasagna on Thursday and tuna noodles on Friday.

The beef tips were just okay. Nowhere near as soft and moist as Derrick's mom's. I used eye of round roast and took a shortcut and used the crock pot to cook them. Maybe it dried them out? I don't know. Next time I might try a different cut of meat.





The lasagna was really true to my mom's recipe. Besides the noodles and sauce the only other ingredients we added were mozzarella, tomato sauce, mushrooms, frozen spinach and cottage cheese. Ky had fun cutting and cooking the mushrooms, laying the layers of noodle in the pan and sprinkling cheese. It's been very fun for me to continue to pay attention to each of my sons' cooking "zone of proximal development." I continue to give them as much responsibility as they can handle and as much as they are willing to assume, while attempting to stay safe around all the sharp and hot things in the kitchen. A challenge but we're really loving it. And the products have been enjoyable too!




And finally, the tuna noodles. I have to admit. Tuna noodle night when I was growing up was not one of my favorites. A little fishy, a little gushy. Definitely something I remember as a go-to, momma-cooked dish, but not the most appealing thing to a kid. So I tried to jazz it up a little. I got the pan nice and hot and browned the mushrooms to make them really caramelized and sweet. Then I added some flour and half and half to make a really creamy sauce. Then in went the tuna; two kinds: chunk light and albacore. Toward the end I added a pinch of cayenne pepper and sliced up two green onions and added them at the last minute. The cayenne added a little kick of heat and the green onions brightened up the flavor. The overall flavor profile was creamy and sweet with a hint of spice. Broccoli with a little lemon balanced the sweetness of the noodles. Very good! Better than I remember as a kid.




Added bonus: Derrick loved the tuna noodles and even ate the "green stuff" on the side!

Very nervous about how our lovely plan will carry over into the weeks ahead. Very busy at work. Hope the plan continues to work for us as our lives get busier.