The (Upcoming) Week in Food
Breakfasts (on the days I manage to eat before noon):
One lightly sautéed egg (over-medium without-flipping, because I cannot flip without breaking the yolk) on an English muffin, with sea-salt and a lot of freshly cracked black pepper. Other options include a banana, or yogurt, or oatmeal, each of which is past its prime. (I forgot to plan for breakfast when I went shopping.) (There’s always PB&J, however, always on-hand and a nearly-perfect start to the day.)
Lunches:
(Sing to the Big-Mac song):
- One veggie pattie (x4) (sautéed lightly in EVOO)
- (pseudo) special sauce
- lettuce (stuck in the back of the fridge for weeks [!] and still [!] fresh, thanks, Mom, for the lettuce keeper)
- cheese (-product[ish], wrapped in cellophane)
- pickles (nowhere near as good as my homemade ones from days-gone-by)
- onions (red, which are not recipe-true, but it’s what I have on hand)
- on a multi-grain thin-bun (low-carb).
Makes 4. To be assembled each morning and nuked (?!) around lunch time, for the next 4 days. I’ll let you know how it goes. (I have high hopes.)
P.S. I spent an inordinate amount of time Googling “special sauce” recipes. I already knew the answer: mayo, ketchup and sweet relish, plus a few spices, some of which I did not have on hand. You could also fake it somewhat acceptably (and make it really easy if you have an immediate craving to satisfy) by simply using Thousand Island dressing, if you can find one you like. But OCD me, I want to make it perfect.
Which then led me to an idea to open a restaurant which features all of “your” (fake) franchise favorites. Something for everyone, no reservations or drive-thru required! The name of the restaurant? Why, “(F)FF”, of course.) I’m already working on the logo, and (wow!) imagine the menu…Anybody want in on this? (Don’t go stealing my idea and then making it big, or -- if you do -- just remember where you got the idea! [i.e., I’m the one that put that lottery ticket in your Christmas stocking.)
Dinners (no simple carbs after 6:00 p.m.):
Cheddar-Garlic Chicken Tenderloins, with (previously-prepared) oven fries, possibly subsidized with roasted veggies (zucchini, yellow squash, broccoli, carrots & cauliflower [purchased last weekend, awaiting their demise on a faux-sterling-silver serving tray on my kitchen table. I thought it might make them (me) feel really special for a day or two]). The chicken is thawing in the fridge (requiring patience), with a payoff in the future (!): on at least one evening this week, I will enjoy freshly made food. (Fresh anything…well, need I say more?)
Cooking for one is a challenge. (Living for one is a challenge.)
The dishes are done. The week ahead looms.
My needs are met. My basic needs, anyway. Food and shelter. What about my mind and my heart? My soul?
Today: Leftover pizza. And maybe garlic bread. (You’re not really surprised, are you? It’s still the weekend.) Oh, and (a recent experiment…) lactose-free milk. Changes on the horizon. A future blog, which will probably include TMI.
But, hey, I’m still writing. That’s good, right?
And right, right?
A recipe in search of perfection. Right?