A Week At A Time – Meal Ideas!

Happy Sunday! I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend and getting outside — it’s another hot one for us here in Santa Ynez. I have my son and his family here visiting for the weekend, and I couldn’t be happier. I’m sure grilling some fish will be on the menu later this evening because it’s just too hot to cook indoors, as well as a yummy salad, and I’ll make dessert with my granddaughter to get her in the kitchen.

This week continues to be on the warm side, so I think it’s appropriate for Monday to start with a Roasted Acorn Squash Spinach Salad. Roasting squash does require turning on the oven, but it’s worth it because winter squash is so spectacularly sweet, especially mixed with hardy greens and pomegranate seeds. Tuesday’s are usually taco night, but I thought Mexican Turkey Burger Sliders would be more fun. You can always grill the patties outside to beat the heat, if necessary. My Slow Cooker Pot Roast with Indian Flavors sounds delightful on Hump Day because it’s easy to put together is the morning before work, and you’ll have dinner when the day is done. You can also use the leftovers beef for a couple different meals this week like these Shredded Beef and Mashed Potato Taquitos or my Beef and Black Bean Tostadas with Zucchini Relish — both delicious second meals. By Thursday, the extreme heat should be a little cooler, but why not keep that kitchen cool theme going and use an electric pressure cooker to make my Instant Pot Italian-Style Chicken Meatloaf. It’s an easy prep and it cooks in a short amount of time, while you set the table and start the homework. By Friday, many of us will need a refreshing drink to sip to wash the week away and my Pear Martini is silky smooth and oh-so fall like. Saturday’s are for baking a Key Lime Pie with Fluffy Meringue. My mom made this dessert this week and she reminded me how tasty it was and I wanted to recommend it to you. Stay cool!

Monday