Mothers and Dinners

My mother used to cook on a schedule. I don't think this was unusual in the 70's.  There's wisdom to this idea:  pick a genre for each weeknight then play with it.  Growing up, this was our schedule:

Sunday - roast beef
Mondays - Meatloaf, baked potato and (canned) corn
Tuesday -  casserole/tacos/baked pork chops/burgers
Wednesday - some class of spaghetti(with meatballs, lasagna, pasta primavera, broccoli & cavatelli, pasta w/pesto)
Thursday - chicken (bbq'd, chicken parmesan, divan, shake & baked)
Friday - **fish sticks or pizza
Saturday - **hot dogs & bean until Jacquie started making chili 

**mom and dad went OUT
(side note - there were a LOT of divergent responses from my sisters about what our schedule was.  And Julie thinks my mom made peach pie.  She clearly spent part of her youth elsewhere.) 

As I expressed last week, I'm amazed, looking back, at how my mother put a nutritious, no-fuss, delicious meal on the table five nights a week for eight people year after year after year.  She was good at it and never made a fuss about it.  I remember a kitchen cleaning schedule - the kids always cleaned and always in pairs, so the big numbers helped:  you were on for a week every third week.  And this was not just clearing and loading the dishwasher - this was start to finish, dishes loaded, pots cleaned and put away, floor swept, table & countertops wiped down.  I remember a babysitter stayed with us once while my parents were away and she marveled at all these little girls hopping into action, pushing this huge broom, and wishing her kids were that well trained.  I remember thinking, "wait, everyone doesn't do this?"

For mother's day on Sunday we went out to dinner and I chose Olive Mountain, a Lebanese restaurant in downtown Evanston.  (Baba Ganoush, kibbee, tabouli, rice, felafel and much more. The best type of food on the planet.  I feel an ethnic food post coming on.)    As is our tradition on birthdays and mother's/father's day, we went around the table and the kids and doug made lovely speeches about me in honor of mother's day.  My cooking came up quite a bit.  They are grateful that I cook and that they know what good food is and so am I.  And here's the thing - it's not that I'm this fabulous cook, it's just that I take the time to do it.  It's sort of like working out - there's many days I don't feel like doing it, but I NEVER wish I hadn't when it's over.

so here goes - this week's schedule, on the fly at the grocery store yesterday- so several old standbys

Monday - fried chicken from Jewel, salad, watermelon & tater tots
Tuesday - Poppy seed crusted pork tenderloin (thank you JoEllen), rice, roasted broccoli
Wednesday - linguine with shrimp scampi, salad, bread
Thursday - Slow cooker Thai Chicken
Friday - Pizza
Saturday - off duty

Poppy-seed pork tenderloin with a fresh herb crust

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes, plus resting

1 Tbsp canola oil
1 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp poppy seeds
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp freshly ground pepper
1 (12- to 14-oz) pork tenderloin
¼ cup fresh dill, finely chopped
¼ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped

1. Heat oven to 425°F. Meanwhile, combine oil, paprika, poppy seeds, cinnamon, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Rub mixture all over pork and let stand on a rimmed baking sheet at room temperature until oven is heated.

2. Roast pork until it registers 135°F for medium, about 15 to 20 minutes.

3. While pork is roasting, tear a sheet of parchment paper the length of the tenderloin. Sprinkle dill and parsley in an even layer on paper.

4. Roll cooked pork in its pan juices, then transfer to fresh herbs and roll it in herbs to coat evenly. Let pork stand 5 minutes, then cut into slices at an angle and serve.

Makes 4 servings. Each serving: 128 cal, 6 g fat, 17 g protein, 1 g carb.

Linguine with Shrimp Scampi
Recipe courtesy of Ina Garten

Copyright 2002, Barefoot Contessa Family Style, All Rights Reserved

Vegetable oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt plus 1 1/2 teaspoons
3/4 pound linguine
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 1/2 tablespoons good olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic (4 cloves)
1 pound large shrimp (about 16 shrimp), peeled and deveined
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/2 lemon, zest grated
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
1/4 lemon, thinly sliced in half-rounds
1/8 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes

Drizzle some oil in a large pot of boiling salted water, add 1 tablespoon of salt and the linguine, and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, or according to the directions on the package.

Meanwhile, in another large (12-inch), heavy-bottomed pan, melt the butter and olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the garlic. Saute for 1 minute. Be careful, the garlic burns easily! Add the shrimp, 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, and the pepper and saute until the shrimp have just turned pink, about 5 minutes, stirring often. Remove from the heat, add the parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, lemon slices, and red pepper flakes. Toss to combine.

When the pasta is done, drain the cooked linguine and then put it back in the pot. Immediately add the shrimp and sauce, toss well, and serve.

Slow Cooker Thai Chicken

http://m.allrecipes.com/recipe/76778/recipeslow-cook-thai-chicken