So we’ve been packing most of the week. This is definitely a record for me with us finding a place and moving within a two week span. The actual move happens Monday, but I’ve been packing like a mad woman for the last 10 days. I actually planned out our meal menu through the move so that I could determine what I could go ahead and pack. And of course, I’ve found myself missing so many of my kitchen tools. But my new kitchen is an improvement on the very outdated one I have, so I am definitely looking forward to some new cooking adventures.
Thursday (8/20): The husband did the cooking. He cooked up some chicken sausages we bought from our local grocery store. They were very good. I had originally intended to grill them, but it started raining about the time we wanted dinner, so he cooked them in a skillet on the stovetop.
Friday (8/21): It was a no kid weekend, so we ended up just doing leftovers for dinner after I spent most of the day packing.
Saturday (8/22): I grilled shrimp and watermelon kabobs and broccoli. It turns out watermelon isn’t that great grilled. It was fine, but I didn’t really think the charring did very much for the flavor. Also, I prefer it cold. However, grilled broccoli is delicious.
Sunday (8/23): I made bratwursts and sauerkraut in the instant pot. I generally prefer the brats grilled, but we had rain again and I was feeling super lazy. We had both spent most of the day packing. At this point, most of the non-essentials are boxed.
Monday (8/24): I pan seared some garlic and basil polenta that has been taking up space in my refrigerator for a month. I made a delicious roasted red pepper sauce simply using roasted red peppers and ranch dressing. It sounds weird, but it was delicious. I served it with air-fried cauliflower and sweet peas. After air-frying the cauliflower, I don’t know if I’ll ever cook it any other way. It was the perfect doneness and just delicious.
Tuesday (8/25): I needed to smoke the latest batch of bacon, so I smoked chicken legs too. I also used the air fryer to make french fries. They weren’t as crispy as when you deep fry them, but they were good.
Wednesday (8/26): The plan had been to use the remaining wanton wrappers I had in the fridge to make ravioli. However, after thawing ravioli filling I had frozen, I discovered the wanton wrappers had started to mold. Obviously, I’m not feeding my family mold, so I had to think fast. I ended up making farfalle with a sauce made from the spinach and ricotta filling and pesto mixed together. It was delicious. I have not come up with a name for this sauce yet, but I would definitely make it again.
And so we wrap up another week. Between the time spent packing and the fact that 80% of my kitchen tools and such are in boxes, I feel like I did a pretty good job of keeping my crew fed. But we are getting down to the bottom on a lot of basics, since we are not going to grocery shop prior to the move Monday. Don’t worry, I planned it out. Except for a lack of eggs for breakfast, the menu is well planned to get us across the finish line.
Foodie's Delimma 