Pizza on whole wheat crust with pesto. One pizza was turkey sausage, broccoli and oil cured black olives. The other was topped with turkey sausage and carmelized onions. Turned out to be surprisingly delicious for a meal thrown together from random things in the fridge.

Planning a couple days of grilling. Menu 1: jerk marinated burgers, grilled pineapple, grilled asparagus, watermelon feta salad and corn.

Menu 2: ribs (done lw and slow in the oven, then finished on the grill), baked beans with molasses and bacon, niman ranch hot dogs, tater tots, corn, green beans.

Desserts will likely be brownies and strawberry short cakes.

Tonight featured small filet mignons rubbed with penzey's Cajun spice, roasted Brussel sprouts with diced pancetta and roasted cauliflower. Also roasted a Dijon salmon fillet that I turned into a salmon salad/spread -- mixed with finely diced shallots, capers and a dab of greek yogurt. To be thickly spread on rye toast in the morning.

Last night we grilled hanger steak, burgers, corn, skewered veggies. Also roasted some cauliflower and whizzed up some chimichurri. Pleased the various constituents.

Tonight will be paella. I picked up some scallops, shrimp, cockles and chorizo yesterday, and defrosted some rich seafood stock. Dijon and herb crusted perch for the toddler.

I like to make mini crust less quiches in muffin tins, or breakfast quesadillas -- I scramble eggs with herbs, onions finely diced bacon or pancetta. Crumble into a whole grain tortilla with shredded cheese and brown or bake. Cut into wedges and keep in the fridge. Great for grab and go.

I'm feeling pretty blah and uninspired with all this gray too-cold-for-spring weather and am not sure what dinner tonight holds. Leading candidates are: hanger steak with sauteed mushrooms, roasted brussel sprouts and cauliflower; or a chicken fricasse of sorts with the mushrooms, artichoke hearts and some wine....or something else entirely.

flying solo tonight so mushrooms will likely figure in, as hubby can't stand them.

Those sauces (the refrigerated ones) are so wonderful. Tonight I made chicken tikka masala with her version. It was oilier than the others I've had (vindaloo, tamarind, coconut curry), but the flavor was great. I spooned off the extra oil.

Understood. It looks like Grange is close to opening in Westwood. Very excited about the prospect. Any updates on the schedule?

Chicken thighs, good chorizo, clams, sometimes scallops.

Grilled burgers and corn last night. For breakfast this morning I made a quiche Lorraine with the last tidbits of Easter ham, a diced shallot and gruyere. The custard was enriched with some crime fraiche I had lurking. A sprinkle of fresh thyme and yum. Really hit the spot with my coffee.

Not sure WFD tonight -- looking around for inspiration.

Wed night was taco bar night. Spicy ground turkey and grilled carne asada with hanger steak, offered with a choice of hard taco shells, whole wheat tortialls or smaller flour tortillas. A range of toppings -- diced onion, shredded cheddar, shredded lettuce, tomato, salsa, 2 % Greek yogurt (subbed for sour cream), guacamole. We love this spread.

Last night I was inspired by a discussion thread re pizza so made 2 thin crust pizzas on whole wheat crust purchased from TJ's (this dough rocks). I used one of the TJ's dough balls to make 2 medium sized thin crust. One was topped with prosciutto and arugula. the other was topped with half clam and bacon with fresh garlic; half turkey pepperoni with sliced green olives stuffed with jalapenos.

Not sure what tonight's dinner will be...

We also had the TJ's uncured spiral cut ham. It was terrific! And I'm not even really a fan of ham (others here are). I glazed it with peach apricot preserves mixed with dijon and rosemary. Yum.

Roasted asparagus, scalloped potatoes, broccoli and crescent rolls (also TJ's) on the side. Dessert was Easter sugar cookies made yesterday.

Thrilled I decided to try the TJ's uncured ham. I got a 4.3 lb quarter ham, which was plenty for just us with ample leftovers. The flavor s great and it seems less processed than other hams I've sampled. Also appreciated the small size bone in ham.

It's gorgeous here (finally). After coloring Easter eggs and baking Easter cookies with my toddler this afternoon, dinner will be grilled burgers and corn with tater tots and green beans. Burgers topped with pepper jack on wheat challah rolls. Delighted to grill again!

My daughter is 4 and we take her out to eat often -- have since she was a tiny one and we lived in NYC (now in the suburbs). I always have some food with us when we leave the house, going to a restaurant or otherwise. We are adventurous eaters and she's a good eater, but not yet the adventursome diner that I hope she'll grow into. She is usually not fond of foods mixed together or sauced.

I almost always order something for her at restaurants, usually off of the adult menu in smaller size if they will accomodate a half size order, but often if not, I'll take the full size and take home the leftovers. sometimes they will create a plainer version of a dish they offer -- like a pasta with grilled chicken, dressed with just garlic and oil, vs. whatever other sauce and accoutrements might otherwise adorn the dish (sundried tomatoes, broccoli rabe, etc.). for the most part, restaurants are accomodating. She's generally very well behaved and likes to order for herself, which some find amusing. And we tip well, recognizing the added burden of special orders, etc.

However, I nearly always supplement the restaurant's offerings with vegetables and sometimes fruit, as I prefer her to eat in a much more balanced way than most restaurant menus tend to lean. For example, to our local pizza/Italian place, I will often bring a small snack size baggie sof steamed green beans and carrot sticks/celery sticks, etc. or a cut up pear. She will occasionally get the chicken tenders from a kids menu, but i'm not keen on her having the inevitable mountain of fries that always come with (if the restaurant has side dishes of steamed broccoli, snowpeas, etc., I'll always order those. too often they don't).

Like many of the other posters, we also have quiet activities for before the meal arrives. and we always put in her order first to minimize her waiting time -- she's also a very slow eater.

I don't think this is an etiquette issue. I think it's being a responsible parent and considerate fellow diner.

I used this recipe from epicurious. I might increase the cardamom next time. It was pretty subtle, but very yummy.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/foo...

Thanks. Everything turned out great. Recipes were from the Indian Slow Cooker cookbook. I made the chicken curry overnight, with a few tweaks to the recipe based on my mom's chicken curry. I added the yogurt at the very end and adjusted seasoning. The spinach recipe is awesome. Definitely a keeper. 2lbs baby spinach done in the slow cooker then blended. Really tasty. I scrapped the Chana masala and made aloo gobi instead, also in the slow cooker. The puff pastry samosas stuffed with Keema with ground turkey were great. The vanilla cardamom pound cake was also a hit. I served it with a selection of ice creams for gests to pick from, rather than the berries. My pairing was with sea salt caramel. Mmmmmmm.

Tonight I think I'm making a version of Philly cheesesteaks. TJs has wonderful shaved ribeye that works perfectly. will sautee with onions, peppers and mushrooms. will top with provolone or pepperjack, whichever I have. Sides TBD. something easy.

I will also start prepping for the dinner party I'm having tomorrow. I'm planning to make Indian chicken curry and saag paneer, both done in slow cookers. might also make chana masala and keema samosa made with ground turkey and peas, wrapped into puff pastry triangles. Vanilla cardamom poundcake and berries for dessert. I'm going to at least do the spice pastes for both slow cooker projects tonight and might start the chicken to cook overnight. Also the filling for the samosas.

This morning before leaving for work, I prepped Paul Prudhomme's cajun meatloaf made with ground turkey. I've made it with the traditional beef and pork before and we loved it. Hope the substitution doesn't diminish the result. The meatloaf will likely be served with mased or roasted cauliflower and asparagus. or the cauliflower may be subbed out for cubed roasted sweet potato dusted with five spice.

Also baked some dijon corn flaked crusted chicken tenders for the little one, as the Prudhomme meatloaf is likely too spicy for her.

a productive morning that will make the evening rush a bit less frenetic.

Thanks everyone for the kind words.

I have seen Maya Kaimal's simmer sauces in the refrigerated section of Fairway, Whole Foods, Wegman's and better supermarkets and specialty grocers. Places like Stop and Shop haven't begun to carry it, as far as I've seen.

I've also seen a jarred variety of her products as well. Haven't tried those, but the fresh sauces in the refrigerated section are really wonderful. Very flavorful, made with great ingredients, not oily and delicious. I've tried the Vindaloo, Tamarind curry and coconut curry varieties. there's also a Classic Korma sauce available that I haven't tried.

I hope you find them available near you. I try to always have a container on hand for a quick weeknight meal.

Tonight my normally 45 min commute took 2 hrs in the icy snow storm. After truly treacherous driving conditions and a minor accident (rear ended on the garden state parkway after braking and steering around a car that had spun off the road tried to get back on). So thankful to be home safe.

After the eventful commute I made an easy chicken vindaloo using a Maya Kaimal brand fresh sauce. As the chicken simmered and the brown rice finished cooking I threw in a large amount of baby spinach into the curry. Didn't want to mess with another dish. Not an authentic version but very tasty. If you haven't tried Maya Kaimal's brand of fresh Indian simmer sauces, I highly recommend them.

When will the snow stop? I'm guessing we have 4+ inches and it's still coming down.

Pepper jack burgers on wheat challah rolls with onion rings, green beans and corn on the cob. Delish.

With my first, I had no cravings until mid second trimester, when I developed a half pint a day Haagen Dazs habit. I'm now pregnant again and no cravings or aversions so far. Hopefully this time, like the last, i'll have no nausea. Lots of fresh fruits and veggies are yummy to me now.

Don't think so. I can confirm that their brand is quite good. They make great fish tacos. In fact I bought some recently after my TJs was sampling a fish taco wrap with shredded cabbage and their guiltless guacamole (which is cut with Greek yogurt). I'm still on the fence about the yogurt in the guacamole but the fish taco idea was great.

My toddler likes the TJs cod too. Many less weird ingredients than the major supermarket brand staples.

TJ's battered cod should do the trick.

sorry for the potential let down, but it was romANesco the vegetable that looks like greenish cauliflower, not a romesco sauce. Still yummy, though.

I don't typically buy hanger steak, but this may have changed my mind. loved it.

steamed with a little garlic butter and herbs.

Hanger steak seared in screaming hot cast iron, topped with baby Bella mushrooms done in the same pan, deglazed with Marsala. Polenta fries and cauliflower/romanesco on the side.

Burgers last night for us too. Mine was topped with pepper jack and guacamole on brioche. Yum.

Not sure what tonight/tomorrow will hold for cooking. Tonight we'll likely go out. Tomorrow maybe a long braise.

I let them cool on a rack and then cut them in wedges, then put them in a ziploc bag til morning, when I topped them in the toaster oven. they hit the spot.

Tonight I made some roasted chicken parts, which the toddler had with dinner, saved the rest for other uses. Also layered enchiladas with chicken, spinach and black beans.

Then thinking ahead, I scrambled some eggs with bacon and onions, which I turned into breakfast quesadillas with multigrain tortillas to have on hand for breakfast in a hurry.