Sneak Peek Weekly Menu

Welcome to another look inside my job and what I do each week. I have one of the most interesting jobs: I get to make a weekly menu, go shopping and play in the kitchen for a living. It doesn't feel like work.

There is no pressure, no boss breathing down my back asking me to go faster, file TPS reports or wear a uniform. It's a zen, stress-free, comforting environ. The only stress: The one time to cable went out on the TV in the kitchen and I missed The Today Show.

The following is a sample of this week's menu, full of crowd-pleasers at work.

Monday:
Lunch--Oven-baked Parmesan chicken patty, roasted tomato soup
Dinner--Chipotle sweet potato ravioli, dried cranberries, Alfredo sauce, mixed vegetables

Oven roasted tomato soup

Tuesday:
Lunch--Chicken salad, salmon salad, pear salad with cottage cheese
Dinner--Lamb merguez, tomato-feta bread pudding, lemon-scented asparagus

Lamb merguez meatballs made delicious with homemade harissa

Wednesday:
Lunch--Salmon en papillote, peppers, mushrooms, onions, cauliflower mash
Dinner--Meat lasagna, garlicky sauteed spinach, caramel-apple cake

Meat lasagna: full of ground chuck, 3 cheeses, Italian sausage, spicy tomato sauce

Thursday:
Lunch--Sweet potato soup, pan-seared cod, roasted peppers & onions
Dinner--Fried oysters, crab cakes, remoulade, peas and pearl onions

Friday:
Lunch--Beef tenderloin medallions, un oeuf cocotte with sauce au Roquefort, sauteed Belgian endive and shallots
Dinner--Pot roast, Brussels sprouts, mushrooms, carrots, onions, potatoes, gravy, mustard greens

Saturday:
Lunch--Blanquette de veau, rose-scented bechamel, carrots, leek, celery, beet chocolate cake
Dinner--Roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, mixed vegetables

Sunday:
Lunch--Spinach & goat cheese meatloaf roulade, roasted carrots/parsnips
Dinner-- Quiche Lorraine, white beans with escarole, sauteed squash

Quiche Lorraine: bacon, chives and Gruyere become friends

Come back for pictures and recipes from the week's menu!

Sauteed kale and mustard greens