A Menu For Katie

Dear Katie,

After our chat tonight I am determined to help you achieve your cooking confidence. Although we are far away, we can still pretend like you are walking next door to my house (which did you notice that it is right next door in this made up story?) and smell something good. Then you essentially say "hummm...What cha' makin'?" Except you'll accentuate the "g" at the end in your adorable way. I have always liked that. Then the kids will run along and play nicely as we gather the meal together in a sturdy wooden basket and join our husbands and children outside with the setting sun, sharing the said meal. When everyone is full and ready for bed we'll say goodnight and I'll write down the recipe for your future usage and enjoyment. Now doesn't that sound nice.

So, here you are...any given day this past week you might have walked in and found these dishes. Here is what I made this week:

Quinoa, corn, and black bean salad

Chicken Salad (Ina Garten) on good, nutty whole grain bread.

Portobello Mushroom and yellow squash lasagna with spinach salad

Pumpkin Soup (Sandy's recipe--although I alter it a bit) and garlic bread

Tin foil dinners (We'll be camping tomorrow night--so these I have yet to make-but, they are easy peasy--vegetables and meat or fish of choice)

Lobster and four cheese ravioli with leafy red and green salad (this is a total cheat because it is Trader Joe's ravioli's but, I do make the sauce and salad)--I needed something easy for Sunday as we'll have been camping and tired and not up for a big Sunday to-do, you know.

If you want any of these recipes you know where to find me. Just come next door. You don't even need to knock.

Now what is the recipe for making that story a reality?