Weekly Menu September 14-18

School is back in and despite the fact the kids are gone all day, I’m feeling very disorganized. The last remnants of summer are hard to let go of. The long days and so little need to cook anything on any kind of timeline leave me very sad and dragging my butt kicking and screaming into a more regimented schedule. Dinner around the table on school nights is important to me, but in this transitional phase of clinging to summer and still trying to enjoy the last bits of warm weather I find myself  in the kitchen at 4 o’clock hanging over the open fridge door, willing myself to slap something together by dinner time. In times of tough transitions I try to have seasonal produce in the fridge and lots of staples in the cupboard. I also rely on quick to fix meals because I am in a state of denial that I am back on a schedule and I HAVE to cook again. I like the pain to be short lived so this week’s menu is a combination of fresh seasonal meals and easy toss it in the pot from the panty fare. The Weekly Menu September 14-18 makes the most of the late season harvest and dining outside. Fire up the grill for Fish Tacos with Heirloom Tomato Salsa. Late summer corn and Zucchini makes easy, yummy  Corn and Zucchini Fritters with Fresh Herb Yogurt Dip. Make a big batch of Pinto Pot Beans and turn them into easy and fast pantry Chili Sin Carne with Brown Rice midweek. Fresh Lemon and Rosemary Chicken with Smoked Garlic is a snap to make in a dutch oven with herbs from the garden and the first of the fall veggies roasted up nice and tender on the side. Fresh corn gets double duty in the Light Cheddar and Corn Soufflés that you actually cannot screw up. End the week with a big batch of Make it Your Way Nachos and the extra special Celery and Smoke Margaritas as a reward for making it through the first week of back to school cooking. Click the Weekly Menu for this week’s dinner plan and a complete shopping list.

GRILLED FISH TACOS

~Pinto Pot Beans ~Heirloom Tomato Salsa

ZUCCHINI & CORN FRITTERS

~Fresh Herb Yogurt Dip

CHILI SIN CARNE

~Brown Rice

FRESH LEMON & ROSEMARY CHICKEN W/SMOKED GARLIC

~Roasted Fall Vegetables~Light Corn & Cheddar Souffles

MAKE IT YOUR WAY-NACHOS