A weekly menu would be nice

My dad and stepmom were here for the weekend, so I'm feeling a bit discombobulated. It was great having them here, but you know how it is with visitors; the-day-to-day stuff just doesn't get taken care of, and then Monday morning dawns and you realize the enormity of your daily life, and getting things back in gear seems like a monumental task. Please tell me this resonates with some of you? I'm not a lunatic, am I?

I've been feeling very overwhelmed with all I am supposed to do everyday. I try to work six hours of my "day job." I also need to make dinner, write in this blog, start a new Chicago food blog (any name ideas, by the way? It will be small bits about the best food places, both shopping and eating - a prize to the best name), do all of the laundry, keep the house clean, take the dog for long, meaningful walks, explore the city, catch up on my knitting, and spend time with my kids. I have a babysitter for five hours a day, but unless I'm doing "day job" work for most of those, I can't afford her. Which leaves me little time to do the other stuff. I end up wandering around my house muttering about all I need to do and accomplishing nothing at all.

But ANYWAY, this week's dinners. I have from the farmer's market: gorgeous beets with greens attaced, cranberry beans, apples and an assortment of multi-colored fingerling potatoes. I have a butternut squash from a couple of weeks ago that I'd like to cook. Today is hitting 84 degrees, so all of the fall menu items I have in mind will be overkill. I'm thinking a BBQ? Grab something from the local meat market and make it with the potatoes? With sauteed beet greens? (the beets will hold, their greens will not).

Other ideas for the week (which will have more seasonal weather) include a pasta e fagioli with the beans, roasted beet salad, and maple-glazed ginger garlic squash in the crockpot. OH, and I'm looking for a great pear recipe for a dessert. Our next door neighbors have a beautiful pear tree and they have put a bunch of pears out for the taking. Any ideas?

Comments

[Amy]

Try www.savingdinner.com. LOVE it.

I'm not affiliated with them, btw, just a big fan.

[Michelle]

I'm a big fan of the simplicity of poached pears--easy, tasty, look oh so classy.

[Randi]

ideas: windycitynosh or windycitybitsandbites. Thats the best I can come up with, I'm not that creative.

[Randi]

I made an upside down pear cardomom cake from thewednesdaychef. I wasnt too crazy about the cardomom flavor, but you could substitute vanilla bean or nothing at all if you like cardomom. The cake part was tasty though.

[Meredith]

Chi-Town Eats

Cook County Eats

A Foodie in Chicago

Cooking Chicago

Chicago Kitchens

These are all really plain, but maybe it's a start to something better!

[Kara]

Martha had a good section on pears in the October issue of MS Living. If you follow the magazine link from her front page, you'll find "6 delectable pear recipes" (including a cocktail).

I can't help you with the beets, though: I HATE greens. BTW, it's 92 degrees here. I am so tired of my summer recipes, but I can't bring my self to turn on the oven while I'm running the air conditioner.

And, surely this is already taken, but anyhow: Deep Dish.

[foodmomiac]

Great name ideas, guys. Keep 'em coming. Randi, I am DEFINITELY making that cake. Just need to wait till those pears aren't hard enough to be used as a weapon.

[kyooty]

pears? how about a pear coffee cake?I made an apple coffee cake recently for my FIL and I think just changing it to pears would work easily?

Also for the name "meets, greets and eats"

Your meeting a new town, your greeting the new ideas and your eating. :)