What's a typical everyday dinner menu in your home?

It's a week night so things are somewhat abbreviated:

Hawaiian style curry beef stew (cut up chuck roast, potatoes, carrots, celery, ginger, thyme, onion, garlic, curry, etc.)

Rice (Thai Jasmine)

Ciabatta (par baked from our local bakery - throw in hot oven for 8 minutes to finish and serve)

Brie

Sliced Concorde pears, Haralson apples, and Pomelo (not mixed together)

Washington Pinot Grigio

Assorted home made Christmas cookies (tis the season - Coconut shortbread with bittersweet chocolate, Mexican wedding cakes, Chai shortbread - so far)

Not fancy, but the rice and stew can be started in the morning on the way out the door.  Everything else can be thrown together when I get home and dinner can be on the table in 30 minutes or less.

Currently baking St. Lucia buns for tomorrow morning (St. Lucia's Day).

We usually follow a weekly menu routine.  Tonight is "seafood night" for example and I'll go shopping in the morning to see what looks good at the market.  I'm kind of in the mood for salmon and will throw together a plate of rice, salmon, and whatever green veggie looks fresh. 

Last night was vegetarian night but I didn't have a chance to shop in the morning so we fell on good old reliable eggs and toast. :)

There is no typical here. We start with a week-long menu plan, then shop and cook to it. What goes on the plan depends on our mood, whether or not I'm proving recipes, etc. Even the plan is kind of loose, as we don't assign specific nights to each meal. We rarely do desserts, as such, but have some commercial ice cream or the like.

For this week, the menu plan calls for:

Lamb Loin Chops in Cucumber Sauce

Mac & Cheese

Asparagus

Spareribs

Grilled Garlic Potatoes

Orange & Red Onion Salad

Grilled Chicken

Grilled Fresh Fennel

Broccoli

Lasagne

Garlic Bread

Tossed Salad

Grilled Salmon Steak w/Caper Sauce

Sweet Potao Timbales

Daikon Fettucini

Braised Beef & Root Veggies

Lukshen Kugle

Chestnut-Stuffed Quail

Parsley Root Puree

Creamed Pearls & Peas

When the kids were here, there was almost always a first course (pasta or soup) followed by some main dish, about half the time non-meat and then some vegetables, abundant vegetables i'd say.  I tend to cook more elaborately when they;re all here.

When just my husband and I are home, we usually have very typical dinners. 

Sunday night i usually make something time consuming (like a roast meat - roast pork stuffed with apples and prunes, a simple roast chicken, a roast turkey thigh, maybe meatloaf) that can be eaten the next day when i get home around 8:30, and which i can take some of for lunch. 

Sometimes i will also make an escarole soup and a big bowl of boiled rice, so for several days i can heat the soup, put it in the dish with the rice (which cools it nicely) and some grated cheese.  I could almost eat that every night.  That will be a dinner in itself.  Sometimes i;ll make some small meat balls and toss them in to cook. 

Roast chicken thighs, that have been tossed with paprika, ginger, crushed garlic, hot pepper, a bit of honey, sometimes yoghurt, and then roasted in a pan with potatoes. 

Pork chops with an apple juice reduction, or rubbed with a little of spices and touch of brown sugar and cooked in a frying pan

straccetti with rughetta

grilled appassita (scamorza) over pears and rughetta

roast potatoes, peppers, onions, and whatever other vegetables.

pasta with shrimp and peas

Pasta with broccoli or cauliflower

Pasta with zucchine

potato and string bean soup

in summer: pasta with caprese, simple caprese, quinoa salad with roasted vegetables and peas, tomatoes and other stuff. 

Sounds like a lot but they roatate all the time.  Meat is for when i have little time.

We live close to a market and grocer so we rarely plan meals ahead unless something needs to be thawed.

Tonight we're having maple curry salmon with sweet potatoes and grilled green beans. 

We eat a lot of seafood, pork and beef but try to avoid chicken as it's so costly here. 

I also enjoy a glass of wine with most meals :) 

Here I am a Chef and we eat the most basic of foods you can image

A weekly menu will happen like this: my wife calls me in the morning and says what do you want for dinner(that means what do I want to cook) and I usually say surprise me.

I come home at about 6ish and find a random protien ready and waiting, maybe a whole bird, pieces, a steak or cut of meat, some fish....

I then go into the cabinet, take a look at what we have for starches(rissoto, polenta, rice, pasta) and start to cook. 30-45 min later dinner is usually done and the family is at the table. 
Since its getting cold in Pa I will do crock pot meals that I make in the morning before I leave for work, or prep a bird for the oven and have my wife get it started for me. 

Oh and tonight is Pork Roast on the rotisserie with Mash potatoes(whites and sweets) with green beans a nice peppered gravy. I only know this because I marinated the roast last night and got it ready for when I get home.

Based on my shopping for the week in markets. Whats in whats not.  Protein ,starch and vegi sometime dessert but thats later in the eve. Once in a while pizza and go out at least once a week.

Quote:

Originally Posted by French Fries 

Thanks guys. So most of you really only serve a main dish made out of meat (or not), vegetables, and a starch I see.... no apetizer, dessert or other course? Or did you just forgot to mention it? 

 

The reason I'm asking is because I spend most of my time in the U.S. and some of my time in France. When I'm in the U.S. I mostly have a main dish, maybe fruit and/or cheese, as I outlined in my original post. 

 

When I'm in France, it's a completely different story. It's not rare to have 7 or 8 courses, even though it's really nothing fancy. A typical weeknight meal could be: 

 

- Crudites: raw red cabbage, shredded carrots, AND tzatziki. 

- Charcuteries: Ham, several Saucissons, AND several pates. (alternatively a typical first or second course is prosciutto and cantaloupe). 

- Roast chicken, or leg of lamb, or lamb navarin or beef daube, roasted onions or turnips...

- Sauteed potatoes in duck fat, or gratin dauphinois

- Sauteed green beans persillade in duck fat AND sauteed mushrooms

- Faisselle (fresh cheese that can be eaten by itself, or with salt and pepper, or with sugar, or with chestnut cream, etc...)

- Assortment of cheeses

- Homemade Apple sauce

- Homemade cookies 

- 3 or 4 different Ice creams, sometimes served with homemade meringues, nougats and Chantilly cream.

- Coffee

 

But when I'm here I can't seem to replicate that. One of the reasons is also that I can't find the same charcuteries, and cheeses, or they're very expensive. Another obvious one is that I usually have more work (and less free time) when I'm here vs when I'm in France. 

On a final note: I always lose weight when I stay in France for a few weeks. Go figure. 

Ok come on, who has leg of lamb on a typical weeknight?  Once in a while is ok but I refuse to believe this is typical haha!

On your final note, I read a book called "French Women Don't Get Fat" which explains fairly well the reasons for why you lose weight in France.  It makes perfect sense and I incorporate some of the principals in my every day life.  For example, through that book I learned to visit the market every day for fresh ingredients, it's the french way.  Americans have the horrible habit of hoarding coupons, going to the super-duper-mega-mart, and filling up 3 carts of groceries for their pantry.  While I am not against the idea of saving money, I don't need a walk-in pantry filled with 10 boxes of crackers, 2 bags of rice and 4 tubs of peanut butter thank you.  Going to the market every day keeps me fit, ensures that I focus more on perishable fresh foods, eat seasonally, and only buy as much food as I need that day.  It's a way of life and since I incorporated this principle our health, waistlines, and quality of life have improved immensely.

KK, while that's great in principle, it really only makes sense for those who live in areas where such markets exist---basically, some areas of larger cities.

I live in an area where the city population numbers 75,000. Yet, the only markets we have are supermarkets. There is no butcher, no baker, no candlestick maker. There's a small farmer's market, open about  5 months of the year, but it has very little in the way of choices. It's seven miles to town. So daily shopping for me would mean a 15-20 mile drive everyday, in order to purchase supermarket goods.

Lexington, the nearest big city, is 35 miles away. It has one butcher shop for a population of a half million. One poorly run seafood store that I'm surprised has lasted the two years it's been open (the last one, which was much better, didn't last past it's third birthday). Several ethnic and specialty markets, which are small, tucked out of the way, and mostly struggling. A couple of bakeries, offering cakes, pies, and pastries; but none I'm aware of offering bread. Weekly shopping, and utilizing the small specialty shops as much as possible, on one hand, and upscale supermarkets, on the other, let's us stock up with higher quality goods, but at a cost of an 80+ mile drive and a $200/week grocery bill.

Even the big cities have changed. You actually live in an area that's unusual in regards to availability of those things. Used to be every neighborhood in New York had, within walking distance, at least one butcher, one full-service bakery, one greengrocer. Indeed, that's one of the ways "neighborhood" was defined.

Another aspect of daily shopping has to do with European kitchens. They are, compared to ours, much smaller. Ovens, per se, are relatively rare. Fridges are tiny and deep freezers are all but non-existent in the home environment. So daily shopping, especially for baked goods, is not just a matter of being a healthy choice; it's a necessity.

Another aspect: Do those skinny French women who shop and cook daily also have fulltime jobs? And haul the kids to soccer practice? And serve on Church committees? And....well, you get the idea. The point being, if you're going to compare cultural practices, you can't just cherry pick.

And, the fact is, despite that book's alluring title, there are an incredible number of fat French women.

Quote:

Originally Posted by pohaku 

Hawaiian style curry beef stew 

 

Pohaku, you just made my mouth water, I've got droll running down my chin.

I was just thinking about curry stew this morning!  Thank you for giving me the push, I have some beef in the deep freeze, that will be the menu tomorrow night, as for tonight, I already have a typical meatloaf ready for the hot box along with some yukon golds and green beans.

Kai Lan sounds good too!!  Need to go to the "asian market" in town for that, it's special treat for us since I only go there once in awhile.

But I have to agree with several others, there is no real typical everyday dinner in our house.

Since we live out in the sticks, I shop maybe once in a two week period.

I'm fortunate that, if I choose to, I can hit my local Asian market and bakery on the way to or from work.  So I can do last minute purchases to make meals.  I usually do a protein, two starches (bread and something else), fruit, and sometimes also a vegetable or salad.  We often have cheese with meals.  Deserts are eaten much later in our household. Ice cream always for some of us, and often cookies, tarts, pies and the like.  I usually don't make a desert during the week, but will usually make something on the weekend that will last into the week.  Unless I have an event or company, I usually don't plan much in advance.  I either raid the freezer in the morning and/or stop at the store and see what looks good.  Tomorrow I have a holiday "pot luck" to attend so I will be making grilled pork tenderloin with Tahini sauce.  Everything can be made or prepped tonight and all I have to do is grill them off tomorrow before I leave.  I just need to stop at the store for some yogurt and pork tenderloins on the way home.

Tonight I'm making L&L BBQ style grilled chicken (that's for KaneohegirlinAZ's benefit) with rice, baguette, mango and a green salad.  I have an extra sharp Wisconsin cheddar (small farm) and local beer (Summit Pilsner) to go with it. 

OH MY GOSH POHAKU YOU’RE KILLIN’ ME!!

In Kaneohe, we had an L&L one mile from the house!!

I've sporadically thought about opening an L&L franchise here in the Twin Cities.  Mostly so I could eat there of course.

KY and French Fries,

I don;t know about France, I can tell you about Italy,. 

Most women work, full time. They have since the 70s.  I had never seen a woman pharmacist until i came here, or dentist, and women doctors were rare, but here were already a lot. 

Women are much more likely to be "encouraged" to stay thin since early childhood, and my kids have both said that it was not at all uncommon for girls to faint in school and be given sugar water, because they were often anorectic.  Throwing up, they said, is common.  Lots more pressure on being thin than in the states - i see it because i work in an american college here where there are americans and italians.  No comparison. 

Women (and men) SMOKE and they often chain smoke.  One woman said she stayed thin because she lived on cigarettes and cappuccino.

That said, even the supermarkets usually have decent and fresh local vegetables and people eat a lot of them.  The standard amount of meat people would eat at a meal was something like 100 grams, at least when i first got here.

The usual meal at home is made of a first course, pasta or soup, and a second course and side dish.  BUT THEN THE KITCHEN IS CLOSED.  I rarely see people snack.  The actual stove has a cover, and after the meal they turn off the gas and close the cover.  They don;t open the fridge and pick out some cheese and get some crackers.  They don't eat cookies as they work.  The cappuccino and cornetto (sort of croissant) IS breakfast, not like for me a mid morning snack!  The only snack is for kids, and it's got a name (merenda) and is like a regular meal - since supper is at 8 or later.  Kids come home from school and get some pizza or cookies and milk or a sandwich (salame and bread, prosciutto and bread - nothing else, no butter, no mayonnaise).  They don;t go around with a drink in their hands - a coke, a coffee, a tea.  The coffee and other liquids are extra small, and most people TRY to REMEMBER to drink water, but usually forget.  In the office where i work, the secretary would tell me she was so hungry and couldn;t wait to go home.  I would say, well, why don;t you eat something?  Oh, i never think of it.  (!!!!) 

I know almost nobody with a deep freezer (there just isn't enough room - most kitchens barely have room for a table to seat two) and there is no basement or pantry or other space to put it, and most fridges are small.  Not small like in the uk, where they fit under the counter, but small, with a small freezer on top.  But this is a big city, and maybe the country and small towns are very different.  I have two fridges, but I'm a real exception, and people always comment on it. 

Most people are not very into cooking.  It went with the rejection of the traditional women's role.  "I don't know how to fry an egg" is not uncommon, a source of pride.  It may be changing now, but there were some 20 years of rejection of the traditional women's role, though these same women keep spotless houses and their husbands usually don;t lift a finger.  Most still wash the floors every day. 

People walk a lot more than in the states.  Even if you take your car everywhere, it's so hard to park you at least can expect to have to walk three blocks from where you park to where you have to go. 

Anyway, back to the topic, i would never, could never make a weekly plan for meals.  I go to the market or supermarket and see what appeals to me.  What is available is not always predictable or predictably good, so i get inspired by the things i see.  I often can;t imagine what i want to cook that night till i get back from work.  The big roast is great since it goes two or three days, and the escarole soup, it will last more. 

Living in rural America presents its' own set of problems. I drive 1 1/2 hours (70 miles) to the grocery store. The small store here in town is very limited and very rarely fresh. The butcher that works in town purchases main cuts of beef and breaks them down at the store. This too is limited. In summer I can pretty much grow what I need.

If I need better ingredients then what's available I have to go to Canada (2 hours away) or make a list when my boss flies into Chicago. It's a pain yes but we get by.

anytime the kids are in bed is a good relaxing time.

I must disagree with you on many counts.
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by KYHeirloomer 

KK, while that's great in principle, it really only makes sense for those who live in areas where such markets exist---basically, some areas of larger cities. Very true, I didn't always live in a big city and I remember having to get in my car and drive to a "super market" to buy a lemon.

 

I live in an area where the city population numbers 75,000. Yet, the only markets we have are supermarkets. There is no butcher, no baker, no candlestick maker. There's a small farmer's market, open about  5 months of the year, but it has very little in the way of choices. It's seven miles to town. So daily shopping for me would mean a 15-20 mile drive everyday, in order to purchase supermarket goods. This would be very difficult indeed, I can imagine that the majority of Americans live in this manner.  I can imagine this is why most of America is battling obesity, no reason to walk.  Growing up in Virginia we didn't go anywhere without a car, even if it was just a few blocks away.  Most places are not set up for pedestrian traffic anyway.  I'm quite lucky that within a 3 block radius from me I can find several butchers, bakeries, italian specialty stores, asian specialty stores, fish monger, banks, pharmacies, restaurants of all kinds, boutiques, post office, cobbler, delis, lawyers, accountants, a fresh pasta factory, spa, salons, the list is endles.... no candlestick makers though.

 

Lexington, the nearest big city, is 35 miles away. It has one butcher shop for a population of a half million. One poorly run seafood store that I'm surprised has lasted the two years it's been open (the last one, which was much better, didn't last past it's third birthday). Several ethnic and specialty markets, which are small, tucked out of the way, and mostly struggling. A couple of bakeries, offering cakes, pies, and pastries; but none I'm aware of offering bread. Weekly shopping, and utilizing the small specialty shops as much as possible, on one hand, and upscale supermarkets, on the other, let's us stock up with higher quality goods, but at a cost of an 80+ mile drive and a $200/week grocery bill. Probably what supermarkets are becoming more of a one-stop shopping trip.  I bet your supermarkets have bakeries, delis, fish mongers, even florists in them.  Here in the big city our supermarkets are about twice as big as a typical 7-11, no room for more than the basics, we need our specialty shops.

 

Even the big cities have changed. You actually live in an area that's unusual in regards to availability of those things. Used to be every neighborhood in New York had, within walking distance, at least one butcher, one full-service bakery, one greengrocer. Indeed, that's one of the ways "neighborhood" was defined. It's still like that.

 

Another aspect of daily shopping has to do with European kitchens. They are, compared to ours, much smaller. Ovens, per se, are relatively rare. Fridges are tiny and deep freezers are all but non-existent in the home environment. So daily shopping, especially for baked goods, is not just a matter of being a healthy choice; it's a necessity. They're getting bigger and bigger like the american kitchens.

 

Another aspect: Do those skinny French women who shop and cook daily also have fulltime jobs? And haul the kids to soccer practice? And serve on Church committees? And....well, you get the idea. The point being, if you're going to compare cultural practices, you can't just cherry pick. Yes they do.  Don't be fooled by the romantic notion of elderly grandmothers doing all the cooking and mothers buttering their children's bread when they get home from school.  European women are quite a force to be reckoned with, at least that is my experience.  I have several girlfriends in greece who are the bread winners in their families.  A top priority for a european woman is to be first and foremost skinny and fashionable.

 

And, the fact is, despite that book's alluring title, there are an incredible number of fat French women. I wish this was the case but it is not.  European women are very weight conscious as FF explained.  I find myself ridiculed when I visit and am called the American and made fun of because we eat hamburgers every day.  Siduri is right, there is no snacking, people wait several hours between meals, lunches are the main meal and dinner for a european woman is no more than a snack or nibble compared to an american woman's idea of dinner.

I  know that when many Americans refer to 'Europe', they do not count the UK in that group.  But... we are Europeans!  I had a mental 'look' at my close friends.  NONE of them are overweight - most have fairly high-powered jobs with quite a bit of travel involved.  All of us watch what we eat - but we all seem to agree on the 'a little bit of what you fancy does you good' outlook!

I enjoy baking, I enjoy food full stop.  BUT, I do not snack, nor did my children, apart from a drink and a small sandwich after school to keep them going until dinner.  Luckily none of my family liked fast foods - if my daughter was ever persuaded to go to somewhere like McDs when she was a young teenager - she ate their dried-up fillet of fish thingy!

However, I have to admit that we are turning into a nation of lardy-arses here nowadays, judging by the NEDS/Chavs I see in shops etc.

Firstly, I am a professional working woman and have been for years. During the laboral week, I have lunch out as  it is impossible to go to central market, or supermarket ... No time ... With crisis prices for lunch in Madrid, it is cheaper to sit down in a restaurant and have lunch. 

Dinner ... I meet up with The Gent Friend, and have a glass of wine or 2 and of course, the Tapas are gratis ... Codfish in tomato 1.30 Euros and feeds two,  or a Gratis canape  of choice,  tuna fish salad or a few grilled langoustines or prawns with chili peppers, garlic and olive oil and or steamed mussels or clams fresh ... It is worth it, not having to deal with preparation at 21.00hrs during the evening ... We catch up with each other and our projects. We enjoy and have been. 

Cooking is for wkends as I enjoy playing and the shopping and speaking about gastronomy and I love Pasta with veggies, particularly Aubergine and zucchini and mushrms which  my traditional Italian cuisine gives me and I enjoy fine dining restaurants too, and if you are working and have no kids, well then, it is spontaneous as to how one may feel. I dislike eating heavy and most of the time, a glass of good wine and a canape or mussels are quite enough. I am not particulary in possession of A Sweet Tooth ... I prefer salty and savoury ... Cheese, anchovies, prawns, mussels ... any thing from the sea ... I eat a good healthy breakfast which includes, a real Greek Yogurt, a tropical fruit or 5 walnuts or 5 almonds  and a protein such as a couple of slices of Iberian Jabugo Ham or Proscuitto di Palma or natural made bread or Extra virgin olive oil with tomato with a slice of natural bread... and  I am quite energetic and active and thus, need to optimize and eat accordingly ... I dislike overly fried anything and non natural ingredients ... I respect, my health. 

Well... Happy Holidays.  

I plan the night dinner off the cuff from what I've purchased at the grocery store and what I have on hand.  When I shop I let the specials and what looks good be my guide.  When my kids were young I'd have dinner on the table in an hour or less.  Now I spend more time but still do it on the fly.  I just can't plan ahead of time except to prep a piece of meat, fowl or fish if extra time is needed to brine, rub or dry something ahead of time.

In the colder season nothing warms the body and soul like a hearty bowl of soup. I take just about all the vegetables from the fridge and toss them in my chicken or beef stock and let it simmer on the stove. Good bread with slices of aged cheddar and a glass of vino and there you go.

There are many dishes I make daily all week long (at work) those meals are all planned. For home , alot of the time I will pick up fresh salmon or trout ( fish at least 3 times a week) with a salad.

Weekends: get with family and cook up a storm.

More than smoking in the park next to their kids, the teachers smoke on the playground, and the kids were playing with the cigarette butts!  In class meetings where the parents come in and talk to the teacher all at once, in their kids' classroom, most of the parents were smoking. 

I may be overweight, but at least my face is not drawn and yellow. 

As one poster I saw years ago said, depicting a skeleton lying on the ground (smoking relaxes you and keeps you thin!"