Taking Back Our Sunday, One Dish at a Time

Childrens and infants Tylenol recall, check out the information here.

Also, how cool is this - tweetwhatyoueat, a twitter.com online food diary. I hate writing down what I eat, but I should, and this makes it easy and fun.

In the movie The Big Chill, Jeff Goldlum's overly intellectual journalist character talks about opening a nightclub. By the end of the movie, his friends have talked him out of it (and he can't find investors in his very best friends from college), and he declares as much when he says "I'm going back to writing my novel. I'm going to write about this weekend," he says to Glenn Cloe, who plays his friend Sarah. "What were you going to write about before this weekend?" she asks, and he replies, "Last weekend."

Weekends are writing material; so many things happen, or they don't. I know at least my life is pushed to it's maximum capacity with things that would be repetitive if it weren't for what is called "the human condition" in an article I read this weekend in Writer's Digest.

What did you do this weekend?

Saturday we lived by the skin of our teeth again, we started at 7:30 a.m. and crashed about 11:00 p.m. And what we fit into those hours, the games that children play, the games that adults play, really could comprise several stories, in one or more books.

But it's what I did on Sunday that I really find most blog-worthy.

You see, we recently decided to stop playing travel ball, and this, for all of us, freed up one weeknight, one weekend afternoon, and all day Sunday.

I miss baseball like a portion of my soul has been surgically removed. But I love the free time, waking up around 8 a.m. on a Sunday, making pancakes, counting down to the Chargers game, and most importantly - doing the shopping for the week, which includes prepping and making dinners for the coming week when the days aren't as leisurely.

When not in a time crunch or with all the kids with me, I can be very frugal at the grocery store. In fact, I could go grocery shopping every day of the week, following sales and coupons. But on Sunday during the first quarter of the Chargers game, no one is at the store and I can work miracles - like spending $28.67 for three weeknight meals.

Sunday night - pasta e fagilioli (pasta fazool)

Monday night - pasta with meat sauce

Tuesday night - chicken and black bean enchiladas

The common thread in these meals is tomato sauce. One pot of tomato sauce can be split into the base of three different meals - one for meat sauce, and one to become enchilada sauce.

I poached chicken for the enchiladas in water that became chicken broth for the fazool.

In tomato sauce #1, I kept a it basic so I could add a little bit of it to the fazool.

In tomato sauce #2, I added Italian seasoning, fresh parsley, and ground turkey to make the meat sauce.

In tomato sauce #3, I added ground cumin, ground coriander, chili powder, fresh cilantro and canned green chilies to make the enchilada sauce.

And then I baked two Nutella banana breads because I was taking back my Sunday, indeed. There in my kitchen yesterday, I reclaimed my life and what I do best.

I can manage the variables of Saturdays that can get out of control. But still, I'm merely managing.

I can master our lives simply by treating the time we're given as a blessing, and offering it up as a rite. When I know dinner is mostly done, or only awaiting construction of it's different parts, I swear, my heart pace is slower, my neuroses are under control, and I look forward all day long to sitting down at the table together.

Oh, and I like saving money too. Pantry items like beans, olive oil, dried herbs and spices, canned tomatoes and pasta can be purchased on sale, with coupons, in some cases stay moderately priced in specialty stores (dried herbs and pasta at Trader Joes, beans and tomatoes from Fresh & Easy). Buy the produce that's in season. And you don't always need premium cuts of meats to make a good meal; the bone-in varieties make better broth than boneless chicken, and are every bit as good in enchiladas as boneless, skinless breasts.

Pasta e Fagioli (pasta fazool)

8 oz. dittalini or other small, tube shaped pasta

4 cups of chicken broth

2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

diced prosciutto *

1 can of kidney beans, strained

1 can of cannellini beans, strained

diced celery

1-2 cups tomato sauce

Sautee garlic in olive oil over medium heat.

When garlic is soft, add prosciutto and stir around until prosciutto is covered with the oil (you don't want to burn the garlic).

Add chicken broth, turn up to high heat, and bring to a boil.

Add pasta, cook until al dente.

When pasta is al dente, add strained kidney and cannellini beans, celery, and tomato sauce.

* We went on a bacon binge for a while and now we're trying to cut back on processed, cured and salted meats like prosciutto. So instead of adding traditional prosciutto, I made homemade chicken meatballs.

Chicken Meatballs

1 lb. ground chicken

4 green onions, very top and white bottom trimmed off

1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes (not oil-packed)

handful of flat-leaf parsley, rinsed

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

5 slices Italian salami (okay, so, salted, cured meats in moderation)

2/3 cup breadcrumbs (I Cuisinart the ends of bread to make ours, after reading the label of the store bought bread crumbs, I'm sorry to sound self-righteous)

1/2 tsp. red chili flakes

1 tsp. dried oregano

dash of sea salt (the parmesan can be pretty salty)

black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Put all ingredients EXCEPT THE GROUND CHICKEN into the food processor.

Pulse until pureed.

Add to the ground chicken, mix well (I use my hands).

Form into two-inch round meatballs, place on greased cookie sheet.

Drizzle meatballs with a little olive oil.

Bake meatballs for 20-25 minutes, until internal temp is 160 degrees.

Drop chicken meatballs into fazool and simmer for 5 minutes.