The End of Summer (CSA Menu Plan#9)

I go back to work this week.  Which is to say, I go back to working at school 5 days a week, as opposed to the other work I’ve been doing since the end of June.  It’ll be an interesting year;  there are lots of changes on the docket.  I’m looking forward to getting back into the classroom and trying out some of the new ideas I have.  I’m looking forward to collaborating with other educators.  I’m really, really, really looking forward to having a regular schedule and routine.  But getting back into that routine is going to be a bit rough, I know.  Why do mornings have to be so early?

We sent summer out with a bang this year.  My parents were here for the weekend; Dad and Brian hung new wire shelving in my pantry (full details coming in Tuesday’s post!) and we all went to Tanglewood last night to see Josh Groban preform with the Boston Pops.  I knew the show would be good, but it exceeded expectations.  Josh’s personality is much funnier than I expected and hearing him sing live with orchestral accompaniment was awesome.  The perfect weather and delicious picnic we enjoyed on the lawn prior to the show weren’t bad either.

Trying to plan a menu for the school year is much different than during the summer.  During the summer I have much more flexibility with my time and much more energy.  I also know that if I don’t have a plan, I can come up with something at the last minute.  But I find that during the school year it is crucial for me to have a plan.  The school year is crazy enough without having to worry about what’s for dinner.

This week’s pick up:

tomatoes, leeks, fennel, musk melon, lettuce, peppers, eggplant, carrots, cabbage

This week’s plan:

I’m returning to a daily menu this week because my menus are going to start featuring more weeknight friendly meals that I suspect many of you will benefit from as well.  Those meals do not always feature our produce so I haven’t been listing them of late, but this ought to help provide a more complete picture.  As always, the days of the week are just a guideline, I often re-order meals throughout the week.

This week features 2 Mark Bittman recipes that I’ve never made before, but they fit the ingredients I’m looking to make use of (though I’ll need to add shiitakes and sun-dried tomatoes to my pantry).  I don’t know if there will be leftovers or not, which could mess up my menu, or make excellent lunches for school.  There are a lot of remaining cold cuts from our Tanglewood picnic, so the plan is to make sandwiches for lunches this week.  We’ll probably have carrot sticks and nuts alongside those sandwiches.  Maybe yogurt, too.

For those who enjoy menus by ingredient:

tomatoes, carrots – salads, snacks,

leeks – 2 will be used in the frittata,  perhaps I’ll make soup with the remaining one

fennel – was taken home by my parents, who accompanied us to the farm, if I find out what they did with it, I’ll let you know!

musk melon – snacks

lettuce, peppers – salads

eggplant – Braised Tofu with Eggplant and Shiitakes

cabbage – coleslaw, which I’ve never made, and shredded and sautéed