Weekly Menu

Can't believe it is already August!  Summer always flies by and it is already half over.  We're also halfway through the Columbus festival schedule, but plenty of fun ones yet to come!

   

The Dublin Irish Fest is a tradition for us... we have gone for ten years now!  Nearly every year we listen to Homeland, eats some fish and chips, drink a few Guinness, and buy a few things from the vendors.  One year we missed the festival and our summer just didn't feel complete.

   

Today we headed over to Seventh Son for the Columbus Flea.  Tons of vendors with adorable stuff including jewelry, soaps, baked goods, plants, leather goods, and clothing.  Then Challah and Native Eats food trucks were there, the crispy chicken sandwich was delicious!

  

My butterfly garden is in full bloom, although not a ton of butterflies (although the local hummingbird is starting to stop by).  I started pulling up some of the spent veggie plants from the garden and went to the local nursery to buy some kale seeds to sow (since I've been making kale chips every week while it is in season)... came home with $130 worth of houseplants and herbs instead... oops!  If my house didn't already look like a jungle, it does now!  

  

This morning I tried lamb bacon for the first time.  I used to only eat poultry and seafood from a meat stand point.  After learning about factory farming practices, instead of going vegetarian, I decided to eat less meat, but when I did eat meat, it was humanely raised.  Free range chicken, grass-fed cows, etc.  Sheep are one of those animals that haven't gotten caught up in the factory farming, as far as I know.  It's definitely a little pricier as a result.  I get ground lamb from the grocery about once a month and it is really delicious.  So when I saw lamb bacon through Green BEAN delivery (Smoking Goose), I wanted to give it a try.

The result?  Pretty good.  The strips are short (perfect for breakfast sandwiches) and well marbled (not too much fat).  They cook up in about the same time as regular bacon.  It is a bit saltier and chewier too.  But the flavor is really good.  I don't think I would cook with it (bacon dinner recipe examples here and here), but it is a good alternative for breakfast, especially since pork products aren't  as well labeled as chicken and beef.

Alrighty, here is this week's meal plan...
chorizo skillet breakfast for dinner
caramelized scallops with corn on the cob and caprese
pizza night
lamb burgers
creamy shrimp bowties
eggplant parmesan