Bread

If you're planning on going out and taking advantage of the BOGO for Toufayan Pita Bread Pockets at Publix this week, keep this in mind. The Oat Bran kind of pocket has 1 gram more fiber and at least 5 calories less per serving than the Multigrain or Whole Wheat kinds. Stunned? I was. Just one more way reading the label (occasionally) pays off!

Notes: A serving size is 1 loaf or pocket. The BOGO price is $0.65 each pack or about $0.11 a pocket. It's a great deal if you are unable to make your own bread at home. Publix sales usually end Tuesday or Wednesday depending on the state in which you live.

I hate to admit this since I am supposed to be a healthy vegetarian, but. . .I hate peas. And I hate red peppers. So, why in the world did I start my week off with a dinner of the vegetables I like the least in this world? Well, for starters, I brought home a beautiful red bell pepper from the Maitland Farmer's Market on Sunday, and Paul told me how much he enjoyed the roasted bell peppers his mom used to make. Second, I had a few leftover wonton wrappers from eggrolls last week and was looking for an unusual way to use them. (Come to find out, there are more than just this way.) And, the excuse for even having peas in my house is that Paul likes them. So, when he gets peas for dinner, I get brussel sprouts. (Not that he doesn't like brussel sprouts. He just likes peas more.)

Pea Ravioli

Courtesy of Gourmet Magazine, May 2009

• 2 2/3 cup frozen peas, cooked
• 1/3 cup Parm-Reg cheese, plus more for garnish
• 2 tsp chopped mint
• 64 wonton wrappers [I used the large ones and cut them in quarters.]
• 3/4 stick butter
• [2 medium cloves garlic]

Puree cooked peas [and garlic] in food processor. Stir in cheese, mint, 1/2 tsp. each salt and pepper.

Put a rounded tsp filling in center of a wrapper. Lightly brush edge of wrapper with water, then place a second wrapper on top and seal, pressing out any trapped air. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling, keeping ravioli covered as you work.

Boil Ravioli in 2 batches in a pasta pot of salted boiling water until tender, 2-3 minutes per batch, removing with a slotted spoon. Drizzle with butter and sprinkle with more cheese and pepper.

The concierge at our hotel needed to direct us to a reasonably fast dinner location. Paul said Italian pizza sounded good, and she made a reservation for us at Salute! on Madison Ave. and then directed us on the best way to get a cab to Carnegie Hall for a beautiful, but long performance of Handel's Messiah. (In case you never knew, the Hallelujah Chorus is not the end of the program, only of Part 2.)

Salute was an amazing restaurant with a bar in the front and lots of tables in the back. The monochromatic color scheme made the room very inviting, and we loved our seats looking out the window.

A kind lady met us at the door and waited patiently while I removed both coats and packaged my gloves and hat so as not to lose them. Then, she led us to a table, that I'm sorry to say was very tipped. However, we were happy to have a seat and the leaning table was never a problem.

Our waitress arrived with menus and took our order for drinks. New York water tastes very good. However, I have learned to order lemon with my water, especially when I'm dehydrated. The lemon never came.

Cost Per Person $30.00

Here is the spinach pesto I made to serve on pizza with fresh tomatoes instead of a marinara sauce. The rosemary bread at $5 for two loaves from Costco makes the pizza easy and tasty because it adds lots of flavor leaving only a need for a little salt and pepper on the tomatoes.

You can find the recipe for my spinach pesto from my post last year. Plus, you can search for other recipes I use the spinach pesto with, like spaghetti squash or butternut squash lasagna, which will be made again this year. I will tell you I passed on the Parmesan and sprinkled a little olive oil in the food processor as I was stirring up and dishing out the pesto. Also, be careful with the garlic. All I had were large cloves left, and it was very potent for the amount I made! Unfortunately, my basil needs more care than I have been giving it; so, I didn't have as many leaves as I am used to or wish for. That's the beauty of the spinach in the pesto. It eliminates the need for so much basil, but still allows for fantastic and healthy flavor.

This is an absolutely ingenious way of doing two things. Firstly, I traditionally do not like having more bread than sandwich, which is why I often don't purchase whole wheat buns because they are actually larger than hamburgers and sliced veggie-meat. Size here is perfect. Secondly, I love opportunities to reuse items. This round bread recycles cans.

The Sudduths have been baking for years. Originally, they sold their goods as a side business to help them send their kids to a private church school. When the kids were out of school, they just kept baking and gave away what they made. I'm grateful every time we go to visit Paul's folks because there are either some great whole wheat baked goods stored in the freezer or the Sudduths bring some over. Their sweet rolls with pecans have been known to not even make it 24 hours in the Martin household. We are truly blessed to know such kindness.

Weekly Menu Planning

• Vegetarian Hot Dogs with Cole Slaw and Baked Beans
• Vegetarian Turkey Fajitas
• Vegetarian Hamburgers with Oven Baked Fries
• Vegetarian Skallops on Pasta with almond garlic recipe sauce from Gourmet magazine
• Black-eyed Peas, Cole Slaw and Corn Bread

We have most of these items. The menu is fairly limited because I was not in town to go grocery shopping on Thursday. I have not decided what order I want to make these meals in. Obviously, it depends on the busy schedule. By the way, I really, really don't like peas, even the black-eyed kind. However, we have some in the cabinets that need to be eaten. Since Paul will eat most of them, I'm not worried. But, I don't like to just store things forever. I will choke the peas down because they are on the plate and because I know they are good for me. But I don't have to enjoy it! Paul's mom taught me to top them with mayonnaise, bell peppers, green onions and seasoned salt. I can eat them more with those items on them.

What do you plan on eating this week?

Le Tango Du Chat

6, rue Saint Severin
75005 Paris
Tel: 01 43 54 69 69

I don't know how we found this restaurant, how we got there, or how much we paid for the meal. I was just following the group for a change instead of leading the pack.

We brown-bag our lunch. It's an incredible savings when you think about how much lunch out costs. And you can't eat the cheapest Taco Bell every day no matter how much you like it! Paul gets a great discount at the hospital, but I'm stuck on my own. If I forget my lunch, I don't get any. That also has to do with the fact that my schedule at work doesn't allow for the time to go out and buy something.

The following is a copy of an email I sent to our most devoted house guest, Garrett Nudd, for which our "Gachett Suite" is named. (Those not in the know may not know how much fun I get out of calling Garrett this name. It originally came from Paul and Garrett's barber who has a hard time saying Garrett because of the language barrier. However, she's great at cutting hair, and that's most important.) Paul was reading over my shoulder and said I wrote a complete blog post to Garrett and was leaving out important information other readers may glean, too.

When I was little, we were a family of habits. Every Christmas Eve we had dinner at Don's Seafood in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, followed by presents with everyone under the tree at my grandparents. The next morning were presents at our own homes, and back to Mawmaw and Pawpaw's for dinner, football, and time around the billiard table. Now, Christmas's are celebrated in Florida. Sometimes at Disney, sometimes volunteering somewhere. We are no longer driven by our habits, but by our memories of the years we had together.

Don't let anyone ever tell you sandwiches are only for lunch and are not elegant. Sprouts and avocados can be quite elegant because they are "adult tastes". Sprouts are stringy and often odd to kids. Kids may eat guacamole, but without all the additional flavors, avocados can taste rough. When at peak season, with red tomatoes and fancy bread, such a meal can be very good. And let's face it, counselors on weight loss and proper digestion would recommend lighter compared to heavier dinners because people often get home late and generally have larger entree meals for lunch.

This is the best banana bread recipe ever! I acquired it our first weekend in our new house because Paul loves anything made with bananas. I found it on allrecipes.com with the same title as I have labeled the post.

The first time I made the recipe, I used 8 bananas. That accounts for the loaded flavor. Surly the amount varies depending on banana size. I added a cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips and a cup of fresh raw pecan halves just before pouring the batter into baking pans. I used two glass loaf dishes--one yielding this size loaf, the other somewhat smaller--but both completely delish.