Sunday: Niece’s First Communion & Reception in Sacramento
Monday: Pan Seared Scallops with Ginger Orange Spinach
Tuesday: Springtime Spaghetti Carbonara
Wednesday: Leftovers: Spaghetti Carbonara
Thursday: Slow Cooker Sweet & Spicy Asian Pork Shoulder with Brown Rice
Friday: Leftovers: Asian Pork Shoulder
Saturday: Friend’s Cinco de Mayo Baby Shower

Okay, we’re ready to get cooking again!  Sorry the last few week’s have been so busy and my menus have been so basic, but life has quieted down again for at least the next few weeks so I hope you’re back for more with this week’s menu.  The first two dishes are new ones for us…but they’re from two of my favorite cookbooks: Cooking Light & Almost Meatless.

We LOVE scallops but don’t make them very often, so I’m pretty excited about Monday’s dinner.  The Carbonara dish looks like a nice slightly lighter version so that will be a bit of a treat mid-week.  The Sweet & Spicy Asian Pork Shoulder is an oldie but a goodie from Martha Stewart’s Real Simple magazine.  It’s so easy to make and it’s seriously addictive.  The first time I made it I honestly made it again one week later when Christian had some friends in town..it’s that good.  The bok choy in the dish cook down quite a bit though, so it might not be a bad idea to make another veggie to serve on the side, or maybe a side salad.  Delish! Oh, and if you don’t have Chinese Five Spice on hand, no worries.  It’s pretty easy to make out of basic spices…just combine the spices below and store in small airtight container in a cool, dry place.

1 tsp. ground pepper
1/4 tsp. ground white pepper (if you don’t have this just increase the ground black pepper a bit)
1 tsp. ground star anise
1-1/4 tsp. ground fennel seeds
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt