My Weekly W's

 

What's top of my mind:  Meet Elijah. This cute baby goat was born this week at the farm we buy a lot of our food from and she asked for names.  I suggested Elijah and she agreed it was a perfect name for him.  She said he loves to be held especially during a bottle, and I am so excited to go meet him Friday when I get off of work.  I wanted to go yesterday but it was too cold for all of us. 

Where I've been:  I worked all week and that was brutal.  They just did the third downsize in the last six years and a number of people I've known for years lost their jobs and were walked out due to NO fault of their own.  Corporations are making people do two or three jobs now and expect you to feel lucky to just have a job.  It's only going to get worse as healthcare is expected to be one of the largest sectors that are going to lose jobs to AI.  Just imagine going to work like you have done for the last 20 years or more and walk in to be told you are done, you will get 18 weeks of severance and then be walked out.  It's just not right.

Where I'm going:  Thankfully I have no appointments or commitments this week outside of work.  I will go out to pick up a few things at the farm and meet Elijah on Friday and Saturday we're getting out of town for the day.  Other than that, we'll see what comes up.

What I'm watching:  I've taken some down time the last two weeks to watch a number of movies I've been wanting to see on Netflix, and I really enjoyed them all quite a bit.

Elenore The Great

About My Father

Flipped

Moxie

The Family Next Door

What we ate:

Big salad with chicken and a yeast roll

LO lamb and potato hand pies with a salad

Meat loaf, mac and cheese and green beans

Chicken fajita and rice bowls with a cheese roll up

Veggie pizza and salad

Applewood chicken sausage with pesto pasta and a salad

Who needs a good slap:  See where I've been for that answer.

Who deserves a fist pump:  We all need to continue to not buy things that are not aligned with what we want but someone like him stepping up and calling them out, helps too.

Brad Reese, the grandson of the inventor of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, has publicly criticized The Hershey Company for allegedly replacing traditional ingredients like milk chocolate and peanut butter with cheaper substitutes. In an open letter, he accused the company of damaging the brand's legacy by altering the recipe, which he believes has eroded consumer trust. He expressed his disappointment over the changes, stating that some products, like Reese's Mini Hearts, are no longer edible.

What is making me smile:  TBG is finally feeling a LOT better, and we both couldn't be happier.  He's had a few rough patches the last two years or so and it feels so nice to have him doing well.  It's so hard to watch someone you love go through things with their health.  

I hope everyone is doing well!!

26 New to me Recipes for 2026 #2 Lemon Garlic Salmon Tray Bake

We usually eat Salmon once or twice a month, so I am always looking for new ways to change it up with different flavor profiles.  I found this one from Nagi at Recipetin Eats.

Ingredients:

2 to 4 6 oz salmon fillets (I used Coho salmon)

Marinade:

Zest from 1 lemon

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

2 garlic cloves (grated)

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

Vegetables:

Asparagus (Woody ends removed)

7 oz. cherry or grape tomatoes

2 tsp. olive oil

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

Topping:

Olive oil

Finely grated parmesan cheese

Mix the ingredients for the marinade in a small bowl.  Slather onto the top and sides of the salmon.  Mariate for 1 hour.

Preheat your oven/broiler to 525 F.  

Toss the asparagus and cherries with the oil and salt and pepper and place on a baking sheet.  Add the marinated salmon on the tray.  Nagi mixed everything on the tray.  I did the veggies and the salmon separate for no particular reason. 😉

Cook for around 11 minutes.  The internal temperature of the salmon should be around 122 F.

Remove from the oven and plate.  Sprinkle the grated parmesan cheese over the veggies and ENJOY.

We both enjoyed this one and gave it a 7 out of 10.  I failed at getting a picture of the finished dish but did take this one before putting it in the oven.

Culinary Adventures with Lori: 26 New to me Recipes for 2026 No. 1 Texas Cowboy Chicken

Weekly Wrap Up

Happy Sunday!  Aside from work, which is a real shit show, it was a pretty good week.  Then yesterday afternoon TBG said he felt like he caught something.  It started with a runny nose and eyes and just feeling tired.  He slept from around 4-6 and then got up for dinner.  He took about 4 bites of soup and went back to bed sleeping until 7 this morning.  I made bacon and waffles for breakfast and again he took a few bites then went back to bed with the chills and a little coughing.  I hope whatever it is passes soon and that I miraculously do not catch it. 

Last night I made a batch of homemade cough drops.

1/4 cup of lemon juice

4 tablespoons of honey

6 slices of ginger

Warm all of this up for about 5 or 10 minutes.  Do not let it boil.  When it cools off a bit, remove the ginger and then spoon it into a silicone mold of small squares.  Let it cool in the mold for about 6 hours.  They work really well and last for a month or more in a glass jar.

So when did paint get outrageous?  I went and bought 1 gallon of paint to do the three doors in the garage.  I always buy Sherwyn Williams because it is really good paint that lasts a long time.  They were having a paint sale of 40% off so I figured I would get it now to have when Spring gets here so I can get it done.  Talk about sticker shock.  

What we ate this week...

Lamb meatballs, rice, salad and naan.  

BIG salad.  I turned the TV on last night and it went right to Seinfeld, and it was the Big Salad episode.  It always cracks me up.

Basil pesto pasta, chicken sausage sauteed with peppers and onions and a salad

Fried chicken sandwich with sweet potato 'fries'

Lamb chops, baked potato and asparagus

I am making another big pot of chicken soup later this morning because it seems like we are going to need it. I'm going to double up on the ginger and garlic to chase this stuff away hopefully.

I have chicken legs that I wanted to cook tonight for dinner, but we'll see how things go.

Well, that's all I have for now.  Enjoy the week ahead and stay well!!

Food For Thought

 "What I love about cooking is that after a hard day, there is something comforting about the fact that if you melt butter and add flour and then hot stock, it will get thick!  It's a sure thing.  It's a sure thing in a world where nothing is sure: it has a mathematical certainty in a world where those of us who long for some kind of certainty are forced to settle for crossword puzzles."

Nora Ephron

In My Kitchen January 2026

I love reading Sherry's IMK posts and everyone that links to it.  It's been quite a while since I've done one and I decided this year I will make more of an effort.  It's a fun way to see what is going on in kitchens all over the world and share what's happening in my kitchen.

I also decided this year I would make 26 new to me recipes in 2026 and the first one did not disappoint.  You can read about it here. Culinary Adventures with Lori: 26 New to me Recipes for 2026 No. 1 Texas Cowboy Chicken  I've actually made it twice this month, it is that good.

January wasn't exactly an exciting month in my kitchen, but I did cook and we did eat.  It's been an unusually cold and snowy month for us here, so we've been eating a lot of comfort food, soups, stews and chili.  Stuffed shells is one of my favorite comfort meals and this one did not disappoint.  Paired with a salad it makes an amazing meal on a cold night.

Another favorite is chicken and white bean soup.  This soup just warms your soul.  Even though I do love winter and the long nights, I will be happy to see a bit more light later in the day so my photos don't come out so dark. 😀

New in my kitchen was this popcorn.  I usually make popcorn but decided to give this a try since the ingredient list is pretty clean.  It's a great snack.

A friend of mine gifted me a couple of bottles of her honey.  I so wish I had time to start a beehive and collect my own honey because it's always been something I've wanted to do.  That isn't going to happen until after I retire so I'm thankful for a number of friends that do have hives.  

I also stocked up on chocolate for some candy making I want to do in February.  Hopefully it all turns out wonderful, and I'll share with you next time. Ghirardelli really is a delicious chocolate.  I've been using their 100% Dutch process cocoa powder in baking for years, so I've been wanting to try these.

Another book fell in my cart even though I keep saying I won't get anymore.  I am week though.  It is on top of the to read pile as soon as I finish what I'm reading now. It sounds like a great read, and I want to dig in before Winter is over.

Thank you, Sherry, for hosting every month.  I hope February is a good month for everyone!

                                             sherrys pickings: In My Kitchen - February 2026