What a great “stretch” weekend we just had!
From Friday until Tuesday, there were so many unrelated things to celebrate that it was hard to concentrate on which one would most influence my weekly dinner menu planning.

I had to juggle what to buy at the supermarket and other local food resources to ensure my successful dinner menu planning for the following must-acknowledge events/observances:

- The Olympic Games Opening (12th)
- Valentine’s Day (14th)
- Chinese New Year (14th)
- President’s Day (15th)
- Mardi Gras (16th)

Whew. Such diversity, and nothing was really connected, making it impossible to sneak leftovers into the next celebration (as my dinner menu planning typically allows). Below is what I settled on for each of the events/observances:

The Olympic Games Opening
Greek Salad, of course, topped with some sliced cooked Canadian Bacon.

Valentine’s Day
Chocolate Pizza (similar to a lovely fruit tart but with a chocolate cookie crust & chocolate drizzle).

Chinese New Year
Take out, what else?  Fried rice, chow mein, almond chicken, etc.

President’s Day
Grilled burgers with American cheese, and apple pie.

Mardi Gras
Jambalaya, bananas foster, hurricanes.

I pulled most of the recipes for my stretch weekend dinner menu planning from my family cookbook (okay, I cheated on the take-out), and supplemented most of the meals with items on my pantry shelves or in the fridge. Having a good stock on hand makes it very easy to do dinner menu planning, even when there are too many good things to celebrate on long stretch weekends.

Happy Cookbooking,

Matilda