The Kitchen
Calendar.
A week in the family kitchen — what's on the table tonight, what landed last week, what's queued. Click any night to open its plan.
Cooked & eaten by a family of five
Plate by 5:30 PM
Every night. Cooking starts whenever it needs to — work backward from the table.
Done eating by 6:30 PM
The hour-long table window is the eating envelope.
Kitchen clean by morning
Graded each morning — A through F. Counters, dishes, floors, sink. No exceptions.
This week
May 10 – May 16 · 2026Mother's Day — out
eaten outNY Strip · Mujadara (lentils & rice under dark onions)
tonight's plan ↗—
no plan yet—
no plan yet—
no plan yet—
no plan yet—
no plan yetPast weeks
click to expandMay 3 – May 9 Last week
Sheet-Pan Salmon · Roasted Chicken Breast · Braised Lentils
cooked · plan ↗Yellow Split Pea Dal · Tonkotsu Ramen for the Picky-Eater
cooked · plan ↗—
cooked · no recapYellow Split Pea Dal · Crispy Chicken on the Side
cooked—
cooked · no recapChicken Katsu · Tofu Katsu Rice Bowls
cooked · plan ↗—
cooked · no recapApr 26 – May 2 Two weeks ago
Carne Asada & Rice + Bean Tacos
cooked · saved recipe ↗Steak (cook swap)
cookedOrange Tofu · Lemon Chicken · Kenji Potatoes
cooked · plan ↗Family dinner
cooked · no recapSchool festival night · home dinner partial
cooked · partialSteak — finished 8 PM, kitchen disaster
cooked · F kitchen gradeOut — Relish
eaten outSaved recipes
7 in the vault · the reference librarySpaghetti Carbonara
bacon · parm · butter-garlic twist
Table-approved. Bacon, egg and parmesan with a butter-garlic layer stirred into the rendered fat. One pot covers the meat path and a meatless veggie plate; the no-gluten/no-dairy eater gets a fast Banza aglio e olio parallel. Six-section poster with the off-heat egg-tempering technique that keeps it from scrambling.
A friend's recipe · ~35 min · 4 ingredientsPanko Chicken
over chopped dino kale
Pounded chicken thighs through a flour-egg-panko line, shallow-fried to shattering gold, laid hot over a massaged lemon-parm dino kale salad so the greens half-wilt underneath. A family friend's killer four-ingredient build. GF-panko tofu cutlet parallel for the vegetarian plate; deconstructed cutlet-and-arugula landing for the picky eater.
Kid-anchor · 20 min · hidden proteinBanza Mac & Cheese
chickpea shells · blended cottage cheese · rotisserie chicken
The Whole Foods salad-bar mac that the picky eater loved, rebuilt with 3× the protein and a fraction of the refined carbs. Chickpea shells, cottage cheese blended into the cheese sauce (the whole gimmick), and rotisserie chicken folded in at the end. Sharp cheddar + Dijon cover any bean note. ~35g protein per bowl.
Steakhouse · 15 min · no marinadeCast-Iron NY Strip
heavy salt · butter baste
The no-marinade move: pat bone dry, salt heavier than feels right, sear in a screaming cast iron, baste with butter + garlic + thyme for 90 seconds. Pull at 125°F, rest 8 min, slice against the grain. Restaurant-quality steak in the time it takes to set the table.
Lebanese · vegan · GF · 45 minMujadara
green lentils & basmati under dark onions
Equal parts lentils to rice, 3¾ cups liquid, cumin + bay. The whole dish is carried by onions cooked much darker than feels right — deep mahogany, jammy, almost-burnt edges. Vegan, DF, GF; doubles as a vegetarian anchor and a steak side.
Mexican · weeknightCarne Asada Tacos
& Rice-and-Bean Tacos
Two protein paths from one orange-lime marinade. Carne asada for the meat eaters, seasoned rice + pinto beans for the vegan plate. Six-section poster with marinade, timeline, foundation upgrades (Mexican red rice + bloomed pintos), and the chef's notes.
Asian · 40 minOrange Chicken
& Orange Tofu
Two proteins, one bright orange-ginger sauce, one shared kitchen. Tofu first in a clean pan to keep it vegetarian. The sauce splits at the end — small portion for tofu, larger for the chicken.