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
8 in the vault · the reference libraryMiso-Ginger Tofu
rice bowl & charred broccoli
The most reliable vegan dinner in the vault. Cornstarch-dredged tofu fried to a shattering shell, then tossed sixty seconds — no longer — in a miso-tamari-ginger glaze that lacquers on contact. Broccoli roasted genuinely dark, spinach wilted straight into the hot pan, lime over the top. No coconut, no dairy, no gluten, nothing worked around. Seared steak on the side covers the meat path.
Italian · ~25 min · serve-nowSpaghetti 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.