Pretty things

1. Isn't this a pretty supper? It's Kevin's, from tonight. (His had the ranch dressing. Mine had balsamic vinaigrette.)

I made the quiche last night from odds and ends such as leftover cooked broccoli, two orphaned strips of bacon in the fridge, onion, some cherry tomatoes; used a frozen pie crust from Stop & Shop. The pie crust was "ehh" but everything else tasted great.

I've been doing moderately well at planning and preparing meals ahead of time for weekdays, when I tend to arrive home around 6 pm ready to do anything but assemble an entire meal on the spot. Last night (Monday) we had braised pork chops and potatoes that I assembled in the crockpot the night before and that cooked on "low" all day; plus a salad (thank you, Michael). Tonight we simply heated our slices of quiche in the microwave, and Michael came through with another salad.

Tomorrow night we'll have my favorite turkey meat loaf, mixed and put in its glass baking dish last night, along with rice or corn, and a green veggie (frozen, nuked). Eating cheap, eating healthy: it can be fun! What's your favorite easy, reasonably healthy meal for weeknights? (Extra points if it's palatable to teenagers.)


2) This gorgeous bird's name is the Common Flicker, a large variety of woodpecker. Yes, I had to look her up in the birding guide after I spotted her through the living-room windows. The yellow on the undersides of her wings and tail is vivid when she flies. I cheered this pretty lady on as she stubbornly chased away starlings that tried to share the suet feeder with her.



The other day I thought I glimpsed a Baltimore oriole, but surely it's too early. What do you think? I will put some oranges out this weekend and see what shows up.

UPDATE: A friend commented here that I might have seen an evening grosbeak – the "orange" bird I saw was more of a gold – and after Googling, I believe she's right. Cool!