Menu follow up and Sat. lunch

Here was last week's menu:

• Sloppy Joes - already had these for lunch yesterday with chips
• Rigatoni alla Toto from 150 Best American Recipes, rigatoni, Italian sausage and a cream sauce
  
• Fish tacos with the Alice Waters cole slaw (150 Best Am. Recipes - I think)
• Tuscan steaks with bread salad - Complete Meat Cookbook and the new vegetarian cookbook I got - on the grill today if it isn't pouring rain when it's time to eat
  
• something with chicken thighs
• Roast chicken with slow roasted tomatoes from Food Network Magazine
• Black bean cakes with nachos and salsa - Great Food Fast

I made everything except something with chicken thighs and the black bean cakes. I did roast a chicken, but did not do the slow roasted tomato recipe.

The cole slaw was ok. I would make it again when if I didn't want a mayo based slaw. But it's not better than my favorite slaw. The bread salad is totally addictive. I could eat a whole bowlful myself, stabbing with my fork at anyone who tried to sneak some. Yes, it's that good.

And the Rigatoni alla Toto - Italian sausage, onions, garlic, white wine, 12 oz of heavy cream. Yes, 12 oz. And 1 lb rigatoni. This was a stellar dish. In the recipe notes, it says something like, "the sum is greater than the parts," or "this dish transcends it's simple ingredient list." And you know what? It sure does. I'll make this again and again. Until the scale breaks, anyways. Maybe next time I'll try it with evaporated skim milk.

Here was lunch today. Red onion tarts, some with gruyere, some with mozzarella on a puff pastry base with a spring greens salad.