A Musical Menu

We've been shopping by menu planning for years, and we love it. For the past few months, its been me planning the menu, because Stuart is in grad school.  The thing is, he is crazy-good at creating menus and meals!  I miss his creativity, and frankly I get tired of doing it each week.  Please don't read this as me saying that Stuart doesn't help out.  He's in the kitchen helping out every chance he gets, but the whole planning bit is usually done while he's doing homework.

This past week, we were watching Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations, when Stuart said, "Wouldn't it be great if we menu planned based on a theme? How great would that be! A whole week of food from Iceland!"  The sad part is that this was only partly a joke.

Later I was kidding with him and mentioned that he should 'have a go' at a themed menu.  Maybe something based on Thailand or India.  Well, Stuart had his own ideas...he got inspired...by the Smashing Pumpkins. Keep in mind that he has an unnatural obsession for this band. Hello! Our daughter's name is Corgan!

Anyway, he was listening to Spotify and was sampling the new album Oceania, and he decided to base the menu plan on the album. Odd, you say? Fantastic, I say! It was so good! He took the name of a song on the album, and then he planned a meal around it.  We're halfway through eating the meals, and they are soooo yummy!  And the best part is that I didn't have to plan a thing :)

Meal 1:
     "Pinwheels" - Beef pinwheels stuffed with feta and spinach, with a caprese salad on the side

Meal 2:
     "My Love of Winter" - Hearty Chicken Stew (we found a Giada De Laurentis recipe)

Meal 3: 
     "Wildflower: - Mixed green salad with garlic croutons, grilled chicken, toasted sunflower seeds, and crumbled goat cheese with a side of bread and olive oil

Meal 4: 
     "Oceania" - Pan Seared Salmon with a mustard rosemary sauce with a side of roasted asparagus

Meal 5:
     "Quasar" - A Cosmic Explosion of Taste - Angel hair pasta with olive oil, toasted pine nuts, artichoke hearts, marinara sauce, Opa's sausage, garlic, spinach, and black olives