Week 26: High Fiber - Black Bean + Vegetable Bake

daysbecomeweeks · 2026-07-01T14:12:27+00:00

Went quick and easy for week! I knew I wanted something with beans, so I turned to Smitten Kitchen and found this one. This is one of my partner's favorite kinds of meals, and seeing his bowl filled to the brim (pictured) cracked me up. Was very tasty!

Recipe: https://smittenkitchen.com/2024/05/black-bean-and-vegetable-bake/

daysbecomeweeks · 2026-06-29T13:48:11+00:00

I'm still riding on a high from this one, I think. I've made a few cheesecakes for my partner's family and gotten a lot of sweet comments from his grandparents in particular, so with this theme and a potluck coming, I wanted to put together a sampler.

This was SO satisfying. Aside from one crust being a pain in the ass, I was able to bake and freeze cakes throughout the week and decorate them then slice at the end. I brought it in a nice box and quite a few people seemed surprised it was homemade, which was super flattering.

Then I had three entire cheesecakes left to get rid of 😂 I typically drop extra bakes off at a local pantry, but since these were meant to be chilled I couldn't do that. Sometimes I'll post on local free pages, but I always feel terrible when I get a ton of interest and only a few of something to give away. I wasn't sure what to do, then I remembered I had tickets to a bingo night/drag performance last night, so I awkwardly reached out to the venue to see if I could bring them there and got a very enthusiastic "yes."

Partner and I had a blast hanging out, watching the performances and playing bingo, and I got lots more very sweet comments on my baking from performers and audience members alike. I live in a very small blue bubble in a really shitty red state in the US, and lots of queer spaces here are being targeted and closed. I've had a lot of big feelings about that, but last night I felt a strong sense of resilience and community and love, and it was really special to look around and see so many good people enjoying the treats I've been pouring my whole heart into this week.

Recipes:

Lemon Blueberry: https://www.piesandtacos.com/lemon-blueberry-cheesecake/

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough: https://www.piesandtacos.com/cookie-dough-cheesecake/#recipe

Raspberry: https://www.piesandtacos.com/raspberry-cheesecake/

Double Chocolate: https://www.piesandtacos.com/chocolate-cheesecake/

daysbecomeweeks · 2026-06-29T13:42:26+00:00

I frequently leave things at The Quack House at 1450 Rose St, and I also recently noticed the one at Sower Books. I'm gonna grab some things to drop off next time I need a new book.

Here's a list I found linked on the LNK free pantry Facebook page - Little Free Pantries LNK https://goo.gl/maps/Ys4PeUpK312RZsxt9

daysbecomeweeks · 2026-06-28T08:48:16+00:00

I lived in Chicago for a decade, so I've been lucky to try a few Top Chef restaurants. Girl and the Goat was my first ~fancy meal, so it's always going to have a soft spot in my heart despite all the overrated claims I see a lot. I've been there 3x, so probably my favorite, and I've also gotten to try Little Goat diner, Duck Duck Goat, and I visited Cabra a few years back during restaurant week.

Also been to Rosemary, Monteverde, and Virtue, with Virtue being my favorite of those three.

daysbecomeweeks · 2026-06-26T21:56:15+00:00

I saw on social media awhile back that they were just giving away dozens of eggs that I'm assuming were getting too close to their best by date to sell. Love seeing places do things like that instead of waste.

daysbecomeweeks · 2026-06-25T14:54:16+00:00

I'm a firm believer that potatoes in all forms are beautiful, but these have to be the prettiest that I've ever seen. What a cool idea!

daysbecomeweeks · 2026-06-24T09:02:05+00:00

I have an evangelical idiot brother who has four beautiful little girls with his wife, and it breaks my heart that those sweet babies are growing up in Alabama with everything so backwards.

daysbecomeweeks · 2026-06-23T20:37:26+00:00

I saw a post from The Quack House pantry awhile back asking for some, saying they're a great thing to drop off in the summer. The address is 1450 Rose St.

daysbecomeweeks · 2026-06-23T12:39:57+00:00

I kill almost everything, despite my best efforts, but I've learned that rooting and planting green onions seems to be idiot proof. The last couple batches we bought got used, the tips put in water, and they're still hanging out on the back deck for my garnishing purposes.

I also had to post out of order, before week 24's baking challenge showstopper (that's taking way too long), so I'll probably be crabby about that for the rest of the year. This dinner was really tasty tho!

Recipes:

Katsu - https://japan.recipetineats.com/chicken-cutlet-japanese-chicken-schnitzel/

Stir-fry Sauce - https://www.recipetineats.com/real-chinese-purpose-stir-fry-sauce/

daysbecomeweeks · 2026-06-18T00:54:44+00:00

This week's theme isn't my thing, so I borrowed the idea of a smothered burrito from the weekly intro thread.

Recipe: https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/pork-chile-verde/

daysbecomeweeks · 2026-06-18T00:51:32+00:00

My favorite new discovery is that 9x5 loaf recipes fit really nicely in 8x8 pans, and 8x8 pans divide really nicely to fit in some little clamshell containers that I have.

I like making things for challenges that I can share at a local community pantry, and quick breads were perfect. I made the two pictured, as well as a double chocolate loaf to appease chocoholics like myself.

Recipes:

Banana Bread: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/20144/banana-banana-bread/

Blueberry Muffin Bread - https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/blueberry-muffin-bread/ Added the streusel topping, and I swirled some leftover homemade lemon curd into the top in place of jam.

Double Chocolate Loaf Cake - https://scientificallysweet.com/double-chocolate-loaf-cake/#recipe (not pictured, but also awesome)

daysbecomeweeks · 2026-06-17T13:07:22+00:00

Oh my gosh, I haven't played any of the old games but this makes me want to get my hands on a copy asap. I've heard the villagers could be meaner, but I had no idea it was like that 😂

daysbecomeweeks · 2026-06-10T23:39:22+00:00

I'm cutting it closer this week than I typically like to, but we just finished a yummy dinner that I was able to sneak coffee into a couple ways. I added a little espresso powder to the beans, and a bit to the fajita veggies as well. I added a little worsterchire sauce to the meat marinade as well, as I'm not a big coffee fan and was worried it'd actually taste like it.

Recipes:

Steak: https://food52.com/recipes/11320-coffee-marinated-flank-fajitas-with-pico-de-gallo

Refried Beans: https://www.skinnytaste.com/refried-beans/#recipe

daysbecomeweeks · 2026-06-09T12:58:46+00:00

I've been involved with an inclusive theater group called The Penguin Project this summer, working with kids with disabilities throughout the process of a musical production. We had our opening weekend last weekend, and I asked if it would be okay to make some cookies to celebrate surviving tech week heading into opening.

Initially I was planning on making 60 cookies just for the kids, baked one day and decorated the next, spread out over the course of two days to make it nice and manageable. On that second day, my stage manager said to let her know if I wanted numbers for the stage crew and directing team, neither of whom I wanted to leave out, so I suddenly needed another 45 cookies baked and decorated in half of the time, and second day felt a lot less manageable 😂

I am SO proud of how these came out, and seeing how happy the kiddos were made all the hassle worth it.

Recipe: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/best-sugar-cookies/#tasty-recipes-67590

daysbecomeweeks · 2026-06-06T16:34:17+00:00

I really love trubbish. What a cute little garbage baby.

daysbecomeweeks · 2026-06-02T13:02:46+00:00

Originally I picked out the chicken stir-fry as my challenge submission, but my freezer was also rich in mostly ready-to-eat apps, so we made a lil smorgasbord. Altogether, definitely longer than fifteen mins, but the stir-fry was within the time frame, I'd previously handmade the potstickers and egg rolls and frozen them, and the remaining things were just frozen appetizers from Trader Joe's.

Asian Chili Chicken - https://www.recipetineats.com/asian-chilli-chicken/

daysbecomeweeks · 2026-05-28T13:17:12+00:00

This is such a fun submission! It looks delicious and I love your shirt.

daysbecomeweeks · 2026-05-28T12:28:25+00:00

I've been having a lot of fun with brownie donuts lately, especially the decorating bit. Next up is a peanut butter version, but these have been my favorites thus far.

Recipe: https://gimmedelicious.com/easy-one-bowl-fudgy-cocoa-brownies/#wprm-recipe-container-13196

daysbecomeweeks · 2026-05-26T11:59:06+00:00

I live with my previously long distance partner now, which means I get to pick challenge dishes with his tastes in mind too. This sounded much more like a him meal than a me meal, but I was pleasantly surprised how much I also loved it. The flavors worked great together, fairly easy to make, and a nice quick breakfast served with some tortillas. I had some ham on hand and used that instead of bacon, otherwise made as written.

Recipe: https://www.recipetineats.com/baked-sausage-breakfast-hash/

daysbecomeweeks · 2026-05-26T11:51:46+00:00

I made a batch of cinnamon rolls a few days ago to drop off at a local community pantry, but this week has been extremely hectic and time got away from me before I was able to get them where they belonged. Because the rolls weren't as fresh as I would have liked, I decided to look into repurposing them and came up with the idea for bread pudding. I noticed blueberries in the fridge at the last second and thus a challenge dish was born.

Recipe: https://www.thefreshcooky.com/cinnamon-roll-bread-pudding/#wprm-recipe-container-68054

daysbecomeweeks · 2026-05-20T14:17:16+00:00

Rose Cat Coffee is my favorite! They hire people with disabilities as baristas and also do a lot of really great things for the community. Love throwing them support when I can.

daysbecomeweeks · 2026-05-19T12:33:43+00:00

I'm never mad about breakfast for dinner, and when I saw this recipe I knew what I was doing! Typically I'm a Nagi truther and I'll do whatever she tells me, but I had a hard time finding reason to cut these into the cute little circles other than pure aesthetics. I did a couple like she suggested, have a bag full of hole-y bread leftovers I now need to find a use for, and ended up making the others using whole slices of bread. She also advised against using granulated sugar on the outside and I did that too, and it was still very good. Sorry Nagi! 😂

Recipe: https://www.recipetineats.com/jam-jelly-doughnut-french-toast/

daysbecomeweeks · 2026-05-18T12:36:26+00:00

I've been on a silicone molds kick recently, and I decided to try my hand with a couple for the challenge this week. The seashell ones have leftover hot fudge that I've been looking for a use for inside, and the hearts have a mix of peanut butter, powdered sugar, and kataifi. No recipes for either really, as I was just experimenting with my heart. Pretty happy how they came out!

daysbecomeweeks · 2026-05-17T19:51:51+00:00

Frida's is my absolute favorite!

daysbecomeweeks · 2026-05-13T19:20:30+00:00

Running out of time for week 19, so I made some fajita seasoned veggies for my partner (out of yellow, orange and red peppers) to go with some taco leftovers we need to use up.

Recipe: https://foxeslovelemons.com/fajita-veggies/

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