fetchpriority=”high” decoding=”async” class=”aligncenter size-full wp-image-162454″ src=”https://thinktasty1.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/lentilsausagezuke.jpg” alt=”” width=”400″ height=”400″ srcset=”https://www.thinktasty.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/lentilsausagezuke.jpg 400w, https://www.thinktasty.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/lentilsausagezuke-150×150.jpg 150w, https://www.thinktasty.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/lentilsausagezuke-300×300.jpg 300w, https://www.thinktasty.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/lentilsausagezuke-170×170.jpg 170w” sizes=”(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px” />As I sit at a desk thinking about this week’s articles, I am debating the division of my menu planning. How much of my time do I spend thinking about the food I want to eat versus others? That’s a difficult question to answer, as I think about food quite often. Sometimes it’s dishes that I want to try, sometimes it’s treats for my kids, sometimes it’s an ingredient I know my husband adores. To quantify all those thoughts is tricky.

So then I began to consider a much smaller segment of my food planning- Tapas Monday menus. For those meals I am certain that it’s a 50/50 split between my and my husband’s palates around which I plan. That even distribution means that sometimes there are dishes that I know he will devour and I will simply sample and vice versa.

When it comes to our Tapas Monday menus, nearly eighty percent of the items I make are enjoyed by both of us. But out of the other twenty percent, there are dishes made specifically for one or the other of us. Bacon-heavy dishes are made out of love for my husband and his adoration of that pork product. Vegetarian plays on meatballs are made for me and my enjoyment of almost everything veggie-based.

So, we have this fine blend of menus: many things for both of us, a few things for each of us as individuals. I guess it’s kind of like marriage itself. There are many things that we like to do together, but there are times when participating in our individual activities is good.

Over the next few weeks I’ll be highlighting some of my his and her menus. Some of the dishes were served on the same night, and others were served on different weeks but have a similar theme. You’ll probably notice a trend in what is his versus hers. Regardless to whom they were prepared for, all were enjoyed at a dinner that focuses on the two of us.

A couple dishes from the archives that play to eat of our palates:

Sausage Stuffed Zucchini– This is a 2-ingredient love fest for my husband. Zucchini is one of his favorite veggies, and he adores almost any type of sausage. So, when you combine the two and top them with cheese, you have a dish that he is glad to devour.

Lentil Cakes– What’s not to love about this dish? Yummy, little lentils compressed into a tiny cake and dipped in the sauce of your choice- it’s a dish that makes a perfect entrée for me.