Monthly Menu ~March 2011

Week of February 28

• Monday - Dinner at Boy Scouts ~ We're having a buffet style dinner of roast and spaghetti.  Yumm-o!


• Family Favorite Meal - pinto beans and ham (already in the freezer), cornbread, raw veggies


• New Recipe Meal - ham, hoppin' johns, veggies


• Ethnic Night - crockpot pepper steak with rice, fortune cookies


• Easy Meal - Italian Beef Sandwiches (already in the freezer), chips, raw veggies


• Meat and Potatoes - Pork roast, baked potato, veggies

Week of March 7

• Family Favorite Meal -White Castle burgers, chips, raw veggies


• New Recipe Meal - Italian chili, rolls


• Ethnic Night - spaghetti with bolognese sauce, bread sticks, salad


• Easy Meal - apple cinammon pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon


• Meat and Potatoes - cheddar brats, fried potatoes, veggies

Week of March 14

• Family Favorite - homemade hamburger helper, veggies, biscuits


• New Recipe - Left-Over Turkey Potpie (using left-over chicken), left-over mashed potatoes, rolls


• Ethnic Night - Spaghetti carbonara, cheddar bay biscuits, salad


• Easy Night - bacon and egg quesidillas (from $5 dollar dinner Breakfast and Lunch cookbook,  hash browns


• Meat and Potatoes Night - chicken in the crockpot, mashed potatoes, green beans, Easy Rolls or Buttermilk biscuits

Week of March 21

• Family Favorite - pinto beans (in freezer), cornbread


• New Recipe - Bramble beans, veggies, cornbread


• Ethnic Night - spaghetti with homemade sauce, crescent rolls, salad


• Easy Night - sandwich buffet, chips, raw veggies


• Meat and Potato Night - ranch chicken legs, pasta roni, veggies

Week of March 28 (Spring Break for me)

• Family Favorite Meal - spaghetti pie, garlic bread, salad


• New Recipe Meal - slow cooker beef stew, biscuits


• Ethnic Night - tacos, Spanish rice


• Easy Meal - chicken nuggets, French fries, raw veggies


• Meat and Potatoes - pork chops, side dish TBA, veggies

Taco Crescent Bake

Another recipe, I found on Menus4Moms website.  It is easy to put together especially if you use taco seasoned ground beef that you have already cooked and then froze.

My picky hubby was surprised with how delicious this recipe was and how it didn't taste too tacoey (made up word).  He does not like some of the spices used in Mexican cooking especially cumin.  As a result, I make my own taco seasoning so I can adjust the amount of spices.  When I make the taco meat, I also adjust the amount of taco seasoning. 

Stars of the recipe:

• 
  
  a can of crescent rolls (I like the seamless one but the regular works just fine.)


• 
  
  2 cups of tortillas, roughly chopped, divided in 1/2


• 
  
  1 pound of taco seasoned ground beef


• 
  
  1 cup of sour cream


• 
  
  1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese (We love sharp cheddar here but mild cheddar would be okay.)

Directions:

1. 
   
   In a greased 9 by 13 baking dish, unroll crescent roll and press onto the bottom and about 1 inch up the sides .  (If using regular crescent rolls, press all the seams together.)


2. 
   
   Sprinkle 1 cup of the crushed tortillas over the crescent rolls.


3. 
   
   Spoon ground beef over the crescent rolls.


4. 
   
   Top with sour cream, cheddar cheese, and remaining tortilla chips.


5. 
   
   Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until top is golden brown.


6. 
   
   Serve plain or with additional sour cream or salsa.

This is linked up to Eat at Home's Ingredient Spotlight.

Homemade Taco Seasoning Mix

I like to make my own taco seasoning because I can adjust the amount of spices.  I also feel better about knowing what is exactly is in the taco seasoning.  Plus I use very little of the taco seasoning when I make tacos because I have a picky hubby especially with Mexican food.  A few years ago, I would rarely make Mexican cusine at home.  Instead I would go to restaurants to fulfill my cravings for Mexican cuisine.  I'm glad I can now make Mexican food at home.

Here is a recipe for Taco Seasoning that I found at the Copy Kat website

Stars of the recipe:

• 
  
  1 Tbsp. dehydrated onion


• 
  
  6 tsp. chili powder (I use a little less than that.)


• 
  
  5 tsp. paprika


• 
  
  4 1/2 tsp. cumin (I use about 2 tsp.  This is one of the spices that hubby does not like.)


• 
  
  3 tsp. onion powder


• 
  
  2 1/2 tsp. garlic powder


• 
  
  1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper (I omit this spice.)

Steps:

1. 
   
   Combine ingredients and store in an airtight container.


2. 
   
   To prepare, brown 1 lb. of beef.


3. 
   
   Add 3 Tbsp. (I use about 1.5 Tbsp.) of seasoning and approx. 1/2 cup of water.


4. 
   
   Simmer until water is absorbed.


5. 
   
   Serve either in a hard taco shell or tortilla and with your favorite taco toppings.

Sloppy Joe Pizza

Sloppy joes on a pizza?!?!  Sounds weird huh?!?!  Guess what, the taste is out of the world.  Hubby and I both enjoyed the pizza.

Last week, I made sloppy joes for dinner one night and then froze the left-overs with a plan to use the sloppy joes on a pizza.  I used a store bought pizza dough but feel free to use a homemade dough.  It really does not matter.  Then treat your mouth to an unbelievable treat.

Stars of the recipe:

• 
  
  pizza dough (either store bought or homemade)


• 
  
  left over sloppy joes


• 
  
  2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese


• 
  
  one or two stalks green onions

Steps:

1. 
   
   Prepare the dough according to your recipe (if homemade dough) or directions on the package (store bought).


2. 
   
   Spread sloppy joes evenly on the dough.


3. 
   
   Place cheddar cheese on top of the sloppy joes.Garnish the top of the cheddar cheese with green onions.


4. 
   
   Bake according to recipe or directions.  (I baked mine at 400 degrees for about 8 minutes.  My dough was a Pillsbury Thin Crust dough.)


5. 
   
   Cut into pieces and enjoy!

This is linked to Eat at Home's Ingredient Spotlight.

 

Orange Chicken

Thursday was the Chinese New Year.  We are currently in the year of the rabbit.  Anyway, I decided it would be appropriate to have Chinese type meal for supper to "celebrate" the new year.  Since it had been on the menu for the previous week but had not been made, I decided to make it.  It is what Rachael Ray describes as being a "fake out" meal and also a "make your own take out."   The end result looks fancy but it really is simple to make.  Also since it's a "make your own take out meal,"  you can control what's in it.

Orange chicken

Eat at Home

Stars of the recipe:

• 1/2 bag of popcorn chicken, baked according to package directions


• 1 TBSP. of vegetable oil


• 1/2 bag of frozen onion-pepper mix


• 1 bottle of  orange ginger marinade (Found in ethnic food aisle. I used LaChoy's brand.)


• 1 cup of cooked rice

Steps:

1. Cook the chicken according to package.


2. Meanwhile, heat oil in skillet.  Add the onion-pepper mixture.  Cook until tender crisp.


3. Pour 1 to 1/2 cups of the marinade in the skillet (I used the whole bottle.)


4. Add the chicken and stir until combined.


5. Serve over cooked rice.

Chicken stew with parsley dumplings

About twoish years ago, I found this recipe while watching the Food Network.  The show was Quick Fix Meals with Robin Miller.  She had a lot of good ideas and recipes.  One of the best recipes I got from watching her show was a recipe for chicken stew with parsley dumpling which is now one of hubby's favorite meals.  He typically does not eat dinner leftovers for lunch.  However when I make this for dinner, he will make an exception.

Stars of the recipe:

• 1 tsp. Extra virgin olive oil or vegetable oil


• 2 cups chopped onion


• 1 cup sliced carrots


• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces, about 2 cups


• 2 cups sliced mushrooms (Sometimes I leave these out because hubby does not like mushrooms.)


• 1 cup frozen peas


• 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided


• 8 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth (I used between 4 and 6 cups instead.)


• 1 cup all-purpose flour


• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder


• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda


• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves


• 1/4 teaspoon pepper


• 1/2 cup buttermilk


• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Steps:

1. In a large stock pot or Dutch oven, add the oil.


2. Add the onions and carrots and saute for 1 minute.


3. Add the chicken and cook just until the chicken starts to brown, but is not cooked through.


4. Add the mushrooms, peas, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and stir to combine.


5. Add the chicken broth and set pan over high heat.


6. Bring to a boil. Let simmer 10 minutes.


7. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, parsley, 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper.


8. Add buttermilk and oil and stir with a fork until mixture comes together.


9. Using a large spoon or a small ice cream scoop (I use a cookie dough scoop.), drop 8 golf ball size (mold with your hands, if necessary) dumplings into simmering liquid.


10. Cover pan and cook 5 minutes (no peeking!), until dumplings are puffed up and cooked through!

February 2011 Meals

To make it easier to menu plan, I decided to have five different themes during the week.  I'm not assigning specific nights for the themes.  When I finalize the meal plan for the week,  I will then assign the days.

Week of January 31

• Ethnic night (Chinese New Year) - orange chicken over rice, vegetable egg rolls, fortune cookies


• Family Favorite - veggie soup, rolls


• Meat and Potatoes - ham and scalloped potatoes, veggie


• Easy Night - pancakes and eggs


• New Recipe Night - ham and pineapple stir fry, veggies


• Leftovers

Week of February 7

• Ethnic night - bowtie lasagna, garlic bread, salad


• Family Favorite - Skyline chili over spaghetti, cornbread


• Meat and Potatoes - deviled chicken, pasta or rice a roni, veggie


• Easy Night - Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches, French fries, veggies


• New Recipe Night - Beef Hash in the crockpot, rolls


• Leftovers

Week of February 14 (Parent Teacher Conferences this week ~ Need 2 easy meals so that hubby can feed boys while I'm still at work.)

• Ethnic night - chicken fried rice, fortune cookies


• Family Favorite - chicken in the crockpot, buttered noodles. green beans (either Monday or Wednesday)


• Meat and Potatoes - pork roast, creamed peas, green beans, baked potatoes


• Easy Night - Sloppy Joes, potato chips, raw veggies (either Monday or Wednesday)


• New Recipe Night - upside down chicken and dumplings


• Leftovers

Week of February 21

• Ethnic night  -taco crescent bake, salad


• Family Favorite - sloppy joe pizza, salad


• Meat and Potatoes - meatloaf, mashed potatoes, veggie, roll


• Easy Night - Waffle House waffles, hashbrowns smothered covered and chunked


• New Recipe Night  - swiss chicken, creamed corn, seasoned green beans, rolls


• Leftovers