Week of April 18 menu planning

Monday - chicken ranch quesadillas, Spanish rice

Tuesday - sausage, pasta roni, veggie

Wednesday - breakfast burrito, fresh fruit

Thursday - chicken parmesan over pasta, salad, garlic bread

Friday - ranch chicken legs, buttered noodles, veggie

Menu plan with shopping list


Happy eating, Traci

Marlboro Man Sandwich

Yummy!  That's how I describe this sandwich.

When I saw this recipe, I knew I had to try it because hubby would love it.  Boy was I right.  He ate two of these bad boys!! :)  They were not homeruns for the Wee One and the Imaginative One because it involved onions which is not their favorite vegetables.

The Marlboro Man Sandwich
via Pioneer Woman

Stars of the Recipe:

• 1 whole large onion
• 2 sticks of butter (I didn't use that much butter.)
• 2 pounds cube steak
• seasoned salt
• 1/2 c. Worcestershire sauce
• tabasco sauce (I left this out.)
• 4 whole French/deli rolls

Steps:

1. Slice onions and cook in 1/4 stick of butter until soft and light brown.  Remove and set aside.
2. Slice cube steak against the grain. Season with the season salt.
3. Heat  2 Tbsp of butter over high heat (same skillet) until melted and beginning to brown.
4. Add meat in a single layer. Cook one side until brown, flip.  Cook other side until brown.  About a minute on both sides.
5. Add 1/2 cup Worchestershire sauce, 5 to 6 shakes Tabasco, and 2 Tbsp butter.  Add cooked onions.  Stir to combine.
6. Butter halved French rolls and brown in skillet.
7. To assemble, lay bottom half of French roll on plate.  Place meat mixture, followed by a spoonful of juice from the pan.
8. Top with other half of rolls, cut in half, and devour!

Happy eating, Traci

Menu Plan Monday ~ Week of April 11, 2011

Monday ~ sloppy joes, roasted potaoes or fried ptoatoes, raw veggies

Tuesday ~ ravioli lasagna, garlic bread, salad

Wednesday ~ chicken in crockpot, mashed potatoes, green beans

Thursday ~ sloppy joe pizza, raw veggies

Friday ~ on your own dinner

Saturday ~ PW chicken pot pie

Happy eating, Traci

Spaghetti Carbonara

I found this recipe on Mommy's Kitchen.   This is one of my hubby's meals.  In fact, when I make this recipe, hubby and I fight over who gets the left-overs. 

While cooking, the smell is intoxicating.  Your mouth will start to water from anticipation of eating this delicious dish. 

Stars of the recipe:

• 1 - 16 oz box of spaghetti
• 2 Tbs. olive oil, separated
• 8 slices bacon or pancetta, diced
• 1/2 small onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/8 to 1/4 c. dry white wine (optional)
• 2 eggs betaten
• 2 Tbs. heavy cream or milk
• 1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 pinch salt and black pepper to taste
• extra grated Parmesan cheese of garnish

Steps:  

1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook spaghetti until al dente.  Drain well and reserve a bit of pasta water.  Toss with 1 Tbsp. of olive oil and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, start cooking the bacon.  Cook chopped bacon until slightly crisp; remove and drain onto paper towels.
3. Reserve 2 Tsp. of bacon fat; add remaining 1 Tbsp. olive oil and heat in resused large skillet,
4. Add chopped onion and cook over medium heat until onion is translucent.
5. Add minced garlic, and cook 1 minute more.  Add wine if desired; cook one more minute.
6. Return cooked bacon to pan; add cooked and drained spaghetti.
7. Toss to coat and heat through, adding more olive oil if it seems dry or is sticking together.  
8. To ensure a creamy, silky sauce, mix the cheese, cream, and beaten egg toghter then stir into the pasta, off eggs are barely set.
9. If the mixture is too thick add a bit of reserved pasta water.  Add salt and pepper to taste.
10. Serve immediately with chopped arsley sprinkled on top, and extra Parmesan cheese at the table. 

Happy eating, Traci

Mystery Cookies

I like reading Joanne Fluke’s Hannah Swenson mystery series.  The books are fun and easy to read.  The added bonus is the author provides recipes.  I have found the recipes for watermelon cookies and pretzel chocolate chip cookies in her book.  This is another one of her reipes found in the Lemon Meringue Murder.
I made these cookies once and I remembered people raved about their taste.  They couldn’t believe the secret ingredient in these cookies.  I do not know where I put my copy of the Lemon Meringue Murder so I lost the recipe.  This week I decided to google the recipe and got lucky.
These cookies are addictive! 

Mystery Cookies
www.murdershebaked.com

Stars of the recipe:

• 1/2 cup of butter, melted (2 stick)
• 3-1/2 cup of sugar
• 2 beaten eggs
• 1 can of condensed tomato soup (the secret ingredient)
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 2 tsp. salt
• 2 cups of raisins (golden or regular)
• 2 cups chopped walnuts
• 4-1/2 cup of flour (does not need to be sifted)

Steps:

1. Melt butter in microwave.
2. Add sugar and then let it cool.
3. Mix in beaten eggs.
4. Add tomato soup and beat together.
5. Stir in cinammon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt.
6. Add the raisins and walnuts.
7. Add flour 1 cup at a time until it is incorporated.
8. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes.
9. Drop by teaspoons on a greased cookie sheet.
10. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes
11. Cool slightly.
12. Transfer to a wire cooling rack to finish cooling.

Makes around 10 dozen cookies.
Happy eating, Traci

Monthly Menu Plan ~ April 2011

Here's April's Menu Plan:

Week of April 4:

• ethnic night – spaghetti carbonara, crescent rolls, salad
• meat and potatoes – pork chops, Pasta Roni, veggie, rolls/biscuits
• new recipe – Malboro man's favorite sandwich, onion staws, raw veggies or salad
• easy night – pulled pork sandwiches using leftover bbq ribs, potato chips, raw veggies
• family favorite - homemade hamburger helper, veggies

Week of April 11:

• ethnic night -ravoli lasagna, garlic bread, salad
• meat and potatoes – chicken in the crockpot, mashed potatoes, green beans
• new recipe – Pioneer woman’s chicken pot pie
• easy night – sloppy joes, roasted potatoes or fried potatoes, raw veggies
• family favorite -sloppy joe pizza, salad

Week of April 18:

• ethnic night – chicken quesadillas, Spanish rice
• meat and potatoes – sausage, pasta/rice a roni, veggies
• new recipe – chicken parmesan over pasta, garlic bread, salad
• easy night – breakfast burritos, fruit
• family favorite -ranch chicken legs, buttered noodles, veggie

Week of April 25:

(I’ve decided to do something different.  I’m going to follow one of the Eat at Home menu plans.  This is the year 2 week 23 menu.)

• beef and bean topped potatoes, salad
• maple apple chicken in crockpot
• sweet and sour meatballs over rice
• Italian chicken melts with pasta soup
• chicken smothered with summer vegetables

Happy eating,
Traci

Mexican hamburger helper

As I was driving home today, I was thinking about what I had planned for dinner.  Although homemade hamburger helper sounded appetizing, I wanted to jazz it up a little.  So I thought of what I could add and subtract from it to make it different from our usual.  I decided to add some taco seasoning, black beans, corn, and diced tomatoes.  Then I subtracted the ketchup and mustard.  I changed up the cheese also.  The end result was a semi-homerun for me.  The Wee One and Imaginative One ate at it but it was not a real winner.  Hubby gobbled his up.  He did not give any suggestions so I think it was a homerun for him.

Here's the orginal post:   homemade hamburger helper. 

Stars of the recipe:

• 1 lb of hamburger or ground turkey
• 1/2 cup of chopped onions
• 1 to 2 cups of pasta, cooked and drained (You can chose what kind of pasta you would like to use.)
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 2 Tbsp. flour
• 2 cup milk
• 1-1/2 cup of cheese (For this I used a combo of Monterrey jack and cheddar.)
• 2 Tbsp. taco seasoning (Or more if you like it spicy!)
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 cup black beans, drained
• 1 14 oz can of diced tomatoes, drained  (You can use chili ready if you want to make it spicier.)
• salt and pepper to taste

Steps:

1. Brown the hamburger meat. When it's almost finished browning, add the onion.  Cook until they are translucent.  Drain and then set aside.  
2. Using the same pot you cooked the pasta in, melt the butter.  After the butter is melted, add the flour.  Cook for a minute or two.
3. Add the milk and then raise the heat. Stir until the butter/flour mixture is incorporated.
4. Let the milk mixture boil.  Take off the heat. 
5. Add the cheese and taco seasoning to the milk mixture.  Stir until the cheese is melted.
6. Add the hamburger, diced tomatoes, black beans, corn and pasta to the cheese sauce.  Stir until the hamburger, diced tomatoes, black beans, corn and pasta is covered in cheese sauce.
7. Enjoy!!

 This is great with crushed up tortilla chips on top.  Other toppings could include sour cream and salsa. 

I think if I had sour cream, this dish would have been a home run!

Happy eating,
Traci

Homemade hamburger helper

I found this recipe on Cooking during Stolen Moments blog. It's one of our favorite go to meals. The recipe utilizes a lot of items you would find in your pantry (dry, fridge, and freezer) which makes it nice. Plus since it's homemade, you know what is exactly in it. You can adjust it to your likes and dislikes.

Stars of the recipe:

• 1 lb of hamburger or ground turkey
• 1/2 cup of chopped onions
• 1 to 2 cups of pasta, cooked and drained (You caSn chose what kind of pasta you would like to use.)
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 2 Tbsp. flour
• 2 cup milk
• 1-1/2 cup of cheese (I usually use cheddar but you can choose what type you want to use.)
• 2 Tbsp. mustard
• 2 Tbsp. ketchup
• salt and pepper to taste

Steps:

1. Brown the hamburger meat. When it's almost finished browning, add the onion.  Cook until they are translucent.  Drain and then set aside.  
2. Using the same pot you cooked the pasta in, melt the butter.  After the butter is melted, add the flour.  Cook for a minute or two.
3. Add the milk and then raise the heat. Stir until the butter/flour mixture is incorporated.
4. Let the milk mixture boil.  Take off the heat. 
5. Add the cheese, ketchup, and mustard to the milk mixture.  Stir until the cheese is melted.
6. Add the hamburger and pasta to the cheese sauce.  Stir until the hamburger and pasta is covered in cheese sauce.
7. Enjoy!!

Monthly Menu ~ April 2011

Week of April 4, 2011

• ethnic night - spaghetti carbonara, crescent rolls, salad


• meat and potatoes - pork chops, Pasta Roni, veggie, rolls/biscuits


• new recipe - easy night - pulled pork sandwiches using leftover bbq ribs, potato chips, raw veggies


• family favorite - homemade hamburger helper, veggies

Week of April 11

• ethnic night -ravoli lasagna, garlic bread, salad


• meat and potatoes - chicken in the crockpot, mashed potatoes, green beans


• new recipe - Pioneer woman's chicken pot pie


• easy night - sloppy joes, roasted potatoes or fried potatoes, raw veggies


• family favorite -sloppy joe pizza, salad

Week of April 18

• ethnic night - chicken quesadillas, Spanish rice
  meat and potatoes - sausage, pasta/rice a roni, veggies


• new recipe - chicken parmesan over pasta, garlic bread, salad


• easy night - breakfast burritos, fruit


• family favorite -ranch chicken legs, buttered noodles, veggie

 

Week of April 25 (I've decided to do something different.  I'm going to follow one of the Eat at Home menu plans.  This is the year 2 week 23 menu.)

• beef and bean topped potatoes, salad


• maple apple chicken in crockpot


• sweet and sour meatballs over rice


• Italian chicken melts with pasta soup


• chicken smothered with summer vegetables