What's Cooking?

In an effort to revive my blog, my writing self and my soul, I'm participating in Menu Planning Monday today. It's a small step to mixing my busy life with blogging.

We've moved into a new house less than a month ago and while we're feeling settled, there's still a lot of unpacking and organizing going on. That means I'm still not writing like I would like.

Go here for more menus.

Monday: Pizza Bagels (The Dad is cooking since I have a meeting)

Tuesday: Leftovers

Wednesday: Perhaps dinner out with visiting family

Thursday: Baked French Toast for breakfast

Thanksgiving, which will include these fine recipes:

Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes

Sweet potatoes -- Toss in cup of butter and a cup of brown sugar and saute on stove top until softened.

Turkey -- My grandmother is bringing this along with the stuffing

And a bunch of other things. Naturally.

Friday -- We're going anti-shopping this year and I plan to make Artisan bread from this book: Artisan Bread in Five Minutes. We'll eat leftovers, of course.

Saturday -- Pizza day! I'll make pesto and goat cheese pizza for me and traditional for the rest.

Have a very Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!







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And, what exactly did you do?

Thank goodness the Terrible Twos are almost over ... because I can tell already that the Thrilling Threes are going to be one big, fat Hair Pulling/Pinching/Spitting/Pushing/Screaming/Chattering Party. Who-hoo!!

And, I wanted to be a mother because ... ??? (It's a joke, folks. Really. Sort of.)

Despite the brilliance of how my almost-3-year-olds treat each other and us, their parents, we did manage to have a very good weekend that included starting to make our Advent calendar, which will hang on the wall on a string, their own holiday place mats and the cutest snowmen I've ever seen!

Not just that, I cleaned. I really cleaned, and that includes de-cluttering and tossing out stuff.

And then I baked. Granola. Pumpkin/Chocolate Chip muffins. Finally, I cooked risotto in the crock pot. I'm very impressed with myself. Perhaps this working-life-mother balance beam isn't so difficult after all.

I like weekends that result in some relaxing -- our second movie night went well but the movie was too old for the girls -- and productivity. In fact, I'm a results kinda girl in just about anything I do. So long as we have art work to display, I am cool with a morning of crying. Same goes for my weekends: I like to get things done. I consider relaxing one of those things.

This week's dinners will be super easy and ready instantly: Total working mom fare.

Sunday -- Risotto and salmon cakes (salmon, mayo, dried mustard, bread crumbs, cheese, egg)
Monday -- Quesadillas (beans and cheese served with salsa and sour cream) and salad, rice
Tuesday -- Burgers + Fries
Wednesday -- Butternut Squash soup, WHO bread and salad (leftovers for the girls)
Thursday -- Thanksgiving dinner -- Sweet potato casserole
Friday -- Homemade pizza (I plan to start making this and freezing)
Saturday -- Spaghetti with meatballs, salad and bread
Sunday -- Tuna casserole

I'm going with each breakfasts this week: muffins and yogurt with homemade granola, cereal and fruit bars and yogurt and eggs and toast. I'm growing quite tired of putting effort into meals for the almost-3-year-olds, frankly, and so as long as they eat a crumb of something, I feel I'm doing my job. Yes, the bar is THAT low.

For more menus, visit Menu Planning Monday. Please share a recipe of yours that's a no-brainer, on the table in under 15 minutes. Come on ... you know we all need new ideas.

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What's for dinner?

There was a time when that question uttered within a half hour of dear sweet Da! arrival home was like nails on the chalkboard. All day, giving, giving, giving. Then, the expectation of more giving pops up like a little snake-eyed weasel.

Not anymore, dear friends. Menu planning rocks. I'm planning for a week at a time right now because that is best. While it does take time, I do enjoy seeking out new recipes to try, especially those that are going to held lower the grocery bills. I still have a long, long way to go. Many of my meals are now trying to combine what J and L will eat. It's not always happening, though. Sorry for the linkless post today. All of it is just out of my head.

Happy eating.

Monday – Easy Chicken Tikka with broccoli
Tuesday – Meatloaf made with chicken with baked potatoes and green beans
Wednesday –Spaghetti and meatballs with peas and carrots and salad with rolls
Thursday – Chicken Stroganoff (crock pot) with mashed potatoes with sugar snap peas
Friday – Quesadillas with refried black beans and cheese and salad
Saturday – Baked beans/hot dogs and salad

Chicken Stroganoff
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (I use frozen ones without bothering to thaw)
1 lb. sour cream (light sour cream works good too)
8 oz. fresh or canned mushrooms
1 can cream of mushroom soup
Put breasts in crockpot (either frozen or fresh), mix up the rest of the ingredients and slobber them on top, making sure chicken is covered. Cook 8 hrs on low. Serve with wide egg noodles.


For those of you seeking out recipes for toddlers, I made risotto on Saturday and that was a decent hit. Janice at 5 Minutes for Mom inspired me.

For more Menu Planning Monday entries go here.

Menu Planning Monday

I'm wondering if I'm the only one who strays from their menu plan sometimes? OK, each week?

More often than not, I will change the meals around to different days, but sometimes, like Saturday, I just wasn't feeling what I had planned. So we grilled burgers instead.

Here's what's up this week in our house. For more great menu ideas, check out Laura the Organizing Junkie's site.


Sunday – Couscous salad with chicken (cook couscous in stock, when done toss with a mixture of 1/4 cup any vinaigrette of your choice, 1/4 cup mango chutney, 1/4 olive oil and add chicken, raisins or dates, green onions, red pepper and any other veggies)
Monday – Thai stir fry served with brown rice (stir fry veggies, add 1 T. fish sauce, then pesto at end)
Tuesday -- Spaghetti with meatballs and salad
Wednesday -- Breaded turkey breast with salad and baked sweet potatoes
Thursday -- Leftovers
Friday -- Ravioli with pesto sauce and mozzarella
Saturday – Not sure yet!

Menu Planning Monday

As an aside this week, I had to laugh when I was putting this week's menu together, The Da! made quite the funny as we sat watching television. I asked him -- he the man that loves sweets -- what he might want as a dessert this week because I want to start incorporating one dessert into the menu each week. He stared blankly, like he didn't understand. So, I began to list items such as cakes, brownies, muffins, pies, etc. I paused, thinking he'd have an idea by this point.

This was his response: "I'm feeling very overwhelmed right now."

He requested the ultimate dessert in our book: Eclair cake. The basic recipe can be found anywhere, but we leave ours in the refridgerator for one day prior to eating -- keeping the indulgence at bay for several hours. If only it didn't make so much!

I'm also incorporating one freezer meal a week. This week, I'm preparing our favorite Polynesian Pork BBQ. I'm a huge fan of ethnic foods and anything that even remotely resembles takeout foods. This is one of those dishes that's easier and tastier than most Chinese take out, yet it's healthier and cheaper. I usually fix it Friday nights with some rice. Anyway, we aren't eating it this week ... just preparing it and freezing it for another week.

What we are having this week:

Sunday: Nana’s BBQ
Monday: Moroccan Chicken (Rachael Ray) Note: I use chicken thighs instead of lamb for this.
Tuesday: Freezer Food Apple Pork (prepared two weeks ago)
Wednesday: Chicken Parmesan, the easy version (baked Perdue chicken, topped with spaghetti sauce and mozzerella and baked in oven until warmed and bubbly. Served with salad and multigrain rolls.
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: Pizza Pancakes

Nana's BBQ

1 Pound hamburger, browned with onions and celery
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup water
2 T vinegar
3 T brown sugar
Paprika and salt, to taste.

Brown meat and veggies, add rest of ingredients and simmer until celery is soft. If you don't use celery, since it's optional, simmer about 15 to 20 minutes. Put on soft whole wheat rolls and serve with gourmet chips and a salad of your choice.

Poor, Laura! I have forgotten more than once to give her credit for hosting Meal Planning Monday. Please check out her menu and many, many others!

Menu Planning Monday

Dear sweet girls,

You amaze me more each day with your funniness and smartness. L, you have been so sick and so miserable. I hope this clears up soon. You are such a fun girl when not feverish, coughing, and tired. Your curiosity is immense, evidenced by how quickly and easily you grab everything you shouldn't.

J, your silliness is really showing through. You are talking more and more and you clearly enjoy getting attention from The Da! and I. You make such funny faces and moves with your skinny body. Just today, for instance, you head banged on the front stoop, to no music, and looked back to make sure we were watching.

I'm not as organized this week for our meals, mainly because my head is still spinning from sickgirl interupting my sleep, my breaks, my sanity breathers, and all that. Plus, waiting until mid-week to go shopping again. Not that we haven't had to go to the store. The Da went twice yesterday. But, that was his fault, not ours.

Like always, we will have a variety of fresh fruit, cereal, scrambled eggs and pancakes or toast for breakfast. Lunch will have to be peanut butter and jelly, grilled cheese or chicken salad. Dinner will be Florentine meatballs or pasta with tuna, until I get to the store. I hope you will bless me with eating well this week.

So, this week, here's what's hot:

Monday: Beef BBQ in slow cooker served on rolls with salad
Tuesday: Turkey florentine meatballs served with pasta
Wednesday: Garden salad topped with Chicken and Ken's rocking Raspberry Walnut Vin
Thursday: Pasta with tuna and peas
Friday: Blackberry Balsamic Chicken (for us) and Chicken Tenders (for you)

Blackberry Balsamic Chicken

• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• Cooking spray
• 1/2 cup chopped red onion
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
• 1/3 cup seedless blackberry preserves
• 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over med. high heat until hot. Add onion and sauté until translucent.
Sprinkle salt, pepper, and thyme over the chicken. Add chicken to skillet and saute 6 min on each side or until done. Remove chicken from skillet and keep warm. Reduce heat to med. low. Add preserves, vinegar, and salt and pepper, stirring constantly until preserves melt. Spoon the sauce over the chicken to serve.

Sweet Juicy Chicken Strips
Original found by: djmastermum


Ingredients
4 chicken breasts
1/2 cup of your choice of jam
1 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup melted butter butter
Instructions
Cut breasts into strips. Heat Jam, and then roll chickenstrips in the jam. Roll chicken caoted in Jam in bread crumbs. Put chicken and butter in a baking dish and cook for 30 mins in a preheated oven at 180 C or 350 F oven until golden. (Makes 5)

Menu Planning Monday

Weekly menu

I went ahead and made a few things to get us through this week over the weekend, like the Thai chicken, which was really good. I only cooked it for 3 hours and the chicken didn't dry out.

I'm glad this menu is mostly slow cooked or already cooked. I'm not going to be home any evening this week ... so many things going on like book club, Mothers of Multiples meeting, teen mom group meeting and, a long overdue hair cut.

So, this menu is perfect for such a week. Recipes are below because most of them were already in my computer. Unfortunately, I didn't write down where I got these from so they may be from other bloggers, or they may be from just somewhere online.

Monday lunch: Easy Thai Chicken (leftovers)
Monday dinner: Toscana Soup (Leftovers)
Tuesday: Hashbrown Casserole
Wednesday: Apple Marinated Pork Chops (freezer meal)
Thursday: Honeymoon Stew (Crockpot meal)
Friday: Chicken Enchiladas

Easy Thai Chicken (crockpot)

Easy Thai Chicken (Recipe Tuesday)
This recipe is very yummy and simple to make. You can make it in your slow cooker and if you buy the Reynolds Liners the clean up is super easy!
Ingredients:
• Chicken Breast 1lb or more
• 3/4 cup Salsa
• 1/4 cup Peanut Butter, creamy
• 2t Lime Juice
• 1tsp Grated Ginger
• 1t Soy Sauce
Directions:
Put chicken in slow cooker. Mix all the ingredients together and pour on top of chicken. Cook on high for 4 hours. Enjoy!
I just used the lime juice in the plastic lime and used pregrated ginger however you could use fresh in both if you wanted to.
This dish is great with white rice so I cooked rice just before I served the chicken. You can use both mild or hot salsa depending on your preference. Also to make it milder for children you can cut down on the ginger and increase the amount of peanut butter you use which will make the sauce creamier.


Toscana Soup

Toscana soup.
3 cups chicken stock or broth
1/2 cup (or more) heavy cream
3 russet potatoes
2-3 cups chopped kale
1 lb spicy Italian sausage - We usually use smoked sausage.
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1. Combine the chicken broth, cream, and cans of soup in a saucepan over medium heat.
2. Slice the unpeeled potato into 1/4 inch slices, then quarter the slices and add them to the soup.
3. Add the kale.
4. Grill or saute’ the sausage. If I’m using smoked sausage or Kielbasa, I slice it before I cook it and then add it to the soup.
5. Add the spices and let the soup simmer for about 2 hours. Stir occasionally.

Hashbrown Casserole

Hashbrown Casserole (like Cracker Barrel's but better!)

2lbs Hashbrowns (you can get this in the freezer section made by Ore Ida)
1lb Shredded Cheddar Cheese (set aside 1/2 cup)
1/2 yellow onion chopped (can omit if you want)
8oz Sour Cream
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 stick unsalted butter
Salt & Pepper to taste

Pre Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix all ingredients together in a LARGE bowl. Grease a large casserole dish with non stick spray. Pour all of the mixture into the dish and press down gently to slightly pack. Take the 1/2 cup of cheese remaining and sprinkle over the top.

Bake on 350 for 1 hour.

Serves up great and taste good for leftovers too!


Apple Marinated Pork chops (Freeze and serve meal so need extra)


6 (6 oz.) Pork Chops
1 C. Apple Juice
1 tsp. Dry Mustard
1 t. Basil
½ C. Soy Sauce
1 tsp. Garlic

Add all of the above ingredients into a one gallon freezer zip lock bag and then seal and freeze. Thaw completely in the refrigerator to prepare. Remove chops from marinade and grill for 4 minutes on each side until center is just pink. Serve with applesauce, salad, and croissants.

Honeymoon Stew with Egg Noodles

Put in crock pot:
One large package stew beef
1/4 cup each brown sugar and soy sauce
1/2 to 1 whole jar salsa (enough to coat the meat)
Stir.
Cook on low all day.
Sometime close to dinner, add some frozen corn. I also have added a can of kidney beans. Serve with rice or egg noodles.

Chicken Enchiladas (Kraft)

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

Recipe Rating:
Prep Time: 15 min
Total Time: 40 min
Makes: 6 servings, 2 enchiladas each

2-1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 can (10-3/4 oz.) condensed cream of chicken soup
1 cup BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Sour Cream, divided
1 pkg. (8 oz.) KRAFT Shredded Colby & Monterey Jack Cheese, divided
1/4 cup chopped cilantro, divided
12 flour tortillas (8 inch)
1-1/2 cups TACO BELL® HOME ORIGINALS® Thick 'N Chunky Salsa

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Mix chicken, soup, 1/2 cup of the sour cream, 1 cup of the cheese and 3 Tbsp. of the cilantro until well blended.
SPOON about 1/4 cup of the chicken mixture down center of each tortilla; roll up. Place, seam sides down, in greased 13x9-inch baking dish. Top with the salsa and remaining cheese.
BAKE 25 min. Sprinkle with remaining 1 Tbsp. cilantro; top with the remaining 1/2 cup sour cream.

Nutrition (per serving)
Calories 720 Total fat 33 g Saturated fat 15 g Cholesterol 120 mg Sodium 1680 mg Carbohydrate 67 g Dietary fiber 5 g Sugars 6 g Protein 38 g Vitamin A 25 %DV Vitamin C 4 %DV Calcium 45 %DV Iron 25 %DV