No Cooking For Me

Hi! Ladies,

For 2 weeks I am banned from cooking in my house. Just a recap, I had a kidney biopsy on December 29. Everything went well and my doctor told my husband that I will be a couch potato for 2 weeks. I don't mind doing nothing for a day, but 2 weeks will be boring for me and it will drive me insane. I have to follow the doctor's instructions so that no bleeding or kidney complications. This week the ladies in our ward will be bringing dinner for our family. The kids are really great taking care of me and doing all the house chores.

Thank you Sally for taking care of my kids on Monday.

HAVE A GREAT NEW YEAR!!!

Anne Marie

Ringing in the New Year...

...With resolutions that include better planning, healthier meals and sticking to a budget. That's see how long they last. Question and you only have to answer if you are willing, "How much do you spend on food each month?" Since Clara was born, I haven't really kept track of our budget, so I really don't know anymore. I'm going to try and keep track of every penny for a couple of months (even have a book in the car to write down things right away, because I never do it at the computer like Phil thinks would be a good idea.) Another question, non food related this time, Has anyone heard of or tried mint.com? It's a spending tracking website, but after having my credit card number stolen from itunes, I'm a little wary of giving out personal info, which they require to keep track of all of your spending. Just curious.
Now here is our week:
M-meatloaf and rice
T-something to use up some leftover turkey--still perusing some recipes
W-celebrating with friends
Th-pork, sauerkraut and mashed potatoes were always a traditional New Year's meal growing up, so I'm going to try that
F-pizza and a salad (see the eating healthy coming in:)
Sat-baked potato bar
Happy New Year to all!

Dinner at the Eames New Year's Week

Okay, I have to admit I haven't written much and much of the actual cooking at our house has been done by Brandon the last 2 months since I am pregnant and more nauseous than with any of the other 3 kids. I am slowly getting out of the sick rut and hopefully this week will prove better. Anyway, this is what I am planning:

Mon: Bean and Beef Enchiladas brought over by a wonderful woman in our ward that heard I was not feeling well. So thoughtful, I almost cried. I think Brandon might have also.
Tues: Crockpot Pork Roast with Valerie's Roasted Vegetables (below).
Wed: Probably Order Pizza. No party planned so we will just take it easy
Thurs: Chicken and Vegetable Cream Soup with Biscuits. The biscuits are questionable depending on whether I feel up to making Gluten-Free & regular biscuits -- then again Karissa might just have bread.
Fri: Leftovers for kids Brandon & I are going out -- hopefully.
Sat:Grilled Cheese with Fruit & Veggies


Valerie's Roasted Veggies
Olive Oil
1 Medium onion,
3-4 Red Potatoes,
2 zucchini (store bought size),
1 Sweet Potato or yam,
1 pkg Onion Soup mix OR sprinkle with season salt, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and any other seasoning you like.

On a large cookie sheet cover bottom with oil. Dice all the veggies so they are a large bite size and put on pan and stir. Season veggies either with the soup mix or just sprinkle the veggies with the seasons listed above. Place in a 425-degree oven for 45 minutes. ENJOY!

Christmas Morning Breakfast

For breakfast...what to have in the morning? Scott's family makes Pull Aparts. They rise all night and you bake them as soon as you get up. Gooey and tasty. But I think I might like to try the pop ups but add apples like apple puff pancakes. Anything else sound tasty. I make some OJ or maybe smoothies.

Dinners this week are by the seat of our pants which means we haven't been eating until 7pm. Which means that bedtime is pushed back. Ug. Anyway we are eating so here's what's up.

M-Cold cereal and toasted bagels.
T-Sweet and sour meatballs with rice and veggies
W-Speghetti with Rosemary bread
Th-Christmas day--our friends are making dinner and I just have to bring the bread and a pie.
F-Something crockpot. Probably Cranberry Chicken
Sa-Salmon Quiche
Su-Lasagna

Merry Christmas!

Rosemary Peasant Bread (from Make and Takes)

1 packet dry yeast (or 2 1/2 tsp)
2 c. warm water
1 T. sugar
2 tsp salt
4 c. flour
1-2 tsp. fresh Rosemary plus more for topping
Olive Oil, Corn meal, Melted butter and salt

Dissolve yeast in the warm water and sugar. (I like to buy yeast in a large package and then store it in a plastic container and keep in the freezer. It lasts forever. OR if you don’t make bread that often, just buy the yeast packets.) Add flour, salt, and 1-2 tsp Rosemary and stir until blended, do not Knead!! Cover and let rise for 1 hour or until double in size. If you have a Bosch Mixer, I keep the dough right in there with the top lid on, it’s nice and moist in there. Or simply keep it in the mixer bowl and cover with a moist cloth to raise.

Side Note: I also like to grow Rosemary. It’s an easy herb to grow and is yummy for lots of recipes. I love having it on hand.

Remove dough. It will be sticky. I like to put shortening or oil on my hands for taking out the dough and shaping it. I think it works better than flour hands. Place it in 2 rounds on a cookie sheet lightly coated in oil and sprinkled with corn meal. OR you can place it on your silicone baking mat with no oil. Cover with a towel or greased plastic wrap. Then let it rise another hour.
Brush each round with melted butter and lightly sprinkle with more Rosemary and salt, I used this great Sea Salt grinder from Costco. Bake @ 425 for 10 minutes, then reduce temp to 375 for 15 minutes more.

Cool slightly, then cut into nice size bits or rip it apart and dip in a bowl of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. This bread can’t be beat! It is soooo delicious and a really easy bread recipe. If you’ve never made bread before, Rosemary Bread is a great one to start with.

UPDATE: Thanks to Shanna for helping those who live in lower elevations make this recipe work. In the South, bakers should add 1 and 1/4 cups extra flour to make it turn out just right.


Apple Puffed Pancake

6 eggs
1 ½ cups milk
1 cup flour
3 Tbls sugar
1 tsp vanilla
½ tsp salt
½ tsp cinnamon
1 cube butter
2 apples peeled & sliced
3 Tbls brown sugar
Preheat oven to 425.

In a blender or large bowl, mix eggs, milk, flour, sugar, vanilla, salt and cinnamon until well blended.

Melt butter in a 9×13” pan in oven, add apple slices to baking dish and return to oven until butter sizzles, do not let it brown.

Remove dish from oven and immediately pour batter over apples. Sprinkle with brown sugar and bake for 20 minutes or until puffed and brown,

Serve immediately.


Monkey Bread or Cinnamon Pull-Aparts

Grease bottom and sides of bundt pan.

½ chopped nuts in the bottom of the pan
Add 20 Rhodes Rolls, still frozen
1-3oz. box of Butterscotch instant pudding, sprinkled over the rolls

Mix together ½ c margarine, ½ c brown sugar with a pinch of cinnamon

Pour over rolls. Place on a baking sheet (it will boil over) and let it rise in warm place until doubled in size (6-7 hours for frozen rolls or 1-2 hours for thawed rolls).

Bake in 350 oven for 25-30 minutes. It can burn quickly so keep an eye on it. You may want to cover the pan with foil.

Remove from oven and let it cool for 5 minutes then flip it out onto a plate and serve warm.

Crancakes

Sally invited me a while ago, and this is my first contribution. This recipe is my creation from a cranberry pie gone wrong. I think they're delicious. Please, please try them, change them, comment. I'd love to know your thoughts and improvements.

Crancakes:
2 cups white flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tps. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
8 cups cranberries
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup orange juice concentrate
2 eggs
1/2 cup melted butter
1 tsp. vanilla

Sauce:
1 cup full fat sour cream (low fat is sour)
1/4 cup OJ concentrate
sugar or light corn syrup (optional)

Combine in large bowl flour, salt, baking soda and powder. In a blender, puree half the cranberries and half the sugar. The sugar will draw out juices from the berries to make a very thick, bright red puree. Add 1/4 cup of the OJ concentrate, eggs, vanilla, and blend till just combined. Dump on flour mixture, do not stir. Blend remaining cranberries and remaining sugar. Add to flour, stirring just till combined. Cook on griddle in batches. Batter will be very thick, so flatten a little in the pan. Because of the super-high fruit content cakes will take longer to cook than regular pancakes. I use two pans, to speed up the whole process. While the cakes are cooking, mix together the sour cream and 1/4 cup OJ concentrate. Taste, add sugar or light corn syrup if you prefer it sweeter. (If you've never had sour cream sweet, try it, you'll love it. You can thank me later.)
Serves 4 hungry adults.

Nutritionary note: Cranberries have more antioxidants per gram than any other common fruit. Even more than wild blueberries. Also, cranberries have a lot of fiber, these crancakes will clean you out!

Infanger's Might Eat This Week!

I am so ready to be done with planning for other people. I am feeding the family this week with what we have in the house. I might go shopping but then maybe not! It was great to see some Nashvillians this past weekend. I sure to do miss y'all!!

M-Beef Veg soup
T-Speghetti
W-Ward Christmas Dinner
R-Scrounge day
F-Pizza (I have yet to make this meal)
Sa-Mac and cheese with veggies
Su-Roast chicken with potatoes and yams and cauliflower

Ditto here on dinner

I must agree with Sally but make dinner we must. This is what I have planned for the week:

M - Fried Rice & Chicken with Sweet & Sour sauce on side
T - Pork Roast with potatoes and carrots
W - Soup of some variety. I might try Sally's Potato Leek soup I meant to try a few weeks ago and didn't
Th - Tacos
F - Ward Christmas Party
S - Leftovers

Good luck with Christmas Prep!

What I don't want to do...

...Is think about what to make for dinner or do the big pile of dishes by my sink right now. What I do want to do is hide myself away somewhere and finish all of my Christmas projects I have lined up. That being said, here's dinner for this week:
M-pasta bake
T-egg/chicken/onion Japanese dish I make with rice
W-veggie soup with biscuits
Th-fajitas
F-mac and cheese for the kids, we're going out to the Med Center Christmas party to get the good food before too many people show up to get drunk, then we are going Christmas shopping
Sat--pizza to celebrate Ethan's birthday (we only do parties 4/8/12/16 --so this year Ethan wanted to take a friend bowling instead of having a party, so we had to do it on a Saturday which means we'll probably be having pizza again on the 16th)

Blah. Monday's are yucky. Nagel's menu Dec. 1 - Dec. 7

1. Spaghetti, salad, bread
2. Burritos
3. Basil Lemon Chicken Soup (Haven't gotten around to making this yet. I'll still post the recipe if it's any good.)
4. Pop Up Pancakes (Haven't made this one yet either)
5. Baked Potatoes (Haven't made this one yet either)

I'm so glad to be at the end of this day...

December is here and it's cold!

So with winter appropriate coldness (snow and wind and rain) meals this week need to be warm. I guess I should stop buying salad items as they are usually heading to the worms these days! Not cooking a turkey for ourselves last week has thrown off my meals this week.

S-Sweet and Sour Meatballs
M-Pierogies
T-Eat Out (I think)
W-Chicken Pesto Pasta
R-Tortilla Pie (if I feel ambitious, otherwise, pancakes)
F-out of town
Sa-out of town maybe, if not, Beef Veg Soup with Rolls

See y'all soon.

It's December, I can't believe it.

Menu for Embody Families week of 12/1:

M- Taco's (We already had dinner, it was yummy).
T-Chili
W-Pasta with rolls
Th-Enchiladas
F-Left overs
S-Pizza
S-Pancakes

Happy December!!!

Crockpotting This Week

We finally saw snow falling from the sky!! Kids are wishing it will be more on the ground. This week, I am going to use my crockpot except Wednesday and Saturday.

M - Cranberry Chicken

T- Korean BBQ Beef (serve with Romaine Lettuce)

W - Eating Out (Emilie's 5th Birthday)

Th - BBQ Chicken Salsa ( serve with tortilla/corn tortilla, with all the fixings)

Fri. - Lentil Soup (serve with homemade rolls)

Sat. - Raid the Fridge

Sun. - Chicken Tortellini Soup

Tis' The Season

Here is my menu for this week:
M-some take out, probably some Calypso Cafe salads--I love them!, because we are decorating the house tonight
T-tacos
W-spaghetti
Th-chicken nuggets and home fries
F-soup from a can and grilled cheese--we had to move our gingerbread house making/St Niklaus Tag celebration to this night because of the ward Christmas party the next night. We were torn between keeping a tradition of always doing it on the 6th and guilt of supporting the ward...you can see which one won. I'll have a big platter of veggies and dip to counter balance the candy.
Sat-Ward Christmas party, I need to take a salad and plan on taking this cranberry salad
Sun--something in the crock pot, just haven't decided yet.

Gingerbread Recipe
1c sugar
1c molasses
3/4 c oil
1/2 c hot water
2 eggs
1 Tbsp bkg soda
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 heaping tsp ginger
6 or 7 c flour
Combine the sugar, oil, molasses and water (if you use the same measuring cup and do the oil first, then the molasses, it slides out better).
Add the eggs, slightly beaten.
Mix together the dry ingredients and then add.
Refrigerate for at least an hour.
Bake @ 350 for 10 minutes for cookie size, longer for house pieces.

Cranberry Cream Salad
1 pkg cherry jello
1 lb can whole cranberry sauce
1/4 c pecans or walnuts, chopped
1 c hot water
1/2 c diced celery
1 c dairy sour cream

Dissolve gelatin in hot water and chill until thickened, but not firm. Break cranberry sauce into small pieces with fork. Add to gelatin with celery and nuts. Fold in sour cream and chill till firm.

Eames Family Menu Dec 1-6

So Brandon is out of town for most of the week so we are celebrating by eating dinners the kids like and don't require too much work.

M - Shepherd's Pie (A VERY LARGE batch so we have leftovers), Recipe below
T - Hotdogs & Baked Potatoes with veggies
W - Leftovers for kids, I have a RS dinner to attend.
Th - Eat out (we always do this at least once when Brandon is out of town)
F - Mini Pizzas, our local Grocery store has personal pizza crusts you can buy in both Gluten-free and regular.
S - Leftovers

Anyway, hope you have a good week

SHEPHERD'S PIE
6-7 med potatoes
1 lb hamburger
1 small onion
1 can mushrooms, drained
1 can green beans, drained
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup or GF recipe at bottom*

1. Preheat oven to 350-degrees
2. Dice Potatoes and cook in a minimum amount of water until tender. Mash.
3. Brown Hamburger with onion in an oven-proof skillet, if possible. Add mushrooms and green beans and mix well. Add Mushroom Soup* and mix well. Cook for a couple of minutes. If you don't have an oven-proof skillet pour into an oven-proof baking dish. Top with Mashed Potatoes leaving a hole in the center to allow the steam to escape.
4. Bake for 30 minutes.

GLUTEN-FREE CREAM OF MUSHROOM SOUP
1 can Mushrooms
1 1/2 tbsp Butter
2 Tbsp Onion, minced
1 1/2 C Milk, divided
1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 Beef Bouillon Cube
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Pepper
1 1/2 Tbsp Cornstarch

1. Drain mushroom, reserving juice in a 2-cup measuring cup. Finely chop mushrooms.
2. Melt butter in a small saucepan. Add onion and chopped mushrooms and saute until onion is tender.
3. Add milk to mushroom juice until you get 1 1/2 c of liquid. Pour all but 1/4 cup into saucepan. Add Worcestershire Sauce, Bouillon Cube, Salt and Pepper. Bring to a boil.
4. Mix Cornstarch with remaining milk and add to sauce. Stir until thickened. Boil for 1 more minute.

Enjoy!

Eames Thanksgiving Week dinners

I have been sick lately and dinner has just been what we had on hand. Anyway, this is this weeks dinner:

M -- Ate out
T -- Chicken salad (and hot dogs for the little ones)
W -- Soup & sandwiches
Th -- Thanksgiving Dinner, we are having Brandon's family over
F -- Leftovers
S -- leftovers

Dinner? Who had time to make dinner? (Nagel's menu)

So I've discovered that my week runs infinitely smoother if I have a menu. I've also discovered (again) that I rarely follow the menu's order. So I'm just going to list a bunch of things that I'm planning to make. It was stressing me out too much to also assign the menu to specific days. Geez. I guess it doesn't take much to stress me out.

1. Pot Stickers, rice, and stir-fried vegetables.
2. Pop-up pancakes and fruit. I checked out Sally's link and it looks fun.
3. Basil Lemon Chicken Soup. I'll give the recipe in a post later on.
4. Baked potatoes with chili and cheese and vegetable
5. Spaghetti (Hm. I guess that means I have to make bread)
6. Burritos, rice and beans

I'm determined to finish all my sewing by the 6th so I might trash this whole week and feed my kids cold cereal. They'd probably love it.

Turkey stuffer

Just thought I'd share my favorite turkey stuffer that's really easy and makes really yummy turkey. I got the idea from Martha(I was going to try and find the link, but didn't have time) a couple of years ago and use it for any poultry that I roast. Just rinse out the inside of the bird, sprinkle it with salt and pepper and than stuff it with halved lemons and oranges. Sometimes I'll put the leafy celery stalks that no one will eat or an quartered onion in it, but it's the fruit that makes really juicy meat. It's easy and if you get the fruit on sale, cheap.

Embody Menu for the Week of 11/17-11/23

So this is my first post, I know it is late but here is this weeks Menu.

From the Menu at Meg's Cafe:

M-Taco
T-Cranberry Chicken (Got the recipe from the Green Hills Cook book, after having it at the Davies. It was so good).
W-Cheese and Broccoli Soup (I have been meaning to make this for a few weeks and I AM going to make it tonight HA).
T-Tuna Noodle Casserole (this sounds weird, but is really yummy)
F-Free (I have a free night each week, this gives me a chance to rest and if ME wants to make something she can. Tonight Tim is going on his first camp out since being called in the YM so the girls and I are going out on the town).
S-Pizza
S-Pancakes (this is an Embody Sunday Tradition).

Have a great rest of the week, and next week I'll post earlier.

Easy Week for The Davies'

My hubby is going to be out of town this week, so we are going to party....just kidding. It just means that my menu for this week will be simple.

M- Raid the Fridge(Leftovers from the International Dinner Party)
T - Calderetta
W - Pork Chops
Th - Adobo Chicken (Feeding the Sister Missionaries)
F - Spam with Pineapple serve with Mac and Cheese (Girls Night....no JonJon and Sean)
S - Ordering Pizza
Su - Roast in a Crockpot with potatoes and carrots

I will be out of town for Thanksgiving week....so the menu will be:

Turkey and all the fixin's

HAVE A WONDERFUL TURKEY WEEK!!!

Last week till Thanksgiving

Time is flying and going much too fast. Here's my week:
M--a mock stroganaf over noodles (browned burger, cream of mushroom soup, a scoop of sour cream a little milk and seasoning)
T--spaghetti
W--chili and biscuits
Th--German pancakes (I found a way to make mini ones that I want to try-just didn't want to do it in the morning, because I am not a morning person) and probably a fruit salad--I'll probably try Natalie's from a couple of links ago
F--ward service project and dinner
Sat--lentil soup and homemade bread
Sun--baked potatoes done in crock pot with the works

Hooray for cold weather Meals for Nov 16th-22nd

So I've noticed that you all do M-Su but I like to start on Sunday.

Yesterday turned out to be a great batch cooking day because Spencer slept for 5hrs staight. Wish he would do it at night. Made a huge batch of Speghetti sauce (or meat sauce since I use it for lasagna too.) I made two lasagnas with a layer of thinly sliced zuchini. We'll see how that cooks up because I also left the noodles uncooked. I love pullling food out of the freezer to make dinner at least once a week. I have a hard time with lasagna because there is always to much meat and cheese. I know that sounds strange but I always want more vegetables in it (enter spinach and zuchini.) So I've been working on a recipe that does. I'll type it up at some point if anyone else wants it.

Su-Salmon Quiche with roasted potatoes and yams and pocket pies with ice cream (freezer meal)
M-Spaghetti with homemade rolls
T-Homemade pizza
W-Quesidillas (maybe with chicken and broccoli--thanks Natalie)
R-Scallop potatoes with ham and veggies (freezer meal)
F-Talipia with Rice and veggies
Sa-undecided. Something simple probably pull out some chicken soup (freezer)

Spaghetti Sauce

16 Cups Ingredients 60+ cups

1/2 # Ground beef 2 #
1 T Italian seasoning ¼ cup
1 tsp Marjoram 1 T
1 T Basil 3 T
1 T Oregano 3 T
½ tsp Garlic Powder 2 tsp
1 T Sugar scant ¼ cup
2 tsp Salt 1 T
1 c Cooked Lentils or split peas* 2 c
1 # Carrots, finely diced 2 #
½ head Celery, finely diced 1 head
2 medium Onions, finely diced 4 medium
½ # Butternut squash, ¼” cubes 1#
1 T Olive Oil ¼ c
3 cloves Garlic, minced 6 cloves
8 oz Mushrooms, sliced 16-24 oz
1 bunch Parsley, finely chopped 2 bunches
48 oz Diced or crushed Tomatoes 2-#10 can
48 oz Spaghetti Sauce #10 can
Adjust salt and pepper to taste


Gather all ingredients together and tools (knife, cutting board, bowls, two large pots, can opener, measuring cups/spoons, etc.)

Prep vegetables, measure spices and heat pan (or large pot) to sauté the vegetables. Heat olive oil in pan and add carrots and squash, sauté 5 minutes. Add the celery and onions, sauté until almost clear but still crispy. Add mushrooms and garlic. Turn off the heat and let it sit while you finish browning the meat.

While you are sautéing the vegetables start the meat browning with the spices and sugar. When the meat is almost done add the vegetables and stir to combine thoroughly. Let them sit and blend together for a few minutes (while you clean up.)

Add the sauce and tomatoes rinsing out the cans with about 1 cup of water each. Finally add the parsley and the lentils. Let it simmer for about 30 minutes to finish blending all the flavors. Stir occasionally so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.

Serve over your favorite pasta or spaghetti squash or ladle into freezer bags and use another day. We use about 4-5 ladles per quart bag to feed our family one meal. The larger batch makes about 16 such servings. For the big batch I have a huge kettle that holds it all with about 3 inches to spare. Lots of sauce!!

* To cook the lentils/ split peas: 1c uncooked = about 2-2 ½ c cooked to 3 cups water (or vegetable broth). Bring to a boil and then cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes (50-60 minutes for split peas). This is a great way to add protein and extra nutrients to the sauce. Puree them if you are hiding them from the kids!

More notes: I like to puree half of the tomatoes and leave half diced for more texture. I divide this into 3 cup batches and freeze for future meals. I like the Zip-lock containers instead of bags because I can use them again and they don’t get ripped.

November 10th-15th

The week is half over! Oh, well here it goes. I am making this up as I type by what is in the fridge right now.

M-Mac and cheese with steamed veggies
T-Pork chops with mashed sweet potatoes and russets and steamed acorn squash.
W-Chili with cornbread and salad
R-Beef stir-fry with lots of carrots and zuchini
F-Homemade Pizza
Sa-Going out so the kids will have something! Probably Beef Vegetable soup with rolls
Su-Something out of the freezer. I'll have to check it out tomorrow.

Happy Eating

Here it is for 11/10-11/16

Yikes! Where is the time going? It's half way through Nov already.
Here we are for this week:
M-chicken nuggets and home fries (cube chicken, soak in melted butter and worstershershire/soy sauce mixture, coat in a cracker crumb Parmesan cheese mixture and bake in oven for about 15-20 minutes-depending on size at 400--my kids love this recipe)
T-hamburger soup
W-omelette's and fruit
Th-black bean salad
F-tacos
Sat-Phil and I might go out so raman for the kids
Sun-for the past two Sundays we've been asked last minute to some one's house, so roasted chicken this Sun

Eames' Meals Nov 10-15

This week is pretty simple. I am starting to get in the swing of Christmas so I am planning to make great use out of my crockpot -- THANK YOU CROCKPOT LADY!!!

M - Pasta with Salad & Bread (GF Foccacia & Crusty bread dipped in olive oil & herbs)
T - Crockpot Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole from Crockpot365 with Kathryn's Fruit Salad (recipe below)
W - Soup, probably tomato based, I will have to see what kind of mood I am in. Andrew will to help choose. Right now he want quesadillas and so I have a couple of days to get him to choose something else. If we have quesadillas each week I might go crazy.
Th - Scalloped Potatoes & some meat. I planned to do this last week and ran out of time so we had baked potatoes instead. Karissa still wants scalloped though so hopefully, I will get them done this time. I am probably going to check and see if the crockpot lady has scalloped potatoes. :)
F - Might be going out of town, if not, Tacos
S - Leftovers

This is a recipe my sister got from a roommate in college.

KATHRYN'S FRUIT SALAD
1 can each: pineapple, mandarin oranges & fruit cocktail
1 red (to give it color) apple, chopped into bite-size pieces
1 banana, slice
2 heaping Tbsp cornstarch
1/2 C water
1/2 C sugar
2 tsp lemon juice
whipped cream (opt)

1. Cut up and drain fruit but SAVE THE PINEAPPLE JUICE.
2. Cook water, cornstarch, and pineapple juice together until thick. Add sugar and lemon juice. Pour mixture over fruit (yes, while hot). Cool in fridge. Top with whipped cream, if desired.

Spin-erry Smoothies

So here's a recipe you can make with all that home-made yogurt. I make this almost everyday for my lunch (I'm not kidding).

In a blender:
1 cup yogurt (I use Dannon's vanilla but I can't wait to try it with homemade)
1/2 cup juice (I use orange because that's what I have)
2 big handfuls of spinach (Just buy the big bags of it at Costco)

Blend til all the spinach is demolished (about 1 minute)
Add 1 cup of frozen berries (Also from Costco. I've used mixed berries, blue berries and even peaches) and blend for another minute.

I know it sounds weird but the frozen fruit completely masks the taste and most of the color of the spinach. (Peaches don't do much for color transformation but it still tastes good.) The smoothies turn purple... kind of. It's a great way to get the leafy greens into unsuspecting children. Actually my kids know exactly what goes into it and it doesn't bother them at all, they're the ones who helped me with the name "Spin-erry".

Dinner on a Budget (but seriously this time) Nagel Nov 10 - 16

I'm so tired of going over on my food budget. I'm determined to stick to it this month. So I'm having to think of things to cook that 1. are cheap and 2. are already in my pantry/fridge. It will be interesting to see what kinds of things are on my menu the last week of the month. Beans... rice... cold cereal...

M - Leftovers
T - Chicken Enchiladas Suizas
W - Baked Tortellini Soup (I never made this one last week because I couldn't bring myself to spend $6.50 (does this seem like a lot to anyone else?) on a pouch of tortellini. Now I realize that $6.50 is actually a good price for tortellini and since I've already purchased everything else I need I might as well bite the bullet and do it. This better taste really good.)
Th - Leftovers
F - Spaghetti
S - Pizza
S - Chicken Noodle Soup

International Week Dinners at the Davies for Nov. 10 -16

As some of you know that my husband decided to start a Gluten-Free Diet. Which I am not in favor with. This will not actually affect some of my meal planning because I am not taking out bread, noodles and other stuff in my menu unless I really have to do it for health reason. I am already in a strick diet not to have any food that is high in Potassium, so I don't really want to take out my favorite food such as bread and pasta. So everytime I fixed a meal, I just make sure he doesn't get bread or pasta. I serve him mostly rice or salad. I now getting in a habit on checking some of the ingredients for him. Thank goodness there is Rice Stick to make my Pancit. With the Fajita, I just serve them to him with Corn Tortilla.

M - Pancit (Filipino dish)

T- Homemade Beef Bulgogi serve in Romaine Lettuce(Korean dish)

W - Fajitas (close enough to Mexican dish)

Th - Pizza Perfect (JoAnna's Soccer Team Party)

F - Spaghetti serve with salad and breadsticks (Italy dish or it can be American dish)

S - Fix Your Own Dinner (American dish)

Su - International Dinner Party (Philippines, China, Japan and Brazil)

Infanger's Join the Menu Game

Sorry it's taken us (me) so long to start participating. I like to blame it on the fact that Spencer arrived early and just after Sally started this. So I am finally starting to cook again, though I'd rather be Christmas crafting! I guess I should start using my crockpot more.

I should start with my food planning and eating. I have a four-month calendar in the front of my most-used recipe binder. I try to plan the whole month but lately it's just been one or two weeks at a time. The binder idea started out to just have the recipes that I'm using that month or week but now it's my catch all for most used and the new ones I want to try. Scott would like us to just use the same menu on a three month rotation but that hasn't worked yet either. I like Sara's idea of having set night. We did that more when we had Wednesday night callings.

I made chicken pot pie tonight with leftover chicken noodle soup. It turned out quite well, though in an effort to brown the top crust a little more I turned on the broiler. Then got sidetracked setting the table. It got a little crispy! Oops.

I agree that soup season is the best. I'm sure we'll be eating soup once a week. I try to find soups that can be frozen for later meals. I'd love some more ideas for good freezer soups.

M-Baked potatoes with the works, cauliflower, broccoli, carrots and sweet potatoes (mashed with brown sugar and butter:)
T-Speghetti (I make homemade once every 3 months and freeze it)
W-Chicken Pot Pie (made with leftover chicken noodle soup)
R-Cheese Ravioli with alfredo sauce, Lemon pepper salmon and peas
F-French Toast with fruit, yogurt, eggs and bacon
Sa-undecided
Su-undecided--probably grilled cheese and homemade hashbrowns and green salad

It Worked!

Just had to let you know that the yogurt totally worked!!!! I'm sitting here eating a bowl of homemade yogurt, with a little vanilla, a spoonful of sugar and some banana cut up into it and it is yummy. I must warn you that you have to like the taste of plain yogurt a little and not mind that it is not as thick as the store bought stuff. My mom used to make homemade yogurt a lot and I could eat a whole pint in one sitting if she would let me. I also like the yogurt they have in Europe, which is more like this homemade stuff. I'm thinking it would taste good over a bowlful of sweet granola or oats and honey...

Nagel Nov 3 - 9

M - Waffles
T - Chicken Quesadillas
W - Kung Pao Chicken
Th - Clam Chowder
F - Leftovers
S - Baked Tortellini Soup (from Colorado Collage, one of my favorite books, recipe below)
S - All-Day Meatloaf (I've had this floating on my calendar for over a month now and have never managed to make it.)

fyi: The sausage and sauerkraut stew was not so great. Matt liked it okay but I never want to make it again.

Baked Tortellini Soup
1 1/2 lbs Italian sausage links
1 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cups beef broth
2 cups water
1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 1/2 cups peeled and thinly sliced carrots
1 16-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
1 15-ounce can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 6-ounce can pitted, sliced ripe olives, drained or oil-cured olives
2 cups diced zucchini
16 ounces tri-color cheese tortellini, cooked al dente and drained
Garnish: freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In roasting pan, combine sausage, onion, garlic, and pepper. Add olive oil and toss to coat. Roast, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 20-30 minutes, until sausage is browned. Remove from oven. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees.
Drain grease from sausage and cut into 1/4-inch slices. Return to roasting pan. Add beef broth, water, Italian seasoning, and carrots. Cover and return to oven. Bake 30 minutes, until sausage is tender. Remove from oven. Stir in tomatoes with juice, beans, olives, and zucchini. Bake 15-20 minutes. Add tortellini and bake 5 minutes longer. Ladle into warmed bowls and garnish with Parmesan.

Nov 3-9

Here is our week:
M--enchilladas
T--I think I'm going to try the black bean dish that everyone has said is so good
W--soup from a can and grilled cheese
Th--squash soup--to my kids dismay, but I have some butternut squash that I want to cook up and that way I'll have some -squash that is, not soup-to start feeding Clara real food. She's growing up way too fast.
F--left overs
Sat--might try to do the campfire thing again so hot dogs, smores and banana boats
Sun--roast chicken
Something I'm going to try this week is homemade yogurt in the crock pot. Found the recipe from the website that Natalie has referenced, 365 days of crock pot recipes. I'll let you know how it goes. I already got the lecture from my microbiologist husband about how this could go really wrong. I assured him you start with store bought yogurt to get the right kind of bacteria growing. He's still not sold. We'll see if he eats any.

Eames Family Menu Nov 3-8

I can't believe it is November! A while back I use to let Karissa and Andrew choose what we had for dinner once a week each and it made for 2 less days I had to be creative. I quit after a while because I got lazy with planning ahead. However, I have decided to start up so Andrew has Wednesday and Karissa has Thursday. I plan to have them help cook it as well. Anyway, here is what we are having for dinner this week.

M - Potato Soup.
T - Pizza -- I want to watch the election and I know I won't want to cook. I will probably make Karissa's on some Gluten-Free Pizza Crusts I got at a local grocery store and order pizza for the rest of us .
W - Quesadillas. We have these a lot for lunch but Andrew wants them for dinner. Our favorite fillings are listed below.
Th - Scalloped Potatoes & Meatloaf. The link is to my recipe for scalloped potatoes, I developed it when Karissa couldn't have dairy and liked it so much it is the way I make Scalloped Potatoes. Maybe I will try the milk version, I will have to wait and see.
F - Chili, Salad and Bread
S - Pasta

QUESADILLA FILLINGS
*Some of our favorite fillings to add to the cheese are:
Pepperoni
Pizza (pepperoni and any other pizza toppings)
Broccoli
Mixed veggies
Tomato & basil (fresh is best but canned & dried are good too)
Diced Chicken & basil
Black beans & salsa (sometimes we add corn)

These are our most common, but basically whatever is in the fridge has been made into quesadillas.

Eames' Meals Oct 27-Nov 1

So I am a little late, but these are our meals for the week.

M - We ate out
T - I made Heather Rolapp's Black Bean Salsa and then made Mexi-Ranch Chicken Patties with the recipe below.
W - Enchiladas or Tacos if I don't get the enchiladas made. :)
Th - Sloppy Joes on bread -- Now I just have to make bread. :)
F - Crockpot Pizza Soup once again from one of my favorite blogs -- A Year of Crockpotting
Sat - Chef's Salad with Chicken or ham, boiled eggs, veggies, corn, and anything else that sounds good that night.

MEXI-RANCH CHICKEN PATTIES
1 lb ground chicken
1/4 C shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped onion or 1/2 tsp onion powder
2 cloves garlic or 1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 -2 Tbsp oil
Ranch Dressing to taste.

Combine all ingredients but the oil and ranch dressing. Heat oil in a skillet and shape chicken mixture into patties and place in pan. Cook patties thoroughly. Brush Ranch dressing on one side of patty and serve.

Scripture Cookies

Okay, so these are not as delishioso as Sally's gingerbread men, but I love the idea for FHE!!

Beat together:

3/4 c. Psalms 55:21 (butter)

1/3 c. II Nephi 26:25 (milk)

1 1/2 c. Jeremiah 6:20 (sugar)

2 Isaiah 10:14 (eggs)

Put these ingredients in a bowl, then add to wet mixture:

2 c. I Kings 4:22 (flour)

1 tsp. Solomon's Song 4:14 (cinnamon)

1 tsp. D&C 101:39 (salt)

1/2 tsp. I Corinthian's 4:6 (soda)

3 c. D&C 89:17 (oatmeal)

1 c. I Samual 30:12 (raisins)

Drop spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 10 min. But not before reading History of Joseph Smith 1:37 (don't burn) and D&C 133:11 (watch).

Nagel dinner time Oct 27 - Nov 2

M - leftovers
T - Sausage and Sauerkraut Stew (Never tried this one before - hope it works. Recipe below)
W - Chicken Enchiladas Suiza
Th - leftovers
F - I'm looking for a cool Halloween dinner idea. I'll let you know if I find anything worth sharing. OR if you have an idea let me know.
S - Potato Bacon Soup
S - Grandma's House

The Cuban Black Beans were really good. I cooked my beans in a pressure cooker first and then added everything else and cooked it an hour longer. Beans take FOREVER to cook up at this elevation unless you use a pressure cooker.

Sausage and Sauerkraut Stew:
4 1/2 cups water
4 medium red potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 pound smoked sausage, sliced 1/4-inch thick
16 oz purchased sauerkraut
1 medium onion, peeled and diced
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill weed
1/4 teaspoon caraway seeds
1 cup sour cream

In stockpot, combine water, potatoes, and salt. Heat to boiling. Cook until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Add sausage, sauerkraut with juice, onion, garlic, dill, and caraway. Simmer until onion is soft, about 10 minutes. Just before serving, remove 1 cup soup to small bowl. Stir in sour cream and return to soup. Heat thoroughly. Do not boil. Serve immediately.

New week, new month 10/27-11/2

Yikes! It's almost November! This week, new soups.
M--split pea soup and homemade rolls
T--missionaries coming for dinner, so roast chicken, potatoes, salad and rolls probably apple crisp for dessert
W--chili
Th--something with the leftover chicken, maybe a lentil soup
F--Halloween party so Sonic on the way
Sat--homemade pizza

Eames Easy Week dinners

I just got back in town from Nashville -- so wonderful to see those who were there! Anyway, I have to leave on Friday to go do applesauce at my mom's so I only have 2 days for dinner but here they are anyway.

W - Zucchini Marinara & Broiled Parmesan Tomatoes
Th - Crockpot Chicken & Brown Rice Casserole. It is from one of my favorite websites A Year of Crockpotting. She has used her crockpot everyday this year and gives the recipes and a verdict on how well it turned out.

Budge Meals For Week of 10/20

M-Had leftovers from the Slow Cooker Cuban Black Beans and Rice recipe that was posted earlier....our family loved it! We actually ate it on tortillas and then tonight on tortilla chips, with sour cream, guacamole, lettuce, and cheese. Very tasty and cheap and healthy!
T-fajitas...I'm actually just doing vegetarian ones with red and green bell peppers, onions, and a fajita seasoning packet served on warm tortillas
W-Creamed tuna on rice...make a white sauce, add 2 cans tuna, serve on hot rice with steamed peas
Th-hot dogs and some kind of healthy side
F-spaghetti with salad and French bread
Sa-breakfast for dinner...probably whole wheat pancakes and scrambled eggs
Su-Scrounge day!

Budge Week 10/20-10/26

I can't believe it is the end of October already!!! Crazy! Low key week and the end of the month, so nothing too exciting.
M--had spinach/bacon quiche
T--chicken pot pie
W--chicken noodle soup
Th--ward party
F--my mom's in town so we might go out
Sat--my mom's bringing canned goods and venison (yes, I eat deer-actually was raised on those two things-what we grew and what we slew, how do you like that for a rhyme?)my brothers are emptying out their freezers to make room for this years meat so we are the beneficiaries. my one brother is a butcher so the meat is already processed into lots of different things like sausage, burger, steaks, etc. seeing as I have my dad, 2 brothers and 3 nephews who all get a couple each season, we should be well supplied. anyway, we'll see what she brings and come up with something yummy. the kids are hoping for the sausages that we can do on the grill.

Nagel Oct 20 - 26

M - Chicken Noodle Soup (I'm going to throw in some alphabet pasta. Ever since the new PBS show Owen has been begging for Alphabet soup.)
T - Tacos
W - Ward Party
Th - Going Out
F - Pizza
S - Baked Zete
S - Cuban Black Beans and Rice. (Christi and Jen, I know you planned on making this recently, how did it go? Did your kids like it?)

Have a good week.

p.s. My "dinner in a pumpkin" turned out ok. It definitely scored higher in the "fun" category than it did in the "delicious" category. It would make for a really fun Halloween dinner. You (or your kids) can draw faces on the pumpkin with sharpie makers before cooking it. And if you cook it long enough it gets all slumpy which I think adds to the whimsy-ness of it all.

Chicken Pot Pie

With Karissa's Celiacs, Chicken Pot Pie is not a meal we eat a lot, much to my great sadness, it is a favorite. But when we do make it we put biscuits on top since I am not very good at Gluten-free pie crusts yet and haven't ventured past bottom crust pies to ones with top crusts. That said this is the recipe I have used in the past and really liked it. It is from The Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook, a personal favorite. I don't know if you were doing a Double-Crust or not. If just doing at top crust the filling will work just as well and just top with 1/2 the recipe of pie crust or biscuits and cook for 15 minutes. I have to admit seeing this recipe again has me trying to figure out how to adapt it to be gluten-free. The soup in it is my main obstacle and I havn't found a good condensed soup sub, just a regular soup sub. That might be my challenge for next week.

DOUBLE-CRUST CHICKEN POT PIE
Pot Pie Pastry (recipe below)
6 skinned, boned chicken breast halves, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
2 Tbsp butter or margarine, melted
1 stalk celery, chopped
1-1/2 C frozen peas & carrots, thawed &
drained or fresh equivalent
1 C sliced fresh mushrooms
1 C peeled, chopped potato
1-1/4 C chicken broth
1/2 tsp dried parsley
1/4 tsp pepper
1 bay leaf
2 Tbsp cornstarch
2 Tbsp water
1 can cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1 C shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 C sour cream
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
1 Tbsp milk

1. Make Pot Pie Crust and chill
2. Cook chicken an donion in butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until chicken is browned and onion is tender. Stir in celery and next 8 ingredients. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Discard bay leaf.
3. Combine cornstarch and 2 Tbsp water, stirring until smooth; add to chicken mixtrue. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in soup cheese, and sour cream.
4. Roll half of Pot Pie pastry to 1/8-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface; fit pastruu into an ungreased 2-qt casserole dish. Spoon chicken mixture into casserole. Roll remaining pastry to 1/8-inch thickness, and place over chicken mixture; trim, seal, & crimp edges. Cut slits in pastry. Combine egg yolk & milk; brush over pastry.
5. Bake at 400-degrees for 35 minutes or until golden, shielding pastry with aluminum foil during the last 5 minutes to prevent excessive browning, if necessary.

POT PIE PASTRY
3 C all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 C shortening
6-8 Tbsp cold water

1. Combine flour and salt. Cut in Shortening with pastry blender until mixtrue is crumbly. Sprinkle cold water 1 Tbsp at a time, evenly over surgace; stir with a fork until dry ingredients are moistened. Shape into a ball; chill. I realize you probably don't need directions but here they are anyway. :)

Here is some tips for pot-pies I found in my The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook
1. If using pie dough topping, be sure to make it first and allow the dough to chill while making the filling
2. If making a biscuit topping, mix and shape the biscuits after making the filling and just before baking the casserole.
3. The filling must be hot when you top it or the pastry or biscuits will be gummy.
4. For individual pot pies, instead of pouring the filling into a casserole, use heat proof bowls or ramekins and top each with a single portion of pie dough or biscuits.

Chicken Pot Pie and Dinner in a Pumpkin

Hey Natalie, I saw that you're making Chicken Pot Pie this week. Since mine completely did not work I was hoping to try your recipe. Can you post it?

Also, does anyone have a Dinner in a Pumpkin recipe? I was just going to search Epicurious.com but if one of you all have a proven recipe, I'd rather do that.

Muchas Gracias,

sj

Nagel Oct 14 - 19

Last week I had to suddenly leave town for a funeral so my menu got all sorts of out of whack. So, like Sally, I've listed some of the same menu items a few weeks in a row. I think I'm finally going to get around to that All Day Hamburger thing. Also, I'm so happy to already be using menu items and recipes posted by you all. It really has helped my menu planning.

M - I made Chicken Pot Pie. Didn't work.
T - Going Out
W - Christy's Mac and Cheese
Th - Sally's Potato Leek Soup
F - Dinner in a Pumpkin
S - Pigs in a Blanket
S - All Day Meatloaf and Veggies.

Here's mine (a little late)

The kids had a 4 day weekend, with parent teacher conferences yesterday, so my schedule got out of whack. Time to get back into gear and get the house in order. So here it is:
M-was holes in one (hole cut out of buttered bread and crack an egg in it; cook on griddle) and chopped fruit
T-chili (you probably think I have this a lot, but I haven't gotten around to making it any of the times I've posted it)
W- I'm going to try Christi's mac and cheese ( I like that it doesn't have cream cheese in it like so many homemade recipes do)
Th-chicken,egg,onion recipe over rice (a Japanese recipe from my sister in law Liz)--bread and cook the chicken(cut into strips) in a little oil, add onion slices and cook till a little tender. Mix 1 1/2 cups water, 1/4 c soy sauce and 2 tbsp sugar. Add to chicken/onions, bring to a boil. Beat 2 eggs. Turn off heat add eggs(without stirring) to chicken,cover and let steam. Served over rice
F-spinach quiche
Sat-roast chicken
Sun-left overs

Potato Leek Soup

Sally, could you post your recipe for potato leek soup?

Meals for Week of Oct. 13th

Fall is my absolute favorite season as well. I love soup, too! I look forward to seeing some of your favorite soup recipes.

M-Chicken broccoli casserole
T-Spaghetti and salad
W-Homemade mac n' cheese (recipe below) and steamed broccoli
Th-Leftovers
F-Probably pizza
Sa-Chicken pot pie
Su-Slow Cooker Cuban Black Beans and Rice (I'm trying this recipe that Jen posted....I love things that can cook in the crock pot while we're at church so we can eat when we get home!)

Homemade Macaroni and Cheese (My grandma's recipe and a family favorite...very good for chilly fall evenings!)
9 oz. macaroni (or other favorite pasta....I've used elbow macaroni and the shells)
1 c. grated cheddar (Our family likes cheese, so I always do a little more)
4 Tbsp. butter
4 Tbsp. flour
2 c. milk
1/2 c. bread crumbs
salt and pepper to taste

Cook macaroni until tender. Meanwhile, melt butter-stir in flour. Blend well over low heat. Remove from heat. Slowly stir in milk-mix well. Return to heat and cook until thickened. Drain macaroni. Put in casserole dish. Stir in the white sauce and half of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Top with bread crumbs and remaining cheese. Bake at 375 degrees until cheese is melted and bread crumbs are golden brown.

Eames' Meals Oct 13-18

It is snowing today and it is finally soup season!

M - Out of town making applesauce
T - Fondue
W - Sally's Potato Leek Soup
Th - Leftovers
F & S - We will be in Nashville -- YEAH!

Eames' Meals October 6-11

I must agree with Sally, Fall is the best time of the year -- especially in TN! Miss it desperately! Anyway, here is our menu for the week.

M - Roasted Vegetables (red potatoes, zucchini, sweet potato & onion) & Monterey Chicken
T - Pasta Bake --Cooked pasta, hamburger & or sausage, spaghetti sauce and chunked cream cheese, topped with mozzarella
W - "Gunge) - Rice, hamburger, & peas topped with soy sauce.
Th - Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes, Some meat (haven't decided yet), and a veggie. Really it is all about the sweet potatoes. A recipe I found in the Taste of Home magazine that sounds divine! The recipe is below.
F- Leftovers
Sat - Tacos

TWICE-BAKED SWEET POTATOES
6 medium sweet potatoes
1/4 C butter, cubed
2 C shredded cheddar cheese
6 bacon strips, cooked & crumbled
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

 Scrub and pierce sweet potatoes.  Bake at 375-degrees for 1-1/4 hours or until
tender.
 When cool enough to handle, cut a thin slice off the top of each potato and
discard.  Scoop out the pulp, leaving thin shells.  In a large bowl, mash the
pulp with butter.  Stir in the cheese, bacon, salt & pepper.  Spoon into potato
shells.
 Place on a baking sheet.  Bake for 20-30 minutes or until heated through.
Makes 6 servings.

Fall is Here!

Not only is Fall my favorite season, it's absolutely beautiful here in TN. Why? Because Fall is still warm enough during the day that you don't need to wear a coat, but in the evenings it gets comfortably crisp and cool so that you can throw on the favorite sweater. Another thing about Fall, still an abundance of produce that can go into yummy soups. I love soup and it's the perfect crockpot thing. Lucky for me, my family loves soup too.
M-chicken noodle soup w/ bread
T-pot stickers and rice
W-spaghetti (my new thing for sauce, as I'm trying to be a little healthier by avoiding things with a lot of additives and can't really afford the all natural/organic things, a can of stewed/diced/whatever you have on hand tomatoes, garlic and a little seasoning in the bullet blender thing my mother-in-law got me for Christmas and you have instant spaghetti sauce that's a little chunky)
Th-grilled chicken, rice and spinach salad
F-Phil and I are going out so the kids get either mac and cheese or raman(they really think this is a treat and I can't figure out why)
Sat-homemade pizza
Sun-chili

Nagel Oct 6 - Oct 12

My menu got all jumbled up last week so I have some repeats for this week:

M - Taco Soup
T - Red Beans and Rice
W - Leftovers
Th - Going Out
F - Homemade Pizza
S - Chicken Pot Pie
S - All Day Meatloaf and Veggies.

Have a good week ladies.

What's Cookin'??

I apologize for my tardiness in getting some meal ideas in this blog and also my English grammars. I am not a meal planner lady, I am more of a lady that decide the dinner around 2 p.m. that day. But I decided I should be more organize with my menu planner for this week. Here is my menu week for September 29-October 5. I don't usually stick with the menu, I tried to switch the day.
Some of the ingredients in my menu I use Filipino already made mixes that I buy at an Oriental store. I will try to attach pictures of the mixes or if you would like them I can send you some of my favorite Filipino dry mixes. In most of my menu, I serve them with brown rice and white rice.


M- Sweet and Sour Pork(Lion House Recipe)
T- Homemade Lasagna(I make this a day in advance or in the morning) w/ garlic bread and salad
W- BBQ Salsa Chicken(GreenHills Ward Cookbook) serve with warm Tortilla
Th- Pork Loins and Au Gratin Potatoes
F- Chicken Tocino
S - Leftovers (only me and my 2 easy to please daughters)
Su - Roasted Whole Chicken and mashed potatoes

Sweet and Sour Pork (Lion House Recipes)

2 lbs. lean pork, about ½ - inch thick

2 T. cornstarch

¼ cup soy sauce

3 T. oil

2 cups carrots cut diagonal chunks

3 small onions, cut in quarters

1 green bell pepper, cut in strips

1 can ( 20 oz.) chunk pineapple, drained(save)

3 T. cornstarch

2 T. sugar

2 cups liquid (drained pineapple juice plus water)

2/3 cup vinegar

½ cup soy sauce

Cooked rice

Cut pork into 2-inch strips. Mix 2 tablespoons cornstarch and ¼ cup soy sauce, and marinate pork in this mixture for an hour or two, or overnight, in refrigerator. Drain (save marinade). Stir- fry meat in hot oil until evenly browned and tender (about 10 minutes). Remove meat from pan. Stir-fry carrots and onions in same pan, using more oil, if necessary. Cover and cook on low heat until tender crisp, about 10 minutes. Add green bell peppers and pineapple. Return meat to pan, then stir in marinade.

In the meantime, make the sauce: Mix 3 tablespoons cornstarch and the sugar in a small saucepan. Add 2 cups liquid, vinegar, and ½ cup soy sauce. Stir and cook until thickened and clear. Pour over meat and vegetables, and heat until flavors are blended, about 10 minutes. Taste to correct seasonings. Serve over cooked rice.

BBQ Salsa Chicken

3-4 frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts

20 oz. Pace Picante Salsa ( about 2 1/2 cup)

3 - 4 squirts of your favorite BBQ sauce

brown sugar (about 1 tablespoon)

Place frozen chicken breasts in bottom of crock-pot. Pour salsa on top of chicken. Squirt BBQ sauce over the top. DO NOT STIR!! Sprinkle generous amount of brown sugar over the top.

Cover and cook on low for 5 - 6 hours. At about 5 hours of cooking take out the chicken breasts and shred and allow to soak up remaining sauce. Serve in warm tortilla with your favorite Mexican toppings such as cheese, sour cream, lettuce….etc.

Roast Chicken

I like to roast my chicken rubbed with olive oil, paprika, garlic salt, dried rosemary and black ground pepper. I slice butter and I put them inside the chicken skin cavity. I bake my chicken in 350 degree for about 1 hour and 30 minutes. The chicken package will recommend of how long you need to bake the chicken. I usually bake it for 30 minutes and then I will cover it loosely with aluminum foil after.

Dinner Time in Oakley, UT

Thanks Sister Budge for setting this all up. The only reason I do anything worth while is because of peer pressure.

I rate menu planning in my top 10 of "things I HATE to do" so I've come up with a couple of things that help me manage it. One thing I do is give each day of the week a theme so I can narrow down the hundreds of choices into just a few dozen, otherwise I just get too overwhelmed. The other thing I use is an ical calendar. I type in the name of the recipe, which cookbook it's in, and the ingredients. It's a little time consuming at first but then when I have 30-40 entered I can just drag them around to the next month. And then I also have a list of ingredients I need to buy without having to go to the cookbooks. I'm definitely not strict about this. I would say more often than not I don't follow it at all but it helps me pretend that I'm an organized person.

Anyway, here are my weekly themes:
M - Mexican Monday
T - Mormon Americana (this is my casserole, cream of whatever soup, jello night)
W - Asian Cuisine
Th - Pizza, Pasta, Soup and Salad
F - Fun Food
S - Whatever
S - Crock Pot Easy

And here's my week (Sep. 28 - Oct. 5)
M - Leftovers
T - Chicken Fajitas
W - Red Beans and Rice
Th - Mom & Dad eating out so kids get scrambled eggs and toast
F - Home-made Pizza (Does any one have a good thin crust recipe?!!)
S - No Clue. It took me 2 hours just to come up with M-F
S - All Day Meatloaf & Veggies (recipe below - never tried it. Hope it works.)

See what I mean. I never stick to my themes but whatever!

Meatloaf and Vegetables:
4 large potatoes, sliced
6 carrots, sliced
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 c. cracker crumbs
1/3 c. ketchup
1/3 c. finely chopped onions
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. dried marjoram
1/4 tsp. black pepper

1. Place potatoes and carrots in slow cooker. Sprinkle with 1/4 t. salt.
2. Combine remaining ingredients. Mix well and shape into loaf. Place loaf on top of vegetables, making sure that it doesn't touch sides of slow cooker.
3. Cover. Cook on Low 8 - 10 hours.

Out of town

I don't know if I speak for Christi or not, but I'm going to. We are both in Utah for our brother-in-law's funeral (Phil's and her husband Ryan's brother). While we are eating plenty of food, we are not doing any of the cooking so there is really nothing for us to post right now. The RS of my in-laws ward have been wonderful in supplying food for the Budge clan. Can I just say that I love Relief Society?

Eames' Meals Sept 29-Oct 4

This week we are getting back to normal so I am actually starting to cook some. Now to get rid of all the leftovers.

Mon-Leftovers
Tues-Tomato & Green Pepper Chow Mein
Wed- Pizza Pockets - This is a recipe I kind of made up based on 2 different recipes and my family loves it! The recipe is here, along with some pictures.
Thurs-Date night -- hopefully. Kids will get leftovers
Fri- Hamburgers
Sat-Out of town, so I don't have to cook.

I didn't get around to posting my menu for the week but so far have made eggplant parmesan (with an eggplant that a friend gave me that I didn't know what else to do with), French toast, and Spanish Rice. I'll post that recipe below. For the eggplant parmesan, I used a recipe in my BH&G cookbook.

I have a question...what is your favorite way of preparing/cooking a whole chicken? What kind of marinade and/or spices to you use? I'd love some suggestions! Thanks!

Spanish Rice
1 lb. hamburger
1/4 c. chopped onion (approximate amount-add more or less to liking)
1 c. rice
2 c. water
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. prepared mustard
dash pepper
1 (15 oz.) can kidney beans
1 (15 oz.) can whole kernel corn

Saute onions and add hamburger. Brown and drain fat. Add rice, water, tomato sauce, salt, pepper, and mustard. Cover and simmer until rice is fully cooked, about 20 minutes. Add kidney beans and corn. Cook until heated through.

This recipe is also good meatless and additionally is a great use for leftover cooked rice. I've only tried this with white rice and don't know how it would turn out with brown.

Pie for breakfast

It is fall so it is pie season. We just had Pear pie for breakfast -- the best pie ever created in my humble opinion. :) I thought I'd pass the recipe on.


Pear Pie
Filling
1 8- or 9-inch single pie crust, uncooked
6-7 medium pears, peeled, cored, & quartered
1 1/2 T lemon juice
1/2 C sugar
2 -3 Tbsp flour (for GF use 2 T cornstarch)
1 tsp lemon peel (optional)

Combine pears and lemon juice in a medium bowl. In a small bowl combine sugar, flour and peel. Pour into pears and combine. Stir carefully. Pour into prepared pie crust

Crumb Topping
2/3 C flour (GF or wheat)
2/3 C white or brown sugar
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t mace (optional)
(For GF add 1/4 - 1/5 tsp xanthan gum)
1/3 C butter/margarine

Combine all ingredients but the butter. Cut butter into the mixture. Sprinkle on top of Filling.

Bake at 425-degrees for 10 minutes then on 375 degrees for 40-50 minutes.

Delicious!

Eames' Meals Sept 23-28

While a little late nonetheless here it is. My husband is out of town for the next three days so it will be pretty low key.

Tuesday: Sandwiches and Beans & Pears
Wednesday: Going out to eat
Thursday: Tacos
Friday: I'm not sure I have a Daddy-Daughter Date to run and my husband & oldest daughter are going, so it will probably be mac & cheese or something like that for the younger 2.
Saturday: My oldest daughter is getting baptized so we are having Frito Pie for Lunch and then probably leftovers from that for dinner.

Awesome Salmon Recipe

Sally mentioned making Salmon - I have the greatest recipe! Here goes:

Salmon Sour Cream Bake - again from my mom's ward cookbook

2 salmon steaks 1 inch thick (or I use filets)
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayo
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. salt
dash of red pepper (cayenne)
1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Place salmon in baking dish lined with foil. Bake, uncovered, in 450 oven for 12 to 15 minutes or till fish flakes easily. Mix all ingredients together. Spoon over salmon. Sprinkle cheese on top. Bake 3 - 4 more minutes, till sauce is just heated through. Makes 4 servings (I usually double this recipe).

Also can use halibut

Okay this is my first post, let's see what crazy things I can come up with! As Sally mentioned, I do want to try more bean recipes and I've got one I'm going to try this week. My kids hate beans but they're so good for you, and less expensive than meat so I want to serve more. I also have a different chicken recipe I'm going to try because it calls for things I have in my fridge that really need to be used up. I'll let you know if it's good or not next week!

So here's what my family will be eating this week (probably, hopefully!):

M - Bowtie pasta with marinara sauce (from the store) and parmesan cheese. Green Beans.
T - Black Beans and Rice (see recipe below)
W - Chicken Mix (recipe below)
TH - Leftovers or Breakfast food (pancakes are a favorite, we usually serve them with sliced canned peaches)
F - I'm going out with my daughter, the boys are on their own. Probably mac & cheese for them.
S - Frozen pizza!

Slow Cooker Cuban Black Beans and Rice (from the Betty Crocker website)

1 lb dried black beans (2 cups), sorted and rinsed
1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
1 large bell pepper, chopped (1 1/2 cups)
5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 dried bay leaves
2 cups diced tomatoes, undrained
5 cups water
2 Tbsp olive or vegetable oil
4 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp finely chopped jalepeno chiles
1 tsp salt
3 cups hot cooked rice

1. Mix all ingredients except rice in 3 1/2 to 6 quart slow cooker.
2. Cover and cook on high heat setting 6 - 8 hours or until beans are tender and most of the liquid is absorbed. Remove bay leaves.
3. Serve beans over rice. Serve with chopped red onion, cilantro and/or sour cream.


Chicken Mix - from my mom's ward cookbook

1 box chicken Rice-A-Roni
1 8 oz can sliced water chestnuts
5 - 6 stalks finely chopped celery
2 - 3 chopped green onions
3 cups cooked cubed chicken breasts
Ranch dressing

Mix all ingredients together and add Ranch dressing to moisten or to taste. Bake at 350 for 25 - 30 minutes.

Sept 22-Sept 28

Seeing as I never got the chicken out of the freezer last week to roast, this week will revolve around that.
Mon-creamed tuna a fast kid favorite
Tues-roast chicken
Wed-chicken noodle soup
Th-Jakob's birthday dinner (he's 10!!!!) which means he'll probably pick salmon, couscous and green beans. I wonder if he'll let me try something new with the salmon. Any suggestions welcome.
Fri-Phil and I have a dinner to go to so the kids get mac and cheese or raman noodles (which they love because they only get them when Phil and I aren't eating at home)
Sat-whatever Phil wants to make/scrounge because I have a RS dinner to go to and he is actually off