Menu Plan

Simple Savory Pork Roast w/ au gratin potatoes
Linguine with Pesto Cream Sauce
Tacos/Taco Salad
Sweet Mustard Chicken Bake w/ veggies
Beef Stew

Menu Plan

Pot Roast
Spaghetti Squash Casserole
Cowboy Supper
Balsamic Roasted Pork Loin

Menu Plan Sept 16

I'm hoping the payday shopping craze has passed and I can go shopping in peace today.

Chicken and Dumplings
Meatloaf with mashed potatoes and some veg
pesto pasta w/ chicken w/ garlic bread
brown sugar chicken and some veg
blue cheese encrusted filet mignon with asparagus

Menu Plan

Tacos
Cream Cheese Chicken over Pasta
Brown Sugar Chicken
BBQ chicken and Corn Bread Casserole
Lasagna
Mac n Cheese

Lemon and Herb CrockPot Roasted Chicken Recipe

The Ingredients.

--one thawed and skinned whole chicken. It wasn't as gross for me this time! yay! But I'm not pregnant, so if you are and are prone to pukeage, be forewarned...
--head of garlic
--2 lemons
--salt and pepper
--a bunch of fresh rosemary

The Directions.

After you skin the chicken and keep from puking, rub it inside and out with a bunch of salt and pepper.

Plop it into the crockpot.

Peel your garlic and shove a bunch of the whole cloves into the bird cavity and throw some more on top and around the chicken.

Slice the lemon and put slices on top, around, and inside the bird

Wash the rosemary and do the same. If you are using dried rosemary, use a good amount---probably 2-3T of dried herbs.

Do not add water.
cook on low for 8-10 hours.

The Results

I started it around 10:00 and I turned it off around 4 so it cooked on low for about 6 hours. There was a good 1/2" of juice in the bottom of the crock so the dark meat was really tender and juicy, but the breast was dry dry dry dry dry.  The kids prefer dark meat so I can bumming bites off their plates while I picked over the dry as dust breast.  Flavor wise it was awesome, but I have to figure out a way to keep the breast from drying out so much. 

Oh and I was skeptical about skinning the chicken since I've never done it before, but it was really easy and I only needed a few strategic swipes with the knife, just a small kitchen knife, nothing fancy.  It does need to be sharp though because the skin around the drums is pretty tough.

CrockPot Cream Cheese Chicken Recipe over Pasta

The Ingredients:

--1 can cream-of-something soup
--1/2 cup chicken broth
--frozen chicken pieces
--packet of Italian salad dressing mix
--2 cloves minced garlic
--block of cream cheese (to add later)


The Directions.

Put everything except for the cream cheese into the crockpot. Cook on low for 6 hours, or until the chicken is cooked through and begins to shred. Shred the chicken with two large forks, and mix in the block of cream cheese. Switch the crock to high and cook for another 30 minutes, or until the cream cheese is fully melted.
Serve over pasta. We used Trader Joe's brown rice fusilli.
The Verdict.
This is really, really, really, really good. I like the original cream cheese chicken an awful lot, but this truly did taste better. The homemade mushroom soup just tastes better and gives it that "restaurant" flavor.
My six-year-old retorted that this was the very best pasta she's ever had. I let her skip bathtime

CrockPot Thai Curry Recipe

The Ingredients.

- 1 13.5-oz can coconut milk
- 1 T brown sugar
- 1 T soy sauce (La Choy is gluten free, and so is Tamari wheat-free)
- 1 T Thai red or green chili paste, or more to taste (I used red, and went with 1.5 T)
- 1 t fish sauce (optional. I put it in because I was thrilled to have another use for fish sauce!)
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 green bell pepper
- 1/2 large eggplant
- 1 sweet potato
- chicken thighs (I used 5 frozen boneless, skinless)

And! 1-inch knob of ginger, peeled and grated. I bought this. I totally forgot to use it. It's probably for the best, since we aren't huge ginger people.

The Directions.

Combine the sauce ingredients: coconut milk, soy sauce, brown sugar, chili paste, and fish sauce in the bottom of your crockpot stoneware. Taste. If you think you need more chili paste, add some, carefully. It's hot stuff!

Add the chicken pieces to the sauce, flipping them over a few times so they get nice and saucy.

Wash and cut the vegetables, and add to the crock.

Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 4-6. This is done when the chicken is fully cooked and the vegetables have reached desired tenderness.

I cooked ours on high for 5 hours. The vegetables were soft, but not squishy, and the chicken was cooked, but still had shape.

Serve over white rice.

CrockPot Brown Sugar Chicken Recipe

If you are bored with dried out, boring chicken, you must try this.

You simply must.

Go.

Now.

Go to the store and buy the ingredients.

go.

The Ingredients.
courtesy of Confessions of a Wacky SAHM

--12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, or 6 boneless, skinless breast halves
--1 cup brown sugar (it's okay. you can brush your teeth after.)
--1/4 cup lemon-lime soda (stay with me...)
--2/3 cup vinegar (I used white wine, but think regular white would be fine)
--3 cloves smashed and chopped garlic
--2 T soy sauce (La Choy and Tamari wheat free are GF)
--1 tsp ground black pepper

The Directions.

Use a 4 quart crockpot for this recipe.

Plop the chicken into your crockpot. Cover with the brown sugar, pepper, chopped garlic, and soy sauce. Add the vinegar, and pour in the soda. It will bubble!

Cover and cook on low for 6-9 hours, or on high for 4-5. The chicken is done when it is cooked through and has reached desired consistency. The longer you cook it, the more tender it will be.

Serve over a bowl of white rice with a ladle full of the broth.

CrockPot Barbecued Chicken and Cornbread Casserole

CrockPot Barbecued Chicken and Cornbread Casserole

The Ingredients:

--1 pound of cooked, or practically cooked chicken, cubed or shredded (I browned my chicken for a while on the stove, then lost interest. It was almost cooked, but not yet edible.)
--1 small sweet potato, peeled and cut in 1-inch chunks (optional.)
--1 red onion, diced (optional. I didn't use this, although I intended to, and am kind of kicking myself for the accidental omission.)
--1 cup frozen or fresh corn
--1 bottle of your favorite barbecue sauce (18 oz)
--1/4 cup hot water

cornbread topping:

use a mix and follow the directions on the box (minus the oil or butter), or mix together the following:

--3/4 cup corn meal
--1 1/4 cups of flour (I used a Bob Red's Mill GF mix--we were out of Pamela's)
--1 cup milk
--1/4 cup sugar
--1 egg
--1 tsp baking powder (only if using regular all-purpose flour)

The Directions.

I used a 4 qt round crockpot for this---it was the perfect size.

Spray the inside of your stoneware with cooking spray. Cut up the chicken and sweet potato, and add to the crock. Add the corn. Empty the contents of the barbecue sauce bottle, and then add 1/4 cup of hot water to the bottle, shake, and pour that out, too. Mix well with a spoon.

In a separate bowl, mix together the cornbread topping. You don't need to mix well, I just used a fork. Spread the topping on to the chicken mixture.

Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Ours cooked on low for exactly 6. If you are planning on being out of the house, cook for the shorter amount of time. You can always switch to high to brown the top when you get home.

Menu Plan

Balsamic roasted pork loin w/ veggies
Golden pork chops w/ veggies
Grill out night - hotdogs, brats, burgers, and corn on the cob
Tacos/taco salad
CrockPot Chicken Makhani (Indian Butter Chicken)

Menu Plan

spaghetti w/ veggies and garlic bread
tacos and sazon rice
herbed chicken pot pie
mulligatawny soup
sloppy joes

Menu Plan

Pasta Puttanesca w/ asparagus and garlic bread
Creole Red Beans and Rice
Sloppy Joes w/ steamed veggies
Steak w/ veggies and baked potato
Chicken Pot Pie w/Herbed Crust

Carrot Muffins with Cream Cheese Filling

Carrot Muffins with Cream Cheese Filling

I suppose you could also frost these with cream cheese frosting and turn them into cupcakes because if there’s any cake that’s the same as a muffin, it’s carrot cake.

Preheat oven to 350.

Sift together 1½ c. all-purpose flour, 1½ tsp. baking soda, 1 tsp.baking powder, ½ tsp. salt, 1 tsp. cinnamon, ½ tsp. nutmeg, and 1 c. sugar.

In a separate bowl, beat 3 eggs and 2/3 cup vegetable oil until lightened. Stir in 1½ c. shredded carrots, ½ c. chopped walnuts, and ½ c. raisins that have been soaked for 10 minutes in hot water (or warmed rum, if you’d like).

** As a side note, the bestbestbest carrot cake I’ve ever had in my life was at Just Desserts in Berkeley. I used to go to the one on College Avenue, order an enormous piece of carrot cake and an espresso and (pretend to) study until they kicked me out. The carrots in Just Desserts’ carrot cake were not normal shreds, like they were done on a box grater, but long and super fine, like carrot threads. Unfortunately, my little Japanese Benriner cannot make the carrots like that.

In another bowl, cream 4 oz. softened cream cheese with 1 egg yolk, ½ c. sugar, and ½ tsp. vanilla.

Fold the dry ingredients into the egg/oil mixture. Stir until just combined. Fill mini-muffin cups about ¾ full. Plop a generous teaspoon of the cream cheese filling on top of the batter in each muffin cup.

Bake about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake part comes out clean.

Pasta Puttanesca

Ingredients

* 2 tablespoons (2 turns around the pan) extra-virgin olive oil
* 4 to 6 cloves garlic, chopped
* 1 tin flat anchovy fillets, drained
* 1 /2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
* 20 oil-cured black olives, cracked away from pit and coarsely chopped
* 3 tablespoons capers
* 1 (32-ounce) can chunky style crushed tomatoes
* 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
* A few grinds black pepper
* 1/4 cup (a couple of handfuls) flat leaf parsley, chopped
* 1 pound spaghetti, cooked to al dente (with a bite)
* Crusty bread, for mopping
* Grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Romano, for passing, optional

Directions

Serving suggestions: a simple salad of mixed bitter greens dressed with oil and vinegar, salt, and pepper, recipe follows

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add oil, garlic, anchovies, and crushed pepper. Saute mixture until anchovies melt into oil and completely dissolve and garlic is tender, about 3 minutes: your kitchen never smelled so good! Add olives, capers, tomatoes, black pepper, and parsley. Bring sauce to a bubble, reduce heat, and simmer 8 to 10 minutes.

Toss sauce with cooked pasta. Pass bread and cheese at the table and serve with a simple salad of mixed bitter greens dressed with oil and vinegar, salt, and pepper.

Menu Plan 5/17/10

Tacos w/ sazon rice
Chili
Szechwan Shrimp w/ rice
Pesto Pasta w/ Chicken and asparagus
BBQ Chicken and steamed veggies

Menu Plan

Balsamic Roasted Pork Loin
Chicken Pot Pie
Braised Beef
Sweet Mustard Chicken with rice and green beans
Tacos

Claire's Brownies

Whisk together:
1/2 c oil (or apple sauce, it makes them much cakeish)
2 eggs
1.5c sugar... See More
whisk in
1/2c cocoa powder
stir in
3/4c all purpose flour (by the time you add the flour, it's really thick, stirring it in with a spoon is much easier)

Bake 20-30 minutes at 350

Menu Plan

Borscht
Fish Chowder
Lasagna
Citrus Sticky Chicken
Tacos
Mulligatawny Soup

Down Home Baked Beans

Ingredients:

1 pound bacon
2 (28 ounce) cans baked beans
1 (12 ounce) bottle chili sauce
1 large sweet onion, chopped
2 cups packed brown sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees cup).
2. Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown.
3. Drain, crumble and set aside.
4. In a large bowl combine beans, chili sauce, onion, brown sugar and bacon.
5. Pour into a 9x13 inch casserole dish.
6. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Apple Butter Pork Loin

Ingredients:

2 (1 ½ pound) pork tenderloins
seasoning salt to taste
2 cups apple juice
½ cup apple butter
¼ cup brown sugar
2 Tablespoons water
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves


Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Season the pork tenderloins with seasoning salt, and place them in a 9x13 inch baking dish or small roasting pan.
3. Pour apple juice over the pork, and cover the dish with a lid or aluminum foil.
4. Bake for 1 hour in the preheated oven.
5. While the pork is roasting, mix together the apple butter, brown sugar, water, cinnamon and cloves. 6. After the hour, remove pork loins from the oven, and spread the apple butter mixture over them.
7. Cover, and return to the oven for 2 hours or until fork tender.

White Bean and Kale Soup

2 cups kale, finely chopped
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 large cloves garlic
3 cups cooked cannelloni beans
2 1/2 cups stock
1 tablespoon tomato paste
4 fresh sage leaves
1 teaspoon sea salt
black pepper, freshly ground
1-2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
pecorino cheese, freshly grated

Wash kale, remove stems from leaves. Roll up leaves and cut in thin ribbons. Set aside. In a soup pot, heat olive oil and briefly sauté garlic. Add about half the cooked beans and part of the stock. Purée remainder of beans and stock in blender, along with tomato paste and sage. Stir puréed beans into soup. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix kale into soup and simmer until kale has wilted (10 to 15 minutes). Add lemon juice and enough water to give soup the desired consistency. Season to taste. Serve topped with grated pecorino cheese.
Preparation: 30 minutes
Makes 3-4 servings
Note: 3 cups canned or previously cooked beans can be used instead. This will cut total preparation time to 30 minutes.

Borscht

Peggy O'Mara is the Editor and Publisher of Mothering.

Borscht


4 quarts of water
1 ½ pounds stew meat (optional)
2 medium onions, sliced into rounds
2 stalks celery cut in 1-inch lengths
4 medium beets, peeled and sliced
1 head of green cabbage cut into wedges
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon salt
2 beets coarsely grated
1 six-ounce can of tomato paste
2 tablespoons vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
Sour Cream (optional)

Into  4 quarts of water Add
stew meat (optional)
onions,
celery
sliced beets
cabbage
bay leaf
salt

Simmer for 2 hours

After simmering add

grated beets
tomato paste
vinegar
honey
Simmer for another 20 minutes.

Add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve each bowl with a dollop of sour cream (optional).

 

 

Menu Plan

Mulligatawny Soup
Corned Beef and Cabbage
Steak and potatoes
Pork Chops and Sauerkraut
Red Beans and Rice
Tacos

Creole Red Beans and Rice

Two ways: crock pot or stove top.

Brown some smoked or andouille sausage in a heavy bottomed pot, add in diced onion and garlic (You can also use green peppers at this point) and brown. Today I added my spices in this step: a homemade version of

Emeril's Bayou Blast

2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme

and some Worchestershire sauce. After mixing in the spices, I added a bit of veggie stock to deglaze the pot, then added in the beans. You can presoak them overnight, but sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. Cover the beans with stock/water, and bring to a boil. After a good 10 minute boil, turn them down and simmer them until supper time. A good 3-4 hours. Keep checking your water level, you want to keep the beans covered. When it's time to eat, take a spoon and mash up some of the beans in the pot; this will give you a nice creamy texture.

Crock pot:

Presoak beans overnight. Put diced onions, garlic, browned sausage, soaked beans, bay leaf, salt pepper, whatever spices you want. You can also use ham hocks or salt pork in your beans if you don't want sausage. Cover the beans with stock/water, cook on low for 9-10 hours. Mash up some of the beans to thicken.

That's how I do it!

Spaghetti Squash Casserole

Halve the spaghetti squash, and remove the seeds, bake until... done inside? Scoop out the insides and put them into a bowl. Let them cool.

Add ricotta, parmiggiano or pecorino, egg, fresh herbs, salt, whatever else you want to add.

Saute broccoli rabe with garlic and shallots and red pepper flakes.

Layer them in a casserole dish with the spaghetti squash mixture.

Put something on top like leeks or cheese or bread crumbs or whatever you like on casseroles. Put it in the oven at 375 or so until it's cooked through and brown on top.

It's pretty cheap, and you can add mushrooms or spinach or other things if you don't like broccoli rabe. My kids really like it.

Mulligatawny Soup

* 1/2 cup chopped onion (i used dried onion instead and added 1 garlic clove)
* 2 stalks celery, chopped
* 2 carrots, diced
* 1/4 cup butter
* 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 1tbs curry powder
* 4 cups chicken broth
* 1 apple, cored and chopped (i used a granny smith)
* 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts - cut into cubes
* salt to taste
* ground black pepper, red pepper to taste
* 1 pinch dried thyme
*1/2 cups raisins
* 1/2 cup heavy cream (i used soy milk)

* 1 cup rice (i used brown), 2 cups water

Directions: Cook Rice on the side. In soup pot saute carrots, garlic, onion, and celery in the butter, about 5 minutes, or until onion is clear. Add curry powder and flour, stir rapidly until it begins to get clumpy and stick to the bottom of the pot. Add chicken broth, stir well. Cover, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer about 20 minutes. Add chicken, apple, raisins, and remaining spices. Cover and continue to simmer another 20 minutes, or until chicken is done. Add the rice and the milk, let cook another 5-10 minutes