Menu Plan Sept 27 - October 3

How was everyone's week?  This week really started to feel like fall.  Yay!  I just looked at the forecast and it's still going to be a warm week, but I think most of the 80+ degree days are behind us.  I am looking forward to blustery, cold, rainy weather!

We deviated from the menu quite a bit last week.  I'll admit it, I forgot to get a few things at the grocery store!  I made breaded pork chops one night, and a delicious ham and potato soup another night. 

We also ate out on Friday - the local Panda Express had their grand opening, and it was a fundraiser for our new library building, so we went out to support the cause.  They had a prize wheel and Caitlyn won a free kids meal and I won a free entree!  We saved those for next time since it was a fundraiser.  

Tonight we're having pizza at a family gathering.  Here's the plan for the rest of the week: 

Spaghetti and meatballs, roasted broccoli, garlic bread (Caitlyn's cooking)
Corned beef hash
Chorizo chili
Baked ziti (didn't actually have the stuff to make this last week)
Pork and cabbage stir fry (didn't get to this last week)
Hamburger casserole (also didn't get to this!)
Garlic noodles with chicken

Have a great week everyone, and good eating to you!

Ham and Potato Soup

Made this up for dinner tonight.  It was so delicious I thought I'd better write down the recipe before I forget what I put in it!

Ham and Potato Soup
Serves 4 - 6

2 T. butter
1 T. olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
4 c. chicken broth
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 large potato (or equivalent - I used six baby potatoes), diced
2 c. diced ham
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. dried dill weed
salt and pepper to taste
2 T. cornstarch, mixed with 2 T. cold water until smooth
1/2 cup half and half

In a three-quart pot, saute the onions in the butter and olive oil until they just start to brown.  Add chicken broth, potato, ham and seasonings.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer 15 minutes, or until potatoes are soft.  Stir in cornstarch mixture; turn temperature back up to medium-high.  Cook and stir until thickened.  Add half and half.  Reduce heat to low and cook five minutes more.

Menu September 20 - 26

Hope everyone had a great week!  We took a serious look at our finances this week and decided, first and foremost, that all the eating out has to stop!  We're done for the month and will stick to one meal a week moving forward.  That's all that has ever been in the budget, anyway.  That means that all this menu planning is more critical than ever.

We had a good eating week.  I finally got around to making the Italian Shred recipe that has been appearing on my menu for over a year, but never made it into the cooking pot.  I finally made it yesterday, with a few modifications, of course (I can't help it - I'm a compulsive recipe modifier).  My revised version is posted here.

I also posted another smoothie recipe from Caitlyn.  It's super sweet and super delicious!  I told her this week that if she came up with a few more recipes (I know they're floating around in her head) we could put together a little cookbook and sell it on Amazon.  She's really excited about that idea!

Here's what's on the menu this week:

Chicken and broccoli impossible pie
Taco salad
Chicken Gyro Sandwiches
Baked Ziti
Pad Thai
Pork and Cabbage Stir Fry
Hamburger Casserole (hubby's family recipe)

I hope everyone has a great week!  I'm going to link this up to Menu Plan Monday at orgjunkie.com - tons of great ideas there!

Caitlyn's Chocolate Smoothie

This one is super sweet, more like a milkshake.  And the blueberries make it a lovely shade of purple!

Caitlyn's chocolate smoothie

1/3 c. chocolate chips
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 c. blueberries
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup plain greek yogurt
2 c. milk

Add all ingredients to the blender and mix until smooth.  Serve with sprinkles on top!

Italian Chicken and Cabbage

I've had this recipe on the menu so many times, but I never made it!  Mainly because it's definitely a weekend recipe, because it takes a good hour and a half or longer to cook.  I finally made it today, and loved it.  In true Karen fashion, however, I modified it a little bit.  Here's my version.

Italian Chicken and Cabbage

1 large onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 T. olive oil
1/2 cup white wine
3 - 5 cloves garlic, minced
3 T. Italian seasoning
1 t. paprika
1/2 t. chipotle powder
2 T. dried parsley
salt and pepper to taste
28 ounce can crushed tomatoes, with juice
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
2 T. white wine vinegar
1 T. brown sugar
12 ounce package chicken tenderloins
1/2 head savoy cabbage, cut into 1/2 inch dice
1 cup sliced mushrooms
hot cooked pasta, such as egg noodles

In a large skillet, saute onions and bell pepper until onions are soft, about five minutes.  Add wine, garlic, and seasonings and cook for two minutes more.  Add crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, vinegar, sugar, and chicken.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 40 minutes.

Remove chicken from the sauce.  Add cabbage and mushrooms and simmer for 30 more minutes.  Meanwhile, shred the chicken using two forks.  After 30 minute cooking time is up, return the chicken to the pan and cook for five more minutes.  Serve over hot cooked noodles.

Menu Plan Sept. 14 - 19

I hope everyone had a great week!  Ours was busy, but fun.  We mostly stuck to the menu plan, but I did have to pick up dinner one evening when I was at a meeting that ran almost till Caitlyn's bedtime.  I had a quick dinner planned but not that quick!  Also, on Sunday Caitlyn decided it was her night to cook so we made creamed tuna on biscuits together (she made the biscuits and hard boiled the eggs, and I made the rest of the creamed tuna). 

One of the things I love about these menu posts is that it's really easy for me to find the recipes I need when I need them since I've linked them all here!  I usually use my tablet as my cookbook so I don't have to print out a bunch of recipes (let's face it - I've been printing out recipes for years and they're all jammed in a giant binder and I can never find what I'm looking for).  If it's online, I can go right to the recipe on the web.  If it's from a magazine, I've taken a picture of it with my tablet, though I need to organize those pictures because the file is starting to look like that recipe binder!  It's saving me paper and toner if nothing else. 

Here's the menu plan for this week.  I've tried to anticipate when I'll need a quick dinner and planned accordingly. 

Monday:  Fried cube steak, baked potatoes, salad
Tuesday:  Broccoli Beef
Wednesday:  Irish Sundaes
Thursday:  Sweet and Sour pork (my mother-in-law's recipe)
Friday:  Cider beef stew (Taste of Home Cookbook page 91)
Saturday:  Italian Shred 

Have a great week, everyone!

Menu Plan - Sept. 6 - 13

Two weeks ago, I made a menu plan and, for the most part, we stuck with it.  Last weekend I was so busy we didn't have time to put a menu plan together and we ate fast food four times.  Coincidence?  I think not.

Caitlyn's weekly night to cook has gone well so far (for all two weeks we've done it, anyway).  She's having a great time thinking up what she wants to cook.  This week she's going to do two nights, because she really wanted to make salad bar last week but we didn't get to the store to get the extra veggies that requires.  So instead, she picked teriyaki chicken.  She made the sauce, spread it on the chicken, and got it into and out of the oven.  We had rice in the freezer so she reheated that in the microwave.  Meanwhile, I sauteed some cabbage and onions for a veggie side.

Here's the plan for this week, in no particular order (mainly because I rarely know until I'm about to make it what I'm actually going to choose that evening):

Salad bar (Caitlyn's dinner)
Ramen Egg Flower Soup (Caitlyn's dinner - and her recipe!)
Spanish Rice Casserole (I love this recipe, in spite of the fact that the ingredient list is a mile long)
Kielbasa and Cabbage 
Impossible Pie
Broccoli Beef
Italian Shred

That's the plan, anyway.  Have a great week, everyone!

I'm posting this at Menu Plan Monday on orgjunkie.com!