What's for Dinner Oct 2 - 8

I just pulled recipes out of several magazines and was actually putting them away when I thought - YUM! - perfect for this week's menu!

Sunday:
Roast in the crock pot with gravy
Mashed potatoes
Fried Green tomatoes
Salad

Monday:
Lazy Baked Greek Chicken (from Rachel Ray)
Pasta
Greek Salads

Tuesday:
Chili
Cornbread
Salad

Wednesday:
Four Cheese with Bacon Mac and Cheese
Salad
Fruit Salad
Steamed Broccoli

Thursday:
Eat out with gift certificate (love Groupon!)

Friday:
Company Fish
Pasta
Steamed Green Beans
Salad

Saturday:
TBD

Sweet Salsa Chicken - In the Bag and to the Table!

This is one of my favorite kinds of meals!  I pulled the bag out of the freezer this morning.  After it was thawed, I pour the chicken and sauce into a baking dish, popped in the oven and our main dish was ready!  And it was DELISH!
I'm not a fan of the term "dump chicken" - just sounds bad.  So from here on, I will refer to this as chicken in a bag!  Several weeks ago, I had purchased several packages of skinless, boneless chicken breast.  Some were baked at that time for dinner, others went into chicken pies or soups.  And 3 of them were made into this great recipe - Sweet Salsa Chicken.  Of course, I didn't have all of the exact ingredients on hand so I improvised - and it worked!
The basic recipe is chicken breasts, apricot jam, and salsa.  Throw all those ingredients in a bag and freeze.  Thaw and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.  How easy is that!
My version:
3 or 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts - cut in half (easier portion size for my family)
1/3 cup apple butter
1 1/2 salsa (I used medium and it had some kick - would use mild next time)

Toss all of the above ingredients into a large ziploc bag.  Freeze.
Another option is to marinate it overnight or at least 8 hours.
If frozen, thaw completely.  Bake at 350 degree for 30-35 minutes.  Enjoy!

We enjoyed this dish with a side of black beans, salads, and tortilla strips!

Beef and Barley Soup - bring on Fall!

  
  Waking up to a dreary sky, drizzling rain just screams SOUP to me!  Deciding which soup to make was the harder decision.  I could eat soup for 7 days and be happy! (My family probably wouldn't agree - so we haven't taken that challenge!)  And the winner for today was -Beef and Barley, in the crockpot - bonus for a Saturday!
     I pulled up the recipe I used for Beef Barley Stew and Easy Hamburger Soup and switch them up a bit.  Soups to me are honestly an easy entree to make - kind of like a quiche or an omelet.   A great vegetable soup is essentially emptying out the crisper in the refrigerator!
     So here is what I came up with for my Beef and Barley Soup - and it was DELICIOUS!  Kids all ate TWO bowls, full of veggies and goodness!

Beef and Barley Soup
1lb ground beef
1 small onion, diced
2 celery stalks, chopped
3 carrots, chopped into small pieces
3 Beef Bouillon cubes
1 can diced tomatoes - juice and all
1 can corn - don't drain
3 tablespoons oregano
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
3 cups water (may need to add another as it cooks)
3/4 cup barley (uncooked)

Brown hamburger in skillet with onions.  Add everything BUT barley into crockpot.  Cook on low for 4-6 hours.  Add Barley 3 hours prior to serving to allow for it to cook.  If it becomes too thick while cooking, add another cup of water.

Enjoy!

Perfect Treat! Oatmel Pecan Lace Cookies

I am truly blessed.  Period.  Last week, as Teen was debating on what to make/buy me for Mother's Day (with her own money), she baked these Oatmeal Pecan Lace Cookies for me.  Of course, we had "MOST" of the ingredients and adjusted the rest.  They were beyond fabulous - quite addictive!  Chewy with a hint of crunch from the nuts and caramelizing of sugar - Yummy!

Ingredients:
1 Orange for Zesting (We used a grapefruit as it was on hand - citrus deliciousness!)
1/2 cup butter Softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar (light if you have it)
2 tablespoons flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons mik (we used skim)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups old fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans

1 - Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper - makes for easy cleanup and easy removal of cookies.
2 - Zest orange (or grapefruit in our case) till you have 1/2 tsp of zest.  Cream together butter and sugar in a mixing bowl till creamy and fluffy - about 3 minutes.
3 - Add in flour, milk and salt. Mix well.
4 - Add in the vanilla extract, blend.
5 - By hand, add in the rolled oats.  Once mixed, add in the pecans.
6 - Shape into 1 in balls, placing them 3 inches apart on parchment paper.
7 - Bake for about 10 minutes till bubbly and edges began to brown.  Take out of the oven and transfer parchment paper and cookies to cooling rack for about 2 minutes.
8 - Remove from paper (gently) and let cook on another plate for about 5 minutes.
Enjoy!

Menu for the Week - June 5th

Summer is here!  Which means more time outdoors, more fun with friends, and many places to go and see!  So I am planning our meals accordingly!  Hope you get some ideas for your meal plan!
Share what you will be serving this week!

Sunday
Lamb Chops with Tzatiki sauce
Mashed Potatoes
Steamed Broccoli
Salads

Monday
Bacon and Spinach Quiche
Strawberries

Tuesday
Barbecue Jack Chicken
Cheesy Cauliflower
Salad

Wednesday
Meatloaf
Mashed Potatoes
Green Beans
Salad

Thursday
Leftover Night

Friday
Stuffed Zucchini with Italian Sausage
Pasta
Cannelloni Beans
Salads

Saturday
Burgers on the Grill
Fries
Grilled Pineapple

Taste of Spring - Strawberry Coffee Cake

If you are looking for a quick and yummy treat to bake some of those freshly picked strawberries, this is a perfect recipe!  After enjoying an outing with one of my preschool age sons, we had 12 lbs of strawberries.  His playschool class visited a local farm and picked strawberries.  It was a delight to watch as these 4 year olds found "a big one" and "whoa, look at this one"!  And the field was full of gorgeous red ripe strawberries.  It literally took about 20 minutes - with the help of a 4 year old - to pick 12 lbs of strawberries.
Needing a sweet treat for an afternoon with friends, I found this recipe on Allrecipe.com (one of my most favorite food sites).  It was perfect!  I added a touch of lime and vanilla and of course more strawberries.  Hope you try it out! Will be trying it in the winter with frozen strawberries.

Strawberry Coffee Cake (from Allrecipe.com)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
2 cups thickly sliced strawberries
2 tsp vanilla
juice from half a lime (or 1 TBSP)
2 tsp melted butter

Topping:
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 sugar
1/4 cup cold butter
1/3 cup chopped pecans

1 - Mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
2 - In a seperate bowl, mix together egg, milk, vanilla, lime juice, and butter.
3 - Combine the wet and dry ingredients till just blended.
4 - Pour into a sprayed
5 - Toss sliced strawberries with vanilla and lime juice.

6- Cover batter with strawberries.
7 - Mix together topping - sugar, flour,cold butter - till crumbly.  Add chopped pecans and mix thoroughly.  Top strawberries with this mixture.
8 - Bake 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes.  Allow to cool for about 15 minutes.  Serve warm or room temperature.  Great alone or with a side of whipped cream.

Sharing this with Miz Helen's Full Plate Thursday, Strawberry Recipe Roundup at Susieqtpies Scraps of Life.

What's on the Menu May 9 - 15, 2011

Finally gaining a bit of control on the craziness called life!  Keeping a decently stocked pantry and freezer, last week I was able to "wing" most of our meals as we were absent from home for several of our meals.  This week our warm weather schedule begins to kick up a notch - and we don't even have "scheduled" sports activities like so many families - just other commitments!  Keeps us hopping!

Monday
Honey Soy Broiled Wahoo (fish)
Stir fry veggies
Asian Noodles

Tuesday
Steaks
Baked Potatoes
Salad

Wednesday
Cranberry Pork Tenderloin (new recipe)
Mashed Potatoes
Steamed Green Beans
Salad

Thursday
Leftover pork for those meatlovers
Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese (new recipe)
Steamed Broccoli
Salads

Friday
Zuppa Tuscana (using collard greens from the garden instead of kale)
Rosemary Bread (bread machine recipe)
Salad

Saturday
Caribbean Beef Stew
Sauteed Cabbage
Leftover Mac and Cheese
Salads

Linked up to Menu Plan Monday