Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Menu for this week

Monday--Chicken and Barley Soup
                Salad

Tuesday--Pesto Orecchiette with Chicken Sausage
               Applesauce

Wednesday--Blackened Chicken and Cilantro Lime Quinoa
                     Pears

Thursday--Hungarian Goulash
                 Mashed Potatoes

Friday--Stirfry

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Menu for this week!!

Oh, please, get up! I know you've all keeled over from shock that I'm posting.

It's late, but here's what we're eating thus week!!

Monday--Pot Roast
Biscuits

Tuesday--Chili
Cornbread

Wednesday--Coq au Vin
Salad

Thursday--Baked Penne with Roasted Vegetables
Bread, Salad

Friday--Ribs on the grill
Mashed Potatoes, green beans

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Zesty Red Clam Chowder

Even though the weather here isn't quite cold enough for us to need soup, I am still making soup about once a week because it is soup time; whether or not Texas weather cooperates.  This recipe I have kind of always wanted to try because I do love clam chowder, but I've only ever had the white variety.  After making it, I am now a red or white clam chowder kind of girl.

The ingredients:                                     

1 onion, diced; 3 slices of bacon, diced; 2 (6.5oz) cans minced clams (do not drain!); 1 large potato, peeled and chopped; 1 celery stalk, chopped; 1 (14.5oz) can whole tomatoes; 1 C canned crushed tomatoes; 2 Tbsp chopped parsley; 1 tsp dried oregano, crumbled; 1/2 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, or to taste; 1/4 tsp ground pepper.

I already had some bacon that I'd cooked the day before, so I just chopped it up...

and threw it into a large pot with my diced onions and a small swirl of oil.  Saute them until the onion is translucent. (You won't need oil if your bacon is uncooked due to the loveliness that is bacon grease.)

Then, take that very large potato and peel it (making sure to NOT PUT THE PEELS DOWN THE KITCHEN SINK BECAUSE IT WILL CLOG YOUR GARBAGE DISPOSAL...not that I have ever done such a thing, of course). Chop up that potato and celery.

Once the onion is sauteed, stir in the clams (with their juice)...

 potato, celery and 1 C of water; bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat to a simmer once it's started boiling and cook until the potato is fork tender (about 10 minutes or so).  Once the potato is tender enough, throw in the whole and crushed tomatoes, parsley, oregano, salt, cayenne (I used the smallest dash since my girls were eating it too) and pepper.

While it is cooking, go ahead and use your spoon to break apart those whole tomatoes.  Then take a big whiff of your awesome dinner, cause it smells divine.

Once the soup is heated through, serve immediately!  I served mine with fruit; specifically a plum.
   Holy moly, this soup was yummy.  Evan added some extra cayenne pepper to his individual bowl and said it was great with the extra spice.  We ate this as left overs and it was even better!  This is definitely a soup I shall be adding to our usual menu rotation!!!

Enjoy!



Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Spaghetti Squash

When I purchased this spaghetti squash at the store:

the checkout lady asked me what in the world I planned on doing with it. She said she has seen people buying them and she knows they are edible, "But...how?!"

I told her it is actually ridiculously simple and I will explain to you exactly how I explained it to her.

You take the lovely yellow squash, you give it a quick rinse and you throw it into a preheated 375 degree oven for an hour and you are done.

I know!  It's ridiculously simple, right?!

You will know it is done because a sharp knife will pierce through it like butta. That's the most important part is to make sure it is cooked through.  If you can't slice through it easily, throw it back in for another 10 minutes.

Cut the squash in half and make the comment about how it must be related to pumpkins because the insides are almost identical! (It is, in fact, related to pumpkins.)

Just like you do a pumpkin, scoop out the seeds and the gooey-ish inside.  Using a fork, you will be able to scrape the actual "meat" from the squash and it will separate like individual strands of spaghetti (hence the name). The scraping is the most time consuming part, just to warn you.

Once you have scraped out all the spaghetti squash, throw it onto a skillet over medium-high heat. Toss in some butter (about 2-3 Tbsp, depending on amount of squash), a couple of minced garlic cloves, salt, pepper and some fresh parsley or basil (about 1/4 C).  Give it a good stir and make sure it's all heated together.

Throw it all into a serving bowl and add some parmesan cheese on top (about 1/4 C or so) and stir it until the cheese has melted into the squash.  

I served ours with a salad because spaghetti squash is quite filling.

  My children were leery of the name, but both girls loved it.  Julia ate all of hers and she is 3.  It's supposed to have some crisp crunch to it, so don't be alarmed by the texture.  It's a lovely fall meal and you should definitely go out and try it (especially while they are in season and so cheap at the stores!).

Enjoy!



Monday, October 17, 2011

This Week's Menu

This week, Evan is gone to Virginia (the state), so it's just me and the girls.  Meals will be a bit more kid friendly and simple.

Monday:  Little Stars with Butter and Parmesan
               Vegetable

Tuesday:  Hash Brown Brunch Casserole
               Fruit

Wednesday: Crispy Chicken Nuggets
                    Tater Tots
                    Vegetable

Thursday: Hot dogs
                Mac n Cheese
                Vegetable

Friday:  ?????

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Gnocchi with Roasted Cauliflower

I have stared at this recipe a million times in my cookbook as I try to figure out what to eat for the week.  It's such a simple recipe and I've always wanted to make it but it's just never made the list.

I finally gave it a chance.  Now, I must share it with you.  You will thank me for doing so, I promise.

Ingredients:

1 small head of cauliflower, cut into small florets; 12 fresh sage leaves (or dried sage if you forgot to buy it at the grocery store); 3 Tbsp olive oil; Kosher salt; black pepper; 1 lb. gnocchi; 1/4 C. grated Parmesan.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Start by cutting up the cauliflower and throwing it into a small bowl.  Sprinkle it with the sage, oil, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.  Give it a good stir to make sure the cauliflower is coated.

Throw the cauliflower on a baking sheet and roast (make sure and give it a shake so it doesn't stick and burn) until the cauliflower is golden brown and tender.  About 25-30 minutes.

(While the cauliflower is roasting, go ahead and get that pot of water boiling for the gnocchi.)

Mmm...roasted cauliflower.  I could eat the whole sheet of it by myself.  I'm sure my tummy would totally appreciate it later.

Gnocchi is one of my favorite foods.  It takes just minutes to cook.  Once the water is at a low boil (aka: not rolling), throw in the gnocchi and wait for it to float.  It'll take 4-6 minutes.

In your serving bowl, add the gnocchi and cauliflower together.  Sprinkle with the parmesan cheese and give it a toss.  The cheese should melt a bit once it meets the hot gnocchi and cauliflower.

I served the Gnocchi with Roasted Cauliflower with canned peaches.

  This was simple and delicious.  It is a very mono-colored dish, but it tastes soooooo good.  And, because gnocchi is so filling, it was more than enough for 2 grown-ups and 2 kids (who also loved it!).  I'd double it if we were having company.

Enjoy!!


Sunday, October 2, 2011

This Week's Menu

Monday: Chicken Parmesan
               Salad
               Parmesan Popovers

Tuesday: Rigatoni with Sausage, Peppers & Onions
               Salad

Wednesday: Baked Cod
                   Mediterranean Salad
                   Corn

Thursday: Spicy Tofu with Broccoli & Cashews
                Wontons

Friday: Zesty Red Clam Chowder
           Fruit