Week of August 25, 2008

OK, here is my first stab at my new blog, A Crafty Mom Eats. We are far from looking very professional, but my goal was to get the site started this week, and work on the look and feel of it over the next week or two. I decided to dedicate a site just to my weekly menu plans and recipes, so that a) it is all organized in one place, which is easier for me, and; b) so that regular readers of the Crafty Mom's Blog who do not care one tiny bit about recipes, don't need to see them!!

My idea is not original, I give full credit for my inspiration to Beth from From Mommy's Kitchen. I've loved reading her recipe site (and trying *many* of her recipes), and her regular blog, for some time now and decided to jump in and test the waters myself.

Monday: Pesto Tomato Pizza
Tuesday: Pasta with Pesto and Tomatoes
Wednesday: Cayenne-rubbed Chicken with Avocado Salsa and Cherry Tomato Salad
Thursday: Grilled Lemon Chicken with Garlic Bread
Friday: Out of town
Saturday: Out of town
Sunday: Out of town

Pesto Tomato Pizza

Pizza crust
2 large tomatoes, sliced
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Pesto
Ground pepper

This recipe is perfect with freshly-made pesto and fresh tomatoes from the garden.

1. Use pesto from Tuesday's recipe to coat one pizza crust (purchased or made at home). I use 1-2 tablespoons, just enough to cover the surface.

2. Add sliced tomatoes to cover the pesto. Add ground pepper to tomatoes.

3. Cover pizza with shredded cheese, bake at 350 for about 20 minutes.

Grilled Lemon Chicken with Garlic Bread

3 T olive oil

2 garlic cloves

¼ cup fresh lemon juice, plus lemon wedges for serving

coarse salt and ground pepper

1 ½ pounds chicken cutlets

4 thick slices country bread

1. Heat grill to high, lightly oil grates. Mince 1 garlic clove and place in a shallow dish. Add lemon juice and 1 T of oil, season with salt and pepper. Add chicken, and toss to coat. Let standat room temperature for at least 5 minutes.

2. Brush bread on both sides with remaining oil, season with salt and pepper. Grill bread until beginning to char, about 1 minute per side. Cut remaining garlic in half, and rub cut sides over grilled bread. Set bread aside.

3. Grill chicken until opaque throughout, 1-3 minutes per side. Serve with garlic bread and lemon wedges.

One other item we are eating lots of this week is blueberry muffins.

I found this recipe in abook I found when I was pregnant with Thing 3. It's called “healthy mum, happy baby” and is about how to feed yourself when your breastfeeding a baby. It highlights a number of quick but nutrient-rich recipes that are easy for busy moms on the go. I've been making these since January, although they have now been upgraded to To Die For since I'm using fresh local blueberries!

Lemon Blueberry Muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cup sugar

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

1 cup plain or vanilla yogurt

2 eggs, beaten

1/3 cup canola oil

finely grated zest of 1 lemon

1 ¾ cups fresh or frozen blueberries

1. Preheat oven to 375. Lightly grease a muffin tin with oil or butter (I use my Pampered Chef stoneware muffin tin, the muffins turn out golden and delicious in it).

2. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and baking soda.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together yogurt, eggs, oil, and lemon zest. Stir into dry ingredients just until combined. Fold in blueberries.

4. Spoon batter into prepared muffin tin and bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into muffin comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a rack and let coof completely.

I have also made mini-muffins in the small tin I have, because the boys love the little muffins they can fit in the palm of their hand!