Week of February 1, 2010

Although I've been slacking lately in the menu-planning department, it isn't because I haven't been cooking. Quite the contrary, actually. I've been cooking - and baking - lots, I just don't seem to have had the time to get organized enough to type everything out.

However . . . here's a look at our menu for this week.

Sunday: Roast Chicken, Potatoes, Carrots
Monday: Chicken Quesadillas (with leftover chicken)
Tuesday: Pasta with Shrimp and Broccoli
Wednesday: Chicken Enchilada Chili
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: Pasta with Eggplant
Saturday: Beef Stew

With a few over-ripe bananas lying around my kitchen counter, I'm hoping to make Beach Mama's banana bread in the next day or two. I just have to get rid of all this coffee cake lying around our house, first. My husband demanded I make another after my book club nearly devoured all of the first one!

Week of November 30, 2009

I am really hoping to have a little more extra time this week to devote to cooking. I really miss it and our lives have been so "rushed" lately that I've often not had time to prepare the dinners that I've had planned each night. When I get busy (and stressed) I tend to ignore my body's needs and not eat so healthy - which is ridiculous because when does your body need decent nutrients and minerals more than when you're run down and burned out? My goal this week is to load on more fruits and vegetables whenever I can. And to bury my chips in a six foot hole.

Some of you know that I am now writing a new blog dedicated to the Life Organic Harvest Box each week. It's really been a fun experience for me, and I like working with the Life Organic team to see what we can come up with. Please check my new Life Organic Blog each week! I offer tips and recipes based on the contents of the Harvest Box each weekend.

Sunday: Dinner at friends' house, bringing hot artichoke dip as appetizer!
Monday: Potato Leek Soup, Salad
Tuesday: Grilled Chicken with Lemon and Oregeno and Sesame Broccoli
Wednesday: Malaysian Mango Chicken Curry
Thursday: Roasted Apple and Acorn Squash Soup
Friday: Cajun Parsnip Fries, Steak
Saturday: Roast Chicken and Roasted Mashed Potatoes and Yams

Although this menu looks a bit work-intensive, I think I am up for the challenge this week. I'm also hoping to make a batch of healthy granola and some zucchini chocolate chip muffins for the boys' lunches since I still have one more zucchini left.

Although for some I may be late to the holiday parade, I am planning to make my baking lists this week and start buying all the ingredients I need to start making my holiday goodies!

Indian Chicken in Light Sauce

Although I had posted this Indian chicken recipe on my menu plan a few times before, I never actually got around to making it as it turned out to be something more time-consuming than I had anticipated. I finally had a quiet, rainy afternoon this week which afforded me ample time to whip up this Chicken in Light Sauce dish from none other than the best Indian food cookbook out there. We are definitely a family who likes spicy food, but I took it easy on the spice this time and didn't add the optional hot red peppers. It was absolutely delicious, although I was urged by my husband to add a little extra *heat* next time I make it. I have to say, it really tasted like authentic Indian food.

Chicken in Light Sauce - from An Invitation to Indian Cooking by Madhur Jaffrey

3 T tomato sauce
3 T plain yogurt
4 cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
A piece of fresh ginger, 1-inch cube, peeled and coarsely chopped
4 chicken legs
1 whole chicken breast
6 T vegetable oil
1 cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves
5 whole cardamom pods
5 whole cloves
2 hot dried red peppers (optional)
1 t ground turmeric
1 t salt
1/8 t freshly ground pepper
1 T lemon juice

In a small bowl, combine tomato sauce, yogurt, and 1 cup of water. Mix well and set aside.

Put chopped garlic and ginger into the container of an electric blender, along with 2 T of water. Blend until you have a smooth paste. Cut chicken into serving portions: divide legs into drumstick and thigh, and quarter the breast. Remove skin from pieces of chicken and pat dry.

Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed 10-12 inch casserole-type pot over medium-high heat. Put in chicken pieces, a few at a time, and brown on all sides. When each batch turns a golden brown, remove with slotted spoon and do the next batch. When all chicken pieces have been done, put the cinnamon, bay leaves, cardamom, cloves and red pepper into the same oil. Stir once. The spices will darken immediately. Now pour in the paste from the blender and add the turmeric. Stir and fry about one minute.

Next, put in the browned chicken pieces, the mixture of tomato sauce, yogurt and water, salt and pepper, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil. Cover, lower heat, and simmer gently for 20-25 minutes, turning chicken pieces a few at a time.

Uncover pot, raise flame to medium, and cook 5-7 minutes or until sauce is reduced to half, turning chicken pieces over gently.

Serve with rice.

Week of September 6, 2009

Monday: Leftovers or easy sandwiches
Tuesday: Grilled Chicken with Lemon and Oregano
Wednesday: Bacon and Cheese Omelet
Thursday: Spaghetti Sauce with Ground Beef
Friday: Late Summer Vegetable Soup
Saturday: Out at community corn roast

I don't often cook with oregano, but I have a lot in my herb garden so I was excited to come across this grilled chicken recipe (Tuesday) and am excited to give it a try. After a summer of WAY too much red meat on the barbecue, I am hoping to start cooking more chicken and seafood.

With local blueberries still in full force around Ottawa, I've been making lots of Lemon Blueberry muffins for the 3 Things. These muffins are pretty healthy and very easy and fast to make (I can often whip them up just before the kids get up in the morning and have them hot out of the oven for breakfast.

Another muffin favourite around here are these Zucchini Chocolate Chip muffins that I have been making for almost two years now. Everywhere I take them people rave about them and my kids ask me every 3-4 days for "more of those chocolate chip muffins". Little do they know (because thankfully they can't read yet!) I often nearly double the zucchini and put at least 1 1/2 to 2 cups in!! These are DELICIOUS, and also not very difficult to make (grating the zucchini is a bit tediuos and watch those finger nails as you get to the end!).

Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins


1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup shredded zucchini
1/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

In a bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Combine egg, oil, milk, lemon juice and vanilla; mix well. Stir into dry ingredients. Add zucchini, chocolate chips and walnuts. Fill greased muffin tin. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until muffins are golden brown on the top.

We are all over tomatoes at this time of year and aside from our daily dose of cheese and tomato sandwiches, I like to try a different tomato salad every week or so. This is on my radar for this week:

Avocado Tomato Salad

2 Hass Avocados from Mexico, diced small
1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered
3 tablespoons sweet onion, diced small
1 jalapeno, finely chopped
3 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Salt to taste
1 head baby red romaine lettuce, trimmed and left as whole leaves
1 medium head frisee, washed and chopped
1 bunch watercress, washed and chopped

1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, gently mix, and season with salt to taste. If preferred, add more cilantro and fresh lime juice to taste.
2. Refrigerate for thirty minutes prior to serving.
3. Just before serving, toss salad with romaine, frisee and watercress. Season to taste with salt and fresh black pepper. Serve immediately.

Week of June 14, 2009

We were out of town last weekend, and I didn't get to my menu plan as I had a horrible sore throat and didn't cook much last week. I'm hoping this week is a different story! Here's what we have planned:

Sunday: Smokey Beef Tacos
Monday: Leftovers
Tuesday: Asian Noodle Salad with Chicken and Cilantro
Wednesday: Out at Preschool Barbecue
Thursday: Cayenne-Rubbed Chicken with Avocado Salsa
Friday: Grilled Steak with Sesame Broccoli
Saturday: At a friend's for a Barbecue

Seeing as we have a ridiculous amount of rhubarb growing in our backyard, I have been on the lookout for some new recipes. I'm not a big fan of rhubarb, so if I'm going to eat it, it must be paired with another flavour to somewhat disguise the rhubarb tart-ness. I'm liking the looks of this Rhubarb Rasberry Crisp, and also the Rhubarb and Blackberry Snack Cake.

Week of May 24, 2009

Sunday: Linguine with Clams and Bacon
Monday: Quick and Easy Stir fry (to use up veggies)
Tuesday: Chicken and Bacon Shish Kabobs
Wednesday: Roast Chicken with Lemons and Fennel
Thursday: Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad, sandwiches
Friday: Pizza - daddy is out of town
Saturday: Something easy and fun while daddy is away

Looking for some good sweet potato recipes? We've had a lot lately so I've been searching for some good and fun recipes. Ontario Sweet Potato growers offer a huge list on their web site.

I also found this recipe for Turkey sliders with avocado and tomato when I was browsing this weekend, and I hope to try it one night soon.

Week of May 10, 2009

Last week's meals were all fantastic, something must have been right in the universe because all seemed to work out well. With the nice weather upon us meal construction is extremely difficult - we are often outside playing at the park across the street until 5:30, so it's imperative that I have most of the prep done ahead of time. If we eat supper much past 6:00 the kids are just too hungry, and that quickly becomes not fun for anyone.

Also, Mondays and Wednesdays are going to be busy nights for the next few months. Thing 1 has T-ball Mondays and Wednesdays at 6:00, and Paul has softball on Mondays as well, so I need to somehow have dinner on the table by 5:30 on each of those nights.

Sunday: Out for dinner, bringing Easy Arugula Salad
Monday: Soup and Sandwiches
Tuesday: Chicken with Goat Cheese and Arugula
Wednesday: Refried Bean Quesadillas
Thursday: Linguine with Clams and Bacon
Friday: Home-made pizza
Saturday: Chicken in Light Sauce

We're enjoying trying new Indian dishes lately, so I'm going to give this one a whirl this week from the number one expert in Indian cooking herself.

Chicken in Light Sauce - from An Invitation to Indian Cooking by Madhur Jaffrey

3 T tomato sauce
3 T plain yogurt
4 cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
A piece of fresh ginger, 1-inch cube, peeled and coarsely chopped
4 chicken legs
1 whole chicken breast
6 T vegetable oil
1 cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves
5 whole cardamom pods
5 whole cloves
2 hot dried red peppers (optional)
1 t ground turmeric
1 t salt
1/8 t freshly ground pepper
1 T lemon juice

In a small bowl, combine tomato sauce, yogurt, and 1 cup of water. Mix well and set aside.

Put chopped garlic and ginger into the container of an electric blender, along with 2 T of water. Blend until you have a smooth paste. Cut chicken into serving portions: divide legs into drumstick and thigh, and quarter the breast. Remove skin from pieces of chicken and pat dry.

Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed 10-12 inch casserole-type pot over medium-high heat. Put in chicken pieces, a few at a time, and brown on all sides. When each batch turns a golden brown, remove with slotted spoon and do the next batch. When all chicken pieces have been done, put the cinnamon, bay leaves, cardamom, cloves and red pepper into the same oil. Stir once. The spices will darken immediately. Now pour in the paste from the blender and add the turmeric. Stir and fry about one minute.

Next, put in the browned chicken pieces, the mixture of tomato sauce, yogurt and water, salt and pepper, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil. Cover, lower heat, and simmer gently for 20-25 minutes, turning chicken pieces a few at a time.

Uncover pot, raise flame to medium, and cook 5-7 minutes or until sauce is reduced to half, turning chicken pieces over gently.

Serve with rice.

Week of May 3, 2009

After a couple weeks of possibly the worst flu ever hitting our entire household, I am back on the menu planning bandwagon and am ready and able to eat real food again. Looking forward to a week of delicious meals again!!

Sunday: Pasta with Shrimp and Broccoli
Monday: Leftovers/Freezer Meal while daddy is out
Tuesday: Fresh Pear and Curry Pasta
Wednesday: Indian-Spiced Braised Chicken
Thursday: Quick Meat Sauce
Friday: Home-made Pizza
Saturday: Cinnamon-Oat Pancakes - a new twist on our regular pancakes

I'm also looking forward to trying out this Blueberry-Almond Granola this week too. It's very similar to the regular recipe that I already use, so hopefully the family will love it.

Indian-spiced Braised Chicken

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, drained
2 T tomato paste
1 T grated ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 t ground coriander
1/4 t cayenne pepper
coarse salt and ground pepper
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 t garam masala
cooked white rice, for serving

In a 5-6 quart slow cooker, stir together chicken, onion, tomatoes, tomato paste, ginger, garlic, coriander, and cayenne pepper; season with salt and pepper.

Cook on high four hours or on low eight hours until fork-tender. Stir in yogurt, cilantro, and garam masala. Serve with rice.

Week of April 5, 2009

The curried lentils from last week were a nice surprise. For a vegetarian meal, it was very filling and completely appropriate for a main course. I served it with Naan bread from Costco, lightly toasted in the oven with olive oil, and a salad. I used dried lentils and home-made tomato sauce, although the recipe called for canned - it seemed perfect so I don't think the swap mattered (and was obviously cheaper and healthier).

I didn't get to the Linguine with Clams and Bacon - the day just got away from me - so I hope to do it next weekend.

Sunday: Spaghetti with Meat Sauce, Caesar Salad
Monday: Chicken with Goat Cheese and Arugula, Snap peas
Tuesday: Basic Omelet
Wednesday: Greek Chicken Cutlets
Thursday: Freezer Meal
Friday: Farfalle with Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese
Saturday: Linguine with Clams and Bacon

Since I am not always the most adept omelet maker, I decided to go back to the basics and follow this simple recipe I found on the Everyday Food web site. We like omelets for a refreshing, light dinner some nights, and it annoys the heck out of me when it turns out runny - or worse, burnt.

I am thinking of going with this Easter Dinner menu for next Sunday. We'll see - not sure I love the idea of the apricot mustard sauce for the ham, I might try something with a simpler flavour. But the potato and leek galette is intriguing me so I'm going to give it a try!!

Also hoping to try these Peanut Butter Granola Bars and see if the kids like them - fun and easy snacks are always on my radar!! They gobbled up the zucchini chocolate chip muffins last week, so I will make more this week. I doubled the zucchini measurement and the boys didn't even blink.

Week of March 15, 2009

Sunday: Leftovers/Cream of Broccoli Soup
Monday: Beth's Roast Chicken
Tuesday: Irish Stew
Wednesday: Chicken Pot Pie
Thursday: Slow Cooker Smoky Beef Tacos
Friday: Home - made pizza
Saturday: Fettuccine with Two Cheeses

After making several batches of Pureed Broccoli Soup, I wanted to try something that was a bit richer in flavour and consistency. I cooked up this cream soup from Martha, and have made it several times. We love it, and I served it at a potluck last night and all the guests (said they) loved it. I've done it twice with cauliflower too, with fabulous results.

Cream of Broccoli Soup
from Martha Stewart's Cooking School: Lessons and Recipes for the Home Chef

5 T unsalted butter
1 medium onion, peeled and diced
1/4 cup plus 1 T all purpose flour
4 cups basic chicken stock
1 head of broccoli
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute (the flour should not take on any colour).

Pour in stock, whisking to incorporate fully, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes, whisking fairly often, to cook out raw flour taste and thicken liquid.

Add broccoli stems and season with salt and pepper. Return to a boil, stirring to combine, then add florets and return to a boil. Reduce heat and gently simmer until tender enough to mash with the back of a spoon, 10 to 20 minutes.

Working in batches (do not fill more than halfway), pour contents of pot into a blender and puree until smooth. Pass soup through a fine sieve into a clean pot, pressing on solids with a flexible spatula to extract as much liquid as possible.

Set pot over low heat and whisk in cream. (Thin with more stock or water, if necessary.) Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately. Serve immediately or cool completely, then refrigerate in an airtight container.

Chicken Pot Pie
adapted from the Best of the Best of Bridge Series

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
salt and pepper to taste
2 T finely chopped onion
3 cups chicken broth
2 carrots, chopped in small pieces
2 celery stalks, chopped in small pieces
2 potatoes, cubed in small pieces
3 cups sliced mushrooms
2 T butter 1/2 cup peas
3 cups cooked and diced chicken
Pastry to cover 3L casserole or frozen puff pastry dough

Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Blend in flour, salt, pepper and onion. Gradually stir in chicken broth. Cook, stirring constantly, until smooth and thickened. Add carrots, celery and potatoes. Cook until fork tender. In a small frying pan, cook the mushrooms in butter. Add mushrooms, peas and chicken to vegetable mixture. Mix well and pour into large casserole dish. Cover with rolled pastry and slash to allow steam to escape. Bake in preheated 400 degree oven for about 45 minutes, or until pastry is golden. If pastry becomes too brown, cover loosely with foil.

Week of February 22, 2009

Last week's Penne with Ricotta and Pine Nuts was simple and more delicious than we expected. A good way to get some extra spinach in as well.

Here is this week's menu:

Sunday: Dinner at MILs
Monday: Mommy's choice (it's only my birthday once a year!)
Tuesday: Pasta with Shrimp and Broccoli
Wednesday: Crock Pot Chili
Thursday: Cayenne-rubbed Chicken with Avocado Salsa
Friday: Smoky Beef Tacos (recipe to be posted in March)
Saturday: Out at party

The Smoky Beef Tacos recipe comes from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food Magazine, and they don't post any of their recipes online until the first of the month (so the March magazine recipes don't go live until March 1st). I will add the link at that time, b/c they look *really* delicious.

Crock Pot CHILI
I got this recipe from my friend Tammi and I thought I'd try it out since I haven't made chili in ages and I couldn't find the recipe I use anywhere. This version seems simple enough that my kids should eat it.

2 cans of kidney beans
1 large onion (chopped)
1 green pepper (chopped)
2 stalks of celery (chopped)
1 lb of ground beef
1 can of sliced mushrooms
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 can of tomato paste
1 1/2 tsp chili powder (or more to taste)
1 1/2 tsp of salt
Pepper and other seasonings to taste

Brown onion, pepper, celery and meat until meat is cooked and veggies are translucent.
Place in crock pot.

Add beans, mushrooms, tomatoes, tomato paste and seasonings.

Cover and simmer 1 1/2 hours. (I will probably put it on low and leave it for most of the day.)

Week of February 15, 2009

This week's menu is not all that exacting because I am going to be using up a lot of things from the freezer as well as making a couple meals from past weeks that I *still* haven't managed to get to.

My husband made a delicious Hungarian goulash for Valentine's Day dinner. He "winged it" it a bit so I will get the recipe and post it when I get a chance. It was delicious and the leftovers were even better.

Sunday: Leftover goulash
Monday: Penne with Ricotta and Pine Nuts
Tuesday: Speedy Lentil and Bean Casserole
Wednesday: Pasta with Sausage and Mushroom Sauce
Thursday: Freezer Meal
Friday: Slow Cooker Chili (will post recipe)
Saturday: Roast Chicken and Roasted Potatoes

Last week's broccoli soup was fantastic. We got a cauliflower in our basket this week, so I may use the same recipe to make cauliflower soup - we are not big cauliflower fans and it seems like a good way to get some lunches for the week.

I also made the Kitchen Sink cookies and they - in all seriousness - are the best cookies I have ever eaten.


I didn't end up making the brownies for Valentine's Day, I made a batch of cupcakes for us to have at home, with leftover icing I had from my preschool cupcakes.

So far saving money is going well. We are using a lot of what we have and looking to our very full freezer for meats and other meals. I am trying to buy things on sale and have cut out foods and drinks that are not necessity. We are not drinking Perrier or Club Soda (favourites of ours), and actually we are mostly just drinking water. I am making cookies and things for the kids, so we are not buying very much of anything that is prepackaged. And, the kicker of course is that we are not buying wine. It just seems like a luxury for a family with no income, so we will save our wine-with-dinner days for the future.

(Yes, we had a bottle for Valentine's day, courtesy of my mother-in-law!)

Week of February 1, 2009

Sunday: Cheddar-Topped Shepherd's Pie
Monday: Leftovers
Tuesday: Artichoke Chicken
Wednesday: Easy Pasta with Vegetables
Thursday: Speedy Lentil & Bean Casserole
Friday: Pasta with Pesto
Saturday: Home-made pizza

I'm not even sure where this recipe comes from . . . but I know I got it from my mother.

Artichoke Chicken

1 can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
3/4 cup mayonnaise (I used a bit less and it seemed to work)
1 clove garlic minced
ground pepper
4 boneless chicken breasts

Preheat your oven to 375. In a medium bowl, mix artichoke, cheese, mayonnaise, garlic and pepper. Place your chicken breasts in a greased baking dish. Cover evenly with the artichoke mixture. Bake, uncovered, for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.

I was going through an old recipe book over the weekend, and I found this recipe that was my friend Kristen's when we were in university together. She was my only friend who could "cook"!

Speedy Lentil & Bean Casserole

1 T olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 (19 oz) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (19 oz) can lentils, drained and rinsed
1 (19 oz) can tomatoes, drained
1/2 t rosemary
1/2 t thyme
ground pepper
1 1/2 cups cheddar or mozzarella cheese, shredded

Heat oil over medium heat. Cook onion and celery until onion is softened. Add beans, lentils, tomatoes, rosemary and pepper to taste. Stir and break up tomatoes with back of spoon. Bring to simmer. Transfer to a baking dish, sprinkle with shredded cheese. Broil until cheese is melted.

Week of January 4, 2009

The holidays were a whirlwind around here, full of good meals, tasty drinks and appetizers and decadent deserts. The past few weeks are almost a blur of excitement and festivities, but it's always good to start a fresh page and begin a new year. Menu planning in 2008 was a miracle for me, it changed the way I cook, buy groceries, and plan my day. Planning online here at A Crafty Mom Eats seemed more "permanent" than when I used to scribble in meal plans on my fridge calendar. And I love the ease at which I can go back and see what we ate for a particular week, or to quickly pull up a recipe I know the whole family enjoyed. I will definitely be continuing in 2009!

Sunday: Last of the leftovers
Monday: Quick Meat Sauce
Tuesday: Roasted Vegetables and Soup from freezer
Wednesday: Pierogies and Vegetables
Thursday: Cayenne-rubbed Chicken with Avocado Salsa
Friday: Tortilla Soup with Black Beans
Saturday: Roast Chicken

Although we were away for Christmas and I didn't do a lot of holiday cooking, I did manage to try a few new recipes.

I made Slow Cooker Butter Chicken for New Year's Eve dinner and I thought it was absolutely delicious! My husband, on the other hand, was not a huge fan as he felt it wasn't "buttery" enough. I suppose you could add far more butter than the recipe calls for (1/4 cup) but I truly felt like the mix of other spices and flavours were enough to make this chicken dish a real winner. Easy, and way cheaper than our favourite Indian take-out.

I also made Braised Chicken with White Wine, Tomatoes and Peas one cold, frosty night just for my husband and I. It was nice and a refreshing change from some of the heartier meals we've been eating lately. I thought the tomatoes made for a nice sweet taste, and we liked this dish far more than I had anticipated. It also met the EASY and SIMPLE criteria, so I'll definitely be making it again.

Week of November 30, 2008

I did make it through last week without spending any extra money. And now that I purchased Quicken and am tracking my groceries more carefully, I'm hoping to be able to save more and more money each week.

I'm on the look out for a really good recipe for baked spaghetti. I have one I make but it's plain and boring - noodles, tomato sauce from can, cheese - and bake it. If you know of a really tasty - but easy - recipe, please let me know! I found the link below and will try it mostly because it is really cost-effective and I wanted something with no ground beef.

Last week's Warm Spinach Salad with Bacon, Tomatoes and Pecans (which I found completely by accident) was possibly the best salad my husband and I have ever eaten. We are not huge salad eaters and this was just amazing - seriously the tastiest salad I've EVER had. He's begged me to make it again. Not exactly low-fat with the bacon, but full of spinach and the flavours are truly perfect.

The Grilled Salmon with Citrus Sauce was also a surprising big hit. I'm not always an expert at cooking salmon from the freezer - obviously I would have preferred it fresh - and this worked out very well. The sauce was light, tangy and just subtle enough not to be overpowering.

My parents are coming to visit next weekend from Nova Scotia, so I'm planning to do another roast chicken on Friday for my dad's birthday. Hope I can impress him.

Sunday: Sausage and Bean Casserole
Monday: Potato Leek Soup
Tuesday: Lemon Chicken from Rox
Wednesday: Baked Spaghetti
Thursday: Turkey Soup with fresh bread (freezer)
Friday: Roast Chicken, potatoes, vegatables
Saturday: Out to dinner with my parents!

I got this recipe from my friend Rox, who says it's very kid-friendly and her son liked it!

Lemon Chicken

Zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 T honey
A little soya sauce
A little grated ginger
3/4 cup chicken broth (or more to make the sauce less zingy)
generous tsp of cornstarch

Pound out the chicken breasts and add salt and pepper and lightly cornstarch both sides.
Heat a little EVOO and butter in a non-stick pan, when quite hot cook chicken. Brown chicken on both sides, put on plate. Remove hot pan from heat, add lemon slurry - whisk quickly and then pour over chicken. She also added that she might try adding some garlic before the slurry, maybe fresh parsley or some toasted almonds.

You can tell from her description that she is a real cook, and not someone just learning like me. I stumbled upon an episode of Jon&Kate+8 last night and Kate was telling Jon he was "not a real cook because a real cook doesn't measure the ingredients". That is SO me! I measure everything and follow my recipes like they're scripture. I am a long, long way from having a real knack for foods and ingredients, so for now I will continue to happily follow others' delicious recipes.

Week of October 26, 2008

When planning a menu for the upcoming week, one should always include all seven days. Last week I omitted Wednesday. Whoops. I couldn't believe it when I checked my computer for Wednesday's dinner and found it blank.

Last week's chicken chili tacos were EASY and delicious. Thing 2 gobbled them up, and Thing 1 picked at his a bit. They were great and we had lots of leftovers for dinner (on Wednesday) and a couple lunches. The baked ziti was also very good - and very filling. I made so much I froze enough for at least two more dinners. Everyone ate it so I think I'll be making it again. I think I overdid it on the ground beef and went too easy on the cheese - it didn't have enough tang for my liking, so I'll play with it and adjust it a bit next time.

I'm trying a couple of Beth's recipes this week that I've had my eye on for a while - both are pasta with sausage in them, but it just so happens that I have a ton of sausage I need to use up so I'm going to do both in the same week anyway.

Sunday: Quick Meat Sauce and pasta, salad and garlic bread, birthday cake!
Monday: Leftovers or dinner from freezer/turkey soup
Tuesday: Dinner out for David's birthday
Wednesday: Pasta with Sausage and Mushroom Sauce
Thursday: Chicken with Goat Cheese and Arugula
Friday: Cheddar-Topped Shepherd's Pie
Saturday: Pizza

I'm anxious to try the shepherd's pie because although I have been making shepherd's pie for years, I have yet to perfect my recipe or find one that I am truly in love with . . . I'm holding out for Martha so we'll see what she comes up with. The picture in my EveryDay Food Magazine was divine.

Week of October 19, 2008

You may notice I *missed* my Menu Plan Monday entry for last week. Thanksgiving being on Monday and having a houseful of guests sort of threw me for a loop. So no meal plans last week, but I had tremendous success cooking a delicious turkey soup from the 22 pound turkey I had cooked.
With a turkey carcass that large, I made A LOT OF soup. The stock came out so rich and flavourful, I simmered it for most of a day, then drained it all and added veggies, spices and lots of shredded turkey. We will be eating this for months to come!!! I threw in some potatoes this year to make it a little extra filling, and they added the perfect touch.

All the meals I made for our guests seemed to be a hit. The Mexican Style Slow Cooker Chicken was easy and doubling the recipe easily fed 12-15 people plus lots of leftovers. The turkey and stuffing were amazing too, and my husband's cousin Anne did basically all of the side dishes. We were a good team and we fed about 17 people . . . who all left satisfied and pretty darn full.

Here's my menu this week:

Sunday: Slow-Cooker Pot Roast
Monday: Meal from the freezer (we have quite a few from last weekend!)
Tuesday: Slow-Cooker Chili Chicken Tacos
Thursday: Cayenne-Rubbed Chicken with Avocado Salsa
Friday: Baked Ziti
Saturday: Pizza or take-out

Baked Ziti
I got this recipe from my mother

1 pound dry ziti pasta
1 onion, chopped
1 pound lean ground beef
2 jars spaghetti sauce (or we use home-made)
6 ounces provolone cheese, sliced
1 1/2 cups sour cream
6 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 T Parmesan cheese

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti pasta, and cook until al dente. Drain.

2. In a large skillet, brown onion and ground beef over medium heat. Add spaghetti sauce, simmer 15 minutes.

3. Preheat oven to 350. Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish. Layer as follows: 1/2 of the ziti, provolone cheese, sour cream, 1/2 sauce mixture, remaining ziti, mozzarella cheese and then remaining sauce mixture. Top with grated Parmesan cheese.

4. Bake for 30 minutes in the oven, or until cheese melts.

Week of October 5, 2008

Last week's Hurried Goulash was well-liked at our house. My husband said it was one of his new favourites and that I could make it "any time" for him.

This week is a little crazy for me, as we have family arriving for the long weekend. Not only is it Canadian Thanksgiving, but we are getting Thing 3 baptized next Sunday (along with her cousin) and will have loads of family visiting, needing to be fed. I'm hosting dinner on Friday at my house, so I wanted to try an easy slow-cooker meal that I could make with few problems and that would feed a large group. My sister-in-law is vegetarian, so I need to come up with something that I can also make for her at the same time. Any suggestions?

I'm also doing the Thanksgiving turkey for Sunday, and I made this exact recipe last year and it turned out amazing.

Monday: Leftovers from freezer
Tuesday: Spaghetti
Wednesday: Quesadillas
Thursday: Something easy like pizza before family arrives tomorrow
Friday: Mexican Style Slow Cooker Chicken
Saturday: Indian Food
Sunday: Roast Turkey
Stuffing

Week of September 28, 2008

I'm proud to say we had some success with our menu last week! I was on the ball for once and actually made everything. The Sour Cream Noodle Bake was delicious - we all gobbled it up (except for Thing 1, who literally eats nothing most nights . . . he is our uber-picky child). It was not hard to make and I doubled the recipe, which afforded me the luxury of putting several containers of it in my freezer. We will definitely be having this again.

The Spicy Chickpeas and Beef were another hit - delicious and simple. If I make it again (which I will) I may double up on the spices since the husband and I are real lovers of hot, spicy food. I served it with warm pita bread because it was mentioned on the blog I got the recipe from - and was all I had lying around that day. When we have some of the freezer stash, I'll likely try it over rice or something like that. Not being an expert meal planner yet, I probably wouldn't plan two heavy ground beef meals in the same week again. But a good and tasty learning experience, nonetheless.

My downside this week was that the weather was unseasonable warm and sunny. I pick up Thing 1 from the school bus every afternoon at 3:15, then we have a quick snack and drink and we head to the park across the street at about 3:45. We often stay until 5:15 or so, because the other neighbourhood kids are also there after school and Thing 1 and Thing 2 have really taken to playing with them. Plus, there is always some young girl there who falls in love with Thing 3 and insists on pushing her in the swing for most of the afternoon. OK by me, I get to relax and potentially chat with another grown up human. The problem lies in the fact that when I get home so late, it's hard to throw together dinner. I've been good about making it early in the morning, or when Thing 1 is at school, but I found this week I was tired and out of time most days, so side dishes were non-existent. No side dishes usually meant little or no veggies. Ugggh. That is not good news. One of my short term goals is to find quick and easy recipes for veggies and salads that all four of us will like.

The Chicken with Goat Cheese and Arugula was so easy and tasty that we're having it again this week. Mostly because I received arugula in my organic delivery basket on Friday, so I want to use it up and we loved this last week. We also received what I assume might be one of the last rounds of fresh, local corn, so we need to use this up too.

Sunday: Corn on the Cob, Crispy Mashed Potato Pancakes (we received a lot of potatoes this week, too, so I may give these pancakes a try to zest up our usual potato fare)
Monday: Chicken with Goat Cheese and Arugula
Tuesday: Savoury Waffles
Wednesday: Eggplant Con Queso
Thursday: Hurried Goulash with Egg Noodles
Friday: Spaghetti with meat sauce (from our freezer)
Saturday: Take-out or pizza