We had some things come up last week and ended up skipping some of our original dinner plans - that's why there's a little overlap between last week and this week.
Michelle sent me a new cookbook for my birthday. I'm loving it, and will include some ideas from it here - although I can't really publish the recipes since they're copyrighted. If I end up making any adaptations, I'll post them that way. Thanks Michelle!
Sunday: Roast Beef + Yorkshire Pudding, potatoes, brussel sprouts
Monday: Sweet Chicken and Rice
Tuesday: Chicken with angel hair pasta, alfredo sauce and vegetables
Wednesday: BBQ Ribs
Thursday: Roast Beef Pitas
Friday: Steak Sandwiches
Saturday: Fried Chicken
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Baked Chimichangas
This is so easy to double or triple and make for a crowd!
*2-3 cups Shredded Chicken
1/2 jar Salsa
1 can Refried Beans
2 cups Shredded Cheese
**Tortillas
Combine chicken, salsa, beans and cheese in a pan over medium-low heat until well combined. Fill tortillas and bake 20 minutes.
*To make this even faster and easier, use a cooked rotisserie chicken.
**I like to use the uncooked tortillas (from Costco) - cook them before filling, although they work well with any type of flour tortilla.
You could also make these "enchilada style" by topping with enchilada sauce and more cheese before baking.
*2-3 cups Shredded Chicken
1/2 jar Salsa
1 can Refried Beans
2 cups Shredded Cheese
**Tortillas
Combine chicken, salsa, beans and cheese in a pan over medium-low heat until well combined. Fill tortillas and bake 20 minutes.
*To make this even faster and easier, use a cooked rotisserie chicken.
**I like to use the uncooked tortillas (from Costco) - cook them before filling, although they work well with any type of flour tortilla.
You could also make these "enchilada style" by topping with enchilada sauce and more cheese before baking.
Sweet Chicken
I've seen variations of this recipe from a few different sources. You can make it in into a more Asian-type of dinner by adding stir-fry vegetables or pineapple chunks.
4 Chicken Breasts, cubed
1/2 bottle Russian or Catalina Salad Dressing
1/2 jar apricot or apricot/pineapple jam
Salt & Pepper
Sautee chicken in a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Mix dressing and jam together and stir into pan, heating until the sauce breaks down and becomes a little lighter. Serve over rice and with your choice of steamed or sauteed vegetables.
4 Chicken Breasts, cubed
1/2 bottle Russian or Catalina Salad Dressing
1/2 jar apricot or apricot/pineapple jam
Salt & Pepper
Sautee chicken in a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Mix dressing and jam together and stir into pan, heating until the sauce breaks down and becomes a little lighter. Serve over rice and with your choice of steamed or sauteed vegetables.
Saucy Baked Chicken
This is what you do when, despite all you best intentions, you only have five minutes to prepare. It makes a decent enough Sunday dinner and it's one of those time-tested recipes (most of you have probably done this exact thing, or variations of it).
Chicken breasts (I used four, and they were frozen)
1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 Cup Sour Cream
Salt & Pepper
Combine soup, sour cream and salt & pepper. Place chicken in oven-safe dish, cover with sauce and tightly cover dish with foil or a lid. Bake until chicken is done. The sauce is great over baked potatoes or other vegetables.
Chicken breasts (I used four, and they were frozen)
1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 Cup Sour Cream
Salt & Pepper
Combine soup, sour cream and salt & pepper. Place chicken in oven-safe dish, cover with sauce and tightly cover dish with foil or a lid. Bake until chicken is done. The sauce is great over baked potatoes or other vegetables.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Homemade Bread
**My name is Jessica, and I’m Laurie’s sister-in-law (I'm married to her brother Dave). She has kindly invited me to contribute to her blog, so I’ll be posting recipes and tips from time to time.**
I love weekends! Saturdays are great, especially when I get to spend some time in the kitchen. Yes, you read that right. I was actually quite happy to spend most of today in the kitchen. I love to cook, but weeknights tend to get a little hectic sometimes. So…I do most of my planning and prep work during the weekend. For me, the hour or two I spend in the kitchen on Saturday is time well-spent when Monday rolls around -- and dinner goes more smoothly throughout the week.
One of the things I made today was homemade bread. I have searched high and low for a good homemade bread recipe, and this one has consistently been the best, by far. It’s a definite favorite at our house.
Because the recipe makes three loaves, I usually make two loaves of bread (baking one and freezing the other) and then make a batch of cinnamon rolls or breadsticks to freeze for another day.
I found this recipe at www.allrecipes.com and you can find the specific recipe here. My notes are in red. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
3 cups warm water (approximately 110 degrees)
3 tablespoons active dry yeast
3 teaspoons salt
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup white sugar
8 cups bread flour (You can use bread flour or all-purpose, I've used both.)
2 tablespoons dough enhancer (optional)
Directions:
1. In a large bowl, combine warm water, yeast, salt, oil, sugar, and 4 cups flour. Mix thoroughly, and let sponge rise until doubled in size. (Make sure you mix the dough well so that it has a smooth consistency. Then let it rise for at least 20 minutes. )
2. Gradually add about 4 cups flour, kneading until smooth. Place dough in a greased bowl, and turn several times to coat. Cover with a damp cloth. Allow to rise until doubled.
3. Punch down the dough; let it rest a few minutes. Divide dough into three equal parts. Shape into loaves, and place in three 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch greased bread pans. Let rise until almost doubled.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes. The loaves may need to be covered for the last few minutes with foil to prevent excess browning. (This bread does brown very quickly, so I would recommend covering it with foil for about the last 10 minutes of baking.)
I love weekends! Saturdays are great, especially when I get to spend some time in the kitchen. Yes, you read that right. I was actually quite happy to spend most of today in the kitchen. I love to cook, but weeknights tend to get a little hectic sometimes. So…I do most of my planning and prep work during the weekend. For me, the hour or two I spend in the kitchen on Saturday is time well-spent when Monday rolls around -- and dinner goes more smoothly throughout the week.
One of the things I made today was homemade bread. I have searched high and low for a good homemade bread recipe, and this one has consistently been the best, by far. It’s a definite favorite at our house.
Because the recipe makes three loaves, I usually make two loaves of bread (baking one and freezing the other) and then make a batch of cinnamon rolls or breadsticks to freeze for another day.
I found this recipe at www.allrecipes.com and you can find the specific recipe here. My notes are in red. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
3 cups warm water (approximately 110 degrees)
3 tablespoons active dry yeast
3 teaspoons salt
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup white sugar
8 cups bread flour (You can use bread flour or all-purpose, I've used both.)
2 tablespoons dough enhancer (optional)
Directions:
1. In a large bowl, combine warm water, yeast, salt, oil, sugar, and 4 cups flour. Mix thoroughly, and let sponge rise until doubled in size. (Make sure you mix the dough well so that it has a smooth consistency. Then let it rise for at least 20 minutes. )
2. Gradually add about 4 cups flour, kneading until smooth. Place dough in a greased bowl, and turn several times to coat. Cover with a damp cloth. Allow to rise until doubled.
3. Punch down the dough; let it rest a few minutes. Divide dough into three equal parts. Shape into loaves, and place in three 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch greased bread pans. Let rise until almost doubled.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes. The loaves may need to be covered for the last few minutes with foil to prevent excess browning. (This bread does brown very quickly, so I would recommend covering it with foil for about the last 10 minutes of baking.)
Friday, August 22, 2008
Weekly Menu August 24-30
This is a short week of menus. Last week we ended up going to a barbeque one night, so I still have all the ingredients for an extra meal this week. And hopefully we'll go out this Friday night to celebrate someone's birthday!
Sunday: Baked Chicken and Potatoes
Monday: Sweet Chicken and Rice
Tuesday: Steak Sandwiches
Wednesday: Baked Chimichangas
Thursday: Chicken with angel hair pasta, alfredo sauce and vegetables
Sunday: Baked Chicken and Potatoes
Monday: Sweet Chicken and Rice
Tuesday: Steak Sandwiches
Wednesday: Baked Chimichangas
Thursday: Chicken with angel hair pasta, alfredo sauce and vegetables
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Fresh Mex
A lot of people refer to this as Cafe Rio style, but I like to call it Fresh Mex. All the recipes are below. You can prepare everything in advance, so it's easy for big get-togethers or just a regular night at home. Serve it in tortillas or as a salad.
Spicy Shredded Chicken
6-7 Chicken breasts (thawed or frozen)
2 cans Rotel brand diced tomatoes with green chilis
1 tsp Pepper
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Chili Powder
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
1 dash Tobasco sauce
Juice from one Lime
Place all ingredients, except lime juice, into slow cooker. Cook on low all day. Shread chicken and place back in pot to absorb juices. Squeeze lime juice in just before serving.
Creamy Tomatillo Dressing
1 Package Ranch Dressing mix
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup buttermilk (or 1 cup plain milk + 1 Tbs vinegar)
1 small can diced green chilis
1/2 avacado or 1/2 bunch of cilantro
1/2 can Tomatillos or 4 fresh Tomatillos
Dash of Cayenne Pepper
Blend well and keep chilled. Best if made early in the day with plenty of time to stand in fridge before serving.
Lime Cilantro Rice
2 cups Rice
2-3 cloves Garlic
1/2 bunch Cilantro
Juice of 2 Limes
Finely chop garlic and cilantro. Heat 2 Tbs. oil in large skillet. Add rice, garlic and cilantro and saute 3-5 minutes. Add 4 cups of water and lime juice. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender. Fluff with fork before serving.
Fresh Salsa
Roma tomatoes
Cilantro
Green onions
Jalapeno Pepper
Salt and Pepper
Finely chop tomatoes, cilantro and onions. Season with salt and pepper.
Spicy Shredded Chicken
6-7 Chicken breasts (thawed or frozen)
2 cans Rotel brand diced tomatoes with green chilis
1 tsp Pepper
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Chili Powder
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
1 dash Tobasco sauce
Juice from one Lime
Place all ingredients, except lime juice, into slow cooker. Cook on low all day. Shread chicken and place back in pot to absorb juices. Squeeze lime juice in just before serving.
Creamy Tomatillo Dressing
1 Package Ranch Dressing mix
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup buttermilk (or 1 cup plain milk + 1 Tbs vinegar)
1 small can diced green chilis
1/2 avacado or 1/2 bunch of cilantro
1/2 can Tomatillos or 4 fresh Tomatillos
Dash of Cayenne Pepper
Blend well and keep chilled. Best if made early in the day with plenty of time to stand in fridge before serving.
Lime Cilantro Rice
2 cups Rice
2-3 cloves Garlic
1/2 bunch Cilantro
Juice of 2 Limes
Finely chop garlic and cilantro. Heat 2 Tbs. oil in large skillet. Add rice, garlic and cilantro and saute 3-5 minutes. Add 4 cups of water and lime juice. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender. Fluff with fork before serving.
Fresh Salsa
Roma tomatoes
Cilantro
Green onions
Jalapeno Pepper
Salt and Pepper
Finely chop tomatoes, cilantro and onions. Season with salt and pepper.
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