Menu #32

I made these yummy cheddar-scallion biscuits yesterday to go with split pea soup for my PC menu.  The house smelled scrumptious while they were baking!  I don’t have step-by-step pics because I was multi-tasking 5 other things at that particular time, but I do have the ending result photo along with the recipe.  J

Cheddar-Scallion Biscuits

2 1/4 C flour

2 1/2 t baking powder

2 t sugar

3/4 t baking soda

1 t salt

6 T unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (keep cold)

6 oz Cheddar, shredded

3 scallions, chopped

1 cup buttermilk (shake well before pouring)

Preheat oven to 450.  Whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar, baking soda, & salt in a bowl.  Then blend in butter with pastry blender (if you don’t have a pastry blender you can use your fingers but work quick so you don’t melt the butter). Stir in Cheddar and scallions. Add buttermilk and stir until just combined.  Drop dough in 12 equal mounds onto a parchment-lined baking sheet (if you don’t have parchment use a buttered baking sheet). Bake until golden, about 20 minutes.

Now on to this week’s menu! 

Tuesday:  Leftovers

It’s a buffet dinner of this past week’s dinners:  rice tacos, roasted chicken w/ carrots & potatoes, and baked spaghetti squash.

Wedensday:  Butternut Squash Soup w/ apple-cheddar Panini on whole-grain bread

This is one of my all-time favorite soups.  It’s sweet yet savory and just so comforting.  I'm going to dedicate a post to this soup very soon!  :-)  

Thursday:  Shrimp Fajitas w/ green rice & black beans

Bell peppers are on sale for a great price this week, so fajitas were the first thing that popped into my mind!  I’m going to serve them with Greek yogurt, scallions, avocado, & cheese.

Friday:  Dinner Out

Girls night out for me…yay!  We are heading for sushi & “This is 40!”  My 2 men are having a night out on the town themselves for “Hotel Transylvania” & pizza! J

Saturday:  Salmon or Fish w/ Brussels sprouts & potatoes

I’m not really sure what we’re doing on this day except for the above details.  I also found Brussels sprouts for a great price this week, so I want to do something cool & new with them.  I’m thinking about trying a Brussels sprouts-potato-bacon dish…I’ll let you know how it turns out.  J 

Sunday:  Slow-Cooker Steak Sandwiches w/ sauteed peppers & onions and oven fries

I use a 2 to 2-1/2-lb rump roast for this recipe.  I generously season it with S&P and then sometimes I sear it and sometimes I just set it in the slow cooker raw with all the ingredients on top…depends on how much time I have on my hands.  I then mix together 12 oz of beef broth & 6 oz beer (whatever you have on hand) with dried Italian seasoning, dried onions, & dried garlic, and a tiny bit of sugar and dump it on top of the beef.  Cook on low for 8-10 hours. 

Monday:  Leftovers

Calabacitas (Mexican-Style Squash)

I make this side dish quite often with Mexican food.  I use whatever kind of onion, pepper, or cheese I have in the fridge.  This particular time I had a red onion, jalapeno, and Monterey Jack.  I also don't usually use as much cheese as I did last night, but Xavier thought he'd help out with dinner and added the cheese for me.  He was obviously a bit heavy handed with it. . .he doesn't even like melted cheese either!

Calabacitas 

2 T Canola oil

1/2 onion, sliced

1/2 jalapeno, sliced

1 zucchini, cut into bite-size chunks

1 yellow squash, cut into bite-size chunks
S&P, to taste

1 garlic clove, sliced

1/2 C frozen corn

2 T cilantro, finely chopped

1/2 C Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

Heat oil in a pan over medium-high heat.  Add onion & pepper and cook until translucent.  Add zucchini & yellow squash season with s&p to taste, and cook about 5 min.  Add garlic and cook about 2 minutes more.  

Turn off the heat and add corn and cilantro and mix well.  

Taste for seasonings.  Add cheese and cover to allow to melt.

Menu #31

Happy 2013!!! 

It’s been a whirlwind holiday season and we enjoyed every bit of it!  We stayed in our friends’ cabin in Green Valley Lake before heading to see our families for Christmas.  Xavier was begging for lots of snow and that’s exactly what he got!  He made dozens of snow angels, and we sledded every day and made our adorable snowman, Frosty.  Christmas Eve was at my in-laws, and my Sicilian mom-in-law makes pasta with red sauce & meatballs every year…yummy!   She also makes my favorite cookie every year…gingersnaps!  Christmas Day was at my mom’s and traditionally she makes tamales but this year she decided to mix things up and make Chili Colorado (pork with red chili), which was ridiculously good, along with beans, rice, and tortillas.  New Year’s Eve was an absolute blast with our friends at Pechanga Casino’s Club Silk also.  Needless to say, it’s time to get to New Year’s resolutions!

With all the great food and tasty cocktails of the holidays, my first resolution every year is to get healthy with the eating and slow down on the alcohol.  We also decided to join a gym, because although I was running/walking outside, it just isn’t the best exercise for our joints (yes, we are getting old!).  We also took advice from our good friend and decided to take more time out for each other without the little rug rat in tow.  Although he’s great fun to have around, we have resolved on more date nights!  Also on advice from a good friend, I’ve resolved to post more step-by-step recipes.  J 

I’ve decided to post my weekly menus on Tuesdays now since it’s the day that I do my grocery shopping anyway, and here it is. . .

Tuesday:  Chipotle-Orange Chicken Tacos w/ calabacitas & quinoa and black beans

I have a slow-cooker pork taco recipe that I subbed chicken for and it turned out great.  I juiced 2 oranges into the bottom of the slow cooker, seasoned 2.5# chicken breasts with cumin, garlic & onion powders, dried oregano, S&P and placed them in the crock-pot, and then added 3 minced chipotles, 1/4 cup of adobo sauce, and 3 crushed garlic cloves.  It cooks on low for 8 hours and then you shred it…voila Chipotle-Orange Chicken Tacos!

Calabacitas is a Mexican squash dish with zucchini, yellow squash, onion, peppers, tomatoes, corn, and cheese.  It’s definitely one of my very favorite side dishes.  I’ll do a step-by-step of this and post tomorrow.  I have the quinoa & black beans leftover from last week. 

Wednesday:  Baked Spaghetti Squash w/ salad & balsamic vinaigrette

For this spaghetti squash recipe, I mix the squash with cottage cheese, mozzarella, spinach, garlic, and an egg.  I’m going to post this as a step-by-step.

Thursday:  Roast Chicken w/ carrots & potatoes

I’ve used the same Julia Child roast chicken recipe for years and it is my absolute favorite.  I’ll really try to do this as a step-by-step! J

Friday:  Curry Chicken Salad in whole wheat pitas w/ whole-wheat couscous-garbanzo bean salad

I’m using the leftover roast chicken to make the salad.  The dressing is Greek yogurt flavored with curry, turmeric, S&P.  I add scallions, shredded carrot, raisins, and cashews also.  I think this is probably Laddie’s favorite chicken salad.

Saturday:  Grilled Turkey Dogs w/ vegetarian chili & leftover couscous salad

Sunday:  Baked Parmesan Fish w/ oven fries & salad

Monday:  Lion’s Head Meatballs w/ whole-wheat noodles & stir fry broccoli

Lion’s Head Meatballs are Asian-flavored meatballs made from lean beef or pork.  They have garlic, ginger, scallions, sesame oil, and soy sauce.  They simmer in a coconut curry sauce and you serve them over spaghetti noodles.  I love this dish!

For the broccoli, I just stir fry garlic, ginger, scallions, red pepper flakes, and broccoli together and season with sesame oil and Bragg’s amino acids.  It’s quick, healthy, and delicious!

Happy Holidays!

I am on Christmas Vacation & will return after the holidays. . .

Menu #30

Chicken Pot Pie

I’m a day late posting because we were out of town for my grandfather’s funeral.  This is from my real father’s side of the family who I don’t see very often but I do have very happy childhood memories of him, and those are the memories I will keep forever.  He was a good man and he lived a long happy life surrounded by friends and family.

Above is a pic of last night's chicken pot pie, which was absolutely scrumptious...I'll post the recipe tomorrow!  This week’s menu is basically made up of everything I didn’t get to last week since we left in the middle of the week, and here it is. . .

Monday:  Chicken Pot Pie & green salad

Tuesday:  Slow Cooker Pork Roast w/ tomatoes & mushrooms over whole-wheat egg noodles

I started the roast this morning before taking X-man to school, and it was super quick & easy.  It was just a bunch of mushrooms chopped in half along with onion wedges, crushed tomatoes, thyme, sun-dried tomatoes, and a pork loin roast thrown into the slow cooker.  I’ll post a pic of the outcome tomorrow along with the recipe.

Wednesday:  Leftovers

Thursday:  Teriyaki Chicken Bowls w/ broccoli, bell peppers & brown rice

Friday:  Grilled Salmon w/ quinoa & black beans and green salad

Hubby is doing dinner on this evening because I have a full afternoon involving children & Christmas cookies.  Xavier is hosting a Holiday Playdate for some friends we don’t see as often as we’d like because of all of our busy schedules.  The menu is potluck style to which I’m contributing mini sandwiches (turkey, brie, & cranberry relish for mamas and turkey & American cheese for the kiddos), a veg platter, and Christmas cookies for decorating!  We are making cute little reindeer cookies that have chocolate-covered pretzels as antlers…so cute.  I’ll definitely post pics!  J 

Saturday:  Hanging w/ the Stanfords!

We are enjoying holiday festivities at the San Diego Zoo with my best friend, Janna, and her hubby!  After the zoo we are joining them at their house for a fun Holiday Happy Hour of yummy drinks & appetizers.  J 

Sunday:  Chicken Stew w/ crusty bread

We are also enjoying a super fun morning at our friends, the Browns, for their annual Breakfast with Santa!  I love fun holiday festivities!!!  J

Butternut Squash Mac n Cheese

Butternut Squash Mac n Cheese

1 lb whole-wheat macaroni, cooked

1/2 roasted butternut squash, pureed (directions below)

2 T extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 yellow onion, small diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 T butter

3 T whole-wheat flour

1 C chicken stock

1-1/2 C milk

S&P, to taste

Pinch nutmeg

1/2 C parmesan cheese, grated

2 C sharp cheddar cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 450F.

Split the squash down the middle and scrape out the seeds.  Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt, and roast in a oven for about 45 mins. 

When you can easily pierce the squash with a fork, it’s ready.  Set it aside and allow it to cool. 

Once it’s cooled, scrape the squash out into a bowl and puree it with an immersion blender (use a regular blender if you don’t have an immersion blender or you could even use frozen pureed squash).  Set aside the puree until ready for use. (You'll only need 1/2 the puree for this recipe, so just freeze the rest for later use)

Heat the oil in a large pan over med-high heat.  Saute the onions until caramelized, about 10 minutes.  Add the garlic until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Add the butter and allow to melt.  Once melted, add the flour and cook a couple minutes.  Add the stock and milk using a whisk and mix well.  Season with S&P, and nutmeg and cook 3-4 more minutes. Stir in the squash puree and mix well.  Once it starts to bubble take it off the heat and add the parmesan cheese along with 1-1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese.  Once the cheeses have melted, stir in the macaroni. 

Pour macaroni into a casserole dish & top with remaining 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese.  Bake for 15 minutes.

Menu #29

See those photos above?  Those are snapshots of my biggest addiction right now!  These are the Salted Caramel Cookies from Great Harvest Bread Co in Temecula.  Everything they make at the Great Harvest Bread Co is superb, but this cookie is just ridiculous!  It’s chewy, gooey, salty, and sweet with little jewels of caramel and dusted with sea salt.  It’s a wickedly sweet treat!

Now on to the weekly menu. . .

Monday:  Spicy BBQ wings w/ jalapeno poppers & veg salad

Laddie is in control of dinner tonight since I was busy with the private chef menu.  Since it’s Monday Night Football, he went with bar food but added salad so I wouldn’t complain.  ;)

Tuesday:  Leftovers

I had some excess food from the private chef menu including ham bone soup and chicken sausage & pepper pasta, so it will be a buffet dinner. 

Wednesday:  Vegetable Lasagna w/ green salad & garlic-cheese bread

Thursday:  Dinner Out
This is the evening of the Christmas Tree lighting at Temecula Duck Pond, so it's dinner out before we head to the ceremonies.  :)

Friday:  Picnic Dinner--Chicken Pitas w/ tzatziki sauce & couscous salad

This is the night of the Temecula Christmas Parade and we are going to have a picnic dinner while we wait for the parade to start.

I’m going to marinate chicken tenders in lemon juice, garlic, & oregano and then grill them.  The chicken will be served in whole-wheat pitas with tzatziki sauce, which is a cucumber yogurt sauce seasoned with cumin.  Served on the side will be a whole-wheat couscous salad containing cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, feta, and garbanzo beans dressed in a lemon-olive oil vinaigrette. 

Saturday:  Leftovers

I’m teaching a cooking class on this day, so it’s leftovers for the guys and an array of side dishes for me.  The class is based on side dishes and I haven’t entirely decided on that menu yet.  I have decided on a quinoa salad and a 3-bean salad, but I can’t make up my mind on veg sides because there are just so many!  I’m going to scan the web tomorrow in hopes of inspiration. 

Sunday:  Slow Cooker Pork Loin Roast w/ tomato-mushroom sauce over whole-wheat egg noodles

I found this recipe while I was browsing through one of my favorite slow cooker recipe books, Not Your Mother’s Slow Cooker Cookbook.  This will be my first time trying it but I have a good feeling about it.  I’ll post the outcome later.