Menu #66

Do you know that when Xavier started Kindergarten I thought to myself, “Wow, all the free time I’ll have!”  Silly me!  With all the fall activities lately, I haven’t had a chance to make a real menu, much less post one.  There was a ton to do for the school’s Fall Festival the last couple weeks,  but I did go shopping for fresh fruits and vegetables and kind of just threw things together with what I had in the pantry and freezer.  Then I went straight to getting everything in order for our Red Ribbon Week, which kicked off this morning. 

Even with all the hustle and bustle, I’ve managed to get dinner on the table every night (except weekend nights…that’s my time off!).  The key has been simplicity.  I’ve been making very quick dinners and have been using the slow-cooker constantly.   

Above is a super delish butternut squash-red pepper soup I made last week that everyone loved.  I roasted the butternut squash in the morning while we were getting ready for school, which saved a lot of time in the evening.  Here’s the recipe. . .

Creamy Butternut-Red Pepper Soup

3 T grape seed oil

1 butternut squash

S&P, to taste

2 red bell peppers, chopped

1 red onion, chopped

2 large carrots, chopped

4 cups chicken broth

1 C heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Split the squash in half, remove the seeds, drizzle with 1 T grape seed oil, season with salt, and roast for about 45 minutes.  Remove from the oven and let cool.

Heat 2 T grape seed oil in a large pot over medium-high heat, add the bell peppers, onion, and carrot, and season with salt & pepper.   Cook the vegs until starting to caramelize, about 10 minutes.  

Scoop the butternut squash pulp into the pot and stir. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, partially cover the pot, and simmer until the vegetables are very tender, about 20-30 minutes.  Remove from the heat and using an immersion blender, puree the soup until very smooth, add cream, and taste for seasoning. 

I served ours with a crumbled bacon garnish and garlic wheat toast. 

This week’s menu. . .

Monday:  Slow-Cooker BBQ Chicken Sliders/slow-cooker BBQ potatoes/broccoli salad

I sliced 4 small red potatoes and added them to the slow cooker.  I then seasoned 2 very large chicken breasts with BBQ seasoning, cut into 4 smaller chunks, and added them to the slow cooker also.  I topped the whole thing with about 1/2 C BBQ sauce.  Six hours later, I will have a yummy dish of shredded BBQ chicken sliders with BBQ potatoes served with a dollop of Greek yogurt and sliced scallions.

Tuesday:  Smorgasbord Night!    

We have plenty of leftovers to work on, including the yummy butternut squash soup above. 

Wednesday:  Italian Subs/pickles/baked onion rings or fries/fruit salad

Thursday:  Happy Halloween!!!  Ghost Pizzas/bloody eyeballs/witch’s fingers

Halloween menu translation—Ghost-shaped white pizzas with sliced black olives for eyes and mouths, turkey meatballs in marinara, and baby carrots with almond slices for fingernails.  J  Our school’s PTA is making Halloween goodies for the teachers, so I’m making orange fudge also. 

Friday:  Dinner Out or Take-Out
This is the last day of Red Ribbon Week and I know I'll be exhausted.  Were having sushi...just not sure if we're eating out or in.

Saturday:  Grilled Steaks & Prawns/baked potatoes/salad

Sunday:  Chicken Egg Rolls/veg pot stickers/rice noodle salad w/ peanut vinaigrette

Menu #65

So Happy!

Yesterday’s menu was delayed because my whole family came to visit and we had a blast while they were here!  We went to the beach on Saturday with my mom, brother, sis-in-law, niece, and uncle and had one of the best times ever at the beach.  The tide was so low, the weather was absolutely perfect, and everybody was smiling and laughing.  I love days like those!  Then my other brother gave us all a surprise visit on Sunday morning with his twin babies and his fiancé!  We watched football together all day, Xavier showed off his bike and soccer prowess as much as he could, and we had a fab BBQ of ribs, garlic-parmesan potatoes, baked beans, watermelon, and ended the whole thing off with homemade chocolate M&M ice cream. . .yum!  We had a houseful but Xavier could not have been more delighted.  The last of my family left last night, so here I am getting things back in order today. 

First things first, this week’s menu. . .

Tuesday:  Leftovers

We have so many leftovers!!!

Wednesday:  Slow-Cooker Salsa Chicken Tostadas/cilantro-lime rice/refried beans/avocado-mango salsa

I have a lot going on tomorrow with Red Ribbon Week prep and volunteering for after-school movie, so I’m throwing salsa and chicken thighs in the slow cooker to do all the work for me.  I’m prepping my mango salsa in the morning with the addition of avocado.  All I’ll have to do when I get home is steam the rice and make refried beans.

Thursday:  Leftover Makeover--Chicken Chilaquilles/cilantro-lime rice/beans/avocado-mango salsa

I’m going to use leftover corn tortillas and chicken and layer them in a baking dish with cheese and salsa to make chilaquilles. 

Friday:  Parmesan Fish Sticks/mac n cheese/fruit salad

Laddie has a booth at the Del Mar Home Improvement Show this weekend, so it’s just me and the little guy for dinner.  I let him pick dinner for both Friday and Saturday, and I’m actually pretty pleased with his choices.  J

Saturday:  Roasted Red Pepper-Tomato Soup & garlic-parmesan bread

Sunday:  Homemade Pizza/salad

X-man & Cousin Ken :)

Menu #64

Cowboy Bowls

These sausage-bean-rice bowls are definitely in Laddie’s top 5 comforting dinners.  This is the kind of food he grew up eating on their ranch in Minnesota, which is where the name, Cowboy Bowls, comes from.  It’s a warm, comforting bowl of rice topped with sausage, beans, and peppers and then splashed with hot sauce.  This particular Cowboy Bowl was filled with Mayacoba beans, jasmine rice, and an array of hot & sweet peppers from our garden. . .Yum!

I’m running short on time, so straight to this week’s menu. . .

Monday:  Beer Can Chicken on the Grill/garlicky red potatoes/salad

Didn’t get to this last week. . .

Tuesday:  Chicken Salad Sliders/potato salad/fruit

Using leftovers from last night.

Wednesday:  Slow-Cooker Hawaiian Pork/steamed brown jasmine rice/edamame

Thursday:  Mac n Cheese/salad/fruit

BDL is on an overnight business trip to OR, so I let X-man pick dinner.  J

Friday:  Leftovers

Saturday:  ???

My mom, brother, and my brother’s new girlfriend are coming to visit for the weekend.  We haven’t decided if we’re going to BBQ at our place or go out to eat. 

Sunday:  Pizza Dip & Italian White Bean Dip w/ soft pretzels & veggies 

Football Lounge Day!  We're eating pretzels & veggies with yummy dips while we watch the 49ers on Sunday Night Football. . .Go 49ers!!! I'll post about both of these yummy dips next week!

Slow-Cooker Green Chile-Chicken Stew

This is the perfect dinner for a chilly Autumn weeknight, after a very long day, when all you want to do is sit down to a warm bowl of comforting food.  This was supposed to be green chile-chicken & rice burritos, but with the chilly weather last night this was much more appropriate.  Although there are a lot of chiles in this they are all mild, so it isn’t very spicy. 

Slow-Cooker Green Chile-Chicken Stew

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 lb)

2 7-oz  cans whole roasted green chiles, sliced + 1 4-oz can diced roasted green chiles (just because this is what I had in my pantry…use all whole or all diced if you want)

1 yellow onion, thinly sliced

3 tomatillos, diced

1 large tomato, diced (I used an array of tomatoes from my garden, and I’m guessing they were equivalent to 1 large)

2 Serrano chiles, minced (you can replace 1 jalapeno or omit altogether for a more mild stew)

1/2 T minced garlic

1 C redcued-sodium chicken stock

Salt, to taste

First add the chicken to the slow-cooker and top with the canned green chiles.  

Then throw in the onions, tomatillos, tomatoes, Serrano chiles (if using), and garlic.  Add the chicken stock and season with salt.  

Cook on low for 6 hours.  About halfway through cooking, give everything a mix and re-adjust the chicken a bit.

Serve this stew over steamed rice with chopped cilantro and a dollop of Greek yogurt.

Menu #63

Is it really Monday again?!?!  Last week’s menu didn’t work as planned because there were a lot of unexpected events throughout the week.  BDL was really sick for the first part of the week, I’ve been chosen by the PTA to run Red Ribbon Week at my son’s school so there were a lot of meetings about that, impromptu birthday dinner out, and we hosted a BBQ for X’s soccer team after our game on Saturday.  Needless to say, there weren’t too many items from the menu cooked.  I’m not complaining though because we had a lot of fun.  I really enjoyed my night out with the girls for my friend, Lori’s, birthday and our soccer team BBQ was a blast!

 We made homemade vanilla ice cream for the soccer team but there just wasn’t enough to go around for the adults, so Laddie & I decided to make another batch the next day!  This time I used chocolate mint from our garden to steep with the cream and milk and added mini chocolate chips to make Chocolate Mint & Chip Ice Cream, and it was so creamy and refreshing with just a hint of mint.  BDL declared it his favorite ice cream to date and X didn’t have much to say because he was too busy licking the bowl clean.  ;) 

Chocolate Mint & Chip Ice Cream

1/2 gallon heavy cream

1 qt whole milk

2-2/3 C organic cane sugar

4 t real vanilla extract

Handful fresh chocolate mint (use whatever mint you can find at the store)

2 handfuls mini chocolate chips

Put the cream, milk, sugar, vanilla, and mint into a large pot over medium heat, stirring often.  When you start to see wisps of steam, turn down the heat to low and allow the mint to steep for about 30 minutes.  Take the pot off the heat, transfer to a large bowl, and set in the fridge to cool completely.  When it’s cooled, take out the mint and pour the cream mixture into your ice cream machine and use it according to your machine’s directions.  After about 20 minutes of churning, add your chips so that they don’t just all sink to the bottom. 

This week’s menu. . .

Monday:  Teriyaki Fish/stir-fry brown rice/edamame & pineapple

This is carried over from last week, but I didn’t give you the back story on it yet.  I’m not sure where he got it from but Xavier has been begging me to make catfish!  ???  Well, when I went shopping haddock was on sale and I bought it and told him it was catfish.  Don’t judge me for lying to a 5-year-old please! 

Tuesday:  Slow-Cooker Maya Coba Beans/leftover rice/leftover sausage/sauteed peppers

We have leftover sausage from the soccer BBQ, so I’m going to make sausage-bean-pepper bowls over leftover brown jasmine rice.

Wednesday:  B4D—veg frittata/waffles/yogurt-granola parfaits

Thursday:  Slow-Cooker Green Chili-Chicken & Rice Burritos/salad

Carried over from last week. . .

Friday:  Leftovers or Take-Out

Saturday:  Roasted or Beer Can Chicken/potatoes/cucumber-tomato salad

Depending on the weather, either I am going to roast a wholechicken and potatoes in the oven or BDL is going to grill it beer-can style with grilled potato wedges on the side.  I’m really hoping for the roasted version because it’s been a while since we’ve had it that way.

Sunday:  Chicken Salad Sliders/potato salad/leftover cucumber-tomato salad

I’m using the leftover chicken for chicken salad and the same with the potatoes. 

Big Daddy Laddie's Wings & Drumettes

Over the years Laddie has perfected a few recipes, such as BBQ tri-tip, BBQ ribs, super garlic bread, and these hot wings & drumettes.  Whenever he perfects a recipe he dubs it a “Big Daddy Laddie” recipe; hence the BDL nickname.  There are no precise measurements for these BDL recipes because he kind of just throws them all together, but I can tell you what ingredients were used and how he cooked it.  J

BDL's Wings & Drumettes

Frank’s Red Hot Sauce

Homemade BBQ sauce

Garlic cloves

Cayenne peppers

Honey

1/2 stick butter

So, he just throws the wings into a big pan and starts drizzling on the sauces and honey.  He adds whole crushed garlic cloves, cayenne peppers, and pats of butter.  The honey and butter help the sauce thicken and coat the wings perfectly.   He sets the whole pan on the grill and allows it to cook in the sauce for about 20 minutes.  He then removes them from the sauce and finishes it all off by grilling them.   

These wings and drumettes are super yummy and are perfectly paired with a cool veggie platter, ranch dressing, and a nice refreshing mug of beer.  Now we are ready for Football Lounge Day!  J  

Menu #62

Yup, I missed my weekly menu plan post yesterday. . .again!  My hubby is pretty sick right now, so yesterday I took care of my duties as well as some of his and at the end of the day I just didn’t have it in me to sit at the computer and type away.  Today things are looking much better and I’m ready to post my weekly menu. 

Above is this week’s breakfast item. . .breakfast quesadillas!  These are so yummy and can also be made and thrown in the freezer  to have throughout the week.  I just added scrambled eggs with zucchini, potatoes, and green onions to a whole-wheat tortilla and topped with strips of sharp cheddar cheese.  I sprayed them down with olive oil and toasted each side.  I served mine with a dollop of plain non-fat Greek yogurt and chipotle salsa. . .yum!

This week’s menu. . .

Monday:  Slow-Cooker Tri-Tip Sliders w/ BBQ au jus/watermelon

I got this all ready in the morning before Laddie even got up and then found out he was sick.  Needless to say, I had sliders by myself and X had PB&J in a slider bun with watermelon.  This is a super easy tri-tip recipe and the meat comes out so flavorful and moist. I'll post about it tomorrow.  

Tuesday:  Leftovers

Wednesday:  Teriyaki Fish/rice noodle salad/edamame & pineapple

I’m going to marinate fish in a pineapple juice-teriyaki sauce and serve with a rice noodle salad that’s tossed with peanut vinaigrette, snap peas, radishes, and green onions.  

Thursday:  Slow-Cooker Green Chili-Chicken & Rice Burritos/salad w/ salsa dressing

This is another super easy slow-cooker recipe that's perfect for a busy day.  I add chicken breast to the slow-cooker along with chopped tomatoes, tomatillos, chopped green chilies, onions, and garlic and cook on low for 6 hours.  I shred the chicken and add steamed brown rice.  

Friday:  Delivery or Take-Out

I’m also teaching a Lil’ Chefs Class this afternoon and we’re making our own ice cream and Magic Shell.  Fun!

Saturday:  Crispy Chicken Sliders/fruit salad/onion rings

Sunday:  Football Food!  Antipasto Platter & Pizza Spirals

I’ll post about these pizza spirals too.  I’ve been seeing a lot of these “pizza rolls” on blogs lately.  It’s just pizza dough with sauce, cheese, and toppings and then rolled and sliced before baking.  They look like something X-man would love, so I’m going to try them out with just sauce and cheese and I’ll let you know how they turn out.  For the antipasto platter, I’m just setting out salami, pepperoni, caprese salad, goat cheese-stuffed red peppers, and olives.