I haven’t blogged for a while, mainly because we had a lot of activity and inactivity. My oldest turned 7! We had a party at the Science Museum and a family party when Daddy came home.
The dog had an absyss.
The hubby had his surgery 2 weeks ago and my Mother in Law came to help out. He was on a restricted diet and friends brough some meals, so I didn’t do a meal plan for the week. He is recovering very well. I have to say, that I truly appreciate dinners brought over, and view them as acts of love. Acts of service and gifts are two of my love languages, so I felt very loved, and comforted by all the yummy food. Do you know your Love Languages ?
With fall upon us, and one of my favorite times of year, I have wanted to pull out my christmas tree and decorate it as a fall tree. This way I can enjoy my tree longer than just the weeks in December. The kids even asked it we could decorate a summer tree. Hummm
This week I am going to clean out some of the things I already have in the pantry and freezer. It is a good idea every couple of months to clean out and rotate through your stock. On sundays during football season I like to make some appetizers to snack on through the day. I can also cook on sunday and prep ahead for the week.
Sunday: Game Day Food
Buffalo Chicken Dip:
In a sauce pan over medium heat stir: 1 package cream cheese, 1 package shredded colby cheese, 1 cup buffalo sauce (like Franks red hot), 1/2 c. ranch or blue cheese dressing, 2-3 cooked shredded or chopped chicken breasts ( cook about 4-5 chicken breasts all at once and then use the leftover for Monday’s meal). Once melted and combined, pour into an oven proof baking dish and bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes. Serve with chips, bread or crackers and celery sticks.
Spinach and Water Chestnut Dip:
In a bowl, mix: 1 cup mayo, 1 container (16oz) sour cream, 1 package dry leek or vegetable soup mix ( like knorr or lipton), 1 (10 oz) package frozen spinach thawed and drained, and 1 can chopped water chestnuts. Serve with bread, crackers, or tortilla chips.
Vegetable Wreath:
- 2 tubes (8 ounces each) refrigerated crescent rolls
- 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese
- 2/3 cup condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh broccoli
- 1/2 cup chopped sweet red pepper
- 1/4 cup chopped water chestnuts
- 1 can (5 ounces) white chicken, drained or 3/4 cup cubed cooked chicken
- 2 tablespoons chopped onion
- Arrange crescent rolls on a 12-in. pizza pan, forming a ring with pointed ends facing the outer edge of pan and wide ends overlapping.
- Combine the remaining ingredients; spoon over wide ends of rolls. Fold points over filling and tuck under wide ends (filling will be visible).
- Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
Monday: Chicken Tetrazzini
- 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
- 2/3 cup milk
- 1 (16-ounce) jar Alfredo sauce
- 3 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken
- 12 ounces thin spaghetti, cooked
- 1 (10-ounce) package frozen petite peas, thawed
- 1 (8-ounce) package sliced fresh mushrooms
- 1 1/2 cups shredded baby Swiss cheese
- 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
- 1/2 cup crushed garlic-and-onion seasoned croutons
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- Whisk together soup and milk in large mixing bowl; whisk in Alfredo sauce. Stir in chopped turkey, next 4 ingredients, and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Pour into a lightly greased 15- x 10-inch baking dish.
- Stir together remaining Parmesan cheese, crushed croutons, and paprika; sprinkle evenly over casserole.
- Bake, covered, at 375° for 30 minutes. Uncover, and bake 15 more minutes or until golden brown and bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
- Note: Casserole may be assembled and frozen up to 1 month. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight; bake, covered, at 350° for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 more minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly. If you prefer a smaller casserole, use 2 (11- x 7-inch) baking dishes. Proceed as directed.
Tuesday: Indian Beef and Peas
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 medium onion, finely diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbs. fresh ginger, peeled and minced ( I just buy a tube in the herb section)
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon store-bought garam masala
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne, optional
• 1 pound ground beef
• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
• 2 teaspoons malt vinegar or apple cider vinegar
• 4 pitas, warmed
In a large skillet, warm the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until golden. Add the garlic and ginger, and saute for another minute. Stir in the coriander, paprika, garam masala, cumin and cayenne, if using and cook for 1 minute.Add the beef, breaking up lumps with a spoon, and saute until the meat is no longer pink. Add the tomatoes, 1 cup of water and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle in the fresh English peas. Stir well and simmer, partially covered, about 10 minutes or if using frozen peas, add them now, and cook another 5 minutes, partially covered. Stir in the vinegar, serve with pitas.
Wednesday: Borscht- for the hubby
- 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced potatoes
- 1 cup thinly sliced beets
- 4 cups vegetable stock or water
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 1/2 cups chopped onions
- 1 teaspoon caraway seed (optional)
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 celery stalk, chopped
- 1 large carrot, sliced
- 3 cups coarsely chopped red cabbage
- black pepper to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh dill weed
- 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 cup tomato puree
- sour cream, for topping
- chopped tomatoes, for garnish
- Place sliced potatoes and beets in a medium saucepan over high heat; cover with stock, and boil until vegetables are tender. Remove potatoes and beets with a slotted spoon, and reserve stock.
- Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in onions, caraway seeds, and salt; cook until onions become soft and translucent. Then stir in celery, carrots, and cabbage. Mix in reserved stock; cook, covered, until all vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.
- Add potatoes and beets to the skillet. Season with black pepper and dill weed. Stir in cider vinegar, honey, and tomato puree. Cover, reduce heat to medium low, and simmer at least 30 minutes. Serve topped with sour cream, extra dill weed, and chopped fresh tomatoes
Thursday: Meat pies- I had made a double batch and put them in the freezer. Recipe was a few weeks ago HERE
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, diced medium
- Coarse salt and ground pepper
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 pound ground beef
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika, plus more for sprinkling
- 1 medium Yukon Gold potato, diced medium ( or I used 1 cup frozen hash browns)
- 2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add onion, season with salt and pepper, and cook until translucent, 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add beef and cook, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, until browned, 5 minutes. Stir in paprika, potato; season to taste with salt and pepper and remove from heat.
- On a lightly floured work surface, gently roll out puff pastry sheets to smooth creases. Cut each sheet into 4 squares. Place 1/3 cup beef mixture in center of each pastry square. Brush edges lightly with water, fold over filling to form triangles, press to seal, and sprinkle with paprika. Transfer to two parchment-lined rimmed baking sheets and bake until pastry is golden and puffed, 18-20 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.
Friday: Home made pizzas (to use up veggies) or leftovers, another idea is to make a frittata- just scramble some eggs and dump in your leftovers and cook in a large saute pan.
- 6 eggs, beaten
- 1-ounce Parmesan, grated
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- Pinch salt
- 1 teaspoon butter
- 1/2 cup chopped roasted asparagus
- 1/2 cup chopped country ham
- or use up any leftovers you have
Preheat oven to broil setting.
In medium size bowl, using a fork, blend together eggs, Parmesan, pepper, and salt. Heat 12-inch non-stick, oven safe saute pan over medium high heat. Add butter to pan and melt. Add asparagus and ham to pan and saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Pour egg mixture into pan and stir with rubber spatula. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until the egg mixture has set on the bottom and begins to set up on top. Sprinkle with parsley.
Place pan into oven and broil for 3 to 4 minutes, until lightly browned and fluffy. Remove from pan and cut into 6 servings. Serve immediately.
Clapping On The Down Beat 