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Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Weekly Menu 4/30+

Saturday Slow Cooked Baked Beans
Corn Bread
Carrot Sticks
Brown Butter Apple Pie
Sunday Oven Fried Chicken with Peaches and Biscuits
Green Beans
Monday Meatloaf
Mashed Potatoes
Corn
Tuesday Ranchero Pork
Wednesday Skillet Lasagna
Garlic Bread
Thursday Frito Pie
w/ avocado
Grapes & Sliced Oranges
Friday Leftover Round-Up or
Grilled Cheese


Saturday
  1. Clayton sent two recipes this week from their Easter dinner last week. Then I got a follow up from Janet with a few extra steps they took based on watching Alton Brown. Those instructions are in [] below.
  2. I modified the store-bought pie crust with this crust recipe from Pearl Heckman (she's now in heaven with Jesus), but it is a VERY easy crust to make without a great deal of mess.
Slow Cooked BBQ Baked Beans
  • ½ lb bacon, cut into 1/2” pieces
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 c ketchup
  • ½ c packed brown sugar (decrease to ¼ c if you want them less sweet)
  • ¼ c mild-flavored BBQ sauce
  • 1T cider vinegar
  • 1 heaping tsp ground mustard
  • 2 cans great northern beans, drained and rinsed
  • 2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
Cook bacon and onion in skillet. Transfer to greased crock pot add remaining ingredients. Cook 4-5 hours on low.
Corn Bread
Carrot Sticks
 
Brown Butter Apple Pie
  • 1 c flour
  • 7 T melted butter
  • ½ tsp salt
Melt butter in glass pie plate, add flour and salt mix around until well blended, then use fingers to press up the sides of pie plate and along bottom until all areas are covered. Flute edges as desired.
Filling:
  • ¼ c butter
  • ½ c sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 2T flour
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 3-4 large apples, peeled and cut into 1/2” wedges
[Mix apples and sugar together and let sit for at least an hour before combining remaining ingredients]. Mix together in large bowl until apples are well coated. Pour into crust in pie plate.
Streusel:
  • ½ c flour
  • ¼ c sugar
  • ¼ c brown sugar
  • ¾ tsp cinnamon
  • ¼ c butter
Mix dry ingredients and then cut in butter using a pastry blender, two knives or a fork. Sprinkle over top.
Topping:
  • ½ c whipping cream
  • 1T powdered sugar
  • ¼ tsp cinnamon
  • ½ tsp vanilla
Whip cream in a cold grease free bowl until stiff peaks are formed.
Sunday
  1. Instead of a fruited meat, this ends up tasting more like a main dish with dessert on the side. You can even put the peaches on top of the biscuits instead of on top of the chicken, if you want.
 
Oven Fried Chicken w/ Peaches and Biscuits (365 Ways to Cook Chicken)
  • ¼ c shortening
  • 4T butter
  • 1 c flour
  • 2 tsp paprika
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • pepper
  • 3lb chicken pieces
  • 6oz can biscuits
  • 30oz can cling peach halves, drained (in hmm hmm syrup)
  • whole cloves (optional)
  • 1 ½ c hot milk
Preheat oven to 425. Place shortening and butter in 9x13 pan and set in oven until melted. In bag, combine flour, paprika, salt and pepper. Add chicken, a few pieces at a time, and shake to coat thoroughly. Place chicken skin side down in hot shortening. Bake 45 minutes, then turn.
Push chicken to one end of pan. At the other end, arrange uncooked biscuits in a single layer, without draining off shortening. Stick each peach half with a clove and place on top of chicken. Bake 15 minutes.
To make gravy, remove chicken, biscuits and peaches to a serving platter. Pour pan drippings into a medium saucepan and place over medium heat. Whisk in 2T flour and cook for 1 min without browning. Whisk in mile, bring to a boil, and cook until thick and smooth.
 
Green Beans
 
Monday
Meatloaf
Mashed Potatoes
Corn
 
Tuesday
1. I wrote this recipe idea down last week, but now I cant find what cookbook or article I was look at to now type out the recipe. Hmmm. This is what happens when you clean your work space; things get put away and out of sight, out of mind. This recipe comes from Woman's Day, and based on the dates on the internet is appears they recycle the recipe every two years or so. Must be a good one.
Ranchero Pork (Woman's Day)
  • 1 can (14 oz) Mild Red Enchilada Sauce (Old El Paso)
  • 1 can (4 oz) diced green chiles
  • 3 1/2 lb bone-in pork shoulder roast, well trimmed
  • 1 medium red onion, sliced
  • 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Mix enchilada sauce and chiles in a 4-qt or larger slow-cooker. Add pork; spoon sauce over top. Cover and cook on low 8 to 10 hours until pork is very tender. At least 20 minutes before serving, toss onion slices with lime juice in a medium bowl. Let stand, tossing once or twice until slightly wilted. Remove pork to a cutting board. Stir cilantro into mixture in slow-cooker. Break pork into bite-size chunks with a wooden spoon and return to cooker; stir to combine. To serve: Spoon pork mixture on warmed tortillas, top with marinated onions, fold and eat.
 
Wednesday
  1. This is another recipe I wrote down last week to include in this week's menu. The trick is that I cant find WHERE I saw these recipes so I turned to the internet. I made some modifications from the Food Network recipe, to make the recipe more economical.
  2. If your family wont tolerate a meat-free meal, you can add in 1-2c cooked ground beef into the sauce.
 
Skillet Lasagna (Food Network)
  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
  • 4 cloves garlic, sliced
  • 28 oz can tomato puree
  • 4 tablespoons chopped fresh basil and/or parsley, plus more for garnish
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1 cup cottage cheese
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
  • 6 sheets no-bake lasagna noodles
  • 1 carrot, finely chopped
  • 1 zucchini, finely chopped
  • 3 1/2 cups baby spinach
  • 1/3 pound mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
Heat the 1/4 cup olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic; cook until golden, 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, 1 tablespoon herbs, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste; cook until saucy, about 5 minutes. Remove all but 1 cup of the sauce to the skillet and reduce the heat to low; reserve the remaining sauce.
 
Meanwhile, mix the cottage cheese, egg, parmesan, the remaining 3 tablespoons herbs, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste in a bowl.
 
Place 2 lasagna noodles over the sauce in the skillet. Layer half of the carrot and zucchini on top; drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cover with half of the spinach, half of the cottage cheese mixture, a few pieces of mozzarella and 2 to 3 tablespoons of the reserved tomato sauce. Repeat the layers, ending with noodles. Top with the remaining sauce and mozzarella. Cover and simmer until the lasagna is cooked and the cheese melts, 20 to 25 minutes.
 Let rest for a few minutes before slicing. Garnish with more parmesan and fresh herbs.
 
Thursday (Cinco de Mayo)
  1. Tonight if you have any leftover meatloaf you can chop it up for the frito pie.
  2. If you want this to be a super easy supper, feel free to use canned chili.
  3. Cinco de mayo holds the record for largest volume of avocados consumed in America, can you name the second most popular day? First one to email me back wins a very special prize....bragging rights at knowing the same useless information I do. 
Frito Pie
  • 2c cooked ground beef (or leftover meatloaf)
  • 1 can diced tomatoes or Rotel (depending on your heat tolerance)
  • 2-3T chili powder
  • ½ c chopped onion
  • ½ tsp cumin
  • ½ tsp oregano
  • salt and pepper
  • ½ tsp baking soda (it will foam like crazy when you add it thanks to the acid in the tomatoes)
  • Fritos
  • grated cheese
  • chopped onions (optional)
  • sliced avocado (optional)
Combine all ingredients though baking soda in a medium saucepan and simmer 15-20 min. Add Fritos to a bowl, top with chili and cheese. This should remind you of a baseball game; well it does for me.
Grapes & sliced Oranges 
 
Friday
 
Tonight is clean out the fridge night.  If you dont have any leftovers, I recommend grilled cheese sandwiches.  I used up my 'easy' Friday dinner on Thursday because it was cinco de mayo. 

Grocery Deals 4/27

HEB                        cantaloupe .77, organic apples .88/lb, legs/thighs $1/lb (HA!  Here’s a funny one for you, leg quarters are on ‘sale’ for $1.17/lb)

Randalls               50% off roast, country style pork ribs 1.79/lb, pork roast 1.79/lb, tomatoes 1.48/lb (vs Sun Harvest 1.99),
                                Wed-Saturday ONLY: Fritos 1.75, Cheezits 1.49, grapes 1.29/lb (vs Sun Harvest 1.99, HEB 1.77), kraft salad dressing .99, barilla pasta .88

Sun Harvest        corn .25 (vs .33 HEB, .50 Randalls & Sprouts), avocados .88, green onions .25, lettuce .88, onions .25/lb, cauliflower/broccoli .88/lb, squash .88/lb (vs .99 Randalls), oranges .49/lb (vs .69 Sprouts), kiwi .20, Ezekiel bread 2.99

Sprouts                strawberries 1.25, tomatoes .99/lb, red peppers .99

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Weekly Menu 4/23+

Saturday Beef Fajitas
Sunday Easter Dinner
Monday Beef Stroganoff
Buttered Noodles
Broccoli
Tuesday Ham Biscuits
Eggs
Fruit
Wednesday Brick Chicken
Rice
Green Beans
Thursday Smoked Chicken Salad
Rolls/Bread
Grapes
Friday Corn Dogs
Tater Tots
Fruit Salad


Saturday
Beef Fajitas

Easter Sunday
1.        Have what your family likes for Easter dinner today.  At our house we’re having smoked chicken, ham, potato salad, beans, deviled eggs, and 23 desserts. 

Monday
Beef Stroganoff
·         1 lb roast; cubed
·         1 c chopped onion
·         2T flour
·         ½ t garlic salt
·         ¼ t pepper
·         8oz slice fresh mushrooms
·         2T butter
·         1 can cream of mushroom soup
·         8 oz sour cream
Place all ingredients in crockpot, except for sour cream.  Stir, cook on low all day.  When you return home add sour cream.  Heat through and serve over hot buttered noodles. 

Noodles
Peas
Leftover Easter candy

Tuesday
1.        We’ve been on a bacon cheese kolache kick at our house.  This is a version on that theme that I’m adapting from a Menus4Moms recipe. 
Ham Biscuits
·         4 c self-rising flour
·         ½ c butter (super softened)
·         1 ½ c buttermilk
·         1 c diced ham
Combine flour and butter, cutting in with a fork.  Stir in buttermilk.  Add more flour if too wet or more buttermilk if too dry.  When dough is rolling consistency, split dough in half.  To half of the dough add in the ham, knead a few times so the meat is worked into the biscuit and turn out half of dough onto a floured surface (I love to use a piece of wax paper, so it’s not as big of a mess).  Roll to 1-1 ½” thickness and cut in squares with a knife or if you really prefer round biscuits, use an upside down glass or biscuit cutter.  Repeat with the remaining half of dough, except skip the ham.  Place these onto a pan and freeze these biscuits over night or until frozen and place in a Ziploc bag to use on another day. 

Bake biscuits in a hot 475 degree oven about 15 minutes, but watch them because I like to burn biscuits, well that’s what my family will tell you.  We’ll just say I do it often enough that they think I do it on purpose.  For the record I don’t. 

Eggs
Fruit

Wednesday
1.        This sounds like an interesting way to cook chicken. 

Brick Chicken (Woman’s Day)
·         8 small chicken thighs; ~2lbs
·         8 cloves garlic; in their skins & smashed
·         8 springs fresh thyme
·         1 T olive oil
·         ¼ tsp crushed red pepper
·         Salt
In large bowl toss all ingredients together.  Heat a 12” cast iron skillet over medium heat until hot.  Place chicken, skin side down, in the skillet and spoon the garlic thyme mixture around it.  Place a second skillet on top of the chicken and put heavy cans (or maybe a pot full of water) in the skillet to weigh it down.  This will flatten the chicken so it cooks up evenly and extra crisp.  Cook for 10 minutes.  Remove the cans and top skillet.  Turn chicken over and stir the garlic.  Return top skillet and ‘weights’ and cook until the chicken is crisp and cooked through, 5-6 minutes more. 

Rice
Green Beans

Thursday
1.        My plan is to use leftover smoked chicken, but you can use any leftover cooked chicken.  Also if you have left over hard boiled eggs this would be a good place to use some of the extras. 
2.       I know this salad becomes a ‘fruited meat’ when you add in the grapes, but it’s a rare exception and if you don’t like that sort of thing, of course you can leave them out, serve the grapes on the side, or just skip this meal in protest.    

Smoked Chicken Salad
·         2-3 c cooked chicken
·         ½ c chopped celery
·         ¼ c chopped purple onion
·         2T mustard (you can get fancy if you want and use Dijon or Brown)
·         ¼ to ½ c mayo/miracle whip  (your preference)
·         1 c grapes; halved
·         2-3 hard boiled eggs; chopped
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, stir together and serve on rolls, lettuce salad or just by itself.
Grapes

Friday
Corn Dogs
Tater Tots
Fruit Salad



Grocery Deals 4/20+

Sprouts                grapefruit .11/ea, onions .49/lb, squash .88/lb, lettuce .88, celery .88,

HEB                        ham 1.47/lb, strawberries 1.24/lb, pineapple 1.97, green beans .88/lb, beef fajitas 2.97/lb (not the best deal, I know), zucchini .88/lb, cantaloupes 1.48

Randalls               bluebell $4

Sun Harvest        pineapples 1.50, strawberries 1.50, navel oranges .49, avocados .99, mushrooms .99, green beans .99/lb, lettuce .88, squash .88/lb, celery .88

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Weekly Menu 4/16+

Saturday
Club Wraps
Fritos
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Sunday
Pork Chop Casserole
Green Beans
Monday
EZ Salisbury Steak
Mashed Potatoes
Peas
Tuesday
Chicken Fajitas
Banana Pudding
Wednesday
Baked BBQ Chicken
Buttered Noodles
Broccoli
Thursday
Mexicali Skillet Dinner
EZ Spanish Rice
Friday
Shrimp Tacos
EZ Refried Beans
Oranges



Sunday afternoon I dug out my copy of the Buckholts Cotton Festival Cookbook, 3rd Edition (1990) looking for a recipe for kolaches, but alas no one shared their secret recipe. So I turned to my favorite Pioneer Woman and made her cinnamon roll recipe. WOW, are those delish. Yes, it's a lot of butter, but I managed to limit myself to only three sticks, well four once you count the icing. I'd better not think about THAT too much. Yes, I've been having one bite EVERY DAY, and I put one pan into the freezer for a post-Easter treat that I might not tell anyone else about.

The ladies of Buckholts were the inspiration for most of the menu this week. If you aren't sure where Buckholts is, it's right between Pettibone and Heidenhammer, and if that doesn’t help, look east of Temple on a Texas map; right in the heart of the Blackland Prairie. I couldn’t find any recipes from L's Aunt Gladys, but she sure could cook.

EZ also seemed to be the secondary theme for the week. Who knows what will show up next week. :)

Saturday
Club Wraps
  • Large flour tortillas
  • ham & turkey lunch meat
  • bacon bits (no bacos, please)
  • lettuce & tomatoes
  • honey mustard (equal parts of each)
  • fancy mayo (mayo + jarred pesto)
  • sliced cheese
warm a large tortilla in hot skillet, spread with mayo/mustard or both then pile on your meats and cheese, top it off with some lettuce and tomato, then wrap it up like a burrito, tucking the ends in first before you begin to roll. Then slice on the diagonal and you've made a wrap instead of a burrito.

Fritos
Chocolate Chip cookies
Palm Sunday
Pork Chop Casserole (Corrine Widner)
  • 6-8 pork chops
  • 1 can cream of mushroom soup
  • 4-5 medium potatoes, sliced thin
  • flour, salt & pepper
  • 1 can evaporated milk
  • onions (optional)
Salt, pepper and flour pork chops, then brown in hot grease. Set aside. Place thinly sliced potatoes in greased 9x13 pan. Salt and pepper the potatoes; arrange browned chops on top. Combine milk, cream soup and pour over chops and potatoes. Cover with foil and bake at least one hour at 350 degrees, or until tender.
Green Beans

Monday
1. This is a very easy way to make Salisbury steak and if you have a better way, please use that recipe. You won't hurt my feelings.
Salisbury Steak
  • Ground meat, seasoned and shaped into patties
  • 8 oz sliced mushrooms (or use canned)
  • 1 c chopped onions
  • 1 packet brown gravy
Brown seasoned patties in skillet 3-4 min per side, just as they are getting brown, but not fully cooked yet; remove to plate. Saute onions and mushrooms in grease of beef, if any, or add 1-2T butter. When beginning to get tender, add 2 c water (or amt called for on packet), and packet of gravy mix. Stir to remove lumps, then add patties back in. Cover and simmer until gravy is thick and patties are fully cooked.
Mashed Potatoes
Peas

Tuesday
Chicken Fajitas
Banana Pudding
  • 1 small box vanilla pudding
  • 2 c milk
  • 2-3 sliced bananas
  • nilla wafers
Mix pudding according to box directions. Slice bananas directly into pudding as it begins to set. Fold in. Then 'strategically' place wafers in and around bowl so that there is a good layer of cookies to go with the pudding. Be sure to make the requisite happy face on the top with the wafers too.

Wednesday
1. If you'd rather just use bottled BBQ sauce, I won't tell anyone, and you can even cook this on the grill and have real BBQ chicken instead.

Baked BBQ Chicken (Neicy Burleson)
  • 3lb chicken pieces
  • 2T butter
  • ½ c chopped onion
  • 1 ½ c ketchup
  • 1T lemon or pickle juice
  • 1 c water
  • 3T Worcestershire sauce
Place chicken in 9x13 pan. Saute onion in butter; add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Pour sauce over chicken and bake at 350 degrees uncovered until chicken is well done (baste often); about 45 minutes.
Buttered Noodles
Broccoli

Thursday
  1. It's a bit more yellow, but I will probably use yellow squash instead of zucchini, just because I like the way the yellow squash tastes. Oh if only my yellow squash plants would sprout in the garden.
  2. You could even top the dinner with some grated cheese. I'm sure Mrs. Martinez wouldn’t mind.

Mexicali Skillet Dinner (Frances Martinez)
  • 1 lb steak or roast cut into 1” pieces (salt and pepper)
  • 3 medium zucchini
  • 8 oz tomato sauce
  • 1 can corn, drained
  • ½ c chopped onions
  • ½ c chopped tomatoes
  • ½ tsp salt, garlic powder, cumin
Quarter squash and then slice into ½” pieces, set aside. In medium skillet brown steak and onions in oil and ~1T butter (for flavor). Remove meat and set aside. In same skillet, combine squash, corn, tomatoes + sauce, seasonings; simmer. Add meat and onions and simmer for an additional 15 minutes.
Easy Spanish Rice
Combine ½ c picante sauce plus 1 ½ c water to 1 c rice and simmer for 15 minutes.

Good Friday
  1. If you'd rather make these tacos with chicken, it will translate easily and you can support your local church's fish fry tonight.

Grilled Shrimp Tacos
  • 3T olive oil
  • 2T lime juice
  • 4tsp Montreal seasoning
  • 1 ½ lb raw peeled shrimp
Combine ingredients in ziploc bag and turn to coat. Seal and chill at least 10 minutes, but not more than 1 hour (the lime juice actually starts to cook the shrimp).

Easy Refried Beans (Southern Living)
  • 2 cans 20 oz refried beans
  • 4 oz chive flavored cream cheese
  • ½ tsp cumin
Combine in 2quart baking dish. Top with 2T finely chopped red onion and 1 c crumbled queso fresco (or cheddar). Bake at 450 for 25 min, until cheese melts

Grocery Deals 4/13

Randalls squash/zucchini .47/lb (vs .88/lb sprouts), pork chops 1.49/lb (vs $2.97/lb), wesson oil 2.99, cake/brownie mix .88, hormel chili .75 (must buy 4 cans)
Thurs only: 8# navel oranges 2.99 (.38/lb)
Friday only: 2L Pepsi or 7-up .69
Other deals coming next week too per day.  We missed the spiral sliced ham for $1.37/lb, that was only on Wednesday 4/13. 

HEB chicken breasts $1/lb, red grapes .97/lb (vs. 1.28/lb Randalls), yellow onions .44/lb, grapefruits 3/$1

Sprouts corn on the cob 4/$1, seedless watermelon $3, green beans .77/lb, celery .88, strawberries $2, navel oranges .69/lb

Sun Harvest oats .59/lb, cluster tomatoes .99/lb, navel oranges .69/lb, white onions .25/lb, legs/thighs .99/lb, lettuce .88, strawberries $2, grape tomatoes $2, kiwi .20, lemons/limes .20

Friday, April 8, 2011

Buying Gas a Little Cheaper

My friend Karen recently made a return to WalMart, but since she didn't have a receipt they were only able to give her a credit on a gift card.  Who doesn't need something from WM nearly every week?  The lady was very nice and attached a sticky note to the card with the balance on the card and then added that the card could be used at and WM, Sam's Club or Wal-Mart gas station and if you did use it for gas, you would receive a $0.03/gal discount on the gas.

I know three cents a gallon isn't going to break most people, but if you can get gas for a little bit less, not go out of your way, why not?

Thanks to Dave Ramsey, Karen also started paying cash for gas a few weeks ago, but found that it was a bit of a hassle to go in, stand in line, pre-pay for the amount of gas that she might need, then have to go back inside, wait in line again to get her change.

According to the guy at the Murphy station he said he could not reload a card or sell her a new one, but inside the store they could.  Also your school or church might sell gift cards as a fund raiser and you could save on both ends of the transaction.

Oh if you don't think 3 cents matters much, let's do some math for fun!  I fill up twice a week at 11 gallons a week, 50 weeks a year so 11 x 2 x 50 x .03 = $33.  Now she can load most or all of her cash allocated for gas onto one card and just update the sticky note on the card as she buys gas through out the month (keep a pen in your car just for these kinds of things).  She'll save time, the hassle factor of paying cash for gas and have $33 extra dollars at the end of the year.

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Weekly Menu 4/9+

Saturday
Hamburgers
Home Fries
Cantaloupe
Sunday
Baked Ranch Chicken
Mac & Cheese
Spiced Apple Bars
Monday
Chicken Alfredo
Broccoli
Garlic Bread
Tuesday
Pan Fried Pork Chops
Buttered Corn
Ranch Style Beans
Wednesday
Chicken Fried Rice
Frozen Egg Rolls
Thursday
Spaghetti
Salad
Chocolate Pudding
Friday
Migas
Fruit or
Cottage Cheese with Pineapple



Shane was 'helping' me with meal planning this week. I did edit out his suggestion that Ranch Style beans be served with every meal. I know everyone appreciates that.

I've not been home in the evenings much thanks to scouts and baseball so I haven’t been cooking everything on my menu plans and I just noticed that I have a semi-duplicate from last week. Sorry about that, guess I've been craving baked chicken and potatoes. :)

Saturday
Hamburgers
Home Fries
Cantaloupe

Sunday
  1. Make extra chicken for Wednesday
Baked Ranch Chicken
  • 3-4lbs chicken pieces
  • 1 packet dry ranch seasoning mix
Sprinkle chicken pieces with dry mix and bake in 375 degree oven ~45 min.

Mac & Cheese
  • ¼ c butter
  • ¼ c flour
  • 2 c milk
  • ~1/2 tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper
  • ½ tsp dry mustard
  • 6-8 slices American cheese (no individually wrapped stuff, please)
  • ½ c cottage cheese
  • 2 c uncooked macaroni
  • ½ c shredded cheddar cheese

Cook macaroni. In medium sauce pan melt butter, add in flour and allow it to cook until barely brown. Add in milk, salt, pepper, and dry mustard, cook stirring often until sauce begins to bubble and thicken. Add American and cottage cheese until melted and well blended. Add in cooked macaroni. Pour into a 9x13 pan and top with shredded cheddar; bake 10-15 min in a 350 oven just until cheese is melted.

Spiced Apple Bars (Quick Cooking)
  • ½ c butter
  • 1 c sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 c flour
  • 1 c quick oats
  • 1 T cocoa
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp nutmeg
  • 1 ½ c diced peeled apples
  • ½ c chopped walnuts
In mixing bowl cream butter and sugar; add eggs. Combine dry ingredients (or add the smaller measures in first while the mixer is going so they are well blended), then add flour and finally oats. Fold in apples and nuts. Spread into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 375 for 20-25 min until toothpick comes out clean. Cool and dust with powdered sugar.

Monday
Chicken Alfredo
  • 3lbs boneless chicken
  • salt
  • ¼ c flour
  • 2T olive oil
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1 T minced onion
  • 1 ½ c whipping cream
  • 1/3 c parmesan
  • ½ tsp coarse pepper
  • 1T parsley
Heat oven to 375. Sprinkle chicken with flour. Dredge chicken through flour and cook in heated skillet with olive oil for 3-4 min per side. Remove from skillet and place in 9x13 pan. Heat an additional 1 tsp olive oil. Add garlic and onion; cook until garlic is fragrant and onion is tender. Increase heat to medium-high; add cream, parmesan and pepper. Cook until sauce is bubbly and slightly thickened; 2-3 min. Spoon sauce over chicken in dish. Bake chicken 8-12 min until 180 degrees. Sprinkle chicken with pepper and parsley.

Broccoli
Garlic Bread

Tuesday
Pan Fried Pork Chops
  • 6-8 pork chops
  • flour for dredging
  • 2-3T oil
  • salt & pepper
Season chops. Dredge through flour and place in skillet with hot oil. Fry on both sides until cooked through.

Buttered Corn
Ranch Style Beans

Wednesday
  1. You can also use bottled sauce, like sweet and sour, if you want to mix up the flavors on this meal.
Chicken Fried Rice
  • 2 c cooked chicken
  • 2 c mixed veggies, thawed
  • 2 c cooked calrose rice
  • 1-2 eggs
  • 2T oil
  • 3T soy sauce
In large skillet add oil and cook egg stirring almost constantly. Remove egg to plate. Begin 'frying' rice and veggies in oil, adding additional oil if needed. Allow to cook for several minutes before stirring. Add in chicken until heated through. Return egg to the skillet and add soy sauce.

Frozen Egg Rolls

Thursday
Spaghetti with Meat Sauce
Salad
Chocolate Pudding

Friday
  1. If you really don’t like the texture of cottage cheese you can use a hand blender and make it all creamy first. Add a tablespoonful of honey and then the drained pineapple pieces. My guys (ie the three at home) that don’t usually like cottage cheese really like this stuff. Plus you get extra protein as well.

Migas
  • ½ c chopped onion
  • ¼ c chopped peppers (hot or mild depending on your tastes)
  • 2T butter
  • ½ c stale tortilla chips lightly crushed
  • 6-8 eggs, scrambled
  • ½ c grated cheddar cheese
In large skillet saute onion and peppers in butter until just slightly browned. Add in eggs until they begin to set. Add in tortilla chips continuing to stir and cook eggs. When done to desired consistency add in cheese and remove from heat.

Pineapple & Cottage Cheese




Grocery Deals 4/9

HEB             legs/thighs $1/lb, boneless chicken 1.98/lb, broccoli .88/lb, apples .77/lb, strawberries 1.27/lb  (vs 2.50 Sun Harvest), tortilla chips 1.67
 
Randalls        whole chicken .79/lb, clementines $3/3#, 1015 onions .50 (vs .77/lb HEB), on the vine tomatoes 1.49/lb, spaghetti sauce 1.67, coffeemate creamer 1.79 (must by 3—you can freeze the other two)
                Redeemer families: canned tuna .50/can
 
Sprouts         asparagus .97/lb (vs 2.50 Sun Harvest), on the vine tomatoes 1.49/lb, celery .88, green beans .88/lb, grapefruits .25, onion .50/lb
 
Newflower       strawberries 1.25/lb, broccoli .88/lb, squash .88/lb
 
Sun Harvest     mangoes .33, green grapes .97/lb, lettuce .88, clementines $3/3#, broccoli .88/lb, roma tomatoes .97/lb, mushrooms .97, onions .49/lb, potatoes 1.50/5#, leg quarters .79/lb