Weekly Menu 5/14+

Saturday		Cheesy Spirals Green Beans
Sunday		Arroz Con Pollo Strawberry Cake
Monday		Sausage Wraps Mixed Veggies Ranch Style Beans Cantaloupe
Tuesday		Summer Stir-Fry Watermelon
Wednesday		Crockpot Enchiladas Rice Refried Beans
Thursday		Strawberry French Toast Patty Sausage
Friday		Creamy Chicken Taquitos Carrots Tomatillo Guacamole

Saturday

1. This is a great item to make tonight and then stash away the extra in your freezer for a night when you'll need to feed the family a month from now, but won't have time to cook because you are in meetings all day. You know who you are... :)
2. This recipe came from Menus4Moms, but she took down all of the free menu archives at her site, so I have nothing to link to anymore, but know that's where it came from.

Cheesy Spirals

• 16 oz pasta spirals
• 4 c cooked ground beef
• 2-28 oz jar spaghetti sauce
• 2 can condensed cheddar cheese soup, undiluted
• 2 tsp black pepper
• 3 tsp Italian seasoning (basil, oregano)
• 4 c shredded mozzarella cheese

Cook pasta spirals according to package instructions. Drain and rinse; return to pan. Add 4 c ground beef, spaghetti sauce, cheddar cheese soup, pepper and Italian seasoning. Stir over low heat until well mixed and mixture is of uniform consistency. Remove from heat and stir in mozzarella. Spray 1 9x13 pan and 1 8x8 pan with non-stick spray and pour mixture into pans. Bake one pan tonight at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes, or until bubbly. Wrap the smaller pan for the freezer (plastic wrap first, then foil) and label as Cheesy Spirals: Thaw. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes or until heated through.

Green Beans

Sunday

1. Save any extra chicken you have leftover for the taquitos on Friday.

Arroz Con Pollo (365 Ways to Cook Chicken)

• 3lb chicken pieces
• salt and pepper
• 2T olive oil
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 bell pepper, cut in strips
• 1 c rice
• ½ lb cooked smoked sausage, cut into 1/2” pieces
• ¼ tsp ground saffron
• 16 oz can whole tomatoes, drained and cut up or two fresh tomatoes, chopped
• ½ c dry white wine
• ½ tsp oregano
• ¼ tsp cayenne
• 1 ½ c chicken broth
• ½ c frozen peas, thawed
• ½ c pitted black olives, sliced

Season chicken with salt and pepper. In a large frying pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add chicken and cook, turning until brown all over, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a large flameproof casserole. Add onion and peppers to skillet and cook until veggies are soft. Transfer to casserole; add rice and sausage. Add saffron, tomatoes, wine, oregano, cayenne and chicken broth to skillet. Bring to a boil, scraping up brown bits from bottom of pan. Pour into casserole. Stir to distribute rice evenly. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 25 min, until chicken is tender. Stir in peas and olives; heat through.

Strawberry Buttermilk Cake (ForkSpoonKnife)

• 1 cup flour
• 4.5 T butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar + 2 T sugar for the meringue
• 1/2 tsp lemon zest
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla paste
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 egg white
• 1/2 cup well-shaken buttermilk
• 1/4 tsp salt
• chopped fresh strawberries, handful or as you like

Preheat oven to 400°F. Butter and flour a 8 inch round cake pan. Mix the dry ingredients together. Cream together butter and 1/2 cup of sugar until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes, then beat in vanilla. Add the egg yolks and beat well. At low speed, mix in flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with buttermilk, mixing until just combined. Set aside and whip the egg whites till frothy. Gently drizzle in the sugar and continue whipping until the meringue holds stiff peaks. Fold about a 1/3 of the meringue into the batter to loosen it. Gently fold the remaining whites just until you no longer see any white streaks, about 25 strokes. Spoon batter into cake pan, smoothing top. Scatter strawberry pieces over the top. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, until cake is golden and a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack and cool to warm, 10 to 15 minutes more.

Serve with fresh sweetened yogurt for dessert or mint tea.

Monday

Sausage Wraps

Grill or otherwise heat up fully-cooked link sausages and wrap in a flour tortilla. These are best served with mustard or picante sauce

Ranch Style Beans

Mixed Veggies

Cantaloupe

Tuesday

1. Yes, it's cliché to have a recipe with summer in the title AND to serve watermelon at the same meal, but I'm ready for summer to come on. Yes, you can remind me of this statement in August.

Summer Stir-Fry (Pioneer Woman)

• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 4 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 12 whole Jumbo Shrimp, Peeled, Deveined, Tails Left On
• 2 whole Zucchini, Sliced On A Slight Diagonal
• 2 ears Corn, Kernels Sliced Off
• ½ cups Grape Tomatoes, Sliced In Half Lengthwise
• Salt And Freshly Ground Pepper, To Taste
• Chopped Fresh Herbs, If Desired

Heat 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add minced garlic. When oil/butter is hot, add shrimp and cook for 3 minutes. Remove to a plate. Do not clean skillet.

Add the rest of the butter and oil and heat over medium heat. Add zucchini slices in a single layer and cook for one minute, tossing once. Scoot the zucchini to the edges of the pan, then add corn kernels to the middle of the pan. Cook for one minute. Add grape tomatoes, salt, and pepper, and toss around, then add shrimp. Cook for an additional 30 seconds, then remove from heat. Serve on a big platter.

Watermelon

Wednesday

1. This recipe calls for cooking only 5-6 hours, but if you are working and are away from home, well sometimes you just have to let this stuff go longer. You could switch to corn tortillas and you'd have less of a gluten glob to serve to the family. Of course since corn tortillas are smaller, you might need to use a few more than just four. Besides, anyone who wants to be feed more than two people and have them be full will need more than just four tortillas anyway.

CrockPot Enchiladas (Menus4Moms)

• 1 lb cooked ground beef (~2c)
• 1 medium onion sauteed
• ½ tsp Adobo seasoning
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp pepper
• 4 whole wheat flour tortillas (honestly I'll be using white ones)
• 1 can corn, drained
• 10oz can enchilada sauce
• 1 can Rotel, undrained
• 2 c shredded cheese
• Sour cream

In a bowl, combine meat, onion, seasonings. In another bowl mix rotel and enchilada sauce. Place ¼ c of the sauce mix on the bottom of the crockpot, then add in tortillas to cover the bottom. Place half of the meat, corn, remaining sauce and cheese. Repeat the layers. Cook on low 5-6 hours.

Rice substitute 1 c picante sauce for one cup of the water when you cook your rice, and you'll have lazy man's Spanish Rice.

Refried Beans (mix with cream cheese)

Thursday

1. This is best assembled the night before, or early in the morning on the day when you will cook it. The last time I made this was for girls club. It was fabulous.
2. I think we used a baguette instead of the pan frances of HEB's bakery, just in case anyone was curious so each sandwich was a bit smaller, and I think we each ate two.

Strawberry Stuffed French Toast (Quick Cooking)

• 6 oz cream cheese
• ¾ c sliced strawberries
• 1/3 c powdered sugar
• 1 loaf French bread (day old or older is best), cut in 1” slices
• 10 eggs
• 2/3 c half and half
• 1 tsp vanilla

Sauce

• 4 c sliced fresh strawberries
• ½ c sugar
• 2T water

Beat cream cheese, strawberries and powdered sugar until combined. Spread about 2T on one side of half the bread slices; top with remaining bread. Place sandwiches in an ungreased 9x13 pan. In a bowl, beat the eggs, cream and vanilla. Pour over the bread. Turn each sandwich. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight. With a slited spatula, transfer sandwiches to a greased 15x10x1” baking pan. Discard any remaining egg mixture. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes. Turn and bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until golden-brown. For the sauce, combine the strawberries, sugar and water in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat for five minutes, stirring occasionally. Makes 10 servings

Patty Sausage

Friday

1. Girls, I think I've decided what we'll be eating Friday when we all get to Bobbie's.

Chicken Taquitos (Pink Parsley via Pioneer Woman)

• 3 oz cream cheese, softened (reduced fat is fine)
• 1/3 cup salsa verde
• juice of 1/2 a lime
• 1 tsp chile powder
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• pinch cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 Tbs chopped scallions
• 2 cups cooked and shredded chicken
• 1/2 cup shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded Pepperjack cheese
• 8-12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• cooking spray

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese with the salsa, lime juice, cumin, chile powder, cayenne, onion powder, garlic, cilantro, scallions, and 1/4 tsp kosher salt. Fold in the chicken and cheeses. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if necessary.

Working 3 tortillas at a time, stack them on a microwave-safe plate and cover with plastic wrap. Cook 30 seconds, or until tortillas are soft and pliable.

Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of filling onto the lower third of each tortilla, and roll tightly. Place seam side-down on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling.

Spray the taquitos lightly with cooking spray, sprinkle with salt. Bake 15-20 minutes, or until the tortillas are crisp and golden-brown. Serve with salsa, sour cream, and/or guacamole.

Tomatillo Guacamole

Mashed avocado mixed with green salsa

Carrots