Weekly Menu 9/10+

Saturday		beef fajitas pumpkin cupcakes with cinnamon-cream cheese frosting (kraft)
Sunday		baked ranch chicken creamed corn bacon mandarin salad
Monday		tater tot casserole cantaloupe
Tuesday		panko chicken strips peas cherry tomatoes & ranch
Wednesday		tortilla quiche ranch style beans grapes
Thursday		italian roast carrots chocolate pudding
Friday		sloppy joes toasted buns peaches or plums

Saturday

1.       If you are in Central Texas, PLEASE be careful if you decide to use a BBQ grill, even a gas one. 

Beef Fajitas

·         Meat

·         Tortillas

·         Salsa

·         Sliced avocado

·         Sour cream

·         Cheese

·         Grilled peppers & onions

Pumpkin Cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese frosting (Kraft)

·         1 package spice cake mix

·         1 c sour cream

·         15 oz can pumpkin

·         ¼ c oil

·         3 eggs

·         8 oz cream cheese, softened

·         ¼ c butter, softened

·         1 tsp vanilla

·         16 oz powdered sugar

·         1 ½ tsp cinnamon

Beat first 5 ingredients with mixer until well blended; spoon into 24 paper-lined muffin cups.  Bake 20-22 min at 350 degrees.  Cool in pans 10 min.  Beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla in large bowl until well blended.  Gradually beat in sugar.  Blend in cinnamon.  Spread on cupcakes. 

Sunday

§  2 lbs. chicken pieces, your choice

§  2 pkg. Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix

Empty Ranch dressing envelopes into a bowl and mix well. You may add bread crumbs to the dressing if you would like more of a coating to your chicken. After rinsing and drying chicken, dredge chicken pieces in the dressing mix. Spray a baking dish with non-stick spray and place coated chicken in it. Bake 45 minutes at 325°F or until done.

Bacon mandarin salad

§  ¼ c real bacon bits (or ½ lb cooked bacon chopped)

§  1/4 cup olive or salad oil

§  1/8 cup red wine vinegar

§  1/8 cup sugar

§  1 tsp basil, fresh chopped

§  1 (11 oz.) can mandarin oranges, drained

§  2 cups red leaf lettuce, torn

§  2 cups romaine, torn

§  1/2 cup walnuts/pecans, lightly toasted

Mix together oil, vinegar, sugar, and basil in a small bowl. In a large bowl, mix mandarin oranges and lettuces together. Sprinkle with bacon and walnuts. Split salad mix in half, saving half for tomorrow night. To the half you are using tonight, pour half of the dressing mixture and toss to coat. Serve immediately. Store salad mix and dressing mix separately until tomorrow.

Creamed Corn

§  12 oz. bag frozen white shoepeg corn or yellow corn

§  1/4 cup butter

§  1/4 cup water

§  1 tsp. sugar

§  1/2 cup milk

§  2 tsp. cornstarch

§  1/2 tsp. salt

§  1/2 tsp. pepper

Thaw corn. Melt butter and in a blender, combine ½ of corn, butter, water, and sugar. Blend until creamy with bits of corn left in the mix. In a frypan over medium heat, mix milk, cornstarch, salt, and pepper, stirring constantly with a whisk to get rid of any lumps. Add corn mixture, plus remaining corn and heat, stirring occasionally, until thick and bubbly.

Monday

Tater Tot Casserole

·         2c cooked ground beef

·         ¼ c chopped onion

·         1 can cream mushroom soup

·         1 can green beans, drained

·         1 can corn, drained

·         Tater tots

·         1 c grated cheese

Mix first five ingredients in 9x13 pan.  Top with tater tots in neat little rows, if you’d like or poured randomly on top if you’re in a hurry.  Bake at 375 degrees until bubbly; about 25 minutes.  Top with cheese and bake another 10 minutes.

Tuesday

Panko Chicken Strips (Sherry’s version)

·         2lb boneless strips

·         1 egg beaten

·         1 c panko

·         ¾ c parmesan

·         1T parsley

·         ¼ c butter

Mix panko, parm and parsley together in shallow bowl.  Dip chicken in beaten egg and then dredge through dry ingredients.  Place on foil lined pan that has been smeared with stick of butter.  Melt remaining butter and pour over chicken before baking in hot 450 degree oven for 20 minutes. 

Peas

Cherry tomatoes and ranch

Wednesday

Tortilla Quiche (all recipes)

·         3/4 pound bulk pork sausage

·         5 (6 inch) corn tortillas

·         1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

·         1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

·         1/4 cup canned chopped green chiles (or roasted poblanos from the freezer)

·         6 eggs, beaten

·         1/2 cup whipping cream

·         1/2 cup small curd cottage cheese

·         1/2 teaspoon chili powder

·         1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro or parsley

In a skillet, cook the sausage until no longer pink; drain. Place four tortillas in a greased 9-in. pie plate, overlapping and extending 1/2 in. beyond rim. Place remaining tortilla in the center. Layer with sausage, Monterey Jack and cheddar cheeses and chilies. Combine eggs, cream, cottage cheese and chili powder; slowly pour over chilies. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes or until the center is set and puffed. Sprinkle with cilantro. Cut into wedges.

Thursday

Italian Roast

·         2-3lb roast

·         1 packet Good Seasons Italian Dressing mix

·         1 bottle of beer

·         ½ onion chopped

·         1 c carrots

Place carrots and onions in bottom of crock pot, add roast, then beer, top with dry seasoning mix.  Cook on low all day. 

Carrots

Chocolate Pudding

Friday

1.       This is better than Manwich and something that I usually double.  Before simmering I put half in the freezer in a Ziploc bag.

Sloppy Joes (Taste of Home)

§  2-3 lb cooked ground beef

§  1-2T butter

§  ½ c chopped celery

§  1/3 c chopped onion

§  2T chopped red pepper

§  1c ketchup

§  ½ c chili sauce

§  1T sugar

§  1T brown sugar

§  1T cider vinegar

§  2t dry mustard

§  ¼ t salt

§  ¼ t pepper

§  buns

In large saucepan cook the celery, onion and pepper in butter until tender.  Stir in the remaining ingredients (except the buns).  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.  Serve on buns.