Weekly Menu 1/7+

Saturday		texas cowboy pie squash apple cake
Sunday		apple brine pork chops normandy mix rice
Monday		crockpot chicken tacos avocado/tomato salad tortillas
Tuesday		laura's tortellini soup crusty bread
Wednesday		hamburger salad fruit n yogurt pie
Thursday		baked chicken creamy new potatoes green beans
Friday		easy please-y meatloaf sweet potato fries broccoli

Saturday

1. The meat for this pie needs to marinate overnight if you have time for that, otherwise give it a few hours.
2. Don’t get too hung up on the size of the pieces of meat you can cut into bite-sized pieces either before or after you cook it. 
3. Also you save the marinade, which normally everyone shies away from, however you will be cooking it so that makes it all ok. 

Texas Cowboy Pie (Texas Co-op Magazine)

1 lb beef sirloin tips, or roast; cut into thin, small pieces

2 packages brown gravy mix

1/3 c red wine (or beef broth)

1 green pepper, coarsely diced

1 medium onion, coarsely diced

1/3 c butter

2/3 c milk

1 can corn, drained

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

2 package jiffy corn muffin mix

2 egg

¾ c milk

Dissolve one package of gravy mix in wine.  Add beef to mixture and marinate overnight in fridge.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray large, deep cast iron (oven ready) skillet with nonstick spray and heat on high.  Remove meat and pour remaining marinade into measuring cup.  Add enough water to equal 1 ½ c liquid.  Brown steak for 3 minutes on each side in hot skillet, remove and set aside.  When cooled, cut into smaller pieces if needed.  Use residual fat (I had to add 1T butter) from beef to brown peppers and onions.  Add ½ c water and cook over medium heat until peppers and onion are soft.  Add 1/3 c butter and reduce heat to low. 

When butter melts, stir iin second package of gravy mix.  Gradually add reserved marinade and 2/3 c milk, cooking and stirring until thick and bubbly.  Remove from heat and add beef, corn and black beans; mix well.  Leave in skillet or move to 8x8x2 casserole dish.  Combine cornbread mix, eggs and milk and pour over beef mixture.  Bake 35-45 minutes or until crust is golden brown.  Remove from oven and allow to stand for 15 minutes before serving. 

Apple Cake (Naomi Vineyard)

3 c chopped raw apples

1 ½ c sugar

2 eggs

3 c flour

1 c oil

1 tsp salt

1 T cinnamon

1 c pecans, chopped

½ tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla

Add sugar to cut apples and mix well.  Add eggs then oil.  Add dry ingredients and mix well.  Add vanilla and pecans.  Pour into greased bundt pan and bake at 350 degrees for one hour. 

Sunday

1.        I know some don’t care for fruited meat.  I tired these the other day with only 1 c apple juice, the good stuff—Real Apple-- that I found in the freezer and I couldn’t tell it was ‘fruited’ at all. 

Apple Brine Pork Chops (Taste of Home)

3 c apple juice

1 sliced onion

1 lemon sliced

4 fresh springs rosemary

1/3 c salt

½ c brown sugar

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 bay leaf

1 tsp whole peppercorns

2 c cold water

4lb pork chops

Combine all ingredients, except chops and cold water in a large saucepan and bring to a boil.  Remove from heat and stir in cold water.  Cool brine to room temperature.  Place chops in resealable plastic bag and pour cooled brine into bag.  Squeeze out as much air as possible.  Refrigerate at least two hours or overnight.  Grill chops. 

Cauliflower/Broccoli Mix aka Normandy Mix

Rice

Monday

1. Tonight's chicken tacos come from Kathy, her family loves when she makes them and I've been in her house when they are cooking and it smells GREAT. 

Kathy's CrockPot Chicken Tacos

4lb HEB chicken fajita thighs

½ packet of taco seasoning mix

1 c water

Mix it all together and put it in the crock pot.  She cooked hers about six hours on high, but you could easily do the same thing on low for a longer period if you were going to be gone all day. 

Tortillas

Avocado Tomato Corn Salad

2 chopped avocado

2 chopped tomatoes

1 c frozen corn, thawed

2T lime juice

salt & pepper

½ tsp garlic powder

Mix it all together and chill if you have time. 

Tuesday

1. This one comes from Laura, a trusted source of making deliciousness in her kitchen and when I made it for my family it was almost completely consumed! 

Laura's Sausage Tortellini Soup

1 lb bulk Italian sausage

2 cups water

2 cups chopped cabbage

1 can Italian stewed tomatoes, undrained and chopped

1 can beef broth

1 can condensed French onion soup

1 pkg (9oz) refrigerated cheese tortellini

1/2 c grated parmesan cheese

In a large saucepan, cook sausage until no longer pink; drain.  Stir in the water, cabbage, tomatoes, broth and soup.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 8 minutes.  Stir in tortellini and cook 7-9 minutes longer or until pasta is tender.  Sprinkle with cheese. 

Laura's Note: I added a little extra beef broth and some more water to make it a tad more soupy.  Great with fresh bread! 

Wednesday

Cheeseburger Salad (Pioneer Woman)

2 pounds Ground Beef

1/3 cup Ketchup

1 teaspoon Yellow Mustard

1 Tablespoon Dijon Or Spicy Mustard

2 Tablespoons Barbecue Sauce

2 heads Romaine Or Green-Leaf Lettuce, Torn

8 whole Dill Pickle Spears, Cubed

4 whole Roma Tomatoes, Diced

1 cup Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese

1 whole Red Onion, Sliced

4 whole Hamburger Buns

1 stick Butter

 (Adapted from The Pampered Chef.)

Brown meat in a large skillet, then remove from heat and drain off the fat. Add ketchup, mustards, and barbecue sauce to the meat and stir to combine. Taste and add more of whatever you think it needs. Keep warm.

Cut hamburger buns into 1-inch cubes. Melt 1/4 stick butter in a separate skillet, then add the bread cubes and toss to coat. Toast the croutons in the skillet over low heat for about 10 -12 minutes, adding 1/4 stick of butter every couple of minutes until you've used the whole stick. (This will ensure all the croutons soak up the butter and toast nicely.)

To assemble each salad, pile torn lettuce on a plate. Pile on a good quantity of the meat mixture, then top with plenty of grated cheddar. Add diced tomato, chunks of pickles, and slices of red onion over the top, then sprinkle warm croutons all around the plate.

Fruit n Yogurt Pie

2-8oz strawberry yogurt

8 oz cool whip

½ c mashed strawberries

9” graham cracker crust

Combine fruit and yogurt.  Fold in Cool Whip.  Spoon into crust.  Freeze four hours.  Place in fridge 30 minutes before serving. 

Thursday

Baked Chicken Pieces

New Potatoes in Creamy Dill Sauce (Kraft Food & Family)

2 lb red potatoes, quartered or smaller

½  of chive and onion cream cheese spread

½ c milk

½ tsp dill weed

Boil potatoes and drain when tender.  Add remaining ingredients to saucepan and heat until well blended.   Return potatoes to pot; stir to coat. 

Green Beans

Friday

Easy Please-y Meatloaf (Kraft Foods)

2lb ground beef

1 package stove top stuffing

1 c water

2 eggs, beaten

½ c BBQ sauce, divided

Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Mix all ingredients except ¼ c bbq sauce.  Shape meat into an oval loaf in a 13x9 pan; top with remaining bbq sauce.  Bake 1 hour until done. 

Sweet Potato Fries

Broccoli