Weekly Menu 7/14+

Saturday		chicken fajitas corn salsa smores
Sunday		pork chops buttered panko noodles yellow squash
Monday		frito taco salad
Tuesday		chicken fried rice egg rolls orange fluff
Wednesday		ravioli salad mushroom/garlic bread
Thursday		tortilla wraps potato salad cantaloupe
Friday		meatloaf roasted potato medley green beans

Saturday

Cook extra chicken tonight for Tuesday’s fried rice.

Chicken Fajitas

Corn Salsa

Fresh corn is wonderful in a salsa, but getting the texture right can be a challenge if you’re not grilling the corn, said Keith Dresser in Cook’s Illustrated. I recently tried the obvious alternative, but even two minutes of boiling “destroyed the freshness that I was trying to retain.” Then I started experimenting with the ancient Mesoamerican technique of using limewater to soften corn. Now I add a touch of baking soda to boiling water and steep the corn in the water as it cools. The tactic works “like magic,” bringing out the natural sweetness that makes corn “an exemplary foil” for salsa’s tartness and heat.

3 ears corn, kernels cut from cobs (2¼ cups)

¼ tsp baking soda

2 tbsp lime juice

1 tbsp vegetable oil

½ tsp honey

1 tomato, cored, seeded, and cut into ¼-inch pieces

1 shallot, minced (I used purple onion.)

jalapeño, seeded and minced

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro (I didn't add this, for Tom's sake.)

salt

Bring 2 cups water to boil in a saucepan over high heat. Stir in corn, baking soda, and ¼ tsp salt; remove pan from heat and let stand 10 minutes. Drain corn and let cool slightly, about 10 minutes.

Whisk lime juice, oil, honey, and 1/8 tsp salt together in a bowl. Add corn, tomato, shallot, jalapeño, and cilantro; toss to combine. Let stand 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve atop chicken or fish or with corn chips. Makes 3 cups.

Alternatives: Instead of the tomato, make a corn salsa using an avocado with three scallions and a pinch of cayenne, plus ½ tsp toasted cumin seeds. A peach also works well, mixed with 4 sliced radishes, basil (instead of the cilantro), and minced habanero instead of jalapeño

Smores

Sunday

Pork Chops

Buttered Panko Noodles

·           1 c noodles, cooked

·           3-4T butter

·           ¼-1/2 c panko

Melt butter in a small skillet while noodles are cooking.  Add panko to butter and allow them to get crispy in the now browning butter.  Drain noodles and add buttered panko on top. 

San Antonio Squash

2-3 yellow squash sliced in half length-wise and then sliced into half moons

1T butter

¼ c chopped onions

½ can rotel, drained

Velveeta

Sautee squash and onions in butter until crisp tender.  Add in Rotel and velveeta until hot and melty. 

Monday

Frito Salad

1 lg. head lettuce

1 purple onion, diced finely

2 c. grated Cheddar cheese

2 tomatoes, diced

2 c cooked ground beef (seasoned for tacos if you want)

1 can red beans, drained and rinsed (optional if you are bean averse)

1 bottle Catalina dressing (eyeball this so you don't soak it too much)

1 green pepper, diced

1 pkg. Fritos, crushed

Chop up everything, combine in a large bowl (except for Fritos) and mix in enough dressing to coat everything well.  Think chop salad at a restaurant.  Add in the Fritos for each serving so they don't get soggy. 

Watermelon

Tuesday

Chicken Fried Rice (Menus4Moms)

Calrose rice, cooked (about 2-3 cups)

1 egg

1 onion, chopped

frozen peas and carrots, thawed

corn if you like it

meat (leftover from Saturday)

soy sauce or tamari

Cook calrose rice according to directions or reheat rice if you made extra last week. Heat some oil in wok or deep fry pan (I use about a tablespoon) and scramble one egg in it. Remove egg and add some more oil (I add about 3 tbsp) to the pan, heating. Add chopped onion, some thawed peas & carrots (and corn if you like), and anything else you like in your rice. We sometimes add leftover chicken or canned baby shrimp. When the onions are tender, add the rice and add soy sauce to taste and stir with a big flat wooden spoon or large cooking chopsticks, if you have them (mine are about 18" long). Add the cooked egg near the end of cooking time and stir well. When the rice is heated through and a bit crispy, it is ready to serve.

Egg Rolls (frozen)

Orange Fluff

Wednesday

Ravioli

In another effort to clean up things I’ve purchased and never cooked.  Tonight will use up some frozen ravioli that I ran across today when I was looking for a veggie to cook for supper. 

Frozen Ravioli & Bottled Sauce

Salad

Garlic Mushroom Bread

¼ c chopped mushrooms (chop first, then measure)

3T mayo (no miracle whip here folks)

¼ c grated mozzarella (or if you have left over 4 cheese blend from Saturday).

½ tsp garlic

1T butter

Slices of delicious bread

Melt butter and small skillet and cook mushrooms and garlic until tender.  Cool for a few minutes.  Add in mayo and cheese and spread on bread.  Bake or broil (if you’re brave enough) until brown and bubbly.

Thursday

Tortilla Wraps

Burrito sized tortillas

Deli meats

Sliced cheese

Diced veggies

3T honey

3T mustard

Mix honey and mustard in a small bowl.  Spread some on each tortilla, add meat, cheese and veggies.  Roll up burrito style. 

Potato Salad

Cantaloupe

Friday

Meatloaf

2lb ground meat

1 package stuffing

1 c water

½ c bbq sauce

2 eggs

Combine all ingredients except ¼ c bbq sauce and shape into an oval in a 9x13 pan; top with remaining bbq sauce.  Bake at 375 ~1 hour. 

Roasted Potato Medley

Cube a combination of sweet, red and russet potato.  Mix with 1-2T olive oil, salt and pepper, onion wedges, garlic.  Place on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for 35-40 minutes at 375.

Green Beans