Weekly Menu 11/17+

Saturday		king ranch chicken cran-pistachio cookies
Sunday		roasted pork loin, w/ gravy rice creamed spinach ez chocolate mousse
Monday		oven fried chicken mashed potatoes green beans fruit cocktail
Tuesday		meatloaf mac & cheese broccoli
Wednesday		taco crescent bake pineapple salad
Thanksgiving		your family favorites
Friday		spaghetti (leftover meatloaf) garlic bread salad

Saturday

King Ranch Chicken

2c cooked chicken or turkey

2 cans cream of mushroom, chicken or celery soup

1 can Rotel; drained

1 can mushrooms

8-10 corn tortillas cut in strips or tortilla chips

1 c grated cheddar or Colby jack

½ c chopped green onions

Combine first five ingredients and pour into a 9x13 pan top with cheese and bake 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until bubbly.  Top with green onions.

Cran-Pistachio Cookies (Betty Crocker)

1 pouch Sugar Cookie mix

1 box pistachio instant pudding mix

¼ c flour

½ c butter (melted)

2 eggs

1 c dry-roasted pistachios, chopped

½ c dried cranberries, chopped

Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, stir together cookie mix, pudding mix and flour. Stir in melted butter and eggs until soft dough forms. Add pistachios and cranberries; mix well.

Using small cookie scoop or teaspoon, drop dough 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Press with fingers to slightly flatten.

Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. Store tightly covered at room temperature.

Sunday

--Sunday morning get your chicken started in the marinade for Monday.  You can also finish getting it ready for the oven Sunday evening. 

--Cook extra pork tonight for Tuesday night’s dinner.  This has cayenne, but it is really not too hot (I’m a certified wimp on heat factor).  Clayton made this blend for me when he was here last week and it was great. 

--Mousse needs to chill so make it early in the afternoon. 

Roasted pork loin, & gravy

·         ½ c brown sugar

·         1 tsp cayenne

·         1 tsp salt

·         3-4 pound pork loin

Mix seasonings together and rub over pork loin.  Bake fat side up in a roasting pan at 325 degrees for 2-3 hours.  To make gravy, pour or ladle off drippings into a sauce pan and bring to a boil.  Put about 3/4 c in a glass measuring cup and add in 3T cornstarch.  Whisk that around with a fork until it is well blended and there are no lumps.  Then add this to the boiling concoction on your stove and stir until thickened. 

Rice

Creamed spinach

3-4 c raw spinach

1T olive oil

½ tsp garlic

½ c cream

2T parmesan cheese

Sautee garlic and spinach with olive oil in large skillet until wilted.  Remove spinach to large plate.  Add 1 tsp olive oil, cream and parmesan cheese.  Cook until bubbly and add spinach to cream mixture. 

EZ Chocolate Mousse

1 ½ c milk

1/3 c chocolate chips

1 box (4-serving size) chocolate instant pudding

6 oz Greek Fat Free yogurt

1 ½ c frozen (thawed) cool whip

In a small bowl combine ¼ c milk chocolate chips.  Heat in microwave until milk is hot and chocolate is melted; about 45 seconds at 80% power in my microwave.  Combine remaining milk and pudding mix until well blended.  Add yogurt until combined.  Add melted chocolate chips until combined.  Fold in cool whip.  Place in serving cups if desired; we like to eat it out of the big bowl, but hey that’s just us.

Monday

--Don’t forget to marinate your chicken if you didn’t do it last night, or when you buy your chicken get it started in the marinade and put it in the freezer.  It will have plenty of time to do its thing as it freezes and thaws. 

Oven Fried Chicken (Family Circle)

Marinade:

¾ c buttermilk or 1T vinegar and enough milk to make 1 c total

1T hot pepper sauce

1T Dijon mustard

2 cloves garlic, minced

½ tsp black pepper

1 tsp salt

Mix ingredients together and marinate at least four hours or overnight, turning occasionally. 

Chicken Coating:

1 c plain bread crumbs

1 tsp salt

¼ c parmesan cheese

2T flour

2 tsp thyme

½ tsp paprika

½ tsp cayenne

2T olive oil

Mix together and remove chicken from marinade and place in seasoned bread crumb mixture.  Turn to coat.  Place chicken on baking rack and let site for 20 minutes so that crumbs will adhere better. 

1 ½ lbs boneless chicken

3T canola oil

Meanwhile put 3T oil in a rimmed baking sheet and place in oven; heat oven to 400 degrees.  After about 5 minutes place chicken on heated sheet.  Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until crispy and baked through. 

Mashed Potatoes (make extra for Tuesday)

Green beans

Fruit cocktail

Tuesday

--P-Dub makes up this meatloaf as sliders, but when I tried it I made it as a meatloaf and it was really good.  When she talks about forming patties, just put it all into a loaf pan and bake for 45 minutes in a 375 degree oven. 

--The mac and cheese tonight is a recipe I made up when trying to duplicate Luby’s recipe.  It’s pretty darned close and a family favorite. 

Meatloaf (Pioneer Woman)

⅓ cup Mayonnaise

2 Tablespoons Ketchup

1 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper (less if you're sensitive to spiciness!)

4 Tablespoons Butter

½ whole Medium Onion, Finely Diced

8 ounces, weight White Mushrooms, Chopped Finely

½ cups White Or Red Wine (optional)

4 dashes Worcestershire Sauce

Kosher Salt And Freshly Ground Black Pepper

2 pounds Ground Beef

4 Tablespoons Heavy Whipping Cream

4 dashes Worcestershire Sauce

1 teaspoon Kosher Salt

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

4 slices Swiss Cheese, Cut Into Four Squares

8 whole Dinner (or Slider) Rolls, Split

In a small bowl, mix mayonnaise, ketchup, and cayenne. Stir together until totally combined. Set aside. (This is the spicy fry sauce.)

Melt butter in a large skillet. Add onions and cook over medium heat for five minutes, stirring frequently. Add mushrooms and toss around, then add wine (if using), Worcestershire, salt and pepper. Cook for several minute over medium heat, or until all liquid has evaporated. Transfer mushroom mixture to a separate bowl, scraping all contents from the skillet.

Mix ground beef, heavy cream, Worcestershire, and salt and pepper in a bowl. Use your hands to thoroughly mix ingredients. Form 1/4 to 1/3 cup of the meat mixture into patties, making an indentation with your thumb to keep the patties from plumping too much when they cook. In the same skillet as the one used to cook the mushrooms, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium to medium-high heat. Add four patties at a time, indented side face up. Cook for 4 minutes, then flip. Spoon generous portion of mushroom mixture on each patty, then top with one or two squares of Swiss, depending on your preference. Place lid on skillet and cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes, until burgers are cooked through and cheese is melted. Remove to a place and keep warm while you repeat with the rest of the meat mixture.

Toast halved buns under the oven broiler. Spread generously with spicy fry sauce. Place patties between buns and serve immediately with fried onion strings.

Mac & Cheese

4T butter

¼ c flour

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

½ tsp dry mustard

2c milk

6-8 slices of deluxe American cheese (so not the kind you have to unwrap individually)

½ c cottage cheese (it cooks in and you’ll never notice it)

1c grated cheddar

2c dry macaroni; cooked

Melt butter in a saucepan, add flour and seasonings; stir until slightly browned.   Add milk and stir occasionally until thickened.  Add American and cottage cheese until American is melted.  Combine with cooked macaroni in a 9x13 pan.  Top with cheddar, bake till cheese is melted and bubbly at 375 degrees; 15 minutes.

Broccoli

Wednesday

--This is a good night to bake dessert, because you’ll have the oven on already.  The crisp will bake a little longer than the taco bake, but will still be warm when you are ready to serve. 

Taco Crescent Bake

1 can Grands biscuits; flaky layers or crescent rolls

1 c cooked ground beef

1 c ranch style beans, or pinto beans

1 packet or 6 tsp taco seasoning mix

¾ c water

½ c cottage cheese

½ c picante sauce

1 c grated cheddar cheese

Simmer beef, beans and seasoning mix with water for about 10 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed.  Meanwhile, press biscuits into the bottom and up the sides of a 9x13 (or slightly smaller) baking dish.  Mix cottage cheese and salsa and spread onto biscuit dough.  Top with ground beef mixture.  Top that with cheddar cheese.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. 

Pineapple salad (Mayo Clinic)

2T sugar

1T white wine vinegar

2T olive oil

2 tablespoons water

1 cup fresh pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into 1/4-inch pieces (or use canned)

1 avocado peeled and chopped

1 cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced

1 carrot, peeled and julienne

1/3 cup thinly sliced red onion

¼ c chopped cilantro (optional)

4 cups torn salad greens

1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted

Mix first four ingredients.  Add the pineapple. Cover and return to the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Add the cucumbers, avocado, carrots and red onions to the pineapple mixture. Toss well.

To serve, divide the salad greens among the plates. Top with the pineapple mixture and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds. Serve immediately.

Thanksgiving—Your Family Favorites

Friday

Spaghetti with meat sauce  (Use any leftover meatloaf in tonight’s sauce)

Garlic bread

Salad