Dinner this Week

M: Whole roasted lemon-pepper chicken, pan-roasted brussel sprouts, baked apples
T: Leftover meatballs and pasta with green salad
W: Pan-fried apple sausages, roasted carrots and potatoes, applesauce
Th: Black bean and corn tacos with avocado
F: Homemade Pizza
S: Homemade fish and chips with green salad
Su: Parmesan crusted chicken, buttered noodles, steamed green beans

Plum

Roasted purple cauliflower. Turned a deep plum, very dark. Around 25 minutes in the oven at 400 with some salt, pepper, olive oil. So simple.

Someone in our house will now eat cauliflower.

Dinner this Week

Pretty kale in our garden.

M: Leftover Chicken Marsala Linguine with side spinach salad
T: Slow-cooker pulled pork sandwiches, applesauce
W: Red lentil soup with lemon, fresh dinner rolls
Th: Leftovers
F: Buttermilk fried chicken legs, macaroni and cheese, corn
S: Italian sausage lasagna with fresh salad
Su: Tomato soup, cheesy garlic toasts, green salad

Dinner this Week

This is the Kale, White Bean and Parmesan soup I made last week. I used homemade chicken stock as well as dried beans. For the beans (presoaked overnight), I cooked them in broth with a bay leaf and some crushed garlic cloves, then measured them out to equal one can. The flavor of the soup improved upon sitting, really delicious especially with crusty bread to dip. I was pleasantly surprised that two of the three children ate this as well.

For this week:

M: Baked meatloaf, mashed potatoes and peas
T: Pan-fried fish filets, steamed broccoli and couscous
W: Parmesan crusted chicken, leftover mashed potatoes, fresh salad
Th: Blue cheese and cauliflower soup with fresh dinner rolls
F: Apricot pork chops, hash browns and fruit salad
S: Homemade pizza night
Su: Spaghetti and meatballs, garlic toasts, green salad

Dinner this Week

This week we finally picked our beets that were growing from springtime. Only two survived the heat and rabbits. We also picked our potatoes, white and sweet. They were small, and could all fit into my cupped hands. I'm certain our planting times were off, and we will start much earlier next year. I wanted to plant some cool weather fall crops but I think we will have to make due.

I'll be roasting these along with some onion and carrots from our garden as well, coated in olive oil with some sea salt, ground pepper, and fresh thyme. About 1/2 hour in a 425 degree oven. (though my oven runs really hot so it may be closer to 440!) I was so pleased that we actually had a decent carrot crop, I think the key was really thinning, thinning, thinning those little plants. Our largest carrots had plenty of room around them.

M: Swedish meatballs, brown rice, green beans
T: BBQ country-style ribs with thyme-roasted root vegetables
W: Kale and white bean soup with parmesan, fresh french bread, green garden salad
Th: Pan-fried sausage with roasted brussel sprouts and buttered orzo
F: Grilled cheese and tomato soup
S: Black bean and corn quesadillas with avocado
Su: Baked meatloaf, garlic mashed potato, green peas

Dinner this Week

M: Crispy roast chicken with pesto cream, buttered noodles and tomato salad

T: Southwestern shrimp tostadas and guacamole

W: Lentil and brown rice casserole with steamed broccoli

Th: Grilled cheeseburgers and caprese salad

F: Leftovers with a fresh garden salad

S: Pizza night

Su: Pork Medallions with Cherry sauce, buttered noodles, spinach salad

Watermelon Coolers and Popsicles

It's still summertime for us, it's been over 90 and school doesn't start until after Labor Day. I'm soaking it in. We adapted a delicious recipe for these Watermelon Coolers.

For ours we used:
9 full cups chopped seedless watermelon (around 3 batches in the blender)
Fresh lime juice, I'd try 3 or 4 limes depending on size plus another for garnish
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
Dash of salt

Preparation:
Blend watermelon in batches in blender; process until smooth. Strain watermelon through a sieve into a pitcher; keep solids for another use. Combine sugar and water, bring to a boil, give a couple stirs, boil 2 more minutes. Let mixture (simple syrup) cool. Into strained watermelon juice stir in simple syrup, lime juice and a dash of salt. Serve over ice. Garnish with mint and lime slices. Add 1 1/2 ounces vodka or white rum per serving, if desired. So refreshing.

Then we kept the solids and froze them for some easy popsicles. Next time I will add a touch of the simple syrup and watermelon juice to add a bit more flavor, but my kids ate them just so.

Dinner this Week

Steak and sauteed mushroom tostada with cotija cheese, a salty grating cheese. I really like to top these with Sriracha chili sauce .

I don't think I made one thing off of last week's menu! So we're going to be recycling some things this week. We had a fun and busy week which included a lot of eating leftovers and some eating out, and some dinner invitations.

M: Beef tostadas with tomato and shredded cheese, side of guacamole
T: Parmesan chicken breasts and zucchini cakes with spinach salad
W: Slow cooker pulled pork sandwiches with broccoli slaw
Th: Leftovers with a fresh garden salad
F: Grilled cheeseburgers and caprese salad
S: Grilled kitchen sink pizza
Su: Grilled sausages, crispy rosemary potatoes, spinach salad

Dinner this Week

You cannot beat ripe, fresh produce from the farmstand. (Well, maybe if it's from your own garden!)

M: Baked pork chops, double-baked potatoes, roasted zucchini
T: Pork tostadas, tomatoes with basil and cotija cheese
W: Parmesan chicken breasts, steamed broccoli , garlic toasts
Th: Leftover parmesan chicken, zucchini cakes, spinach salad
F: Cheeseburgers and homemade french fries
S: Homemade pepperoni pizza
Su: Shrimp scampi linguine with garlic toast and fresh garden salad

Dinner this Week

We've had a lot of family in town visiting which has been wonderful. As a result, our refridgerator has been overflowing. This week I'll be using up a lot of our leftovers, fresh fruit, and garden produce.

M: Steak sandwiches (with leftovers) and spinach salad

T: Zucchini cakes and baked chicken

W: Leftover (brats and cheeseburgers), watermelon, potato salad

Th: Spaghetti & marinara sauce, chopped salad

F: Homemade pizza and fruit salad

S: Grilled pork chops, cous cous, steamed green beans

Su: Tostadas

I love refried black bean and cheddar tostadas topped with sour cream, lettuce and tomato, but there are so many combinations. Some of my other favorites are chicken or shrimp with avocado, beef and colby-jack, or a sauteed veggie with some queso fresco. Delicious and so easy!

Menu for the Week

My grandmother's ice cream scoop. I've owned newer ones which broke after just a short time. This one is still as sturdy as ever.

Monday:
-Creamy chicken and pasta bake with peas
Tuesday:
- Mini-meatloaves, sauteed green beans, spinach salad
Wednesday:
- Quesadillas (with leftovers),Garden Salad
Thursday:
-Pasta with Zucchini & Summer Squash, Garden Salad
Friday:
- BBQ pork or chicken, Broccoli Slaw, Cornbread
Saturday:
- Cheeseburgers, Potato Salad, Garden Salad
Sunday:
- Jalapeno sausage and sweet potato oven fries

Menu this Week

M: Baked Stuffed Sweet Peppers (recipe below)
T: Parmesan chicken breasts with corn and tomato salad
W: Homemade pizza
Th: Leftovers
F: Grilled steak, spinach and beet salad, sweet potato fries, rhubarb spritzers
S: Smoked BBQ ribs, corn on the cob, baked beans, watermelon
Su: Out to dinner!

For my pepper recipe, the filling is enough to stuff at least 5-6 large peppers. Any leftover filling use/freeze for quesadillas or homemade soup.

Stuffed Peppers

Red, yellow, or orange peppers
2 lb. ground beef
1 cup instant rice
1 jar spaghetti sauce
¼-1/2 cup onion
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
½-1 cup chopped mushroom
Shredded parmesan cheese
Salt & pepper

Slice tops off of peppers, remove seeds and ribs.

Brown ground beef with some garlic powder and pepper. Remove from pan.

Drain most of fat, add some olive oil and sauté 3/4 cup of chopped mushroom and a ¼ onion (more or less to taste). Salt and pepper.

Make 1 cup of instant rice. Salt and pepper rice.

Combine all ingredients, mixing with ½ jar of spaghetti sauce.

Stuff peppers and bake at 350 degrees for 45 min. Top with parmesan cheese last 5-10 minutes.

Dinner this Week

In the interest of eating less meat and more fiber, I've been trying to incorporate beans into our family diet more often. I can't wait to try this Black Bean Confetti Salad by Smitten Kitchen.

This week:

M: Swedish Meatballs, brown rice, spinach salad with feta and strawberries
T: Spicy Orange Chicken with rice and steamed broccoli
W: Macaroni and cheese with ham and peas
Th: Hot Dogs on the grill, crispy potatoes and baked beans
F: Homemade Pizza
S: Grilled Tenderloin, Garlic Mashed, wedge salad
Su: Roasted chicken, grilled asparagus, strawberry spinach salad

Dinner this Week

Image from Everyday Food

M- Baked Chicken, crispy potatoes, spinach salad
T- Macaroni and Cheese served with ham and green peas
W- Pan-fried fish filets, broccoli and orzo
Th- Vegetable Frittata and fresh salad
F- Chicken ravioli with sundried tomatoes and green garden salad
S: Jalapeno sausage, corn on the cob, fresh salad
Su: Pork Enchiladas served with rice and fresh fruit salad http://www.pbs.org/everydayfood/recipes/pork_enchiladas.html

Dinner this Week

M: Out to dinner

T: Leftovers

W: Marinated turkey tenderloins, brown rice, roasted asparagus

R: French dip sandwiches, homemade fries, garden salad

F: Homemade pizza

S: Grilled barbeque chicken, strawberry spinach salad, grilled corn on the cob

S: Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, steamed green beans

Dinner for the Week

This weekend we tried making homemade bagels with the kids. I thought it would be more trouble than it was worth. They were pretty easy, but require a lot of waiting time for next steps. They turned out so delicious!

M: Roasted Chicken, white asparagus, green salad
T: Grilled cheeseburgers, homemade fries, garden salad
W: Chicken Pesto spaghetti with fresh tomato, garlic bread, green salad
Th: Meatloaf with buttered noodles and green peas
F: Chicken tacos with black beans and avocado
S: Homemade Pizza
Su: Grilled salmon, double-baked potatoes, sauteed spinach, corn and tomato salad

Making

Via Frolic. Photo by Chelsea Fuss, recipe by Elizabeth Fuss.

Going to be making this. Very intrigued by the combination of carmel and orange.

Dinner this Week

I'm going to have a busy week, so I've tried to plan for some super simple meals, especially earlier in the week. However, I realized I have very few meals I consider quick and easy. So I need to add a few more to my repertoire. Until then we have:

M: Spaghetti with meatballs, fresh green salad
T: Grilled cheese w/ creamy tomato soup
W: Pizza night
Th: Baked meatloaf, steamed green beans, roasted potatoes
F: Parmesan chicken, steamed broccoli and fruit salad
S: Grilled steak, fresh asparagus, garlic bread
Su: Roasted Chicken, crispy rosemary potatoes, baked apples, green salad

Dinner This Week

I'm taking advantage of the fantastic prices on strawberries and buying up loads of them. They are a hot item around this house. I may even try to make some freezer jam using my bread machine. Don't want to get too crazy though.

For this week:

· M: Parmesan chicken breasts, rice pilaf, strawberry spinach salad
· T: Swedish meatballs, buttered noodles, peas
· W: Spaghetti with meat sauce, tomato and spinach salad
· Th: Beef tacos with avocado and black beans
· F: Homemade pizza
· S: Battered cod, homemade fries and fresh salad
· Su: Barbeque pork sandwiches, coleslaw, fresh fruit

Menu for the Week

Grilled dry- rubbed pork tenderloin (it is not blackened, though it gets a deep crust, it's just a dark picture!) served with double-baked potato, alongside is strawberry spinach salad with goat cheese and almonds topped in poppyseed dressing. We make a dry rub of chili powder, paprika, brown sugar, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.

M: Meatloaf with buttered noodles and green peas

T: Pesto spaghetti with fresh tomato, garlic bread, green salad

W: Barbeque pork sandwiches, coleslaw, fresh fruit

T: Leftovers (or homemade pizza)

F: Grilled cheeseburgers, homemade fries, garden salad
S: Seasoned chicken breasts, pan-fried zucchini cakes, spinach salad
Su: Dry-rubbed pork tenderloin, couscous, fresh green beans