Week of Feb 24, 2014

Lasagna Dinner

Mon - Bacon, Turkey Sandwiches
Tue -Chicken Chimichangas
Wed - No Boil, Oven Ready Lasagna
Thur - Cheeseburger Cresent Bake (Pillsbury Recipe)
Fri - Korean BBQ Pork (Pampered Chef Recipe)
Sat - My Birthday! Eating Out


Sandwiches 

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/roast-turkey-avocado-and-bacon-sandwich-recipe.html

Chimichangas

3 cups cooked shredded chicken 

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 to 2 cups Grated Monterey Jack, asadero, or Cheddar cheese, or a combination

1 (4 oz) diced green chiles

4 (10- to 12-inch) flour tortillas, warmed in microwave for 30-60 seconds (large burrito size)

Vegetable oil for deep-frying

Optional toppings: shredded cheese, sour cream, chopped tomato, sliced scallions, salsa or  pico de gallo

Mix meat, beans, chiles (juice and all) and shredded cheese. Spoon shredded meat mixture evenly over the tortillas. Roll up each tortilla, tucking in the ends to make a secure fat tube, like a burrito. Secure the ends with toothpicks. Shortly before you plan to eat the chimichangas, warm at least 4 inches of oil in a Dutch oven or other large heavy pan to 375 degrees F. Fry the chimichangas one or two at a time until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Turn over once to fry them evenly. Drain them and arrange on serving plates. Top with cheese, sour cream, tomato, scallions and salsa if desired. Serve immediately.

If you prefer, you can also bake them in a 375F oven on a greased cookie sheet until golden brown

Oven-Ready Lasagne

Ingredients for 8 people:
1 Box Barilla® Oven Ready Lasagne
4 Tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
1 Medium onion diced
1 pound Italian sausage
½ cup white wine (optional)
2 jars Barilla® Marinara sauce
1 15 oz container fresh ricotta
1 cup diced mozzarella cheese
½ cup Parmigiano Reggiano (reserve 1 tablespoon for top)
To Taste Salt and black pepper

Preparation 20 minutes preparation + 30 minutes cooking
Show the video

1. Preheat oven to 375° F; Cook pasta according to package directions
2. In a large skillet saute onions in oil until translucent, about five minutes, then add sausage, salt, pepper and brown well until cooked through
3. (Optional) Deglaze sausage with wine and reduce
4.  Add 2 jars Marinara sauce to the sausage mixture, bring to a boil
5. Spray a 13 X 9 baking dish with cooking spray
6. Pour 1 cup Marinara sauce on the bottom
7. Layer 3 sheets of lasagna noodles, top with 1 cup of sausage mixture, ½ cup ricotta and 2 tablespoons of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
8. Repeat for 3 more layers
9. On the top layer pour the remaining Marinara sauce and cover with foil
10. Bake in pre-heated oven for 20 minutes
11. Top Lasagna with mozzarella and the remaining Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
12. Re-cover with foil and continue baking for another 10 minutes
13. Before cutting the Lasagna let it rest for 5-15 minutes

Week of February 16, 2014

Mon - Fish Sandwiches
Tue - Shredded Pork Tacos (Food Network)
Wed -Chicken Satay

Fried Rice (without the extra veggies)

Thur - Veggie Fried Rice
Fri - Easy Eggplant Parmesan
Sat - Amelia's birthday - Mac n Cheese, bacon wrapped hot dogs, ice cream cake

Fish Sandwiches

INGREDIENTS:

4 Gorton’s Fish Sandwich Fillets

4 hamburger buns

Lettuce, If desired

Tomato, If desired

Tarter Sauce or Mayo, If desired

DIRECTIONS:

1.    Prepare four Gorton’s Fish Sandwich Fillets according to package instructions.

2.    Place Gorton’s Fish Sandwich Fillet on a hamburger bun. Top with Tartar Sauce, lettuce and tomato, if desired.

Chicken Satay
I will be making white rice for a side, and making extra so have enough for fried rice the next day.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/chicken-satay-with-peanut-sauce-recipe.html

Veggie Fried Rice
1 bag Vegetable Stir-Fry Mix, 16 Oz, (I like Sugar Snap Pea Mix, you can use any you prefer.)
3 cups cooked white rice
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
1/2 cup peas and carrots frozen mix
2 eggs
Scramble eggs, cook. Warm up carrots and peas and veggie mix. In a non-stick skillet heat oil, vinegar and soy sauce on high - med-high. Add in rice. Stir until incorporated. Stir in eggs and veggies. Serve.

Easy Eggplant Parmesan
Kraft recipe, using "1 pkg. (6 oz.) FRESH TAKE Rosemary & Roasted Garlic Recipe Cheese Breadcrumb Mix" 

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/easy-eggplant-parmesan-136914.aspx

Three Cheese Mac'n Cheese
1/2 lb elbow macaroni
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
3 cups milk
6 oz sharp cheddar, shredded + 2 oz for topping
6 oz smoked mozzarella cheese, shredded
4 oz Gouda Cheese
2 oz cream cheese
salt
Fresh ground black pepper
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Boil the pasta to al dente. The water, like all pasta water, should be salted before hand until it tastes like salt water.
While the pasta is cooking, in a separate pot, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and keep it moving for about two - five minutes until it smells nutty, do not burn. Make sure it's free of lumps. Stir in the milk, simmer, stirring constantly, until it starts to bubble. Turn down heat to medium. Stir in the cheese a little at a time, wait until the previous cheese is melted to add the next handful of cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Fold the macaroni into the mix and pour into a 2-quart casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.

Week of Feb 10, 2014

Mon - Breakfast Casserole and Pancakes

Breakfast Casserole

Tue - Perfect Oven Roasted Chicken
Wed - Michael's Birthday Dinner
Thur - Ramen
Fri - Caesar Chicken Bakes

Breakfast Casserole Bake

1 lb roll breakfast sausage

8 eggs

3 oz cream cheese, softened

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 tsp each salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350F. Brown and drain the sausage.  In a separate bowl, soften the cream cheese in microwave for 10 seconds. Mix cream cheese, eggs, salt, pepper, and soup together. Pour into a 9 inch round pie pan. Softly shake pan a little to let egg mix settle down and let air out. Sprinkle cheese on top. Bake until center reaches 165F temp, is brown on top, and sets up - about 40-60 minutes. Let sit for 5-10 minutes before slicing.

OR EASY ONE PAN MEAL: if you'd like to make this dish a whole meal, layer two bags of Jimmy Dean Sausage/bacon Breakfast Skillet in a 9X13 inch pan. Remove the sausage from the list. Pour above egg mixture over the Sausage mixture and bake as directed above.

Chicken Ramen Soup

6 (3 -to-5-ounce) packages dry or vacuum-packed ramen noodles (flavor packets discarded)

2 quarts chicken broth (homemade prefered, but not necessary)

2 carrots, peeled and chopped (optional, use any veggie you like)

12 scallions, chopped

2 celery stocks, chopped (optional, use any veggie you like)

2 cups shredded chicken (I will be using leftover chicken from Tuesday)

1 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled

In a large sauce pot, heat the broth. Add carrots, celery, 1/2 the scallons, and ginger. Cook until veggies are almost tender, then add chicken and noodles (do not break). Cook 3-5 minutes or until noodles are done. Remove ginger. Garnish with rest of scallions, if desired. Serve.

Other optional toppings: Sauteed mushrooms, Nori strips (seaweed), Shredded kale, Cubed firm tofu, Snow peas, Toasted sesame seeds, Sliced radishes, Bean sprouts, Kimchi, Watercress, Sliced jalapeno, Pickled ginger, Wasabi paste, Fried egg, Sesame oil, Sriracha, Soy Sauce

Caesar Chicken Bakes :
http://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/caesar-chicken-salad-squares/1b912815-6395-4d74-8372-133fea1b5b67
NOTE: I do not like Mayo, so I will be using extra dressing.

Week of Feb 2, 2014

Sun-  Game Day Food

loaded potato soup

Mon - Meatloaf
Tue - Chicken Quesadillas
Wed -Loaded Baked Potato Soup
Thur -  RGW Lasagna (Pampered Chef Polenta Lasagna Recipe)
Fri - Out for Dinner

meatloaf

Meatloaf (my oven recipe)
2 lb 15% - 7% fat ground beef 
1-2 cups bread crumbs 
2 eggs, beaten
2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 tsp each salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tsp garlic powder OR 2 cloves fresh garlic pressed
Sauce Topping: 1/4 cup ketchup, 1 tbsp BBQ sauce, 2 tbsp brown sugar. Mix together in a small mixing bowl until smooth.
Mix beef, 1 cup bread crumbs, eggs, and seasonings in a large mixing bowl with a fork or by hand. Keep adding bread crumbs until the mixture holds together when made into a ball.
Put in a meatloaf pan with holes to allow the grease to dip out. Bake at 350F 1-1 1/2 hours or until middle is no longer pink and reaches 160F in the middle. If desired, spread the sauce topping over the meatloaf (dab off excess grease, if necessary) and leave in oven for 10 minutes.
Brown Gravy
2 tbsp drippings from meatloaf pan
2 tbsp butter
3-4 tbsp AP flour
1 (14 oz) can beef broth
Add drippings in pan, and butter to a pan. On high heat, using a whisk, add the flour to the pan. Stir until incorporated, then turn down the heat to low and stir for 1-2 minutes or until it smells nutty. Turn the heat back up to high and slowly add the broth, constantly whisking. Boil until the gravy comes to the thickness you like (remember it will continue to thicken off the heat for a bit). Taste, add salt and pepper as necessary.
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
4 baking potatoes, peeled and diced
4 garlic cloves, pressed
4 tbsp butter
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tsp salt and pepper
Boil potatoes in a large stock pan until tender, do not over cook. Mash with potato masher or a ricer keep in pan. Add garlic, butter, sour cream and salt and pepper. Mix over low heat until butter is melted and everything is incorporated. Serve in a serving bowl immediately.

Quesadillas http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tequila-chicken-quesadillas-recipe.html

Baked Potato Soup
3 tablespoons butter
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1 box stock (chicken or veggie), heated
4 large baker potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 cups milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sour cream
3 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup minced chives
grated Cheddar Cheese
1/2 lb bacon, cooked crispy and broken up to chunks
Directions
In a large saucepot, over high heat melt the butter and garlic. Cook over medium heat until fragrant. Add the hot stock and whisk to combine. Add potatoes. Add enough hot water to cover potatoes. Stir in salt and pepper. Boil until potatoes are tender. Meanwhile, cook bacon. DO NOT DRAIN potato water.
When potatoes are ready, mash in water with a masher. Leaving some lumps depending on how chunky you like your soup. Stir in the milk, cream, sour cream, and 1/2 the chopped bacon. Heat through. Serve in bowls with chives, cheese, bacon pieces and extra sour cream if desired.