Week of Aril 12, 2015

Mon - Beef Sliders

Jambalaya

Tue - Smoked Sausage Jambalaya
Wed - Chicken Cacciatore
Thur -  Navy Bean Soup (Ham and Beans)
Fri - Ravioli and Sauce (frozen bag and sauce)


Chicken Cacciatore

4 chicken breast halves (bone in, skin on)

1 tsp each salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 tbsp capers

2 carrots, sliced

1/2 pound white mushrooms, thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, pressed

1/2 cup dry red wine

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes in juice

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes or more to taste

Directions

Rinse the chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Brown chicken in 2 tbsp oil in an oven safe pot. Remove chicken after skin is browned. Add veggies to pot and cook for 5 minutes or until onions are soft. Place chicken back and add other ingredients. Bring to boil then set in a 350F oven for 2 hours, or until chicken is fork tender. Serve with pasta.

Slow cooker directions: Place ingredients in Slow Cooker. Cook on High for 6 hours, stirring occasionally and checking fluid level. If the liquid gets too low, add more broth.

Navy Bean Soup

1 ham bone plus ham meat

1 pound navy beans, rinsed, picked over, soaked overnight and drained

2 (32 oz) boxes of stock (veggie, pork or chicken)

2 carrots, diced fine

1 celery, diced fine

1/2 onion, diced fine

4 cloves garlic, pressed

1 tbsp olive oil

1 bay leaf

salt and pepper to taste

In a large stock pot, on medium heat saute onion, carrot, garlic and celery in oil until fragrant. Add stock, heat to a boil (high heat). Add ham bone, meat, and bay leaf. Simmer for at least 3 hours on medium-low heat, stirring and checking liquid level often. Add pepper and salt to taste when ready to serve.

If desired, you can put all ingredients in a slow-cooker for 8 hours on high instead of on the stove.

Week of April 6, 2015

Mon - Crock Pot Beef Stew

Tuna Casserole

Tue - Tuna Casserole
Wed Crock Pot Scalloped Potatoes
Thur - Red Beans and Rice
Fri - Italian Wedding (Meatball) Soup
Sat - Cheese Zomibies

Crock Pot Beef Stew

2 lb stew meat (beef cubes)
1 cube beef boulion
1 (32 oz) box beef stock
1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 tsp each onion salt, garlic powder, salt and pepper
2 carrots, peeled and chopped

1 cup pearl onions or 1/2 cup chopped sweet medium onion

2 celery stocks, chopped

4 medium potatoes, peeled cubed

2 tbsp butter and 2 tbsp flour combined, to thicken gravy/sauce
Combine 2 tbsp each butter and flour (do not use margarine) in a bowl. Poor broth in crock pot. Whisk into broth (it will be lumpy, but melt in crock pot). Add other ingredients to crock pot. Set on High for 6 hours or Low for 10 hours. Serve and enjoy.

Red Beans, Sausage and Rice

13.5 oz Johnsonville Andouille Sausage

1 tbsp oil

3 celery stalks, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

1 meduim bell pepper, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup water

2 bay leaves

1/4 to 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

2 16 oz cans red kidney beans 

1 8 oz can tomato sauce

Cooked white rice

In large skillet, brown sausage in oil, 3-4 minutes. Add celery, onion, green peper, and garlic. Continue to cook until vegatbles are tender. Add water, tomato sauce  bay leaves, cayenne, and beans. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Remove bay leaves. Either add hot cooked rice and stir to combine OR serve over rice.

Italian Wedding (Meatball) Soup 

Meatballs: Combine 1 lb ground turkey, 1/2 cup Italian style bread crumbs, 1 egg, tsp salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl (I like my Batter Bowl for this), mix just until combined. Do not over mix. Using small scoop, spoon out scoop-fulls of mix and drop meatballs in large nonstick skillet - all should fit. Cook on medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until browned and internal temp of 185F is reached. 

Broth: Saute 1/2 medium onion, 1 chopped carrot, 2 chopped celery stocks and 2 cloves of pressed garlic in 1 tbsp olive oil in soup pot until tender. Add 12 cups chicken stock, meatballs and 1/2 lb chopped escarole. Simmer for 10 minutes. Serve with Parmesan Cheese shredded on top.

"Cheese Zombies" and Campbell's Tomato Soup
This recipe you can use my bread recipe at the last stage of the recipe (on the bread recipe page) OR 2 packages of Grands biscuits kneaded together; and any cheese you prefer, although if you want it to taste like the "cheese zombies" we remember for Zillah Elementary, you have to use Velveta!
Preheat oven to 350F. Place a rolled out 1/4 inch think rectangle of dough on a greased cookie sheet. Please cheese slices on dough, touching but not overlapping. Place another rectangle of dough on top. Brush top with melted butter. Bake until the dough is done, lightly browned and the cheese is melted (about 20-30 minutes). Let cool 5 minutes before cutting. Serve warm with hot soup.