Week of Nov 13th, 2016

Mac n' Cheese

Sun - French Toast
Mon - Marsala Braised Beef
Tue - Roast Chicken Chili and Corn Bread
Wed - Mac and Cheese
Thurs - Orange Chicken
Fri - Patty Melts

Marsala Baised Beef
1 Jar Safeway Simmer Sauce - Mushroom Wine Sauce
1 1/2 lb Beef Roast, cubed, OR stew meat
8 zo sliced baby portabella mushrooms

Brown outside beef in a skillet over high heat on all sides. Transfer to CrockPot, add sauce and mushrooms. Cook 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low. 
Serve with mashed potatoes or fettachine noodles.

Roast Chicken Chili
3 cups shredded Roast Chicken meat
2 boxes Chicken Broth
1 (4.5 oz) can chopped green chilis (mild)
2 (15 oz) cans (white) Cannellini beans
1 (15 oz) can sweet corn whole kernels
2 tbsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder (more or less, depending on how spicy you want it)

Drain beans. Mix all ingredents in a large stock pot. Heat to boiling. Simmer 10 minutes, to allow flavors to mix. Serve. Top with sour cream, cheddar cheese, and/or chopped yellow onion.

3 Cheese Mac n' Cheese

2 1/2 cups dry elbow macaroni

3 tbsp butter

3 tbsp flour

3 cups milk

1 cup EACH sharp cheddar, provolone, and gouda, shredded 

4 oz cream cheese

1/4 tsp fresh grated nutmeg

Salt and Pepper to taste

Fresh black pepper

Topping (optional): 3 tbsp butter,1 cup bread crumbs. if you desire a crispy topping. Melt the butter in a saute pan and toss the bread crumbs to coat.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Boil the pasta to al dente, according to package. 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 on a med-high heat. Whisk in the flour, turn down the heat to low, and keep it moving for about 2-5 minutes, until it smells nutty. Make sure it's free of lumps. Turn the heat back up to high and stir in the milk, simmer, stirring constantly, until it starts to bubble. Turn down heat to medium. Stir in cream cheese, until incorporated  Stir in 1/3 of the cheese at a time, waiting for each patch to melt. Season with salt and pepper and nutmeg. Fold the macaroni into the mix. Taste, add more salt and pepper if needed. May serve now

OR  if desired, bake to get a crispy crust: pour into a 2-quart casserole dish. top with extra cheese and/or topping. Bake for 10-30 minutes, until hot and bubbly. Remove from oven and rest for five minutes before serving. (baked option showed above).

Orange Chicken

vegetable oil to cover bottom of large skillet OR deep frier

2 boneless chicken breasts, sliced into 1 inch cubes

Salt and pepper

Breading:

1/2 cup flour

1 (8 oz) box panko bread crumbs

2 cups corn starch

1 egg and ½ cup milk beat together.

Milk

Sauce:

4 teaspoons cornstarch, mixed with 4 teaspoons water

2 oranges, juice of both and zest of 1

3 tablespoons light brown sugar

3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

1/4 cup chicken stock

Directions

Mix flour and panko. Set up breading station for chicken. Soak chicken in milk. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Cover each piece in corn starch, then egg mix, then panko mix. 

In the large non-stick skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Add coated chicken to pan. Fry chicken until golden brown.

In a sauce pan, stir together juice, zest, sugar, vinegar and chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Stir in cornstarch mixture and bring liquid to a simmer. Simmer until reduced. Serve over chicken and cooked jasmine rice.