Week of Dec 18th 2016

Sun - Meatloaf
Mon - Roast Chicken
Tue - Taco Salad
Wed - Italian Wedding Soup
Thur - Spare Ribs
Fri - Quesadillas

Sat - Lasagna

Meatloaf (my oven recipe)
2 lb 80/20 ground beef 
1 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
1/2 cup milk
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 (or form into loaf and put into a roasting pan with a slotted tray) 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.

Taco Salad

1 (about 11 oz) sack Doritos or any corn tortilla chips

1-2 cups cooked, shredded chicken (using left over from roast chicken) OR 1 lb Ground Beef, browned, crumbled and drained

2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped (optional)

1 medium onion, chopped

1/2 package taco seasoning

1 cup lettuce or cabbage

3 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped

1 can black beans

Handful cilantro leaves, chopped

Juice of 1 lime

Beef Taco Salad

2 cups each shredded Monterey Jack and sharp Cheddar cheese

Salsa and sour cream or salad dressing (optional)

Sprinkle chicken with taco seasoning. Heat chicken and beans, on stove or microwave until hot. Meanwhile, combine tomatoes, remaining onions, jalapenos, cilantro, and the juice of the lime in a large bowl. 

Layer salad: chips on bottom, then meat mix, veggie mix, handful of lettuce or cabbage, top with cheese, and salsa and sour cream or salad dressing.

Italian Wedding Soup
1 (14 oz) package of frozen meatballs, thawed and browned OR homemade meatballs
12 cups Chicken Broth
1 lb of Escarole, chopped
2 cups Ditalini pasta
Bring broth to boil in a large soup pot. Add pasta, escarole  and meatballs, boil until pasta and escarole is tender, about 8-10 minutes. Top with grated Parmesan Cheese, if desired.

Chicken Quesadillas

6 Medium/Soft Taco size Flour Tortillas
1 lb. Chicken Breast diced or shredded
1 cup Mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 cup Cheddar Cheese shredded
1 teaspoon Seasoned Salt
1/2 teaspoon Seasoned Pepper
1/2 cup onions, diced
1 cup Corn Salad/Salsa, prepared
Cooking spray
Instructions:In a skillet, cook the meat, adding seasoned salt and pepper, until completely cooked. Place in bowl and set aside. Pour the two cheeses, corn salsa, and onions into the bowl with the meat and thoroughly mix. Place an equal amount of the filling mixture on each tortilla. Fold each tortilla over to create a "half moon" and press down lightly.
 Coat the skillet or griddle with cooking spray and warm to a medium heat. Lightly brown each quesadilla for two to three minutes on each side until the cheese melts. Remove quesadillas from the pan and cut each into 3 wedges. Serve with the sour cream

Lasagna
1 1/2 - 2 boxes (about 16 pieces) of packaged or fresh lasagna noodles, cooked el dente
16 oz ricotta cheese
1 egg, beaten
1 cup of three Italian cheese blend (Romano, parmesan, mozzarella)
2 tsp each salt and pepper
4 cups shredded cheese (mozzarella or cheddar/mozzarella mix, or Italian mix)
2 jars/cans of favorite marinara/spaghetti sauce
1 lb italian sausage, browned and crumbled
Mix ricotta, egg, salt, pepper, and 1 cup of italian blend cheese in a mixing bowl. In a 9x13 pan, spread a lite layer of sauce on the bottom of the pan. Next, put a layer of noodles - about 4 noodles slightly overlapping. Scoop small spoonfuls of ricotta mixture on noodles (no need to spread, it will melt). Top with sauce, sausage, and cheese. Repeat two more times. Last, add another layer of noodles, sauce and shredded cheese.
Bake at 350, covered with foil, in the oven until warm - about 40 minutes. If desired, take foil off for the last 10 minutes to brown cheese.