Weekly Menu

Sorry about the lack of posting last week. To make it up to you, I am going to share with you a delicious, make-your-mouth-watery dessert recipe. If you make it, your mouth will thank you and your family will thank you but your hips probably won't thank you(but who cares?).

This week's menu:

Sunday - Hot dogs

Monday - Grilled Chicken and Green bean Casserole

Tuesday - Bucatini all'Amatriciana

Wednesday - Steak and Roasted Potatoes

Thursday - Nachos, my version

Friday - Mac and Cheese

Saturday - ???

Roasted Potatoes - My version

Ingredients:

• 1 pounds potatoes, unpeeled, quartered into 1-inch chunks
• coarsly chopped garlic, quantity depends on how much you love garlic
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• a pinch or two of cajun seasonings
• salt & pepper to taste

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 400F.
• Mix everything in a large bowl and pour it on a baking sheet.
• Bake for about 40 minutes or until the inside is cooked and the outside is golden brown, stir once after 20 mins.
• Remove from oven, re-season if nessassary and serve.

And now to the wonderful world of dessert. I ♥ chocolate! When I saw this Chocolate Cobbler recipe, I think I drooled all over my desk! I printed the recipe right away and made it that evening. Goodness, it was so delicious and so sinful! Sorry, I think I sinned by eating it...

Weekly Menu

I did not do much planning for this week's menu and I also need to grocery shop, therefore there won't be much of a menu. I do, however, will share with you, 2 pasta salad recipes. One is my own version and the other is from Taste of Home(I have not tested this recipe yet but it's on my "to-try" list.

Sunday - Sausage & Pepper with pasta salad

Monday - Chicken Parm

Tuesday - I will have to stop at my local butcher and get some meat. I'm thinking Pork Tenderloin with green bean casserole and Garlic Corn Saute(click here for the recipe)

Wednesday thru Saturday - ????

Sicillian Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 package (7 ounces) small pasta shells
• 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) Italian diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 large tomato, diced
• 1 cup cubed part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup chopped red onion
• 1/3 cup sliced ripe olives, drained
• 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 to 1-1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  

Instructions:

• Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and rinse in cold water.
• In a large salad bowl, combine the pasta, tomatoes, cheese, onion, olives and parsley. Drizzle with oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate until serving. Yield: 8 servings.

Pasta Salad (my version)

Ingredients:**

• 1 package (1 Lb.) small pasta(whatever shape that suits your fancy: pipette/campanelle/elbows/fiofi)
• 1/2 cup chopped red onion
• 1/4 cup chopped green/red pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped jarred hot pepper salad
• 1/4 cup juice/marinade from the pepper salad
• 1/2 stick(about 1/2 cup) of pepperoni, cut into bitesize chunk
• Shredded Italian cheeses (I used parmesan, romano & fontina), about 2 hands-full/Sometimes I use cubed sharp cheddar cheese
• A hand-full of black olives, drained and sliced in half
• Italian hern seasoning, about 2 pinches
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• Olive and Red Wine Vinegar to taste

** As always, I don't measure, so you'll have to "eye-ball" the ingredients and seasonings and taste as you go.

Instructions:

• Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and rinse in cold water.
• In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Drizzle with the reserved hot pepper juice(from jar), oil,vinegar; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Serve at room temp.
  

Weekly Menu

Sunday - Hot dogs and hamburgers

Monday - Chicken Burritos (my version)

Tuesday - Pork Tenderloin wrapped with bacon

Wednesday - Spaghetti and Meatballs

Thursday - "Philly" Cheesesteaks

Friday - We have a wedding to attend this evening

Saturday - Maybe Fish Fry

Do you like Mexican food? I like Mexican food but hubby doesn't. He had a very bad experience eating mexican food once and he would never eat mexican food again(he also hates beans). So as a "compromise", I make my version of Chicken Burrito. It's very easy to make. You are welcome to try it if you have a "picky one" who wouldn't go to a mexican restaurant.
This recipe makes 4 burritos.

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken breast halves, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 1 medium green pepper(more if you like pepper), sliced
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1 box Zatarian rice pilaf or your favorite brand of boxed rice
• About 3 cups(or more, just "eye-ball" it; now I sound like Rachel Ray) shredded cheddar cheese
• 4 large tortilla wraps
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• Taco seasoning, optional
• Olive oil/butter for cooking

Instructions:

• Cook the boxed rice according to the box instuctions. Set aside cooked rice.
• Heat(on med high) 1 tablespoon oil/butter in a saute pan. Saute onions and garlic for about 2-3 minutes.
• Add chicken pieces and season with salt & pepper and/or taco seasoning. Cook chicken until it's no longer pink.
• Add green pepper and cook until the pepper is slightly soft.
• Taste and re-season if needed.
• Preheat oven to 350F.
• To assemble: Place a tortilla wrap on a cutting board or on your counter or on a plate(If you buy the refrigerated tortilla wraps, heat the wrap in the microwave for a few seconds to soften it a little so it's workable). Divide the chicken mixture as well as the rice into 4 portions. Place 1 portion each of the rice and chicken mixture in the middle of the tortilla, top with a handfull of shredded cheese. Wrap the tortilla wrap(this sounded funny) and place it in a baking dish. Continue wrapping the remaining wraps. **
• Sprinkle more shredded cheddar cheese on top of the wraps and bake in the oven for about 15min or until the cheese is melted. You can then broil it(quickly) to brown the melted cheese. Serve with sour cream and salsa.

** This recipe makes 4 big burritos. You can make 6 smaller sized burritos with lesser fillings in each.

Weekly Menu

I started posting my weekly menu here last Monday. I am going to try to make this a weekly Monday post, as a way to:

• Keep track of the different dishes I made
• Share recipes with my blog friends
• Provide dinner ideas for my blog friends

I will try to post at least one recipe of what I will be cooking each week. If I'm trying a new recipe, I will note that it's a new recipe and then the following week, I will follow up on the "result/outcome" of the new recipe. If there is a dish that you are interested in making but I didn't post a recipe, please let me know and I will try to give you the link(if it's a recipe I tried) or write a recipe(if it's something I made up). How's that sound?

Sunday - Smoked Sirloin Roast & Grilled potatoes

Monday - Hamburgers. As I was typing this post, I have a sudden craving for big juicy hamburger, so hamburger it is.

Tuesday - Parmesan-Crusted Chicken with wild rice

Wednesday - Shrimp Fettucini Alfredo

Thursday - Crispy Pan-Fried Pork Chops with Nutty Cheese Tortellini(recipe below)

Friday - Chicken Parm Pizza (was on last week's menu but didn't make it)

Saturday - Maybe smoked ribs

Nutty Cheese Tortellini (new)

Ingredients:

• 1 pakage (9oz) refrigerated cheese tortellini
• 1/2 cup butter, cubed
• 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
• 1/3 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
• 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Instructions:

• Cook tortellini according to package directions; drain.
• In the same pan, melt butter. Stir in tortellini, parsley and walnuts. Toss to coat. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and season with salt & pepper. Serve.

Hopkins Inn Rosti Potatoes (made this last week for the first time)

Ingredients:

• 4 large red potatoes
• 1/4 cup diced onion
• 1/4 cup diced bacon slices
• 2 tbsp melted butter
• salt & pepper to taste

Instructions:

• Wash and boil the red potatoes until tender but not soft; cool in refrigerator. Peel off skins and shred potatoes using a large grater.
• Saute the onions and bacon until golden brown. Drain off bacon fat.
• Mix the onions and bacon with the shredded potatoes and season to taste.
• Spread this mixture in a non-stick frying pan and saute at moderately high heat in melted buttter. Do not stir or mix the rosti. The rosti should be turned over when you can see the steam rising through the mixture. If you cannot flip the potatoes, cover the pan with a plate, turn the potatoes onto the plate and slide them, suteed side up, back into the pan. The potatoes should be throughly cooked when the steam can be seen again. Both sides should have a nice, golden brown color.

My Notes:

1. I guess I don't really understand the "cook potatoes until tender" part. I cooked the potatoes to what I thought was tender(inside still slightly crunchy/uncooked) but outside is slightly soft. So when I shredded the potatoes, it all seemed to be a big mush(like mashed potatoes). I'm pretty sure I cooked it too long.
2. The overall taste is pretty good with the bacon and onions. I just didn't like the texture, it's kinda like mashed potato pancakes. Hubby didn't like it either, he said the potatoes tasted "waterlogged". Maybe next time I will try it with uncooked potatoes.
3. If you do give this a try, will you please come back and let me know what you think of it?

Weekly Menu

I have seen my friend from The Long Haul post about Menu Plan Monday week after week. Personally I think it's a great idea! Do I do it too? Not quite. But that is going to change. I have in the past just think ahead(kinda) of what I would like to make and it actually made things easier. It made buying grocery easier; it's easier on our wallets as we are not ordering out at the last minute because I don't know what to make for dinner; it is healthier too(that is if i choose to cook healtheir) because we are not eating a lot of greasy-processed-fast food or take outs.

I have heard people said that "How does she(my friend) find time to make all those delicious food, she works full-time?" Simple, she planned ahead, so she knows when to make what.
So if you have not already have a weekly menu plan, perhaps now is the time to start planning. I know I will try to do a weekly menu plan and will stick with it as much as I can.

I am not sure how well I'll be following this week's menu because hubby is severely in pain. He's got lower back problems and it seems like this time it's getting worst. He is trying to go to a new neurologist, hopefully sometime this week. He's on strong pain meds right now, so if he is up to eating, then I will cook. So here's my menu plan for this week:

Sunday - Fresh pasta with Ricotta and Walnut sauce (Didn't make it, we had leftover mac & cheese in stead)

Monday - Bison steaks and Rosti Potatoes (I will post the Rosti Potatoes recipe later this week)

Tuesday - Spaghetti with turkey meatballs

Wednesday - Southwestern Pork Tenderloin sandwich

Thursday - Chef Salad

Friday - Chicken with Cashew and rice. Or maybe Chinese take out.

Saturday - Chicken Parm Pizza