This Week's Dinner Menu

I'm still feeling "blah" about food. I think it is that I am ready for the season's to change and wanting my food to change. I am tired of "winter food," bring on Spring!

Monday - Harvest Bisque (leftover), Tri Colore Orzo Salad, Baguette with Avocado & Salt
Tuesday - Baked Macaroni & Cheese
Wednesday - Chicken Pillows, salad, green beans
Thursday - Tuxedo Salad (We loved this! It is hard to say which spinach/pasta/chicken salad we are favoring between this one and the Asian Spinach Salad.)
Friday - Taco Salad/Tostadas, Dessert with friends
Saturday - Ebelskivers for Brunch (Twice a year, I make the "Baker Family Ebelskivers." It just so happens that this weekend is one of those times.)

Sunday Dinner with the Family

The Menu
Salmon
Roasted Asparagus
Roasted Sweet & Russet Potatoes (This was a great "trick" - something my little one were familiar with and a way to sneak in something new.)
"Grandma's Rice"
Salad - spring greens, pears, red onion, blue cheese and toasted pecans
Apple Crostada
Baguette with Avocado & Salt or Hot Chocolate

Salmon Marinade - Becky Rands

1/4 C butter

1/3 C sour cream

zest of 1/2 lemon
Juice of 1 lemon

1/4 tsp salt and pepper

1/8 tsp garlic salt and lemon pepper

Spread over one salmon fillet and sprinkle with Rub with Love. Bake in a 350 degree oven (or on BBQ) for 10-12 minutes, checking after 5-6 minutes.  Remove when it separates easily and is still translucent in the center.

Happy Sunday Morning!

It is a fine looking Sunday around our house. Yesterday, my husband and a friend painted our living room. Finally, getting rid of a dark red wall from the previous owners. And, while the men worked, the women "worked" too. We made these fabulous cookies.
{Homemade Samoas}
Shortbread cookies (I used 1 1/2 pkgs of Keebler Sandies)
12 oz good quality caramels
3 Tbsp milk
1/4 tsp salt
3 C shredded coconut
Chocolate chips, about 8 oz.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour coconut onto a cookie sheet. Cook for about 20 minutes to toast, stirring every 5 minutes. Cool on baking sheet, set aside.

Combine caramels, milk and salt in a double boiler. When melted and smooth, add in toasted coconut and stir to combine. Spread 2-3 tsp onto each shortbread cookie. Set aside to set-up.

As caramel topping sets, melt chocolate (in double boiler or microwave), stirring so that it will not scorch. Dip bottom of cookies in chocolate, and place on parchment paper. Drixxle remaining chocolate over the top of cookies. Melt more chocolate , if necessary. You could also use a bottle to make nice "stripes" over your cookies.
Allow chocolate to set up, and enjoy! Store in an air-tight container.

Tuxedo Salad

We served this for dinner at the Baby's birthday party and it was fabulous. I have altered the recipe for our taste and family size. I hope that you enjoy it as much as we do!Serves 1 family

Marinade:
½ C oil
1/3 C teriyaki sauce
1/3 C vinegar
3 T sugar
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper

Mix all ingredients for the marinade together, and whisk to combine. Cook the pasta the night before you’re going to serve the salad, add cooked pasta to marinade. Use a large gallon-size freezer bag to mix everything together.

Salad:
1 bag baby spinach
3 oz. Craisins
1 can mandarin oranges
2 chopped green onions
2 T sesame seeds
3 oz. sliced almonds, toasted
3 Teriyaki Chicken breasts

Toss salad ingredients in a large bowl. Add pasta to salad right before serving, toss. Enjoy!
This salad keeps relatively well for leftovers.

Yumminess, Straight Up!

{BBQ Chicken Salad Stackers}

2 sheets thawed puff pastry, each sheet cut into 16 square
homemade BBQ sauce (recipe follows)
1 Rotisserie Chicken, shredded
4 C Spring Salad mix
4 Tbsp prepared Ranch Dressing

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place squares 1 inch apart on a large baking sheets sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until puffed and slightly golden.
2. Combine all BBQ Sauce ingredients into a medium saucepan over medium low heat. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring often. Reduce heat to low and stir in shredded chicken. Let simmer.
3. In a medium bowl, toss salad with ranch dressing. Spoon a bit of salad onto a puff pastry square then top with a spoonful of chicken. Top with another puff square and repeat layering. Serve warm.

10 stackers

{Homemade BBQ Sauce}
1 ¼ C ketchup
3 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
4 Tbsp worstershire sauce
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp lemon juice
3 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
1 tsp honey
Pinch of salt

This Week's Dinner Menu

Sorry, the menu is late. That's how I'm rollin' this week. I have so much on my to do list that food is kind of, dare I say, an after thought. {Except for, on a special day later this week, when my REAL BABY turns One!} And, I could just eat him up!

Sunday - Baked Ziti (I am using my own Meat Sauce and cutting this recipe in half), Aunt Terri's Salad, and rolls
Monday - leftovers
Tuesday - BBQ Chicken Stackers (again, yeah, they were that good)
Wednesday - Asian Spinach Salad
Thursday - Homemade Pizza (trying a new garlic & basil dough recipe)
Friday - Baby's 1st Birthday Celebration
Harvest Bisque (it is one of the baby's favorties that addults can eat, too)
Tuxedo Salad
Grilled Asparagus
Birthday Cake (or pudding)
Saturday - Recover, eat leftovers and watch my Awesome Grandma speak at this!

{Happy Saint Patrick's Day}

Our menu is shaping up quite nicely this year. We will be having a muffin tin breakfast this week. The theme for Muffin Tin Monday was green/St. Patty's food. So, we are doing breakfast.

Then, for dinner we have our traditional, "Thank goodness our German descent grandfather was born in Ireland dinner." Yeah, it is a long story. But, here is the food run down: Corned Beef and Cabbage, Potato Leek Soup, Irish Peas, Cheddar Bacon and Chive Biscuits, and - you guessed it, Jell-O. If I can track down a few more colors, it will be "Somewhere Ove the Rainbow Jell-O." For dessert we will finish up with Shamrock sugar cookies or cake.

{Corned Beef and Cabbage}
3-4 lbs corned beef brisket
1/2 small head cabbage, cut in wedges
1 medium onion, quartered
1 C water
Put all ingredients except cabbage into a crock pot in order listed. Cover and cook on low 8-10 hours. Add cabbage wedges to liquid, pushing down to moisten, turn crokcpot to high and cook an additional 2-3 hours.

{Potato-Leek Soup}
1/4 C butter or margarine
2 large leeks, chopped
4 potatoes, peeled and diced
4 C chicken broth
1/2 tsp salt
sour cream and snipped chives, for garnish
In a 3 qt saucepan over medium heat, melt butter, add leeks. Cook for about 5 minutes until tender-crisp. Add potatoes, cook 5 minutes more, stirring constantly. Add chicken broth and salt, heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Puree in a food processor or blender in batches. Ladle into bowls. Garnish with a dollop of sourcream and top with chives.

This Week's Dinner Menu

Sunday - Harvest Bisque
Monday - Coconut Curry Chicken
Tuesday - Traditional St. Patty's Day Dinner
Wednesday - Spaghetti & Meatballs, garlic bread, salad
Thursday -BBQ Chicken Salad Stackers
Friday - leftovers
Saturday - Smoked Chicken Penne (yeah, still working on this one)

This Week's Dinner Menu

Well, last week we had some success and some not so successful meals. We loved the Asian Spinach Salad. And, the Ultimate Chicken Enchiladas were super yummy, but a little too involved for day to day meals. I changed the manicotti to stuffed shells, and was shocked when my toddler ate a FULL shell by himself. Here is a look at this week's menu.

Sunday - Eating with Mom & Dad (Picked up a yummy new salad recipe, I'll post it soon!)
Monday - Taco Soup, Homemade Soft Pretzels for FHE
Tuesday - Enrichment Dinner (Taking Tri Colore Orzo salad. Big surprise, I know.)
Wednesday - Smoked Chicken Penne (starting with this)
Thursday - Sweet & Spicy Chicken Tacos
Friday - Harvest Bisque
Saturday - Leftovers