This Week's Dinner Menu

Okay, so with it being a new month, I am recommitted to cooking dinner at home. And, not passing over the meals that perhaps I'm not THRILLED about in favor of eating out. We'll see how it goes. And, I guess, you'll know because of the frequency at which it shows up as a repeat on my dinner menu.

Sunday - eating dinner with family and cousins
Monday - Ham, Cheese & Asparagus Mac, fruit
Tuesday - Pizza, salad
Wednesday - Peanut-Crusted Chicken with Pineapple Salsa, broccoli, rolls
Thursday - Brie and Riccotta Pasta Rosa, zucchini, crusty bread with sundried tomato and parmesan spread
Friday - Spring Shepherd's Pie, salad, rolls
Saturday - Leftovers

Short Week Dinner Menu

Ok, we're back from our weekend getaway. We ate out last night, but I am getting "back on the ball." So, here it is the plan for the rest of the week.

Wednesday - Amber's Turkey Enchiladas
Thursday - Pizza (something from the CPK Cookbook)
Friday - Peanut-Crusted Chicken with Pineapple Salsa, broccoli, rolls
Saturday - Katie's Savory Chicken Squares, salad, fruit, maybe dessert

Looks like I'm having a "Poultry Week." I hope that works for everyone.

Memorial Day Weekend

I know, I know . . . I have failed to get up a dinner menu for this week. What can I say, our life is always on-the-go. We spent a wonderful four-day weekend out at Lake Chelan with my family. We had a BBQ, pizza, and many other "yummies".

Here's what it looked like, food-wise:
Friday night: local burger shack for dinner
Saturday: Pancakes for breakfast; leftovers for lunch; Dinner was Dad's Famous Burgers, tomato & corn salad, Caitlin's Asian Crunch salad, and Katie's Chocolate Chip Cookies for dessert
Sunday: Dad's scrambled eggs and toast for breakfast; leftovers and sandwiches for lunch; pizza and more salad for dinner (we came up with some great new combos)
Monday: French toast for breakfast; "Clean out the fridge" leftovers for lunch

Dad's Famous Burgers
ground beef
diced onions
worchestershire sauce
liquid smoke (if you have it)

Dad's Scrambled Eggs
eggs
milk
green onions
red peppers
Johnny's salt
pepper

Tomato & Corn Salad
tomatoes (red and yellow cherry)
4 ears cooked corn, blanched
2 peppers (red or orange)
4 green onions
1/2 c. basil
salt and pepper
Dressing:
1/2 c. olive oil
2 T lemon juice
2 T red wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced (can subst. garlic powder)

Cut tomatoes in half (or quarters depending on size). Blanch corn, and cut kernels from the cob. Dice the peppers. Slice the green onions. Chop the basil. Mix all together. Combine all ingredients for dressing in a screw top jar, shake well. Pour dressing over salad.
I only used the half the dressing when we had it and it still tastes great! If you use it all, it can get to liquidy.

Caitlin's Asian Crunch Salad
lettuce
canned mandarin oranges, drained
sliced almonds
craisins
toasted sesame seeds
broken, uncooked ramen noodlesand
Newman’s Own Light Ginger Sesame Dressing

Katie's Chocolate Chip Cookies
2 sticks butter
6 T sugar
2 c. brown sugar
Mix until smooth.
2 eggs
4 tsp. vanilla
Add eggs one at a time, beating in between.
Combine:
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
3 1/2 c. flour
Slowly add to butter mixture.
Add chocolate chips to taste.
Bake at 375 for about 10 min. Don't overbake.

Our Pizzas
standard pepperoni
ground beef, turkey pepperoni, sauteed onions
greek style pizza - onion, artichokes, feta, ricotta, parsley, mint

This Week's New Recipe Reviews

Sweet Pork Salad with Cilantro Dressing
original recipe here
I am not wure what to say about this one. It was good, but not Cafe Rio. Don't try this expecting to get the same. I think the flavor may have come closer to Cafe Rio's if we had used BBQ sauce instead of the ketchup. I cut the dressing recipe in half, and I added a little coleslaw dressing for "sweetness" because my salsa verde was very spicy.
But, like I said, it was good and it was easy!

"Kicked Up" Hummus

I hope that you have all tried making your own hummus. If not, get a move on! You won't regret it. Even my two-year-old eats it.

Mediterranean Hummus
pine nuts
olive oil
dehydrated red bell pepper
parsley

Tuscan Hummus (made with White Beans)
olive oil
sundried tomatoes
parsley
white pepper
paprika

Cilantro & Jalapeno Hummus
chopped cilantro
pureed jalapeno

Spicy Hummus
pureed roasted red pepper
cayenne

Triple-Layer Hummus
In a clear container, layer: spicy hummus on the bottom, cilantro & jalapeno hummus, with traditional hummus on the top.

Like I said, there's a hummus for every occassion. And, speaking of occassions, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my dad who will be receiving what else . . . hummus as a part of his birthday gift.
For a BIG twist on hummus try this Black Bean Hummus recipe.

Strawberry Pie

Here is the recipe for the strawberry pie that we always have for Dad's birthday.

Strawberry Pie
9-inch baked pie shell
6 C fresh strawberries (about 1 1/2 quarts)
1 C sugar
3 Tbsp cornstarch
1/2 C water
1 pkg (3 oz) cream cheese, softened

Bake pie shell. Cool. Mash enough strawberries to measure 1 cup. Mix sugar and cornstarch, stir in water and strawberries. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute. Cool. Beat cream cheese until smooth, spread on bottom of pie shell. Fill shell with remaining whole berries, pour cooked berry mixture over the top.

Refrigerate until set, about 3 hours.

Chicken in 20 minutes? I'll take it!

I check CookingLight.com today and came across this: "20/20: Superfast Chicken Suppers." What an idea! There are some recipe that I can't wait to try, like:

Chicken and Summer Vegetable Tostadas
Chicken, Carrot, and Cucumber Salad
Chicken Cobb Salad
Chicken Souvlaki with Spicy Orange Hummus
Pineapple Chicken Salad Pitas
Peanut-Crusted Chicken with Pineapple Salsa

And, then, there are some that I would probably never make. But, check it out for yourself. Maybe, there's something "fast" that will become your family's favorite. Or, you could try this original Superfast Supper: Turkey and Bean Chili.