Happy New Year! Does anyone else out there feel that it doesn’t seem possible to be in the year 2010? I’m sure that many of us have made our New Years Resolutions and I’m hopeful that having dinner as a family each night is one of them. As many of you know I said that I would finally get going on this blog and make it a reality, so here it goes. Since I’m still learning about posting, I’m sure that the first posts are going to be a bit rough, and I ask that you help me out with your suggestions as to what would make this tool even more helpful to you. Also, if you feel this blog would help your friends and family out, pass this site on. I’ll be posting on Friday nights so that you have the weekend to shop and organize the meals for your week. Within each week I’ll be posting the main entree items and only suggest what to serve with them, this will give you liberty to choose a side your family likes. I’m happy to do research on recipes you would like to see and you will notice that not all the recipes I posted are mine. I love to try new recipes and when they seem to be a hit for my family I’ll let you know. I'll also let you know what recipes have freezer value. Freezer value is a recipe that can be doubled to create two meals, or a component of the meal will be used in another recipe to stream line the process even more. So lets get started....
Week 1
Grocery List:
Produce
Apple, green (1)
Avocado
Basil
Cilantro
Fresh Rosemary (sm pkg)
Garlic Bulb
Onion, yellow (2)
Onions, green
Parsley
Portobello Mushrooms (pkg) X2
Red Bell Pepper (2)
Salad Items
Shallot
Yukon Gold Potatoes, sm bag
Pantry
Bread, Sourdough
15 oz can tomato, 1
28 oz can crushed tomatoes with basil, 1
28 oz can diced tomatoes, 1
28-ounce can dices tomatoes (1)
A1 or Worcestershire
Beef Stock
can of condensed cream of chicken soup
Cooking Spray
Crushed red pepper flake (spice)
Cumin (spice)
Egg Noodles 1 Pkg
Flour
large zip lock bag
Long-grain white rice
Mayonnaise
Olive Oil
Oregano (spice)
Panko Breadcrumbs, 2 boxes
Red Wine
Spaghetti, 2 lbs
tomato paste, 1
White Wine
Meats/Deli
Deli Ham
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts 1 1/2 lb
Butterfly Pork Chops, 4
Filet of Beef 1 1/2 lbs
Flank Steak, 1 1/2 lbs
Ground Beef, 1 lb
Ground Pork, 1 lb
Ground Veal, 1 lb
Dairy
Butter, 4 sticks
Butter, Unsalted sticks
Cheddar Cheese, shredded
Eggs
Gorgonzola Cheese, 4 oz tub
Milk
Mozzarella Cheese 1/3 lb
Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese
Sm. Brie
Sour Cream, Lg
Quick Meal 1
Recipe courtesy of Jo Davison
Serves 4
8 Slices Sourdough Bread
2 tblsButter, Melted
1 Small Wheel of Brie
8 Slices of thick cut Ham
1 Medium Green Apple
Heat a Panini Press* on Medium High heat. Prepare apple by cutting in half, coring and thinly slicing it. Prepare Brie by slicing wheel and removing white skin from all 4 edges. Assemble sandwiches by placing Brie, apple slices and ham. Butter one end and place on press, butter other side and cook until edges are brown and crisp and cheese has melted.
* If you don't have a press a heavy skillet with a garden brick covered in foil or other heavy object will work.
Serve with a spring salad.
Quick Meal 2
This is not your mom’s stroganoff... this is absolutely great, and it’s the only one that my husband will eat, since he’s never been a stroganoff fan.
Recipe found in Saveur Magazine
Serves 6-8
1 1/2 lbs. filet of beef
6 tbsp. butter
Olive oil
2 tbsp. chopped green onions, white and green parts
1/4 cup white wine or vermouth
A1 sauce or Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 cups sour cream
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Chopped parsley
1 bag of cooked egg noodles
Note * I add 1/2 a brick of cream cheese to thicken the sauce,
I also prefer the white wine over the vermouth and the
Worcestershire sauce over the A1.
Cut the beef into very thin slices, or, as Beard recommends, ask your butcher to do it for you.
Melt 4 tbsp. of butter in the pan and get it as hot as you can without burning; if you add just a bit of olive oil to the butter it helps it from turning brown. Sauté the beef slices in the hot fat very quickly. When they are delicately browned on both sides and done (this takes only a minute or two), remove them to a hot platter. Add remaining butter and the chopped green onions and cook for a minute. Then add white wine or vermouth and a dash or two of A1 sauce or Worcestershire sauce and the sour cream. (If using the cream cheese, add at this time also). Stir well and heat through, but do not boil, or the sour cream will curdle. Salt to taste and pour the sauce over the beef. Top with a sprinkling of freshly ground pepper and chopped parsley. Serve atop egg noodles.
Serve with a spring salad and garlic bread.
Got Some Time - Meal 1
Cuban Braised Beef and Peppers (crockpot meal)
Recipe Courtesy of Real Simple Magazine
Serves 4
1 28-ounce can dices tomatoes, drained
2 red bell peppers, sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 onion, cut into 8 wedges
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground cumin
Kosher salt and black pepper
1 1/2 pounds flank steak, cut crosswise into thirds
1 cup long-grain white rice
1 avocado, sliced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
In a 5-to 6-quart slow cooker, combine the tomatoes, bell peppers, onion, oregano, cumin, 1 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Nestle the steak among the vegetables. Cook, covered, until meat is tender and pulls apart easily, on high for 4 to 5 hours or on low for 7 to 8 hours. Twenty-five minutes before serving, cook the rice according to the package directions. Using two forks, shred the beef and mix it into the cooking liquid. Serve with the rice and top with the avocado and cilantro.
My family also liked a dollop of sour cream. :)
Serve with warm flour tortillas.
Got Some Time - Meal 2
Recipe Courtesy of Publix Apron's Meals
Serves 4
Cooking Spray
3 tbs unsalted butter
1/4 cup flour
large zip lock bag
1 1/2 lb Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/8 tsp pepper
1 can of condensed cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup light mayonnaise
1 1/2cups Panko bread crumbs
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
aluminum foil
Preheat oven to 425 F. Coat 2-quart baking dish with cooking spray. Cut butter into small pieces and place in medium bowl to soften. Place flour in large zip-top bag. Season chicken with pepper; add to bag. Seal bag tightly; shake to coat. Remove chicken from bag; shake off excess flour. Arrange chicken in baking dish. Combine soup and mayo in second bowl; spread mixture evenly over chicken. Stir panko and cheese into softened butter, mixing until crumbly. Top chicken with cheese mixture; cover dish with foil. Bake 10 minutes. Remove foil. Bake 10-15 minutes or until top is golden and internal temperature of chicken reaches 165 F.
I served mine over rice with a side of broccoli.
Got Some Time - Meal 3
Recipe courtesy of Jo Davison
Serves 4
2 tbs Butter
Olive Oil
1 Shallot, sliced
1 pkg Sliced Portobello Mushrooms
Salt and Pepper
1 Garlic clove, minced
1 4 oz. tub of Gorgonzola Cheese
1/2 cup, Panko breadcrumbs
4 Butterfly Pork Chops
In a saucepan, heat butter and a swirl of the pan with olive oil. Add shallot, garlic and mushrooms. Sauté mushrooms until brown and crisp. Remove mushrooms from pan and add pork chops, cook each side 5-6 minutes. (Pork chops need to be cooked through, adjust cooking time in necessary.) While pork chops are cooking, assemble topping by chopping mushrooms, adding Gorgonzola cheese and panko bread crumbs. Mix until all items are incorporated and bread crumbs are moist. Place pork chops onto an oven proof pan if your saucepan in not ovenproof. Add the mushroom mixture onto the chops, place in oven and broil on low, until cheese melts a bit, about 2 minutes. Remove from oven and allow meat to rest for a few minutes before serving.
Recipe courtesy of Tyler Florence
Serves 4 to 6
3 Large Yukon Gold Potatoes, scrubbed clean, cut in 1/2
4 Sprigs of Fresh Rosemary
Kosher Salt and freshly Ground Black Pepper
Kosher Salt and freshly Ground Black Pepper
Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
Heat oven to 400 degrees F.
Slice the potatoes and put on a baking sheet. Roughly tear the rosemary and scatter it over the potatoes; season them with salt
and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Toss the potatoes well to mix all the flavors and put them in the oven. Remove them after 30 minutes and toss them again. Continue to roast them until they are browned and cooked through. Serve immediately.
Since the meat and potatoes were taken care of I added some Asparagus.
Pass the Wine, got all the time to cook - Meal 1
Jo's Magnificent Meatballs and Sauce (Freezer Value)
Recipe Courtesy of Jo Davison
Serves and Army :)
Meatball Ingredients
1/3 cup milk
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground veal
1 lb ground pork
1/3 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
3 eggs, lightly beaten
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 3/4 tsp. kosher salt
2 tsp. Italian Seasoning
2 tsp. Italian Seasoning
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1/3 lb. mozzarella cheese cut into 1/2 " cubes
1 box of beef stock
Sauce Ingredients
Olive Oil
2 tbs butter
1 cup onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 pkg of sliced portabella mushrooms
1/2 bottle of red wine
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
Salt
1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
Salt
1 can tomato paste
1 15 oz can tomato Sauce
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes with basil
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
Fresh basil, handful or so depending on your liking
2 lbs spaghetti, cooked and drained (If you are going to divide this recipe then only 1lb is needed)
Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano for serving
Heat oven to 350 F.
In a large bowl, combine milk and bread crumbs. Add meats, parsley, eggs, garlic, salt and pepper. Mix briefly by hands to combine ingredients but try not to work meat too much. Form mixture into 2" balls and seal a cheese cube into center of each ball. In large frying pan on medium-high heat, heat oil (enough to cover pan). Sear meatballs on all sides to seal meatballs. When meatballs are seared on each side place them on a sided cookie sheet, be careful to give the meatballs room to cook without touching each other. Add stock to the tray, you only need enough to cover the bottom of the tray so that the meatballs won't dry out. Bake for 30 minutes. While the meatballs are baking prepare the sauce.
In a heavy stock pot, heat butter and olive oil (just a couple of swigs around the pan), add onions, mushrooms, red pepper flake, Italian Seasoning and garlic. Sauté until onions are translucent and mushrooms are cooked, salt to taste. Add wine and cook until wine reduces by half. Once this is done add the tomato paste and mix thoroughly. Add the remainder of tomatoes. Bring to a slight boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for approximately 30 minutes stirring occasionally. During the last 10 minutes drop pasta and cook as directed. During the last 5 minutes add the basil to wilt.
Serve sauce over spaghetti, add meatballs and grate cheese over top.
I only had to add some garlic bread.
After dinner you will have a lot left. Here are some freezer ideas.
2 cups to be used for homemade pizza’s.
3 cups of sauce and 6 meatballs for baked ziti.
Use the remainder of the sauce, meatballs and pasta to make individual lunch portions by storing them in small tupperware containers.
If you’d rather not do that save the remainder of the sauce and meatballs to serve over hoagies for meatball sandwiches.
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