So how was everyone’s first week of the new year? Well believe it or not, ours was a bit cold. Temperatures in Florida hit the freezing mark, burr! School and sports activities started up again, so our lazy, hanging around the house days are gone. Bummer. Back to the madness! Here is next weeks menu to help you mark at least one item off your never ending to-do list. This week I’ve thrown in one meatless meal, to help with the grocery bill, a super easy Crock-Pot meal, and a dinner that brings back the whole Sunday dinner vibe. Once again let me know how this format is working for you. I’m still researching the world of “how to create a great blog” information, so you may see the format changing a bit throughout the week. Hope your week is fabulous.
Grocery List:
Produce:
Red Onion, small 1
Yellow Onion, 3
Red Bell Pepper, 2
Garlic Bulb
Chives (to garnish)
1 pkg of fresh Basil
Portobello 4 mushroom caps (about 3/4 pound)
Zucchini, 2
Shallot, 1
2 Fresh Jalapenos
Avocado, 1
Tomato 1
Carrots, 4
1 (24 oz) bag baby potatoes
Celery ribs, 8
3 sprigs fresh rosemary
Pantry:
2 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (14.4 ounce) can diced fire roasted tomatoes
Tomato Juice
1 Loaf of fresh bakery bread unsliced
Hamburger buns
1 box Chicken Broth
2 packages (5.6 oz) Spanish rice mix, Lipton
Mayonnaise
1 lb dried fettuccine
Horseradish Sauce
Meats/Deli:
1 1/2 lbs of Mozzarella, deli sliced
4 slices pepper jack cheese
1 pkg shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
4 ounces Swiss cheese
4 slices Canadian bacon or 8 slices of thick sliced peppered bacon
8 ounces fully cooked andouille sausage
8 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 pound chicken cutlets
1 1/2 lbs ground beef chuck
1 Beef Standing Rib Roast (4-5 lb)
Seafood:
4 Scallops (these can be frozen or fresh)
Spices/Staples:
Basil, Dried
White Pepper, ground
Olive Oil
Sugar, white
Worcestershire sauce
Dairy:
Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled, 1 4oz. tub
Cream cheese, 2 bricks
Heavy Cream, will be used in 2 recipes
Milk
Sour Cream, small tub
Butter, Regular and Unsalted
Frozen:
1 pkg peas
1 pkg of frozen cooked shrimp (will be used in 2 recipes)
Quick Meal 1
So my friend sent this great recipe for tomato soup over that her friend had shared, and I love it, I think the gorgonzola cheese is what does it for me. Knowing that my family would want something more than just the soup, I decided to add a grilled cheese sandwich to make it a meal. By deciding to make it a Mozzarella and Basil sandwich it reminded me of a Caprese salad.
Recipe courtesy of: Daren Long
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small red onion, diced
1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced (approx. 2)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled (I preferred 1/2 cup)
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup milk
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (14.4 ounce) can diced fire roasted tomatoes
1 1/2 cups tomato juice
2 teaspoons dried basil
1 teaspoon white sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
Sour Cream and chives
Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, pepper, and garlic; cook and stir 4 to 5 minutes or until vegetables are soft. Add the cheeses, cream, and milk; heat mixture until cheeses melt and the mixture is simmering. Stir in the tomatoes (including their liquid), tomato juice, basil, sugar, and pepper. Continue to simmer mixture for 15 to 20 minutes while stirring constantly. Do not boil.
While the original recipe didn't call for it, I pureed mine. Top with a dollop of sour cream and chives.
Recipe courtesy of Jo Davison
Serves 4
1 Loaf of fresh bakery bread unsliced
2 tbs butter, melted
1 1/2 lbs of Mozzarella, deli sliced
1 pkg of fresh Basil
Slice bread in 1" think slices, divide cheese evenly between the 4 sandwiches, top the cheese with the fresh basil, butter both sides and grill on low heat in a skillet until brown and cheese has melted.
Quick Meal 2
While this recipe won’t give you the crispy rice that you would associate with Paella, it is one fast and easy recipe.
Recipe Courtesy of Sandra Lee
Serves 6
8 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 1-inch pieces
8 ounces fully cooked andouille sausage, cut into 1-inch pieces
28 oz chicken broth
1 can diced tomatoes
2 packages (5.6 oz) Spanish rice mix, Lipton
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup onion
1 cup frozen cooked shrimp, thawed
In a Crockpot, stir together chicken, sausage, broth, undrained tomatoes, Spanish rice mix, peas and onion until thoroughly combined. Cover and cook on HIGH setting for 2 hours or on LOW setting for 4 hours. Stir in shrimp, cover and cook for an additional 20 to 30 minutes until shrimp is heated through.
Got Some Time - Meal 1
Recipe courtesy of Rachael Ray
Serves 4
1/3 cup mayonnaise
Salt and pepper
4 Portobello mushroom caps (about 3/4 pound)
2 zucchini, trimmed and thinly sliced on an angle
1 pound chicken cutlets
4 slices Canadian bacon (I used 8 slices of thick sliced peppered bacon)
4 ounces Swiss cheese, shredded
Preheat a grill to medium. In a medium bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup water, the mayonnaise and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper; brush onto the mushroom caps, zucchini slices and chicken cutlets. Transfer the vegetables, chicken and Canadian bacon to the grill, cover and cook, turning once, until the vegetables are browned and the chicken is cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes.
Off the grill, top each mushroom cap with zucchini slices, a chicken cutlet and a Canadian bacon slice, sprinkling each layer with some of the cheese. Using a large spatula, transfer to the grill, cover and cook until the cheese is melted, about 2 minutes.
I served mine with a spring salad.
Got Some Time - Meal 2
Recipe courtesy of Jo Davison
Serves 4 to 6
2 tbs Olive Oil
4 Scallops
2 cups, frozen shrimp, thawed
6 tbs, unsalted butter
1 shallot, minced
1 cup heavy cream
1 brick cream cheese, softened
1 cup, finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 lb dried fettuccine
Heat a skillet on med-high heat, add olive oil, add scallops and cook through. Add shrimp and set aside. Start cooking the fettuccine. In a medium saucepan over med-high heat, melt butter. Add shallots and sauté until tender. Add cream cheese and heavy cream and bring to a slight boil. Cook for approximately 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Drain the pasta and reserve 1/4 cup of the water.
Return the pasta to the pot it was cooked in, set over med-high heat along with the reserved water, add the cream mixture, the Parmigiano-Reggiano, scallops and shrimp. Toss to combine thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper to taste, top with more Parmigiano-Reggiano. Serve immediately.
I served mine with garlic bread.
Got Some Time - Meal 3
I love Jalapeno Poppers but I have to be in the mood to make them since they are time consuming. One day while I was craving them I came up with this recipe since I had planned on grilling some burgers for dinner. It was a instant hint. I’ve tried this recipe a few ways; one is sauteing the Jalapeno’s a bit with diced bacon, to give you a wrapped Jalapeno Popper taste. I prefer sauteing the Jalapeno’s just a bit since they don't soften up a lot when you just cook them in the burger. I’ve also substituted cream cheese for the cheddar cheese.
Recipe Courtesy of Jo Davison
Serves 4
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 lbs ground beef chuck
Salt and Pepper
2 Fresh Jalapeno’s, sliced, divided by 4 (remove ribs and seeds to reduce heat)
3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided by 4
4 slices pepper jack cheese
4 hamburger buns
1 Avocado, sliced
1 tomato, sliced
In a bowl combine beef, garlic and season with salt and pepper. Divide mixture into 8 equal patties. Heat a grill pan or outdoor grill on high. If you decide to saute the Jalapeno’s a bit, do it before you add them to the burger. Assemble burgers by placing 1 patty on bottom adding Jalapeno and cheddar cheese in the middle and another patty on top to create a stuffed burger, pinch patty ends together to contain Jalapeno and cheese. Place and grill for 3 - 4 minutes on each side. Top with the pepper jack cheese and melt. Assemble on buns with avocado and tomatoes.
Add what you normally serve with Burgers
Pass the Wine, I got all the time to cook - Meal 1
This meal reminds me of those Sunday dinners that were ready right after church. You would walk in and the house would just smell wonderful. Yumm.
Recipe courtesy of Publix Apron Meals
Serves 8
4 carrots
2 medium onions
1 (24 oz) bag baby potatoes
8 celery ribs
2 tbs olive oil
1 Beef Standing Rib Roast (4-5 lb)
1 tsp Kosher salt
3 sprigs fresh rosemary
3/4 cup Horseradish Sauce
1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp pepper
Preheat oven to 475 F. Peel carrots, remove ends and skin from onion; cut both into 1-inch pieces. Cut potatoes and celery into 1-inch pieces. Combine all vegetables and olive oil in a large bowl, stirring until evenly coated; transfer to medium-size roasting pan. Season roast on all sides with salt. Place roast on rack arranged over vegetables. Place roast in oven and immediately reduce heat to 325 F. Bake 1 hour.
Meanwhile, remove rosemary leaves from stems and chop leaves very finely; combine in small bowl with horseradish sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and pepper; set aside.
Remove roast from oven. Coat roast with horseradish mixture. Bake 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until internal temperature reaches 145 F (medium-rare) up to 170 F (well-done) depending on your liking. Transfer roast to cutting board; and let stand 10-15 minutes before slicing. Transfer vegetables to serving dish. Slice roast and serve.
