Saturday, January 2, 2010

Menu for Week of 1/2/10

It has been a few weeks since my last regular menu post. The truth is I have not cooked much since Christmas. We had family in town and that meant a few family dinners and then after many big holiday meals we didn't feel like eating much. So, we have been making due with what was on hand. Now that all the Christmas decorations are down and Josh heads back to work on Monday things are starting to get back to normal around here. Here is our menu for the week.

Chili Chicken, rice, mexican vegetable blend
This is a good way to use leftover chili. The recipe calls for a can of chili, but use homemade, you will be glad you did.

Chili Chicken
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
1 can (141/2 oz.) mexican stewed tomatoes
15 oz. chili
sliced cheddar cheese

Place chicken in ungreased baking dish; top with tomatoes. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 50 minutes. Spoon chili around and over chicken pieces; bake 10 minutes longer. Top each piece of chicken with a slice of cheese and return to oven for 3-4 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve over rice.

*I only use 1 or 2 chicken breasts since it is just for may family of 3 (that means more sauce!)
*This could also be good served over a bed of tortilla chips possibly. The chicken is very tender.

Beef Stew, biscuits

Beef Stew
Pamela Trover
2 lb. beef stew meat
2 T. shortening
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
1 med. onion, sliced
1 or 2 bay leaves
1 Tbsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. pepper
Dash of allspice or cloves
6 carrots, chopped
4 potatoes, chopped
3 Tbsp. flour

Thoroughly brown meat in hot shortening, turning often. Add 2 C. hot water and next 9 ingredients. Cover; simmer for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally to keep from sticking. Remove bay leaves. Add vegetables. Cover and cook 30-45 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Slowly blend 1/3 C. cold water into 3 T. flour. Stir slowly into hot stew mixture. Cook and stir 3 minutes longer. Serve with biscuits.

Loaded Baked Potatoes (ham, broccoli, cheese sauce)
This is an easy and fun dinner to do in the winter. Use whatever toppings you like. This would also be another option for leftover chili. I am using diced ham (from my freezer), steamed broccoli (it was on sale this week), and cheese sauce. Making a cheese sauce is VERY easy.

Cheese sauce
Melt a couple Tbsp. butter in a pan. Whisk in an equal amount of flour. Cook for just a minute. Whisk in milk (start with a cup or two). Stir until it starts to bubble and thicken. Remove from heat and stir in shredded cheddar (or Velveeta will make it even creamier) until melted. Add salt and pepper to taste.

BBQ Country-style Pork Ribs, baked sweet potatoes, cucumber salad
These ribs are a very affordable cut of meat. Slow cook them in BBQ sauce. This could be done in the crockpot as well. Cucumber salad is one of my favorite things. It is normally something we eat in the summer time, but it just sounded good with the BBQ.

Cucumber Salad
Pamela Trover
1 cucumber, peeled and sliced. Sprinkle with 1 tsp. salt. Let sit 30 minutes and drain. Mix 1/2 C. sour cream, 4 tsp. vinegar, 1-3 drops pepper sauce, ground pepper. Add the mixture to cucumbers and stir gently to combine.

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