Menu for Week of 3/12/10

Waffles, bacon, eggs, fruit

Once again, this is an easy Sunday night dinner. Normally we do a big breakfast on Saturday mornings, but when we have something going on that day we just bump it to Sunday.

Pork Stirfry served over brown rice

I am using the leftover orange-glazed pork (recipe below) we had last night. I will stirfry it with some broccoli, onion, and carrot that I have on hand. Also, I will make a little more of the orange sauce and add some soy sauce to it for more of an asian flare.

Herb-encrusted Chicken Cutlets, roasted red potatoes and gravy, peas

Sometimes I just try to get creative with what I have on hand. I have some leftover dry, herb seasoned stuffing that I am going to crush and use as breading on chicken cutlets (chicken breasts pounded thin). Fry them in a small amount of oil to brown and then place in the oven to cook the rest of the way through. A simple pan gravy with flour and chicken broth added to the pan drippings.

Taco Salad

One of the unique traditions from my family is eating Mexican food on St. Patrick's day. Strange I know, but guacamole is green! My parents went to a mexican restaurant on St. Pat's day when they were first married and the tradition stuck. Basically, this is an excuse for me to make my new favorite dish - guacamole and pico de gallo.

Baked Ziti, garlic bread and salad

This is a creation from my sister, Laura. Jack loves noodles so I can't wait to give it a try.

Baked Ziti

Laura Breeding

8 oz. ziti, cooked and drained

1/2 pound italian sausage, cooked and drained

Spaghetti sauce (I just made Mom's like I always do - 2 cans puree, 1 can stewed and then seasonings)

2 cups mozzarella cheese

1/2 of a 15 oz container of ricotta cheese

Parmesan cheese

Make the sauce, add meat and let it simmer for awhile. Mix the cooked ziti, 1 cup mozzarella, ricotta, and the sauce together and poured into a lightly greased 8 x 8 baking dish. Top it with the rest of the mozzarella and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for about 30-40 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 15-20 minutes.

Here is the orange-glazed pork I made last night:

Orange-Glazed Pork

1/2 C. orange juice

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

2 Tablespoons marmalade

1 Tablespoon Vinegar

1 Tablespoon dijon or stone-ground mustard

Pork chops about 1/2 thick

Season the pork chops with salt and pepper. Brown on both sides in a skillet with 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil. Remove meat. Mix all ingredients to make the sauce and pour into hot skillet. Scrape up all the little bits from the bottom of the pan. When sauce is bubbly add pork back to skillet, cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for 8 minutes. Turn pork over, cover and cook another 8 minutes or till cooked through. Serve with rice and pour sauce over all. Garnish with chopped green onion.