Menu for Week of 5/29/10

I had a short menu this week with the holiday and a meal or two we received from others.

BLT sandwiches, chips and dip, carrot sticks, watermelon

Steak Sandwiches, oven fries, watermelon, corn

This recipe is inspired by a sandwich my mom saw on Barefoot Contessa. Click here for the original recipe. The sauce is what makes these sandwiches.

To make the sauce:

• 1/4 pound blue d'Auvergne or other creamy blue cheese (we use feta cheese)
• 2/3 cup sour cream
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

To assemble:

Place grilled steak, thinly sliced on toasted hoagie rolls. Spread generous amount of sauce on top hoagie roll. Top steak with sauted onions and green leaf lettuce.

Menu for Week of 3/26/10

Buffalo Chicken Wing Salad

Just a big 'ole salad with carrots, celery, red onion, and cheddar cheese on top. Serve it up with some buffalo chicken wings and ranch dressing. Simple Friday night supper. I bought the chicken wings at Sam's Club, just heat in the oven and serve.

Tuna Noodle Casserole

This is a classic that my mom used to make. I don't have an exact recipe, but here is how I do it.

Tuna Noodle Casserole

half a bag of egg noodles, cooked

1 can cream of mushroom soup

milk

frozen peas

1-2 cans tuna, drained

Velveeta cheese, sliced

2 pieces buttered toast, cut into 1/2 in. squares

Mix the cooked noodles with the soup, tuna, peas, and milk. Use enough milk to make it a little saucy, you don't want the casserole to dry out as it bakes. Put in a greased 11 x 7 in. glass baking dish. Top with sliced Velveeta cheese and toast squares. Cook at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until bubbly.

Pork Fried Rice

I have two leftover fried pork chops from the other night. I "googled" suggestions on what to do with them and the top vote was make fried rice. This is a simple weekend meal that everyone likes.

Fried Rice

Make rice ahead of time and refrigerate. For some reason it works best with cold rice.

Scramble 1-2 eggs (depending on how much rice you are making) in a hot skillet. The woman who taught me to make this said you want to cook the life out of them, just keep scrambling. Then add chopped onion and minced garlic. Cook until onion is translucent. Add chopped carrots and stirfry 1-2 minutes. Stir in frozen peas and cook another minute. Add the rice, meat, and soy sauce to taste. Stir and cook until combined. This works great with a variety of frozen or fresh vegetables. I am just using what I have on hand.

Leftover Tuna Noodle Casserole, salad

Roast Chicken, oven roasted potatoes and gravy, cooked carrots

I bought a whole fryer when it was on sale a couple weeks ago and put it in the freezer. Roasting a whole chicken is very simple and makes and impressive meal. It is also very economical. I will have leftover chicken that I can shred and use next week for another meal.

Roasted Chicken

Moms and More Cookbook

1 whole 3 lb. chicken fryer

Mix and rub on outside:

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1.4 tsp. thyme

1.4 tsp. marjorum

1/4 tsp. celery salt

Salt the cavity also. cover with foil or glass cover. Put in a cold oven at 400 degrees for 1 1/2 hours.

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.

Menu for Week of 3/5/10

Spaghetti Pie, garlic bread

This is a good way to use leftover spaghetti.

I just mix 1 egg, some parmesan, and mozzarella cheese into the leftover spaghetti noodles. Press into a lightly greased pie plate. I had some leftover hamburger meat from the week so I put some of that on top. Then, I topped it with the small amount of leftover spaghetti sauce and some more mozzarella cheese. Bake covered for about 20-25 min., then uncover until the cheese melts completely and is golden. Josh loves this meal! If you have extra spaghetti sauce that is good to serve along side. I didn't have any so I made a quick bechamel sauce and added parmesan cheese.

Chicken and Black Bean Enchiladas, pico de gallo, guacamole, salad

I confess, we fell in love with the pico and guacamole I tried earlier in the week so I planned our meal around that. This is our favorite enchilada recipe. Josh loves it because it has bacon in it.

Chicken and Black Bean Enchiladas

Apron Strings

12 oz. chicken breasts

3 slices bacon

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 C. picante sauce

1 can black beans, drained

1 lg. red bell pepper, chopped

2 tsp. ground cumin

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 C. chopped green onions

12 (6 in.) flour tortillas *I always make more than 12*

1 1/2 C. shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1 C. picante sauce

For filling:

Rinse chicken and pat dry. Cut into strips.

Fry bacon in a saucepan. Remove the bacon and reserve 2 T. drippings. Crumble bacon.

Add chicken and garlic to the reserved drippings in the skillet. Saute until light brown.

Add 1/2 C. picante sauce, black beans, bell pepper, cumin and salt.

Simmer for 7-8 minutes. Add green onions and bacon.

For enchiladas:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spoon chicken mixture onto tortillas and sprinkle each with 1 T. cheese. Roll the tortillas to enclose the filling.

Place seam side down in a lightly greased baking dish. Spoon 1 C. picante sauce over the top.

Bake for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake until the cheese melts.

Serve with salad, guacamole, and sour cream.

Pancakes, Eggs, Bacon, fruit

Perfect for Sunday night.

Leftover Enchiladas, salad, pico de gallo, guacamole

Baked Ham, baked sweet potatoes, green beans, biscuits

This is the last of the ham I have had in my freezer. I made a large recipe of biscuits last week and froze about 1 dozen of them. I can just pull out a couple and reheat them.

Chicken Broccoli Casserole, rice, cooked carrots

Broccoli was on sale this week.

Chicken Broccoli Casserole

Jill Newton

2 boxes frozen broccoli or 1 head of fresh

4 chicken breasts, chopped

1 can cream of chicken soup

1/2 lb. Velveeta cheese, melted

1 (8oz.) sour cream

1 T. lemon juice

Cook broccoli in salted water until tender. Drain well. Cook chicken until tender. Drain well. Mix soup, cheese, sour cream, and lemon juice. Put broccoli in bottom of dish. Place chicken on top. Spread cheese mixture over chicken. Bake at 350 degrees until bubbly, about 30 minutes.

Glazed Pork Chops, brown rice, oriental vegetables

I bought some orange marmalade that I will mix with some orange juice to make a glaze for these pan seared pork chops. I cut the pork chops and froze them separately when I bought the pork loin at Sam's Club last week.

Menu for Week of 2/26/10

Leftover Hot Chicken Salad, green salad, buttermilk rolls

These rolls were truly delicious. I highly recommend them.

Pizza n' movie night

Every once in awhile we will have a special family night with Jack. We pull out the plastic tablecloth and lay it on the floor in the living room. We have a "picnic" of pizza while watching a family movie. We all had fun watching, Clifford's Really Big Movie. This was a great way to end a fun weekend.

Tacos, guacamole, pico de gallo

One of my favorite Christmas presents this year was an autographed copy of the Pioneer Woman cookbook from my sister-in-law Ashley. I am trying these recipes for the first time tonight.

Spaghetti, salad, garlic bread

The key to great spaghetti is homemade sauce. It is easy I promise. Follow the link and scroll down to the sauce recipe.

Country-fried Hamburgers, rice with country gravy, green beans

This was a family favorite growing up. I may even like it better the next day.

Basically, make small hamburger patties. Dredge in flour and fry in a small amount of oil to brown. Place in a low oven to cook the rest of the way through. Serve with rice and make a cream gravy to go over it all.

Chicken Pot Pie, biscuits

This is becoming almost comical because I have listed this 3 weeks in a row. For one reason or another something comes up and I don't need to make this meal. The great thing about freezer food is that it will wait until I am ready to make it, that is why it keeps getting bumped. Josh has asked for it several times now so I am going to be sure to pull it out of the freezer this week.

Menu for Week of 2/19/10

Leftover Cauliflower Soup, bread

This was a new recipe I tried and we liked it. Very similar to a potato soup.

French dip Sandwiches, oven fries, corn

This recipe makes the best sandwiches. The meat is so tender it falls apart, and the au jus is delicious! I have a couple potatoes left in the pantry so I will use those for oven fries.

French Dip Sandwiches

Kristy Hunter

3 lb. rump roast

1/2 C. water

Hoagie Rolls

Provolone Cheese slices

Juice:

1 can chicken broth

1 envelope onion soup mix

1 tsp. oregano

1/2 tsp. rosemary

1/2 tsp. basil

Brown roast. Place 1/2 C. water and roast in crockpot. Simmer juice 10 minutes and add to crockpot. Cook on low 6-8 hours, until the meat falls apart. Toast and melt cheese on rolls, top with shredded meat. Serve with the au jus sauce for dipping.

Hints:

1. I make this with a pot roast more often than rump roast. It is cheaper and stretches a little farther.

2. I have used beef broth instead of chicken broth as well. Both work fine.

3. Usually it cooks in about 5-6 hours on low.

Makeover Pasta, garlic bread

A couple weeks ago I made Creamy Italian Sausage Rotini and I had a good bit leftover. Instead of eating later in the week I put it all in an 8x8 pan and popped it in the freezer. I am going to make some tomato sauce and mix that in to the pasta and top with mozzarella cheese and bake. This changes it up a little and Josh won't even know that it is really just leftovers. :)

Hot chicken Salad, green salad, buttermilk rolls

This is a recipe I have had often at baby showers. It feeds a crowd and makes for a simple dinner. I have not had it in years and it sounds good. I may freeze part of this in smaller pans.

Hot Chicken Salad

Shirley James

6 C. cooked chicken, chopped

4 C. diced celery

1 can cream of chicken soup

2 C. mayo

2 C. sour cream

2 cans (8oz. each) water chestnuts, drained and chopped

1 can (8oz.) mushroom stems and pieces, drained and chopped

1 C. slivered almonds

2 T. chopped onion

2 T. lemon juice

2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

2 C. (8 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese

2 cans (2.8 oz each) french-fried onions

In a large bowl, mix the first 12 ingredients. Transfer to a 9x13 in. pan (dish will be full, I use a slightly larger dish). Sprinkle with cheese and french-fried onions. Bake uncovered, at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until heated through. Serves 16.

*Very versatile recipe. Use more or less mushrooms, celery, water chestnuts, and onion, based on personal preference.

Buttermilk Refrigerator Rolls

I have not tried this recipe, but looks simple. I'll let you know how they taste.

Chicken Pot Pie, biscuits (or buttermilk rolls)

We never made this last week, so I will get it out of the freezer for this week. That is the great thing about freezer meals, ready when you need them.

Menu for Week of 2/12/10

Leftover Scalloped Ham and Macaroni, french bread

I doubled this recipe. Jack LOVED it; he had 3 big servings. Part of his excitement was probably due to the fact that he helped me with the bread crumb topping. All day long he told everyone that he was going to have noodles and bread for dinner.

Cauliflower Soup, whole-grain bread

This is a new recipe I am trying. Since it comes from the Pioneer Woman I am assuming that it will be delicious. Cauliflower was on sale this week for 99 cents so I thought we would give it a try.

Manicotti, garlic bread, spinach

I have ricotta cheese leftover from the spinach enchiladas last week. I also reserved some of the italian sausage from the rotini last week and put it in the freezer to use with this meal. Finally, I have a half box of manicotti noodles in the pantry leftover from the last time I made this meal. I love it when all the leftovers come together like that!

Chicken Pot Pie, biscuits

I doubled the recipe when I made this a few weeks ago and froze one. I can't begin to tell you how yummy this is! You must try it.

Sweets for my Sweetie

Here is my feeble attempt at Valentine's cookies.

This recipe from the Pioneer Woman is great. It is fun painting the glaze on instead of just frosting the cookies. I recommend giving them a try.

Menu for Week of 2/1/10

Due to the weather in Little Rock over the weekend I was not able to do my normal grocery shopping until Monday, so the menu will seem shorter than normal.

Cheese Soup and Homemade French Bread

I had leftover sliced carrots and celery from the vegetable soup last week that I will use in this soup. Since those were already sliced all I have to do is chop the bell pepper and green onion. This is a new recipe; if it is good I will post it later in the week.

The french bread is the recipe my mom always makes. This bread is delicious and VERY easy!

French Bread

Pamela Trover

1 1/2 C. warm water

1 Tbsp. sugar

4 C. flour

1 pkg. yeast

1 T. oil

1 1/2 tsp. salt

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add rest of ingredients and let set for 10 minutes. Grease cookie sheets and sprinkle with corn meal. Roll out into a large rectangle. Divide in half and roll up into 2 loaves. Slit 5 diagonal lines across the top of each loaf. Cover with a towel and let rise for 1 1/2 hours. Brush with melted butter and bake in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.

Variation: My sister-in-law has also made this is two bread pans as well.

Pot Roast, potatoes, and carrots, rolls

I make my pot roast in the crockpot. Set it in the morning and all I have to do before dinner is add some flour and water to make the gravy.

Creamy Sausage-Tomato Rotini, sweet italian bread, spinach

The sweet italian bread is a nice compliment to the spicy pasta

Creamy Sausage-Tomato Rotini

1 lb. mild italian sausage

1/2C. finely chopped onion

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

28 oz. italian-style stewed tomatoes

1 1/2 C. half and half or light cream

12 oz. rotini pasta

fresh chopped basil and grated romano cheese for garnish

Crumble and cook sausage with onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes over med. heat until sausage is done. Drain.

Stir in undrained tomatoes. Boil gently uncovered 5-7 minutes or until liquid has evaporated. Add half and half. Simmer 4 minutes.

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and return to saucepan.

Pour sauce over pasta. Stir to combine. Serve immediately with grated cheese and basil.

Variation: This can also be made with chicken for a milder taste. Pan fry bite-size pieces of chicken in the skillet. Use penne pasta instead of rotini.

A is for Apricot

Yesterday was a snow day here in Little Rock, it seemed like a good enough reason to make cookies. Lately, we have all enjoyed snacking on dried apricots so I decided to try them in our cookies, the results were delicious. We made oatmeal apricot cookies. The sweet, fresh flavor of the apricots adds a totally new spin on the usual oatmeal raisin cookie.

My oatmeal cookie recipe comes from a friend and I have used it for many years, in fact, this is the recipe my sisters use now as well. I just substituted 1 C. of chopped dried apricots for the nuts.

Pam's Oatmeal Cookies

Pam Fuller

1 C. shortening

1 C. brown sugar

1 C. white sugar

2 eggs, beaten

1 tsp. vanilla

1 1/2 C. flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. allspice

3 C. oats

1 C. chopped pecans (or apricots)

Cream shortening. Add sugars, eggs, and vanilla. Beat well. Combine flour and spices. Add to creamed mixture. Add nuts and oats. Mix. Bake at 350 degrees for 7-8 minutes.

Variations:

*Omit the spices and add chocolate chips

*use raisins, dried cranberries,cherries, or nuts

Two Simple Desserts

Jack and I made two simple desserts this week that are great for a weeknight treat. These are good for a weeknight because you probably have all the ingredients on hand in your pantry. I was feeling a little guilty for serving leftovers two days in a row this week so I thought I would make up for it by having something special for dessert.

The first recipe is one I had not tried before, but that I had seen many times in my cookbook and wanted to try. The reason I never made it until now is because it has coconut frosting and Josh claims that he doesn't like coconut. Well, I am glad I made it anyway because he loved it and said I should make it again!

Busy-Day Cake with Broiled Coconut Topping

Better Homes and Gardens

1 1/3 C. flour

2/3 C. sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

2/3 C. milk

1/4 C. butter, softened

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

1 recipe Broiled Coconut Topping (see below)

Grease an 8in. round cake pan; set aside. In a mixing bowl combine flout, sugar, and baking powder. Add milk, butter, egg, and vanilla. Beat on low speed till combined. Beat on med. speed for 1 minute. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes. Spread Broiled Coconut Topping over warm cake. Broil about 4 inches from heat until golden (watch closely, this will go quickly). Cool slightly in pan on a wire rack. Serve warm.

Broiled Coconut Topping

Beat 1/4 C. packed brown sugar and 2 Tbsp. softened butter till combined. Stir in 1 Tbsp. milk. Stir in 1/2 C. flaked coconut and, if desired, 1/4 C. chopped nuts.

The second dessert is even easier than the first. I have made this one a few times because it makes just enough and satisfies my love of chocolate.

Brownie Pudding Cake

Better Homes and Gardens

As this homey dessert bakes, a layer of cake magically rises to the top, leaving a sauce underneath.

1/2 C. flour

1/4 C. sugar

3 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

3/4 tsp. baking powder

1/4 C. milk

1 Tbsp. cooking oil

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/4 C. chopped walnuts (optional, I have never used them)

1/3 C. sugar

3/4 C. boiling water

In a medium mixing bowl stir together flour, the 1/4 C. sugar, 1 Tbsp. of the cocoa powder, and baking powder. Add milk, oil, and vanilla; stir till smooth. Stir in walnuts. Transfer batter to a 1-qt. casserole. Combine the remaining 2 Tbsp. cocoa powder and the 1/3 C. sugar. Gradually stir in boiling water. Pour evenly over batter. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Serve warm. Makes 4 servings.

Menu for Week of 1/22/10

Grilled Chicken Wraps, hummus and pita chips

I have tortillias leftover from quesadillas earlier in the week. I also have some lettuce, tomatoes, and red bell pepper in the fridge. All I had to do is pull out some chicken and bacon from the freezer.

Chili Dogs, fritos, apple slices

This meal is for Jack; Every night he asks to have hot dogs for dinner. We eat our chili dogs with canned chili, shredded cheddar cheese, and chopped onion.

Vegetable Beef Soup with Marrow Balls

This is the vegetable soup my mom made when we were little. The marrow balls make it extra special. The only problem is you can't get marrow (the inside of the meat bone) anymore, but they still taste great by substituting butter for the marrow. The balls soak up the juices from the soup and are delicious.

I had celery, parsley, and onion already. I bought a bag of potatoes for $1.99 (I will use these later in the week as well) and I am using frozen peas, corn, and carrots. There will be plenty of soup for 2 meals and I may even freeze some to have again in a couple weeks.

Vegetable Soup

Pamela Trover

Cover meat (package of stew meat) or soup bone with water. Add:

1 1/2 Tbsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 large can tomatoes

2 Tbsp parsley

1/4 Cup chopped onion

1/2 Cup chopped celery

*I would add a beef boullion cube or two as well.

Cook for one hour and add:

1/4 Cup barley

Cook one hour longer and add: soup about 15 minutes or until rise to surface.

carrots

potatoes

peas

corn

green beans

Simmer for a couple of hours.

Marrow Balls:

1/4 Cup marrow (use butter in place of marrow)

3 Tbsp butter

Cook in skillet until melted and add cracker crumbs (about 1 1/4 pkg of saltines) and

3 eggs. Mix and make small balls. Put in soup about 15 minutes or until rise to surface.

Chicken and Green Bean Casserole, cranberry sauce, rolls

This is another recipe from my childhood. It is super simple to make. This recipe could also be made with leftover turkey as well.

Chicken and Green Bean Casserole

Pamela Trover

bag of frozen french style green beans

2-3 chicken breasts, cooked and chopped

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can (about) milk

Pepperidge Farm Herb Seasoned dry Stuffing Mix

Prepare stuffing according to package instructions (I usually make it for 6 servings). Place thawed green beans in a small casserole dish. Place chicken on top. Mix soup and milk together and pour over chicken and beans. Spread stuffing on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Serve with whole cranberry sauce.

Leftover Vegetable Soup

Swiss Steak, mashed potatoes, peas, and rolls

Again a simple but delicious recipe from my mom. When we were little my dad would often request this for his birthday meal with apple pie for dessert. Swiss steak is an inexpensive cut of meat.

Swiss Steak

Pamela Trover

Scratch the swiss steak diagonally with a knife on both sides (lightly cut the surface). Dredge in flour. Brown both sides in a large skillet with a small amount of oil. Cover the meat with water and add 1-2 beef boullion cubes. Cover and simmer for 2 hours.

To make the gravy: After the meat has simmer for 2 hours whisk together a couple tablespoons of flour with enough water to make a creamy paste. Add this to the broth in the skillet with the meat. Whisk to combine. Serve with mashed potatoes.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

I love a good chocolate chip cookie. What makes a cookie good? Everyone has an opinion on this: soft, crisp, chewy, chunks or chips, cakey. In my opinion a perfect chocolate chip cookie is soft and chewy with semi-sweet chocolate chips. My recipe comes from a high school friend's mom. She used to make chocolate chip cookies every Sunday. These really are just what a chocolate chip cookie should taste like.

Now this post would not be complete if I did not mention that my most trusted baker buddy is my sister Becca. Whenever she is in town we try to make it a point to bake something together and I think chocolate chip cookies have been our favorite. It is always a fun-filled evening when Becca comes to bake. We start by making the dough so the cookies can get in the oven as soon as possible. Of course, we need to sample several spoonfuls of cookie dough to make sure it is just right. Once the cookies are in the oven we break out the cards for a mean game of Speed. Becca has an amazing talent for playing cards at lightening speed. I don't stand a chance against her, but we continue to play anyway. Finally the cookies are out of the oven, we pile them on a plate and serve up tall glasses of milk (Becca's glass is really tall, I need an extra gallon on hand just for when she comes to town!) Josh joins us for the rest of the evening full of cookies and games or a girly movie. Becca I miss you, can't wait to do this again soon.

This picture was taken several years ago. This just shows how far back our tradition goes.

Anyway, here is our favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe. Make these soon and serve them up with a game of cards.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Mrs. Hemingway

1 C. shortening

1/2 C. sugar

1 C. brown sugar

2 eggs (beaten)

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. soda

2 1/4 C. flour

1 tsp. vanilla

Chocolate chips

Cream the shortening and sugar thoroughly. Add brown sugar. Stir in eggs. Add dry ingredients and combine. Add vanilla last and fold in chocolate chips. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

* I bake mine for exactly 8 minutes. They come out with a hint of golden brown on the tips. This ensures the perfect chewy cookie.

*Mrs. Hemingway always stirred these by hand with a wooden spoon. I have found that my standing mixer makes the batter extra creamy.

Menu for Week of 1/15/10

Steak Quesadillas with peppers and onions, served with salad, sour cream, and salsa

I have some leftover bell peppers from another recipe. I bought the steak for $3

Little Ceasar's Hot n' Ready

Monday is customer appreciation day so hot n' ready pizzas are $3.99. Just a fun treat.

Chicken Pot Pie, biscuits

My sister Laura has been making this a lot lately. This is the recipe that my mom used when we were little, but I have never made. Actually, my mom didn't have an actual recipe written down. She just told Laura the steps and Laura wrote down exact measurements as she prepared it. Thank you Laura for recording this favorite from our childhood. I keep pie dough in my freezer so all I have to make is the filling. I still have biscuits in the freezer as well from a couple weeks ago.

Chicken Pot Pie

Pamela Trover/Laura Trover

2 chicken breasts

Onion

Celery (if you have some)

1-2 potatoes (Jeff and I love potatoes, so I use 2)

Frozen peas

Carrots (fresh or frozen)

5 Tbsp flour

5 Tbsp butter or margarine

3 chicken bouillon cubes

Salt and pepper

Pie crust

Cook chicken in plenty of water with celery and onion. Once chicken is cooked, remove and shred chicken, then set aside. Remove onion and celery from broth.

Melt butter in skillet over medium heat. Add flour and bouillon cubes. Cook for a minute. Add 3-3 1/2 cups of broth to flour and butter. Bring to a boil and let simmer (you are basically making a gravy).

Meanwhile, peel and cube potatoes. Boil them in water for about 7 minutes. During the last 2 minutes, I throw in the carrots too. This allows the potatoes and carrots to partially cook.

Combine chicken, potatoes, carrots, and peas in a large bowl. Add 2 cups of gravy and stir together. Keep adding gravy until desired consistency (I usually use most, if not all of it). Season with salt and pepper.

Pour into a greased pie plate. Roll out pie crust and place over filling. Brush top with melted butter if you like. Cut a few slits in the top for steam to escape.

Bake at 350 for 45-55 minutes. Check the edges halfway through to make sure they are not browning too much. Sometimes I end up covering them with a pie crust plate. Variation: roll out an additional pie crust and put that in the pie plate before the filling to make a double crusted pot pie.

Spaghetti, salad, bread

We didn't have this last week as originally planned.

Leftover Chicken Pot Pie

Flops, friends, and fudge brownies

Sometimes, "food flops" in the kitchen can turn into wonderful discoveries. Recently, I was making a new cake for a family dinner. I am sure the cake would have been wonderful, but when I tried to turn it out of the bundt pan it fell out in multiple pieces leaving half of the cake still in the pan. I had already made the chocolate glaze to pour on top and I had about 3 hours before the gathering; not enough time to make another cake. After a few minutes of panic I decided to pull out my mother-in-law's brownie recipe. I still remember the first time I tried these brownies in college and I have used the recipe ever since. I used the chocolate glaze that was supposed to be for the cake on the hot brownies. We picked up some vanilla ice cream on the way to dinner and we were all set. As it turns out the combination of the brownies and the glaze makes for a very decadent dessert. So, I thought I would share my food find with you.

Mrs. Newton's Brownies

Pat Newton

1 1/2 C. flour

2 C. sugar

10 Tbsp. cocoa

1 tsp. salt

1 C. oil

4 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

1 1/2 C. chopped pecans (I use a 10 oz. bag of chocolate chunks instead)

Cream sugar and eggs. Add oil and cream. Sift dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture. Stir just till combined. Fold in vanilla and nuts. Pour into a greased 9x13 in. pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Chocolate Glaze

Becky Rosenthal

1 stick of margarine
4 Tbsp cocoa
6 Tbsp milk
1 box (3 cups) of powder sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Bring to a boil the margarine, cocoa, and milk. Remove from heat and whisk in powdered sugar and vanilla. Pour over hot brownies as soon as they come out of the oven. It will soak into the brownies and all around the sides. Yum! Let the icing set up for a few hours or a day ahead before serving.

Since I am making the brownies for our community group meeting tonight I thought I would share the other favorite recipe that will go along with the brownies. This recipe comes from my dear friend, Jenny. When Jack was born Jenny brought over a bag of groceries and cooked dinner for Josh and me. It was such a fun evening and for dessert we made this popcorn. I absolutely LOVE all things peanut butter and this popcorn is something that I literally crave.

Peanut Butter Popcorn

Jenny Rogers

3 bags microwave popcorn (natural)

1 C. corn syrup

1 C. sugar

1 C. creamy peanut butter

1 tsp. vanilla

Over med. heat cook syrup and sugar. Cook until rolling boil. Mixture should look clear. Remove from heat and add peanut butter and vanilla. Pour over popcorn. Stir quickly to combine and just try not to eat half the bowl!

*Tip- I like to pop the popcorn and place in a bowl. Then I scoop the popped corn out with my hands in small batches into a bigger bowl. This helps remove as many of the unpopped kernels as possible.

Menu for Week of 1/8/10

Leftover Stew, Biscuits

When I made biscuits the other night I only baked a few to eat with that meal. The rest I cut out, froze in a pan and then placed in a freezer bag. Now I can pull out a few as needed and bake them up fresh.

Leftover Chicken Spaghetti, Salad

Taco Soup

2 lbs. Lean Ground Beef (I am using ground turkey)

1 can whole kernel corn

2 cans stewed tomatoes

2 cans ranch-style beans

2 cans rotel

1 envelope taco seasoning

1 envelope ranch dressing mix

Brown meat and drain grease. Add all ingredients. Stir well and let simmer 30-45 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips, sour cream, and shredded cheese.

Asian Pork Loin, Oven-Roasted Potatoes, Oriental Vegetable Mix

This is the last of the pork loin from Sam's Club in my freezer.

Grilled Pork Sandwiches

We have community group at our house so I need an easy, fast meal. Whenever my grandmother makes a roast beef dinner, we always have these sandwiches the next day. I don't make much roast beef so the leftover pork works just as well.

Grilled Roast Beef Sandwich (or roast pork)

Evelyn Wilson

Butter 2 pieces of sandwich bread (white works best)

Place sliced roast beef on one piece of bread. Spread Miracle Whip over the roast beef. Then place sliced dill pickles on top of that. Put the second piece of bread on top and grill, butter side down in a skillet until golden on both sides and heated through.

Leftover Taco Soup

Spaghetti, Bread