Menu Plan Monday: Week of Oct 1 - 7

With the school year back in full swing, I'm making an effort to get back into regular meal planning. Meal planning saves my life, especially on busy week nights when Keira has cheer practice, we have Wed night church or I have a Jr League meeting, PTA or something else like Book club. There is always something. This Sunday is my husband's birthday so I'm looking forward to a date night on Saturday!!



Here is what's on our menu this week:

Monday

Chicken Fajita Tostados
Refried Black Beans

Tuesday

Spaghetti with Homemade Meat Sauce
(my favorite recipe of my mom's!)
Spring Mix Salad
Garlic Bread

Wednesday

Source: kalynskitchen.com via Caroline on Pinterest

I didn't get to make this when I found it so we're trying again!

Garlic Parmesan Chicken
Baked Potato
Steamed Broccoli

Thursday

BBQ Pork Chops
Grillin' Beans
Mashed Potatoes

Friday

Pizza

Saturday

Dinner out for my hubby's birthday!

Sunday

Recipe & photo from Southern Living

Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice
Yum!! The recipe calls for Turkey sausage but I have Cajun style Chicken sausage already so that's what I will use.



I'm linking up & sharing menu ideas at Menu Plan Monday! What's on your menu this week?

Summer Smoothie

It's definitely HOT here in Texas!!! Being July and all you know. To stay cool I love to make this healthy smoothie drink for me and the girls. It's a great alternative to the normally syrupy popsicles and sno-cones we indulge in a lot during the summer months. What's great about this recipe is that the only sugar in it is that occurring naturally from the fruit or milk/juice. My girls get very excited when I tell them we are making smoothies. They love to help and they think of it as a treat while I am happy they are getting in some good nutrients! It is full of vitamin C, fiber and protein.

You can change it up however you like and we often use most of the same ingredients but alternate a few things based on what we have on hand. Here is what is usually in our smoothie:

Summer Smoothie

- 1/4 cup OJ
- 1/4 cup milk
- Small container of greek yogurt, any flavor
- Handful of ice cubes, maybe 7-8
- One banana
- 1/2 cup fresh or frozen rasberries
- 1/2 cup blueberries
- 4-5 strawberries

For an extra healthy boost, add:
- 1-2 TBSP of ground flax seed

For a sweeter smoothie, add:
- 2 TBSP honey

I have to admit that I don't usually measure ingredients on this, just pour the liquids til it looks right and toss in handfuls of fruit. If the consistency is too thick, add a little more milk.

Pour everything into the blender and blend for 15-20 seconds or so depending on your blender. Serve it up in a fun or colorful cup, pop in a straw and enjoy!

Beef & Vegetable Pot Pie

So Sunday night as I was trying to figure out what's for dinner at 5:30 in the evening, I came across this recipe on Allrecipes.com. After not having a menu plan for last week, I was scrambling to get something made and to not eat out again! The only meat item I had not frozen was some lean ground beef. We had already had mexican the night before so that was out. This recipe seemed easy enough and sounded like some good comfort food!!!

I had 2 frozen pie crusts, mixed frozen veggies and the ground beef. I was missing several other items needed for the recipe listed so I just changed it up to suit what we had :)

Ingredients:
1 lb lean ground beef
1/4 of an onion, chopped (didn't have onion powder, plus we like onions!)
1 cup diced, peeled potatoes
1 cup frozen mixed veggies, thawed
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1 14.5 oz can vegetable broth (beef broth might be better as recipe suggest but I didn't have any)
2 Tbsp worcestershire sauce (I did this since I didn't have beef broth to add more flavor)
Salt and pepper to taste

2 frozen pie crusts- set out to thaw slightly for 10 min.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees & preheat metal sheet pan for baking. Brown beef and onions in a medium skillet. While browning, add worschestire, salt and pepper. Drain any excess fat. Pour beef into one pie crust, followed by the potatoes and vegetables on top. Set aside.

Using the same skillet as browned beef, melt the butter. Stir in flour until smooth. Slowly add the broth. Bring to a boil & continue to stir for 2 minutes, until thickened like a gravy. Pour the mixture over the vegetables & beef. Put the other crust on top and pinch the edges together to create the "pie". Cut a few slits in the dough on top. Put the pie on top of your heated baking sheet and place it in the oven. Bake for approx 30-35 min, or until the pie crust is browned and the insides are bubbling.

*Quick Tip* To cut down on the baking time, I boiled my cup of potatoes in a bowl of water in the microwave for about 3 min, just to slightly soften them before putting them in the pie.

Also one more note, as some reviewers said on the original recipe, they needed more gravy/sauce. So in anticipation of that I added just slightly more flour, broth & butter to make a little more gravy. There ended up being plenty so I may have been able to use the original amount listed. It is up to you how much you like!

This was a hit with my husband and even my 5 yr old, who at first look said "I am not eating that!" I convinced her to give it a try and she loved it. My 2 yr old was a little tricky but that's with pretty much everything! I did get her to eat a few bites. One pie made enough for our family of 4 with one serving leftover. I'm wondering if this can be done with an extra pie & all of the steps followed except baking and then freezing it for another meal??? Planning ahead for meal ideas once the baby is here!

Our Superbowl Dish Today -Emeril's Crawfish Etouffe

Today my husband and I are going to a neighbor friends for the Superbowl game this afternoon. He is a HUGE NY Giants fan so he is beyond thrilled they are in the game! We always try and bring a dish to our get togethers and this time wanted to try something new. We found this recipe today online and it is awesome!! Especially after neither of us even attempting to make a crawfish etouffe, I was impressed how well it turned out. I can't take credit for it though, my hubby made it all himself :) It came out so delicious I just had to share!

Emeril Lagasse's Crawfish Etouffe

Ingredients
1 stick unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped yellow onions
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped green bell peppers
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
2 tablespoons dry sherry
1 1/2 cups shrimp stock or water
1 pound crawfish tails
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves, plus more for garnish
Cooked long grain white rice, accompaniment


Directions:
In a large pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring, to make a light roux. Add the onions, celery, bell peppers, green onions, garlic, bay leaves, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring, until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes.

Add the sherry and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the stock and crawfish tails and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes. Add the lemon juice.

Stir in the parsley and remove from the heat.

Adjust the seasoning, to taste. Serve over rice, garnished with additional parsley.

There are actually a few different versions of his etouffe that we found. This one was featured on his show Emeril Live.

YUM-O! This recipe makes a pretty large pot of etouffe. I'm so glad there are some leftovers for tomorrow!

Roasted Pork Tenderloin

As part of my menu plan this week, I made a delicious pork tenderloin using a recipe of my favorite Southern cook, Paula Deen. I found this recipe several years ago when hosting my family for Easter dinner. I don't know why I do not make it more often. I forgot just how good it is!! It's also pretty kid friendly, my 5 yr old said "Mmmm this is awesome mom!" and even my 2 yr old ate it all up. Nevermind we have to tell her that it is chicken. Any whitish meat like turkey or pork we have to just tell her it is chicken so she will eat it. I figure there is plenty of time later for her to learn the truth :)

Ingredients:
1 Pork Tenderloin

Marinade:
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons dry red wine
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 green onions tops, chopped

Add all ingredients to a large ziplock bag along with your tenderloin. Mix well and marinade over night. (Or if you are like me and forget this the night before, just marinade all day.) When ready to cook, bake at 350 degrees for approximately 45 min or until internal temperature reaches 145 degrees.

She also serves her tenderloin with root vegetables, like parsnips, turnips & carrots. We just used what we had on hand. I roasted some potatoes, sweet potatoes and carrots with olive oil and salt, pepper, and garlic powder in a separate dish. Bake at 350 for about 25 min.

It's a relatively easy recipe since the marinading time does most of the work for you to give it this unique flavor! If you decide to try it please let me know how you like it! I promise you won't be dissapointed!

My totally favorite pasta-A Jamie Oliver recipe

I am in love with this pasta dish and have been since I first saw it made on an Oprah segment. Just reading the ingredients list many people are a bit skeptical. However the first time I made this, my husband and I LOVED it!! I've also made it for family/friends and had good results.

The recipe name is Jools' Favorite Saturday Afternoon Pasta. Jools is Jamie Oliver's wife. This is definitely a recipe we use a lot around here. The link is to the original posting of it on Oprah's website several years ago. There is something about the perfect blend of cinnamon, red onion, basil and lemon flavors and fresh parmesan that give it a TON of flavor while also remaining light and refreshing. We use whole wheat pasta and sometimes have a hard time finding rigatoni so we use penne and it's delicious!! Otherwise we pretty much follow the recipe exactly.

Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Tasty & Lean Turkey Chili

With the weather changing and the temperatures dropping, chili is one of my favorite stand by recipes to make every Fall & Winter. As a healthier alternative, my family and I started making chili using ground turkey instead of ground beef. We usually buy the Jenni O brand Lean, which is 93% lean and only 7% fat. I used to use the McCormick's chili season packet, but decided to look for a recipe using individual spices and then we could tweak it to our liking. I found this recipe a few years ago at Allrecipes.com and it is definitely a keeper!

Here are my ingredients, minus the onion, garlic and turkey, which were already in the pot :)

I followed most of the recipe, however we like extra beans (can you believe it, my kiddos eat beans! hooray!)so we had 2 cans instead of one and also added a small can of tomato sauce. I had pinto beans on hand instead of kidney beans and I think they work just fine. To offset the added ingredients, I also added a tad more chili powder, cumin and cayenne pepper. We like it a bit spicy!




Simmering long enough is definitely the secret to getting the best flavor. The recipe calls for 30 minutes to simmer but even a little longer is better.

I used my new Le Crueset which I am in love with and it turned out fabulous! Add a little shredded cheddar cheese on top and a side of cornbread and you are set!! Best of all there are plenty of leftovers for another meal or you can portion some out to freeze for a later date. Enjoy!

Yippie I found it!!

As I posted last week, I was planning a trip back to Home Goods to get my lovely Le Crueset pot, a late birthday present to myself and early Christmas from the hubby. After more than a week, I was surprised to see 2 left!!

As with most items from a store like HomeGoods/Marshalls, this one was labeled "Seconds" meaning it had a few flaws compared to the ones they would sell at full price from another retail store. I carefully looked the two pots over, the red one had a few imperfections in the enamel on the outside. But I couldn't find anything wrong with this one!!

Last night I used it for the first time to make Chicken & Dumplings, the cheaters way. I had a soup mix that contained all the spices and only had to add the water, chicken, veggies, and make the dumplings. It turned out quite well for being so easy!!! Of course home made is so much better but this momma needed something quick!

I forgot to take the picture until we had already spooned some out, hence the half full pot :) I promise to do better next time.

I have a feeling I will get a lot of good use out of this pot in the next few months. Already bought my ingredients for Taco Soup! Recipe to come!

Look what I found at Home Goods!

On a random trip to Home Goods the other day I was returning a lamp and of course had to wander the aisles looking for any fun finds. Their stock changes frequently and there are often one of a kind items that you have to snatch up when you see them. Those of you that have been to a Home Goods store know what I'm talking about!

I recently started looking for some new pots and heard about Le Creuset, a quality cast iron cookware brand that has been around for decades. They are quite expensive, so when I happened to see this beauty I was thrilled!!! However I was a little confused because the label on the pot did not tell you its size, say 4 qt etc and I am not a good judge by looking. This looked to be the medium sized French Oven in a beautiful burnt orange color. The price said $159.99, compare to $240.00. Sounds like a good deal to me!!

But, I wanted to make sure of the size and check the prices online to compare. And I felt a little guilty buying a pot for myself that I had intended to ask hubby for for Christmas. Yes, I left the store with out it. May have been a big mistake!! Once I got home I regretted not snatching it up. Afterall, it can be an early Christmas present that will get much more use starting now, with Fall coming and soups and chili on the menu! I'm going back this afternoon hoping they have at least one left. We will see!

Cooking with Caroline: Oven Roasted Chicken

I'm in no way an expert cook, so I thought I would share my kitchen experiences, good & bad in hopes it will encourage others to try cooking new things as well.
Last night I had a dear friend and her kiddos over for dinner. My husband is out of town so it was a fun time for just the "girls" and our little ones. I have had this chicken in my freezer waiting to be cooked. Since we are moving soon I'm trying to eat everything up!!

And, first I must confess, this is only my 2nd time cooking a whole chicken. The first time I sort of cheated and used the crockpot. I say cheated since it just requires you to toss everything in, turn it on and it go, for hours! And after 4 hours or so it's obviously done.

For this chicken I started with a recipe from Martha Stewart here. I changed it up a little to fit what I had on hand. No fresh Thyme so I used dried and sprinkled it all over the chicken. Stuffed the cavity with onion, garlic & lemon. I did not have any kitchen twine to tie the legs together. I wonder how much difference this makes in taste? Someone please enlighten me!!!

Also the recipe recommends an instant read thermometer which I don't have but now wish I did. I couldn't quite tell if it was done after the specified time, so I had to cut into it and put it back in a few times. I am paranoid of meat not being fully cooked and feeding it to others!! Hopefully with future cooking I can get myself a thermometer!

Here is my before:

Another thing going against me was my ancient oven!! I think it is original to the house, built in 1980, and heats 75 degrees ABOVE the set temperature. We have known this since we bought the house but never quite made it to getting a new oven. So we always guesstimate and lower the temperature approx 75 degrees from what a recipe calls for. Sometimes this works fine, other times it is a disaster!!

Here is the proof of my OLD oven:

And here is the chicken after:

The skin came out nice & crispy and the meat was still juicy!! Overall I think it was a success. Hopefully with future chickens I can make some progress :)

I served it with Roasted Potatoes & Carrots.

Easy directions:
Slice the vegetables about 1/2 - 1 inch thick and put them in a medium sized baking dish. Sprinkle salt & pepper all over and drizzle with olive oil. Roast in the oven uncovered approximately 30 min until tender.

These came out quite good! The carrots almost tasted like sweet potatoes since they had carmelized some. My daughter who hate carrots actually liked them! I'm thankful we have leftovers so I didn't have to cook tonight!

What have you been cooking this week? Please leave a comment to share!