It's Been a While Menu

Lots of new recipes this week. Hopefully they are all wonderful and easy to make!!

Sunday: Pot Roast- Don't let the lack of liquid fool you with this recipe. The roast is still moist and delicious!!

Monday: Vegetarian Chili- We are big meat eaters in this family and so I am really hoping my husband doesn't miss the meat too much!

Tuesday: Meatloaf

Wednesday: Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice

Thursday: Chicken Enchilada Stuffed Shells

Friday: Meatball Subs

The Menu

Sunday: Family dinner at Aunt's house. She made the most amazing skirt steak. I need that recipe! It was heaven.

Monday: Butter Chicken

Tuesday: Breakfast for Dinner- Eggs, hash browns, and sausage links

Wednesday: Baked Ziti- First time making this one. Hope it is good!

Thursday: Beef Stew

Friday: Pork Chops with apples

Butter Chicken

I LOVE Indian Food. It is my favorite ethnic food, followed closely by Chinese and Thai food. I always figured it was hard to cook, until I found this recipe on Tasty Kitchen. Normally, I don't love trying recipes where I have to go and buy new spices that I don't use very often, but in this case, it was worth it! As the chicken simmers in its sauce, I just stand by the stove and breathe in the yummy exotic smells. It is heaven with a little naan bread on the side, which we happened to find in our local Winco. Anyway, here is my version of the recipe and here is a link to the original, in case you want to see it. The original recipe is a little heavier on garlic, cayenne pepper (I leave this out totally), cream, and marinade time.

Ingredients:

• 4 pieces Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (cut Into Bite Sized Pieces)
• 3 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• ½ teaspoons Black Pepper
• ¼ teaspoons Ground Coriander
• ¼ teaspoons Cumin
• ¼ teaspoons Cardamom
• 1 whole Lime, Juiced
• 1 whole Onion, Diced
• ¼ cups Butter
• 1 can (14.5 Oz. Can) Tomato Sauce
• 1 can (14.5 Oz. Can) Petite Diced Tomatoes
• 1/4 cup Whipping Cream- the original recipe calls for a pint of whipping cream but that seemed like a lot. I just add the cream until I think it tastes good which for me is 1/4 of a cup. You can also uses half and half for a slightly less fattening options:)
• 2 cups Basmati Rice (or However Much You Want)

Optional Ingrdients:

• 1/2 teaspoon Cayenne pepper- I don't love spicy food and so I just leave this out but if you are going to add it, put it in the marinade with the other spices
• 1 bunch Chopped Cilantro, to taste- We can't eat cilantro in our house. My husband think it tastes like soap but it sounds like a lovely addition to the recipe. Add this right before serving.

Directions:

Combine first 8 ingredients and marinate for at least 30 minutes.

Saute the onion in the butter until soft. Add marinated chicken and cook about 10 minutes. Add the tomato sauce and diced tomatoes. Cook for 30 minutes over medium-low heat with the lid on. Add the whipping cream just before serving over Basmati rice.

This Week

Sunday- Sweet and Sour Chicken on Rice

Monday- Gyros

Tuesday- Soft Tacos

Wednesday- BBQ Pork Tenderloin with Rice and Veggies

Thursday- Fettuccine with Chicken and Broccoli

Friday- Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice

Another Week- Another Menu

Sunday: Chicken Parmesan

Monday: Meatballs and Rice with garlic bread on the side

Tuesday: Chicken and Rice Soup

Wednesday: MM Sandwich and oven fries

Thursday: Potato Boats and Salad

Friday: Breakfast for Dinner-

St. Patty's Week Menu

I love Saint Patrick's Day!! I am not sure why I love it so much since I am not really Irish. I do love the color green and the Celtic dancing, and the bagpipes though. The food is pretty tasty too and so I decided to put together an Irish menu for this week. It involves lots of potatoes and meat. I am trying corned beef and cabbage for the first time and that should be fun. Hopefully it all turns out really good.

Sunday: Leftovers

Monday: Poor Sunday Soup- This soup makes me happy.

Tuesday: Shepherd's Pie- I don't have a recipe for this. I try to copy how my Mom made it when I was a kid, but I have made some small changes since Christian grew up with green beans under the meat and we always had corn. These days I like to combine them or do half for him and half for me. Either way it is mashed potatoes on top, browned ground beef seasoned with ketchup and spices in the middle, and veggies on the bottom. Oh, and some grated cheddar on top for some extra comfort flavor!

Wednesday: Corn Beef and Cabbage- Since this one is new for me, I am following a recipe I found on allrecipes.com.

Thursday: Bangers and Mash- We love this recipe! I couldn't find authentic bangers this year and so I am just using beef brauts, but it should still be good. I am going to dye the mash potatoes green just for some extra holiday fun.

Friday: Eat Out

Sweet Corn Bread or Muffins

I wanted some corn bread to go along with our chicken tortilla soup on Sunday, and rather than reaching for our normal corn bread mix, I decided to try and make it from scratch. Yeah, I am never using that mix again. This corn bread was so moist and fluffy. There is another recipe on the box that isn't as sweet and I think I will try that one next time too, so I have a sweet version and a more traditional one too. Here is the sweet recipe:

Alber's Sweet Corn Bread or Muffins
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup yellow corn meal
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/4 cups milk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 Tbsp. butter or margarine melted

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease 8x8 pan or 18-20 muffin cups (you can use paper-liners for muffins too).
Combine flour, sugar, corn meal, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Combine milk, eggs, veggie oil, and butter in a small bowl; mix well. Add to flour mixture; stir just until blended. Pour into pan or into muffin cups until 2/3 full.

-For corn bread: bake for 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.

-For corn muffins: bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pans on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove from pan and cool on wire racks. Serve warm.