Menu Plan

Monday: Evil Lasagna (go watch Igor)
Tuesday: leftover potroast from Sunday
Wed: Hot Dogs and veggie sticks
Thursday: Stir Fry w/ squash and zuchinni OR same Veggies with Pasta
Friday: Baked Squash and Chicken?
Saturday: Leftovers
Sunday: Crock Pot Chicken Dumplings

Menu Plan

i'm going to try this menu planning thing out....wish me luck!

Monday: Sauteed onions and Green Apples with Chicken and Spatzle
Tuesday: (work night) leftover pizza from Sunday
Wed: (worknight): Edemame with Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Thursday: burritos!  (yum!)
Friday: Last Date Night...Kids get chicken nuggets and veggie sticks, we go out....Chipotle?
Saturday: Baked Butternut Squash, Chicken and Brocolli
Sunday:  Leftovers from Thursday and Sat.

Chicken and Apple Skillet

Ingredients:

• 4 teaspoons olive oil or canola
• 2 tart apples, thinly sliced
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1 cup apple juice
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• salt & pepper to taste

Preparation:

In heavy skillet, heat 2 teaspoons oil over medium-high heat; cook apples, onion and thyme for about 4 minutes, or until just tender but still a bit crisp. Remove to bowl and set aside. Add remaining 2 teaspoons of oil to skillet; cook chicken, turning once, for 2 to 4 minutes or until golden brown on both sides. Reduce heat to medium low. Set 1 tablespoon apple juice aside and pour remaining juice in skillet along with the cider vinegar. Cover and simmer for 6 to 8 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear. With slotted spoon, remove chicken to platter; keep warm. Combine cornstarch with reserved tablespoon apple juice; stir into skillet juices and cook over high heat, scraping up any browned bits, for 2 minutes or until thickened. Return apple mixture to pan and heat through, season with salt and pepper. Spoon apple mixture around cooked chicken. Serves 4.

I used one large chicken breast/apple/onion and chopped them up (instead of slicing) and it was enough for 4 with baked sweet potatoes and edamame.  

Turkey Tresa Style

I originally got this from Tresa....Stuffing Recipie is Dad's and will be posted eventually.

Turkey:

• Rinse and pat dry
• stuff slices of garlic/crushed garlic and pats of butter under skin
• slather butter all over turkey skin
• sprinkle with salt and pepper
• tie legs together if not already done
• stuff with stuffing

Basting the turkey:

• 2 layers of cheese cloth cut to cover breast and legs (can be found in the fabric department at walmart if not in the cooking area)
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 bottle white wine (if you don't want to use wine, chicken broth can be used instead)

In a pan melt butter and add wine. Soak cheese cloth and then place over the turkey.
Put turkey in preheated oven of 350. Every 30 min use baster to wet cheese cloth. Once you use all the butter and wine mixture, baste turkey with juices from the pan. My 9 lb turkey took 3 hours to cook stuffed. Here is a great site with cooking times for your Turkey.
When the turkey is done, use juices to loosen the cheese cloth. Move turkey to your serving dish and let sit while you prepare gravy and other items.
Gravy:
The wine mixture with turkey juices make a wonderful gravy. Very flavorful. I have a measuring cup that separates the fat from the juices, if you don't have one I suggest getting one ;)
In a pan pour in turkey juices and bring to a boil. Mix 2 tablespoons of flour with 2-3 tablespoons of water. Make sure it's not clumpy. With a whisk pour in mixture till it starts to thicken, you may need to make more if you want it thicker.

Smoky Sweet Potato Chicken Stoup

Stoup has broth like soup but it's so full of chunky goodness that it's almost a stew!  Double this one-it's that good.  It's also a good way to use up extra chicken and stock from homemade chicken soup (from a roast chicken).


2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium carrots, peeled
2 ribs celery
1 large onion, peeled and halved
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 to 2 chipotle chili in adobo, finely chopped, plus a spoon of sauce from the can
Salt and black pepper
1 teaspoon dry thyme, eyeball it
1 bay leaf
1 cup dry white wine, eyeball it (you can sub grape juice, but it will be much sweeter)
5 cups chicken stock
1 large sweet potato
3/4 to 1 pound chicken tenders, cut into bite size pieces
4 scallions, white and green parts thinly sliced
1/4 cup cilantro leaves, a generous handful, roughly chopped
1/2 cup sour cream, for garnish, optional

Heat a soup pot over medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil, about 2 turns of the pan. While soup pot heats, chop carrots in half lengthwise then slice into thin half moons. Add the carrots to the pot while it heats, stirring to coat the carrots in the oil. Chop and drop in celery and onion, chopping as small as you can, but don't make yourself crazy.. Add the garlic, chipotle, and adobo sauce and stir to combine. Season the veggies with salt, pepper, thyme, and bay leaf. Cook the veggies together 1 minute. Add the wine and reduce a minute. Add the stock to the pot, cover the pot, and raise heat to high. Bring the stoup to a boil, remove the cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.
Peel and cut the sweet potatoes into quarters lengthwise, then thinly slice into bite size pieces. Add the cut chicken and sweet potatoes and simmer 5 minutes until sweet potatoes are tender and chicken is cooked through. Turn the heat off and add the scallions and cilantro. Serve each portion of stoup with a dollop of sour cream on top.

Marie-Therese Gown

Marie-Therese Gown

Wouldn't it be fun to take pictures in a dress like this? Isn't she talented? Check out her generosity and talent!

Thai Thighs-What a crock!

Dinner tonight....mmmmmm. I hope it turns out as yummy as it sounds! I'm a sucker for crockpot recipies on Sunday mornings.

Crockpot Thai Chicken Thighs

Ingredients

• 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 1 (16 ounce) jar cilantro salsa (or any salsa you prefer)
• 1/2 cup peanut butter (crunchy or creamy)
• 2 teaspoons ginger
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons lime juice

Directions

1. Put all ingredients in crock pot on low for 6-8 hours. (does it GET any easier??)
   
2. Garnish with cilantro, scallions, and peanuts. (optional)
3. Serve over rice
   

Total Cost (4 servings):
Chicken Thighs - Appx $4.00
Salsa - $0.80 (store brand, nothing fancy!)
Peanut Butter - $1.60
Ginger, soy sauce, lime - negligible
Rice - $0.30

Grand Total - $6.70, or $1.68 per serving!