Monday Menu Planning

Monday: Upsidedown meatloaf (even if you hate meatloaf, you'll love this one!) Roasted Red Potatoes, Broccoli

Tuesday: Ebelskivers, (These are a Danish dish, basically little round pancakes. You can put filling in them or just eat them topped with powdered sugar.) Eggs, Bacon, yogurt & strawberries

Wednesday: HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOSH!! His favorite: Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo, Grilled Salmon, Grilled veggies, and Oatmeal Cake for dessert.

Thursday: Leftovers

Friday: Taquitos, refried beans, rice

Saturday: Pizza

Sunday: Easter dinner: Ham, Grandma G.G.'s potatoes, salad, rolls

Last Year's Recipe Goals

This is a post from my blog a few months ago. I just wanted to share some of the recipes I learned.

Last year, a friend had a goal to learn 50 new recipes. They had to be new and her family had to like them enough to want to repeat them. I was inspired by her and decided to make a goal of 30 new recipes. I started in May and have slowly been working my way there. I've had a couple requests to list them, so here they are:

1. Chicken Enchilada Skillet
2. Herbed Chicken Breast
3. Chicken Primavera
4. Fresh Herb Penne with Chicken and Tomatoes
5. Baked Beef Ziti
6. Garden Pasta Salad
7. Penne With Mushrooms
8. Creamy Penne Pasta aka Penne Alfredo
9. Grilled Chicken With Rosemary and Lemon
10. Tomato Bisque
11. Potato and Sausage Bake
12. Ham and Great Northern Bean Soup for the Crock Pot
13. Roasted Garlic Potatoes
14. Parmesan Crusted Roasted Potatoes
15. Old Fashioned Onion Rings
16. Velvety Beef Stroganoff
17. Easy Deviled Eggs
18. Olive Garden Fettuccine Alfredo
19. Better Than Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce
20. Festive Fusilli
21. Maria's Italian Meatballs
22. Pesto Cheese Blossoms
23. Simply Sensational Truffles
24. Chocolate Covered Cherry Bon-Bons
25. Next Best Thing to .... cake
26. Chocolate Covered Caramel Apples
27. Heavenly Fruit Dip


The recipes without links are ones that I got from friends or random cookbooks as I was browsing bookstores. I didn't make it to 30, and the last few recipes are desserts and treats I made for the holidays this last year, but oh, well! They're all pretty good :)

Weekly Menu

Monday: Baked Salmon, Brown rice pilaf, broccoli (I guess it's b-day dinner. =)

Tuesday: Crockpot BBQ pork ribs, baked potato's and green beans

Wednesday: White bean & chicken chili, homemade bread

Thursday: Lemon Shrimp and Cous Cous (thanks Karla!!)

Friday: Tacos, homemade refried beans, spanish rice

Saturday: Potluck!!

Sunday: Daddy cooks =)

Cafe Rio copycat recipes

Pork Barbacoa
Place 1 boneless pork rast in a crockpot. (I've used chicken before)
Mix together and pour over the roast:
1 McCormick Grill Mate southwest marinade packet
1 can Dr. Pepper
1/2 cup vinegar
2 T oil
1/4-1 1/2 cups brown sugar -depends on your sweet tooth. (I do 1 1/2!)

Cook on low for 5-7 hours till done in the middle. Shred the prok with a fork, then put back in the marinade and keep crockpot on low unitl serving.

Tomatillo Dressing
In a blender combine:
2 cups mayo
1 clove garlic
1/2 bunch cilantro, leaves only
2 T water
1-2 T vinegar
1 jalapeno, no seeds
1 tomatillo, quartered
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt

Cafe Rio Chicken
1 small bottle Kraft Zesty Italian dressing
1 T chili powder
1 T cumin
3 cloves garlic-minced
5 lbs chicken breast
Cook all together in a crock pot for 4 hrs, shred meat and cook an additional hour.
(I've never made this but I had the recipe so I thought I'd share!)

Shrimp and couscous

I made THIS last night and it was awesome! Totally healthier than shrimp scampi and just as delicious. I also made my own couscous that I've grown to love:
1 cup whole wheat couscous cooked ( I make mine with chicken stock)
Mix and pour over at the end:
1/4 cup olive oil
2-4 T lemon juice- I like a TON of this

chop and add to the couscous as much of these as you like:
Kalamata olives
oil packed sun dried tomatoes
carrots
feta cheese
salt to taste
fresh parsley* makes the dish so much yummier.

Cafe Rio chicken/pork salad

I posted on PAWAMOKI as well, does anyone have this recipe?

Couscous Arugula Salad!

Here's the recipe that some of you girls have been requesting (thanks Laura and Niki!). Enjoy!!

COUSCOUS ARUGULA SALAD

Serves 6

Dressing:

1 cup (packed) fresh basil leaves

1 cup mayonnaise

1 shallot, quartered

1 cup buttermilk

1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

Salt & pepper to taste

Blend basil leaves, mayonnaise, and shallot in a food processor until smooth. Gradually blend in the buttermilk and lemon juice. Season the dressing to taste with salt and pepper. (This can be made 1 day ahead, and then covered and refrigerated.)

Salad:

1/3 cup grated Asiago cheese

1/3 cup dried currants

1/3 cup shelled pumpkin seeds

1 (10-oz) package plain couscous, cooked according to package directions (about 5 cups)

3 cups baby arugula

2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes, halved

2 grilled chicken breast halves, sliced

2 cups fresh corn kernels (from about 2 ears)

Toss all ingredients together with dressing.

I decided to make this for Tawni's farewell party, so here's what I did to make it a little cheaper:

(1) Firstly, I had a lot of these ingredients on hand - mayo, lemon juice, tomatoes, etc. You probably will, too.

(2) Instead of buying buttermilk, I did the ol' lemon juice + milk substitution. Pour 1 Tbsp lemon juice into a cup measurer, and then fill the rest of the way with milk.

(3) I used dried cranberries in place of currants (because I already had them).

(4) I used pine nuts in place of pumpkin seeds. (Where do you even buy pumpkin seeds?)

(5) I went for the arugula lettuce, but you could probably easily substitute fresh spinach if it's cheaper.

(6) I skipped the chicken. (However, I must say that I've had this salad with the chicken added, and it was better.)

(7) I used canned corn (which I had) instead of buying fresh corn. (Fresh corn is probably cheaper in season, but this saved me all the time and effort of preparing it.)

Weekly Menu

This week is a little different since Josh is on spring break!

Monday: leftovers (we're going to the beach and I don't want to cook when we get home!)

Tuesday: Baked Ziti, green beans, spinach salad, applesauce

Wednesday: Corned beef and cabbage (Happy St. Patty's day!)

Thursday: Chimi's, Spanish rice, salad, corn

Friday: Stir fry and rice

Saturday: Pizza (Have you noticed a trend? Saturday is pizza night, we get a movie and have a "picnic" in the living room. The girls LOVE this!)

Happy cooking!

New Blog for recipe and menu sharing

I am sending out a mass email to all authors on Pawamoki to be authors on Pasadena Recipes. Please share your recipes, links, and menu planning ideas.

I hope someone will pick out a cute template for our new blog!