Menu Plan #76

 

 

Here is my Menu Plan for this week. Thanks to Laura The Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday. Post your own plan and go there to link your plan ( on Monday ) or visit her site to glean new ideas As always, this is THE PLAN, and all plans are subject to change as the need arises or as the fancy strikes my mind.

Creamy Potatoes ‘n’ Kielbasa

Potato-Ham Bake

SLOW-COOKED TEX-MEX CHICKEN AND BEANS

Pineapple Chicken Wings, rice, salad 

 

Chicken & Bows

Hamburger Helper ( if I need to )

Breakfast for dinner ( if I need to )

SLOW-COOKED TEX-MEX CHICKEN AND BEANS

SLOW-COOKED TEX-MEX CHICKEN AND BEANS

 

Serves: 4

 

1 cup dried pinto beans, rinsed

1 jar (11 ounces) mild or medium salsa (1 1/2 cups)

2 tablespoons chopped canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about

coarse salt and ground pepper

1 medium red onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper (ribs and seeds removed), chopped

1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream, for serving

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, for serving

 

Step 1: In a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker, stir together beans, salsa, chiles, flour and 1 cup water. Season chicken with salt and pepper; arrange on top of bean mixture. Scatter onion and bell pepper on top of chicken.

 

Step 2: Cover and cook on low heat for 8 hours (Do not open lid or stir).

 

Step 3: Remove chicken from stew; shred into large pieces and return to stew. Serve topped with sour cream and cilantro.

 

Oven method

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Follow step 1, using a 5-quart Dutch oven or large pot, substituting 2 cans (15 ounces each) pinto beans, drained and rinsed, for the dried beans, and increasing water to 2 cups. Cover pot and bring to a simmer on top of the stove. Transfer to oven and cook until chicken is tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Proceed with step 3.

 

– Recipe from the November issue of Everyday Food Magazine

Creamy Potatoes ‘n’ Kielbasa

Scroll down for my Freezer Food Friday post.

Creamy Potatoes ‘n’ Kielbasa

 

1 package (28 ounces) frozen O’Brien hash brown potatoes

1 pound fully cooked kielbasa or Polish sausage, cut into 1/4-inch slices

1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup water

 

In a 3-qt. slow cooker, combine all ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until the potatoes are tender. Yield: 4-6 servings.

 

The Great American Backyard Campout™—Saturday, June 28, 2008

Join thousands of neighbors, friends, and families across the country for NWF’s fourth annual Great American Backyard Campout™—Saturday, June 28, 2008!

Be part of this nation-wide event! Add your campsite today and we’ll help you make the most of your event with packing lists, recipes, wildlife guides, activities, tips and more. Whether in your backyard or favorite campground – Register your campsite now!

Top Tips For Freezing Your Casseroles

 

Welcome to Freezer Food Friday! I hope you are finding this a helpful meme. I know people stop by to look, but it would be nice to see some more participants. Don’t be afraid to join us! We can all help each other out.

Share a  tried and true recipe or a new to you recipe that can be prepared ahead and frozen for later use. Link your post at Mr.Linky below.

 Top Tips For Freezing Your Casseroles

By Jim Coleman And Candace Hagan | Philadelphia Daily News

 

If you have elderly relatives or even friends with family concerns who do not do a good job of eating balanced, complete meals, you may want to supply them with casseroles to keep in the freezer. But knowing which foods take well to freezing can be tricky. The good news is that you can successfully freeze almost all casseroles, as long as you remember these tips:

Freeze in small portions

(Which you would be doing anyway for two people.) Not only does the food cool down faster before freezing, it also thaws faster and doesn’t need to cook as long.   

If you are going to use it for either thawing or cooking, make sure to use “microwave-safe” plastic wrap for storing the casserole.

Airtight wrap: To make sure you have an edible casserole when you pull it out of the freezer, you must wrap it extremely well. Freezer burn and dehydration only happen because food items haven’t been wrapped airtight.

 

Keep it fresh:

 

Make sure you label and date the casserole before freezing it so there’s no question what it is or how long you’ve kept it. I suggest eating frozen prepared foods within six months.

Go light on the seasoning:

Pepper, garlic, celery, green peppers and some herbs become stronger when frozen and can even become bitter. It’s wiser to add additional seasonings before serving.   

Cooking:

 

 

There is no rule of thumb about how long frozen casseroles take to cook. (The cooking directions for the recipe here is for a fresh-prepared or thawed casserole.)

 

If a casserole is going directly from the freezer into the oven, double the cooking time, give or take 25 percent. For instance, if a recipe says cook 30 minutes, plan to bake it from the frozen state for an hour, checking it after 45 minutes and being prepared for it to take up to an hour and 15 minutes.

My last suggestion is, when making any casserole for a relative or friend, double the recipe. Freeze half for them, and then serve half to your own family.

TURKEY & BROCCOLI CASSEROLE

 

2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni

 

Water

5 tablespoons butter, divided

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup fine-chopped scallions

Kosher salt and fresh-ground black pepper, to taste

1/2 teaspoon dried mustard

1/2 teaspoon dried sage

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

2 1/2 cups milk

1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped broccoli, cooked and drained (about 1 1/2 cups)

2 cups cubed cooked turkey

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 cup dry bread crumbs

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook macaroni in boiling water to cover according to package directions; drain and set aside. In a medium saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons butter over low heat. Add flour, scallions, salt, pepper, mustard, sage and thyme; stir until well blended.

Gradually stir in milk until blended. Bring to a boil; cook, stirring constantly, 3 minutes until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Stir in broccoli, macaroni, turkey and cheese. Transfer mixture to a 2-quart casserole. Combine bread crumbs with 1 tablespoon melted butter. Sprinkle on top of casserole and bake 30 minutes until golden brown.

Makes 6 servings.

Per serving: 591 calories, 45 percent calories from fat, 30 grams total fat, 16 grams saturated fat, 112 milligrams cholesterol, 44 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams total fiber, 6 grams total sugars, 40 grams net carbs, grams protein, 35 milligrams sodium.

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What’s Cooking Today? Crescent Beef Stroganoff & Banana Muffins

I made a batch of Best Banana Muffins from Gooseberry Patch for snacks and for dinner to night it will be…

 

Crescent Beef Stroganoff

Beef stroganoff bake with crescent rolls. More beef stroganoff recipes below.

Ingredients:

·1 package (8 ounces) refrigerator crescent rolls

·1 pound ground beef, lean (ground round)

·1/2 cup chopped onion

·8 ounces sliced mushrooms

·salt and pepper to taste

·1/2 teaspoon paprika

·8 ounces sour cream

·1/2 to 1 cup shredded mild cheddar or American process cheese

Unroll crescent roll dough; press into the bottom of an ungreased 13×9x2-inch baking pan to form a thin crust. In a skillet, brown beef with onion and mushrooms; season with salt and pepper and paprika. Stir in sour cream; spoon into the baking pan. Sprinkle evenly with the shredded cheese. Bake at 375° for 25 to 30 minutes, or until crust is baked. Cut into squares.

 

Serve this beef stroganoff bake with tossed salad.

 

Serves 6.

 

 

 

Classic Lasagna

 

Today is Slow Cooking Thursday, hosted by the lovely Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom . Share a recipe on your blog and go link it at her blog. Please come back and join me for Freezer Food Friday .

Classic Lasagna

Serves 4 to 6.

1 lb. ground beef
3/4 cup chopped onions
1 (28-oz.) can diced tomatoes
2 (6-oz.) cans tomato paste
2 cups water
1 tbl. chopped parsley
2 tsps. salt
1 tsp. sugar
2 cloves minced garlic, or 1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. dried oregano leaves
8 ozs. lasagna noodles
1 lb. ricotta cheese
16 ozs. mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Brown ground beef and onions over medium-high heat on stove top.

2. Place in slow cooker and add tomatoes. Tomatoes may be put through a blender if desired.

3. Add tomato paste, water, parsley, salt, sugar, garlic, pepper and oregano.

4. Cook on Low for 3 to 4 hours.

5. Cook lasagna as directed and drain. In 13×9x2-inch baking pan, spread 1 cup sauce. Alternate layers of lasagna noodles, sauce, ricotta, mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses.

6. Bake at 350 degrees 40 to 50 minutes until lightly browned and bubbling. Let stand for 15 minutes and cut into squares. Serve.

Stick Salad

Stick Salad1 (16-ounce) bag broccoli slaw
¼ cup craisins
¼ cup glazed walnuts
¼ cup slivered almonds
1 small red onion, diced
½ (12-ounce) jar poppy seed dressing

 

Blend together, and serve.

Serves 4-6.

NOTE: This dish keeps well for a couple of days in the fridge. It can be modified with dried cherries, other types of dried fruits or other nuts.

Slow Cooker Barbecue Chicken

Slow Cooker Barbecue Chicken

Serves 4

8 to 10 skinless chicken thighs

1 cup (250 mL) barbecue sauce

1/2 cup (125 mL) apricot jam

1 tablespoon (15 mL) Dijon mustard

1/8 teaspoon (.5 mL) hot pepper sauce

Place chicken in a 4 quart (4 L) slow cooker. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over chicken.

Cover and cook on low heat setting for six to seven hours or until the chicken pieces are cooked through.