May's Menu!

After I posted my monthly menu planning I had a friend ask me to post a months worth of meals. I has already been considering that so...here we go! 

May 1st - Fig Glazed Pork Tenderloin (Home Chef Meal)

May 2nd - Wasabi-Lime Salmon w/ Rice & Baby Bokchoy (Hello Fresh Recipe)

May 3rd - Seared Sirloin & Twice Baked Potatoes (Home Chef Meal)

May 4th - Blueberry Pancakes, Bacon & Hashbrowns

May 5th - Cedar Roasted Salmon w/ Potatoes & Green Beans (Home Chef Meal)

May 6th - Dinner @ Rainier's Game

May 7th - Tacos (We didn't actually end up eating this...Michael probably whipped something up)

May 8th - Greek Pitas 

May 9th - Breakfast Goulash 

Breakfast Goulash is fried potatoes, eggs, sausage and cheese. Topped with ketchup! 

May 10th - Homemade Pizza made with homemade dough! 

May 11th - Dinner at school for Zeke and I - McDonald's for everyone else (Thanks Ga-Ga & Pa)

May 12th - Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup (We didn't end up eating this either since I was at church getting ready for the tea...I'm not sure what Michael made for dinner. It's hands down my favorite soup recipe ever!)

May 13th - Chicken Strips and Crispy Crowns

May 14th - Pasta Carbonara  (This was the first time we've had this and it will be on our menu from now on....YUMMY!!!

May 15th - Teriyaki Chicken Sliders w/Jasmine Rice

May 16th - Soy Sauce Salmon w/ Top Ramen and Roasted Green Beans

May 17th - BBQ Grilled Chicken, Chips & Fruit Cocktail

May 18th - Family Night! Western Chicken, Roasted Potatoes & Salad

Western Chicken is made by mixing a half a bottle of Western Dressing (You have to buy it on Amazon) and one packet of Golden Onion Soup Mix. Dump that over chicken, cover and bake for 30 minutes at 350. The sauce is amazing and so yummy to dip the roasted potatoes in. 

May 19th - Gourmet Dogs, Mac 'n Cheese & Canned Peaches

Gourmet Dogs are hot dogs that have been cut into stuffed with a strip of cheese and then rolled in Montreal Steak Seasoning and baked. The best part is topping them with carmalized onions! 

May 20th - Waffles & Sausage Links

May 21st - Zeke's Birthday Party...Yay for party food! 

May 22nd - Ranch Cheddar Chicken (We've never had this before) 

May 23rd - Sausage & Spinach Alfredo  (This is a new recipe as well)

May 24th - Pork Tenderloin w/ potatoes & zucchini 

May 25th - Bacon, Eggs, Hashbrowns & Toast

May 26th - Chili Dogs

May 27th - Steak & Baked Potatoes

May 28th - Pioneer Woman Spaghetti 

May 29th - Shrimp Alfredo Pasta Bake

May 30th - Steak Fajitas 

May 31st - Lettuce Wraps 

You might notice I don't factor in days for leftovers. I don't do that mainly because I tend to make just what we need for dinner. If there are leftovers Michael takes them to work the next day for his lunch. 

If you would like further information on any of the meals just shoot me a message. 

Postponed Valentine's Dinner!

On Valentine's Day we were all still down for the count with the flu so there was no special dinner that night. Let me tell you this stomach flu was brutal! I'm not sure if it's worse to be the one to get sick first or to be the one to watch and care for everyone else getting sick and then knowing you are screwed! Either way stinks I guess!

Anyways...by the 16th we were all feeling up to eating food with flavor so I decided to decorate the table and make it special.

I put grape juice in a nice glass carafe that I have so the kids felt like they got a special drink just like Michael and I did with our wine. Oh yes I'm one of those moms that feels it's fine to drink a glass of wine every now and then while I'm pregnant. Unfortunately both Michael and I took one drink and our still sensitve stomaches let us know that wasn't such a good idea.

The centerpiece was made of up 3 stamped candles that we just did for the MOPS craft.

Even though I decorated the table all nice the only plates I had that matched the placemats were my Americana plastic plates. It was a blending of styles!

Cheers!

Mmmmm!!

For dinner we had steak seasoned with Montreal steak seasoning, roasted asparagus and loaded baked potatoes. We also had Holendaise sauce for dipping. Yummy! Of course the kids barely ate any of it. It's maddening I swear! The funny thing is I didn't take a picture of Michael and I together. Valentine's Day with kids is just a bit different. We were all a little on edge due to the flu and being confined to the house. Cabin fever was definitely settling in!

What's For Dinner?

Summer Zucchini Caserole

Our garden didn't do the best this year, but how could it with the weather we've had. Even so, the zucchini did GREAT! So in an effort to use it all we've been trying new recipes. This was our second new recipe and it was supper yummy and easy! Of course I changed a few things like adding cubed chicken and sauteing the veggies instead of boiling them. Also I didn't have unsalted butter, but normal butter tasted just fine. It will absolutely be a summer favorite from now on!  

Even Butter Isn't Safe In Our House!

On Wednesday when I was making dinner I took a half a stick of butter out of the refrigerator to make Alfredo Sauce and put it on the island. After being interrupted and leaving the kitchen to go do something I came back to this...

We have a butter-loving 3 year old in our house! Seriously look at the chunk taken out of that! That just makes my stomach turn, but Jack loves it!

Here's a little video of me asking him what happened. Of course once Owen found out that Jack got a bite of butter he wanted one, but he didn't seem as enthusiastic about it. My favorite part about the movie is when Jack says that butter is scrumptious!

If you were curious about what we ended up having it was Peppered Shrimp Alfredo from Allrecipes.com. The only thing we left out was the cayenne pepper since the kids don't like spicy food. We also made the Alfredo Sauce from scratch...the only thing we did different from that recipe was add some cream cheese to all the other ingredients. Dinner was so...well scrumptious!   

            

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What's For Dinner?

Last Thursday my mom and dad came over for dinner and this is what I made...

The most yummy pot roast ever!!! I called my SIL and found out how she made the pot roast that we had on Christmas Eve and I replicated it. It was my first experience with fresh garlic...I know I'm lame! I've always used minced garlic or garlic powder, but not fresh garlic cloves. I think the next time I make it instead of stuffing cloves of garlic into the meat I will actually puree the garlic and rub it all over for a more even garlic flavor. Over all though it was scrumptious!

What's For Dinner...Or Lunch!

If you have kids I bet you get tired of the same old Kraft Macaroni Cheese from time to time. I found this recipe for Bacon, Ranch and Chicken Mac & Cheese online a while back and finally got around to making it today for lunch. I did change a few things though...I didn't have the Italian cheese so I used a mixture of Mozzarella and Sharp. I also didn't have any onion powder so I just added a bit of minced onion. It was SO yummy...even Ella scarfed it down!

What's For Dinner?

For dinner tonight I went to Allrecipes and found this super easy recipe for Chicken Marsala. The only thing I added was an onion and a can of mushrooms. It was SO easy and SO yummy!

And just for fun here is photographic proof that Owen actually ate a vegetable....I'm not sure if it will EVER happen again. For some reason he decided to eat them all on his own and I think he ate 3! Seriously...who are you and what have you done with Owen?

What's For Dinner?

Today Michael I watched Rachael Ray and I got inspired to make the dish she made. I had to make a few adjustments since I didn't have all the ingredients, but it turned out SO good! I'm seriously still in shock since I'm not usually that good at winging it in the kitchen.

2 chicken breasts

6 lasgana noodles broken up into little pieces (I didn't have that much so I added a few bow tie paste noodles too. Next time I think I might just use all bow tie pasta since it cuts down on having to cut noodles for the kids)

1 large yellow onion cut into strips

2 cans of sliced mushrooms (I would have used fresh, but I didn't have any on hand)

4 tbsps butter

4 tbsps flour

1 1/2 cups milk

Garlic Salt

Pepper

White Wine

Parmesan Cheese

Mozzarella Cheese

Cook the chicken breasts in butter and then shred them - Cook noodles al dente - Saute mushrooms and onions in butter and garlic salt - Deglaze the pan with white wine and let reduce - Add chicken to mushrooms and onions - Make white sauce by melting 4 tbsps of butter and adding 4 tbsps flour and then adding milk and a few dashes of pepper...bring to a boil and stir for 1 min and then remove from heat - Combine chicken, mushrooms, onions and noodles with white sauce - Place in a casserole dish and top with Parmesan & Mozzarella Cheese - Broil in oven until cheese is browned

What's For Dinner?

On Friday we had my parents over for dinner. They were taking the boys overnight for us. I decided since I had a little feta cheese left from a previous meal that I would make this salmon recipe I found in one of our Rachael Ray magazines. It was SO good and even easier! I get my salmon fillets at Costco. Here's what to do...

Thaw the fillets
Put them on piece of tin foil skin side down and top with...

2 tbsp of ranch

1 tbsp of feta

1 tbsp bacon pieces

Cook on the grill on high for 8 - 10 mins

Top with diced tomatoes

See I told ya...super easy!

What's For Dinner?

I made this yummy dish the other night. Another great find from Allrecipes...Mushroom Chicken Piccata. The only thing I changed was I added capers. Next time I'll probably add less capers...it was a little too salty. With Michael being home so much lately he had been cooking most of the meals, but since he's been doing some side work the last few days I've been cooking more and it feels nice and relaxing.

What's For Dinner?

When I was pregnant with both boys I made a point to go to Dinner's Ready with my friend Kim and make a bunch of meals I could freeze and have ready after the baby was born. Most of the meals we ended up enjoying, but some were not so good. One of our favorites was this Blue Cheese Flank Steak in a Demi Glace. To. Die. For. Michael and I both enjoy a good steak so I decided to pick up a flank steak and some blue cheese and give it a whirl.

Tada!!! I didn't do a demi glace sauce because after looking it up online and not knowing what the first ingredient was...I chickened out. So I browsed the web and found this Marinated Flank Steak with Blue Cheese Sauce recipe from The Food Network. It was so super easy and it turned out wonderful! With dinner we had herb & butter Rice A Roni and Michael made green beans almondine. Heaven! Oh and you better believe I'll be heading back to Dinner's Ready to get a bunch of meals ready before Ella is born. You know me...I'm a tradition girl! ;)

What's For Dinner & Dessert!

I have recently discovered that cooking relaxes me and since I've been super moody with this pregnancy I can use all the relaxation time I can get. So the other day after I had spent while with the boys and could feel myself getting to the boiling point I decided to pop in a movie for them (Cars...did you really have to ask?) so I could go relax in the kitchen and cook. I first decided on what to make for dessert and then dinner came later, but since you usually eat dinner first lets talk about that one.

I love Allrecipes.com and I found this yummy recipe for Cheeseburger Meatloaf. I'm not really a meatloaf fan, but I was watching the Food Network the other day and the lady from Semi-Homemade made a meatloaf so it sounded good. This recipe was super easy and I had almost everything on hand. I thought we didn't have minced onions so I just used a regular onion and chopped it up really small. The thing I love about Allrecipes is you can read the reviews and see what other people thought of the recipe and adjust yours accordingly. It seemed like everyone had trouble when rolling the cheese into the meatloaf. As you can see I didn't quite get the cheese sealed in either that's why it bubbled out the top. It did taste just like a cheeseburger though and was super yummy. A definite do over!

Okay now onto dessert...I made my first pie! Yeah...yeah I'm 29 and I've never made a pie before. I had a bunch of granny smith apples on hand and wanted to use them up so I gave it a whirl. It's actually called Apple Crunch Pie because it doesn't have a normal pie crust top and I got this recipe off Allrecipes too. It turned out great, was easy and was perfect served with Buttered Pecan Ice Cream.

Mmmm.....

Chicken, Spinach & Cheese Ravioli

1 pkg Costco's fresh Spinach & Cheese Ravioli

1 container Costco's fresh Alfredo Sauce

2 Chicken Breasts cubed and cooked in butter

4 Cherry Tomatoes diced (from my garden)

Parsley Flakes

The Best Hot Dog EVER!!!

Michael made these last night for dinner and they were so yummy. He got the recipe from the March issue of Everyday with Rachael Ray. First you roll the hot dogs in Season All and then you slice them almost in half and stuff them with two strips of sharp cheddar cheese. Then you broil them to melt the cheese. The buns are just toasted with butter. The onions are caramelized with cayenne pepper and brown sugar. Then you put it all together. It was a little spicy, but also sweet because of the brown sugar. So good!

Oh yeah and the dish the hot dog is on is one of my new dishes my mom got me as my early birthday present. I love them! Thanks Mom!

What's for dinner?

I know that I personal have gotten myself into a rut when it comes to cooking dinner. Thankfully I have a husband who loves to try new things and experiment with food. This got me thinking that other people who read my blog might be going through the same thing...so I thought it might be fun to share recipes every once in a while in order to expand our horizons when it comes to food. That and it's always fun to share a favorite recipe with others. So with that said I would like to share this recipe for Chicken Fricassee. It's found on page 398 of the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book. Michael just made it tonight for the first time and it was definitely a restaurant worthy dinner. It only took about an hour for him to make it from start to finish and I'm sure now that he's made it once it won't take as much time to make it the second time around.

Chicken Fricassee Ingredients:

1/4 cup of flour

1 tsp paprika (Michael used twice this amount)

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

3 chicken breasts

1 tbsp oil

1 cup of halves fresh mushrooms (we didn't have fresh so we used canned)

1/3 cup chopped green or red peppers (we used yellow peppers)

1/3 cup sliced green onions (we used white onion)

1 cup chicken broth

1/4 tsp dried basil (we used thyme)

1/4 cup milk

1 tbsp of flour

Cooking Directions:

1. In a plastic or paper bag combine 1/4 cup of flour, paprika, salt and pepper and set aside.

2. Rinse chicken and pat dry. Add chicken to bag and shake to coat.

3. In a 12 inch skillet cook chicken in hot oil over medium heat about 10 mins or till lightly browned, turning to brown evenly (add more oil if necessary). Remove chicken and set aside, Drain fat, reserving 2 tbsp of the drippings in skillet.

4. Add mushrooms, sweet peppers and onions to skillet. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Stir in chicken broth and basil (or thyme). Bringing to a boil, scraping up browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Return chicken to the skillet. Bring to a boil, reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 35 - 40 minutes. (Michael had to add more water, but I think it's because he was boiling it a little too fast so boil it on a really low temperature). Once chicken is no longer pink transfer chicken and veggies to a serving platter.

5. Skim fat from pan juices, measure 1/4 cup of the pan juices and return to the skillet. Stir milk into the 1 tbsp flour, stir into pan juices. Cook and stir till thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for 1 min more.

6. Spoon some of the sauce over chicken and serve.

Now it's your turn...first share one of your favorite recipes on your blog and then come back and use Mr. Linky to link that post to my blog that way everyone can enjoy your recipe as well. If you don't have a blog feel free to leave your favorite recipe in the comment section instead. Happy Cooking!