Easy Weekly Menu #6 – Kitchen Testing
Posted: March 2, 2013 Filed under: Menus | Tags: cooking, dinner, easy dinner, food, meal planning, menu, recipe, recipes, weekly dinner menu Leave a commentAs I’ve mentioned before, I try lots of recipes to find seven great meals for you every week, and some of them are flops. Recently, I have tried buttermilk oven fried chicken, cube steak sandwiches, turkey and spinach meatloaf, and baked ziti to name a few, none of them good enough to share with you, fellow chefs. What dishes have you tried lately that were not as good as you expected? Do you have a version of my recent flops that you would recommend? Maybe I’ll try again with your recipe!
Here is your shiny new menu for the week, full of recipes I tested and think you will enjoy.
- Slow Cooker Asian Beef Rice Bowl – We live in San Francisco, home to excellent Asian cuisine, but this simple dish rivals our Chinese takeout options. Cook for 3 hours or all day, then toss in veggies and make the rice 30 minutes before serving.
- Salmon Nachos – What is now Fiesta Night at our house used to be called Nacho Night. This is how it all began, although the recipe has improved over the years. These nachos taste best with fresh guacamole and margaritas.
- Moving Day Pasta – I made this exactly as written, and it was really tasty. I would recommend whole wheat pasta instead, but otherwise I like it as is. Even The Tall One, after very reluctantly trying it, said, “I was wrong! This is really good!” Winning him over is no small feat, so you know it must be delicious.
- Pizza Muffins – Tasty and fun pizza alternative, even great for tomato sauce haters because the sauce is on the side. Serve with an assortment of raw fruits and veggies for a fun dinner to eat with your hands.
- Turkey Burgers with Cajun Oven Fries – For easy burgers, buy preseasoned turkey burger patties in your meat department, or mix ground turkey with French onion soup mix (I make my own).
- Lemon Chicken Soup – I shared this dish with you in my first weekly menu, and it is worth featuring again. A reader recently made it with No Knead Bread and said her family enjoyed it, so you don’t have to just take my word for it!
- Lemon Spinach Spaghetti with Yogurt Chicken – This chicken is buzzing around Pinterest under the name “Melt in Your Mouth Chicken.” I’m going to be honest here; I think that is a little over the top. It tastes a lot like any other piece of well-cooked chicken, and I didn’t really notice much melting in my mouth going on. It is really easy though and pretty good, so I won’t argue with all the pinners who love it.
For the spinach spaghetti, I would recommend wilting the spinach in the oil before tossing it with the pasta. It was a little too raw for our taste as written. I also considered adding 2-4 tbsp. of white wine to the oil next time, but I haven’t actually tested that out. If you do, let me know how it goes!
I have not created a list for you this week. Why? I don’t think anyone is using that feature since the list files have gotten under 10 clicks total. It takes me a while to create a complete grocery list for seven meals, and frankly, I don’t want to do all that work for no reason. If anyone reading this is disappointed because they really do use my weekly lists, please speak up, and I will gladly whip one up for you. (You can leave a comment or email me at andi at wearychef dot com). I do have a trick up my sleeve for building custom grocery lists, so stay tuned for that in the next week or two.
Linked up with:
Easy Weekly Menu #5 – Craving Casseroles
Posted: February 24, 2013 Filed under: Menus | Tags: cooking, dinner, easy dinner, easy recipes, food, menu, menu planning, recipe, recipes, weekly dinner menu Leave a commentIn the past two weeks, I have found myself at the emergency room with the boys three different times. This is especially amazing to me because I had never been to the ER in six years of parenthood until now. The kids are thankfully both fine, although The Tall One is now nursing a broken bone. All this to say, I have been extra weary lately, but weariness doesn’t make me any less hungry for delicious dinners! This week I bring you mostly casseroles and one-dish meals with easy sides, just what the doctor ordered when you want a comforting meal without a lot of work.
(Please note that most of the casseroles come together quickly but have a 45-60-minute bake time, so plan accordingly.)
- Breakfast for Dinner Casserole with Fruit Salad – This casserole can be made up to 24 hours ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator until you are ready to bake. For fruit salad, just dice up your favorite fruits (stir in a small handful of mini marshmallows if you want to keep it klassy). I suggest apple, strawberries, and bananas.
- “Good” Sausage Pasta – This is called the “good” sausage pasta at our house for a reason. It is amazingly flavorful for being so simple, plus it’s very healthy. Great leftover if it isn’t all devoured.
- Thai Salmon Salad – Are you looking to impress your family with an elegant dinner but not work very hard doing so? Look no further than this tasty salad. Goes great with No-Knead Bread of course!
- Chicken and Black Bean Enchilada Casserole – There’s even a casserole just right for Fiesta Night. This recipe is great as written, although I would suggest mixing the sour cream into the chicken and bean mixture. To suit your taste, you can substitute reduced fat cheese and sour cream, use dried cilantro instead of fresh, or use green enchilada sauce instead of red. I serve on a bed of finely shredded cabbage. Perfect with Weary Chef’s Margaritas if you are so inclined.
- Simple Shrimp Boil – In our family, celebrating birthdays means eating shrimp. Nothing says a party like stuffing yourself with shellfish and carbs. You don’t have to wait for a birthday to enjoy shrimp at your house, but this meal is probably better suited for a weekend dinner than a busy weeknight.
- Chicken Stroganoff – Giving this a little attention during the cooking process gives an even better result, but if you need to set it and forget it, it will still turn out great. This time I made my own Zesty Italian Dressing Mix with great results. Serve with a side salad.
- Chicken and Dressing Casserole – Sometimes I get a craving for turkey and dressing, and I wanted an easy way to get my fix. Serve with Roasted Brussels Sprouts (bake them at the same time and temperature as the casserole). Cranberry sauce on the side is optional.
There you have it. Now it’s time to go shopping, and here’s your list, all ready to go in doc and pdf formats.
Kid Dinner Idea: Cookie Cutter Pizzas
Posted: February 22, 2013 Filed under: Bonus Recipes, Kid Food | Tags: cooking, dinner, food, kid food, kids, pizza, recipe, recipes Leave a commentI hope you are sitting down to handle the cuteness I’m about to serve up. The Pants* gave me a cookbook for my birthday: Petite Eats by Timothy W. Lawrence. I haven’t had time to thoroughly peruse the tiny foods in this minature book, but I saw these pizzas when flipping through and fell in love.
Shut the front door. I don’t know if I can eat regular pizza again. Just think of the decorating possibilities if you aren’t in a hurry like I was!
I’m not going to lie. These aren’t exactly quick and easy. They could be easier if you buy premade pizza dough, but there is still some work to be done. You’ll feel like a hero when you serve adorable pizzas to your family though, and isn’t that what we’re all after?
Cookie Cutter Pizzas
Ingredients:
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Stir sugar and yeast into warm water and set aside to bloom for 8 minutes. Meanwhile, stir together flour, salt, garlic powder, oregano, and basil in a small bowl.
- When yeast mixture is ready, stir in dry ingredients. Turn out onto floured surface and knead for approximately two minutes.
- Roll or pat out dough until it is about 1/4″ thick and a 12″ circle. Place dough on cookie sheet lined with silicone baking mat or sprayed with cooking spray, prick surface a few times with a fork, and bake in preheated oven for 5 minutes.
- Remove dough from oven, and flip onto cutting board so that the side that was down on cookie sheet is now facing up. (This is important to make the cutting step much easier.) Let the crust cool for at least 2-3 minutes so you don’t burn yourself trying to cut it (not that I would know anything about that).
- Now, get your cookie cutters and cut away, cutting the shapes as close together as possible to avoid wasting too much dough. Top with your desired combination of sauce, toppings, and cheese, and return to 450 degree oven for 5-7 minutes until cheese is bubbly and starting to brown. Serve to your family and take a bow.
This pizza crust is adapted from Thin Pizza Crust at Robbie’s Recipes. We ate what was leftover after cutting out the shapes, and it was yummy on its own. Definitely give it a try for all your pizza dough needs.
*My husband was previously known as “The Man” here at The Weary Chef, but I never liked that nickname. He will be called “The Pants” from this day forward.
Easy Weekly Dinner Menu #3: Get Creative.
Posted: February 10, 2013 Filed under: Menus | Tags: dinner, easy dinner, food, food and drink, grocery list, menu, recipe, weekly dinner menu Leave a commentIt’s the weekend again, and you know what that means? Time to go grocery shopping! I can’t wait to push a gigantic car cart around a crowded grocery store, full of groceries and empty of children, while its passengers wander away from me and ask for animal crackers and Sponge Bob macaroni and bubblegum-flavored yogurt. I hope your shopping trip is made easier by using this week’s menu and list.
- Homemade Pizza – Even chefs in a hurry can make pizza from scratch on a busy night. I found this great recipe for thin pizza crust that only takes about 10 minutes to make, and you can use that time to prepare your toppings. (I do recommend adding 1 tsp. each of dried basil and oregano and 1/2 tsp. garlic powder to the dry ingredients when preparing this dough.) I use jarred pizza sauce and grated mozzarella and parmesan. Of course toppings are a very personal decision, so I’m just going to add “pizza toppings” to the produce and meat sections of this week’s list. Go hog wild. Load it with veggies or serve with a side salad.
- Standup Tacos – I saw these on Pinterest and thought they looked fun and easy. They made for a right tasty Fiesta Night. Top with your choice of diced tomatoes, finely shredded cabbage, sour cream, and salsa. They weren’t completely different than any other taco/tostada/nacho dish with the same ingredients, but the preassembled factor made for easy serving.
- Cube Steak over Rice with Green Beans – Who eats cube steak, you ask? I didn’t know either until I tried this recipe. The meat is fork tender, gravy is savory, and it’s pretty hands off cooking. You do have to be home a couple hours while it’s cooking, so it’s not good for a quick weeknight dinner, but you don’t have to pay attention to it. Steam green beans, then toss them with a small pat of butter, lemon pepper, and kosher salt for a quick and healthy side.
- Chicken and Wild Rice Soup – This soup is great for cold days: Creamy, flavorful, and made for dipping. No Knead Bread is a perfect accompaniment, but a store bought crusty loaf is good too. This recipe does take about 45 minutes, but most of the time is spent simmering.
- Steak with Chili Lime Roasted Cauliflower and Couscous – We’re all chefs here, right? In that case, I’m not going to tell you how to cook your steak because I’m sure you already have your favorite method. Want to skip another night of red meat this week? Substitute chicken breasts or fish fillets. This cauliflower is SO good. I didn’t even know I could ever say that about this vegetable. I altered the recipe to use ingredients I always have on hand (regular chili powder, crushed red pepper flakes or cayenne, ground cumin, and dried cilantro), and I roasted for 30-40 minutes at 375 degrees F to speed up the cooking process. For the couscous, I use boxed seasoned couscous like this, which takes less than 10 minutes to prepare.
- Salmoniches with Fries – This is a classic in our house, starting years ago when we had a favorite salmon sandwich at a local restaurant that was only served one day a week. Instead of trying to fit that into our schedules, I recreated it at home. I’m really going to make these fries soon and tell you all about them, but this time it’s frozen fries for us again.
- Sausage and Vegetable Stir Fry over Rice – I love this dish for nights when I’m low on time and energy. In the time it takes to prepare the rice, you can saute your sausage and vegetables. Dinner is on the table in 25 minutes!
Here is your grocery list for the week in doc and pdf formats.
What have been your favorite Weary Chef recipes so far? Which do you hope to see again soon on the menu?
The Weary Chef 