Weekly Menu

It's time for another weekly menu! (I'm going to try to start posting them on Saturday, since they start on Sunday..) And just like last week's menu plan, this week's menu is also (somewhat) Pin-spired. But before we get to that, let's talk about the Chicken/Shrimp Satay w/ Thai peanut sauce...The Man and I aren't big eaters of Thai food, but this recipe sounded and looked pretty tasty. I went out and bought all the ingredients we needed and diligently mixed up everything for the marinade and cooked the sauce on the stove in advance. When it was time, I started cooking the marinated chicken and shrimp. It didn't take long at all. I had cut the chicken into cubes, the shrimp were fairly small, and soba noodles only take about 3 minutes to cook. Everything smelled fantastic as it was cooking, and the sauce tasted pretty good. The first few bites were full of new flavors that neither of us were sure about. We continued to eat, and after a few minutes, The Man looked at me and very somberly said, "I don't think I can do this." Oddly enough, I was thinking the same thing! LOL Now, I must say this...there is not a thing bad about the recipe. It's just that The Man and I aren't used to those flavors. So maybe in another life... :)

Ok, on to this week's menu!

Sunday: Corn & Chicken Chowder and Cheesy Pull-Apart Buns - Everything about this soup sounds & looks fantastic! I'm going to bet The Man won't even miss the chicken that I'm going to leave out (teehee)! And who doesn't love homemade bread filled with cheese?! I think I'll even make a double batch of the soup (one for the freezer), and since the bread makes two loaves, I will probably end up freezing one of those as well.

Image from bunsinmyoven.com

Monday: Cheesy Chicken & Rice Casserole - This is a dish I haven't made in a while, but The Man always loves it! And it's a great dish for on Monday night since it doesn't take a lot of prep or attention.

Tuesday: Enchiladas & Mexican Rice - Another "oldie but a goodie". Mine will be bean and cheese, and The Man will have his either with chicken or ground beef. I really wish he liked refried beans so I could make these the way I used to for lunch specials at my parents' store, but alas...he will not give in on this one!

Wednesday: Burgers - Since I'll have bacon in the fridge for Sunday's soup, I'm going to cut up a slice or two to mix into The Man's burger this week. I'm hoping there is leftover soup for me to eat instead of a burger!

Thursday: Cheesy Broccoli Orzo & Butternut Squash Sage Rolls - Mmmm orzo! Orzo looks like rice, but it's actually pasta and can be found in the pasta aisle at the grocery store (look for the tiny box of pasta - a pound of this stuff doesn't take up much room, which makes it a great pantry staple). And it's wonderful because it can be used to make creamy (but less labor-intensive) dishes like risotto since it gives the rice-like texture. (Note: this recipe is a massive one, and it's also calls for some strange things since it's vegan, so check back later for my modified and scaled-down version.) And, because we have a freezer full of mashed butternut squash that The Munchkin has almost grown out of eating, I'm going to use it to try the rolls. I'm hoping these become an "oldie but a goodie" because The Munchkin loves the texture of bread, and these would be a good option for her (though I might eventually modify the recipe to omit the brown sugar for her sake). This recipe also calls for chèvre, which is goat cheese, and which I will also omit, since The Man and I are not fans of it.

I love the color of these! Image from  http://www.petitekitchenesse.com 

Friday: Pizza - I'll be making a batch of dough tomorrow to restock the freezer, but I'll leave one ball of it in the fridge for some homemade pizza. Listen for the smoke alarms to go off at our house Friday night...there's nothing like a little smoking corn meal on a pizza stone to signal dinnertime! :)

Saturday: Penne with Sausage & Peppers - This is another of The Man's favs, and we typically eat it in the summer when the peppers at the Farmers' Market are looking gorgeous, but since we had fajitas a while back, I'm in the mood for some peppers! Come on summer! :)

It looks like it's going to be a tasty week at our house! I'll let you know next week if that prediction is correct!

Mangia Bene!