It's that time of the week again - time to plan the coming week's menu! Normally, I would take a moment to review a new recipe we tried this week, but unfortunately, I had a root canal on Tuesday and then ended up having two teeth pulled Thursday, one of which was the root canal tooth. :( This, in combination with an inability to find some ingredients for the planned meals, forced me to improvise for several meals (AKA macaroni and cheese LOL). Fortunately, I'm feeling much less pain, and my energy level is returning to my version of normal, so this week, I hope to try some of the recipes I had planned for last week. So here's the plan:
Sunday: Cheesy Broccoli Orzo & Butternut Squash Sage Rolls - This meal was originally planned for Thursday night, but after the trip to the dentist, I wasn't feeling much like cooking. Also, I was unable to find orzo at the grocery store last week. And since I'm sure I won't be able to find it this week (and I refuse to shop at Walmart), I'm just going to substitute some other pasta I have on hand...most likely elbow macaroni.
Monday: Spaghetti & Meatballs - This is another of The Man's favorites, probably because I make the meatballs homemade (recipe below). And it's a good way to use up some of the marinara we have in the freezer.
Tuesday: Enchiladas & Mexican Rice - Another do-over from last week.
Wednesday: Burgers - the usual!
Thursday: Pasta Fagioli - This is a great vegetarian soup (if made the traditional way), and The Man loves it! It will also give me an excuse to use the enameled cast iron dutch oven I got for Christmas :)
Friday: Pizza - Another homemade pizza! :)
Saturday: Penne with Sausage & Peppers - And the last of the repeats from this week. Hopefully I can find Italian sausage at the grocery store this week...
Meatballs
(serves 8)
1/2 lb lean ground beef
1/2 lb ground pork
2 eggs, beaten
2/3 c seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 t garlic powder
1/4 t ground black pepper
Combine the ingredients until everything is incorporated. Form into balls (a few tablespoons) and place on a foil-lined cookie sheet, about 1 inch apart (the foil will make cleanup a breeze!). Bake at 350 degrees until fully cooked, about 30 minutes (depending on the size).
Note: I use a cookie scoop (small ice cream scoop) to form the meatballs. Also, these are great freezer items. Just form the meatballs and freeze on a cookie sheet. Once they're frozen through, put them in a freezer bag and label it with contents, date, and cooking instructions.
And there ya have it! Mangia Bene!
Showing posts with label Butternut Squash Sage Rolls. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Butternut Squash Sage Rolls. Show all posts
1.28.2012
1.21.2012
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.
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.
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!
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!
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