Meal Planning : Weekly Eats with Whole Parenting Family {Vol. 4}

It's that time again -- Saturday Weekly Eats with Whole Parenting Family!

We've got a pretty basic meal plan this week. Quite a bit of comfort food and a whole lotta protein 'cause this cold weather (finally!) is making us hangry! (Yes, hangry. This household gets a bad case of hunger anger when our stomachs are growling.)

 

Food photos are lacking this week, but there's the bbq!

Monday - Bacon and cheddar quiche and carrots (Just a basic quiche recipe -- placed cooked bacon and grated cheddar in the bottom of a pie crust, mixed together 6 eggs and 1/2 c. of half and half {you can use cream or milk too), and poured it on top. Baked at 350 F for one hour.)

Tuesday - Fajitas (grilled some skirt steak, and green bell peppers and onions; grated cheddar; avocado; salsa -- all on small flour tortillas)

Wednesday - leftover fajitas (it's always helpful to make enough in one night for two!)

Thursday - out to dinner with my mom at this wonderful restaurant

Friday - Chicken, Cheddar, and Broccoli Soup with sourdough bread (recipe for the soup to come this week!)

Saturday - Pizza with pepperonis, olives and mushrooms and salad (Trader Joe's dough)

Sunday - Roasted Sausages, Apples and Potatoes with salad (thanks to Laura at This Felicitous Life for the idea/link!)

What are you eating this week?

Meal Planning : Weekly Eats with Whole Parenting Family {Vol. 3}

I like trying new recipes. (I guess that is obvious since I also like to create them.) Most weeks, it works out about half old, half new recipes. I strongly suggest trying at least one, if not two new recipes a week. They don't need to be difficult. But just something to help expand your repertoire.

Always when you are thinking of trying a new recipe, read it ALL THE WAY THROUGH before you commit. Before you go grocery shopping. There may be a new skill involved that might take more time. There may be an ingredient that is too expensive, so best to substitute or move on. (I really love The Flavor Bible for substitution ideas. It is the number one book all those who love to cook should have.) It is just best to know what you are committing yourself to.

This week is heavy on the new recipes (including two I've developed myself). I suppose I felt a bit ambitious this week. Not always the norm. :)

Monday - Beef-Stuffed Acorn Squash

Tuesday - Frozen Taquitos and leftover stuffing from squash (I doubled it)

Wednesday - Butternut Squash Orechiette with Ricotta {recipe in progress...}

Thursday - Spaghetti with meat sauce and mushrooms and green beans (just basic ground beef, sauteed mushrooms and store-bought marinara -- frozen green beans)

Friday - Crockpot Pot Roast with mashed potatoes

Saturday - Chicken Cheddar Broccoli Soup with French bread

Sunday - Pepperoni Pizza {{for the birthday girl!}} (picked up pre-made pizza dough and toppings from Trader Joes)


What are you cooking this week?

Linking up with Whole Parenting Family for Weekly Eats Saturday.

Beef-Stuffed Acorn Squash

Acorn squash is one of the quintessential autumn veggies. It is a treat roasted on its own with a bit of butter and brown sugar. But make it the center of your main dish by using it as a receptacle of your protein and it can really stand out!

The nutty flesh of the squash pairs itself well with Mexican-inspired seasoning in this simple dish, easy to put together quickly on a weeknight.

The squash are roasted separately while the meat filling comes together on the stove. Finish it off with a sprinkling of cheese and a few minutes back in the oven once stuffed and you're set!

Beef-Stuffed Acorn Squash

2 acorn squash, halved with the seeds and pulp scooped out

olive oil

salt

1/2 lb ground beef

1-2 garlic cloves
1/4 c. chopped onion

1/2 c. cooked rice

1/2 c. black beans
1/4 c. crushed tomatoes
salt and pepper
1/4 t. cumin
1/4 t. oregano
dash of cayenne pepper

1/3 c. grated sharp cheddar cheese

Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Drizzle acorn squash with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Place face down in a baking dish and bake 35-45 minutes.

While squash is baking, brown ground beef in a saucepan over medium-high heat on the stove. Add onions and garlic, cooking for another couple minutes until onions are softened. Turn heat down to low. Add in rice, beans, and tomatoes. Mix well. Then, add in spices and mix well again.

 Flip acorn squash cavity side up and fill each with a quarter of the filling. Sprinkle cheese on top and put back in the oven for about 5 minutes, until cheese is melted.

Crockpot Beef Stew

We finally had a day last week that didn't top 80 degrees. I marked it on the calendar when I was meal planning earlier in the week. I've been ready for cold weather food for so long, and here was our chance. 

We purchased 40 lbs of delicious, grass-fed beef through Alpine Ranch in Reno, Nevada. The freezer is chock full of a variety of cuts of beef that should last us at least through mid-November with the rate at which we consume red meat. 

I dug out the stew meat a couple days in advance of our cooler weather. When we reached it, first thing in the morning, I filled the crockpot with this hearty stew which I'm sure will have repeats throughout the winter. 

Crockpot Beef Stew

2 lbs. beef stew meat

1 large onion, diced

4-5 carrots, sliced into 1-in. pieces

2 large russet potatoes, cubed

4-5 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 c. fresh parsley, minced

1 t. salt

1/2 t. pepper

1 t. dried oregano

1 bay leaf

 1 t. Worcestershire sauce

2 1/2 c. beef broth

1 c. frozen peas

1/4 c. flour

Place meat, onion, carrots, potatoes, and garlic into your crock pot. Sprinkle with parsley, salt, pepper, oregano and top with a bay leaf. Stir Worcestershire sauce into 2 1/2 c. beef broth. Pour across the top. Cook on HIGH for 6-7 hours or LOW for 10. 

About a half hour before serving, stir in frozen peas and flour, and re-cover the pot.

Serve alongside warm, crusty bread for dipping.

Applesauce Pork Chops

Enjoying the bounty of the season, we've begun to cook with apples here like we may never see the likes of them again. It always feels like that when something comes into season. I feel as if I must celebrate it in the kitchen in as many ways and as often as possible.

I love savory dishes using sweet additions. Apples are an especially good pairing with meat. Pork and apples certainly make a good marriage. And don't forget about chicken too.

This dish comes together in about 20 minutes.

Applesauce Pork Chops

3-4 pork chops, about 2 lbs.

salt and pepper, to season

4 apples, peeled and chopped

1/2 t. cinnamon

1/8 t. nutmeg

about 1/2 c. water or apple cider to cover bottom of pan

Heat a frying pan over medium high heat. Season pork chops with salt and pepper on both sides. Cook about 6-7 minutes on one side. Flip and cover pan with a lid, cooking another 5-6 minutes. Remove pork chops and place on a plate covered with tinfoil. (Or place in a warm oven.)

After chopping apples, place them in a saucepan with enough water or cider to cover the bottom of the pan. (This prevents them from burning.) Heat on high. Cook for about 15 minutes, until apples are soft enough to smash. Remove from heat. Sprinkle cinnamon and nutmeg on top and mash with a fork or potato masher until chunky. (Or run through a blender if you prefer smoother applesauce.) 

Plate pork chops and place applesauce on top or to the side, as preferred.

Good with a side of squash. Recipe to come....

Crockpot Tri Tip

My brother, Gabe, knows how to create a good, heartwarming meal. We invited him and his girlfriend over for dinner last week and it seemed fitting to celebrate his birthday as it was only a few days before.

I asked him what he wanted to eat and he unhesitatingly requested tri-tip. And, of course, a little bacon jalapeno mac and cheese and sesame green beans on the side, finished off with a pumpkin pie. (You can't get more comfort food-esque than this, folks!)

I'm no pro on the BBQ but we wouldn't let that stop of us from enjoying a juicy piece of red meat.

Crockpot to the rescue! We had such great success that we may never place one on the grill again. It melted apart.

So easy to do, it is definitely a necessity for your autumn dinner repertoire.

Crockpot Tri Tip

2-3 lb. tri tip sirloin

2 c. beef broth

2 T. Worcestershire sauce

a few dashes of Tabasco

about 2 t. steak seasoning (enough to thoroughly cover the top of the roast)

Fill the crockpot with the beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, and Tabasco. Place sirloin into crockpot. Sprinkle steak seasoning liberally over the top. Cook on low for 8 hours (or 4 on high).

Goodness Pizza

If you haven't discovered Trader Joe's pre-made pizza dough yet, you're missing out. I've been wanting to give a handmade version a spin, but they've given me good reason to continue procrastinating. It cuts out the difficulty of kneading and rising while still making you feel as if it is homemade.

Plus, it is SO cheap!

(And, no, they are not sponsoring this post...I'm just so head-over-heels for this dough, I couldn't keep it a secret!)

At our local Trader Joe's, it comes in three flavors plain, wheat, or herb. I usually buy the herb version. Although, I warn you: if you show up later in the day, it might be gone. Others have discovered its greatness.

Be sure to follow the directions about allowing it to sit outside the bag for at least 15 minutes before attempting to roll it out. If it is still cold, it will be difficult to stretch. I typically roll it a bit on the counter with a fistful of flour to prevent sticking, then pick it up, tossing, spinning, and stretching until it fits on the pizza pan.

If you are using a pizza stone, cover it with a generous amount of cornmeal. This is vital. I didn't do this the first time and I couldn't get the pizza to come off the stone for the life of me. Bonus: it gives your crust a nice crunch.

Steve graciously named this one for me... :)

 Goodness Pizza

1 herb pizza crust

3/4 c. simple basil pesto

2 c. mozzarella cheese, grated

1/2 red bell pepper, cut into thin slices

2 sun-dried tomato chicken sausages, cut into thin slices (I used Trader Joe's brand)

10 sun-dried tomatoes, cut in half

1/3 c. crumbled goat cheese

Roll out pizza crust. Spread pesto completely over top of crust. Sprinkle with cheese, red bell pepper, chicken sausages, sun-dried tomatoes, and goat cheese.

Bake according to dough instructions.

Easy as Spaghetti

These past few nights I've barely been able to muster up enough energy for eating dinner, let alone cooking it. Spaghetti is a tried-and-true lazy man's meal.

Even when I am running low on fuel, I try to dress up my spaghetti with a little more than just tomato sauce. A veggie or two and a bit of meat does just the trick. Nothing special, but it certainly fills a hungry belly well.

Just a tip or two for cooking spaghetti noodles:
Many of us have been taught that a bit of olive oil in the noodles after cooking will keep them from sticking together. While this is true, it also prevents other things from sticking to them -- like the sauce. Instead, pour your sauce on the noodles immediately or rinse them in cold water to rid them of starch (the substance which causes them to stick), and reheat when ready to eat. I find that the hot sauce is often enough to do the trick.

Turkey Spaghetti

2 T. olive oil

1/2 lb. ground turkey

2 cloves of garlic, minced

8 oz. mushrooms, chopped

1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce (I used Vodka sauce)

1/2 lb. spaghetti noodles

Heat oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Throw in ground turkey and cook until browned, roughly 5-7 minutes. Lower heat a bit and add mushrooms. Cook until wilted, another 5 minutes. Add in garlic, stirring around for about 1 minute. Dump sauce into pan and allow it to heat through.

While making sauce, allow your spaghetti noodles to cook.

Slow-Cooked Lamb in Red Wine with Rosemary

I know this will come as a shock to some, but I finally had my first experience with a crock pot the other day. The concept seemed a little odd and stressful to me.

But you're thinking: Isn't it supposed to be quick and easy? The perfect answer to a warm meal on a hectic evening?

Well, it is. But in my mind, I was afraid of overcooking, or worse still, undercooking. If I wasn't there to watch it, how could I be sure everything would be okay? What if it cooked so long that it was like leather when we tried to bite into it? Or what if it was as red as a nose raw with cold when we sat down for supper?

It was none of that. My anxiety was unfounded....and it appears I may have control issues. ;)

If you have any lamb lovers in your family, this is a must. Stephen is head-over-heels for lamb -- as am I -- and we try to have it as frequently as possible. This makes it just a little bit easier.

Slow-Cooked Lamb in Red Wine

2 T. olive oil

2 lamb shanks

24 pearl onions

2 medium-sized carrots, sliced

3/4 lb. crimini mushrooms, sliced

1 - 14 oz. can stewed tomatoes

2 c. red wine

5 garlic cloves, minced

1 - 2 T. fresh rosemary, minced

1 t. parsley, dried or fresh

1 t. thyme, dried or fresh

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add lamb shanks and brown on both sides, turning frequently, about 5 minutes each side.

Place pearl onions in a pot of boiling water and boil for 3 minutes. Drain water and let cool a bit. Cut ends of each onion and slide out of peel.

Place lamb and onions in crock pot.

Sautee carrots and mushrooms in pan with lamb fat for about 5 minutes. Pour into all veggies into crock pot, including tomatoes.

Put remaining ingredients into a small bowl and let marinate for 5-10 minutes. Then, pour all of the wine mixture into the crock pot.

Cook on HIGH for about an hour; reduce heat to LOW and let cook 6-7 hours.

It is done when the meat slides off the bones. (The best part!) Great with mashed potatoes to soak up all the juices.

Steak with Bleu Cheese

I rarely begin constructing my dinner menu from something as seemingly insignificant as cheese. But, then again, if you know me, cheese is anything but insignificant.

We picked up this lovely bleu cheese at a market in San Francisco recently. The blue-veined fromage begged to be served with a suitable complementary to its wonderfully rich flavor. (Although, my fiance would tell you it's just fine as is. We fought for the bowl of it while I was cooking and I won by a small margin.)

Normally, I'm not much of red meat gal but every once and a while I get a craving for it. Particularly when it is accompanied by something like sauteed mushrooms or braised onions. But my favorite garnish for a nice, juicy steak is blue cheese. The stinkier the better. 

Bleu cheese and steak simply go together. Like milk and cereal. Like ice cream and cones.

Steak with Bleu Cheese

3 - 4 pieces of top sirloin, 10-12 oz. each

4 - 6 oz. bleu cheese

2 T butter, softened

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to broil. Salt and pepper steaks and place on a broiler pan. 

Mix together bleu cheese and butter.

Place steaks under broiler for 6 minutes on each side (for medium rare). Smear bleu cheese mixture on steaks and cook an extra 30 seconds to melt cheese slightly.

Total prep and cook time for this meal is about 15 minutes. Ideal for that last-minute dinner.

A great accompaniment to the steaks are baked potatoes with your choice of toppings and a green vegetable, such as broccoli. And don't forget the red wine.

Cranberry Fennel Sausages

To round out the past few posts, a little autumnal breakfast meat you'll just love.

With the addition of cranberries and a wee bit of honey, these savory treats are almost sweet.

 

Cranberry Fennel Sausages

1 lb. sausage with sage (or add 1/2 t. sage)

1 t. fennel seed

1/4 c. dried cranberries

2 t. honey

salt and pepper to taste

2 T. olive oil

Place sausage in a bowl and break up with your fingers. Add fennel, dried cranberries, honey, salt and pepper and mix well into sausage meat with your fingers (or spoon if you don't like to get those hands dirty). Roll into balls and set aside.

Heat olive oil in a griddle or frying pan over medium heat. After placing each sausage ball into the pan, flatten with the back of a spatula. Cook a few minutes on each side until evenly browned. Remove from pan and place on a plate with a papertowel or napkin to soak up excess grease.

Goes wonderfully with these scones and applesauce.

Serves approximately 4.

Jamaican Jerk Chicken

I love surprises. Surprise gifts, surprise visits, surprise endings, surprise hugs. They give me that sense of awe and appreciation with the world and the people inhabiting it.

Although, culinary surprises can be both pleasant and devastating, even in those devastating 'mistakes' something is learned -- albeit, what not to do.

But, fortunately, this isn't one of those times. I am happy to report a most pleasant surprise came into being for dinner last night.

My only prior experience with Jamaican food came in the form of waitressing at a restaurant, where I could see and smell the effulgent spices soaked deep into the dishes as I moved them from kitchen to tabletop. It had never crossed my mind to try my own hand at them. That is, until I encountered the abundance of spices at the Rainbow Market, and when my eyes ran across the vibrant 'Jamaican Jerk seasoning,' I knew at first glance we would be friends.

Jamaican Jerk Chicken

6 pieces of chicken (I used boneless, skinless breasts)

1 lime

1/4 c. rice vinegar

1/4 c. vermouth

1/2 c. olive oil

2-3 T. Jamaican Jerk seasoning

Liberally douse your chicken in lime juice and let rest about 5 minutes. Pour rice vinegar, vermouth, olive oil and seasoning into a large Ziploc bag. Place chicken inside and shake around until all pieces are well covered in marinade. Place in refrigerator for at least an hour or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place contents of Ziploc bag into a baking dish and cook for 30-45 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink in the middle.

Perfect over a bed of rice to soak up all the delicious juices.

Boeuf Bourguignon

I was transported to another place and time last night. Ryan and I may have been sitting in his cozy condo listening to the hum of air conditioning unit on the porch, but in my mind I was with him at a sidewalk cafe on the bank of the Seine, feasting on a fabulous French supper.

Something about a glass of red wine, a rich beef stew and crusty bread, carries me away to those warm summer nights in France.

I have to say, Julia's Child's Boeuf Bourguignon is worth all the hype surrounding it and more. I think I was seriously swooning after the first bite. I possibly could have eaten the whole pot if not for a serious exercise of self-control.

The process for creating the dish was lengthy, but enjoyable as I sliced, diced and danced my way around the kitchen. The bacon was seared, the meat was browned, the vegetables sauteed, before adding the herbs, beef and red wine. It then slowly simmered in the oven for 3 hours, gently coaxing all the delicious flavors into a fine symphony of taste. Tiny onions and mushrooms were sauteed in separate pans before being added to the pot at the end. The tiny onions are actually boiled in red wine for about an hour, which lends them to truly stand out when encountered in the dish. And, no, it is not too much onion... ;-) (I was a bit worried about that. Although I think I would add another carrot or two next time. I like my veggies.)

My biggest 'beef' (har, har) with this dish was the number of pots and pans I had to dirty....actually, some several times since the number of pots and pans in the kitchen is rather low; hence, some did double, or even triple, duty throughout the course of the night. Scrub-a-dub-dub......

My choice of wine for the evening -- both in regards cooking and drinking -- was Beringer's Merlot. It was a simple wine, but deep enough to satisfy.

The juices soaked up beautifully with a piece of bread and/or mashed potatoes. In fact, I would say they are essential elements to this meal. My beouf bourguignon was accompanied by Pugliese and white cheddar mashed potatoes.

Will I make it again?? You bet. As a matter of fact, I'd like to try some of Julia's other recipes. I've been intimated, as they seem like so many hoops to jump through for the final result, but the truth is, is that Julia's just thorough with her instructions. This dish took a long time to cook, but not too horribly long to prepare. And as long as I have a good tune playin' in the kitchen, I'll

stay in there as long as it takes to get the job done. :-)

Good to the last drop....

Ziti for San Giuseppe

You know how I love to celebrate the feast days in style. Today is a very special one, indeed. Today we celebrate the feast of St. Joseph, a man of steadfast faith and tremendous patience. Oh, how I could learn a lesson or two from him....


Somehow, at my college, the feast of St. Joseph became associated with Italian food, so that now I consider a proper celebration of St. Joseph's Day to involve an ample supply of pasta and Italian meat and cheese bread. The feast certainly isn't reserved only to the Italians -- for, after all, St. Joseph wasn't an Italian -- but I can safely say San Giuseppe receives his due honor in that fair country.

Hey, and I'm not complaining. I'm a huge fan of Italian fare. I'll use any excuse to consume a heaping plate of spaghetti.

Here's an adequately-Italian dish, a brainchild of the fair Giada De Laurentis, which I've made on several occasions. The tots love it, as it reminds them of macaroni and cheese, and its a smashing success with the men as the hidden orbs of meat satisfy their need for hearty substance. Us, women...well, it will just have to be a few extra miles on that run tomorrow. ;-)

Baked Ziti with Meatballs

from foodnetwork.com

1/4 c. plain dried bread crumbs
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 T. milk
3/4 c. Romano cheese, grated
1/4 c. flat-leaf parsley
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 lb. ground beef
all-purpose flour, for dredging
1 lb. ziti
1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
5 c. tomato sauce
3 c. whole milk ricotta
2 c. shredded mozarella
1/2 c. grated Parmesan
6 T. unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 in. pieces

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine bread crumbs, eggs, milk, 1/2 c. of Romano and parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Add beef and carefully combine.


Shape into bite-size pieces. Roll each meatball in flour.

In a large pot, bring 6 quarts of slightly-salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for about 8 minutes, until al dente. Remove immediately from water and cover if not using immediately. Don't rinse as this prevents the sauce from clinging to the pasta.

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. When almost smoking, add meatballs and allow to cook without moving about 3 minutes. Turn over and brown on other side.


Cook until golden brown on both sides. Remove from heat and place on a paper towel to soak up excess grease.

In a large bowl, combine tomato sauce and ricotta. Add the cooked pasta and meatballs, mixing well.

In a large, greased baking dish, place pasta mixture. Sprinkle with mozzarella, Parmesan and remaining Romano.


Dot with butter. (I left this out; I don't think the extra grease and fat is necessary.) Place baking dish on baking sheet to catch drippings while cooking. (Definitely necessary, unless you were planning to clean the oven afterward.) Bake until top is golden brown and bubbly, about 30 to 40 minutes.


This dish is easily doubled and freezes well. Don't use shaped pasta that is any bigger than ziti as they don't embrace the sauce well.

Thanksgiving Warm-up

My family decided to take a stab at our Thanksgiving cooking-skills this evening.

After thoroughly scrubbing the nearly 21-pound turkey down, we maintained our tradition of blow drying with Mom's hairdryer.
We broke out the paper towels, though, after a few minutes because we were in hurry to get it in the oven.After filling the bird with corn bread stuffing, we placed it in the oven for the long haul.

For a moment, I must digress a bit....
It is well known amongst a good number of my friends that any turkey I am responsible for does not cook in an efficient manner. This became apparent my sophomore year of college when I attempted to a cook a similarly-sized turkey for the Thanksgiving crowd remaining on campus. We waited over 8 hours for it to cook. We raised the temperature in increments, eventually reaching 500 degrees, but to no avail. Our hunger eventually got the best of us and we removed it from the oven, sliced it up and zapped pieces in the microwave so we could eat before midnight. I was sorely disappointed and discouraged by that experience but still willing to give it another try....Well, turns out I simply don't have the magic touch for cooking turkeys. Today our turkey remained uncooked after 7 hours in the oven. I am beginning to feel cursed when it comes to turkeys. I think I'll stick to cookies....