Menu Plan Monday for January 26th

Last week was going so well, until we hit the bump in the road that I knew was coming. Bear had all four wisdom teeth removed and he threw off our entire menu plan. I felt so bad for the poor guy- he was stuck with pudding and yogurt and potato soup. We never made plain mashed potatoes but the soup hit the spot in two seperate batches.

The other fun surprise was the apricot garlic chicken. This was a recipe (that I'll post later) from a co-worker that I wasn't so sure was going to work out well. However, it was very quick to put together and very tasty. It had a very "chinese food" flavor, like a sweet chicken dish, but without all the breading. The sauce was very tasty drizzled on the rice. This is one that passed Bear's test and will make another appearance on our table.

This week, we're trying to cook up the dishes that we didn't make because of Bear's teeth.

Monday - Potato Soup

Tuesday - Scrambled eggs and toast

Wednesday - Enchiladas

Thursday - Cannonball Chicken ; chips & salsa

Friday - Chicken Chimichangas

Saturday - Enchiladas

Sunday - Breakfast burritos

You can check out more menus and plans at I'm an Organizing Junkie's Menu Plan Monday post

Menu Post Monday - January 19th (posted a day late)

We did pretty well last week. Up until Friday. I was knocked out of the action by a massive headache for two days. So, we ordered Pizza and went out on Sunday as well. So, I feel as though the week ended on a down note.

Bear and I have decided that we should have some easy meals that he can prepare without setting the kitchen on fire for future headache attacks or if I get hit with the flu. *nod nod*

This week, we have a few "experiments". We'll see how Bear takes to them. If he likes something, he's really eager to experiment further and try different spices, flavors, etc. That's how we ended up with our enchilada recipe. So, here's to hoping that he likes these new ones. *fingers crossed*

The hard part for this week is that Bear gets all FOUR of his wisdom teeth pulled on Friday. So, I'm going for softer foods that he can handle. I'm planning a few tougher items in case he does really well and wants something with more substance. I do have extra potatoes and soups that I can prepare if he really has a tough time.



My Menu Plan

Monday - Mac & Cheese; Turkey Sandwiches

Tuesday - Enchiladas

Wednesday - Apricot and Garlic Chicken; rice; steamed green beans and carrots

Thursday - Old Fashioned Beef Stew , biscuits

Friday - Potato Soup

Saturday - scrambled eggs and sausage
mashed potatoes
Enchiladas

Sunday - Cannonball Chicken; chips and salsa

grilled cheese and tomato soup

You can check out more menus and plans at I'm an Organizing Junkie's Menu Plan Monday post .

Bear and Sweetpea’s Enchiladas Extrodinaire

You will need:

1 lb ground beef (we use extra lean)
½ onion, diced
1 can non-fat refried beans
1 can green chilies or jalapenos (depending on how hot you want it)
1 can green enchilada sauce (the medium sized can, not the HUGE one)
½ t. cumin
½ t. chili powder
12-15 tortillas (depends on how full you fill them)
1-2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Sauté the onion in a little bit of olive oil in a skillet, till almost translucent

3. Add ground beef to skillet and brown. Drain if needed.

4. Add refried beans, chiles, cumin and chili powder and mix well. Heat through.

5. In a casserole dish or baking pan, cover the bottom with enchilada sauce. Don’t use more than half- you will need to pour the rest on top of the enchiladas.

6. Warm tortillas in whatever manner you prefer (we heat them in the microwave one at a time for about 10 seconds), wipe one side with water- this will be the outside.

7. Fill the tortilla with meat mixture to your linking, roll and place in baking pan. Repeat until meat is gone.

8. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over the top.

9. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

10. Remove from oven and top with cheese. Return to oven for 5-7 minutes.

11. Serve as is or top with sour cream and salsa (my fav.)

This reheats very well and depending on the size of your family (we're just 2) it will give you lots of leftovers.

Menu Plan Monday - January 12th, 2009

This is my first Menu Plan Monday but I am *way* excited to get started!

Other menus and links can be found at Menu Plan Monday

Monday - Chili

Tuesday - Flank Steak, Box Car Potatoes, broccoli

Wednesday - Old Fashioned Beef Stew

Thursday - Enchiladas

Friday - Cheeseburger Rolls and broccoli

Saturday - Marsala Burgers (from Trader Joe's) and french fries

Sunday - Meatloaf and mashed potatoes

Hobo Beans

This is one of my Mama's favorite potluck dishes. Simple, fast (really, REALLY fast) and tasty.

Hobo Beans
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

2 Tbl butter
1 lb. hamburger
1 packet onion soup mix
½ c water
1c ketchup
2 t mustard
2 t vinegar
2 Tbl brown sugar
1 16oz can Bush’s baked beans (or equivalent)
1 16oz can kidney beans, drained of juices

1. Brown hamburger
2. Stir all ingredients together
3. Bake for 30 minutes at 400 degrees **OR** cook in crock pot 6-8 hours on low (4-6 hours on high)

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Red Velvet Cupcakes
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
2 tablespoons red food coloring
1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
1 teaspoons vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Frosting
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3 bricks (8oz each) cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) butter, softened
2 1/4 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract


For the cake:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 (12 cup) muffin tins with cupcake papers.

In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder. In a large bowl (NOTE: I use my kitchen aide stand mixer for this) gently beat together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar and vanilla with a hand-held electric mixer. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet and mix until smooth and thoroughly combined.

Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake tins, filling them 2/3 full. Bake in oven for about 20-22 minutes , turning the pans once, half way through. Test the cupcakes with a toothpick for doneness. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.

For the cream cheese frosting:

Beat cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl with mixer on medium speed until smooth and creamy. On low speed, add powdered sugar and vanilla. Increase speed to high; beat until smooth and fluffy.


MY TRICKS:

I **always** double the vanilla. So, for the cake, I use 2 teaspoons instead of the one that the recipe calls for. I do the same in the frosting. I also make sure that my eggs are room temperature before baking and add extra oil and extra buttermilk.