Menu Plan Monday hosted by Laura at I’m an Organizing Junkie
WEEKLY MENUS
Category: MISC
SPAGHETTI SALAD
Spaghetti Salad adapted from Pam’s Midwest Kitchen Korner
1 pound thin spaghetti
10 slices bacon
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 large red onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 (2 ounce) can sliced black olives, drained
2 tomatoes, diced
1 cucumber, diced
1/4 cup salad seasoning mix*
½ teaspoon lemon zest
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, optional
Directions: Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook bacon until crisp. Drain and crumble.
In a large bowl combine cooked spaghetti, celery, onion, bell pepper, olives, tomatoes, cucumbers and salad seasoning. In a small bowl, whisk lemon zest, lemon juice and minced garlic with olive oil. Pour over spaghetti mixture and toss. Add crumbled bacon and lightly toss. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, if desired.
Chill until serving.
8-10 servings
Home-made Salad Supreme Seasoning – Makes ½ cup
3 teaspoons sesame seeds
2 teaspoons paprika
1½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon poppy seeds
1 teaspoon celery seeds
½ teaspoon garlic powder
2 dashes cayenne pepper
4 tablespoons Parmesan cheese or Romano (fresh is best)
Directions: Combine all ingredients and mix well. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator.
Mix all of the ingredients of the Homemade Salad Supreme Seasoning and set it to the side.
Chop up the celery.
Chop up the red onion.
Chop up the green pepper.
Put celery, onion, and pepper in a bowl.
Drain the can of black olives and add to the mix.
Chop up the tomato. Add to the other veggies.
Cut up the cucumber. Add to the other veggies.
Throw the spaghetti on to cook.
Throw the spaghetti on to cook.
Add the seasoning mix to the veggies. Fry the bacon.
Zest the lemon and squeeze the lemon juice into a small bowl.
Mince the garlic cloves.
Whisk the olive oil and garlic in with the lemon.
Drain the spaghetti and add it to the veggies.
Add the garlic lemon oil.
Chop up the bacon and sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top.
Here’s what you’ll end up with:
Our Thoughts:
Ok, I want you to go to the store, buy all of these ingredients, and make this dish. It was SO GOOD. Perfect for a family get together.
All of the flavors came out in this dish from the lemon zest to the garlic to the tomato juice from the tomatoes. The black olives and cucumbers gave it a Mediterranean taste and I kind of wished that I would have had feta cheese instead of the Parmesan even though the Parm was delicious, too.
If I could change one thing about this recipe, I would use penne pasta instead of spaghetti. The spaghetti did kind of overwhelm the vegetables but nothing a spatula couldn’t get around. I also don’t think that the bacon was needed. You could also add some grilled chicken to the dish.
Bottom line, it was great!!
Hope you enjoy!
April
BUNLESS BURGER SERIES #3~BURGERS w/ CARAMELIZED PEACHES & RED ONIONS, GORGONZOLA CREAM CHEESE MAYONNAISE & MUENSTER
Good Morning everyone. Tamy here filling in for Martha K who was filling in for Kris on Simple Saturday, who had originally traded with Martha MM. So sense it was already so complicated, I’m bringing you a not simple, but not complicated recipe for the upcoming holiday weekend. It’s perfect for outside eating and celebrates the fruit of the month also, peaches! I hope you enjoy it. We make it quite often and really have been enjoying going bunless.
BUNLESS BURGERS w/ CARAMELIZED PEACHES & RED ONIONS, GORGONZOLA CREAM CHEESE MAYONNAISE & MUENSTER2 – 1/3 pound burger patties
2 teaspoons liquid smoke
sea salt & white pepper
grated Muenster cheese
Caramelized peaches & red onions
2 tablespoons butter
1 extra large red onion, thinly sliced into rings
2 small peaches, chopped
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
Gorgonzola Cream Cheese Mayonnaise
2 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 ounces gorgonzola cheese crumbles, room temperature
1/4 cup mayonnaise
- In a small food processor blend together the cream cheese, mayonnaise and Gorgonzola cheese crumbles.
- Combine ground beef, liquid smoke, salt and pepper to the meat and hand form the patties.
- Grill burgers inside or out.
- In a large sauce pan melt butter.
- When sizzling add onions and saute’ until translucent.
- Add peaches and saute’ until juicy.
- Add balsamic vinegar and continue sauteing until moisture has sizzled away.
- Plate burger.
- Spread on Gorgonzola mayo.
- Top with peaches, onions and then sprinkle with muenster cheese.
- I use the pan lid over the plate for a minute to melt the cheese.
Fire Day Friday; Grilled Shrimp Po’ Boy
Ok, ok… so I didn’t fill the bun up with enough shrimp before I took the picture… BUT.. just because it might not be the best picture does not mean that it wasn’t the best grilled shrimp po’ boy I’ve ever had. Oh, no! These sandwiches were downright DEE-licious. And, let’s not forget simple. You don’t have do to too much to make this really stand out. I kept this very simple, but feel free to jazz it up if you want. I know that traditional po’ boys are usually made by frying shrimp or oysters or whatever you have on there, but honestly, I like to try to keep things as healthy as I can, so I went for the grilling method. Who needs all the bread any, right? I mean you’ve got all the bread you need in the bun 🙂 Plus…you get to use your grill if you make them this way!!
Grilled Shrimp Po’ Boy
Created by Jenn’s Food Journey
Printable Recipe
Ingredients:
36-48 large frozen shrimp, thawed and tails removed
1-2 Tablespoon basil olive oil (you can use extra virgin olive oil)
salt and pepper
shredded lettuce or cabbage (I used coleslaw mix)
cherry tomatoes, quartered (I used about 1/2 cup)
hoagie buns or French sandwich rolls or even hot dog buns
fiery remoulade – recipe to follow
metal or wooden skewers (please soak wooden skewers in water for at least 30 minutes)
Directions:
In a large bowl, add the shrimp and toss with olive oil and salt and pepper. Allow to marinate for 1 hour. Thread shrimp onto skewers.
Preheat grill to 375 degrees. Place the skewered shrimp directly over the fire and grill for 3-5 minutes per side or until shrimp is cooked through. Carefully remove from grill and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Carefully remove shrimp from skewers.
To build your po’ boy – add a butt load of shrimp and top with cabbage/lettuce and tomatoes. Drizzle on fiery remoulade. Enjoy!
Fiery Remoulade
Created by Jenn’s Food Journey
Ingredients:
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon chili paste
1 teaspoon Sriracha
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Directions:
Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl until well combined. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Enjoy!
CHCIKEN SCALOPPINI IN BRANDY SAUCE
CHICKEN SCALLOPINI IN BRANDY SAUCE
For 4 People
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced in 1/2 horizontally**
3+ tablespoons butter
½ cup brandy
Juice of 1 lemon
flour
salt and pepper
- Wash and dry the slices after slicing them in half and removing any excess fat.
- Melt 2-3 tablespoons of butter in large skillet.
- Dredge the chicken slices and place in the pan.
- Brown them, salt and peppering them generously.
- Set aside, keeping warm.
- Add the remaining butter, brandy and juice of a lemon to the pan, scraping the bottom for any chicken pieces. Blend well. Let sauce start to thicken.
- When sauce has just about reached desired thickness, return the chicken slices to the pan, covering well with the sauce.
- Serve immediately.
** I used breast tenders this time and it was great!
Recipe Rundown
Taste: Both savory and sweet, tangy and rich.
Texture: Tender caramelized onions on top and fork tender.
Ease: Super easy and quick.
Appearance: Appetizing and visually appealing.
Pros: Addicting and wonderful for entertaining.
Cons: None!
Would I make this again? Yes.
Rotini with Eggplant Tomato Sauce
I don’t eat a lot of pasta. But I LOVE roasting vegetables!
I also don’t cook with a lot of eggplant but I picked some up at the farmers market and this sounded excellent!
The vegetables smelled SO GOOD roasting in the oven. I swear, I should just roast vegetables every day to make my house smell good. Luckily I chose a cooler day so the house didn’t heat up to much.
This turned out so good! I have a fairly small food processor so I was a bit afraid it wouldn’t all fit but it did. It didn’t really take up too much room.
I also chose to puree the pine nuts in the sauce rather than just sprinkle them on top. Either way works.
The only thing I would do different would be to add a bit of onion. I just love onion and it just seemed like it needed to be there.
Rotini with Eggplant Tomato Sauce
1 medium eggplant, mine was just under 1 pound, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 pint cherry tomatoes
4 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
Pasta, I used Barilla Plus Rotini, 14.5 oz.
1/4 cup torn fresh mint leaves, I used less
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- In a large bowl, combine the eggplant, cherry tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes.
- Spread the vegetables out in an even layer on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Roast in the oven at 400 until veggies are tender and eggplant is golden, about 35 minutes.
- While the veggies are roasting, place the pine nuts in a small baking dish. Place in the oven on the rack below the vegetables. Roast until golden, about 8 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and reserve.
- Meanwhile, cook pasta according to directions. Pour pasta into a large bowl. Reserve about 1 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking liquid.
- Transfer the roasted veggies to a food processor. Add the torn mint leaves. Puree the vegetables, mint leaves and pine nuts. Transfer the pureed vegetables to the bowl of pasta and add the parmesan. Stir to combine, adding the pasta cooking liquid 1/2 cup at a time until the pasta and sauce is saucy.
Total calories = 2218 calories
6 servings = 370 calories per serving
Pasta Rotini with Eggplant Tomato Puree = 370 calorie dinner**
Summer salad of Crumbed Tomato Slices
This is really not a recipe, and I want to make that perfectly clear, because I don’t want to offend anyone with what might appear to be misleading information! A few days ago, I needed a side dish to complete our meal. I prefer at those times to try and come up with a vegetable or at least having a vegetable as part of the ingredient list. And this is what I made…….
Crumbed Tomato Slices
serves 2-3
2 large tomatoes
2 T vinaigrette
1 T mayonnaise
1/3-1/2 c croutons
Remove stem and blossom ends of the tomatoes, slice into 4 slices each, arrange on serving plate.
Combine the vinaigrette and the mayonnaise, blending until smooth. Drizzle over tomato slices.
Crush the croutons.
Sprinkle over the tomato slices, add a sprig of herb for garnish, serve!
I enjoy “recipes” like this one, they are simple, adaptable, and use what you already have on hand. For a larger crowd, just double or triple the ingredients. Enjoy!
For more great recipes or “recipes”, come and visit Mom’s Sunday Cafe, we love having visitors!
CHICKEN SCALLOPINI IN BRANDY SAUCE
CHICKEN SCALLOPINI IN BRANDY SAUCE
For 4 People
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced in 1/2 horizontally**
3+ tablespoons butter
½ cup brandy
Juice of 1 lemon
flour
salt and pepper
- Wash and dry the slices after slicing them in half and removing any excess fat.
- Melt 2-3 tablespoons of butter in large skillet.
- Dredge the chicken slices and place in the pan.
- Brown them, salt and peppering them generously.
- Set aside, keeping warm.
- Add the remaining butter, brandy and juice of a lemon to the pan, scraping the bottom for any chicken pieces. Blend well. Let sauce start to thicken.
- When sauce has just about reached desired thickness, return the chicken slices to the pan, covering well with the sauce.
- Serve immediately.
** I used breast tenders this time and it was great!
Recipe Rundown
Taste: Both savory and sweet, tangy and rich.
Texture: Tender caramelized onions on top and fork tender.
Ease: Super easy and quick.
Appearance: Appetizing and visually appealing.
Pros: Addicting and wonderful for entertaining.
Cons: None!
Would I make this again? Yes.
COD POCKETS
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COD POCKETS adapted from The Magic Pumpkin
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*What I actually ended up with was 2 big and 2 small portions.
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COKE CAKE – SAVE ROOM FOR DESSERT
This recipe has been a family favorite for many years now and always puts a smile on my face when I think of grams. She didn’t hesitate to try any strange or new recipe and always made them work whether it was potato chip cookies or this cake.
BEFORE & AFTER ICING
COKE CAKE
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup miniature marshmallows
1/4 cup shortening
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 scant tablespoons cocoa
1 Jumbo egg, beaten
1/2 cup Coca-cola
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large mixing bowl sift together the flour and sugar. Stir in marshmallows and set aside.
- In a medium saucepan melt the butter and shortening together. Add the cocoa and coke, mixing well.
- Pour over the flour mixture. Add the buttermilk, egg and baking soda, mixing well.
- Pour into a greased 8×8 pan and bake 30-40 minutes or until cake center springs back.
ICING
1/4 cup butter, softened
3 tablespoons coke
2 scant tablespoons cocoa
2 cups powdered sugar
- Bring butter, cocoa and coke to a boil.
- When smooth, remove from heat and mix in sugar to desired consistency.
- YUM ~ Enjoy
Hubby gave it 2 thumbs up!
MEXICALI CHEESY POT PIE
Mexicali Cheesy Pot Pie Adapted from Pam’s Midwest Kitchen Korner
1 pound ground turkey, 93% lean
1 large onion, chopped
2 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper
1 (10 oz.) can Rotel diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup frozen peas and carrots
5 ounces cheddar cheese, divided
For corn bread topping:
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup flour
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 tseaspoon chipotle chili powder
1 egg, lightly beaten
2/3 cup milk, 1%
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
Directions: Brown ground turkey and onions in large pan until cooked. Season with chili powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Stir in tomatoes, corn and peas & carrots (used whatever veggies you want.) Transfer to an 8 x 8 in. baking dish.
Top with half the cheddar cheese.
In a bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder, chipotle powder and salt. Stir in egg, milk and oil. Spread evenly over turkey mixture. Top with the rest of the cheese. Bake, uncovered for about 35 minutes or until topping is set.
Modifications:
-I used whole wheat.
-I did not use peas or carrots.
-I used a can of drained corn.
-I used a can of tomatoes with peppers and celery
rather than Ro-Tel.
-I used an Italian blend cheese.
Here’s what you’ll need for the meat mixture:
Here’s what you’ll need for the cornbread mixture:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Chop up the onion.
Place the turkey and the onions in a skillet and cook through.
Once cooked, add corn and Ro-tel.
I used a can of tomatoes with peppers and celery.
I just cut up the tomatoes a little more.
Once cooked, add corn and Ro-tel.
I used a can of tomatoes with peppers and celery.
I just cut up the tomatoes a little more.
Add the spices.
Meanwhile, add all of the ingredients for the cornbread mixture.
Place the meat mixture into a greased baking dish.
Spread the cornbread mixture out and put in the oven for 30-35 minutes or until cornbread rises.
About 5 minutes before finished, sprinkle cheese on top and put back in the oven until melted.
Here’s what you’ll end up with:
Our Thoughts:
This meal turned out to be somewhat of a pantry meal. I changed a lot of the ingredients or omitted them because I didn’t have them on hand.
I thought the combination of the cornbread with the meat mixture tasted really great. There were several textures in there that complimented each other.
The one issue I had was that it was a little dry. The cornbread soaked up most of the juices from the tomatoes so I wish that I would not have drained the corn before putting it in.
I was also a little worried about making the cornbread topping out of the whole wheat but it had a good texture and flavor. Of course, you could always use one of those Jiffy corn muffin mixtures and it would work great, too.
Hope you enjoy!
April
CHICKEN SCALLOPINI IN BRANDY SAUCE
I was intrigued by the brandy sauce in this recipe, but don’t usually make veal so decided to give it a try on chicken. I have to tell you there was nothing left, nada, so I know they loved every bite. It didn’t hurt that they said I could make it again. Next time I will add some thinly sliced green onions and mushrooms.
CHICKEN SCALLOPINI IN BRANDY SAUCE
For 4 People
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced in 1/2 horizontally
3+ tablespoons butter
½ cup brandy
Juice of 1 lemon
flour
salt and pepper
- Wash and dry the slices after slicing them in half and removing any excess fat.
- Melt 2-3 tablespoons of butter in large skillet.
- Dredge the chicken slices and place in the pan.
- Brown them, salt and peppering them generously.
- Set aside, keeping warm.
- Add the remaining butter, brandy and juice of a lemon to the pan, scraping the bottom for any chicken pieces. Blend well. Let sauce start to thicken.
- When sauce has just about reached desired thickness, return the chicken slices to the pan, covering well with the sauce.
- Serve immediately.
Recipe Rundown
Taste: Both savory and sweet, tangy and rich.
Texture: Tender caramelized onions on top and fork tender.
Ease: Super easy and quick.
Appearance: Appetizing and visually appealing.
Pros: Addicting and wonderful for entertaining.
Cons: None!
Would I make this again? Yes.