Menu Plan Monday June 15, 2009

I have not posted a menu plan in a few weeks now. I have sketched out quick menus, but have very little incentive for cooking. I blame this mostly on the change in season. I need to collect more recipes suitable for cooking in warm, muggy weather....my old standbys of beef stew, and chicken casseroles must be put on hold until fall returns.

I almost didn't post a menu this week as well. We are eating out most this week, and one of the days we are at home is a leftover day. Not too exciting. To compensate for my lack of menu ideas, I want to share two new dishes that I have added to our rotation.

The first is Pizza Braid courtesy of Amy's Finer Things, by way of Laura. I know that Laura refers to hers as the cooking disaster of 2009. However, the fact that she mentioned her braid still tasted good, even if it didn't look as she'd planned, gave me confidence to try it! I changed the recipe a bit. I used my tried and true pizza dough from Better Homes and Garden, which I always add a little Italian seasoning, and garlic powder to the dough. Then I let it rise overnight. There are only two of us, so I divided the dough in half and made little baby braid loaves. I cooked them on my pizza stone (which I love!). Ben really liked them! I enjoyed it too because whenever we make homemade pizza we are always commenting how it doesn't taste as good as this or that chain. There is nothing for us to compare pizza braid too. It is a just a quick and easy dish!

The second is Garlic Cheddar Chicken. Two weeks ago, I had my meal planned with the usual standbys....that is until I saw the recipe for Garlic Cheddar Chicken on My Frugal Adventures (by way of Menu Plan Monday!). It looked easy enough, and I had all the ingredients. It was so yummy! It tastes almost like cheesy garlic bread, but with chicken. Ben and I decided I could reduce the amount of butter and garlic next time, but we still loved it!

Here is my partial menu for the week........

Monday: Meatloaf, from my BHG cookbook, with leftover mashed potatoes. (I know meatloaf is a warmer dish, but it is going to be cooler tomorrow, so I figured I should get one more meatloaf in before the season changes. Plus, it is one of Ben's favorites).

Tuesday: I want to try the Grilled Honey Mustard Chicken from $5 Dollar Dinners. I plan to pair it with white rice and another new recipe, a black bean salad from Simply Recipes.

Wednesday: Leftovers

Thursday-Saturday: We have plans to eat out.

Last, I am taking advantage of having three egg yolks in my refrigerator to make these super delicious cinnamon cookies. It is tempting to eat them right out of the oven, but I personally think they taste a lot better the next day.

Don't know what to cook for the week? Looking to vary your menu? Check out over 400 menu plans with Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie.