Menu Plan Monday October 19, 2009

I was out of town last week on vacation (pictures and stories will come soon), so I missed the deadline to post my menu plan. I did have a success the week before: White Bean and Sausage Rigatoni from my Better Homes and Garden's cookbook. I wasn't sure about this. It looked yummy, but was different from what I normally make. Ben and I both agreed that this was a very delicious dish for a nice change of pace from my usual chicken or ground beef, but not something we'd prefer all the time. I'll add it to my 6 month rotation!

White Bean and Sausage Rigatoni from Better Homes and Garden's New Cookbook (2002)

Ingredients:

8oz dried rigatoni (2 Cups)
1 15 oz can white kidney, Great Northern, or navy beans, rinsed and drained.
1 14 1/2 oz can Italian-style stewed tomatoes, undrained
6 ounces cooked smoked turkey sausage, cut into 1/2 inch slices
1/3 c snipped fresh basil
1/4 cup finely shredded Asiago or Parmesan cheese.

Make: Cook pasta, drain, return to saucepan. Meanwhile, in a large sauce pan combine beans, undrained tomatoes, and sausage. Cook and stir until heated through. Add bean mixture and basil to pasta; stir gently to combine. To serve, sprinkle each serving with cheese.

Notes: I didn't have fresh basil, so I used dried. It still tasted great, but I know the fresh basil would've been even better. Next time, I'll cut back on the pasta...maybe to 6 oz. It overwhelmed the rest of the ingredients.

On to this week's menu.

Sunday: Hot dogs (prepared by my hubby!) and applesauce. I had time to bake some Peasant Bread from the Grocery Cart Challenge. This was a new recipe for me. It was delicious! Ben likened it to the tasty bread they serve at our local Italian restaurant. I cannot wait to add this to our cookbook.

After dinner to do: put ground beef in fridge to thaw.

Monday: Roast Chicken with stove top scalloped potatoes (a new recipe) and applesauce or pears.

After dinner to do: form porcupines.

Tuesday: Porcupines (another new recipe for me) from Finding Joy in my Kitchen. I'll serve this with pears or applesauce and glazed carrots and glazed parsnips. I've never had parsnips before, so I thought I'd give it a try. I only bought one just in case we don't like them!

after dinner to do: cook ground beef and cut up chicken for the Chimichangas. Thaw chicken broth for refried beans. Thaw meat for beef stew.

Wednesday: Oven Fried Chimichangas. I'm really looking forward to this new recipe from The Grocery Cart Challenge. It could be a nice change of pace from usual tacos. I may use both beef and chicken. I'll likely serve it with corn, a fruit salad, and possibly homemade refried beans if I get a chance to prep them in the morning.

Thursday: Crockpot Beef Stew with pears and applesauce and some more peasant bread (if there is any left : ))

Friday: Leftovers!

Saturday: Eating Out

For more menus and recipe ideas, visit Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Menu Plan Monday October 5, 2009

I didn't get to all my meals last week, but I did make Ina Garten's Roasted Chicken. It was very tasty and relatively simple to make. While making, I was so proud that I remembered to take a before picture of the bird.....but then I forgot to take an after, so I posted the one from her page. I don't have a roasting pan, but a online search confirmed that I could use my Pyrex. The chicken cooked fine. However, my veggies were not as good. I don't have much luck roasting them. Most got burnt, and set the smoke detector off. Do you have any tips on roasting veggies with the chicken? Other than that, the chicken was delicious, lasted us two meals, and will provide plenty of meat for lunches. At 69 cents a pound for the chicken, that was a great deal!

Ina Garten's Perfect Roast Chicken (photo from Food Network.com)

This week's menu is a bit shorter. I'll be out of town at the end of the week. The first time I went away from my hubby, I made sure there was plenty of food and leftovers for him to eat. When I returned, I found he typically ate out (either from staying late at work, and grabbing something on the way home, or hanging with friends.) I didn't mind, but I've decided to save myself a lot of work by letting him fend for himself. I did make sure to buy a new box of cereal for breakfast

Monday: White Bean Sausage and Rigatoni (BHG cookbook), roll over from last week.

Tuesday: Garlic Cheese Chicken with fruit.

Wednesday: Twice Bake Potatoes with pears

Thursday: Italian Chicken with rice, carrots and applesauce.

Friday-Sunday: FFY

For more menu's, visit Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie!

Spontaneous Date Night---Just A Little Thing

Yummy peach cobbler, trying out a new to us dollar garage sale purchase, laughing as we realize we aren't as smart as we think, and cheering when we get one right! Spontaneous date nights are just one of the little things that make my day brighter.