Menu Plan Monday, May 11, 2009

I love participating in Menu Plan Monday! Last week, I asked for advice on a ham/potato dish, and received a comment recommending these! I didn't get a chance to try them yet, but they look yummy, and fairly easy to make! Thanks!

I am also excited that Tillamook is celebrating its 100th anniversary and offering great deals at Freddy's this week!

Here's this week's dinner menu!

Sunday: Leftover Cheesesteaks.

Monday: Chicken Salsa Casserole. A friend made this recipe at church group one week. She was kind enough to share it with me. I'll post more later in the week.

Tuesday: Home group, I'll make an apple cake. (I may make a second one while I am at it for church group on Wednesday).

Wednesday: Church Group, leftovers for home, and second apple cake, if I make one.
To Do: Make pizza dough and let rise overnight in fridge.

Thursday: Homemade pizza.

Friday: Ham and potato pockets.

Saturday: Burgers on the grill (or Foreman, depending on the weather).

So here's my question for this week. I have a homemade pizza sauce recipe that is okay, but not our favorite. Do you have a pizza sauce recipe you love?

For more menus, and great organizing ideas, visit Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie! She has a cool give away this week if you participate in Menu Plan Monday before 8:00 PM PST on Tuesday!

Chimichurri Cheesesteaks

I discovered this recipe for Chimichurri Cheesesteaks a few years ago when I watched the a Food Network feature on the winners of a Southern Living Magazine cooking contest. It looked easy, and different from what I normally made, so I decided to give it a shot.

Right away, I made some changes. I omitted the onions and I use either leftover roast beef, or leftover cooked country style pork ribs. I also use mozzarella instead of provolone. I make these for two people, so I halve the sauce as well....and I always have extra leftover. The sauce keeps for about a week. I haven't tried freezing it.


Also, her recipe calls for wrapping the sandwiches in foil and placing them on a grill. I did not have a grill, so I place them on a cookie sheet and put them under the broiler until the cheese melts and the meat warms up.

Last, I found that hoagie buns, especially sourdough, work best. The tangy flavor of the bread compliments the chimichurri sauce.


I have served these for family and friends and they are always a hit! Enjoy them with a side of homemade potato fries, veggies and fruit.

Banana Cookies!

In search of an alternative to banana bread, I sought out a recipe for banana cookies. I found these on Elise's Simply Recipes. I made the recipe exactly as shown except I omitted the nuts and I made half of the cookies with chocolate chips and half without. They tasted more like banana muffin tops than cookies, but they were still a hit!

Inspiring, Motivating.......

.....and excellent background music.

Menu Plan Monday, May 4th, 2009

I don't know if you can relate, but there are some weeks when I have more ideas for dinners than there are days in the week. Then there are other weeks where I feel like I've never cooked before, and where do I even start to plan. This week is the later. I have no motivation for planning my meals. Thankfully, participating in Menu Plan Monday forces me to create some sort of layout! So, here goes....we'll see what stays.

Monday: Talerine. I am going to adapt a recipe by Elise from Simply Recipes. I already know I will cut the recipe down as there are only two of us; I'll omit the onions and peppers due to preference, and probably reduce the amount of cheese. It looks good though!

Tuesday: Home group. Nothing exciting here. We're providing drinks and plates :)

Wednesday: Chicken Strips and Potato Fries. If I am in the mood, I am going to try homemade mozzarella sticks too!

Thursday: Leftovers?

Friday: I think I will use up some leftover roast beef to make sandwiches with a chimmichurri sauce. I saw the recipe on Food Network once, and it is quite good. I will post it after I make it. Update: Read the post here!

Saturday: I am at a loss! I will have to brainstorm from the other menus. If you have any tips, let me know! We currently have quite a bit of ground beef, and we also have some cubed ham. I have one ham recipe that is good. It uses noodles, and peas, in a sour cream sauce. But, we have it a lot for dinner, and Ben is getting tired of it. If you know of other good ham recipes, let me know! I have quite a few russet potatoes too!

For more menus, visit Laura at Org. Junkie!

Choosing Oranges

I had a fun encounter at the grocery store yesterday. I was in the produce section picking out oranges. I have found that if I choose oranges that smell an orange, they are juicier and taste better. So, there I was handling and smelling the oranges when an elderly gentleman comes over to make his selection. He turns to me and asks if I want to know the best way to choose an orange? Hoping to glean from his wisdom, I nodded. He said, you smell them, feel them, and then put on a blindfold and put a few in your bag! We had a good laugh, I picked out a few and went on my way.

An Impromptu Trip to the Coast

At the last minute, Ben and I decided to take advantage of the warm weather, and some time off from work, and spend a day at the coast. It was delightful!

We had brunch at Camp 18....our favorite stop on the way to the coast. Their breakfasts are delicious! Last time we were there, Ben had their cinnamon roll. It was bigger than his hand and topped with an ice cream scoop of butter. We don't get that every time :) The restaurant is also famous for its flat cars, pancakes the size of a plate! We both got their french toast topped with real maple syrup!

After breakfast, we headed to our destination: The Tillamook Cheese Factory. On the way there, Ben decided to stop off near Rockaway Bay to stretch his legs and walk along the jetty.

After enjoying the warm sun, we headed off to Tillamook.

Here I am ready to sample the many flavors of yummy ice cream!

Before we sampled their wares, we took a little tour of the factory. We went to the second story and looked down through a window overlooking the workers slicing, packaging, and inspecting the cheese. It was fun to watch the process, but I felt kind of bad for the employees who had to be in the spotlight!

While we watched, there was a video playing that narrated the history and day to day operations of the company. It was informative, but it also reminded me of a scene in I Love Trouble, the movie where Julia Roberts and Nick Nolte played rival journalists who are working to solve a crime. Have you seen it? It was one of my favorites when I was younger. I don't know if it has withstood the test of time. The video at the factory reminded me of the scene at Chess laboratories where they show the tour of the company. (I'd say more, but I'd hate to spoil it ;))

I also really loved seeing these early ads!

Before we headed home, we enjoyed some nice ice cream (I love their mountain huckleberry, and Ben loves chocolate chip cookie dough) and picked up some cheese curds and a pepperoni stick to snack on during the drive!

I really enjoyed my day. It was relaxing, with perfect weather, and the best company I could ask for!