Kids and Menus, a Moment to Remember

I keep the calendar of menus posted in my kitchen.  This week one of my daughters wanted to have a friend over for dinner.  When she invited them, she told them what the menu was going to be for that night.  I loved it!  (It's so fun to see a lesson learned!)

A second friend was coming tonight but our approach was different.  I gave my daughter the option of any item on the menu.  She chose her personal favorite, which was very appropriate to the evening and the guest.

Both approaches work great.  The calendar can simply be a list of meals and you pull out what "hits the spot" or you follow a calendar to the letter.  We often swap meals, but I am always careful to cross-out those that I serve so that my freezer inventory is accurate.

Our entree for tonight was Chicken Bake.  (The recipe was posted on Sept 20, 2012.)  For a side dish, we served Sauted Squash. I found this recipe from Mrs. Dash in one of my magazines, and of course, it's a bit tweaked.  It's tasty and low-fat, but also full of flavor.  And with all the time I saved on the entree which only needed to be placed in a hot over for 1 hour, I had plenty of time to devote to the veggies.

non-stick cooking spray
3 large zucchini, sliced like coins and about 1/4" thick (use different colors of squash)
1 large onion, sliced 1/8" thick
1 large mushroo, sliced, dried
4 tsp. Mrs. Dash original seasoning blend
2 tsp. Molly McButter butter sprinkles

Spray a large skillet with cooking spray.  Saute zucchini and onions over medium heat for about 5 minutes stirring often.  Sprinkle with Mrs. Dash and Molly McButter.  Add the mushrooms and continue sauteing, stirring often until mushrooms are browned.  I often turn down the heat and let it simmer under a lid for several minutes at this point.  Cook the squash to desired tenderness.

This yields 3 servings. 

Tonight I mixed yellow and white squash with zucchini, onions and mushrooms.  It was delicious and the guest loved it!

 

Citrus Chicken in the Crock-pot

On Sunday nights I usually take a good look ahead at my menus for the week comparing them to the family calendar.  Why?  I want to be sure that the events of the week will allow for the preparation of the planned meals.  Last night was no different, and was well-timed as I needed to defrost a whole chicken overnight. 

This morning I got out my trusty crock-pot, rinsed the chicken and placed it in the crock.  I added 1 cup of orange juice and a packet of Fajita seasoning mix and set the pot to cook for 7 hours.

Dinner was done.

I did serve canned green beans and pita bread as sides.  So very simple, but flavorful and diet friendly sans the bread.

Huli Chicken will have you Dancing in the Kitchen

This morning I took a look at my posted menu and pulled the Ziploc bag labeled "Huli Chicken" out of the freezer to defrost and marinate at the same time.

At 5:20 p.m. I walked into my kitchen to prepare dinner.

Wash hands.
Turn on broiler to high.
Line a jelly roll pan with foil and place chicken on it.  Set aside.
Retrieve green beans and mushrooms from fridge.  Wash, slice and place on a second jelly roll pan. 
Spritz with olive oil.
Sprinkle with Vegetable seasoning.

It is now 5:28 p.m.
Place chicken in the oven for 15 minutes.
Put away extra veggies and supplies.
Update Facebook.

At 5:45 p.m. the timer goes off.
Turn chicken.
Put tray of veggies in oven and set timer for 5 more minutes.
Start writing this blog.

5:50 p.m. and the timer goes off again.
Remove chicken and cover with foil.
Move veggies to top rack and set timer for 10 more minutes.
Back to writing this blog.
Son and hubby walk in.  Stop to greet and chat with each.
Set table.

Isn't this easy?  SOOO very much worth the effort to be a Once-a-month Chef!
6:00 p.m. Put food on the plates and deliver them to the table.
Now, if only the family will come...

Huli Chicken recipe:

5 lbs. Chicken breasts or tenderloins, boneless, skinless
1 C brown sugar
3/4 C ketchup
3/4 C reduced sodium soy sauce
1/3 C sherry or chicken broth (I used white wine)
1 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
2 1/2 tsp. ground ginger


Place chicken in a Ziploc bag.  This recipe is likely enough for two meals in two separate bags.  Mix other ingredients together and pour over chicken.

To enjoy later:  Freeze.  Defrost and grill.  Or you can broil on high for 15-20 minutes, turning once.

This chicken is best when marinated at least overnight, so plan ahead if you want to serve it up right away.

(My thanks to Sharon Boling for sharing her recipe with the magazine.  Was it Taste of Home?  It sure is delicious!  Even my pickiest eater loves it and goes back for seconds.)

Beef Dip Sandwiches aka leftovers

As one of our family goals we are re-establishing a "formal" dinnertime.  And while it is unrealistic to expect that all three college kids will be home at 6 p.m. to eat every day, the other three of us will be here.  With this goal already underway, I began dinner today and was met with complaints that it wasn't 6:00 when I called my family to the table.  They were correct; it was only 5:30 p.m.   Dinner preparations had only taken about 20 minutes!  How? 

Veggies:  Wash a handful of asparagus and several mushrooms.  Slice mushrooms and place all veggies on a jelly roll baking pan.  Spray with olive oil in a spritzer and sprinkle with McCormick's Vegetable Seasoning.  Put in broiler for 10 minutes.

Main Dish:  In a skillet, bring 1 C of water to boil and add 1 tsp. of Beef Better than Boullion.  Stir until completely dissolved.  Add leftover beef roast which was shredded last night and simmer.  Open several French Rolls and line with Monterey Jack cheese.  Add warmed beef and some au jus.

Place some veggies on every plate and serve.  Colorful.  Delicious.  Filling. 

Cooking Day was way too easy, but boy did I love that!

In all truth, I usually have to psych myself up for cooking day.  And if I don't start in the morning, it becomes a chore.  Today was almost too easy.  I had only 9 meals to prepare, and there is no challenge in so few.  What did draw me in was the anticipation of those wonderful words, "I am done" and the accompanying emotions of success, not to mention a full freezer.  The task took about 1 1/2 hours.

The ground turkey that I buy comes in a group of 4 packages each about 1 1/2 pounds.  I browned the contents of each package in a skillet, one at a time.  The fat was drained and the meat put into a 3-cup freezer container and simply labeled "ground turkey."  I repeated this process three more times using the same skillet and utensil.  Do let the food cool before putting it into the freezer.

Then I tackled the chicken.  I bought a different package than usual, and so admittedly, came up short and did not prepare two meals, but I was able to:

• boil some tenderloins, shred the meat and add taco seasoning.
• use several tenderloins for Chicken Bake prepared in a 9"x13" baking dish
• prepare Huli Chicken marinade to pour over a Ziploc bag of chicken which is now frozen

Next time I grocery shop (which is only once a week) I will buy the additional chicken and finish those meals, too.

One last meal to prepare was Corn-Dog Casserole.  You see, I will be gone for 11 days in January serving in the kitchen at the Honduran Women's Bible Conference, and so needed a few kid-friendly meals.  Kid-friendly now means able to be cooked by a kid, and this is one that satisfies that requirement as well as their palette.  On this menu I also included some "out" nights as I know my hubby will likely take the kids out for a meal or someone will take pity on my family and invite them over for dinner.  You know how it goes when Dad is in charge of the kids. 

And now, my freezer is full.  This month there's even room for ice cream!

The Cupboard was Bare or Starting a New Month of Menus

Do you remember the nursery rhyme about Old Mother Hubbard?  One day she went to her cupboard only to find it was bare and she had nothing to give her poor doggie.  Such could be said of my freezer today, in fact, one of my daughters texted me a message about our refrigerator and freezer being so empty that it looked like it does before a vacation!

It's a good thing I was already at the store doing a Once-a-month shopping trip!  This afternoon I sat down to compose a new monthly menu, one that is Weight Watcher friendly and low on carbs.  Here's what I created:

From that menu, I generated a grocery list.

Time spent: 
1 hour creating menu and grocery list, gathering any recipes
2 hours shopping at 2 stores
45 minutes putting away groceries and organizing meats in the freezer, starting a pot roast (Mrs. Ringle's Brisket, see blog) for tomorrow's dinner

I took several steps while putting away the groceries that are a big help towards completing the cooking. 

• The fish simply went into the freezer as I purchased  it pre-seasoned and individually wrapped.  OAM cooking doesn't mean it all has to be from scratch.  :)
• 2 whole chickens: package opened, gizzards and neck removed, chickens repackaged in gallon-sized Ziploc bags.  Put in freezer.  I will add the spices when I cook them.
• Pork tenderloin: separated into two packages.
• Turkey patties and buns simply frozen. Yeah!
• Beef roast:  opened, washed and placed in a crock-pot with a good drizzle of mustard and 1 package of Lipton Onion Soup Mix sprinkled over.  Pot set to cook for 20 hours.  Oh yum!
• Steaks were cut into a total of 14 pieces.  I put 7 in each of two Ziplocs, labeled the bags and put them in the freezer.

The bag of boneless, skinless chicken was put into the freezer until tomorrow, and the ground turkey was put into the refrigerator.  Both replicate the state in which I brought them home.

I also bought a 5-lb bag of Mozzarella cheese.  I divided it into 4 bags and froze them all.  It's not something we use daily, but I like having it on hand to be able to make pizzas for the surprise houseful of teen-agers. 

Now, my freezer is looking a little better.  Tomorrow, I will cook the ground turkey and freeze the meat to add to red sauce and pasta.  Or, if need be, it can be turned into taco meat.  Then I will prepare the 5 dishes using the chicken.

I'm over half-way done with a month full of meals and only about 4 hours of work.  I've also saved money by purchasing in bulk and reduced the temptation to go out at the last minute.

Tail-gate Brunch and Swedish Tea Sandwiches

A long-standing tradition in our family is an early morning trek down Orange Grove Blvd. admiring the floats lined up for the Rose Parade on New Year's Day.  After the parade starts we walk back to our car for a tail-gate brunch before driving back home to watch the parade on TV.  One of our favorite menu items is Swedish Tea Sandwiches, and we never seem to make enough.


For a party gathering:
2-3 large loaves of white bread
3 cans tuna
2-3 C light mayonaise
12 eggs, hard-boiled
1-2 oz. packages of cream cheese, softened
salt

Drain tuna and mix with mayo until smooth.  Consider mixing it with a hand-mixer for a smoother texture.
Cool, peel and coarsely chop the eggs.  Using a hand-mixer combine the eggs with mayo until smooth.  Add a sprinkle of salt to taste and mix again.


These sandwiches are layered:
bread
tuna salad
bread
cream cheese
bread
egg salad
bread




I like to divide the loaves into 4 equal piles and then lay out one stack on waxed paper or other clean surface.  Cover all with the tuna mixture. Then cover all with another slice of bread.  Continue this assembly line approach until all the sandwiches are made.

Cut off the crusts.  Slice the sandwiches into thirds or fourths and lay gently on a serving tray.  Cover with a wet paper towel and refrigerate until serving.

The amounts of the ingredients are approximate depending on the thickness of each layer.  I usually make sandwiches until I run out of one "flavor" and save the other flavors as leftovers.