Menu Plan Friday

Yesterday was such a busy day that I never got around to menu planning, much less going to the grocery store. So with everyone else in town, I headed to the grocery store today.

This is what the menu looks like this week, not very inspiring:

Friday: Roasted Chicken Breasts, Mac/Cheese (I'm lazy today)
Saturday: Sugar Ray's Baby Back Ribs, Sauted Squash and Onions, Homemade Hashbrown Casserole
Sunday: Mom's for dinner
Monday: Grilled Steak, Risotto Primavera
Tuesday: Zumba night, so Mr. G is making soup
Wednesday: Barbeque Chicken, Grilled Squash, and Steamed Broccoli

Hopefully next week's menu will look more healthy and more appealing.

Since I am so uninspired today, please tell me, what is your favorite meals to make?

A Taste of the South

On weekends I enjoy cooking true comfort food, food that takes a while to make, but food that is so worth it. To me comfort food just makes me feel all warm and cozy on the inside. Tonight's menu was no different. We had barbecue chicken (see recipe below), roasted sweet potatoes and corn casserole (see recipe below). This dinner was not quite the best for us, but it sure was tasty!

Barbeque Chicken      www.thepioneerwoman.com

• 18 whole chicken legs (I used 4 leg quarters)
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1/4 whole onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons (additional) brown sugar
• 4 tablespoons distilled vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/3 cups molasses
• 4 tablespoons chipotle adobe sauce (omitted)
• dash of salt

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place chicken on a broiler pan or any pan with a rack, then roast for 20 minutes. While the chicken is roasting, heat oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook for five minutes, stirring being careful not to burn.

Reduce heat to low. Add all of the remaining ingredients and stir. Allow to simmer while the chicken roasts. Taste after simmering to adjust seasoning.

After 20 minutes of roasting, crank on the broiler to get a little color on the chicken. Broil for about 5 minutes. Remove chicken from oven. Reduce oven to 350 degrees. With tongs, dip each piece of chicken into the sauce, submerging completely. Place back onto the pan. After all the chicken is coated, return pan to oven for five minutes, or until hot and sizzling. Remove from oven. Allow chicken to rest for a few minutes before serving.

I hope you enjoy this barbeque sauce as much as we do. It is not too sweet nor have a high vinegar taste.


Corn Casserole     Paula Deen www.foodnetwork.com
1 can whole kernel corn  (I used 3 fresh ears of corn)
1 can creamed corn
1 box corn muffin mix
1 cup sour cream
1 stick of butter, melted
1 cup cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all together except for cheese. Pour into a greased 9x13 casserole dish. Bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and top with cheese. Bake an additional 5-10 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

This is a wonderful casserole to take to a potluck. It reminds me a lot of hashbrown casserole except with corn instead of potatoes.


What is your favorite comfort food? I would love to hear from you!

Happy Belated Cinco de Mayo!

So Mr. G and I are all about celebrating holidays, especially those centered around food. Although yesterday was Cinco de Mayo, I was busy with work and Zumba, so we did not celebrate. Tonight however we had a Mexican feast! While I was surfing the internet for a new Mexican recipe, there were so many to choose from. Did I want to go safe and just do tacos or nachos? Then I found the perfect recipe. Sarasota's Chorizo and Black Bean Stuffed Cubanelle Peppers. At first I thought, "nope.. Mr. G hates black beans", but then the wife gene came through and thought, "who cares if he doesn't like them, he can learn to like them" :) Thankfully, this recipe is perfect for any fiesta. We turned on Latin music and had a wonderful time. If you like spicy food, you will definately enjoy this. I served this with fiesta rice, which calmed down some of the spice.

Here's the recipe, my changes are in italics:

Sarasota's Chorizo and Black Bean Stuffed Cubanelle Peppers     www.food.com
4 large cubanelle peppers, cut in half lengthwise with seeds and ribs removed
3 chorizo sausage
1 jalapenos, diced fine, seeds and ribs removed
1 cup onions, diced fine
1 celery rib, diced fine
3 large plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 large egg
2 slices bread
3/4 cup milk (I omitted the bread and milk and used breadcrumbs instead)
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, fine chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano (omitted)
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
3/4 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded (I omitted these cheeses and used 1/2 cup of grated pepper jack)

Topping
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded (I omitted these and once again used about 1 cup of grated pepper jack)

Remove the sausage from the casing. Saute on medium heat until golden brown. It will take about 5-8 minutes. Remove the sausage to a small plate lined with a paper towel to drain.

In the same pan with a little of the pan drippings, saute the garlic, onion, jalapeno, and celery until tender; then add in the black beans and tomato and cook another minute or two. Transfer the mixture to a bowl. Add in the chorizo, cheese, egg, parsley, oregano, salt and pepper. Mix together then add breadcrumbs.

Stuff the pepper halves with the filling and top with cheese.

Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

Mr. G thought this was wonderful. I agree.
Mr. G gave it 9.5 out of 10, pretty good in my opinion considering the black beans.

What did you do for Cinco de Mayo? Did you go out and celebrate or stay in and have a fiesta at home?

Menu Plan Thursday

I know that it has been ages since I have posted, but life has been very busy lately. Hopefully, I can get back into the swing of things and post regularly :)

If you are like me, you normally buy groceries on Thursday, so my menu starts on Thursday and ends on Wednesday. What I try to do is look at the weekly ads and plan my menu from there. We also try to throw in as many veggies as possible, but Mr. G has not hit the whole vegetarian wagon yet, so I have to be careful when planning meals. We like to try new recipes a lot, so each week there are new and interesting recipes. Hopefully, I can post how well the dishes turned out, if I remember :)

Here is the menu for the Seese's for the week:

Thursday: Spicy Italian Subs

Friday: Chorizo and Black Bean Stuffed Cubanelles with fiesta rice

Saturday: BBQ Chicken with roasted sweet potatoes and corn casserole

Sunday: Mother's Day We are having both mothers over and the menu will be

Shallot Spaghetti, salad, garlic bread, and chocolate pie for dessert

Monday: Mr. G. is off so we will be heading to his mother's house for dinner

Tuesday: Mother/Daughter Banquet at church

Wednesday: Hot Dogs and Pasta Salad

Since I have Zumba on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Mr. G. is in charge of dinners. He is a great cook and I am thankful that he is willing to cook so very late for us.

It seems that life has gotten really busy for me lately. Besides working and being a wonderful wife there are so many other things on my plate. I am trying to study for my MAT's, so I can enter a graduate program at L-R (go Bears!) in the fall, and I have many different responsibilities at my church. Finding time for myself is kinda hard, and cooking is one "breath of air" that I find relaxing. It seems like all of the problems in the world are gone when I am in the kitchen. I start most meals from scratch and turn out (in my opinion) some of the most wonderful meals. I am very thankful that God has given me this talent and to me that is why I am so passionate about cooking. I guess you could say that it is my destresser.

When you have an overloaded plate in life, what are some ways you destress?

What do you call spaghetti with no tomatoes?

The other night I was watching Food Network and Rachael Ray was making spaghetti. However, instead of the traditional tomato sauce, she used garlic and shallots. Mr. G was a little leary when I suggested a total vegetarian meal, but like always he is a good sport and I think he was pleasantly surprised.

 

That’s a Shallotta Spaghetti (30 Minute Meals)

2 tbs, Olive Oil

2 tbs. Butter

2 cloves Garlic, minced

10 Shallots, finely diced

Handful of Parsley

1 cup Parmesan Cheese

Spaghetti

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, heat the butter and olive oil. After you get the garlic and the shallots diced, saute them for 20 minutes or until they are caramelized. While the shallots are cooking boil the water and cook the spaghetti. Reserve a cup of the starchy cooking water and then drain the spaghetti. As the spaghetti drains, pour the starchy water into saucepan, add parsley and cheese. Toss with spaghetti. Serve with a piece of crusty bread.

A Touch of Country

Mr. G likes to tell people that even though his wife is from "Burke County" that she is not a country girl. In part that is somewhat true. I don't really like country cooking, but for his sake I thought that I would try the mysterious dish of Chicken Fried Steak. Is it chicken or is it steak? Lucky for me Sunny Anderson was cooking this the other day, so I borrowed the recipe from her. Hope you enjoy.

Sunny's Chicken Fried Steak with Diced Potato Gravy
2 eggs
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
2 pounds cube steak
1 cup of flour
1/2 cup cornstarch

In a medium bowl, wisk the eggs, cumin, cayenne powder, and salt and pepper. Add the steaks, stir to coat, and let sit 10 minutes. In a paper bag combine the flour, cornstarch, and a few pinches of salt and a few turns of pepper. Remove the steaks from egg mixture and put into the paper bag. Roll the top of the bag to close and shake until the steaks are evenly coated. Put onto a baking sheet with a rack and let sit 10 minutes.

In a heavy bottomed pan, add oil and let the temperature get to about 370 degrees. Fry the steaks, in batches, only flipping once when color is golden and a poke releases no red juices about 2-3 minutes on each side. Put on baking sheet and keep in oven to stay warm.

Diced Potato Gravy
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons flour
1 bay leaf
2 1/2 cups beef broth
1 large baking potato diced

In a large pot heat the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute until tender about 3 minutes. Wisk in the flour, stirring to combine with butter. Add the bay leaf and broth and bring to a simmer. Cook until slightly thickened, then add the potatoes. Cook until the potatoes are tender and the gravy has thickened, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve the gravy poured over the steak for a perfect country dinner.

So Sweden has something better than hot guys

You have to admit, there is something about men from Sweden that is hot. I don't know if it is the language barrier, or what, but in my opinion they are handsome. Mr. G loves swedish meatballs. I have never really liked them, but since I am a good wife, I found a recipe and decided to try. The only problem with this recipe is that it does take time. So this not a 30 minute recipe. Make sure you plan plenty of time to make up the meatballs. They make about 30.

Swedish Meatballs
4 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, minced
1 pound ground turkey
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons salt
fresh black pepper
1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs

Sauce:
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups chicken stock
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley leaves

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until tender. Remove the onion to a plate and cool. Wipe out the pan with a paper towel. In a large mixing bowl, combine the turkey, egg yolks, heavy cream and onion. Add salt and pepper. Stir in bread crumbs. Mix gently until combined. With a bowl of cold water standing by, form meatballs about 1-inch across. Dip your fingers in cold water, from time to time. to keep the meat from sticking to your hands.

Melt the remaining butter in the saute pan and once the foam has subsided add a layer of meatballs. Do not overcrowd the pan. Shake the pan once in a while, to keep the meatballs round. Brown all of the meatballs, in batches, removing them to a large casserole dish. Put the dish in the oven for about 20 minutes.

To make the sauce: Pour off most of the fat from the skillet and return it to the heat. Add 2 tablespoons of butter and swirl it around to coat the pan. Sprinkle in the flour, and stir with a wooden spoon to dissolve the flour into the fat. Pour in the chicken stock and stir to loosen the bits from the botton of the pan. Simmer, stirring, until the liquid is reduced and the mixture starts to thicken to a sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Lower the heat and stir in the cream. Add the meatballs and simmer for about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped parsley.


Instead of egg noodles, we had homemade mashed potatoes.

This recipe was taken from Tyler Florence. It has been altered for our likes.