Let me share a recap of last week’s meal plan. On Monday we grilled hamburgers per the ‘Ole Buckeye’s request. My trick to well seasoned juicy burgers is in the prep. To the ground beef (I use chuck) I add chopped onion, Worchestishire sauce, and a generous amount of salt and pepper. I form the burgers and the ‘Ole Buckeye does the grilling. We enjoyed great burgers with our favorite condiments and as a side I served a black bean and corn salad. I use Rachel Ray’s recipe with adjustments. I added halved grape tomatoes and a chopped avocado. It was the perfect accompaniment to the burgers.
Black Bean and Corn Salad : Rachael Ray : Food Network
Total Time: 25 min Prep: 10 min Inactive: 15 min Yield: 4 servings Level: Easy Total Time: 25 min Prep: 10 min Inactive: 15 min Yield: 4 servings Level: Easy Ingredients 1 can, 14 ounces, black beans, rinsed and drained 2 cups frozen corn kernels 1 small red bell pepper, seeded and chopped 1/2 red onion, chopped 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin, half a palm full 2 teaspoons hot sauce, just eyeball the amount (recommended: Tabasco) 1 lime, juiced 2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil, eyeball it Salt and pepper Directions Watch how to make this recipe.
I also made homemade buns. I found a quick recipe and decided to give it a try.
40-Minute Hamburger Buns
Here on our ranch, I cook for three men who love hamburgers. These fluffy yet hearty buns are just right for their big appetites. I also serve the buns plain with a meal. -Jessie McKenney, Twodot, Montana In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water.
It was well worth the effort. The buns held up well to the burgers. I will make them again.
Tuesday…I finally made the chicken. It has been bumped from the meal plan for the last 2 weeks.
Chicken with Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce – Damn Delicious
Crisp-tender chicken in the most amazing cream sauce ever. It’s so good, you’ll want to guzzle down the sauce! I know Thanksgiving is in a few days but I just needed a break from all the turkey-stuffing-sweet potato-brussels sprouts taste testing and try something fun with something completely unrelated to Thanksgiving.
I was trying to determine just how many recipes I make before there is one the knocks it out of the park. The chicken with sun-dried tomato cream sauce was exceptional. In fact, had I paired it with the proper sides, I would have knocked dinner out of the park! We totally enjoy chicken thighs and they are so economical. I do not have many good recipes for thighs, so I am forever looking. Not anymore. I will never make thighs any other way. Luckily we have enough left over for an additional evening meal. The next time I will make a mashed cauliflower. I think that the cauliflower will pair better with the excellent sauce in lieu of the roasted potatoes that I served this time. This recipe will be added to the family favorites! It was truly delicious.
I served a new broccoli salad with the chicken as well. The salad was quite good, but not as good as my mom’s broccoli salad. It would be better as a summer salad. It was a little too sweet. I would reduce the amount of sugar in the dressing the next time. It would be quite good with pork. The chicken with it’s luscious sauce was not a good match.
http://www.chelseasmessyapron.com/lemon-poppyseed-broccoli-salad/
Easy One Pot Lasagna Soup
Easy One Pot Lasagna Soup tastes just like lasagna without all the layering or dishes! Simply brown your beef and dump in all ingredients – you might never go back to traditional lasagna again – I won’t! Even though lasagna is technically Italian, it has to be one of America’s favorite foods – and one of my favorite foods!
This is the third time I have made this lasagne soup. Nothing is better on a cold winter night. Our Wednesday family dinner was a soup and salad night and everyone was happy. I made my signature Italian salad, homemade focaccia and the soup. Talk about comfort food, a winter evening meal doesn’t get much better than this.
Thursday night was a repeat. We had an informal meal of leftover hamburgers, lasagna soup and salads. Another comfort meal on a cold winter night.
On Friday I created my own rendition of a meatless mushroom pasta, and have called it Caramelized Onion Florentine Rotini. I will post it in Three Forks Recipes.
Caramelized Onion Florentine Rotini
Caramelized Onion Florentine Rotini A delicious meatless pasta meal packed with enough flavor to satisfy even a meat and potatoes appetite. In a large skillet heat 1 Tbsp of olive oil and add the 3 thinly sliced onions. Caramelize the onions by slowly sauteing them over medium heat until brown being careful not to burn.
On Saturday I made my Mushroom Meatball dinner. I made enough meatballs for our dinner and for a family dinner later in the week.
Mushroom Meatballs
I have made meatballs in a mushroom soup based recipe for years. It was a family favorite, but I hated making the meatballs because I didn’t like browning them in a skillet on all sides before adding them to the sauce.
Lastly, for Valentine’s Day dinner I made Bobby Flay’s Shrimp and Grits. Shrimp and Grits is a favorite of the ‘Ole Buckeye and I have collected several interesting recipes. This was a first try, traditional and quite good. He was happy. I would like to experiment with another version that has some additional kick. I have enough frozen shrimp left for an additional try. I will add it to a future meal plan.
Shrimp and Grits : Bobby Flay : Food Network
Total Time: 40 min Prep: 15 min Cook: 25 min Yield: 4 servings Level: Easy Total Time: 40 min Prep: 15 min Cook: 25 min Yield: 4 servings Level: Easy Ingredients 4 cups water Salt and pepper 1 cup stone-ground grits 3 tablespoons butter 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined 6 slices bacon, chopped 4 teaspoons lemon juice 2 tablespoons chopped parsley 1 cup thinly sliced scallions 1 large clove garlic, minced Directions Watch how to make this recipe.
All and all, a great week of eating. Goals were achieved as well. I reduced the number of recipes on “Looks Good Enough to Try” as well as including a meatless meal.
Now on to another week!
