Monday, February 28, 2011

March Recipes

Lu- London Broil


London Broil


Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Rub roast with olive oil and generously coat with coarse salt and fresh ground pepper (makes a crust as it cooks). When oven has preheated turn heat down to 350 and place meat in the oven. Check meat every 20 mins. and cook to your desired doneness.


Serve with Traders Joe’s Basmati Rice Medley and corn.




Amanda-Chicken Scampi & Ceasar Salad

1/2 c. butter OR 1/4 c. butter and 1/4 cup chicken broth (cuts down on fat)

1/4c. olive oil

Green onions(already chopped for you)

1 Tbsp. minced garlic

juice of 2 lemons

2lb. chicken breast (cut into small pieces- this is key!) - not cut, afraid will dry out

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

1/4 c. dried parsley

2 or 3 tomatoes - your preference on how much



Heat butter/chicken broth and olive oil. Saute garlic and onions. Put in lemon juice, chicken, salt, pepper, and parsley and get to boil on medium heat, add tomatoes, cover and let simmer on low until done (8 to 10 minutes). Serve over rice.


Caesar Salad - just toss dressing with lettuce and parmesean



Leah- Lasagna with Sweet Italian sausage


Lasagna (I already put it together, just thaw and bake it!)

Spinach Salad with dressing

Garlic Butter

Whole Wheat French Loaf


Thaw Lasagna in fridge. Bake Lasagna at 350 for 50 min to 1 hour until hot and bubbly. Let stand 15 minutes before cutting and serving. Usually I bake it coverd with foil the first 30-40 minutes and then remove the foil and let the cheese get browned.


Let garlic butter get to room temp so it's easy to spread and cut loaf in half lengthwise. Spread butter on both side of loaf. Wrap in foil and while the lasagna is cooling, place bread in the oven at 350 for 10-15 minutes or so.


Toss salad with dressing.


Enjoy



Melody- Taco Salad


Ingredients

  • 16 ounces lean ground beef
  • 1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
  • 1 head iceberg lettuce, shredded
  • 1 can of olives
  • 1 (15 ounce) can pinto beans, drained
  • 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained
  • 2 large tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 avocados - peeled, pitted, and cubed
  • 8 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese
  • 1 (16 ounce) package corn chips
  • 1 (16 ounce) bottle Catalina salad dressing

Directions

  1. Prepare the ground beef as directed by taco seasoning package and set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, combine the beef mixture, lettuce, olives,pinto beans, kidney beans, tomatoes, avocado and cheese. Mix well.
  3. Before serving, add the corn chips and enough dressing to coat. Mix well and serve immediately.







Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Our Third Week

Welcome to our third week ladies. Here are the recipes. Let me know if you need to make any changes.

Lu- Salmon and cheese gritts

Remove salmon from package, rinse and pat dry. Lay salmon fillet flat on a foil lined cookie sheet. Sprinkle with salt and Rosemary Garlic Seasoning. Rub the seasoning into the fillets then squeeze the juice of ½ -1 lemon over top (in my opinion, the more the better. ). Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 mins or until fish flakes with fork.


While salmon is baking, bring 5 cups of salted (be sure that you have plenty of salt) water to a boil. Reduce heat and pour 1 cup of grits into water (Stir while you pour or grits will clump together.). Turn heat all the way down to low and stir every few minutes until grits are full and thick. Then add ¼ cup of milk and cheese to pot. Let cheese melt then stir again.


When the salmon is done, serve over the grits. I serve this with lemon wedges and squeeze juice over each piece of salmon after placing it on grits. We love lemon and it cuts the fishy taste a little for the kids.


Green Beans


Steam 1 pkg. of fresh green beans (directions on pkg.).


Plunge beans into a bowl of ice water to stop cooking process. This is for crispier green beans. Then lay out on paper towel and dry.


Whisk together 2 T. of olive oil, 1 T. of white wine vinegar, 1 t. of Dijon mustard, 1 t. coarse salt and fresh ground pepper. Pour over green beans and serve room temp.



Amanda - Pulled Barbecue Pork Sandwiches, Slaw & Potatoes

Pulled BBQ Pork
  • 1 pork shoulder
  • 1/4 cup of water
  • salt and pepper
  • barbecue sauce
Warm your slower cooker for approximately 15 minutes before placing the piece of pork inside. Salt and pepper the meat and pour 1/4 cup of water in the slow cooker. Turn the temperature to high for one hour. Then turn the heat down to low for approximately seven to nine hours.

Keep the crockpot covered. Your liquid levels should be fine but can add a1/4 cup of water if needed . (I have never had to).

Using extreme caution as it is incredibly hot, remove the pork shoulder and discard the fat and juices that remain in the slow cooker. Once the piece of meat has had a few minutes to cool, use a fork and knife to chop. Once the chopping and shredding is complete, return it to the slow cooker. Add the Barbecue Sauce to the Crockpot Mix in your desired amount of barbecue sauce and cook on low for another hour.

Potatoes


4 lg. unpeeled baking potatoes, cut in wedges
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 c. olive oil
1 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
Combine oil with cheese and seasonings. Arrange potato wedges, cut side down, in baking pan. Brush oil mixture over potatoes. Bake 45 minutes at 375 degrees. Brush mixture over potatoes occasionally as they bake.


Slaw
  • cabbage mix - will already be chopped
  • dressing - will already have this made for you

Mix vinegar and sugar. Add oil. Add cabbage to dressing and season with salt and pepper. Toss with fingers to combine. Adjust seasoning. Let stand 20 minutes. Re-toss and serve.



Melody- Orange Marmalade Chicken and rice and brocolli


Chicken breasts-(I will marinate for you)

The marinade is:

one bottle itallian dressing

one jar kings orange marmalade


Pour chicken and marinade in 9x13 pan pour marmalade over chicken and marinade and bake at 350 for 45 min


serve chicken and sauce over rice and serve with brocolli

steam or microwave brocolli



Leah-Garlic Lime Chicken

Garlic Spice mix
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 T butter
2 T
olive oil
6 chicken breasts
4 T lime juice

Sprinkle spice mixture on both sides of chicken. In a skillet heat butter and olive oil together over medium high heat. Saute chicken until
golden brown about 5 minutes on each side. Remove chicken and ad lime juice and chicken broth to the pan making sure to whisk up the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Keep cooking until sauce has reduced slightly. Add chicken back to the pan to thoroughly coat and serve.

Quinoa

Bring the 2 cups of chicken broth to a boil. Add quinoa and bring back to a boil, cover, cook over medium heat for 12 minutes or until the broth is absorbed. Remove from heat, fluff with a fork, cover and let stand for 15 more minutes. Season with salt if desired.

Some sort of veggie



Monday, February 7, 2011

Yummmmmmmy!!!


2nd week 2/14

I thought I would post this now so you all had a jump start on your shopping. I can not wait to try my meals this week. They both look so Yummy.


Amanda-Tilapia Fish Tacos & Black Beans & Rice

Ingredients

  • Tilapia
  • Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped (will not chop...thinking it might get soggy??)
  • 2 green onions - will chop for you
  • whole wheat tortillas

Directions

Preheat a grill pan or indoor grill to high heat or, prepare outdoor grill. Drizzle tilapia with extra-virgin olive oil to keep fish from sticking to the grill pan or grill. Season fish with salt and pepper, to your taste. Grill fish 4 to 5 minutes on each side or until opaque. Flake fish into large chunks with a fork.

Stir in diced tomatoes and green onion to guacamole sauce.

When fish comes off the grill pan or grill, blister and heat soft taco wraps. To assemble, break up fish and pile some of the meat into soft shells and slather with guacamole sauce. Top with shredded lettuce, fold tacos over and eat!


Lu- Pork Loin


Pork Loin


Follow instructions on package.


Serve with salad and potatoes and carrots


ROASTED POTATOES AND CARROTS

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with foil. (You can also do these in a 9X13 Pyrex dish.) Dice up potatoes and throw onto cookie sheet with carrots and onions. (I have already cut these up for you). Drizzle olive oil over top and toss veggies, making sure that they are all covered with oil. Then sprinkle with Rosemary Garlic Seasoning and salt (be sure to use a good amount of salt) and pepper. Toss again. Bake for -I have no idea how long- until veggies are tender, tossing every 15 mins



Mel- BBQ Chicken Burgers, chips and Asparagus


Wheat buns

Chicken marinated in BBQ sauce

lettuce

tomato

Cheese

Onion


Grill Chicken until juices run clear, and assemble burgers to your liking.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound fresh asparagus spears, trimmed
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions

  1. Preheat grill for high heat.
  2. Lightly coat the asparagus spears with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  3. Grill over high heat for 2 to 3 minutes, or to desired tenderness.

So excited about the menu for this week. Let me know if you have any questions or want to make any changes.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

First week of meal swapping :)



Okay ladies here is my attempt at making a schedule and posting the recipes :)
Leah we look forward to you joining us in a couple of weeks.
Here is the first week 2/7


Melody- French Dip Sandwiches and carrots

  • 3 pounds beef sirloin roast
  • 1 (1 ounce) packet dry au jus mix
  • 1 cup water
  • 8 (1 ounce) slices provolone cheese or mozzarella
  • 8 hoagie rolls, split lengthwise

Directions

  1. Place the beef roast into a slow cooker. Stir together the water and au jus mix; pour over the roast. Cover and cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours.
  2. Remove the roast from the slow cooker and shred or slice. Open the hoagie rolls and top with beef and provolone cheese. Serve with small bowls of the hot au jus from the slow cooker.



Amanda

Amanda

Cheesy Chicken Meatballs, Caesar Salad & Bread

Ingredients

  • 1 pound spaghetti
  • 1 1/2 cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped
  • 1 28-ounce can crushed tomato
  • 1 28-ounce can diced tomato
  • Basil- seasoned to taste
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper- seasoned taste
  • EVOO - extra virgin olive oil
  • Meatballs will already be prepared and ready to put in sauce - will need to slightly thaw or increase cooking time

Preparation

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Once the water comes to a boil, add a generous handful of salt along with the pasta. Cook the pasta to al dente according to the package directions.

Place a medium-size sauce pan over medium-high heat, add EVOO. Add the garlic and cook until it starts to get lightly browned, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and basil and bring to a simmer, cook for 8-10 minutes and season with salt and pepper.(Sometimes I also use some garlic salt)

Place the meatballs in the tomato sauce and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until cooked through.

Pour meatballs and sauce over the cooked pasta grated cheese


Lu- Chicken and Artichoke Pasta


Sprinkle chicken breasts with lemon pepper and salt then bake on a foil lined cookie sheet at 350 degrees for 20 mins or until done.


While chicken is baking, in a skillet combine 1 stick of butter (I usually melt this over over lo heat first), 1 jar of marinated artichoke hearts (I like to chop mine up a little.), 1 can of sliced mushrooms, salt, pepper, and 1 -2 tsp of minced garlic.


Remove chicken form oven, let cool for 5 mins. Then cut chicken into strips and add to skillet. Simmer all of the ingredients for 20 mins over med-lo heat while cooking pasta.


Drain cooked pasta and pour into a serving bowl. Then pour the chicken and sauce over pasta and top with Parmesan cheese.


Serve salad and bread as sides.