REVIEW for week 5 menu

Menu for Week 5:

*Weekly menus plan for one meal out and one night of leftovers.

·        Cheesy Jalapeno Chicken Rice Casserole

o   http://www.culinary.net/recipes/RecipeDetail.aspx?ID=3386&CourseName=One+Dish+Meals&CourseID=21

REVIEW:  I made this on the weekend and ended up being the only one for the night to eat it (I forget why my husband didn't, but he had something else to eat).  I commented to my husband that I didn't like it since it was a little more eggy than most casseroles.  However, when we ate it as leftovers for lunch and one night, it was better.  It is more like a quiche (set egg dish) rather than a creamy casserole.

DID WE LIKE IT?  It was okay.  WILL I MAKE IT AGAIN?  Probably not

CHANGES:  I made it more santa fe flavors with a bell pepper since my cilantro had gone bad before I made the dish.

·        Loaded Potato Buffalo Chicken Bake

o   http://cooklisacook.blogspot.ca/2012/03/loaded-potato-buffalo-chicken-casserole.html

REVIEW:  We really like this dish!  I actually made it for a friend who had just had a baby and doubled it so that we could have it for diner too!  It is a different dish that is worth the few extra sets of checking on the potatoes rather than just being a dump and cook dish.  Following the directions really gives it great flavor and makes the potatoes crispy.

DID WE LIKE IT?  YES!!  WOULD I MAKE IT AGAIN??  YES!!!

·        Crockpot BBQ Ribs and Cream Cheese Corn Skillet Side Dish

o   http://teamhess.blogspot.com/2011/07/recipe-barbecue-ribs-in-crock-pot.html

o   http://www.budgetsavvydiva.com/2012/03/delicious-cream-cheese-corn/

REVIEW:  These ribs were easy but I didn't think they were fabulous.  I think I would find a different rib recipe to try next time.  We didn't make the corn dish.

DID WE LIKE IT?  Yes, these were good ribs.  WOULD I MAKE IT AGAIN?  Probably not.  I will probably find a different recipe to try.

·        CHEAP AND EASY:  Baked Manicotti with Garlic Bread

o   http://allrecipes.com/recipe/manicotti/detail.aspx

REVIEW:  I love this recipe!  I actually did stuffed shells since that's what I had in the pantry.  I made these one night once my daughter had gone to bed.  I followed the same recipe, making a full box of noodles.  I filled the noodles, placed them facing up on an oiled baking sheet, and placed them in the freezer for a couple of hours.  I then placed the individual frozen shells in freezer bags.  We had 3 meals off of these, with leftovers each time!  So good!  AND EASY!!

DID WE LIKE IT?  YES!!  It makes a great freezer meal for any night you want home cooking but dont' want to hassle with it.

WILL I MAKE IT AGAIN?  YES!!!  So great!

·        Drunken Pork Chops and Crockpot Baked Potatoes

o   http://siggyspice.blogspot.com/2010/03/drunken-pork-chops-absolutely.html

o   http://realmomkitchen.com/7995/crock-pot-baked-potatoes/

REVIEW:  I made these pork chops for a group of my friends one night.  They were very tough and dry, something I feel like aways happens.  The sauce had a great taste, but the cook time was just too long.

DID WE LIKE IT?  Yes, they were okay.  I think I would have to change the cook time to try to get them from getting tough.

WOULD I MAKE IT AGAIN?  Maybe.

·        DESSERT: Banana Toffee Pie

o   http://inspire-keri.blogspot.com/2011/06/recipe-tuesday-banoffee-danger-pie.html

REVIEW:  After making the peanut butter pie, this pie was a let down.  I used a jar of caramel rather than the homemade caramel.  I think that following the recipe caramel might have made it a little better.

DID WE LIKE IT?  It was okay.  WOULD I MAKE IT AGAIN?  Probably not.

**I know that this week's menu sounds like a flop.  I would have to disagree since I made a variety of meals.  Don't take my word for some of these recipes.  Try them out yourself and see what you think.  Leave comments on the week's menu/review of your thoughts if you made a recipe.  THANKS!

Chicken Soup to Soothe the Soul

Since I'm taking a small break from planning meals (since I would be the only one eating them and I still have three meals purchase for the cooking from last week's menu), I thought I would post the thing that I am (and just did) cooking for this week's menu....Chicken Noodle Soup for my husband and Chicken Noodles for my daughter.

I started making chicken noodle soup after college for sick roommates, friends, boyfriends and occasionally for myself (isn't that funny how that works out).  I don't know of the medical facts that say what it cures or wards off, but I know that I feel better when eating homemade chicken noodle soup, and I'm really big on trying to make other people feel better when they aren't feeling their best; I don't like to see people not feeling well and there's really not too much I can do....other than cooking or baking them something.  So, with my husband under the weather and not wanting to eat a lot (forever is how long he's thinking he's not going to eat), I decided to soup it up! 

I thought I would explain my "recipe" in case there are any of you out there that haven't made soup enough that you just wing it (like I do now). 

(You don't need everything here....I usually use what I have in the house and pick up minimal things from the store)

Chicken Noodle Soup:

1/2 stick of Butter
2-3 cans/cartons of Chicken Stock or Broth  (If someone is really sick, I go for the stock---I don't know why...I'm crazy and think it will bring them back to life). 
2-4 Cloves of Garlic
1 White or Yellow Onion
Celery
Carrots
Salt
Pepper
*Optional:  Celery Seed, Dried Rosemary, Dried Oregano
1 Rotisserie Chicken (the ones waiting for you at the checkout at the grocery store)
Noodles *Any kind really, but I like the little Stars and Ditalini since they are small (they are usually sold in bags in the noodle aisle. 
*Optional Green Beans, Spinach, other veggies

-Melt 1/2 stick of butter in a pan.  Throw in 1 chopped onion, garlic, chopped celery, carrots, salt and pepper.  Cook for about 5-10mins on medium heat.  Add other seasons if desires (I add probably about a 1 tsp of celery seed, and 1 tbs of rosemary and oregano). 

-Add Chicken Stock/Broth.  (depending on how much you use and the noodle/liquid ratio you desire, you may want to add a couple of cups of water.  You can also do this at the end to get the desired soupy-ness.)

-While the soup is coming to a boil, chop up the meat on the rotisserie chicken and add it to the soup.  (I also use the drippings from the bag/container that had the chicken.)

-Once it reaches a boil, add in the noodles.  Like everything else, I use the amount the occasion or illness calls for (or what I have on hand)

-You only have to cook it for about 10-20 minutes depending on your noodle choices. 

NOW YOU HAVE DELICIOUS AND HEALTHY SOUP!!!


When making soup today, I also made a batch of chicken and veggie noodles for my daughter since it's healthy and I was going to have everything on hand for cooking.  Here is what I did....

Altering the above recipe for TODDLER CHICKEN NOODLES (and a batch of soup, too!):

-I made the butter, onion, garlic, veggie mixture in one deep pan.  Once I finished that step, I transfer about half of it to a stock pot for the soup and left some for the noodles. 

-I added about 2 cups of broth/stock to the pan. 

-I chopped up the chicken and divided it up about even (The soup had about 4 cups of broth/stock and I added water, so it was significantly soup-ier). 

-I added frozen green beans and finely chopped spinach.

-I added noodles (probably about 1/2 cup Stars and 1 cup Ditalini). 

-Simmer on medium heat until all liquid is absorbed.  (if there is too much liquid and you know the noodles are done cooking, just add in some cornstarch to thicken)

*I freeze this healthy noodle deliciousness in ice cube trays (or in silicon muffin cups), then place them in plastic bags in the freezer.  That way I can just throw a couple of chicken noodle cubes in the microwave and we're ready to eat.  My daughter really loves this dish and it is SUPER easy.

Please let me know if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions.  I'm sure you can see why I don't write more of my own recipes on my blog....I "talk" way too much through them. 

Hope everyone is healthy and well....if not, soup up!

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls REVAMPED to make a freezer meal too!!

So, here is the link to the allrecipes.com recipe that I used in this week's menu Stuffed Cabbage Roll....
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Stuffed-Cabbage-Rolls/Detail.aspx

I made some minor changes (and didn't spend much more) so that I could make a freezer meal while preparing tonight's dinner.  Here is what I did...

Since I bought 1 ½ lbs of ground beef, I decided to up the recipe and make extra cabbage rolls for the freezer (I did this with Manicotti once and loved having an easy-to-make home-cooked meal at my fingertips).   I made 2 cups of rice and added the whole can of tomato soup to the bowl of stuffing ingredients; I added another full can to the pan when I was simmering the cabbage rolls.  Rather than using a few of the cabbage head leaves, I (being the frugal person I am) pealed down the cabbage head until I the center was pretty much a solid mass; I think I got about 22 leaves off of the one head.  I paired up the smaller leaves for the cabbage rolls that I was going to use for tonight’s dinner.  I put 2-3 tooth picks in to help hold them together.  Then, when I got to the larger leaves I made them singly.  I prepared a jelly roll pan with foil and a bit of oil and set approx. 8 of my “prettier” rolls on it.  I placed it in the freezer for about 2 hours.  After, I put the frozen rolls in a freezer bag with the directions for cooking and needed ingredients (tomato soup). 

Now, I not only made a dinner for tonight, but I have one in the freezer that’s ready to be cooked!  J  *Looking at how big the "big" leaves from the head of cabbage are, I'm thinking there is more like two meals here!!  Wow!!  Talk about a cheap and worthwhile meal!