new menu 2/6-2/12

With a house full of sick kids, it's been difficult to get a menu and recipes together for you all. But here's what I've come up with.

Here's the new menu for this week, starting Sat. 2/6. There are a lot of Mexican type items on sale this week at all of the stores (I guess for Super Bowl Sunday), so stock up if you like Mexican food. Also got a tip that Kline's Grocery has pork tenderloin on sale (could probably ask the butcher to cut it into chops for you).

Basic Menu (recipes to follow):

(S) Mexican Pizza

(Su) Baked Potato Bar with favorite toppings

(M) Honey BBQ Chicken Tenders

(T) Brown Gravy Patties

(W) Breakfast Hash

(Th) Lasagne Roll-ups
(F) Chicken Patties and Fries

Sat 2/6: Mexican Pizza. The number of pizza's you need will depend on your family size (obviously :>). My recipe says two pizzas serves 8 people. This recipe is from my "Meals for a Month" cookbook. It freezes very well, so since this is Saturday, you may have some extra time to make a few extra to keep in the freezer for an easy weeknight meal.

1. Roll out 2 refrigerated pizza crusts (these are on sale this week at Giant, with coupons in Sunday paper, as well). Prebake at 400 degrees for 8 min. or until lightly browned. Set aside.


2. Brown 2 lbs. ground beef (I have used less, so whatever you like) with 1 small chopped onion and 2 cloves minced garlic. Drain well. Add 1 (16 oz) can refried beans (also on sale this week at Giant), 1 (6 oz) can of tomato paste, 1/3 c. water, 12 oz jar of salsa (on sale everywhere), and 4 oz can of green chilies (I don't use these...too hot for us). Stir to combine. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 min. to blend flavors.
   
3. Divide sauce among pizzas and spread evenly over each crust. Top with cheese blend (3 c. shredded mozzarella and 2 c. shredded cheddar mixed together).


4. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 min. or until crusts are done.

*Note: If you're freezing more for later: follow instructions till step 3, but do not top with cheese. Put the cheese in a separate ziplock bag. Chill the pizzas, flash freeze, wrap and label with reheating instructions. To reheat: Bake the frozen pizzas at 400 for 12-18 min, sprinkle with cheeses and bake 10-15 min longer till cheese bubbles and begins to brown.

Sun 2/7: I won't be cooking much, but I figured a Baked Potato Bar would be easy enough to feed the gang while watching the big game. Bake the potatoes at 350 degrees till fork-tender. Top with broccoli/cheese/ham or chili/cheese/sour cream. If you bake too many potatoes, save them for tomorrow night's supper as a side dish.

Mon 2/8: Honey BBQ Chicken Tenders (crock pot recipe).

1. Spray inside of slow cooker with cooking spray. Arrange 2 lb. of cut-up chicken breasts or chicken tenders in slow cooker.


2. Combine 1 1/2 c. BBQ sauce, 1/4 c. honey, 2 tsp. mustard, and 1 1/2 tsp. worcestershire sauce in a separate bowl. Pour mixture over chicken.


3. Cover and cook on low heat 4-5 hours or high heat for 2-2 1/2 hours. Could be baked as well for a quicker meal.

* If you make extra, this would be good to save for later for a chicken BBQ pizza. (Can you tell we love pizza?)

Tues 2/9: Brown Gravy Patties, mashed potatoes, corn...yum, comfort food!

1. Mix 1 lb ground beef with 1 egg, salt and pepper, chopped onion, and some bread crumbs (a basic meatloaf recipe).


2. Shape the meat mixture into small hamburger patties.


3. Brown on both sides in a large frying pan.


4. Mix 2 envelopes of brown gravy mix with water (follow directions on pkg). Add to frying pan, reduce heat, and simmer until patties are cooked through and gravy is thickened.
   

Wed 2/10: Breakfast Hash This is just my own creation of whatever we have on hand. You can change it to include/omit whatever you want.

1. 3-4 large potatoes, shredded or 1 bag of hashbrowns. Brown with a small amount of oil in a large frying pan.


2. Add 1 c. chopped onions, 1/4 c. diced green peppers, and 1 c. cubed ham steak to the cooking potatoes.


3. When hash is nearly cooked to desired "brown" color, add 3 scrambled eggs and 1 c. cheddar cheese. Cook till eggs are set and cheese is melted.

Thur 2/11: Lasagne Roll-ups A faster version for weeknights.

1. Boil 12 lasagne noodles, drain and set aside. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.


2. In a medium bowl, combine: 2 c. mozzarella cheese, 16 oz. cottage cheese, 1 egg, some parsley flakes and a sprinkle of italian seasoning or basil.


3. Arrange the lasagne noodles on a flat surface. Spoon a thin layer of cheese mixture onto each noodle. Roll up each noodle (starting from one of the short sides) and secure with a toothpick. Place the rolls side by side in a prepared pan.
   
4. Pour prepared pasta sauce (with or without meat) on top of each roll. Sprinkle with 1 c. mozzarella cheese and 1/4 c. parmesan cheese.

Bake 20-25 min, or until cheese filling melts and the top is golden brown. 4-5 servings

Friday 2/12: Chicken Patties and Fries Just a quickie meal from the freezer.