Menu Plan Monday, August 27

Today was my first day back to school. We had a wonderful summer and now it's back to the daily grind. Here is my ambitious menu for this week:

Sunday: Grilled Lemon-Basil Chicken Breasts with Primo Pasta Salad (from Aug/Sept Taste of Home)

Monday: Marinated Pork Chops, Rice Pilaf and Cucumber and Pepper Salad

Tuesday: Chicken and Roasted Red Pepper Paninis, Garlic Penne and Cantaloupe

Wedneday: Beef Tacos, Mexican Rice and Corn Bread

Thursday: Baked Ziti , Salad and Garlic Toast

Friday: Pizza and Wings

Saturday: Ethnic Festival food

Have a wonderful week!

Lisa

Tasty Thursday: Casserole Edition

I love casseroles, especially in the fall and winter months. They are a great comfort food.

Here's a recipe for a favorite of our family. It's the most requested recipe on my brunch menu.

French Toast Casserole

1 Loaf (10 oz) French or Italian Bread, cubed
8 Eggs
3 cups Milk
4 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon Salt, optional

Topping:
2 tablespoons Butter or margarine, cubed
3 tablespoons Sugar
2 teaspoons Ground cinnamon

Maple syrup, optional

Preparation
Place bread cubes in a greased 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking dish. In a mixing bowl, beat eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla and salt if desired. Pour over bread. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.
Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Dot with butter. Combine sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over the top. Cover and bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.

Let stand for 5 minutes. Serve with syrup if desired. Yield: 12 servings

Enjoy!

Menu Plan Monday, August 20

Good Morning!

We had a busy weekend, and a busy week ahead of us. It's our last official week of summer vacation before I start school on Monday. The kids return the Tuesday after Labor Day. I'm excited about returning to school, but anxious about the changes that have occurred at our school.

Our Menu

Sunday~ Camping Leftovers~Kielbassi and Kraut, Corn on the Cob, and Tortellini Salad

Monday~ Italian Night~Spaghetti with Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce, Veal Parmesan, Salad and Garlic Bread

Tuesday~My Birthday! We're going out to dinner!

Wednesday~ Hot and Spicy Chicken Drumsticks, Baked Potato Salad, Corn on the Cob

Thursday~ All Day Slow Cooker Meatballs, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans

Friday~ Grilled Hot Wings, Pizza on the Grill and Ranch Cucumber Salad

Saturday~ Herb Pork Loin, Garlic and Olive Oil Pasta, Grilled Zucchini Slices

Have a great week!

Blessings,

Lisa

Tasty Thursday-Summer Corn Salad with Cilantro Pesto

This is one of my favorite summer dishes because it's crisp, fresh and served cold!
I am not a huge cilantro fan, but in this dish it is delicious!

Summer Corn Salad with Cilantro Pesto

8 ears Fresh Corn,boiled

1 tomato seeded and diced

4 TBS cilantro pesto

1 chopped red onion

1 diced green bell pepper

1 lime, juiced

salt and pepper

Remove kernels with paring knife and place in a large bowl. Add tomato, onion, and green pepper. Toss to combine. Add cilantro pesto. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves.

Cilantro Pesto
1 1/2 cup Fresh Cilantro leaves

1 large clove garlic

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

3 TBS pine nuts (optional)1 tsp grated lime peel

1/2 juice fresh lime

5 TBS olive oil

salt and pepper

Combine the cilantro, garlic, cheese, pine nuts and lime juice and peel in a food processor. Process to mix. With machine running, slowy add the olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Process to desired consistency. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

Zucchini Pineapple Bread

This recipe is from a YWCA cookbook my dad bought for me. I made it last night and it is delicious!

Zucchini Pineapple Bread

3 eggs
1 cup oil
2 cups sugar
3 cups flour
3 tsp. vanilla
1 cup chopped nuts
2 cups zucchini, grated
1 tsp. bakind powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup raisins
2 tsp. cinnamon
8 oz. can crushed pineapple, drained

Beat eggs until fluffy. Add oil, sugar, vanilla and zucchini; mix well. Add dry ingredients. Add raisins, pineapple and nuts; blend together. Baked in a greased and floured bundt pan at 325 degrees for 1 hour 20 minutes. Or bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour if using 2 bread pans.

I omitted the nuts and raisins because we don't like them in our breads.

Enjoy!
Lisa

Menu Plan Monday, August 13

Happy Monday!

Sunday: Grilled Sweet and Sour Kielbasa Kebabs by Mommy Chef, Rice, and Salad

Monday: Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches, Homemade Fries and Fresh Fruit Salad

Tuesday: Hot and Spicy Chicken Drumsticks , Baked Potato Salad,

Fried Zucchini

Wednesday: Easy Grilled Pork Chops, Angel Hair with Olive Oil and Garlic, Grilled Garden

Veggies

Thursday: Chicken Fajitas, Mexican Rice, Beans

Friday: Pizza and Wings

Saturday: Marinated Steak Kebabs, Campfire Potatoes, and Grilled Veggies at camp

Have a great week!

Blessings,

Lisa

Tasty Thursday: The Cookie Edition

This is my most requested Christmas cookie. It's easy to make and very yummy!


Creamy Caramel Cups

Shells
6 oz. of cream cheese, softened
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups flour

Filling
14 oz. bag of caramels
½ cup canned evaporated milk
Topping
½ cup sugar
½ cup Crisco
1/3 cup canned evaporated milk
1 tsp. Vanilla
½ cup chopped nuts

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

2. To prepare the shells, combine cream cheese, butter, and flour. Press into miniature cup pans to form a shell. Bake in preheated oven 8 to 10 minutes until light brown. Remove from pans.

3. To prepare filling, place the caramels and canned milk in a microwaveable bowl. Microwave about 8 to 10 minutes on medium power. Stir. Pour into prepared shells and let cool.

4. To prepare topping, combine sugar, Crisco, canned milk and vanilla in a bowl. Mix until fluffy. I use the whisk on my mixer to make it fluffy. Decorate cups as desired. I prefer a cake decorator. Sprinkle with chopped nuts, if desired.

Enjoy!

Today's Dinner

Hi,

I missed Menu Plan Monday this week, but wanted to share what I'm making for dinner tonight. I got this recipe from http://mommychef.blogspot.com/ I think I'll serve it with salad and garlic bread. I'm making pudding for dessert. DH is a huge fan of Cajun food.

CAJUN CHICKEN PASTA
4 ounces linguine
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
2 teaspoons cajun seasoning (I use Zatarin's)
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/4 cup chopped green bell peppers
1/4 cup chopped red bell peppers
4 ounces sliced mushrooms
1 thinly sliced green onion
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

In a large pot with boiling salted water cook pasta until al dente; drain. While the pasta is cooking, place chicken and Cajun seasoning in a bowl and toss to coat. In a large skillet over medium heat saute chicken in butter until chicken is tenderAdd green and red bell peppers, sliced mushrooms and onions, and cook for 2-3 minutes . Reduce heat; add heavy cream, basil, lemon pepper, salt, garlic powder and pepper and heat through. In a large bowl toss linguini with sauce.


Blessings,
Lisa