last week's menu

monday
bean and cheese enchiladas with guacamole and lime cilantro sour cream










tuesday
grilled salmon
giada's fried couscous saladsteamed broccoli


wednesday
chicken and pasta
grilled zucchini with tomato olive salad
grapes and cantaloupe









thursday
pan fried chicken with arugula pesto
squash casserole
lima beans









friday
brown rice with black beans and cucumber-mango salsacheese quesadillas











saturday
grilled london broil
fresh artichokes with lemon aioli (mayo, lemon zest, lemon juice)
mashed sweet potatoes (i like to use vanilla soy milk and maple syrup!)










sunday
fetuccini with tomato basil sauce
trader joe's turkey meatballs
rachel ray's arugula pesto
french bread

perfect spring cupcakes

i used giada's recipe "todd's orange and raspberry cake" to make these yummy cupcakes.

i did use my basic cream cheese icing recipe instead of her's because i needed a little bit thicker icing for piping.

(1 stick butter, 1 package cream cheese, 1 pound or 4 cups confectioners sugar)

stir in the 1/4 cup raspberry jam to make the icing pink!

dinner at our house!

this is what we ate last week.....

monday
penne with shallots, tomatoes, basil, garlic and marsala wine
saute shallots, garlic and tomatoes in olive oil
finish sauce with fresh basil, marsala wine and a tablespoon of butter
toss with pasta
steamed broccoli

tuesday
giada's turkey meatloaf with sundried tomatoes and feta
this was delicious, but next time i will leave out the salt
steamed asparagus
corn casserole
pinto beans for vegetarian daughter

wednesday
baked ziti
french bread

thursday
reubens
corned beef for the meat-eaters, tempeh reuben for daughter
potato chips
broccoli with ranch dressing

friday
veggie sloppy joes
i used a white onion and green pepper, surprisingly terrific!
roasted potatoes
toss cubed potatoes with olive oil and slap ya mama and roast at 450 for 20-25 minutes

saturday
heavy horderves at a friend's wedding :)

sunday
refrigerator clean out!

here's what's been cookin' at my house....

monday

fish tacos with spicy cole slaw and lime cilantro sour cream

black bean fiesta (bush's)

brown rice

strawberries

mini chocolate meringue cupcakes

tuesday
chicken spaghetti
i substituted brocolli and red pepper for the green pepper and pimentos
raisin bran muffins

wednesday
agnolotti with artichoke sauce
french bread

thursday
grilled chicken with tomato basil salsa
gnocchi and spinach

friday
wonderful hamburger at the daily grind downtown mooresville

saturday
stayed at the mall too long...chick-fil-a

sunday
meatloaf
mashed potatoes
green beans

menu plan monday

i plan day by day.
here's what we ate last week!

monday
spinach fettucini
tomato salad
french bread

tuesday
jamaican jerk turkey burgers with green apple slaw
red peppers
"food should taste good" sweet potato chips


wednesday
salmon patties with trader joe's wasabi mayonnaise
broccoli with lemon sauce
hashbrown casserole

thursday
blackened tilapia sandwiches with lime cilantro mayo and mango salsa
warm potato salad





friday
three cheese spinach ricotta calzones
chopped salad

saturday
jj wasabi's lettuce wraps
strawberry daiquiris @ home!

sunday
quick spaghetti super with french bread
we love bread!

menu plan monday

monday
spinach lasagna
(this is the basic recipe. for spinach lasagna, omit the turkey and put layers of fresh spinach- steamed in the microwave for 1 minute- between the layers of sauce and cheese)
french bread with balsalmic vinegar and evoo for dipping

tuesday
london broil
jamie oliver's mac and cheese
seven layer salad

wednesday
sushi at toyko restaurant!

thursday
baked chicken
lemon white bean arugula salad
leftover mac and cheese
green beans

friday
pan-grilled salmon
roasted fennel
strawberries with balsalmic vinegar
olive bread

saturday
grilled chicken
green beans
pasta salad
(son home from college, likes simple meals!)

superbowl sunday
went to friends house.
made wings!
instead of deep frying, coated them with olive oil and baked at 450 for about 20 minutes or so until crispy and slightly browned. then dipped them in the sauce.

make your own buttermilk

recently i made this extraordinary buttermilk pie that i learned about while watching paula deen and walking on the treadmill.
it tastes like creme brulee, my daughter pointed out.
we had it with homemade whipped cream and blueberries.
and i used all the sugar it called for, trusting paula more than the reviewers.
divine!


then (thanks to uummm from hot coupon world), i came across this blog that tells you how to never be without buttermilk, which is also great for breads, dipping chicken, and ranch dressing.
this is a cool blog too.
check it out...
the hip girls guide to homemaking
make your own buttermilk

menu plan monday

lately, as a spend a few minutes on the treadmill, i like to watch the foodnetwork channel.
and i love trying the recipes i see! i wonder if the pioneer woman will ever do a show...

monday
rosemary thyme chuck roast with pearl onions, carrots, and celery
pioneer woman's mashed potatoes
(we like to use onion and chive cream cheese)
simple salad
jp's big daddy biscuits

tuesday
pasta e fagioli
open-faced tuna melts
(i used lemon juice and olive oil instead of mayo for the tuna. added chopped red onion, fresh dill, and chopped celery)



wednesday
whitney's zucchini tomatoes with feta and couscous
grilled tuna medalions
(prepared in our grill pan, season with a tiny bit of agave nectar, salt and pepper. cook about 4 minutes per side.)

thursday
make your own burrito
filling choices:
ground turkey seasoned with tomato paste and chipotle chiles
black beans
cheese
tomatoes
lettuce
avocado
lime sour cream
salsa
red onion
cilantro

friday
sesame chicken tenders
(i agree with the reviews on this recipe...too much salt. and we did not like the sauce suggested to go with it, but honey mustard was good)
leftover mashed potatoes
peas with mint
sauteed apples with cinnamon


saturday
PW spicy lemon garlic shrimp
(tried this, like her spicy shrimp better)
PW lemon pasta
(do not bake this! we substitute basil for parsley)
spring green salad with creamy lemon vinagrette
french bread

sunday
grilled london broil
red potato and tomato salad
(this was amazing)
oranges
cheesy garlic bread

menu plan monday

i always enjoy seeing what everyone else is planning.
i used to be a week long meal planner when my kids were small and i couldn't just run out for a missing ingredient.
now, i have a pretty good stockpile of basic ingredients and usually choose what i'm cooking for dinner the morning of, based on activities, who will be here, and even the weather!
so, instead of saying what we are having this week, i will post what we had last week!

monday
grilled chicken
orzo with chick peas
orange salad with baby greens and olives

tuesday
stuffed baked potatoes

wednesday
green chile cheeseburgers
(beef burgers made with salt and pepper; topped with a homemade salsa of green chiles, jalapenos, onion, cilantro, garlic, oregano, and lime juice; monterey jack cheese)
(black bean burgers for vegetarian daughter)
tortilla chips with guacamole
sliced yellow pepper
raw brocolli

thursday
mozzarella grilled cheese
roasted sweet potatoes with a maple syrup drizzle

friday
grilled ahi tuna
kolokithopita* (greek zucchini pie) with tzatziki* (cucumber yogurt dip)
middle eastern carrot salad*
(*these recipes from the new moosewood classics cookbook)
black olives



saturday
potato/taco bar at church supper

sunday
crab cakes from lowes foods (bogo)
bok choy salad
cantaloupe with mint and honey