Dinner Time in Oakley, UT

Thanks Sister Budge for setting this all up. The only reason I do anything worth while is because of peer pressure.

I rate menu planning in my top 10 of "things I HATE to do" so I've come up with a couple of things that help me manage it. One thing I do is give each day of the week a theme so I can narrow down the hundreds of choices into just a few dozen, otherwise I just get too overwhelmed. The other thing I use is an ical calendar. I type in the name of the recipe, which cookbook it's in, and the ingredients. It's a little time consuming at first but then when I have 30-40 entered I can just drag them around to the next month. And then I also have a list of ingredients I need to buy without having to go to the cookbooks. I'm definitely not strict about this. I would say more often than not I don't follow it at all but it helps me pretend that I'm an organized person.

Anyway, here are my weekly themes:
M - Mexican Monday
T - Mormon Americana (this is my casserole, cream of whatever soup, jello night)
W - Asian Cuisine
Th - Pizza, Pasta, Soup and Salad
F - Fun Food
S - Whatever
S - Crock Pot Easy

And here's my week (Sep. 28 - Oct. 5)
M - Leftovers
T - Chicken Fajitas
W - Red Beans and Rice
Th - Mom & Dad eating out so kids get scrambled eggs and toast
F - Home-made Pizza (Does any one have a good thin crust recipe?!!)
S - No Clue. It took me 2 hours just to come up with M-F
S - All Day Meatloaf & Veggies (recipe below - never tried it. Hope it works.)

See what I mean. I never stick to my themes but whatever!

Meatloaf and Vegetables:
4 large potatoes, sliced
6 carrots, sliced
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 c. cracker crumbs
1/3 c. ketchup
1/3 c. finely chopped onions
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. dried marjoram
1/4 tsp. black pepper

1. Place potatoes and carrots in slow cooker. Sprinkle with 1/4 t. salt.
2. Combine remaining ingredients. Mix well and shape into loaf. Place loaf on top of vegetables, making sure that it doesn't touch sides of slow cooker.
3. Cover. Cook on Low 8 - 10 hours.

Out of town

I don't know if I speak for Christi or not, but I'm going to. We are both in Utah for our brother-in-law's funeral (Phil's and her husband Ryan's brother). While we are eating plenty of food, we are not doing any of the cooking so there is really nothing for us to post right now. The RS of my in-laws ward have been wonderful in supplying food for the Budge clan. Can I just say that I love Relief Society?

Eames' Meals Sept 29-Oct 4

This week we are getting back to normal so I am actually starting to cook some. Now to get rid of all the leftovers.

Mon-Leftovers
Tues-Tomato & Green Pepper Chow Mein
Wed- Pizza Pockets - This is a recipe I kind of made up based on 2 different recipes and my family loves it! The recipe is here, along with some pictures.
Thurs-Date night -- hopefully. Kids will get leftovers
Fri- Hamburgers
Sat-Out of town, so I don't have to cook.

I didn't get around to posting my menu for the week but so far have made eggplant parmesan (with an eggplant that a friend gave me that I didn't know what else to do with), French toast, and Spanish Rice. I'll post that recipe below. For the eggplant parmesan, I used a recipe in my BH&G cookbook.

I have a question...what is your favorite way of preparing/cooking a whole chicken? What kind of marinade and/or spices to you use? I'd love some suggestions! Thanks!

Spanish Rice
1 lb. hamburger
1/4 c. chopped onion (approximate amount-add more or less to liking)
1 c. rice
2 c. water
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. prepared mustard
dash pepper
1 (15 oz.) can kidney beans
1 (15 oz.) can whole kernel corn

Saute onions and add hamburger. Brown and drain fat. Add rice, water, tomato sauce, salt, pepper, and mustard. Cover and simmer until rice is fully cooked, about 20 minutes. Add kidney beans and corn. Cook until heated through.

This recipe is also good meatless and additionally is a great use for leftover cooked rice. I've only tried this with white rice and don't know how it would turn out with brown.

Pie for breakfast

It is fall so it is pie season. We just had Pear pie for breakfast -- the best pie ever created in my humble opinion. :) I thought I'd pass the recipe on.


Pear Pie
Filling
1 8- or 9-inch single pie crust, uncooked
6-7 medium pears, peeled, cored, & quartered
1 1/2 T lemon juice
1/2 C sugar
2 -3 Tbsp flour (for GF use 2 T cornstarch)
1 tsp lemon peel (optional)

Combine pears and lemon juice in a medium bowl. In a small bowl combine sugar, flour and peel. Pour into pears and combine. Stir carefully. Pour into prepared pie crust

Crumb Topping
2/3 C flour (GF or wheat)
2/3 C white or brown sugar
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t mace (optional)
(For GF add 1/4 - 1/5 tsp xanthan gum)
1/3 C butter/margarine

Combine all ingredients but the butter. Cut butter into the mixture. Sprinkle on top of Filling.

Bake at 425-degrees for 10 minutes then on 375 degrees for 40-50 minutes.

Delicious!

Eames' Meals Sept 23-28

While a little late nonetheless here it is. My husband is out of town for the next three days so it will be pretty low key.

Tuesday: Sandwiches and Beans & Pears
Wednesday: Going out to eat
Thursday: Tacos
Friday: I'm not sure I have a Daddy-Daughter Date to run and my husband & oldest daughter are going, so it will probably be mac & cheese or something like that for the younger 2.
Saturday: My oldest daughter is getting baptized so we are having Frito Pie for Lunch and then probably leftovers from that for dinner.

Awesome Salmon Recipe

Sally mentioned making Salmon - I have the greatest recipe! Here goes:

Salmon Sour Cream Bake - again from my mom's ward cookbook

2 salmon steaks 1 inch thick (or I use filets)
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayo
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. salt
dash of red pepper (cayenne)
1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Place salmon in baking dish lined with foil. Bake, uncovered, in 450 oven for 12 to 15 minutes or till fish flakes easily. Mix all ingredients together. Spoon over salmon. Sprinkle cheese on top. Bake 3 - 4 more minutes, till sauce is just heated through. Makes 4 servings (I usually double this recipe).

Also can use halibut

Okay this is my first post, let's see what crazy things I can come up with! As Sally mentioned, I do want to try more bean recipes and I've got one I'm going to try this week. My kids hate beans but they're so good for you, and less expensive than meat so I want to serve more. I also have a different chicken recipe I'm going to try because it calls for things I have in my fridge that really need to be used up. I'll let you know if it's good or not next week!

So here's what my family will be eating this week (probably, hopefully!):

M - Bowtie pasta with marinara sauce (from the store) and parmesan cheese. Green Beans.
T - Black Beans and Rice (see recipe below)
W - Chicken Mix (recipe below)
TH - Leftovers or Breakfast food (pancakes are a favorite, we usually serve them with sliced canned peaches)
F - I'm going out with my daughter, the boys are on their own. Probably mac & cheese for them.
S - Frozen pizza!

Slow Cooker Cuban Black Beans and Rice (from the Betty Crocker website)

1 lb dried black beans (2 cups), sorted and rinsed
1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
1 large bell pepper, chopped (1 1/2 cups)
5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 dried bay leaves
2 cups diced tomatoes, undrained
5 cups water
2 Tbsp olive or vegetable oil
4 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp finely chopped jalepeno chiles
1 tsp salt
3 cups hot cooked rice

1. Mix all ingredients except rice in 3 1/2 to 6 quart slow cooker.
2. Cover and cook on high heat setting 6 - 8 hours or until beans are tender and most of the liquid is absorbed. Remove bay leaves.
3. Serve beans over rice. Serve with chopped red onion, cilantro and/or sour cream.


Chicken Mix - from my mom's ward cookbook

1 box chicken Rice-A-Roni
1 8 oz can sliced water chestnuts
5 - 6 stalks finely chopped celery
2 - 3 chopped green onions
3 cups cooked cubed chicken breasts
Ranch dressing

Mix all ingredients together and add Ranch dressing to moisten or to taste. Bake at 350 for 25 - 30 minutes.

Sept 22-Sept 28

Seeing as I never got the chicken out of the freezer last week to roast, this week will revolve around that.
Mon-creamed tuna a fast kid favorite
Tues-roast chicken
Wed-chicken noodle soup
Th-Jakob's birthday dinner (he's 10!!!!) which means he'll probably pick salmon, couscous and green beans. I wonder if he'll let me try something new with the salmon. Any suggestions welcome.
Fri-Phil and I have a dinner to go to so the kids get mac and cheese or raman noodles (which they love because they only get them when Phil and I aren't eating at home)
Sat-whatever Phil wants to make/scrounge because I have a RS dinner to go to and he is actually off

The Other Budge's Menu

Okay, here's our menu this week:

M-meatloaf and baked potatoes
T-leftovers...meatloaf sandwiches and melon
W-Hungry Jack Casserole (recipe at end) with steamed broccoli or green beans on the side
Th-tacos (I like to add in grated potato to the meat when I cook it. My dad always made it like this, I don't know why, but it is actually quite good and makes the meat go a bit farther.)
F-probably a frozen pizza and salad
Sa-cheese manicotti with French bread and salad (recipes to follow)
Su-homemade nachos (tortilla chips with chili beans and cheese on top...a perfect, quick dinner after late church) and a fruit

Hungry Jack Casserole (one of my husband's favorites):

1 lb. ground beef
1 small onion, diced
1 can pork and beans (15 oz.)
1 cup barbeque sauce
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 10-count refrigerated biscuits
shredded cheddar, about 1 cup

Brown the beef with the onion. Drain the fat and then add the pork and beans, brown sugar, and BBQ sauce. Pour into bottom of a casserole dish. Cut refrigerated biscuits into fourths and place evenly over the bean/meat mixture. Top with shredded cheddar. Bake 22-25 minutes at 375, until biscuits are golden brown. Very yummy!

Cheese Manicotti

1 pkg. of manicotti noodles, cooked according to the package (the kind I buy usually have about 10-12 noodles in the pkg.)
8 oz. shredded mozzarella (I usually just do a whole 15-oz. ball)
15 oz. ricotta or cottage cheese
1/4 c. parmesan cheese
1 1/2 tsp. (approx.) dried parsley (or 1 Tbsp. fresh)
1/2 tsp. salt
dash black pepper
28 oz. spaghetti sauce

Mix the cheeses, parsley, salt and pepper. Pour a small amount of spaghetti sauce on bottom of a 9x13 pan. Stuff each manicotti noodle with cheese mixture. Place in one layer in pan. Pour the rest of the spaghetti sauce over the noodles. Cover and cook at 425 for 40 minutes. Uncover and cook 10 minutes more. This is so yummy!

MMDD line-up this week!

M- Homemade pizza
T- Tilapia with fried zucchini
W -Homemade Chicken noodle soup with whole wheat rolls
T- Crepes (gotta have a breakfast item for dinner...yum)
F- Burritos (good old fashioned w/black beans, rice, salsa,...the basics)
S- Eat out
S- Cranberry Chicken (throw chicken breasts, catalina dressing, onion soup mix, and cranberry sauce in crock-pot...cook 3-4 hrs...pour over rice...yum yum!)

Have a tasty week everyone!:)

Natalie's Dinners Sept 14-20

This week is a little harried -- Birthdays & canning so we are doing it super easy! all meals come ready made gluten-free

Sun: Leftovers
Mon: Hamburgers (with garden produce), Beans
Tues: Crockpot Chicken, Potatoes, & Carrots with peach pie
Wed: Taco Soup, Salad
Thurs: Whatever my son chooses, it is his birthday -- probably pizza -- again, my daughter chose it last week for her birthday
Fri: Gunge (cook rice, hamburger or chicken, and peas, broccoli or your favorite veggie, mix them altogether and top with soy sauce.)
Sat: Leftovers

As for kid friendly bean recipes -- I often half my hamburger or chicken requirements and replace them with a can of beans for casseroles or Mexican. I usually substitute 1 can:1 lb hamburger or chicken. Soup is also a great user of beans -- so excited for Soup season to come. My kids also like to eat kidney and black beans as a snack. Sometimes lunch is Beans, vegetable or fruit and a slice of bread. Everyone probably already knew this, but I just found out recently, that you can cook dried beans and then freeze them in 1½ cup portions and use in place of beans in recipes. My kids also love the following recipe courtesy of our friend Valerie.

ROCKY MOUNTIN BEAN STORM

½ lb bacon
1 lb ground beef
½ C. Chopped onion
½ C. Ketchup
2 T vinegar
¾ C. brown Sugar
1 tsp salt
2 T-¼ C Dijon mustard (to taste)
3 cans of different beans, with juices (I usually use black, pork & beans, & kidney -- but use
whatever is in your fridge. It even works with 3 of the same kind of beans, just not as pretty)
Rice (Brown is especially tasty)

1- Fry bacon until crisp. Drain and Crumble.
2- Brown hamburger and onion and drain.
3- Add bacon, ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar, mustard, and beans to hamburger.
4- Simmer on stove or in crockpot of 1 hour.
5- Serve over rice.

September 15-21

Here it is for this week:
M-Leftovers
T-stir fry with rice
W-chili and biscuits
Th-roast chicken, salad and potatoes
F-chicken noodle soup
Sat-left overs
Sun-omelettes (great for late church because I can chop up stuff before church and just have to beat the eggs after)

I was talking to someone (I don't know if she'll post or not) who was going to try to start to cook more with beans. If you have any good, kid-exciting ideas with beans, pass them on.

Hello

Thanks Sally for doing this I think it is brilliant. For those that don't know me, I live in Cache Valley, Utah (Millville for those familiar with Cache Valley), have 3 kids and am always trying to figure out dinner. A year and a half ago my (now 8) daughter was diagnosed with Celiacs Disease, an autoimmune disease causes the lining of her small intestine to be destroyed when she eats "gluten" (a protein found in wheat, rye, barley, and most oats) resulting in malnutrition. Good news is, as long as she is "Gluten-free" (GF) she will be perfectly healthy. Consequently, all of the meals I post will be "gluten-free" or will have an extra component (regular pasta & Gluten-free pasta) to make it that way. I will also label my posts that way. If you know anyone with the condition you can point them in this direction. :). While I love to cook and make up new recipes, I rarely find the time to devote and we have been in a major rut -- tacos, pasta, meat/veg/rice or potato. I am excited to be getting new ideas. I also wanted to add one of my favorite GF blogs --Ginger Lemon Girl -- She also adds a weekly menu.

Let's get started!

So here it is. The idea is to just post what you are having for the week, that way we can get some ideas of what other people are having and I have to plan something. I picked 5 meals, because usually we have left overs at least one night, if not more. You can do all 7 if you want. You can also include any suggestions, stories, recipes or links that you want, but that would be going above and beyond. If you want someone's specific recipe, just post a comment and they can get back to you or you can try to find it at one of the links.

Here's the thing that I don't know and maybe someone can help is how to get it so everyone can post. I know at least to list everyone as an author, but I'm not sure what you have to do from there. If you know anyone else that would want to join, just tell them to email me and I'll add them. edit: I think it is taken care of when I invite you to be an author. Any problems let me know:)

Here is an example and what I'll post every Sunday night:
Week 9/8-9/14:
M-homemade pizza (pepperoni and pineapple) and chopped up cantaloupe
T-Crab linguine and peas (recipe)
W-Salad bar with grilled chicken (various chopped up stuff in little bowls and they can choose what they want on to put on)
Th-potato leek soup and salad
F-baked pasta (cooked pasta, leftover spaghetti sauce, cheese and bread crumbs) and salad
S-left overs
Sun-pork roast and potatoes and salad

Feel free to do it however you want and add any links to great sites. Hope this works!