Menu Planning Week 4

Thursday - Beef Stew,http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Old-Fashioned-Beef-Stew Flat bread, http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Dad-s-Flatbread
Friday - Salmon, Rice Pilaf, Roasted Asparagus
Saturday - Leftover Beef Stew
Sunday - Pick up Pizza
Monday - Chicken Pot Pie p. 142
Tuesday - BLT's
Wednesday - Easy Shrimp Stir http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Easy-Shrimp-Stir-Fryfry, 

Menu Planning Week 3

I'm loving this menu planning. It doesn't always go as planned, though. My Mom and Dad happened to come to town last week so I picked up a pot roast and did that instead of the roasted chicken. Just because. I'm also trying to try at least one new recipe each week. I actually have three new ones this week.

Thursday -Vegetable Ham Stew http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Vegetable-Ham-Stew, Vienna Bread - This is a tasty low fat and healthy soup. I skip the cornstarch and water part. I actually forgot the first couple times I made it and loved it the way it was.

Friday - Barbeque Grilled Salmon, p. 183, Garlic Mashed Redskins, Green Beans - yes, again! I've been making fish every Friday. It's just a way to remember! We love this salmon recipe so I keep making it!

Saturday - Philly Burgers - I made my sister Sarah's Philly Burgers. They were awesome! We all loved them, except Jean who didn't try it. http://amatteroftasteblog.blogspot.com/2012/09/philly-burger.html

Sunday - Pick up Pizza

Monday - Spicy Vegetable Chili (new)  http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Spicy-Vegetable-Chili, Corn Bread

Tuesday - Roasted Chicken w/potatoes and carrots, Stove top dressing

Wednesday - Pork Tenderloin (new)*,http://www.food.com/recipe/perfect-pork-tenderloin-63828 Red Skins, Zesty Broccoli and Cauliflower http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Zesty-Broccoli

*Pork Tenderloin Recipe- (from my friend Sue S.)  Preheat oven to 525 degrees. Bake tenderloin exactly 5 1/2 minutes per pound. Shut off oven. Do not open for 1 hour. Take out and let rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing.

I'm anxious to try the tenderloin. She said it was delicious! Notice it is a pork tenderloin. The little skinny ones. Not a porkloin. The big fat ones.

A Matter of Taste Blog

Oh my, am I hungry! I just ran through my sister Sarah's food blog. I lost her link and for some reason it just slipped my mind. She is one of my real sisters. We all pretty much inherited our mother's love for cooking. Several of her recipes I have and have made many times but I found some new delicious looking ones I plan to try soon! I put her link on my side bar so you can just click on it. http://amatteroftasteblog.blogspot.com/

Last night I had some fresh broccoli. Lately I've been roasting it in a hot oven drizzled with olive oil. I looked on Taste of Home's website and made this zesty broccoli. It was so good, I even liked it better than roasted. I did add a little of lemon juice also. Here is the link: http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Zesty-Broccoli

Raspberry/Blueberry Jam

This is not a good year for my raspberries. I am getting them but not like most years. I tried a batch of raspberry/blueberry jam yesterday. I think next time I would add more blueberries. I did 50/50 raspberries and blueberries. Next time I would try 4 cups blueberries and 2 cups raspberries.

Just an FYI: We had the Pork Ole (recipe link in a previous post) and it was very good. It calls for peach preserves but I assumed it was for a sweetener so I just used strawberry jam and it worked. We made them up like tacos with tomato, lettuce, cheese and sour cream.

Fall

I LOVE fall. Last year as I was visiting with some ladies, they were admiring some pretty fall berry vines, I think bittersweet, that the hostess had used as fall decorations. They then started talking about other fall foliage to use for decorating. I started looking around and couldn't believe the different free accents a person can find. I cut these juniper branches with the cute tiny little pine cones today. I can't wait until the leaves turn as we have so many brilliantly colored trees in our yard alone. I'll just snip a branch or two and put in a vase. Although, that is where I am lacking. I really need to keep my eyes open garage saling and thrifting for unique containers.

Menu Plan Week Two

I have been hoping to blog more and maybe that will happen. I am posting my menu plan again this week in the hope that it may help someone who is in a cooking funk come up with new ideas. My girls are starting to rub off on me with their whole foods and healthy eating. I do try to use more whole foods than processed but I'm not 100% true all the time. 

Thursday - Sloppy Joes,(no recipe, I just brown hamburger and add quite a bit of ketchup, a couple squirts of mustard, a little brown sugar, a splash of vinegar & Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper)  Corn on the Cob

Friday - Barbeque Salmon(p. 183), Rice Pilaf, roasted assorted vegetables (red and yellow peppers, broccoli, cauliflower and carrots)

Saturday - BLT's with thick pepper bacon from Aldi's

Sunday - Pick up Pizza

Monday - BBQ Meatballs(p.108), Garlic Roasted Potatoes(p. 79), Green Beans

Tuesday - Pork Ole http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Pork-Ole 

Wednesday - Roasted Whole Chicken with potatoes and carrots.

Meal Planning

I am back to Menu Planning. It is the number one thing that makes my life flow smoother. I usually grocery shop on Thursdays, so my plans start on Thursday. Here is this weeks plan:

Thursday - Slim Jim Sandwiches, Garden Salad (click on "recipes" on the sidebar to find the Slim Jim recipe)

Friday- Maple Salmon, Rice Pilaf, Grilled Asparagus (Tricia has the recipe for the salmon in the Torola Cookbook p. 182, and the Rice Pilaf is on p.92)

Saturday - Grilled Hamburgers, with sauted mushrooms and Swiss cheese.  Cherry tomatoes and Dill Pickles.

Sunday - Pick up Pizza

Monday- Pork Medallions, Boiled Redskin Potatoes from the vegetable stand, Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower.*

Tuesday - Stewed Tomatoes and Chicken Sausage served over brown rice. Green Beans.**

Wednesday - Picante Chicken, p. 154, Hasselback Potatoes, p.80, Corn on the Cob (from local stand). 

*(I have to learn how to do links)
Pork Medallions

1 porkloin tenderloin whole (1 pound)
1/3 cup flour
salt
pepper
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
2 Tablespoons salad oil
butter
1 Tablespoon lemon juice

About 30 minutes before serving: With knife held at a slanting position, almost parallel to cutting board, cut porkloin crosswise into 1/4" slices. With meat mallet pound each piece to 1/8" thickness. On waxed paper combine flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/3 teaspoon pepper. In pie plate with fork beat eggs and milk until just blended. Dip tenderloin into flour and then into milk.

Heat salad oil and 2 tablespoons butter. Add tenderloin pieces a few at a time and cook until golden on both sides. Add more butter as needed.

**Stewed Tomatoes & Hotdogs (or Chicken Sausage)

1 pkg natural casing Vienna hotdogs

1  can (15 ½ oz.) stewed tomatoes

1 teaspoon basil

½ teaspoon oregano

½ teaspoon sugar

1 garlic clove, minced

Cooked rice

Cut hotdogs in bite size pieces. Brown in frying pan. Add tomatoes, breaking up chunks. (or put in blender.) Add rest of ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes. Serve over cooked rice.

Flowers at their Best

September is when the flowers are at their best. I try to enjoy them as I know an early frost can take them all. The barrel with the red begonia and yellow daisy didn't bloom all summer. They finally opened a week or two ago. My camera can't quite get the vibrant red and yellow they really are. And I love the Bridal Veil I have hanging in front. They really fill out and have tiny white flowers. I LOVE this time of year.

First Day of School

The junior and eighth grader are off to school. I'm not sure where Danny's smile was as he was grinning all morning. Maybe he thought it wasn't cool for a junior to smile for pictures.