Menu of the Week #7

Our seventh menu of the week in 2018 was disrupted, but you can see in the above picture what I intended to make. What didn't get made this week will appear on next week's menu. This post will have the following recipes: Baked Chicken Parmesan Meatballs, 1770 House Meatloaf with Garlic Sauce, and Enchilada Soup.

Menu of the Week #6

The menu of the week turned out to be delicious. This week we had Salmon with a Salad of Green Beans and Bok Choy, Chicken Tacos with Refried Beans and a Garden Salad, Pork Chops with Roasted Beets and Oranges, Pumpkin Pasta with Chicken Sausage, and Sheet Pan Pasta Bake with Chicken and Kale.

Pumpkin Pasta with Chicken Sausage

Pumpkin Pasta with Chicken Sausage

I am freaking out (dramatically) about how good and how easy this dinner was.

Ingredients:
12 oz pasta
2 T olive oil
Chicken Sausage, sliced (I found Applewood Smoked with Gouda)
1 C Pumpkin Puree
1 C Heavy Whipping Cream
Fresh Sage, chiffonade
1/2 t red pepper flakes
8 oz Fontina Cheese, shredded
Salt and pepper to taste

Menu of the Week #4

This week was a mix of new recipes and some old standards for us. I discovered a new way to make Brussels and cauliflower that I think you will enjoy too. We have to keep our veggie game up to trick family into eating enough, am I right?

Menu of the Week #3

My family enjoyed our menu of the week which features a meatless dish, as well as chicken, pork, beef, fish, I think we've covered all the proteins.

Menu of the Week #2

This menu of the week is in line with every typical January meal plan, don't you think? You will find lots of veggies, exceptionally healthy leafy greens and lean proteins. If you are looking for healthy and delicious dinner ideas, here you go!

Menu of the Week

Our menu of the week focused on fairly healthy dinners from Cooking Light. I tried a few new recipes and had to improvise on Wednesday when dinner took a nose dive. Keep reading to find out what dinners we enjoyed.

Menu of the Week

Go figure the week that Jim thinks I hit it out of the ballpark I miss the pic of my chalkboard menu wall. At least I snapped a few pics of the dishes before we devoured them.

Menu of the Week

The menu of the week was mostly "hit" and one big miss. Keep reading to see which night bombed!

What I Cook on Repeat

I'm often asked what I like to cook the most, and frankly I do not have an answer because I do not like repeating recipes that much. In fact it used to drive Jim crazy that I always wanted to try something new instead of recreating a successful dinner that he loved.

I think it was partly due to the fact I FELL so hard and so fast IN LOVE with cooking. Like anything obsessive, you can imagine my craving for knowledge was so great that I was ravenously consuming recipe books and food blogs for new cooking techniques and new ingredients to try.

Lots of Seafood this Week

I neglected to renew my domain name. Ooops! It's gone and I doubt I will play $60 to get it back from the company who is holding it hostage. For the time being you can find my recipe archive at www.homewithmandy.blogspot.com and I may be doing a re-branding later this year. We will see what happens.

Let's get back into the swing of regular blog posts shall we? This was our menu from last week and I mostly appreciated how quickly everything came together each night. There are times when I relish the long list of ingredients I chop and tend to. This was not that week.

Italian Mussels: Mussels are one of our favorite meals to cook and eat on a weekend. I do my grocery shopping on the weekend and this is an item you really don't want sitting in your fridge, it is best to cook it the day you buy them. Mussels are also a fabulous dinner party food because I serve them family style in a big shallow bowl. I have changed up the recipe over the years to keep things interesting, but my standby is posted here. I now add 2-3 sausage links to the pot while I'm softening the vegetables. The way I do it is to squeeze 1/2 inch size balls of meat out of the casings right into the pot. I like how rustic it makes the finished dish in the end.

Pressure Cooker Chicken, Lentil, and Bacon Stew With Carrots

I'm learning that my pressure cooker is an amazing device for making flavor-packed stews in very short order. In this version, lentils are flavored with big chunks of bacon, chicken stock, carrots, onions, bay leaves, and fall-off-the-bone tender chicken. It all cooks in under an hour from start to finish.

Menu of the Week

Here is another full Menu of the Week from our home. The top three favorites this week were the Spicy Tilapia with Olive, Zucchini and Tomato Relish, Sloppy GI Joes and the Roasted Shrimp with Feta. Keep reading for links and photos.

Menu of the Week + Salmon in Lemon Brodetto and Pea Puree

 

It was another great weekly menu at our house with some repeated favorites and a couple new recipes that will be making a comeback.

 

The Chicken Tacos are one of those easy meals good for several days of lunches.  I take frozen chicken breasts and put them in a crock pot with a jar of salsa and a package of taco seasoning. Set the slow cooker on low all day (5-8 hours) and then the chicken easily shreds with a fork inside the crockpot. I buy tortillas, a block of cheddar cheese to grate at home and we call that a great dinner. I serve with black beans and sometimes Mexican rice. Super easy, really yummy. I feel like this isn't even a recipe at all which is why I have not featured it on HWM. Maybe I should throw it up on here next time I make it so I at least have a picture to reference when it shows up on our weekly menu.

 

On Monday we had the usual Salmon but this time I decided to try a Giada recipe from Food Network. This Salmon in Lemon Brodetto and Pea Puree is a perfect dish for spring. I've got the full recipe with pictures below.

Menu of the Week + Chicken & Dumplings Update

Our menu of the week consist of one of Jim's most favorite meals: Chicken and Dumplings. There were two other stars on the menu that I guarantee will be making a comeback on our menu board in a few weeks. The Salmon in Lemon Brodetto with Pea Puree was amazing. Keep reading for links to recipes.

Menu of the Week and the Terrible Peanut Shrimp Dinner

This menu of the week consist of some super easy meals. Shrimp tacos didn't happen on Sunday, instead we ate out with friends. Pot Pies and rice on Monday? I know, crazy right!? Monday was a holiday so our "Monday" was on Tuesday which is why Tuesday we had our traditional salmon meal.

Pan Roasted Chicken Caprese Salad

"Two salads and two fish," that is one rule of our weekly meal planning I'm trying to stick to. It's not too difficult to have a salad entrée when you focus on tried and true flavor combinations. Fresh is best, and this caprese salad with pan roasted chicken brings bold flavors while sparing us from an unhealthy meal.
  

7 Tips for Serving Dinner 7 Nights a Week

On Monday I go back to work full time after being on maternity leave. Oh boy, this is going to be an adjustment. I've been asked how I'm able to cook every night for my family and so I thought I would put a couple thoughts down on the blog.

1. For one, I don't think I would do this if I didn't enjoy it. I absolutely love cooking, it brings me peace and makes me happy.
2. Make a plan. You don't have to stick to it, but making a plan the week before and shopping for everything you need will make pulling dinners together every night possible.
3. Stick with what you know. I add maybe one or two new recipes a week but mostly stick to recipes I've made before so I don't get slowed down following a recipe or trying a new cooking technique.

Garlic Brown Sugar Chicken

I have spent the last six weeks learning how to be a mom to Miss Harper with little time left for cooking. We have been blessed by sweet friends who have stepped up to provide meals for Jim and I during these first two months. I can't express how thankful I am for the break I've been given to simply focus on our new little family. On a few occasions when I've had some free time while Harper napped, I've jumped at the chance to whip up dinner for Jim and I. They have to be easy and quick recipes, and have mostly been meals that I've already blogged about here on HWM.

Chicken Diablo

I just love my food blog buddies because just when I think I'm all out of ideas for dinner, I am inspired all over again with their talents. I first spotted this delicious Chicken Diablo on Pinterest from Leslie Green who is The Hungry Housewife. She has an entire board just on Chicken! She pinned this recipe from Maggie of A Bitchin' Kitchen who adapted the recipe from Bev Cooks who found the recipe on Recipe Finder.

All that to prove to you, this recipe is GOOD! It's been passed all around the internet and wound up on pinterest because it's easy to make and is full of flavor.