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 #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

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

Our menu of the week features a repeat from last week...because it was just THAT good. Of course I tweaked the ingredients and I think it's even better. Keep reading to see what we had.

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.

Weekly Menu + Lasagna Roll Ups

Here is another menu for the week at our home. Chicken Tacos is always a winner. I make it in the crock pot with frozen chicken breasts along with a jar of salsa and a package of taco seasoning. I mean, this could not be easier.

 

The Asian Grilled Salmon with Quinoa recipe came from Ina Garten and it was just okay. It was a "popular" recipe on Food Network but it lacked that WOW factor that the Barefoot Contessa usually has in all her recipes. You basically mix up Dijon mustard, olive oil, soy and minced garlic. This goes on the salmon before you bake it and you add more before serving. It was okay, but not amazing.

 

The Thai Tilapia with Coconut Curry Broth was AMAZING. Click the link to see my step by step photos of this wonderful meal that I can't wait to make again.

 

Lasagna Roll Ups was a conglomeration of several recipes I read online. Giada's rendition is what inspired me first but I knew that I could improve to better fit my family's taste.  I had the idea to make these lasagna rolls instead of one large pan of lasagna so I could freeze them in smaller portions. This is the recipe I want to share with you today.

 

My idea worked brilliantly and I really like the way these turned out. I cut some corners, making this easy enough for a week night meal - and better yet, I have three pans of this in the freezer!

Girls Night Recipes

When my friends and I plan girls night, it always involves sinful snacking. If there were a night to fry something, this would be it. Lots of jokes (sometimes at my expense), lots of fried food, lots of wine, lots of chatter around the roar of a fire - no boys allowed. You won't find spicy chicken wings or philly cheese steaks anywhere near our buffet. Let me highlight some of our favorite snacks for girls night!

Fried zucchini slices, otherwise known as Zucca Chips are so perfect for girls night! For one, they are quick and easy. Secondly, these are delicious!

Be sure to buy at least one zucchini per person because they shrink up and we tend to eat these by the handfuls.

As soon as you pull them out of the fryer, allow them to drain on a paper towel and sprinkle with salt right away.

While we were at it, we also thinly sliced potatoes and fried them up as well.

Mint Love Letters with Spicy Lamb Sausage

A few years ago Jim and I took a trip to New York and chose to spend one special dinner at Mario Batali's highly acclaimed restaurant, Babbo. This may by my favorite memory from the whole trip.

The restaurant is quaint and service is helpful and friendly. We dined side by side in a romantic atmosphere and just enjoyed each others company and the wonderful food. Oh the food. The food and the wine. The wine and the food. It can make me cry just thinking about how beautiful everything was.

My favorite course by far were these Mint Love Letters with Spicy Lamb Sausage, a signature dish of Mario Batali's. The homemade sheets of pasta were so fresh and dainty. Inside the ravioli was the most unusual combination of mint, sweet peas and salty parmesan. The ravioli's were tossed in a spicy lamb sausage tomato sauce. These are explosive little flavor packages. Notice, you get three for $20.

When I ran across the recipe on Food & Wine, I knew that I just had to make these for Jim so we could recreate that very special evening in New York. The sauce came out perfectly! The first batch of ravioli, although it tasted spot on, were not very pretty. My second batch had a much better presentation - just wait until my next blog post where I show you what I can do with a little practice!

Keep reading for the step by step recipe with pictures...

Baked Polenta with Quick Tomato Sauce

Polenta is a boiled, slow-cooked cornmeal "mush" -- typically made with coarsely ground yellow corn meal. In some regions of Italy (especially in the north), it's a beloved everyday dish and is topped with meat, fish, pasta sauce, cheese, or vegetables. Cooled and hardened, polenta can be sliced, sauted, or grilled, and served sweet or savory.

You can purchase precooked, ready-to-heat-and eat “solid polenta” in sausage-like tubes, plain and in flavors such as basil, garlic and sundried tomato. In my grocery store, it is found on the pasta aisle.

Slices of polenta can be easily turned into hors d’oeuvres, first courses and sides. They provide a firm base for just about anything. Just pan fry or heat them in the oven.

 

To make my quick (make-shift) tomato sauce I started with a little bit of olive oil and a tablespoon of bacon grease in my dutch oven.

I added a handful of carrots to my handy chopper and chopped them to bits.

Then added the carrots to the hot dutch oven and sauteed for just a minute or so.

I looked in the pantry and fridge to see what flavors I could add to my tomato sauce and found a jar of sun dried tomatoes with only three tomatoes left, so I dug them out and chopped them up finely in my handy chopper.

In addition to adding the chopped dried tomatoes I added minced garlic and sauteed for a minute.

A can of tomatoes would have been ideal, but all I had in the pantry was a can of rotel diced tomatoes with green chilies. So I added that in.

I liked the chunks of tomatoes but I need a thicker tomato sauce.

So I added a small can of tomato sauce to the mixture.

Then seasoned with Basil and Oregano (from Italy.)

I let this simmer on low for about 20 minutes while I prepared the polenta.

Slice the log of polenta in 1/2 inch discs.

I lightly oiled the baking sheet with olive oil and seasoned each slice of polenta with salt and pepper.

I baked these in the oven for about 20 minutes, until the edges turned a bit crispy.

When it was time to put the dish together I tasted my sauce and decided to add 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese and this gave it a touch of creaminess and the bit of salt that the sauce needed.

When I have the ingredients on hand and the time to make the real deal, here is my favorite tomato sauce recipe:

1 chopped yellow onion
2 teaspoons minced garlic
3/4 cup good red wine
1 (14.5-ounce) can stewed tomatoes
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
2 tablespoons flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes

Add the chopped onion and let it cook to translucent for about 5 minutes, stirring often. Then I add the garlic and cook for a minute. Pour in the wine, cook for a minute. Add all the cans of tomatoes. Add salt, pepper, sugar, basil, red pepper flakes, and parsley. Stir to combine and cook over medium heat for 20-30 minutes.

For step by step instructions on our favorite Tomato and Meatball recipe (it is oh so good) visit this post.

Plate up and enjoy! I would consider this dinner, Jim would call this an appetizer since there is not any meat included on this dish.

If you like Polenta, you will probably also like it's cousin Grits. One of my favorite grit recipes is Shrimp and Grits, made with sausage, ham and tomatoes.

Perfecto Pot Roast

To date, this is the best pot roast I've ever made - or tasted for that matter. Mom, I know your heart is breaking as you read this. Sorry. I've made my mothers pot roast for years because it truly is good and really easy to boot.

As I began experimenting with recipes, I tried Kalyn's Kitchens version of Hungarian Pot Roast with the sour cream stirred into the sauce at the end. It was delish as well and made in the slow cooker, so this is the recipe I would use during the work week.

But it was Ina Garten's Company Pot Roast that had Jim chewing slowly, savoring every bite and then telling me how awesome I am. Okay, so any recipe that makes my fiance say how awesome I am is a definite winner. I love being the hero in the kitchen!

Ina's pot roast recipe is definitely gourmet with the addition of leeks, red wine, cognac, whole tomatoes and chicken bouillon. The tomato meat sauce is spectacular, and I've served the leftover sauce over pasta and also polenta - both stunning dishes!

Start with a 4-5 pound prime boneless beef chuck roast. Also gather 4 carrots, 2 onions, 3 leeks, 4 celery, red wine, cognac or brandy, 1 can of whole plum tomatoes in puree, 1 can chicken stock, 1 chicken bouillon cube, olive oil, thyme, rosemary, 1 T butter

Pat the beef dry with a paper towel and then lets season this with my mom's favorite mix: SPOG (Salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder).

Then dredge the whole roast in flour, including the ends.

In a large dutch oven (this is my green Rachael Ray Dutch Oven which I love), heat 2 T olive oil over medium heat. Add the roast and sear on all sides, about 4 minutes per side until it is nicely browned all over.

Turn and sear the ends as well. Remove the roast to a large plate, and set aside while we prep the veggies.

Four carrots, peeled and then give it a chunky chop.

The leeks need to be washed thoroughly since they hold a lot of grit when brought home from the store. Give these a rough chop as well.

You can also see I rinsed and chopped the celery.

Dice the onion and through all the veggies into the Dutch oven along with another 2 T of olive oil.

Add 1 T of salt, 1 1/2 t pepper and cook over medium heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender but not browned. Add garlic, then add 2 cups of good red wine and 2 t of brandy.

Update: Choose a wine that you would/could also drink. The recipe calls for red wine and suggest a bordeaux, although a merlot, cabernet, sirah, shiraz or blend of the above would do just fine - just be sure you LIKE the wine and you would actually drink it. Never cook with wine you wouldn't also drink.

This is a picture after garlic was added.

Here is a picture after the wine and brandy was added.

Once the mixture comes to a boil, add one can of chicken broth.

Add 1 (28-ounce) can whole plum tomatoes in puree.

Add one bouillon cube for flavor!

I'm starting my herb garden again - and I just LOVE cooking from my garden. Here is some rosemary that I just purchased but haven't planted yet.

Ina suggest wrapping the thyme and rosemary together with kitchen string and adding it to the pot. Instead I simply threw in one fresh sprig of rosemary.

Then threw in a pinch of dried thyme.

Preheat the oven to 325 and add the roast back to the dutch oven. Bring to a boil and cover. Place in the oven for 2 1/2 hours, until the meat is fork tender or about 160 degrees F internally. Turn the heat down to 250 degrees F after about an hour to keep the sauce at a simmer.

Remove the roast to a cutting board and let it rest before slicing. Remove the herb bundle and discard. Skim off as much fat as possible from the top of the sauce. Transfer half the sauce and veggies to a blender or use your hand held blender and puree half the sauce or to your own liking. I personally like chunky pieces of carrots and tomatoes in this sauce.

Fork tender roast.

Here is the chunky meat sauce that I ladled over the roast.

Perfecto Pot Roast!

Excellent over egg noodles, perfect for company or for your family! Thanks Ina for another GREAT recipe!