Menu Planning Week of September 27

Weekend Kick-The-Sick meal- Chicken and Dumplins (there is no 'g' in dumplins, like ever)
I totally cheat and use Bisquick dumplins  & lemon poppy seed muffins (obviously I sub melted butter for vegetable oil- yuck!)

Monday - Baked Spinach and Ricotta Rotolo, salad

Tuesday - Cuban Sliders, sweet potato fries, salad

Wednesday - Balsamic Pork Loin, Jasmine rice, broccoli
The balsamic glaze is so good. Maybe I lick the bowl after, who can tell?
 
Thursday - Chicken Pad Thai, edamame

Friday - Hideaway Pizza with the Crawfords!

Menu Planning Week of October 5, 2015

Monday: World's Best Frito Chili Pie
World's Best Frito Chili Pie, serve over rice, Fritos, top with sharp cheddar and coconut flakes. Yes, coconut flakes. They're an amazing finish to chili. Trust me.

Tuesday: Balsamic Pork, Jasmine Rice, Broccoli (didn't get to this recipe last week)

Wednesday: Grilled bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin, mashed potatoes, fresh cranberry sauce, fancy Brussels sprouts
Celebratory Coach is our Hero meal (Ava's fall break snuck up on us and Coach is coming to town to save the days!) 

Thursday: Black-eyed peas, cornbread
These really aren't too spicy. My kids loooove this recipe.  Cornbread, in a cast-iron skillet or nothing at all.

Friday: Twice-baked pork carnitas nachos, fire-roasted salsa, and all the fixins
One of our favorite fun Friday meals, the carnitas are great in breakfast tacos on Saturday morning too!

Bonus: the Best-Ever Sausage Balls
DO NOT make these the size of golf balls, DO NOT cook very long - just until you cut into one in the center of the pan and see no pink. The cream cheese helps these stay delicate, but if you're lazy with your size or linger the timer you will still accomplish the leather boot texture you remember about these appetizers at every horrible church potluck. Just say no.

and Mamaw's Wassail 
Magical fall and winter beverage that will warm you from your toes up. Feel free to add a little vodka (or Rumchata) to finish if you're in the mood!

Menu Planning Week of October 18, 2015

Since FB hashtag searching is not my friend, I've decided to rekindle my old cooking blog.  Each week I'll post my menu plan over here with searchable labels!  Each post will have one week of recipes.  I hope you enjoy!

Week of October 18

Menu plan (tips and links in comments below) I only post dinners here.  Lunches are mostly leftovers or sandwiches, although I did try the new meatball place on CC one day this week and I was impressed.  Didn't want to like it because it replaced a Norman favorite, but the price was right (my lunch was $5.41) and the food was excellent.

Sunday:  Huevos Rancheros, fruit
This is a long-time favorite at our house. It takes a while, and I recommend making both the red and green sauces because they're both delicious. I usually double the sauce and freeze half for next time. Time saver step- skip buying soft corn tortillas and grab tostadas instead. Warm them in the oven for speedy plating. Cook eggs to your preferred texture. Serve with sliced fruit and a mimosa!

Monday:  Cream Cheese & Green Chile Burgers, Sweet Potato Fries, Salad
We just bought part of a grass fed and finished cow, so I'm excited to start including some beef meals into our weekly menu plans. Serve with frozen sweet potato fries and salad.

Tuesday:  Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice, French Bread
I have an evening event Tuesday night, so I'll throw this in the slow cooker before I leave for work. When Josh gets home with the kiddos, he can make a quick batch of brown rice, heat our favorite frozen French bread in the oven, and serve an easy, delicious dinner.

Wednesday:  3 Cheese Italian Rigatoni Pie, Salad
I just love anything that comes from a spring form pan! Which one of us Type A firstborns will win the task of aligning the pasta? That's the real question. Serve with salad.

Thursday:  Herb Roasted Chicken with Butter Toasted Wild Rice

Friday:  Baba and Pops are coming and who knows where we'll end up for dinner.  $100 says Hideaway.

Bonus:  Spinach Artichoke Dip and GF Rolls

Hugo's weekly request:  Beer Cheese Dip and Crackers

Last one, I promise!  Soft Baked Pumpkin Cookies with Buttercream Icing

Grown-Up Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup

You'll have to forgive the camera-battery-dying-hungry-family-waiting-not-so-great picture of the Grown-Up Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup. When the first cool fronts of the season bring rainy gray skies, it's time for comfort food. Many moons ago Josh and I worked at The Funky Art Cafe in Brenham, Texas. The owner, Connie, was famous for her Grown-Up Grilled Cheese. Every three months she'd completely change the cafe's menu, and always featured a seasonal grilled cheese sandwich. Crisp, buttery panini bread, and a sophisticated blend of cheeses - no American cheese here. The tomato soup is my own special combination of recipes I've loved over the years. I've trimmed a lot of the fat (omitted the heavy cream most recipes call for) and added a few surprises.

Grown-Up Grilled Cheese

1 loaf of your favorite panini bread (our favorite is Panera's Tomato Basil)
butter
Boursin cheese (usually found near the goat cheese)
Smoked Gouda, sliced
Medium Cheddar, sliced

Assemble sandwiches on a large cookie sheet. Spread a generous amount of Boursin cheese on one side of all slices of bread you'll use. Layer Smoked Gouda and Medium Cheddar slices on one piece of bread per sandwich pair. Place piece of bread without cheese slices on top of the other slice. Melt a small pat of butter in a small non-stick skillet, if you have a grill or panini press use it instead. Grill sandwiches until golden brown and inside cheese are melted. If you're cooking in a skillet you will need to flip the sandwich halfway through cooking. If the cheeses do not melt completely, microwave for 20 seconds before serving. If you are preparing a lot of sandwiches, put the finished ones in a 200 degree oven until you're ready to serve. Experiment with your own cheese blends!

Tomato Soup

1 medium yellow onion, chopped
4 large cloves of garlic, quartered
3 slices of bacon, chopped
1 Tablespoon olive oil
6 large tomatoes OR 2 28-oz cans diced tomatoes
1 14-oz can tomato paste
1 14-oz can chicken stock
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
5 thyme sprigs, left whole OR 5 basil leaves, chopped
white pepper
sea salt

In a large stock pot heat olive oil. Add onion, garlic, and bacon. Saute until bacon is crispy and onion and garlic are tender. Add remaining ingredients, stirring frequently. Simmer 15 minutes. If using fresh thyme sprigs, remove. Use an immersion blender until soup reaches desired consistency. If you don't have an immersion blender, carefully ladle soup into a regular blender and pulse gently. Return soup to pot and simmer 5 more minutes, stirring frequently. Serve with Grown-Up Grilled Cheese sandwiches, great for dipping!

Menu Planning

I know, I know - I haven't blogged here in forever. Now that I'm finally posting, it's not even a new recipe.

In my journey to cook healthy, but tasty and affordable meals for our little family I've tried many methods of menu planning. Not planning out the meals I'll cook each week is not an option. If I don't write out a list of meals, we end up eating out or having cereal for dinner. Plus, we have random groceries left unused. For a while I would just write out meals on paper, then I found this Feed Me template at The Container Store. I've used it for the past year, and it was a great place to start. After using it for a while I knew there were certain things I liked, and some that I did not.

I created my own template. It hangs on the message center in the entrance to my kitchen.

Of course I had to 'cute' it up a little.

This picture is a little blurry, but here is what it looks like all filled out. I don't like feeling tied down to cook certain things on specific days, so I just made spaces for four Meal spots with room for a main dish and sides. The lines are long enough to write the name of the meal and the name of the cookbook and corresponding page number. I have a section for breakfasts/desserts, and another section for things we run out of during the week. I do not have a spot for grocery list, the Feed Me template had one. I use an iPhone app (Grocery Zen) to keep my grocery list. Plus, it's a bit risky to take your whole menu planner to the grocery store. If you lose it you're stuck with a bunch of groceries and no direction.

There's nothing magical about my menu planning form, but it works for me. If you'd like a blank copy, just send me an email at autumn.lockett@me.com. I'd love to hear your menu planning tips and advice. Comment below!

World's Best Cherry Pie Filling

About a month ago I began dreaming about cherry pies. There were no fresh cherries available anywhere. Last summer I adapted a Williams-Sonoma recipe for cherry pie filling. I filled pies, ramekins, heart-shaped pockets, and even served it over vanilla ice cream. Last week we finally found some cherries in the produce department! This recipe is really easy, especially if you have a Pit Crew.

Ava removed the stems, and J pitted the cherries.

Teamwork

Chery Pie Filling

2 cups granulated sugar
6 Tablespoons corn starch
1 teaspoon salt
8 cups pitted cherries, whole
4 teaspoons Mexican vanilla

In a large pot stir sugar, corn starch and salt. Add cherries and vanilla. Simmer for 25 minutes, cool completely.

Makes enough filling for 2 deep-dish pies, or 24 heart-shaped pockets. I usually freeze half, just thaw in the refrigerator overnight before second use.

Looking for the perfect crust recipe to accompany your cherry pie filling?
Click HERE for my favorite crust recipe ever.

Sick Soup

The name of this soup should really be Chicken and Wild Rice, but Josh christened it Sick Soup many moons ago. When we were first married we lived in Independence, Texas, which is, according to Rand McNally, a ghost town. One evening he came down with a high fever and I didn't want to leave him alone for thirty minutes to drive to the grocery store, but also knew he needed to eat something healthier than the frozen pizza in our freezer...yes, we were young and dumb once. No pizzas in our freezer now, I promise. Anyway, I rummaged around in our cabinets and vegetable drawer and found ingredients to make the first ever Sick Soup. It's so simple and delicious, perfect for comfort or illness. I love to take it to friends who are sick, recovering, or just plain sad. Make this big portion and share half with someone who needs a little extra love.

The ingredients:

1/2 pound organic white meat chicken, boneless and skinless, chopped
1/2 pound organic dark meat chicken, boneless and skinless, chopped
3 cups Royal Blend rice (or your favorite wild rice mix)
8-10 organic carrots, cut on a bias about 1/4 inch thick
2 large stalks organic celery, coarsely chopped
32 ounces organic, low sodium, reduced fat chicken broth
32 ounces water
2 Tablespoons dried sage (you can also use thyme or tarragon, just pick one - don't mix them)
fresh cracked peppercorns
sea salt

Cut carrots on a bias (see below), chop celery and chicken - in that order, and toss into your favorite soup pot

Put remaining ingredients into the pot and stir gently.
Turn burner to medium heat, cover tightly with lid.

When the rice is fluffy, chicken is cooked, and vegetables are tender your Sick Soup is ready, about 45 minutes to an hour. I purposely don't put a lot of liquid in this soup because Josh is not a fan of broth, but you could definitely add more water or chicken stock to make this more 'soupy'.

This dish refrigerates well and serves as delicious lunch and leftovers the next day or two... or six. But it really shouldn't last that long because you're sharing it, remember?