Weekly Meal Plan - Classic Dishes

This week we will be having a lot of classic dishes. Here is the plan:

Sunday: Beef and Barley Soup with Crusty Bread

Monday: Chicken Pot Pie with Green Leaf Salad

Tuesday: Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce with Chopped Salad

Wednesday: Eggplant and Fried Green Tomato Parmesan with Spaghetti and Italian Chopped Salad

Leftovers (all lunch portions, 2 cup Pyrex bowls):

Beef and Barley Soup: 5

Chicken Pot Pie: 5 (ate two for leftovers on Thursday, froze 3)

Combo of Spaghetti/Tomato Sauce with E and FGT Parm: 5

Printable Version of meal plan and grocery list.

Reuben Dip and Chicken Wild Rice Soup

Friday night, Scot and I joined in on a wonderful potluck dinner with some friends. The theme this week was "Food from your Homeland". Everyone interpreted the theme differently, which made it even more interesting. Some people did food from their heritage. Some did food their mom used to make. Some did food popular in the city or state they grew up in. We did the last opt.

Since Scot and I have different homelands, we decided to make two dishes from each one. Scot's was Minnesota Chicken Wild Rice Soup. We followed this recipe, but not really at all. It was very nice. Here is what we actually did:

Chicken Wild Rice Soup

2 carrots, peeled and diced

2 celery stalks, peels and diced

1 small onion diced

3/4 cup all‐purpose flour

1/2 cup butter

6 cups chicken broth

1 (4.5 ounce) package quick cooking long grain

2 cooked, boneless chicken breast halves, cubed

2 cups whole milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

olive oil

In a large pot over medium heat, add olive oil and cook chicken. Remove from pot to cool and then dice.

In the same pot medium heat, cook carrots, celery and onion in more olive oil for about 5 minutes. Add butter and flour to make a roux. Cook for about 2 minutes to remove flour taste. Add chicken broth and bring to a bubble. Let cook for about 5 minutes until it thickens. Add rice and reduce to a simmer. Cook until done (about 20 minutes). Add chicken,

milk, salt and pepper. Serve when all warmed through.

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Mine was a Reuben dip that I found on Closet Cooking. Duh, Reubens were invited in Omaha. Proof here. We decided New York has enough, let Omaha have this one. I love a Reuben. Seriously! Remember when I was going on and on about pickles? Well, I must have a thing for brines because I am equally in love with corned beef. One of the reasons I love St. Patrick's day. The ingredients in a Reuben are some how magical. Who would think corned beef, swiss cheese, sauerkraut, rye bread and thousand island dressing could be so good? Go Reubin! Anyways, this dip is just all of those things in one. Oh and really healthy. I actually quadrupled the recipe below. Closet Cooking does do a nice job of writing recipes for 2 people, so check his blog out! However, I wanted enough to share. I think doing 4 x's the recipe is the perfect amount of dip for one loaf of rye bread.

Reuben Dip by Closet Cooking

(makes 2 servings)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup corned beef (diced)

1/4 cup sauerkraut (squeezed and drained)

1/4 cup Swiss cheese (shredded)

4 ounces cream cheese (room temperature)

3 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 tablespoon ketchup

1 tablespoon horseradish (or mustard)

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Directions:

1. Mix everything in a large bowl.

2. Pour the mixture into a baking dish.

3. Bake in a preheated 350F oven until bubbling on the sides and golden brown on top, about 20 minutes.

Serve with small pieces of rye bread, obv.

Printable Version

Here were some of the other tasty dishes from the potluck. Perogies representing Polish-ness, Roadkill meatballs from Tennessee, Bison meatloaf from a NY mom, twice baked potatoes from a MI mom. Not pictured Boulder Canyon chips from Boulder! and crab dip from Maryland.

Super Sloppy Joes with Fennel and Cabbage Slaw

SUPER Sloppy Joes. It is a fork and knifer. I was inspired to make sloppy joes because Bobby Flay did a sloppy joe throwdown a few months ago. His Joes looked amazing. And I am sure they were. I intended to make them, but after looking at his recipe, I decided that was too much work for a loose meat sandwich. Bobby Flay is still awesome, just too awesome.

I looked around and Rachael's recipe had good ratings and was easy. It was pretty good...tasted just like sloppy joes should! I think I may be a little full of ground beef, though. With the meatloaf and the sloppy joes. This was a very meaty week. Scot had three joes. sloppy joes. joes. sloppy. joes.

Super Sloppy Joes

by Rachael Ray

(Yield: ~4 servings)

1 tablespoon extra‐virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan

1 1/4 pounds ground beef sirloin

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon steak seasoning blend, such as McCormick brand Montreal Seasoning

1 medium onion, chopped

1 small red bell pepper, chopped

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 cups tomato sauce

2 tablespoons tomato paste

4 crusty rolls, split, toasted, and lightly buttered

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add oil and meat to the pan. Spread the meat around the pan and begin to break it up. Combine brown sugar and steak seasoning. Add sugar and spice mixture to the skillet and combine. When the meat has browned, add onion and red peppers to the skillet. Reduce heat to medium low and cook onions, peppers, red wine vinegar and Worcestershire sauce with meat for 5 minutes. Add tomato sauce and paste to pan. Stir to combine. Reduce heat to simmer and cook Sloppy Joe mixture 5 minutes longer. Using a large spoon or ice cream scoop, pile sloppy meat onto toasted, buttered bun bottoms and cover with bun tops.

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In addition, I made Mel D's Fennel and Cabbage Slaw, which I seriously love. I have made it several times. I am not usually a fan of coleslaws. When a restaurant offers coleslaw as a side, I often feel a little gypped. It is kind of a mix between a salad and a condiment. I think they are usually too sweet and soggy. I also think everytime...ooh, maybe this place has good coleslaw...they never do. Anyways! This is really good. I am sort of in love with fennel. If you haven't tried it, you should. It is kind of a cross between an very, very mild onion, the texture of cabbage and maybe has a little bok choy-ness. It tastes kind of licorice-y. If I am making this less desirable for you, just try it. The first time I had it was when I tried a salmon recipe by Alton Brown, which I will definitely post at sometime. It was amazing. So is fennel. A few deets. Sometimes the grocery store cuts off most of the tops of the fennel (the fronds). That is sad because the fronds are nice. However, even when the cut most of it off, you can usually salvage a small bunch of fronds. They are just the little hairy guys on the stalk. You can use them like any herb. As for slicing it up for the slaw, you cut off all the green part and just slice up the white bulb. Quarter it. Then, remove the core (you will be able to see it). If aren't sure, just taste it, the core is nasty and hard to chew.

I also don't think the bacon is necessary to make this amazing, although it sure doesn't hurt. I didn't use any of these measurements either because I made like a whole big mixing bowl of this stuff. And who wants to buy a whole cabbage to use 1 cup of it? And my last thing...I never use light anything. Especially anything dairy. I would rather use less or no full fat product than use anything light. And I think Miracle Whip is the worst thing on earth. Sorry, I know some peeps like it....but I just can't.

Fennel and Cabbage Slaw

by Melissa D'Arabian

1 fennel bulb, core removed, cut into quarters, and sliced very thinly, fronds reserved

1 cup thinly sliced purple cabbage

2 scallions, chopped

2 strips bacon, cooked crisp and chopped

For the dressing:

1/4 cup mayonnaise

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

3 tablespoons chopped fennel fronds

1 teaspoon sugar

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Toss the fennel, cabbage, scallions, and bacon together in a medium bowl. Whisk the mayonnaise, vinegar, fennel fronds, sugar, and salt and pepper, to taste, in a small bowl. Add the dressing to the slaw and toss to coat.

Printable Version

Cuban Sandwich

I love making sandwiches at home. I usually just try to make the different sandwiches I have at restaurants. We have a lot of Reubens, toasted subs, Philly cheese steaks, various grilled sandwiches, etc. As some of you know, I was a cook at IHOP. For real! I was trained by the corporate training team (big stuff!) too because I started at a new IHOP before it even opened. I was only 15. I was definitely the only female and the youngest one by about 20 years. I loved it at the beginning. The were very hesitant about hiring me as a cook, "are you sure you don't want to host or serve?" I was very determined for them to let me cook. So, they said I could get trained and they would see how I did on all the tests. Haha...please know that this is not how all the cooks get jobs at IHOP...obviously. Well, I basically wanted to prove everyone wrong because I hated when people thought girls couldn't do things (used to be a big feminist from about 5th-14th grade, then I realized I really don't want to mow the lawn or have dirty finger nails). There were three exams and I got 100% on all of them. I got a special pin to put on my chef hat. You may be very proud of me, but the truth is, I was just stubborn and memorized the menu and whatever else was on the test. My point is that my main position in the kitchen was the sandwich/salad station. I stood behind the pancake/head cook, who called out the orders. I got him and the grill guy everything they needed to make the food. Then, I made all the sandwiches, salads and a few other things like the pasta dishes. I was legally not allowed to use a knife since I wasn't 16 yet, but they let me anyways. Oh, and I made toast! Huge vat of butter, painted on with brush. Bottom line: I actually did learn how to make some classic diner sandwiches. There are a few little tricks. Ok, so I didn't use any of them for this sandwich, but I just wanted to have a really long paragraph about IHOP. Last thing, the rest of the cooks called be "Boo".

If you are still with me, I would like to tell you about this sandwich. I LOVE a Cuban sandwich. It is pork, ham, swiss cheese, pickles and mustard. It is usually grilled or pressed in some sort of a bun or roll. This was the way to use up some of the rest of the pork tenderloin. I have also made Bobby Flay's recipe for a Miami Burger, which was equally amazing. That would be good if you don't have left over pork. The reason I love it is because I love pickles. And mustard. A lot. I used to drink pickle juice when I was little. So, you just kind of throw all those ingredients together and then you can make the sandwich panini style or grilled. When I make pressed sandwiches, I do the following:

I think sandwich presses are nice, but kind of a one hit wonder. I also don't like how you can only make two at a time (sometimes only one). As I have previously stressed, I like to make sandwiches for dinner, that can be rough on Scot's caloric intake. So, I need to make him at least two. I use my griddle pan. Then, I set my big oval skillet on top with soup cans in for weight. You need a pretty low heat, below medium. And a little olive oil on the griddle.

Lastly, always serve your sandwiches with a pickle. Always.

Cuban Spiced Pork Tenderloin, Soffrito Rice and Green Beans

I have been wanting to make pork tenderloin for some time now. I found a recipe by Rachael Ray that seemed different and interesting. I have never been a huge pork tenderloin fan, but I actually haven't had it that many times. Anyways, I originally planned to make the Cuban spiced pork tenderloin, which I did. However, I came across a fellow food blogger's pt recipe and I wanted to try it too. So, since Rach's recipe called for two pt's, I made one her way and one "for the love of cooking" way. I also made the recipe for Soffrito rice that went along with the Cuban spiced pork. I made so many substitutions that I am not sure it can be considered the same thing. The fact that she lists saffron as a spice to add to the rice makes me cry inside a little. For those of you that don't know, saffron is one of the (or THE) most expensive spices. Like ever. Gourmet to the max. I obviously didn't use it. I actually used paprika instead. (NOTE: I have started writing a blog that I will post later on "Appropriate Substitutions"...paprika for saffron is not really a good example...haha, not at all.) I am going to keep the recipe as she wrote it, though, because it is really just a simple rice side that is nice with the pork tenderloin. Rach's pt was good, lots of spice on the crust, which was nice with the rest of the meal. I would recommend using a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature after 25 minutes. I think 155F is good for medium. I needed 30 minutes to get it there (might be due to elevation). I also made some green beans to go with the pork and rice. I just put trimmed and washed green beans in a skillet with about a half a cup of water. Covered and cooked for maybe 5 minutes. Most of the water evaporated, but I drained the rest. Tossed with butter, salt and pepper.

Cuban Spiced Pork Tenderloin and Soffrito Rice

courtesy of Rachael Ray

Ingredients

Rice:

1 tablespoon olive oil or vegetable oil

2 slices bacon, chopped

1 small white onion, chopped

1 small green bell pepper, chopped

2 3/4 cups chicken broth

1 1/2 cups white rice

2 pinches saffron or 1/2 teaspoon turmeric

Salt

Pork:

2 pork tenderloins, trimmed, about 2 1/2 pounds total weight

4 cloves garlic, cracked away from skin

4 bay leaves

2 teaspoons anise seed

2 teaspoons ground coriander

1 tablespoon ground cumin

2 limes, zested

2 tablespoons grill seasoning blend (recommended: McCormick Montreal Steak Seasoning) or

coarse salt and pepper

EVOO - Extra-virgin olive oil, or vegetable oil, to coat

Optional garnishes: chopped mango or kiwi, or chopped cilantro and scallions

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Heat medium pot with tight fitting lid over medium high heat. Add oil and bacon and brown bacon.

Add onions and peppers and saute 5 minutes. Bring broth to a boil. Add rice. Cover the pot and

reduce heat to simmer. Cook 15 to 18 minutes, until rice is tender.

For pork, cut 4 slits into each loin and nest garlic and bay into meat. Place meat on nonstick

baking sheet. Combine the spices. Coat meat with oil. Rub spices over the pork tenderloins and

place in oven. Roast meat 25 minutes. Remove from oven. Let juices redistribute, then slice and

serve with soffrito rice and garnishes of chopped tropical fruit or chopped cilantro and scallions.

Printable Version

The Maple/Dijon pt was also great. If I had to choose, I would say I liked it better. They were both so different, though, it is hard to choose. It was much more moist. However, they were both tender. The two cooking methods are completely different. Rachael's method was much easier. The Maple/Dijon needed more babysitting.

Pork Tenderloin with Maple Glaze:
Recipe by For the Love of Cooking
Recipe adapted from Epicurious and inspired by Sara

1 pork tenderloin
1 tsp dried sage
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
2 tsp olive oil
5 tablespoons pure maple syrup
5 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Rub the entire pork tenderloin with the dried sage, sea salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the pork tenderloin and cook until brown on all sides, turning occasionally, about 5-6 minutes. Reduce heat to medium low, insert a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the pork then cover and cook until thermometer registers 150-155°, turning occasionally, about 7-10 minutes longer. Transfer pork to platter; cover with a tin foil tent to keep warm.

Whisk 5 tablespoons maple syrup, 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar and Dijon mustard in small bowl to blend. Set aside. Add remaining 2 tablespoons vinegar to the same skillet and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Reduce heat to medium then add the maple syrup mixture and cook until sauce thickens a bit, about 2-3 minutes. Return pork and any accumulated juices to skillet and coat the meat with the glaze. Transfer pork to cutting board, let the meat rest for 5 minutes before slicing into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Season glaze to taste with salt and pepper if desired. Spoon glaze over sliced pork and serve. Enjoy.

Printable Version

I plan to make Cuban sandwiches (my fav!) with the left over pork.

Pasta with Spinach, Cherry Tomatoes and Feta

Monday night is basketball night. So, this meal was made by Scot! He did a great job, especially with my vague instructions. We make a lot of pasta meals like this. They are always different because I never remember what I did the last time. Every once and while Scot will make something if I will be gone right in the middle of dinner time, like tonight. It is almost always pasta. This combo was really good though. I think food always tastes better when someone else makes it for you.

Here is the chef, himself. This type of pasta dish doesn't really have a sauce. You just make the pasta and while it is still hot, toss it with the veggies. It partially steams the spinach, warms up the tomatoes. Then, just mix in some fat, cheese and spices to make it taste good. It is more like a salad pasta rather than a pasta salad because there is so much spinach. Because the spinach isn't cooked all the way, it reheats pretty nice. You could also eat the leftovers cold. We get two dinners and three lunches out of this. There are a million substitutions.

Pasta with Spinach, Cherry Tomatoes and Feta

(makes about 4 servings)

Ingredients

1 box of short pasta (Rotini)

1 bag of pre-washed baby spinach

1 pint of cherry tomatoes halved or quartered

1 package of crumbed feta cheese

1 tablespoon of pasta sprinkle or Italian seasoning

½ cup of grated or shredded parmesan

2 tablespoons of butter

2-3 tablespoons of olive oil

1-2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar

salt and pepper

Make the pasta and drain.

While pasta is still hot, mix it with everything except the tomatoes. Adjust seasoning, oil, cheese to your liking. Then, add tomatoes.

Printable Version

PS: We made meatloaf sandwiches with the leftover meatloaf from last night. I personally liked the sandwiches better than the original meatloaf. Just regular wheat sandwich bread, a little mayo (weird, I know, but sometimes Paula Deen is right) and a slab of meatloaf.

BBQ Meatloaf with Spicy Corn Fritters and Maple, Dijon Brussel Sprouts

Meatloaf!!! I have been thinking about making a loaf of meat for about half a year. Obviously avoiding it because we all know meatloaf isn't the most sought after dish. I had meatloaf growing up. I never hated it, never loved it. Mom, no offense. I mean, meatloaf is just meatloaf. It is easy. Quick. Cheap. Does the job. So anyway, I haven't really had it for a LONG time. I thought I would find an interesting recipe and give it a shot. See how bad or good it really is. Result: pretty decent! It had great reviews...people were drooling over it. Scot loved it, obv. From now on, I probably will only tell you when he doesn't like something. He loves everything. It's great. Even when I mess up, burn things, drop something of the floor or throw something against the wall out of rage. As a last resort, I always have Copper. Actually, I take that back, Copper is definitely more picky than Scot. I always have Scot, then.

Back on track. In addition to the BBQ meatloaf, I have been searching for a corn fritter recipe. When I was young (maybe in 4th or 5th grade), I made a meal "by myself" for my family. I remember exactly what it was: pork tenderloin, corn fritters, green beans and a mousse type dessert. I got the entire meal from an American Girl dolls cookbook and it was supposed to be a meal that a particular doll (I think Molly) would eat in the period she lived in. It was probably the first thing I ever cooked. I don't remember if it was good or anything, but I do remember really liking the corn fritters. So, I tried to find the recipe. And, I found that there actually aren't that many corn fritter recipes out there, especially like the one I remembered. But then, I found this one woman who referenced the American Girl fritters in her blog and a recipe with it! The recipe is not the same one in the cookbook, but is delicious. She says the recipe from the cookbook is actually kind of toned down, kid-friendly, so she spiced it up for adults. And that is what I made tonight. And all you vegetarians out there (Jen), corn fritters/fritters should be a staple for you! They are great.

To round out the meal, I made some brussel sprouts. I make them all the time, just roast them with some bacon, olive oil, salt and pepper. Since I am into the food blogs now, I found a simple recipe for roasted brussel sprouts tossed with a maple, dijon vinaigrette and toasted almonds. Since it's Sunday, I fig'ed, why not? So, three new recipes in one Sunday blog. Sorry if this is overwhelming but all three recipes are pretty simple.

As for tips, I would like to stress that I didn't measure any of the ingredients in these recipes except the polenta/water ratio. It just isn't worth it. But, as we all know, I am quite the risk taker.

Barbeque Meatloaf

Recipe courtesy Paula Deen modified by Shanon

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds ground beef

1 cup bread crumbs

1 onion, grated using box grater

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 can tomato sauce (15 oz)

3 tablespoons white wine vinegar

3 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix together the beef, bread crumbs, onion, egg, salt, pepper, and 1/2 cup of the tomato sauce. Form this mixture into a loaf and place it in a shallow pan. Stir together the remaining tomato sauce, vinegar, sugar, mustard, Worcestershire and the water (if too thick). Pour this sauce over the meatloaf. Bake for 1 hour, basting every 15 minutes with the pan juices.

Spicy Corn Fritters (makes 9 fritters)

From www.kitchenist.com modified by Shanon

Ingredients

½ cup corn (fresh is best, next best is frozen)

juice of 1 lime

3 finely chopped green onions

1 Tbs. chopped cilantro

1/2 tsp. salt


1/4 tsp. ground cumin


1/4 tsp. ground coriander


1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes


1 1/3 cup water


1/3 cup polenta or cornmeal (the quick-cooking kind)


vegetable or other light oil, for frying

1. Mix together the corn, lime juice onion, coriander, salt and spices together in a small bowl and set aside.



2. Bring the water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the polenta in a steady stream and mix with a whisk for about 2 minutes, until thickened.



3. Remove the polenta from the heat and stir in the corn mixture. Set aside to cool slightly. Line a plate with paper towels and set next to the stove.



4. Heat the oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat. When hot, spoon in generous tablespoonfuls of batter and flatten slightly with a spoon. Cook for 4-5 minutes on each side, then remove to the towel-lined plate. Serve hot, with any spicy dipping sauce that you like.

Maple Dijon Roasted Brussels Sprouts

from Closet Cooking modified by Shanon

(makes 4 servings)

Ingredients:

1-2 pounds brussels sprouts (trimmed and halved)

1 tablespoon olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1 tablespoon maple syrup

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

1 tablespoon grainy mustard

1 small clove garlic (grated)

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup almond slices (toasted)

Directions:

1. Toss the brussels sprouts in the oil along with the salt and pepper.

2. Arrange the brussels sprouts in a single layer on a baking sheet.

3. Roast in a preheated 400F oven until they start to caramelize, flipping them once in between, about 30 minutes.

4. Mix the oil, vinegar, maple syrup, mustards, garlic, salt and pepper in a small bowl.

5. Toss the brussels sprouts and almonds in the maple dijon vinaigrette (you may not need it all).

Printable Version (all in one)