Fall Weeks 1 & 2

Here's my Fall first two weeks menu plan. As you can see, I lightened up some and only did ten meals since I had some leftover from last time. I also made the format a little easier to read on my iPad as I'm scrolling through.

I'm pretty exicted about some of the meals and baking on this list. I heard about the Popovers from Jean Mullican before we left Oklahoma, and I've been dying to try them. I've also been crazy craving some Peacan Tassies and can't wait to get started on those. I hope you enjoy them, too!
Bon Appétit!

Dinners

• Potatoe Soup* with sliced Ham
• Chicken A La King
• Spaghetti (Our favorite is Emeril's Garrrlic)
• Chili with Fritos (I just use a 2 Alarm Chili kit)
• T-bone Steaks on the grill (Still thinking about this one)
• Sandwiches (Ham and Cheese)
• Tacos (Good ole' ElPaso kit)
• Hamburgers and Fries or Fresh Veggies (Nothing fancy just salt, pepper, and blackening seasoning.)
• BBQ Chicken*, Mac and Cheese*, and French Style Green Beans
• Tomatoe Soup and Grilled Cheese (Good ole' Campbells)

Breakfast

• Country Style Breakfast
• Biscuits and Gravy
• Cereal
• Homemade English Muffin Bread

Baking

• Pecan Tassies*
• Apple Popovers*
• Blueberry Muffins*

*Recipe links coming soon.

Hamburger Potatoes*

3 medium potatoes, sliced
3 carrots, sliced
1 small onion, sliced
2 T. dry rice
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1 lb. ground beef, browned and drained
Season salt
1 lg can diced tomatoes
2c. water (more if needed to keep it from drying out)

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in slow cooker.
2. Cover. Cook on Low 6-8 hrs.
3. Bon Appétit!

*Adapted from Fix-It and Forget it Cookbook

 

Chicken A La King

3 carrots
1/2 an onion
2 stalks of celery
1 lb. Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
1/2+ butter or margarine
1/4 flour
2 c. milk
1/2+ blackening seasoning
1/2 t. minced garlic
1 Chicken bouillon cube
salt and pepper to taste

Biscuits (I liked ours with Bisquick drop biscuits.)

Directions:

1. Melt 1/4 of butter in a deep skillet over low heat.
2. Slice carrots, celery, and onion. Add to the skillet as you slice in that order.
3. Raise heat to medium and cook vegetables until tender/crisp. About 10 min.
4. Cut chicken into 1in. pieces while vegetables are cooking.
5. Add to skillet and season with blackening seasoning, salt, pepper, and garlic.
6. Turn stove to medium high, and cook until chicken is cooked through. Add more butter as needed, but don't drown it. Let the chicken brown.
7. Remove chicken and vegetables to a bowl and keep warm. Leave the extra butter and crunchy bits in the pan. This make the rue better!
8. Lower the temperature to medium.
9. Add 2T. of butter if needed to give the pan more liquid.
10. Add the flour and stir and cook with butter 2 min.
11. Pour in the milk and stir with a whisk or wooden spoon. Scrape the sides and bottom of the pan as you stir to get all those little brown bits up. They add a rich flavor to the rue.
12. Add the bouillon cube.
13. Cook and stir rue until it begins to thicken. 5-10 min.
14. Add the chicken and vegetables back in and stir until warmed through.
15. Serve over your favorite biscuits.
16. Bon Appétit!

Fiesta Meatloaf (I promise it's good!)

Jeremy and I don't like meatloaf, usually. However, my Grammy made me try this one of hers insisting it was different, and you know, she was right! It is really good, and we both love it!

So here is it, just like Grammy makes it.

You'll need:

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup chopped green pepper

2 TBS butter

1 bottle Heinz chili sauce

2 pounds lean ground beef

1 cup soft bread crumbs (sometimes I use cracker crumbs. Grammy's note)

2 eggs, slightly beaten

salt and pepper to taste

 

1. Saute onion, celery, and green pepper in butter until tender.
2. Stir in chili sauce. (I save some for the top. My note)
3. Combine this mixture with ground beef, bread crumbs, eggs, salt, and pepper.
4. Form into loaf.
5. Brush top with ketchup. (I use the reserved Chili Sauce instead. My note)
6. Bake in shallow baking pan or 2 loaf pans at 350 for one hour or til done.

So there it is! Try it this week. I promise you won't regret it!

Bon Appétit!

t.

 

 

Fall Menu ~ Weeks 3-5 1/2

Yes, I realize I'm missing 1 and 2. I even thought about waiting until I had 1 and 2 to post these, but I need them! I'm not sure what meals I was planning on cooking without it, and I don't want to open my desktop to check everytime. So here you have it. I'm starting with the posts out of order. Oh, well! I hope you have a good end to your month.

 

 Bon Appétit!

 

t.

 

Week 3

Sunday:

• Grilled Ham and Cheese Sandwiches
• French Fries (Cheap, frozen and seasoned)
• Fresh cut veggies (we like cucumbers, baby carrots, and celery)

 

Monday:

• Pan Fried Pork Chops
• French Style Green Beans (can)
• Mac and Cheese (good ole' Kraft)

 

Tuesday:

• Hamburgers
• French Fries
• Fresh cut veggies

 

Wednesday:

• Chicken Fajitas
• Chips and Salsa

 

Thursday:

• One Skillet Spaghetti

 

Friday:

• Leftovers (Yes, seriously)

 

Saturday:

• Fiesta Meatloaf
• Rolls
• Frozen Veggies (We like the steamer bags, peas, or mixed veggies)

 

 

Week 4

 

Sunday:

• Grilled Ham and Cheese Sandwiches
• Grammy's Potato Salad (link coming soon)
• Fresh cut veggies

 

Monday:

• Chicken Enchilada Soup (Slowcooker)
• Tortilla Chips
 

Tuesday:

• Hamburgers
• Cheese Fries

 

Wednesday:

• Chicken and Asparagus Penne (New)

Thursday:

• Pork Loin
• Mac and Cheese
• Roasted Asparagus (New)

Friday:

• Leftovers

Saturday:

• Pot Roast
• Rolls (I like frozen if I'm short on time)

Week 5

Sunday:

• Sandwiches (whatever is on hand at this point)

Monday:

• Hamburger Potatoes

Tuesday:

• Chicken Enchiladas
• Chips and Salsa

Wednesday:

• Leftovers or Sandwiches (this is the day before shopping)

Breakfast

• Country Breakfast (Eggs, bacon, Bisquick biscuits, sausage)
• Sausage and Biscuits*
• Cereal (I like Cheerios because it's the healthiest I can find that tastes good without milk)
• Waffles (Good ole' Bisquick)

Snacks

• Fresh cut veggies
• Peanut Butter Crackers
• Gold Fish
• Graham Crackers
• Nutty Bars
• Ice Cream
• Fresh Fruit

Baking

• Cinnamon Rolls
• Caramel Apples (this time I'm doing the wraps)
• Hot Fudge Cake (link coming eventually)
• Pillsbury Halloween Cookies

 

*I like to make a large batch of Bisquick biscuits and freeze them. You'll have to experiment with you oven to see what works best. My old one I could follow the regular directions exactly. But with my new one, I have to pull them out while the oven reheats and cook them 50 degrees colder and 10 min longer.

 

 

White Chicken Chili

White Chicken Chili

 

20-30 min prep. 8 hrs cooking in Crock Pot

6 servings

Ingredients

 

2 lbs. Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

1 jar Alfredo Sauce

2 cans Great Northern Beans (Undrained)

2 c. Grated Jack Cheeses

12 oz. Sweet Corn (Frozen)

2 t. Ground cumin

1t. White Pepper (I use black)

½ can Mild Green Enchilada Sauce

1T. Chopped Green Chilies (more if you like it spicy) I freeze the leftover Enchilada Sauce and Chilies together to save for next time.

1 Chopped Yellow Pepper

1 Chopped Onion

2 c. Chicken broth

½ t. Minced Garlic (I have the refrigerated kind)

 

 

Toppings:

 

Tortilla Chips

Sour Cream
Grated Cheese

 

 

Instructions: 

1. Cook the Chicken by boiling on the stove top in water for 20-30 min.
2. Place the chicken breasts in the Crock Pot
3. Add all the other ingredients, except the toppings, to the Crock Pot
4. Cook on low 8 or more hours
5. Remove the chicken from the pot and shred
6. Add chicken back to the pot and serve with toppings
7. Bon appétit!

 

Getting Started..

This blog is basically my online recipe book and meal planner. I have moved four times in the last year, so all my favorite recipes are buried in a storage unit in Oklahoma City indefinitely. So here I'll post my favorites and ones I'm trying.

I would also like to have a rotating meal plan that I just do once a quarter. So for three months we'll eat the same meal rotation with hopefully things that are in season. This will make me only have to sit down and meal plan once a quarter instead of every two weeks.

Truthfully, I hate meal planning and grocery shopping. They are the bane of my mother/wife existence. I would rather clean house, and that's saying something. So I'm hoping this blog will make my life easier and in the process yours as well.

Do not expect regular posts here or anything of the sort. I blog regularly on spiritual matters at Overacup.org and I have two small boys, so this is merely a side project that I'm hoping works out to give me more time to pursue those areas of life.

Bon appétit!

t.