On The Menu This Week ...

MONDAY
Halloween Hamburgers (using cooking cutters to cut bread slices, since I don't want to go to the store today) I'll think I'll try chopping up some zucchini into the ground turkey. We'll call it my Halloween Haunt.
http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2007/07/dinner-tonight-turkey-burgers.html

Garlic Roasted Green Beans
http://kalynskitchen.blogspot.com/2007/11/garlic-roasted-green-beans-recipe-with.html

TUESDAY
Texmex Seasoned Ground Beef Tacos
http://closetcooking.blogspot.com/2007/06/texmex-ground-meat.html

for breakfast ... Zucchini Breakfast Casserole
http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/zucchini_breakfast_casserole/

WEDNESDAY
Chicken and Short Cut Collard Greens

THURSDAY
Chicken Jalapeno Rollups and salad
http://nancysrecipes.wordpress.com/2009/03/20/chicken-jalapeno-rollups/

FRIDAY
Simple Salad as a meal since we'll have OD'd on Halloween parties at school.
http://cafejohnsonia.blogspot.com/2009/09/salads-salads-and-more-salads.html

SATURDAY
Halloween Party Night!

SUNDAY
Salmon and Salad

Whole Wheat Flour Pumpkin Pancakes

It's fall and fall means all things PUMPKIN! This morning was a success. I made Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes thanks to Pinch My Salt. They were fantastic!


Whole Wheat Flour Pumpkin Pancakes
Pinch My Salt

1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup cake flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
2 eggs
2 Tbs oil
1 tsp vanilla
2 Tbs dark brown sugar

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the first eight ingredients (whole wheat flour through nutmeg). In a separate bowl, whisk together the last six ingredients (buttermilk through brown sugar).

2. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and blend together with a wooden spoon until just combined. Lumps are ok, just make sure all the flour on the bottom of the bowl is mixed in. If batter seems too thick to pour, you can gently stir in a little more buttermilk.

3. Drop pancakes by ladleful onto a medium-hot griddle. Pancakes are ready to turn when the edges start to look a little dry and you can see small bubbles forming on the surface.

On the Menu This Week ...

MONDAY
Steak, Smashed Cauliflower, Salad
http://kalynskitchen.blogspot.com/2008/07/mashed-cauliflower-recipe-with-cheese.html

TUESDAY
Homemade Spaghetti

WEDNESDAY
Black Bean Soup
http://www.cooksillustrated.com/recipes/detail.asp?docid=6399

THURSDAY
leftovers

FRIDAY
Pizza and Movie night (although I'm considering giving up TV in a few months.)

SATURDAY
Lasagna from "The Best Recipe" for the USC v. Oregon game!

SUNDAY

One the Menu this week...

MONDAY
Sweet Potato Gnocchi with sage
http://cafejohnsonia.blogspot.com/2009/10/sweet-potato-gnocchi-with-sage-walnuts.html

TUESDAY
baked potatoes and salad

WEDNESDAY
Chinese Chicken Lettuce Wraps
http://www.recipezaar.com/P-F-Changs-Chicken-Lettuce-Wraps-15865

THURSDAY
leftovers

FRIDAY
Pizza and Movie night

SATURDAY
Luke's Party

Since when do you make Pot Roast?

Um ... since never. Remember I gave our wedding crockpot away to my brother who got more use out of it working on his boat than I ever did. Everything I made in it tasted like cardboard. But I'm determined to change that.

Recently my husband spent the night at my parents and he came home raving about this Pot Roast my mom made. What? Since when does she make pot roasts? (Like mother, like daughter.) So after about the 5th time hearing him say I needed to get this recipe I finally did. He was right, an excellent twist on pot roast. Who knew you could put olives in a Sunday Roast?

Thank you Alton Brown from Food Network. I'm hopeful my crockpot and I will be friends again.

Ingredients

• 1 (2-pound) blade cut chuck roast
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• Vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 5 to 6 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1 cup tomato juice
  
• 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 cup cocktail olives, drained and broken
• 1/2 cup dark raisins

Directions

Preheat the oven to 190-200 degrees F. Place a wide, heavy skillet or fry pan over high heat for 2 minutes. Meanwhile, rub both sides of meat with the salt and cumin. When the pan is hot (really hot) brown meat on both sides and remove from pan. Add just enough vegetable oil to cover the bottom of the pan then add the onion and garlic. Stir constantly until onion is softened.

Add the tomato juice, vinegar, olives, and raisins. Bring to a boil and reduce the liquid by half. Create a pouch with wide, heavy duty aluminum foil. Place half the reduced liquid/chunk mixture on the foil, add the roast, and then top with the remaining mixture. Close the pouch, and wrap tightly in another complete layer of foil. Cook for 3 to 3 1/2 hours or until a fork pushes easily into the meat. Remove from oven and rest (still wrapped) for at least 1/2 hour. Snip off 1 corner of the foil pouch and drain the liquid into a bowl or measuring cup. Add some of the "chunkies" and puree with an immersion blender. Slice meat thinly, or pull apart with a fork. Serve with sauce.

Or ... do what I did, cook the onions until soft ... and then add the other stuff to the crockpot and walk away. Then blend a few of the chunkies and voila!

Pumpkin Crumble Bread

'Tis the season for all things Pumpkin. I was looking to kick up my pumpkin bread a notch and this recipe from The Hungry Housewife knocked my socks off. We ate one whole loaf as soon as it came out of the oven.

Pumpkin Bread with Crumb Topping
by the Hungry Housewife

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup light brown sugar
3 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
1 can (15 oz) Libby's Pumpkin
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 Tbs pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup buttermilk
1.2 cup toasted walnuts, chopped (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350.
Lightly grease two bread pans
Cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Then add vanilla. Add eggs one at a time.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice & cinnamon. Add dry ingredients to the wet, alternating with the buttermilk, starting and ending with the flour. Fold in pumpkin and nuts (if you're the nutty kind.)

Pour into pans and top with crumb mixture and bake for 50-60 minutes.

Crumb Topping

1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup cold butter, cubed
1/2 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup walnuts

In a medium bowl, combine 1st five ingredients with a pastry blender or 2 forks, so it resembles crumbles. Mix in oatmeal and walnuts.

Dutch Oven Peach Cobbler

I just got this recipe from Heidi while camping last week. Mmmm mmm. I would add at least 4 bags of frozen peachs and I'd consider doubling the crumb topping b/c everybody loves the topping.


Filling:
frzen fresh peaches
3/4 cup sugar
2 TBL corn Starch
1 Tsp. Cinnamon

Mix sugar, corn starch and cinn. and sprinkle over peaches.

Topping:
1 1/2 cups Flour
1 1/2 cups Sugar
1 1/2 Tsp. baking powder
dash of salt
Mix ingredients together: (just mix at home and bring in zip lock)
Then add:
3/4 cup butter (cut into flour mixture)
2 eggs

I adjusted this recipe for my smaller dutch oven. I hope it works. The eggs are the problem how do you add 1/2 an egg? So I just put 2. It still should work.