Weekly Menu - August 22-28, 2010

In an effort to help me, I am going to post our weekly menus.  I plan our menus each week based on what our schedule looks like.  I typically have very little time to cook on Tues/Thurs so you can see that reflected in our menu.  I do not have recipes for all our meals posted on my blog yet, but I will be getting posts made soon. 

Back to School Week

Dinners

Sunday - Smothered Steak with mashed potatoes, green beans, rolls

Monday - Easy peasy chicken legs with buttered corn, rolls

Tuesday - Night off - pick up dinner

Wednesday - Goulash with salad

Thursday - Crispy Beef Tacos, Refried Beans, Salad (lettuce, tomato, Italian dressing)

Friday – Homemade Pizza (dough, sauce), Cheesy Breadsticks (sauce), Salad

 

Baking/Desserts

Coconut Cream Pie

Chocolate Cream Pie

Mini Blueberry Muffins

S’mores Bars

I have been in the mood for Smores ever since I saw the August issue of Everday Food.

 

But here is the deal.  I don’t have a campfire handy.  So I started looking for alternatives. I found recipes for S’mores Bars.  Score.  They turned out good.  Avery and I loved them.  Josh still prefers the real deal.  So make a batch and let me know what you think.  Its super simple and doesn’t require a campfire.

Let’s get started…

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish.

In a medium bowl, combine butter, sugar and graham cracker crumbs until well coated.

Press half of crumb mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan.

Top with the chocolate chips, then the marshmallows.

Sprinkle the remaining graham cracker mixture over the marshmallows and press down with a spatula.

 

Bake in preheated oven 10 minutes, until marshmallows are melted. Cool completely before cutting into squares.

Cool completely before cutting into squares.

Enjoy!

S’mores Bars

recipe by Allrecipes

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, melted
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 3 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 3 cups miniature marshmallows

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish.
2. In a medium bowl, combine butter, sugar and graham cracker crumbs until well coated. Press half of crumb mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Top with the chocolate chips, then the marshmallows. Sprinkle the remaining graham cracker mixture over the marshmallows and press down with a spatula.
3. Bake in preheated oven 10 minutes, until marshmallows are melted. Cool completely before cutting into squares.

Monkey Bread

My niece spent the night with us this weekend.  I thought it would be fun to make a special treat for breakfast.  I enlisted my niece and Gracie to be the monkey’s in the Monkey Bread recipe.  I let the girls do the mixing, shaking and placing the pieces in the pan.  It was a blast.  I wish Avery was up to join in the fun but she was still asleep.   I found a neat website that explains Monkey Bread and all its variations.  Check it out here.

Let’s get started.  Grab monkeys!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 9-10 inch tube pan.

Mix white sugar and cinnamon in a medium sized plastic bag.

Cut the biscuits into quarters and place eight biscuit pieces in the sugar cinnamon mix. Shake well.

3. Arrange pieces in the bottom of the greased pan. Continue layering until all the biscuit pieces are coated and in the pan.

 

 

4. In a small saucepan, melt the butter with the brown sugar over medium heat. Boil for 1 minute. Pour over the layered biscuits.

5. Bake for 35 minutes. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a plate. Pull apart and enjoy! 

 

Monkey Bread

adapted from momswhothink.com

Ingredients:

3 cans refrigerated biscuits
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/4 sticks butter (3/4 cup)
1/2 cup white sugar
2 Tablespoons cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 9-10 inch tube pan.

2. Mix white sugar and cinnamon in a medium sized plastic bag. Cut the biscuits into quarters and place eight biscuit pieces in the sugar cinnamon mix. Shake well.

3. Arrange pieces in the bottom of the greased pan. Continue layering until all the biscuit pieces are coated and in the pan.

4. In a small saucepan, melt the butter with the brown sugar over medium heat. Boil for 1 minute. Pour over the layered biscuits.

5. Bake for 35 minutes. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a plate. Pull apart and enjoy!

Lasagna

This is my go to recipe for my friends with new babies.  It can be placed in the refrigerator or the freezer making it a good meal to share.  You can put it in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.  When you are to bake, let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking.  If you freeze it, wrap it in heavy duty foil.  Let it thaw in the refrigerator 12 hours then set at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking.  Did I mention that this recipe makes two square pans of lasagna.  That’s right folks, one for gift giving and one for your family to enjoy!

So let’s get started. 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Spray two 8x8 pans with nonstick cooking spray.

Heat large skillet over medium heat.  Brown ground beef with onions and garlic until done.

Drain grease from ground beef.  Reduce heat to low and add spaghetti sauce to meat mixture.

Meanwhile bring a large stock pot of water to boil. Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions. 

Drain and lay flat on sheets of aluminum foil. 

In a separate bowl, lightly beat eggs.  Add ricotta cheese, cream cheese, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, and 1/2 cup parmesan cheese.

Put everything in one place for assembly

To assemble the lasagna, add a small amount of meat sauce to the bottom of each pan.

Next add lasagna noodles to cover the meat sauce in each pan.

 

Then add another layer of meat sauce to each pan.

 

Next split 1/2 of the ricotta cheese mixture between the two pans.  Spread over the meat sauce.

 

Add a small amount of mozzarella cheese to each pan.

 

Let’s do another layer - add lasagna noodles to cover the meat sauce in each pan.

Then add another layer of meat sauce to each pan.

 

Next spilt the remaining ricotta cheese mixture between the two pans.  Spread over the meat sauce.

 

Add a small amount of mozzarella cheese to each pan.

Let’s do the last layer, add lasagna noodles to cover the meat sauce in each pan.

Then remaining meat sauce to each pan.

 

Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese over the meat sauce.

 

Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes.  Remove foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and let set 10 minutes.

 

Cut and serve with a salad and garlic bread.

 

Lasagna

 

Ingredients

2 lbs ground beef

1/2 large onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 bottles spaghetti sauce, my favorite Newman’s Own Marina

15 oz ricotta cheese

8 oz cream cheese, softened

2 eggs

1 lb mozzarella cheese, shredded

1 cup parmesan cheese, shredded

1 box lasagna noodles

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Spray two 8x8 pans with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Heat large skillet over medium heat.  Brown ground beef with onions and garlic until done.
3. Drain grease from ground beef.  Reduce heat to low and add spaghetti sauce to meat mixture.
4. Meanwhile bring a large stock pot of water to boil. Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions.  Drain and lay flat on sheets of aluminum foil. 
5. In a separate bowl, lightly beat eggs.  Add ricotta cheese, cream cheese, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, and 1/2 cup parmesan cheese.
6. To assemble the lasagna, add a small amount of meat sauce to the bottom of each pan.
7. Next add lasagna noodles to cover the meat sauce in each pan.
8. Then add another layer of meat sauce to each pan.
9. Next split 1/2 of the ricotta cheese mixture between the two pans.  Spread over the meat sauce.
10. Add a small amount of mozzarella cheese to each pan.
11. Let’s do another layer - add lasagna noodles to cover the meat sauce in each pan.
12. Then add another layer of meat sauce to each pan.
13. Next spilt the remaining ricotta cheese mixture between the two pans.  Spread over the meat sauce.
14. Add a small amount of mozzarella cheese to each pan.
15. Let’s do the last layer, add lasagna noodles to cover the meat sauce in each pan.
16. Then remaining meat sauce to each pan.
17. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese over the meat sauce.
18. Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes.  Remove foil and bake an additional 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and let set 10 minutes.
19. Cut and serve with a salad and garlic bread.

Enjoy! 

Banana Bread Muffins

I came across a top rated recipe for Banana Bread on Allrecipes. I usually don’t make banana bread because it comes out too dry or not done enough.  Since I had old bananas on hand, I thought I would try making muffins instead.  Guess what?  They turned out perfect.  I only had 3 bananas so I split the recipe in 1/2.  It made 8 muffins.  They were done in 1/3 of the time it would have taken to make bread.  Gotta love that.

 

Banana Bread Muffins

recipe from Allrecipes

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 1/3 cups mashed overripe bananas (about 6 medium bananas)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place baking cup liners in the muffin pans. This recipe makes approximately 16 muffins.
2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
3. In a separate bowl (mixer bowl), cream together butter and brown sugar. Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended.
4. Stir flour mixture into banana mixture; stir just to moisten. Scoop batter into prepared muffin pans using a large ice cream scoop.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 22 minutes, until muffin bounces back after being lightly pressed. Let muffins cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.

Enjoy!