Menu for the week of October 25th

Last Week's Review:
Ravioli Lasagna - It was ok, I know, just ok. It was missing some umph that we like. The lack of meat made the dish less desirable for my husband. I think I'll stick to breading and baking/frying our ravioli's and then dipping them in marinara sauce from now on.

Instead of chicken parm, I made a chicken biscuit/pot pie type thing. It was good! My children are in this weird eating funk right now, so they turned their noses at it.

The French Dip Sandwiches were so-so for me. My husband LOVED them. There was a very strong rosemary flavor. I probably won't make it again.

On Friday I made a pizza braid to just change up the usual Friday routine of pizza. I also found this recipe for chicken wings using boneless skinless chicken. I made a hot sauce and then a bbq sauce. They were great! Of course, not the real thing...but cheap and yummy! Will be making those again. I baked them at 400 degrees for about 25mins instead of frying.

Saturday morning I made something I have never attempted before! The Oven Puff Pancake was delicious! My oldest son was greatly offended when I called it pancake. I made one with apples and a plain one. They were both wonderful! I used a combination of a few recipes to make them, I'll post my version of the recipes this week!

Last week I also attempted my own bagels! It WAS time consuming, but not difficult. And they came out wonderful! I was pleasantly surprised! I will be making them again, and probably again and again since my son really enjoys bagels.

So much for last week being a 'blah' week in my kitchen, huh?? This next week will be quite busy as I have a bushel and a half of apples to 'do something with'. My plan is to can applesauce and to also can my grandmother's apple pie filling recipe. I'm sure there will be photos of that, I really like canning. Plus I'm using the old jars that my grandmother gave me. I'm a softy for that type of stuff!

I'm also trying a lot of meatless dishes, to keep within our grocery budget. Anyone have good meatless recipes (hopefully something that my husband will enjoy! He'll never turn food away, but he loves his meat!)

In other exciting news, my sister in law split a 50lbs bag of flour! It will be perfect for holiday baking.

Ok...now this week!
Monday - *NEW* Chicken and Corn Chili - I'm going to use this recipe, but I can't find Mexican style corn so I will sub for that.

Tuesday - I think I'm going to make homemade bagels for my Mom's group! For dinner I'm going to make Baked Potato Soup? I'll make "everything bread" that is in my new taste of homes magazine and applesauce (homemade!)!
I always make a dessert for when my Dad joins us for dinner...I have to make something good for this night to redeem my attempt at throwing a cake together last week. I failed miserably. At least the frosting was good.

Wednesday - Breakfast Pizza for dinner, instead of sausage I'm going to use bacon.

Thursday - My son requested Spaghetti and Meatballs. This is his all time favorite meal and I haven't made it in a few weeks. With steamed veggies and possibly garlic bread.

We are hosting my husband's mens bible study crew on Thursday so I need to bake something for them to snack on...not sure yet. Waiting to feel inspired!

Friday - Our usual homemade pizza. My Mum and I are going to my Aunt's pampered chef party that night! I can't wait to score some of their stuff!

Saturday - Breakfast Sandwiches (homemade bagels? I also bought english muffins at Price Chopper for B1G2F!) and pancakes for those who won't eat the sandwiches.
We are going to a Halloween party at a friends house and I need to make a dessert type thing that will be judged. I'm going to look through some of my fall cooking magazines. We don't really celebrate the pagan halloween so I'm going to try and stay away from that stuff. Stick to the pumpkins and stuff.

Sunday - We are having a fellowship dinner after church and I am going to bring this 4 layer pumpkin cake. I've been wanting to make this for awhile now and this is the perfect reason! The boys wanted to bring cheese and crackers, so I think I'm going to let them do that!

And that is my week. It is going to be a little bit crazy with the parties at school and all the family things we have going on. It is great to have a plan to start the week!!


So! Meatless Recipe ideas? Or a fun halloween cake/cupcake thing that will win me a prize at a party? What are you making this week?

Sweet Cinnamon Biscuits

Sweet Cinnamon Biscuits

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 T baking powder
1 t salt
1/4 t baking soda
1/4 c vegetable oil
3/4 c buttermilk
8 T butter, softened
3/4 c sugar
1 t cinnamon

Combine flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl and mix well. Stir in oil. Add buttermilk and stir just until blended. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Roll dough into a 15x8 inch rectangle.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 9 inch round pie dish. Spread butter over the dough. Combine sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and mix well. Sprinkle over butter. Roll up rectangle, jelly roll fashion, starting from one long side. Pinch seam to seal. Cut the roll into 1 1/2 inch slices. Arrange the slices in baking pan. Bake until lightly browned, about 15-20 minutes.

Serve hot.

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnamon Rolls

Dough:
2 cups milk/kefir
4 T butter
1/2 T vanilla extract
1/2 c rolled oats
4 cups whole wheat or white whole wheat flour
1/4 c sugar/honey/raw sugar
1 3/4 t salt
3 3/4 t yeast

Filling:
4 T butter, softened
3/4 c brown sugar
1 1/2 T cinnamon

Warm milk, butter, and vanilla on the stove to a temp around 110 degrees (this will activate the yeast when combined). Allow to cool a few minutes. Mix dry ingredients together, with 2 cups flour. Add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients and then add enough remaining flour to get a workable dough. Knead for 5-10mins. I spray some non-stick spray in the bowl, plop the dough in, then spray the top of the dough. I cover my dough with a damp towel or a wet cloth napkin. Let rise until double in a warm place.

When dough is ready, roll out on a lightly floured surface so you have a 12x15 inch rectangle. Spread the butter over the dough. Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Sprinkle over the butter. Roll up dough, jelly roll style, starting from the long edge and pinching the seam to seal. Slice into 12 equal portions. I wet my knife to help it slice a bit easier. Arrange evenly in a greased, 9x13 inch pan. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Remove from refrigerator in the morning and allow to rest at room temperature for 20 minutes. Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Bake rolls for 20-25 minutes, until they are browned. Cool on wire rack. Glaze with icing.

Icing
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
3-4 T milk
Combine in a small bowl until combined, then glaze cinnamon rolls.

Menu for the week of October 18th

Last week Review:
The black bean soup last week was so yummy! We will make that again!
Bourbon Chicken was also a new recipe for us, wow! Yum again!! I did it over couscous instead of rice, still great!
Thursday instead of something chicken I went with mac and cheese with peas and fried cabbage.
On Friday I had planned to make the pizza braid but I ended up having my parents and grandmother over for dinner (YAY!!!!!) so I just made two pizzas, one 1/2 cheese and 1/2 pepperoni and mushroom and the other a bbq chicken pizza! With a side of salad. Both yummy and the company was even better!
I made french toast from pumpkin swirl bread that I made for Saturday breakfast! We ended up eating pizza out Saturday night to celebrate a birthday!

THIS Week!!
Monday - Ravioli Lasagna

Tuesday - Chicken parm over pasta with a steamed veggie side
Dessert - I might make choc. chip cookies since my dad is here for dinner and that is his favorite...

Wednesday - French Dip Sandwiches from last Saturday that I didn't get to make. I did have those planned for today but I didn't take the roast out of the freezer! Oops!!

Thursday - Spaghetti Casserole with garlic bread

Friday - Calzones with marinara dipping sauce
Dessert - Pie! Maybe a choc. pie?

Saturday - I'm going to attempt a puffed pancake. I'll pick up sausage or bacon.
The afternoon will be leftovers! I'm hoping to bake the 4 layer pumpkin cake, maybe take it to my sisters to share?!?

Sorry for a lack of links this week, feeling kinda 'blah' in my kitchen. Just a low key week. There haven't been killer deals at Price Chopper lately! Boo Price Chopper!

Menu for the week of October 11th

Monday - NO SCHOOL For breakfast we finished off the waffles and pancakes in my fridge! They were just as yummy!
Dinner - Black bean soup with honey oat bread. I made this bread last week and it totally flopped, so I had to try it again! It turned out great! This was the first time I've made this soup before, and it also turned out great! I'm not a huge fan of beans, but wow, I had seconds of this! I did make adjustments to the recipe, I added a can of peas and a can of creamed style corn.

Tuesday - Breakfast - I have Mom's group so I'm bringing my second loaf of honey oat bread and strawberry jam plus my spiced apple butter. The kids will have donuts that I made (for the first time!!) on Saturday.
Dinner - Bruschetta Stuffed Chicken at my husband's request! This is one of his favorite meals! I'll probably steam some frozen veggies.

Wednesday - Breakfast - Oatmeal
Dinner - Bourbon Chicken with rice

Thursday - Breakfast - homemade PB toast
Dinner - Chicken Enchalidas OR chicken tacos...not sure!

Friday - Breakfast - whatever everyone wants
Dinner - Pizza Braid I'm tired of the usual pizza so I'm going to change things up a bit. My family may revolt.

Saturday - French Toast and turkey bacon
Dinner - French Dip Sandwiches

I may move Saturday dinner to next week since we will probably be going out to dinner for my brother in laws birthday. Sunday's are always a free fall after church and with other commitments we have.

Thanks for looking! Check out more menus over here!

Garlic Breadsticks

Garlic Breadsticks

1 1/2 cups warm water
2 T sugar
1 T yeast

Mix together until the yeast proofs. About 5 minutes.

Add:
1/2 t salt
3 1/2 cups flour

Then I use the bread hook on my kitchen aid mixer and let it go. I add a little more flour if the dough is sticky. Then let is rest for about 10 minutes. While it is resting, mix together the topping...

Topping:
1/4 c melted butter
1/4 c grated parm cheese
1 t garlic powder
1 t coarse salt
1/2 t Italian seasoning

Stretch the dough into a 15x11 greased cookie sheet. Spread/Brush the topping over the dough. THEN! Use a pizza cutter to slice the dough lengthwise, then across into smaller strips.

Let rise for 30 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. If you want to make cheesy breadsticks, add some mozzarella cheese and then return to the oven until cheese is melted!

Enjoy!

Cinnamon Pumpkin Waffles

Cinnamon Pumpkin Waffles

1 c whole wheat flour
1/4 c wheat germ
1/3 c white sugar (I used raw sugar)
1 t cinnamon (I used more...love it)
1 t pumpkin pie spice
1/2 t ground nutmeg
1/2 t salt
1 T baking powder
3/4 c milk
1/2 pumpkin puree (I used close to 1 c)
2 T melted butter
2 T olive oil
1/2 c applesauce
1 egg
1 egg white

Preheat waffle iron. Combine flour, wheat germ, sugar, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg, salt, and powder in a bowl. Set aside. Beat together milk, pumpkin puree, butter, oil, applesauce, egg, and egg white. Stir in flour mixture. Ladle batter into waffle iron. Cook until golden and crisp. Warm in oven at 250 degrees until ready to sit and eat.

*Do the oven step if you like your waffles more crispy since the pumpkin makes them super moist.

Pumpking Pancakes with Cinnamon Syrup

So I really enjoy pumpkin things...and apple...and cinnamon. I've been wanting to try pumpkin pancakes and since tonight was a dreary rainy it was a perfect combo!

Spiced Pumpkin Pancakes
2 cups whole wheat flour
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t ground cloves
1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
1/2 salt
1 2/3 cups buttermilk (I used kefir)
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
3 eggs, lightly beaten (I used egg beaters, 3/4c)
1 T melted butter

In a large bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and spices.
In a medium bowl, stir together milk, pumpkin, eggs, and melted butter.
Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir.
Dollop the batter in 1/3 cup amounts on griddle, about 300 degrees. Cook until tops bubble, and cook on other side.
I placed my already cooked ones in the oven set at 250 degrees to keep them warm.

This made about 20 pancakes for me, plenty for my family!

Cinnamon Syrup
Try to not lick the bowl, oh my! I enjoy trying other syrups...the rest of my family? Yea right! If I didn't have maple syrup to eat with pancakes there would likely be a riot here.

1/2 cup raw sugar (can use white sugar, I love the flavor of raw)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/8 t salt
1/2 t cinnamon
2/3 cup water
2 T butter

Bring to a boil all ingredients BUT the butter. Reduce heat to medium and allow the syrup to thicken. Once thickened, remove from heat and add butter. Stir until melted. Serve warm over the pancakes.

Enjoy!!

Menu for the week of October 4th

Monday - Chicken Noodle soup with homemade oat rolls. I made chicken stock from our chicken roaster that we got as part of the Price Chopper Wednesday meal deal last week! Looking forward to it! The stock was so yummy!

Tuesday - Italian something to use my homemade pasta sauce. I have frozen meatballs in the freezer, I just need spaghetti. I'll make garlic sticks.

Wednesday - Pumpkin Muffins
Dinner - Mac and Cheese with veggies on the side before heading to church OR breakfast sandwiches...I've been craving those!

Thursday - Beef Stew with homemade bread (I'm terrible at making beef stew, so I'll try it again...if not I'll just go with beef barley soup!)

Friday - Our Traditional pizza! I think I'll make a garlic pizza this time. Then I HAVE to have just a pizza or the little ones here will revolt.

Saturday - We are staying home, all day! Can't wait for a home day!
Breakfast - Pancakes (we've tried lots of different kinds lately, so I think we will just go with the basic recipe this time!) and I promised my son bacon! So I need to pick up some turkey bacon at the store this week.
Dinner - I have a roast to use in the freezer. Crockpot roast with veggies!

Sunday - Typical cheese crackers, apples, and popcorn!

Our desserts will be ice cream! Our favorite kind is on sale this week so we will be taking advantage of that! I do want to attempt to make something like this. I really want to make this 4 layer pumpkin cake also. I'm not going to plan breakfasts because it just created a huge fight...so I'll just ask in the morning and see what everyone feels like.

Check out more menu's over here!