Monday, May 5, 2014

THEMED MENU PLANNING

How to make dinner more exciting? 

 Try theming your dinner menus!


Menus 

Monday Diner Day – French Toast, Scrambled Eggs, Bacon

Tuesday Asian Day – Fried Rice, Eggrolls, Stir fried Cabbage

Wednesday Crock Pot Day – Pot Roast with vegetables

Thursday Mexican Fiesta Day – Tacos, Mexican Rice

Friday Italian Day – Lasagna, Salad

Saturday Grill Day – BBQ Jerk Chicken, Grilled Corn on the cob, Baked Beans

Sunday Soul Food – Smothered Pork Chops, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans, Cornbread


Recipes for Menus

Monday - Denny's Style French Toast
4 eggs
2/3 cup whole milk
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
6 slices Texas toast thick bread
3 tablespoons butter
powdered sugar
butter
syrup

Mix together the eggs, milk, flour, sugar, vanilla, salt& cinnamon.  Heat a large skillet, or griddle.
When the skillet is hot, add 1 tablespoon butter.  Dip each slice of bread into the batter for 30 seconds on each side.  Let some of the batter drip off, then put in skillet.  Cook each slice 1 1/2-2 minutes per side until each side is golden brown.  Add more butter, if necessary, to cook all of the slices.  To serve, put on plate, dust with powdered sugar. Serve with butter & hot syrup.


Tuesday - Fried Rice

3/4 cup finely chopped onion
2 1/2 tablespoons oil
1 egg, lightly beaten (or more eggs if you like)
3 drops soy sauce
3 drops sesame oil
8 ounces cooked lean boneless pork or 8 ounces chicken, chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped carrot (very small)
1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
4 cups cold cooked rice, grains separated (preferably medium grain)
4 green onions, chopped
2 cups bean sprouts
2 tablespoons light soy sauce (add more if you like)

Heat 1 tbsp oil in wok; add chopped onions and stir-fry until onions turn a nice brown color, about 8-10 minutes; remove from wok.  Allow wok to cool slightly.  Mix egg with 3 drops of soy and 3 drops of sesame oil; set aside.  Add 1/2 tbsp oil to wok, swirling to coat surfaces; add egg mixture; working quickly, swirl egg until egg sets against wok; when egg puffs, flip egg and cook other side briefly; remove from wok, and chop into small pieces.  Heat 1 tbsp oil in wok; add selected meat to wok, along with carrots, peas, and cooked onion; stir-fry for 2 minutes.  Add rice, green onions, and bean sprouts, tossing to mix well; stir-fry for 3 minutes.  Add 2 tbsp of light soy sauce and chopped egg to rice mixture and fold in; stir-fry for 1 minute more; serve.  

Wednesday - Pot Roast

2 (10 3/4 ounce) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 (1 ounce) package dry onion soup mix
1 1/4 cups water
5 1/2 lbs pot roast

In a slow cooker, mix cream of mushroom soup, dry onion soup mix and water.  Place pot roast in slow cooker and coat with soup mixture.  Cook on High setting for 3 to 4 hours, or on Low setting for 8 to 9 hours.

Thursday - Mexican Rice

1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies
1 medium white onion finely diced
diced pickled jalapeno to taste
2 cups long grain white rice
1/3 cup canola oil
4 minced garlic cloves
2 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon tomato paste (may omit if using canned tomatoes)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, minced
1 lime

Adjust rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350.  Place rice in a fine mesh strainer and rinse under cold running water until water runs clear- about 1 1/2 minutes.Shake rice vigorously to remove excess water.This step removes the starch from the rice so it will not stick. IF YOU OMIT THIS STEP YOUR RICE WILL NOT BE DRY AND FLUFFY.  Heat oil in heavy bottomed ovensafe 12 inch straight sided sautee pan or Dutch oven with tight fitting lid over low-medium heat about 2 minutes. (The recipe is very specific about this but I used a 10 inch dutch oven and it worked out fine.) Drop a few rice grains in and if they sizzle then it is ready. Add rice and fry stirring until rice is light golden and translucent, about 6-8 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, add garlic and 2 minced jalapenos and cook , stirring constantly until fragrant, about 1 1/2 minutes.  Stir in broth, pureed mixture,tomato paste, and salt. Increase heat to medium high, and bring to a boil.  Cover pan and transfer pan to oven to bake until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, 30-35 minutes.Stir well after 15 minutes.  Stir in cilantro, minced jalapeno to taste, and pass lime wedges separately.

Friday - Lasagna

10 -12 uncooked lasagna noodles
1 lb ground beef, browned and drained
1 (32 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce, any flavor
1 cup water (or just enough to rinse sauce jar)
2 cups cottage cheese
2 cups mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
2 eggs
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Combine beef and sauce in sauce pan. Put just enough water in sauce jar to rinse sides, shake it up, then add it to sauce. Mix and let simmer.  While sauce simmers, combine all 3 cheeses, eggs, and salt and pepper to taste in large mixing bowl and mix well.  In 13x9" casserole/baking dish, lay down thin layer of sauce on bottom, just enough to cover so noodles don't stick.  Lay down first layer of UNCOOKED noodles, then a layer of sauce, then 1/2 of the cheese mixture. Follow with another layer of noodles, sauce, rest of cheese mixture, another layer of noodles, then finish with the rest of the sauce on top.  Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees F for 55-60 minutes.  Remove from oven, remove foil, then bake for an additional 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and let stand for 10 minutes before cutting to serve.

Saturday - Jerk Chicken

4 boneless chicken breasts
6 fluid ounces soy sauce
4 fluid ounces white wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 fluid ounces vegetable oil
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 jalapeno pepper, roughly chopped

Place all the ingredients, except the chicken, in a food processor and process until smooth.  Make 4 parallel cuts about ½ inch deep in each chicken breast and place in a shallow dish.  Pour the puréed mixture over the chicken and rub it in with your hands, making sure the mixture gets into the cuts.  Cover and refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours or overnight.  Grill over medium coals for 15-20 minutes turning occasionally and basting with any remaining marinade or until cooked through.


Sunday - Smothered Pork Chops

4 pork chops, centered-cut, 1 inch thick
salt
black pepper
2 tablespoons butter
cayenne pepper
1/4 cup flour, all-purpose
2 green bell peppers, medium, stemmed, cored, membranes removed, cut into strips
2 onions, yellow, trimmed, cut lengthwise
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups chicken broth
3 dashes Worcestershire sauce

Trim the excess fat from the chops and season well with salt, pepper, and cayenne.  Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat.  Lightly roll the chops in flour, shake off the excess, and slip them into the pan.  Brown well, about 3 minutes per side, and remove them to a plate.  Add the bell peppers and onions to the skillet and saute until softened,about 3 minutes.  Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about half a minute longer.
Push the vegetables to the side of the skillet.  Add chops to pan and place vegetables on top of pork chops.
Pour in the broth and sprinkle with Worcestershire sauce.  Cover pan with foil and allow to simmer for 45 minutes or until chops are tender.


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