A Few of My Favorite Things

Weeknight meals are a must, but sometimes it's hard to decide just what to make.

Here is just a sampling of my favorites:



Crockpot
Spiced Braised Beef with sweet potatoes, Couscous

Pork Carnitas, Yellow Rice (I buy Vigo), Black Beans. NOTE: You must use Mexican Oregano on the pork. The standard stuff just doesn't deliver the right flavor.


Beef
Sun-Dried Tomato Burgers

Spiced Meatballs with Couscous Salad and Hummus

Chipotle Cheddar Burgers - The Chipotle Ketchup is to die for!


Chicken/Poultry
Mexican Casserole

Lemon-Garlic Chicken Thighs with New Potatoes and Green Beans

Italian Chicken Soup - This is delicious! I think tortellini works better because it’s smaller than ravioli

Chicken Breasts stuffed with Fontina, Artichokes & Tomatoes - You’ll have some leftover stuffing – it makes a great, simple pizza.


Pork/Ham
Ham & Swiss Bread Pudding - I’ve made this one for years. Very good.

Pork Loin – marinate in equal parts Dijon mustard and honey. Bake at 500 until done (I let it be rosy pink in the middle then cover it with foil for about 10 minutes. It's still a little pink in the middle and oh-so-juicy). Mmm

Ham & Cheese Turnovers - For a grown-up version, I use prosciutto and Italian-blend cheese w/tomato sauce on the side for dipping. For the kids, I leave out the onion and serve it with honey mustard for dipping.


Pasta
Baked Ziti with Spinach & Tomatoes

Orzo with Garbanzo Beans - This is delish as a side with barbecue


Seafood
Roasted Shrimp with Peppers and Lemon

Salmon with Soy & Wasabi Sauces - I don’t make the wasabi that much but this is a great basic recipe. Delish with asparagus.

Salmon with Mustard-Tarragon Sauce - This sounds really odd but it’s great. Even Mitchell likes it.

Baked Fish Sticks Diablo - I make the boys’ first without the cayenne then add it to make ours


Favorites
Baked Greek Shrimp - serve with Orzo. This is one of Mitchell's favorites.

Meatloaf Muffins - The meatloaf cooks really quick since it's made in a muffin pan. And, kids think it's cool to have their own little meatloaf. Really good with green beans and potatoes.

Salmon with Snap Peas & Rice This is a one-dish wonder! We're having it tonight. Mmmm!!!

Taco Pizza:
Boboli Pizza crust
Refried Beans
Taco Meat (I use turkey and add a can of diced tomatoes along with the taco seasoning packet)
Cheese
Serve w/sour cream & guacamole

Delish Mashed Potatoes: Start with prepared store-bought mashed potatoes. Add a tub of garlic-and-herb Allouette and some shredded cheddar cheese. Microwave until cheese melts.

My favorite green beans - Sautee a small, thinly sliced red onion and a clove of garlic (minced) in some olive oil until beginning to soften. Add trimmed green beans. Sautee a few minutes until they start to pick up a little color. Add chicken broth (a few times around the pan) then cover and let it cook until the green beans are soft. When done, remove the lid and turn up the heat so the chicken broth cooks off. Just before serving, add about a tablespoon of butter plus the juice of one lime. So easy!

Ham & Cheese Turnovers

This week, we had a very simple and very tasty meal of ham and cheese turnovers.

First, let me applaud Real Simple for creating something they claim is kid friendly that really is! Too many times, I think magazines call something "kid friendly" just because it has a sauce for dipping.

This meal really was kid friendly. I made the boys' versions with ham and "boy cheese" (what Mitchell calls sliced cheese).

For a more grown-up version, I made our turnovers with prosciutto and shredded Italian-blend cheese. The boys had theirs with honey mustard for dipping, and we had ours with marinara. A yummy salad rounded out the meal (carrots for Noah, as he doesn't quite do salad yet.)

You don't really need to use the recipe to make this meal: You start with refrigerated pizza crust, roll it out, add your filling, roll and bake. Couldn't be easier!

Mitchell enjoyed it so much that he had two turnovers at dinner and even asked if he could have one in his school lunch the next day!

(If you need a recipe, click here. Photo is from RealSimple.com.)

Quick Sausage & Mushroom Lasagna

Last night I did something I very rarely do: I made lasagna for real. I didn't open the Kirkland's box and toss it in the oven. I actually layered it in the dish myself and everything. Okay, not everything: I used jarred sauce and those no-boil noodles.


This was really a great lasagna and was quick to assemble, just as the title suggests. I loved that the mushrooms were added to the pan first so they could soak up all the flavors of the other stuff added (instead of adding them at the end so they get too wet and soupy). I used a Le Creuset pan so there would be lots of browned bits to pick up with the wine. Yum!

There's a few things I'd change if/when I make it again:

• The recipe recommended hot Italian sausage. I subbed mild because of the boys. The sausage I bought didn't have much flavor, which was a shame because I bought it at the butcher counter. I really figured it would have been better. I may do half hot, half mild next time.
• The recipe is called "Quick" because it uses no-boil noodles. I was really disappointed in the noodles. I cooked the recipe just as instructed and the noodles didn't soften. I put it back in the oven before putting it away after dinner - hopefully they've softened enough for when I recycle it for left-overs tomorrow night! (Mom's going to Girls Night at a friend's house, so the boys are having left-overs.)
• The recipe instructed to make three layers. My dish would only hold two full layers so I had to improvise the top. I think two layers would be better in the future anyway because it would allow for more of the sausage and mushrooms between the pasta. I thought it was a little skimpy as is.
• I think I'd use more ricotta next time too. I would have liked to feel that gush when I took a bite.

The recipe is available at epicurious. (Photo is from epicurious.com as well)