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.)