more dinner ideas

Friend of a friend link: This woman plans out the entire week of dinners on her blog. Thought you'd like to check it out.

http://letmeplandinner.blogspot.com/

Heavenly Crock Pot Roast

I've got a great one for the crock pot. (I got it from my mom who got it from my sister-in-law who got it from her friend.) You've got to try it. Remember you have to do a little prep work the night before. It's so easy and turns out SO GOOD. It's got a good spice to it. I love it.

1 Pot Roast (Maybe around a 4 lb. roast)
2 packets of 'Au Jus' gravy mix
1/2 bottle Grey Poupon mustard
1/2 bottle (12 oz) red wine vinegar

The night before: Mix mustard, vinegar and 1 pkg au jus mix together and pour over roast in bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

The next morning: Put roast in crockpot with 1/2 liquid poured over it. Discard the other half. (I know...it sounds crazy. But the mixture is so spicy that too much almost overpowers the roast.) Cook on low about 10 hrs.

Shred beef. Mix some of remaining au jus packet with the drippings. (I usually don't use the whole packet. Maybe about half. Just enough to taste.) Mix all together and serve over mashed potatoes or rice or eat alone. Unbelievably delicious!

Chili for a Crowd - tried and true

Prep: 40 minutes

Cook time: 3 hours (though this is MUCH better made a day in advanced and the meat shreds up nicely after marinating in the chili overnight. I reheat and shred up the meat right before serving time). A 6 hour crock pot stint would be great, too. If you decide to use the crock pot, still saute the onions, garlic, peppers and brown the meat first.

Serves: 12


Ingredients

plenty of olive oil for sauteing

2 medium tomatoes, chopped

1 20 oz can diced tomatoes

1 small can tomato paste

2 15 oz can pinto beans

1 can red kidney

20-ish ounces of chicken broth

3 lbs steak tips strips
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped

5 cloves garlic, finely chopped (this sounds like a lot, but chili needs a lot of flavor or it's just not good)

1 really large green or red bell pepper, or two small, chop in small dice

1 jalapeno pepper

1 anaheim chili pepper *see bottom of page for a guide to chili peppers

1 pablano chili pepper

2 tbsp paprika

2 tbsp chili powder

2 tsp cumin

2 tbsp oregano

1 tbsp sugar or molasses

2 oz really dark chocolate (to grate into it. omit if you don't have it)
a few dashes of red pepper flakes or powder

salt to taste, I would wait add and end

Steps:

You need one large pot for the chili, and one good pan for sauteing veggies and browning meat. As you complete steps in the pan, you will transfer them to the large pot.

Over med heat (heat pan and oil before adding food) saute minced garlic and onion together. If your pan is really huge, throw in your bell pepper and small-diced chilis as well. If you don't have room, do two batches of sauteing. Don't let garlic burn, keep stirring, just til onions transluscent.

Next, brown meat over med/high heat. You can add a little EVOO. Brown all over, don't worry about cooking through.

Throw everything in big pot and simmer for 2 hours or so, stirring occasionally. Don't let it get to a rolling boil.

Take off heat. Put in fridge overnight. At this point there will be 3-6 large chunks of steak in your pot (depending on how you bought it or cut it. They are not soft enough to shred beautifully. Believe me. They need more time in the sauce.

The next day when serving, reheat for fifteen minutes. Remove chunks of steak and with forks shred. Return to chili and enjoy with sour cream, cheese, cilantro, etc.

Chili Pepper Guide:

Anaheim chili: very mild. More flavor than anything. You could put the whole thing in and won't make your lips burn.

Poblano chili: same as anaheim, a teeny amount of kick, this is for flavor, not heat.

Jalapeno: This gets hot. If your family likes hot, dice the whole thing. I did 1/3 of one jalapeno and it was not too hot for my kids to eat. A little after burn but tastey.

If you want more spice, habanero (shown below) is renown for being very very hot and you don't need a lot of one to add some serious heat. They are small and round. Be careful cutting it. Avoid touch it as much as possible.

Mediterranean Pasta Salad

Note: prepare at least 3 hours in advance, best overnight. You want it chilled, not warm.
Note 2: serves 8 people or more...so watch out

Ingredients:

1 medium eggplant
Artichoke hearts (1 can)
1 medium zucchini
3/4 cup pitted kalamata olives (I made this tonight and didn't have these, so it's ok to omit)
1 can red kidney beans
1/2 red onion
1 cup small grape tomotoes
1/2 cup crumbled feta
1 red bell pepper
16 oz fusilli pasta (bowties are also nice here)
6 oz dried pearl barley (can be omitted but we love it)
handful of fresh basil, coarsely chopped

make your own vinagrette or buy my favorite for this dish: Annie's Red Wine Vinagrette. You will use almost the entire bottle.

To Dos: Turn oven on to 400

peel eggplant, cut into rounds

cut pepper, onions, zuccini into biggish peices. lightly coat all veggies except for tomatoes in EVOO

Arrange in roasting pan. Roast for 20 minutes.

Water on to boil, put in barley first, it needs 10 minutes lead time, then add pasta.

Drain pasta and barley together. add a little of the dressing so they don't cool off and stick together in a gross way.

When roasted veggies are cool enough to handle, chop it all into smaller bite sized pieces. Rule of thumb, you don't want them much bigger than the size of the noodle.

Dump veggies, kidney beans, tomatos, olives in large serving bowl with noodles and pour on the dressing. (to taste, but it pretty much needs the entire bottle)

Chop up basil and mix in.

DON'T add feta until it's been in the fridge a few hours. It will melt.

This pasta is hearty enough to be a meal on it's own, if you really want to give it punch, add grilled chicken and call it a day.

Enjoy!

Cauliflower Pasta

One of our family FAVORITES.

1 large Cauliflower
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 T. Olive Oil
2 T. Butter
3 Cloves Garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Salt and Pepper, to taste
1lb Rigatoni (or whichever pasta you prefer)

Wash the cauliflower. Break off all of the leaves and large portion of the stem. Break the cauliflower florets into individual pieces. Boil the cauliflower, in salted water, until you can easily put a fork through it. (I use a pressure cooker). Meanwhile, add the olive oil and butter to a large pan. On medium-high heat add the yellow onion, garlic and red pepper. Add salt. When the cauliflower is ready add it to the onion mixture and cook for 5-7 minutes mashing all of the cauliflower. Mix cauliflower mixture with pasta and serve.

*If you have any additional questions about the recipe just let me know.

Fettuccine Bolognese

One of my favorite crock pot recipes. It takes about 30 minutes to fix before you put it in the slow cooker, but it makes A LOT that can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months!

2 T. Olive Oil
2 oz (60 g) Pancetta, chopped
2 small Yellow Onions, finely chopped
2 Carrots, finely chopped
1 stalk Celery, finely chopped
3 lb Ground Beef
2 cups, Beef broth
1 1/2 cups, Dry red wine (I just use cooking wine from the condiment section).
1 can (28 oz/875 g) Crushed plum (Roma) tomatoes
1/2 cup Milk
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 lb Fettuccine or Linguini, whichever your prefer
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1. Saute the ingredients. In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, warm the oil. Add teh pancetta and saute until it begins to render its fat, about 1 minute. Add the onions, carrots, and celery and saute until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the beef and cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden sppon, until it is no longer red, about 7 minutes. Transfer to the slow cooker. Add the broth and wine to the pan and raise the heat to high. Bring to a boil and deglaze the pan, stirring to scrape up the browned bits on teh pan bottom. Pour the liquid into the slow cooker along with the tomateos and sitr to combine.

2. Cook the sauce. Cover and cook the sauce on the high-heat setting for 4 hours or the low-heat setting for 8 hours. Add the milk, stirring to combine. Cover and continue cooking for 20 minutes longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

3. Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 2 tablesppons salt and the pasta. Cook, stiring occasionally to prevent sticking, until al dente, according to the package directions. Drain, return the pasta to teh pot, and toss gently with 2 cups of the sauce. Serve, passing the Paremsan at the table.

Storage Tip: Let the remaining Bolognese sauce cool to room temperature. Store in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Great Marinade

Here's a delicious marinade for meats, especially steak.

1/3 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons garlic powder
3 tablespoons dried basil
1 1/2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (optional)
1 teaspoon dried minced garlic (optional)

1. Place soy sauce, olive oil, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, basil, parsley, and white pepper in a blender. Add hot pepper sauce and garlic, if desired. Blend on high speed for 30 seconds until thoroughly mixed.

2. Pour marinade over desired type of meat. Cover, and refrigerate for up to 8 hours. Cook meat as desired.

Chicken Enchiladas with Red Chili Sauce

My good friends Christy and Heather shared this recipe with me and it is FABULOUS. They got it from "Cooks Illustrated".

Chicken Enchiladas with Red Chili Sauce

Makes 10 Enchiladas, serving 4 or 5 as a main dish

(Monterey Jack can be used instead of cheddar.)

Sauce and Filling

1 1/2 Tbs vegetable of corn oil

1 med onion, chopped fine(about 1 cup)

3 med garlic cloves, minced or pressed through garlic press(about 1 tbs)

3 Tbs chili powder

2 teaspoons ground coriander

2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp sugar

12 oz boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 4 thighs - I have used chicken breasts for this, or I have even tried this recipe with canned chicken), trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1/4 inch wide strips

2 cans (8oz each) tomato sauce

1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves

1 can/jar (4oz) pickled jalapenos, drained and chopped (about 1/4 cup)

8 oz sharp cheddar cheese, grated (2 cups)

Tortillas and Toppings

10 six-inch corn tortillas (I use flour)

3 oz grated sharp cheddar cheese (3/4 cup)

3/4 cup sour cream

1 avocado, diced med

5 romaine lettuce leaves, washed, dried, and shredded

2 limes, quartered

1. For the sauce and Filling: Heat oil in med saucepan over med-high heat until hot and shimmering but not smoking, about 2 minutes; add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, chili powder, coriander, cumin, salt ,and sugar; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add chicken and cook, stirring constantly until coated with spices, about 30 seconds. Add tomato sauce and ¾ cup water; stir to separate chicken pieces. Bring to simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low; simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through and flavors have melded, about 8 minutes. Pour mixture through medium-mesh strainer into medium bowl, pressing on chicken and onions to extract as much sauce as possible; set sauce aside. Transfer chicken mixture to large plate; freeze for 10 minutes to cool, then combine with cilantro, jalapenos, and cheese in medium bowl and set aside.

2. Adjust oven racks to upper- and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 300 degrees.

3. to assemble: 1. Smear entire bottom of 13 by 9 inch baking dish with ¾ cup chili sauce. 2. Place tortillas on two baking sheets. Spray both sides lightly with cooking spray. Bake until tortillas are soft and pliable, about 4 mins. 3. Place warm tortillas on counter top. Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees. Place 1/3 cup filling down center of each tortilla. 4. Roll each tortilla tightly by hand and place in baking dish, side by side, seam-side down. 5. Pour remaining chili sauce over top of enchiladas. Use back of spoon to spread sauce so it coats top of each tortilla. 6. Sprinkle ¾ cup grated cheese down center of enchiladas.

4. Cover baking dish with foil. Bake enchilads on lower-middle rack until heated through and cheese is melted, 20 to 25 minutes. Uncover and serve immediately, passing sour cream, avocado, lettuce and lime wedges separately.

Southwest Chicken Pockets and Black Bean Salsa

2 cups diced cooked chicken (I used the canned chicken for this recipe, makes it SO easy)
6 ounces cream cheese softened
1/2 cup (or a little less) butter, softened
1 (4 oz) can diced green chilies
1 tablespoon chopped green onions
1/8 tsp chili powder
1/8 tsp cumin
____________________________
2 (8 oz) cans refrigerated crescent rolls
3 Tablespoons butter melted
1 cup dry season stuffing, coarsely crushed
1/2 cup roasted sunflower seeds (optional)

In a large bowl cream together the cream cheese, 1/2 cup butter, green chilies, green onions, chili powder and cumin. Mix in the chicken and set aside.

Separate the rolls to form 8 rectangles, pressing seems together. Put 1/2 cup chicken mixture in each pocket and roll up end to cover filling and make a pocket. Be sure to seal the edges so the filling doesn't come out. Mix bread crumbs and sunflower seeds (is using) with the 3 tbsp of butter ( or water to cut down on the fat) and put on top of pockets.

Place on baking sheet and bake for 20 min. at 400 degrees. Top with black bean salsa



Black Bean Salsa:

Combine in a large bowl:
1 15 ounce can black beans drained and rinsed
8 ounces frozen corn
1/4 cup fresh cilantro chopped
2 tablespoons chopped green onions
2 tablespoons chopped red onions
1/4 fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
salt and freshly ground pepper

Cover and chill for at least 2 hours (or overnight) Just before serving stir in 1/4 cup chopped ripe tomatoes

Italian Chicken

In a crock Pot place the following:
2-4 chicken breasts
1 can cream of Chicken
1 block of cream cheese
1 packet of dry Italian seasoning (found in the salad dressing aisle)

THAT"S IT! So easy.

Cook on low 6-8 hours or high 3-4.

Serve over noodles or rice

My Mom's Tarragon Chicken

Tarragon Chicken

4 each chicken drumsticks and thighs (about 2 pounds) skinned
1 large onion
4 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly slices
2 plum tomatoes, diced (I usually don't have these so I use the canned diced tomatoes and drain the juice out of them)
1/4 c. tarragon vinegar (I have not been able to find this in NM so I substitute 1/4 cup white vinegar)
1 1/2 Tbs. chopped fresh tarragon or 2 tsp dried
1 Tbs. Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper (I always forget this)
1/2 cup heavy cream (I have used milk when I did not have cream)
2 Tbs. all-purpose flour

1. Mix all ingredients except heavy cream and flour in large slow-cooker.
2. Cover and cook on high 4 hours of low for 7 hours until chicken is cooked through and onions are soft.
3 Whisk heavy cream and flour in small bowl until smooth. Stir in some hot liquid from cooker; stir into liquid in cooker. Turn setting to high; cook 25 minutes until liquid thickens.

4. Serve over rice.

Tomato and Olive Penne

Courtesy of Martha

Ingredients:
salt and pepper
1 pound penne or other short pasta
1/4 cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves thinly sliced (look at the garlic in the picture, they look like round disks)
2/3 pound cherry tomatoes (2 cups) halved or quarterd
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper (optional) I actually like to do MORE!
1/4 cup Kalamata olives pitted and sliced (I'll be honest, I don't even know what those are so I just use regular sliced olives)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

Directions:
1: In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook penne according to package instructions until al dente, about 13 minutes. Drain

2:Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic, and cook, stirring, until just golden, about 1 minute. Add the cherry tomatoes, oregano, crushed red pepper. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring until tomato juices run. about 3 minutes

3: Add the penne, olives, parsley, and 1/4 cup parmesan cheese to the skillet and toss to combine. Serve with more cheese if desired.

Goes especially well with French Peasant Bread

Enchildas Casserole...with cooking chicken tip

If you are like me, you've lived in fear of under cooking chicken and watching your family die of salmonella, giardia, avian flu, the plague, or whatever one gets when eating bad, raw chicken. This results in either too much butter or marinade so it's unhealthy and no longer tastes like chiekn, or, chewy, nasty dry chicken. I'd almost sworn off chicken. At least fish and beef you can undercook and not be scared. In fact, both I prefer with as little cooking as possible.

But, thank goodness for Martha Stewart. Say what you will, I have learned a ton of tricks and this might be the best so far.

You may never cook chicken any other way - be prepared.

For this recipe you will need 3 whole chicken breasts. I do skinless boneless, but you are going to shred it after cooking, so it doesn't matter. Cut them in half, get a big sheet (up to 16 by 20 inches ) of aluminum foil and parchment paper. If you don't have parchment paper, wax paper will do just fine. Whatever you do, do not use foil alone.

Lay the parchment on top of the foil and place in your chicken. Drizzle with olive oil, you don't need a lot, and salt and pepper. Don't be shy.

Now, fold the parchment like an envelope, and bring the foil up around it. Seal the edges. You are creating a pocket that keeps in all the juice and keeps things moist. So make sure the sides of both layers come up to make sure juice isn't leaking out.

Oven at 415 (hot!) for 65 minutes. Place your chicken envelope on any kind of baking sheet or pan.

Be careful when opening- have a measuring cup ready so you can pour out all the juice, you will need this for your enchiladas sauce.

Shred chicken up as small as you like, I like to keep it a little chunky.

You will need a 9x13 pan, if you have slightly larger, great, then you won't have to waste.

Ingredients:

Chicken from above steps (makes 2-3 cups)

20-24 oz black or kidney beans, or combo

3/4 lb button mushrooms washed and sliced (don't go nuts rinsing them, they absorb the water like sponges, it's better to just wipe the dirt off)

1 small can black olives. If your kids won't eat the above two ingredients, feel free to omit. Or just put on your side.

6 tortillas. I am a health nut so I get whole wheat ones from trader joes. Do what makes you feel good. Cut tortillas into 3/4 inch strips.

As much shredded cheddar or monterey jack as you want. You could probably go nuts and use 3/4 lb here. I won't judge you.

14 oz canned enchiladas sauce. You can make it from scratch if you're that kind of gal. With kids, I am not.

1 cup cooked rice

Directions:

You can basically layer this how you like. Mix your chicken reserved juice with the enchiladas sauce. This is how I did it:

Sauce on bottom
Tortilla strips
Chicken
Rice sprinkled (you don't have a lot, so don't go crazy here. The rice mostly will absorb the excess sauce.)
beans
mushrooms
cheese
olives

repeat. I only did two layers, you might do three.

Top with cheese. Cilantro if you dig it. Sour cream if you want.

It is a husband and child pleaser. (granted, I do not have picky kids.)

Enjoy!

Stuffed Bell Peppers

1 lb ground beed
Medium Onion
Can of Diced Tomatoes
Worcestershire Sauce, to taste
1/2 cup uncooked rice
1 cup water
Cheddar Cheese
4 Large Green Bell Peppers
Salt and Pepper, to taste

Brown the ground beef with onion. Drain the fat. Add tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, rice, and water. Bring to a boil. Simmer until rice is soft.

Meanwhile, boil a large pot of water. Cut the tops off of the bell peppers and clean out the seeds. Place clean bell peppers in boiling water until the shade of the pepper is a darker green.

Stuff the peppers with ground beef mixture.

Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Enjoy.

Crock Pot Thai Chicken

4-6 Chicken Breasts
3/4 cup salsa
1/4 cup peanut butter
2 Tbsp lime juice
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp grated ginger root (I've only ever used ground ginger)

Combine above ingredients into crock pot. Cook 3-4 hours on High or 6-8 hours on low

Serve over brown rice (cooked in coconut milk and or water)

Top with
fresh chopped cilantro
Chopped peanuts
Plain yogurt (on the side)

Shepherd's Pie

1 pound Ground Beef
1 onion chopped
dash of salt
dash of pepper

Combine in Skillet and cook until meat is done.

Add:
1 can green beans drained
1 can tomato soup
Pour into glass pie dish or double recipe and pour into a 9x13 pan)
Top with mashed potatoes (this dinner is REALLY FAST if you have left over mashed potatoes from Sunday Dinner)
Sprinkle potatoes with Parmesan cheese

Bake 350 for 25 minutes. Serves 6, doubled serves 12

Taco Salad

1 pound Cooked ground beef
2 cans Chili with Beef
1 can tomato soup

Combine in large skillet and heat through.

Serve over corn chips (Fritos are delicious) but regular corn chips work great

Top with:
Cheddar Cheese
tomatoes
lettuce
avacadoes
olives

Hawaiian Haystacks

2 cans Cream Chicken Soup
1 cup chicken broth
2 cups chopped cooked chicken (I cook the chicken breasts in the crock-pot with the broth and cream of chicken above)

Serve the chicken mixture over rice and top with:
diced tomatoes
drained crushed pineapple or pineapple chunks
grated cheese
coconut

And any of the following:

Chow mein noodles
chopped celery
chopped green pepper
chopped green onion
peanuts

Pugh Familia Pizza

Dough:
3 ½ cups hot water
1 T. salt
¼ cup sugar
2 T. yeast
7-9 cups flour (bread flour works best)

Mix the above ingredients. Knead (or beat in kitchen aid). Let rise for 10 minutes. Add toppings. Bake 5 minutes at 500 degrees. Add cheese then bake for 2 more minutes. The timing really depends on how thick you rolled out your dough so use the times mentioned above as basic guidelines. Sometimes you will need more time. This recipe yields 3 pizza crusts.

Taco Pizza: spread red taco sauce on the dough. Add cooked ground beef and chopped onion (Ground Sausage makes it even better. Jimmy Dean ground sausage; spicy or regular, in the rolled package works great.) Cook for 5 minutes. Add Mozzarella cheese and cheddar cheese. Cook another 2 minutes. Take pizza out of oven and top with chopped lettuce, tomatoes, and cheddar cheese.

BBQ Chicken Pizza spread your favorite BBQ sauce (I like Sweet Baby Rays) on the dough, top with cooked shredded chicken (I cooked my chicken in BBQ sauce and a chopped onion in the crock-pot and then took it out of the sauce and shredded it). Cook for 5 minutes. Add Mozzarella cheese. Bake 2 more minutes. Optional, top cooked pizza with chopped, fresh cilantro.

Baked Potato Soup

3 Tbs butter
1 cup finely chopped onion
2 Tbs flour
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can chicken broth (or use bullion cubes)
4 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2" cubes
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp white pepper ( I never have this and just use regular)
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp dried basil
dash Tabasco sauce ( I do more to spice things up)
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1 cup half and half (or just plain old milk)

Top with:
Grated cheese
sour cream
crumbled bacon
chopped green onions

Melt butter in sauce pan over medium heat. Add onions and saute for 2 minutes. Sprinkle flour on top and cook 5 more minutes, stirring often. Gradually add broth, then potatoes, salt, pepper, basil, Tabasco and garlic salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir occasionally. Stir in half and half (or milk) and warm through then serve!