Menu Plan Monday

Monday:  Tomato Basil Pasta Cream Sauce with Kielbasa Sausage & Mushrooms

Tuesday:  Chicken Chimichangas

Wednesday:  Beef with Snow Peas & Egg Rolls

Thursday:  Jagerschnitzel, Roasted Green Beans, & Baked Garlic Fries

Friday:  Homemade Pizza

Saturday:  Beef Kebabs, Perfect Potatoes Au Gratin

Sunday:  In & Out Burgers & Restaurant Style Smashed Potatoes

August Menu Plan

Here is my monthly menu plan for August!  All done ahead of time even!  I am kind of impressed with myself!  Time to make my monstrous grocery list for the month!  As always, some of these links are internal and many of them are to other blogs and websites!  I will post all our favorites with any changes I make during the month.

If it seems lite on veggies, it is because I have a huge garden to pick from right now!  I LOVE walking out there as I am beginning to cook dinner and picking whatever look perfect!  It cannot be beat!

1st:  Tomato Basil Pasta Cream Sauce with Kielbasa Sausage & Mushrooms
2nd:  Chicken Chimichangas
3rd  Beef with Snow Peas & Egg Rolls
4th:  Jagerschnitzel, Roasted Green Beans, & Baked Garlic Fries
5th:  Homemade Pizza
6th:  Beef Kebabs, Perfect Potatoes Au Gratin

7th:  In & Out Burgers & Restaurant Style Smashed Potatoes
8th:  Spicy Chicken, Egg Drop Soup, & Garden Veggies
9th:  Okinawan Takoraisu a.k.a Taco Rice
10th:  Buffalo Chicken Nachos
11th:  Shrimp Po' Boy Sandwich
12th:  Cafe Rio Pork, Cilantro Lime Rice, Pico de Gillo, Tomatillo Dressing
13th:  Guacamole Bacon Burger & Fingerling Potatoes with Caramelized Onions & Bacon

14th:  Thai Chicken Curry
15th:  Grilled Chicken & Veggie Skewers & Potato Bundles
16th:  Slow Cooker Cube Steak with Gravy, Mashed Potatoes, & Fresh Green Beans, One Way
17th:  Pork Meatball Bah Mi Sandwich & Roasted Potato Wedges
18th:  Scallops Florentine
19th:  Homemade Pizza
20th:  Jambalaya

21st:  Baked Ham Penne Pasta
22nd:  Chicken Tikka Masala
23rd:  Bangkok Satay, Stir fried Peppers/Onions, & Rice
24th:  Saucy Crockpot Pork Chops
25th:  Cajun Shrimp Stew
26th:  Taco Meat, Homemade Shells, Assorted Toppings, & Potato Ole's
27th:  Steaks, Bacon Tomato Ranch Pasta Salad

28th:  BBQ Chicken Kebabs, Toasted Garlic Bread, & Creamy Dill Cucumber Salad
29th:  Smothered Chicken, World's Best Dinner Rolls
30th:  Crockpot Barbacoa
31st:  Peppered Shrimp Alfredo, Bruchetta

Breakfast:
*Rhubarb Breakfast Bars
*Bacon, Egg, & Toast Cups
*Mediterranean Feta Egg Scramble
*Bacon Potato Hash

Snacks:
*Chocolate Chip & Peanut Butter Truffle Swirled Cookies
*Mississippi Mud Brownies
*Cinnamon Roll Cake
*Red Velvet Brownies
*Caramelized French Onion Dip

Sweet & Spicy Bacon Chicken

I have a thing for foods with a hint of sweetness.  I also have a weekness for spicy foods.  And bacon.  So you can bet that this one was a winner in my book.  All my kids liked it too.  My daughter has decided that she does not like bacon {what planet is this child from???} so she peeled hers off.  Thankfully, there were many kind individuals offering to eat it for her so it did not go to waste;)

As you can see below, the original recipe calls for this to be baked in the oven.  The advantage of that method is that you have some delicious flavorful juices to drizzle over the meat and mashed potatoes {if you choose to make them as a side}.  It was over 100 degrees the day I made this so there was NO FREAKING WAY that I was turning on the oven.  They were fabulous on the grill to, AND as I like to tell myself, MUCH healthier;)  

If you want to make this chicken teeming with deliciousness, here is all you will need!

Sweet and Spicy Bacon Chicken

4 chicken breasts cut in thirds (12 pieces)

Bacon slices

salt and pepper to taste

garlic powder

chili powder

brown sugar

Cut each breast into 3 pieces, season all the chicken with the spices, then wrap a bacon slice around each piece, roll in brown sugar and place into an oven proof dish....make sure you have some olive oil in the dish too, like 2 or 3 tablespoons is fine {I skipped this since I grilled them.  I honestly think you could coat your dish with nonstick cooking spray instead to save a few calories}.  

Bake at 400 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and bacon is nice and brown and crispy.  Delicious served with mashed potatoes with some of the gravy from the chicken drizzled on top.

**Also great on the grill!  No juices to drizzle on anything, but still delicious!

Source: Full Bellies, Happy Kids

Spiral Stuffed Rolls

Here are some delicious rolls that I whipped up after baseball one night last week.  I saw them over at Life as a Lofthouse a while back and I knew they would be a hit here.  The ingredient combination is one that everyone around here loves.  The recipe originated on Mel's Kitchen Cafe (another blog that I love).  Mel's recipe uses homemade bread dough, which I might try next time.  My husband thought the flavor combo was very similar to another recipe we love, Tortellini & Ham, and I agree.  Give these a try!  You will not be disappointed! 

Here are the ingredients you will need.  I subbed chives for the green onions, because they are currently thriving in my herb garden!  The tasted GREAT in there!

Spiral Stuffed Rolls

1 can (13.8 oz) Refrigerated Pizza Dough

6 oz Cream Cheese, softened 

2 Tablespoons Butter, softened

1 cup chopped Ham

3/4 cup finely chopped Broccoli

1 cup shredded Cheese ( I used mild cheddar)

1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese

1/2 cup chopped Green Onion

Directions: Unravel dough from can and lay out onto a greased baking sheet. Press dough out into a large rectangle. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl, cream together the butter and cream cheese. Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over the dough. Top with chopped ham, broccoli, cheese, Parmesan cheese and green onion. Roll the dough up, pinching the seam to seal. Slice the roll into one inch pieces. You should get about 12 rolls. Place the rolls onto the baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, until lightly browned and bubbly.

Source: Life as a Lofthouse

Rice Pilaf

Side dishes are something that I typically do not pay enough attention to.  At our typical family meal, I often spend all the time and creativity on the main dish.  As a side, we so often have plain white rice, baked or mashed potatoes, or crusty bread.  Those are all things we enjoy, but everyone needs to spice things up sometimes.  When we go out to eat, I often find that my husband and I enjoy getting rice pilaf as a side, so I thought I'd give it a go!  As you know, I'm not much for boxed mixes typically, so this is from scratch.  It is very easy and delicious though!  Give it a try!  I bet most of you even have most everything you need sitting right there in your kitchen!  

Here are the ingredients that you need (do you like my monstrous bag of rice?):

Rice Pilaf

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup orzo pasta

1/2 cup diced onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup uncooked white rice

2 cups chicken broth

Melt the butter in a lidded skillet over medium-low heat. Cook and stir orzo pasta until golden brown. Stir in onion and cook until onion becomes translucent, then add garlic and cook for 1 minute. 

Mix in the rice and chicken broth. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the rice is tender, and the liquid has been absorbed, 20 to 25 minutes. 

Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork.

Source: allrecipes

Smothered Pork Chops

These pork chops were fabulous.  They require a few more steps than many of my other crockpot pork chop recipes, but they were worth it.  I do wish that I would have thickened the gravy a bit more.  I also forgot to put the bacon that I had cooked on the chops.  I hid it so well so that my family wouldn't see it and eat it that I completely forgot about it!

Smothered Pork Chops

Serves 6

*Note from Mel: I like to serve these smothered pork chops over rice or mashed potatoes. Also, if the gravy in the last step doesn’t thicken well, mix another tablespoon of cornstarch to 2 tablespoons cold water and add it to the hot liquid. Let it come to a boil to ensure it thickens properly. Finally, I have doubled the pork in this recipe and kept all the other ingredients the same and there was plenty of gravy to smother the doubled pork.

5 slices bacon, chopped

6 bone-in pork loin chops, about 3/4-inch thick (I used boneless this time)

Salt and Pepper

2 yellow onions, peeled, halved and sliced into 1/2-inch thick half moons

1 teaspoon plus 1 tablespoon light brown sugar

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons cold water

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon dried thyme

3 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 bay leaves

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

In a large skillet over medium heat, fry bacon until lightly browned, about 5-6 minutes. Transfer bacon to a plate lined with paper towels, leaving the drippings in the pan. If you have more than 2 tablespoons drippings, drain the excess. If you don’t have quite that much, supplement with canola oil. When the bacon is cool, transfer to a small bag or tupperware and refrigerate until later.

Heat the skillet with the drippings over medium or medium-high heat until rippling and hot. Meanwhile, pat pork chops dry with paper towels and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook pork chops until they are golden brown on each side, about 2 minutes per side, cooking them in batches in the skillet if your skillet isn’t big enough to hold all six at a time in a single layer. When golden on each side, transfer the chops to the slow cooker and repeat with remaining pork.

Pour off all but 1 teaspoon of fat from the skillet; add onions, 1 teaspoon brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 cup water to empty skillet. Using a wooden spoon, scrape browned bits from bottom of the pan and cook over medium-high heat until onions are soft, about 4-6 minutes. Stir in garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Pour onion mixture over chops in the slow cooker. Add broth, soy sauce and remaining 1 tablespoon brown sugar to skillet, bring to a boil and add bay leaves. Pour mixture over onions in slow cooker.

Cover slow cooker and cook on low until pork is tender, about 8 hours (or cook on high for 4 hours).

When ready to serve, carefully transfer chops to serving platter with a large spoon and tent with foil. Discard bay leaves and pour liquid through a mesh strainer into a saucepan, reserving the solids. Transfer solids to a food processor or blender with 1 cup liquid and blend until smooth. Stir the blended mixture back into remaining liquid in the saucepan. In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and remaining 2 tablespoons water together in a small bowl and stir into sauce. Cook over medium heat until thickened and bubbly, about 5 minutes. Stir in vinegar, season with salt and pepper, pour over chops and sprinkle with reserved bacon and parsley. Serve.

Recipe Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Menu Plan Monday

Monday:  Borscht Soup

Tuesday:

Wednesday: Rosemary Ranch Chicken Kabobs, Calico Beans, & Veggie

Thursday:  Zucchini & Maple Sausage Pie

Friday:  Taco Meat, Homemade Shells, & Assorted Toppings

Saturday:  Sloppy Joes

Sunday:  Pork Sandwiches with Cilantro Jalapeno Slaw