Menu Planning: July 2010

Whew!  Can you believe it is July?  I blinked for a second and June was over.  Last month, I didn't really plan out my weekly meals...just kinda went with the flow.  Well, that might have worked when I lived in the city, but not so much now that I live in the country.  I am 50 miles away from a decent grocery store and I don't want to have to give over my first born in order to pay for groceries at the store in the nearest town.   So here is what I will be making for the month of July.

Entrees
Crunchy Chicken Salad
Tomato & Swiss Tart
Baked Spaghetti
Greek Tortellini Salad
Ranchero Chicken Crostada
Fried Chicken
Sloppy Joe's
Balsamic Grilled Chicken Salad
Chicken Gnocchi Veronese
Bacon Jack Chicken Sandwich
Taco night
Tex Mex Pasta Salad
Beef Potato House Pie Casserole
Spinach Artichoke Calzone
Buffalo Chicken Burgers
Mesa Chicken Salad
Chicken Cannelloni
Chicken Manicotti w/Red and White Sauce
Crockpot Roundsteak
Hawaiian Haystacks
Chicken Chimichangas
California Grilled Chicken Salad
BLT's
Salsa Chicken Rice Casserole
Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Farmer's Casserole


Baking
Pitas
Hamburger Buns
Kolaches
Banana Bread
Orange Rolls
Bread Loaves
Breadtwists
Garlic Cheese Rolls
Sour Cream Chile Bread
Italian Bread
Southwestern Yummy Biscuits
Sweet Hawaiian Yeast Bread

Desserts
Mandarin Orange Cake
Chocolate Bundt Cake
Cherry Chocolate Cake
Buttermilk Pie

Cookies
Ande's Mint Cookies
Peanut Butter
Chocolate Chip Cookies (6 doz for VBS)


Linked to:
   *  Mommy's Kitchen, July Menu

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Fourth of July Desserts

Here is an article I wrote for Tampa Food Examiner on festive dessert ideas for Fourth of July. In full disclosure, I haven't actually made these yet, but they should work and I plan on making the flag cookie cake for my celebratory events. Enjoy!

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Leftover Redo: Bacon Cheeseburger Chicken = Cheesy Chicken w/Bacon Pasta

I had three chicken pieces leftover when I made Bacon Cheeseburger Chicken.  I could have easily eaten them as they were, but I wanted to use them for dinner and feed five people.  We love pasta at our house so I thought using the leftover chicken would make for an awesome pasta dish.  This dish turned out so great, that I will be making it for future dinners.

Cheesy Chicken with Bacon Pasta

Leftover Bacon Cheeseburger Chicken, diced (I used about 3 pieces)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 can diced tomatoes
1/3 cup butter
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1/2 cup sour cream
Dash of cayenne pepper, depending on the amount of heat you like
salt and pepper to taste
1 lb pasta, we used spaghetti

In a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp olive oil.  Add onions and peppers and cook until softened.  Add diced tomatoes with the juice, butter, cream of chicken, water and spices.  If you like a thinner sauce, add a bit more water.  Simmer the sauce for about 5 minutes and added diced chicken.  Simmer for another 5 minutes to warm the chicken through. Stir in sour cream before serving.  I plated the spaghetti individually and put the chicken and sauce over top.

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"And Jesus said unto them ... , "If ye have

faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say

unto this mountain, Remove hence to

younder place; and it shall remove; and

nothing shall be impossible to you."

Romans 1:17

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Recipe: Cereal Bars

The girls and I thought we would make a little treat for movie tonight.  Anyone else have girls that are excited for 16 Wishes on Disney tonight?  My girls have been counting down the days. Anyway, I thought about making rice crispy treats but decided to do it up one.  If you like the no bake cookies (we called them Ranger Cookies when I was a kid) that are made with chocolate, oatmeal and peanut butter, than you are going to like these.

Cereal Bars

1 bag mini-marshmallows

1/2 cup peanut butter, I used crunchy

2 tbsp milk

3 cups chocolate rice crispy cereal

3 cups cinnamon graham squares cereal

1 cup peanuts, optional

In a large pot over medium low heat, add marshmallows, peanut butter and milk.  Stir until melted.  Add both cereal and nuts.  Pour into a greased 9x13 inch pan.  With wet fingers, press into pan making top as smooth as possible.  Allow to cool before cooking into squares.

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Recipe Review: Orange Rolls

I have been wanting to try this recipe for awhile.  I mean, who hasn't had those yummy orange rolls that you can buy in the frozen food section at the grocery store.  But, these are so much better. 

I found this recipe when I was reading through some of my favorite blogs.  Have you been to Sweet Luvin' In The Kitchen?  There are some awesome recipes there along with this one.  My kids were begging me for a taste test as soon as they were cool enough to eat.  I only made a couple of changes.  I made these in my breadmaker and  I added orange juice to the filling instead of orange zest. 

Enjoy these unbelievable yummy rolls!

Orange Rolls

(adapted from Sweet Luvin' In The Kitchen)

Dough

1 1/4 cup warm water

3 eggs, well-beaten

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

4 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 Tbsp. dry active yeast

Filling

1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/4 cup sugar

juice from 1 orange

Glaze

juice of 1 orange

1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

powdered sugar

Add ingredients to the bread maker as suggested manufacturer.  Set to dough cycle.  Once cycle is complete, gently deflate dough and divide dough in half on a lightly floured surface.  Allow the dough to rest for a few minutes.  While the dough is resting, mix the butter, juice and sugar until blended. Roll one half of the dough out into a rectangle. Spread half of the butter mixture onto the dough. Roll up and cut slices about 1-1/2 inches thick.  Place rolls in a greased 9x13 inch pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15 - 20 minutes or until light golden brown.  While the rolls are baking, mix the ingredients for the glaze.  I like my icing be thick so that it is more like icing and not glaze.  Once the rolls have cooled slightly, ice rolls and enjoy.

Linked To:

*Everyday Sisters: Sharing Sundays

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Chicken Tostados with Fresh Salsa

My husband and I love the blackened chicken tostados at Tijuana Flats, so I thought we should try making them at home. I must say, our first attempt was pretty successful. My husband did a great job blackening the chicken and making fresh salsa, but I was the mastermind behind the whole thing!

What you’ll need:
Olive oil
Corn tortillas (about 2-3 per person)
1 lb chicken cutlets
Blackened seasoning (we used a combo of cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper, garlic powder and salt and pepper)
1 can refried beans
Queso Fresco (a Mexican crumbling cheese that I have only seen at Super Walmart) or you could substitute Monterey jack cheese
Toppings: hot sauce, salsa (see our recipe below), sour cream (my favorite condiment in the whole world), guacamole, jalepeno peppers, green or red onion

How to make them:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

With a basting or pastry brush, lightly coat both sides of the tortillas with olive oil and season with kosher salt. Place evenly on a baking sheet and place in the oven for about 15 minutes, until crispy, turn halfway through.

Meanwhile, season the chicken cutlets with the blackening spices - cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Place in a cast iron skillet if you have one or you can use a nonstick skillet with the just a little bit of oil. Preheat the skillet to medium-high to high. Cook on both sides until cooked through, about 8 minutes total. Remove from the pan. Let cool slightly, then chop up.

Heat the refried beans in a saucepan on the stove. When the tortillas are done, spread a little refried beans on the tortillas, top with some chicken, crumbled queso and additional toppings of your choice.

What you’ll need for the salsa:
4 vine ripened tomatoes, cut into smaller chunks
Half a large white onion, cut into smaller chunks
2 garlic cloves
Salt and pepper
A handful of fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
If you like it spicier, add a jalepeno, remove the seeds and ribs

How to make it:
Place the tomato chunks, onion, and garlic (and jalapeno if using) into a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse until it reaches the consistency you like. Season with salt and pepper, add the cilantro and pulse a couple of more times to incorporate.


You could also use ground beef, ground turkey or sirloin instead of blackened chicken.

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