Check our orgjunkie.com for more menu ideas!

MONDAY: Frozen Pizza — I have a deacon’s meeting

TUESDAY: Cuban Pork, potatoes and steamed carrots

from Leanne Ely of savingdinner.com

1/3 cup orange juice

3 tablespoons lime juice

2 cloves of garlic

1- 1/2 tablespoons dried oregano

salt and pepper to taste

1 -1/2 pounds of pork loin roast

Put all ingredients in a plastic Ziploc bag – freeze for later or marinate ingredients for a couple of hours.

Set oven to 375 degrees.

Place pork in roasting pan, reserving marinade.  Roast pork for 45 minutes, or until it reaches the internal temperature of 165 degrees.

In a pan, bring reserved marinade to a boil.  Let pork sit for 10 minutes and serve with sauce on the side.

WEDNESDAY: The Stokke’s are bringing us dinner!!

THURSDAY: Leftovers

FRIDAY: Cheesy Beef and Rice Casserole — this was in my freezer

SATURDAY: Sloppy Joe’s…I have girls night at Stir Crazy – yum!

SUNDAY: Spaghetti and Meat Sauce

I know I’m totally late posting this – I’m surprised it didn’t happen sooner!

Let’s see, last week menus were yummy, although I did remember why we haven’t done Steve’s Mac and Cheese for a while, something wasn’t quite quite–sorry Steve!  I also shouldn’t freeze the Chicken Tetrazzini again, it didn’t turn out great.  We had the Oliver’s over for dinner Thursday night and did my regular Spaghetti and Meatballs but doubled everything but the noodles and it was an improvement.

Here’s what’s for dinner this week and you can check out other menu ideas at www.orgjunkie.com.

MONDAY:  Henry’s Birthday Dinner at Chuck E. Cheese’s

TUESDAY:  Eggs to serve with bacon and toast

WEDNESDAY: (NEW!) “Chili” with Vegetables from Penzey’s Spices Fall Catalog (I’m freezing half)

1⁄2  lb. ground turkey
1⁄2  lb. ground beef (round)
1  TB. olive oil
1  15 oz.  can black beans
1  15 oz.  can red beans
2 tsp. SOUP BASE—BEEF, CHICKEN
or VEGETABLE
1  large onion, chopped
5  cloves garlic, chopped (1 rounded tsp.
MINCED GARLIC)
1  medium green bell pepper, chopped
2  carrots, peeled and chopped
2  whole tomatoes, chopped
1  15 oz. can diced tomatoes
2  15 oz. cans tomato sauce
2  stalks celery, chopped
2  parsnips, chopped (1 Cup)
1⁄4  Cup cider vinegar
1⁄4  tsp. CRUSHED RED PEPPERS
1-2 tsp. salt (to taste)
1⁄2-1 tsp. PENZEYS FRESHLY GROUND
PEPPER to taste
1⁄2  tsp. GROUND CUMIN
1⁄2  tsp. BASIL
1⁄2  tsp. OREGANO
1⁄4  tsp. PAPRIKA

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a stock
pot. Add the turkey and ground round and
cook until nicely browned. Drain. Add the
remaining ingredients to the pot, starting
with 1 teaspoon of salt. Reduce the heat and
let simmer for at least 1 hour or until all the
vegetables are cooked through. Taste before
serving and add the rest of the salt as desired.
Serve over spaghetti topped with freshly
grated Parmesan cheese.
Prep. time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour
Serves: 8-10

THURSDAY: NEW! Grandma Rattini’s Gnocchi; This is out of a company cookbook that John’s company put together a few years ago for their clients.  I’ve been slowly going through it and rating the recipes as I go.

2 eggs

1 cup cold water

1 teaspoon baking powder

3 cups of flour

2 tablespoons dried chives

1/2 stick of butter

1 cup Parmesan cheese

1. Fill stock pot about half full with water and bring to a boil.

2. Mix eggs, cold water, salt, baking powder and chives until well blended.  Add flour until dough becomes sticky and firm,

3. Drop large teaspoons full of dough into boiling water until you have used up all the dough.

4. Meanwhile, melt the butter over medium-low heat in saucepan.  Cook until browned.

5. Uncover stock pot and boil gnocchi for an additional 5 minutes.

6. Place cheese in a large serving dish.  Add gnocchi and melted butter.  Mix well and serve immediately.

FRIDAY: Beef Macaroni Skillet

SATURDAY:  Henry’s Birthday Family Party…BBQ Pork Steaks, Corn on the Cob, Baked Beans..not sure what else yet besides a train cake

SUNDAY: Cube Steaks with Rice a Roni; This is a staple of John’s family’s and I didn’t know what a cube steak was before we got married.  All he does is batter them with flour salt and pepper and pan fry them.  It’s cheap and delicious.

This week is all about making what we have and stretching our food budget until the 15th.  Luckily,  I have a few menus that I split from the previous weeks and froze for just such an occasion.

The new recipes I tried from last week were big hits, which were the Beer Brined Chicken and Katy’s Chicken Enchiladas.  So yummy!

MONDAY: Northwoods Chicken

TUESDAY: Mega Marvelous Meatloaf (freezer recipe from Leanne Ely, savingdinner.com)

2/3 cup dried stuffing mix
1 egg
2/3 cup buttermilk
1 pound extra-lean ground beef
1 1/3 teaspoons garlic powder
2/3 teaspoon thyme
1/3 cup ketchup
2/3 teaspoon honey
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
Salt and Pepper to taste

Seal the bag and blend the mixture together by squeezing and kneading the bag.  Unseal the bag, starting at the bottom of the bag, roll the mixture to force out any air then seal the bag again.  Insert this bag into a gallon sized plastic freezer bag and place a copy of the recipe into the 2nd bag as well and seal it.  Place your label on the bag or write the name and date on the bag and place in the freezer.

When you want to have this meatloaf for dinner, thaw in the fridge overnight and then:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place meatloaf in a loaf pan and bake for about 1 hour or until done.

WEDNESDAY: Eggs to serve with bacon and toast

THURSDAY: Beef and Tomato Manicotti (in the freezer)

FRIDAY: Chicken Tetrazzini (in the freezer)

SATURDAY: House Group BBQ

SUNDAY: Crock Chili and Cornbread

Don’t expect any culinary cuisines from my menus, but it may inspire you to think outside your normal meals and try something new.  And please comment with your family favorites or share recipes with me too.

I’m only listing dinners for now, I kinda like to be spontaneous for breakfast and lunches.  But maybe in the future, I’ll put those in too.

MONDAY:  Northwoods Baked Chicken, Sauted Zucchini, Grapes and Cheese

Northwoods is a house spice blend from Penzeys Spice Shop.  It’s awesome.  Here’s what I do:

On 4 Chicken Thighs, drizzle olive oil and sprinkle Northwoods Seasoning, let marinate for as long as you can – I usually do a couple of hours.

Set oven for 350 degrees.  Put another sprinkle of Northwoods on chicken and also sprinkle garlic salt.  Then cook for about an hour in the oven, depending if you are using bone-in or boneless thighs will vary the length you cook.   You can also grill for 7 minutes on each side.

TUESDAY: Eggs to order, bacon and toast…yes for dinner!

WENESDAY: Sloppy Joe’s (the Manwich variety tonight), home sweet potato fries and fruit

The fries I do this:

Cut sweet potatoes in quarters.  Put in a bowl and coat with olive oil, brown sugar, and kosher salt. Place on sprayed cookie sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes until crispy.

THURSDAY: Pesto Pasta with Chicken and a Salad

FRIDAY:  Out at a party

SATURDAY:  Homemade Pizza Night with a Salad

SUNDAY:  Chinese Takeout from Webster Gardens