Monday, September 12, 2011

Monday Meal Planning

Mornin'! It's my little one's first week of school. WOOHOOO!!!! And the first week of ballet and the first week of soccer. It's a big week for the City Mouse girls. I'm making some of our favorite fall dishes. Here's to a great week! 


Monday: Pizza Pasta:


Ingredients:
1 Pound(s) penne pasta
1/4 Cup(s) butter
2 Tablespoon(s) olive oil
1 Package(s) hot, casings removed Italian sausage (chicken sausage is great too!)
6 Clove(s) garlic
2 chopped onion
28 Ounce(s) crushed tomatoes
2 1/2 Tablespoon(s) dried oregano
2 Tablespoon(s) sugar
1 1/2 Tablespoon(s) tomato paste
2 bay leaves
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 Cup(s) light cream
Fresh Basil1 Package(s) fresh mozzarella


Directions:
Saute sausage, onions and garlic in butter and oil for ten minutes. Add remaining ingredients (except for cream) and simmer low for 20 minutes. Add in cream and chopped basil. Toss with cooked pasta. Add fresh mozzarella to individual servings. 



Tuesday: Texas Soup


Ingredients:
1 Pound(s) ground beef
1 large chopped onion
1 Can(s) stewed tomatoes
1 Can(s) hominy
1 Can(s)
RoTel tomatoes and chilies
1 Can(s) corn
1 Can(s) with jalapenos pinto beans
1 Package(s) taco seasoning
1 Package(s) Ranch dressing mix



Directions:
Brown ground beef in soup pot with onion. Add remaining ingredients, simmer.

Some suggested sides:
Shredded Cheddar
Avocado
Sour Cream
Onions 
Fritos



Wednesday: Crockpot Pot Roast


Ingredients:
3 Pound(s) beef pot roast
salt
steak seasoning or seasoned pepper
1/2 bag baby carrot
4 Clove(s) smashed garlic
1 packet mushroom onion soup mix
1/2 Cup(s) - 1 cup wine, beer or vermouth
2 peeled & quartered onions

flour or cornstarch


Directions:
Coat all sides of roast with salt (I always use kosher) and seasoned pepper. Brown in dry skillet on all sides. Toss all the veggies in the bottom of the
Crockpot, top with meat, then add soup mix, top with liquids. Cover and cook on low for the longest time your Crockpot allows. When it's done cooking, take the meat out and stir in a little bit of flour or cornstarch to thicken up the sauce put the meat back in and serve straight out of the pot. I prefer to serve my pot roast over mashed potatoes. But if you want a one pot meal just add small, red, baby potatoes when you add the rest of the ingredients. 



Thursday: Chicken Piccata


Ingredients:
4 chicken breast, boneless skinless
1 to taste salt
1 to taste black pepper
1/4 Cup(s) flour
3 1/2 Tablespoon(s) - 4 1/2 tablespoons divided butter
1 1/2 Tablespoon(s) olive oil
2 Tablespoon(s) - 3 tablespoons minced shallot
1 Cup(s) chicken stock
3 Tablespoon(s) - 4 tablespoons lemon juice
2 Tablespoon(s) drained capers



Directions:
Trim chicken and sprinkle both sides with salt & pepper. Spread flour on a plate and coat both sides of chicken with flour. Pressing to make the tenderloins adhere. Gently shake off excess.

Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons butter in 12" skillet until fragrant, add oil. Arrange chicken tenderloin side down in skillet and saute for exactly 4 minutes. Using tongs, turn the chicken and cook until the flesh feels firm to the touch 3-5 minutes more. Remove to a platter and keep warm.

Heat remaining butter in skillet and add shallots. Cook stirring until wilted, about 1 minute. Increase the heat to high and add chicken stock. Bring to a boil, scraping with wooden spoon to dissolve bits. Add lemon juice and capers. Boil until mixture is reduced. About 3-4 minutes. Add chicken juices from plate and reduce again. Remove from heat and add butter. Put chicken back in skillet. Toss to coat and enjoy! 



Friday: Beef Stroganoff (adapted from Gourmet)


Ingredients:
3 1/2 Tablespoon(s) divided butter
1 Tablespoon(s) flour
1/2 Teaspoon(s) salt
1/4 Teaspoon(s) black pepper
1 Pound(s) cut into 1/4" pieces beef tenderloin
1 Cup(s) beef broth
2 Tablespoon(s) divided olive oil
1/2 Cup(s) thinly sliced shallot
3/4 Pound(s) quartered or halved
cremini mushrooms
3 Tablespoon(s) room temperature sour cream
1 Teaspoon(s) Dijon mustard
2 Tablespoon(s) chopped fresh dill weed



Directions:
Melt 1 1/2 tablespoons butter in small saucepan. Whisk in flour and cook, whisking constantly for two minutes. Add stock in a slow stream, whisking constantly and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. Cover to keep warm.

Pat beef dry and season well with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon oil in a 12" heavy skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides. Add beef in two batches and cook, turning once, until browned on both sides but still pink in the middle, about 1 minute per batch. Remove with slotted spoon and transfer to a plate.

Add remaining 1 tablespoon butter and oil to skillet and heat until hot but not smoking. Add shallots and cook until golden brown. About three minutes. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally for 8-10 minutes.

Return meat and juices to skillet and stir to combine. Reheat broth over low heat, then whisk in sour cream, mustard, dill, salt and pepper. Pour over beef and serve over noodles.



Saturday: Sauteed Braised Pork Tenderloin with Herb Pan Sauce


Ingredients:
2 tenderloins of pork
1 to taste salt
1 to taste black pepper
4 1/2 Teaspoon(s) divided butter
1 1/2 Teaspoon(s) olive oil
1/3 Cup(s) chicken broth
1/4 Cup(s) minced shallot
1 bay leaves
2 Teaspoon(s) Dijon mustard
1 1/2 Teaspoon(s) lemon juice
1/4 Cup(s) heavy cream



Directions:
Pat tenderloins dry with paper towels. Season (generously) on all sides with salt and pepper. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons butter and oil in a large skillet over high heat. Brown tenderloin well on all sides, cover the pan, and reduce heat to low. Cook for 15-20 minutes (I do 16). Remove tenderloins to a plate, cover loosely with foil and let stand for 5-10 minutes while preparing sauce.

Basic herb pan sauce:

To skillet add chicken broth. Stir with a wooden spoon to scrape up bits, bring to a boil and add shallots, bay leaf, mustard, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Cook stirring occasionally, over medium high heat until slightly thickened. About 1-2 minutes. Add heavy cream and cook for 3 more minutes. Remove pan from heat and add rosemary and 1 tablespoon butter.

Slice tenderloin and add to sauce. Garnish with sprigs of rosemary if desired.



Sunday: Southwestern Pulled Brisket Sandwiches


Ingredients:
3 Pound(s) beef brisket
1 to taste kosher salt
1 to taste black pepper
2 Tablespoon(s) vegetable oil
5 Clove(s) peeled smashed garlic
1 halved thinly sliced Spanish onion
1 Tablespoon(s) chili powder
2 Teaspoon(s) ground coriander
2 Teaspoon(s) cumin
1/4 Cup(s) apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 Cup(s) water
14 1/2 Ounce(s) canned
undrained whole tomato
2 whole
chipotle chilies in adobo sauce
2 bay leaves
3 Tablespoon(s) molasses



Directions:
Season the beef generously with salt and pepper, to taste. Heat a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil and heat just until beginning to smoke. Add the meat and cook, turning once, until browned on both sides, about 10 minutes total. Transfer the meat to the slow cooker; leave the skillet on the heat.

Add garlic, onion, chili powder, coriander, and cumin to drippings in the skillet and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add vinegar and boil until it's almost gone, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Stir in water and pour the mixture over the brisket. Crush the tomatoes through your fingers into the slow cooker; add the tomato juices,
chipotles, bay leaves, and molasses. Cover the cooker, set it on low, and cook the brisket until it pulls apart easily with a fork, about 8 hours.

(I cooked mine more like 10 hours)

To serve, leave the meat in the slow cooker and use 2 forks to pull it apart and stir it evenly into the sauce; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Remove and discard bay leaves. Pile the meat on sandwich buns and serve with pickled jalapenos. This is also great rolled up in tortillas.

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