last week's menu

So to get this blog rolling...here was our meal menu last week:

*Monday: Turkey with apple/cranberry stuffing (thank you Trader Joes!), baked potatoes & broccoli

*Tuesday: Enchiladas (Tyler Florence recipe) with black beans (I soak mine in water for a few hours, and then boil for a few more with lots of chicken bouillion) & pineapple

*Wednesday: Brown Sugar Glazed Salmon (see recipe below), sweet potato fries (slice, coat with olive oil and salt & pepper and bake in oven until soft but crispy) & corn

*Thursday: Leftovers

*Friday: Pita Pizzas (pita bread, your favorite pizza sauce, and ALL the toppings you can think of. We like cheese, canadian bacon, peppers, onions, pineapple, tomatoes, spinach, mushrooms, etc. And sometimes to shake it up, I put bbq sauce on mine and add some avocado and cilantro with my onions and bacon...it's delicious! Bake in the oven until cheese is melted and pizza is warm.)

*Saturday: Leftovers

*Sunday: Chicken Pesto Pasta (see recipe below), breadsticks (see recipe below), green salad with parmesan crisps (put 1/4 c. of grated parmesan on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 350* for about 10 minutes. they are crispy and spice up any salad!)

What's great about most of these dinners is Burke can take some for lunch the next day. And Ryder and I usually eat leftovers for lunch too, unless I am feeling snacky...then I go for my hummus and pita chips, or my veggie flax tortilla chips with salsa. Overall, I try to have enough items at each meal that everyone will like something. And we always make Ryder try everything we are eating, but I never force him to clean his plate or eat a lot of something he doesn't like. Because I have learned that if he tries it enough times (without force), eventually he likes it.


BROWN SUGAR GLAZED SALMON

-1 TBLSP brown sugar
-2 tsp. butter
-1 tsp. honey
-1 TBLSP olive oil
-1 TBLSP Dijon mustard
-1 TBLSP soy sauce
-1/2-3/4 tsp. salt (I ALWAYS use coarse/kosher salt...it makes a huge difference to me)
-1/4 tsp. pepper (and ALWAYS fresh ground black pepper...so yummy!)
-1 salmon fillet (2-2 1/2 lbs.)

In a small saucepan over medium heat, cook and stir the brown sugar, butter, and honey until melted. Remove from the heat; whisk in the oil, mustard, soy sauce, asalt, and pepper. Cool for 5 minutes. Place salmon in a large foil-lined baking pan; brush with the brown sugar mixture. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 20-25 mins. or until fish flakes easily with a fork.


CHICKEN PESTO PASTA

-1/2 c. chopped sun-dried tomatoes
-1 1/2 c. chicken broth
-6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves-cut into strips
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-1 TBLSP olive oil
-2 tsp. cornstarch
-3/4 c. prepared basil pesto
-1/4 c. toasted pine nuts
-1/4 c. chopped fresh basil
-3/4 c. crumbled feta cheese
-1 (16 0z.) package fusilli pasta (or penne...whatever you like)
-2 TBLSP grated parmesan cheese

Soak sun-dried tomatoes in chicken broth (enough to cover the tomatoes).
Cook chicken in oil with garlic in a large skillet over medium heat until done.
Stir cornstarch into a couple of tablespoons of chicken broth. Stir remaining chicken broth, sun-dried tomatoes, pesto, pine nuts and basil into the skillet with the chicken. Mix cornstarch mixture into the sauce and cook until thickened. Add feta a few minutes before serving.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot. Drain. Serve sauce over pasta and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.


SIMPLY SCRUMPTIOUS BREAD STICKS

-1 pkg. active dry yeast
-1 1/3 c. warm water
-3-3 1/2 c. flour
-3 TBLSP vegetable oil
-1 TBLSP sugar
-1 tsp. salt

Dissolve yeast in warm water in 3 qt. bowl.
Stir in 1 c. flour, oil, sugar and salt. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form soft dough, scraping dough from side to side of bowl. Dough will be sticky.
Cover and let rise in a warm place for 45 mins. to 1 hr. (or until doubled in size).
Preheat oven to 400*.
Punch down dough by stirring about 25 times. Turn dough onto well floured surface, roll and coat with flour. Divide into 24 equal parts. Roll and shape each part into a "rope" about 6" long using additional flour on hands, if needed.
Place on greased cookie sheet. If desired, brush each piece of dough with mixture of melted butter/parmesan cheese/garlic powder, or egg white/sesame seeds.
Bake at 400* until crust is golden brown and crisp, about 15 min. Serve warm.

*I mainly only use white wheat flour these days. It doesn't make things as dense as whole wheat flour, but isn't as processed as white flour.