September!

Tomorrow will be September! I'm SO excited! Here is our menu for the week...

*Monday: Black Bean burgers (Thanks, Costco ;) and hummus

*Tuesday: Vegetable Stir-Fry with Peanuts

*Wednesday: Sweet Corn Quesadillas

*Thursday: Baked Penne with Spinach and Sun-dried Tomatoes

*Friday: Pizza night! (haven't decided yet if I will make/buy...)

*Saturday: Leftovers

*Sunday: Cheddar Soup with garlic toasted bread and a green salad

Dinner at the Morins...

I can hardly wait for next week...it will be September! I have loved summer time, but am SO ready for all things fall (including more cooking/baking). I'm ready to be done with the grill, and start wearing sweaters. :) Here's to one more week of easy dinners that don't make my home feel like an oven...

*Monday: BBQ Chicken wraps--see recipe below

*Tuesday: Fish Tacos

*Wednesday: Best Bruschetta Ever--see recipe below--(how's that for an easy dinner?!) with corn on the cob

*Thursday: Chicken & Broccoli Alfredo--see recipe below

*Friday: Leftovers

*Saturday: Triathlon day! This time it's Burke's turn!

*Sunday: Grilled Cheese with Tomato & Basil and German Potato Salad


BBQ CHICKEN WRAPS

-1 2lb. roasted chicken, skin discarded, meat removed from bones and shredded
-1/2 c. prepared bbq sauce
-1 c. canned black beans (rinsed)
-1/2 c. frozen corn, thawed/canned corn, drained
-1/4 c. reduced fat sour cream
-4 leaves romaine lettuce
-4 (10 inch) whole wheat tortillas
-2 limes, cut in wedges

Place a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken, bbq sauce, beans, corn and sour cream; stir to combine. Cook until hot, 4 to 5 minutes.
Assemble the wraps by placing a lettuce leaf in the center of each tortilla and topping with one-fourth of the chicken mixture; roll as you would a burrito. Slice in half diagonally and serve warm, with lime wedges.
*I will probably add tomatoes and avocados to ours...

BEST BRUSCHETTA EVER

-2 tomatoes, diced
-1 tsp. dried basil
-4 TBSP grated parmesan cheese
-2 TBSP olive oil
-1 clove garlic, crushed
-salt and pepper to taste

In a medium bowl, mix tomatoes, dried basil, parmesan cheese, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Cover and chill in refrigerator 8 hours, or overnight, before serving. Serve on toasted bread slices. Top with sprinkling of parmesan cheese.

CHICKEN & BROCCOLI ALFREDO

-4-5 c. broccoli florets
-2 TBSP olive oil
-4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut crosswise into 1/2 inch wide strips
-1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced
-1 2/3 c. whipping cream (or 1 c. whipping cream + 2/3 c. skim milk)
-1 1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese
-1/2 c. grated monterey jack cheese
-3/4 pound penne or mostaccioli, freshly cooked

Steam broccoil florets until just tender, about 3 minutes, set aside.
Preheat broiler. Butter 13x9 inch broiler-proof baking dish. Heat 2 TBSP olive oil in heavy large dutch oven over medium-high. Working in batches, saute' chicken strips until just cooked through, about 4 minutes. Transfer chicken strips to bowl. Add sliced red bell pepper to dutch oven and saute' until just tender, about 5 minutes. Add whipping cream, 1 cup grated parmesan cheese and all of the monterey jack cheese. Simmer until sauce thickens slightly (5 minutes). Add chicken strips and any juices in bowl to sauce. Add freshly cooked pasta and steamed broccoli and toss until sauce coats mixture. Season to taste with salt & pepper. Transfer pasta mixture to prepared baking dish. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup grated cheese over top. Broil until just golden on top, about 3 minutes, and serve.

So sorry...

...for the delay! I've been playing in MI with family and friends! Now I am back, and ready to cook! For the rest of the week, we'll be eating:

*Wednesday: Black Bean Pie (with avocados)

*Thursday: Tuna-Focaccia Sandwiches (Thanks to Ivette!)--mix some tuna/albacore with chopped purple onion, cilantro, celery, salt & pepper and lime/lemon juice. Place on focaccia/pita bread with a leaf of lettuce (and maybe avocado...I just can't get enough). Serve with watermelon and root chips for a nice summer meal!

*Friday: Parmesan Chicken Sticks with Sweet Potato Fries and Pineapple

*Saturday: Leftovers

*Sunday: Spaghetti with Meatballs and French Bread (use a favorite recipe, or HERE is one)

And just for fun, I NEED to make these scrumptious looking cheesecake bars. You probably should make some, too. :)

menu--

This week my Mom is in town visiting! Yay! Here is our menu for the week--

*Monday: Leftover delicious Teriyaki Chicken with Wild Rice and veggies

*Tuesday: Eating out for my birthday!

*Wednesday: Chicken Enchiladas & Cheddar-Corn Spoon Bread (made these a few weeks ago...craving them again...)

*Thursday: BLT salad with Buttermilk Dressing

*Friday: Gemelli Pasta with Squash & Peas with Garlic-Herbed Bread

*Saturday: Leftovers

*Sunday: Grilled Salmon with herb crust and baked potatoes

Another Menu

Here is the plan at our house for this week!

*Monday: Jalepeno Chicken Brats (from Trader Joe's), with grilled onions and bbq sauce & Honey Dew Melon
Burke is SO excited that I've found a brat that I admit to liking. :) Trader Joe's has a huge variety of flavored Chicken Brats--Sweet Apple, Mango, Pesto, etc. We ate them when we went "camping" this weekend, and Ryder and I both agreed we need them again, 2 days later. :)

*Tuesday: Chinese Chicken Salad (one of my favorites since I was a teenager!)--see recipe below

*Wednesday: Grilled Vegetable Quesadillas (see recipe below)--this would be yummy with some corn relish (mix corn kernels, sliced scallions, lime juice, oil, salt & pepper) or avocados

*Thursday: Leftovers

*Friday: Linguine with Shrimp and Lemon Oil

*Saturday: Millenium Park Triathlon!

*Sunday: Dinner at Nana's

GRILLED VEGETABLE QUESADILLAS

-vegetable oil, for grill
-4 large flour tortillas (10-inch size)
-1 1/2 c. shredded Monterey Jack cheese (or I may use Pepper Jack)
-1 yellow squash, halved crosswise and thinly sliced lengthwise
-1 red, orange, or yellow bell pepper, ribs and seeds removed, thinly sliced

Heat grill to low; lightly oil grates.
Place tortillas on a work surface. Dividing evenly, sprinkle half the cheese on lower half of each tortilla; top with squash, bell pepper, scallion pieces, and remaining cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Fold top half of tortillas over filling to enclose.
Grill quesadillas, covered, until browned in spots and cheese is melted, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Cut into wedges; serve immediately.

CHINESE CHICKEN SALAD

Marinade:

-1 c. soy sauce
-1 1/4 c. sugar
-1 in. shredded ginger root
-clove of garlic, crushed

Marinate chicken breasts 24 hours in refrigerator; then bake at 350* 1 hour uncovered

Dressing:

-2 TBSP sugar
-1 TBSP sesame oil
-3 TBSP Rice Vinegar
-1/4 c. vegetable oil
-1 1/2 tsp. pepper

Mix all together and pour over salad just before serving

Salad:

-1 head lettuce, shredded
-4 green onions, chopped
-2 TBSP slivered/toasted almonds
-Wonton strips-cut in half and fry in oil to crisp (approx. 20 seconds each side)
-cilantro

Cut up and toss all salad ingredients together. Cut up chicken and toss in. Add dressing.