Welcome, Fall.

I'm not trying to hurt the other seasons' feelings, but I just want to wish Fall a happy welcome. We all know it won't last long enough, so let's treat it kindly while it's here. ;)

*Tuesday: Homemade Macaroni & Cheese (see recipe below)--unfortunately my 2 year old learned about Mac & Cheese. For some reason she's starting to request it more and more (why is it cute when she asks for Hummus, but not as cute when it's "mac & cheese!"?). So I'm going to make us both happy. I think I may even experiment and throw some roasted Sweet Potatoes in the casserole. We all love them around here, and it seems like it would add a nice extra flavor to the pasta & cheese. I love finding recipes that don't require meat (I'm not a vegetarian--but we try to eat meat sparingly), but easily fill my family up. This would be one of them.

*Wednesday: Glazed Salmon with Parmesan Squash wedges

*Thursday: Leftovers

*Friday: Panera Bread--I'm feeling extra lucky these days in the coupon department. We got a flyer in the mail the other day that offered 3 free kids meals at Panera Bread. This happens to be one of my kids' FAVORITE places ever. And since Burke will be working late tonight, I'm making our dinner easy and taking the kids out!

*Saturday: Our friends--the Wilkinson's--are coming from Michigan for the weekend. Pretty sure they've never tried Chicago Style Pizza, which means Giordano's is in order...

*Sunday: General Conference Breakfast: THESE Cinnamon Rolls and Baked Eggs (the recipe Burke prides himself in being able to make perfectly every time--see recipe below) General Conference Dinner: Chicken Enchiladas with Black Beans, Lime Rice & Guacamole

HOMEMADE MACARONI & CHEESE

-2 c. uncooked elbow macaroni
-2 TBSP finely diced onion
-1 tsp. salt
-1/4 tsp. pepper
-3 c. shredded cheddar cheese
-1 large sweet potato, diced into small cubes
-2 c. thin white sauce*

Heat oven to 375*. Cook macaroni as directed on package; till tender. Place sweet potatoes on baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Add salt and pepper. Roast in the oven until tender, about 30 minutes, stirring once. Place half the cooked macaroni in ungreased 2 qt. casserole dish. Sprinkle with half of the onion, sweet potatoes, salt, pepper and cheese; repeat layers. Pour white sauce over all. Cover; bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 minutes longer.

*White Sauce
-1 TBSP butter
-1 TBSP flour
-1/4 tsp. salt
-1/8 tsp. pepper
-1 c. milk

Melt butter in saucepan over low heat. Blend in flour, salt & pepper. Cook over low heat, stirring until mixture is smooth and bubbly. Remove from heat. Stir in milk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir for 1 minute.


BAKED EGGS

-1/4 c. butter
-18 eggs (beaten)
-1 c. sour cream
-1 c. milk
-2 tsp salt
-1/4 c. green onions, chopped
-1 c. chopped ham (or bacon, sausage, etc.)
-1 c. cheese, grated
-1/4 c. green pepper, chopped

Preheat oven to 350*. Melt butter in the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Mix all remaining ingredients together in a large bowl. Pour into prepared pan, and bake for 45 minutes.

Finally...a post!

We're back from our adventures and ready to cook. Haven has been sleeping through the night for a while now which makes me want to do more of everything. I've even been trying to exercise regularly, but then I go and buy things like those Sea Salt Caramels from Costco (they are seriously SO good). So here are some (hopefully) healthy dinners to take us through this week.

*Monday: Vegetable Chowder Soup (see recipe below)--my Great Aunt made this for us when we were in Utah, and it was super yummy. Her recipe is a little confusing (and has TONS of cream), so with my own twist, we'll see how it turns out...

*Tuesday: Fettuccine with Leeks and White Beans & bread

*Wednesday: Red Snapper (or Salmon) with peppers & Brown Jasmine Rice (I LOVE this stuff. It is a combination of brown rice and the longer Jasmine grained rice...genius)

*Thursday: Leftovers

*Friday: Stuffed Chicken Divan (don't let "stuffed" scare you. This is a healthy version) & a green salad

*Saturday: General Conference weekend=Cinnamon Rolls & Ham and Spinach Frittata for breakfast! Dinner will most likely be easy...like this yummy Tuna & Pear Salad (neither Burke or I care at all for Gorgonzola, so I would probably use Feta instead)

*Sunday: Roast with veggies & these potatoes...can you tell this is our new favorite Sunday dinner?


VEGETABLE CHOWDER


-1 TBLSP chicken base
-2 c. half & half
-4 c. milk
-4 c. water
-2 c. sliced carrots
-4 c. diced potatoes
-2 c. diced celery
-1 TBLSP salt
-1 TBLSP Wocestershire sauce
-1 c. diced onions
-1/4 c. butter
-1 c. flour
-2 cups diced broccoli
-2 c. diced cauliflower

Combine the first 9 ingredients in a large pot. Boil gently for about 45 minutes. In a separate pan, saute onions in butter (or you could use olive oil) until tender. Add the flour to coat onions. Add the cauliflower and broccoli until slightly softened. Combine all ingredients together, and simmer until all vegetables are well incorporated/cooked through.

fall, finally!

Sorry, but I am just one of those people who can't get enough of fall. I LOVE when the air begins to chill, and I can break out the sweaters/boots. And I even get a little excited for winter. Go ahead, hate me. But I like that I don't have to feel depressed half of the year because I'm cold. :) One reason the cooler weather is so amazing to me is all of the baking/cooking opportunities I can take advantage of now that it isn't so hot out! So get ready for some home-cookin' casseroles and lots of warm soups!!! I'm SO excited!!!

*Monday: Never got around to our Salmon & Roasted Root Vegetables yesterday for dinner (we were too busy eating cinnamon rolls!). So we'll try it tonight!

*Tuesday: Sweet Potato Soup with Blue Corn Tortillas

*Wednesday: Spinach & Prosciutto Lasagna

*Thursday: Leftovers

*Friday: Tamale Pies

*Saturday: Steak with Roasted Carrots & Onions

*Sunday: Chicken & Broccoli Alfredo (Ryder is begging for me to make this again!) with a green salad

Back at it...

Finally!!! I'm home! And ready to get cookin'! Here is our menu for the week--

*Monday: Lighter Chicken Pot Pie

*Tuesday: Red Lentil Soup with Sage & Bacon

*Wednesday: Stuffed Peppers with Cheddar and Sage Biscuits

*Thursday: Leftovers

*Friday: Portobello, Broccoli and Red-Pepper Melts

*Saturday: Spaghetti & French Bread

*Sunday: General Conference! *Breakfast=Cinnamon Rolls & Mini Frittatas *Dinner=Salmon & Roasted Root Vegetables

Happy Father's Day

I ended up making a few changes to our menu yesterday when I realized it was Father's Day, and we decided to have a little picnic with the Noorda's. It ended up being quite delicious...here's what we ate:

--Ribs (easiest to make EVER...and I finally got approval to make the same rib recipe again!)
--German Potato Salad (it was amazing--not exactly sure where Amy got the recipe...in fact, she probably didn't use one... ;)
--Rosemary & Garlic Potato knot rolls
--Banana-Raisin Bread Pudding for dessert (I added a little cinnamon & nutmeg to mine...)

I'm back!

Sorry for the absence of a menu last week. I was out of town, eating delish dishes...but not cooking myself. :) And I have to brag about my dinner last night. We walked in the door after being gone for a week to a clean house that smelled AMAZING! Burke had cooked us an entire Brazilian meal of authentic beans and rice and stroganoff (made with filet mignon). It was so tasty...and so nice for him to cook for us! Maybe I need to get him to post those recipes on here...But as far as this week goes, we will be eating:

*Monday: Leftover Brazilian dinner

*Tuesday: Butternut Squash Soup with cooked swiss chard and roasted garlic bread (Burke had this meal at the Noorda's the other day, and thought we should give it a try...)

*Wednesday: Crispy Apricot Pork Chops with Broccoli and Waffle Fries (from Whole Foods)

*Thursday: Chicken Salad with green beans, dried cherries & almonds

*Friday: Date Night!

*Saturday: Leftovers

*Sunday: Potato and Onion Frittata and Cinnamon Rolls for breakfast and Easter dinner at a Friends' house!

Have a great week and a Happy Easter!