Menu Planning

 

I’ve only rearranged the schedule a million times in that last few days. I told the hubby that if his check is what I’m expecting we are spending a little extra just so I can do without hamburger. So sick of hamburger and guess what’s up this week?

Sunday was homemade pizza 

Monday Italian Goolash

Tuesday Baked potatoes with hamburger in some sort of sauce

Wednesday Hamburger Dip 

Thursday Chicken and potatoes

Friday probably hamburger again although it’s pay day (finally!)

Can I fit anymore hamburger into this menu????

It’s All Alton Brown’s Fault…

The hubby and I were watching Feasting on Asphalt and saw something that looked like sloppy joes. Looked so incredibly good and considering I had hamburger defrosted in the fridge I hopped online for a recipe. What I found knocked our socks off.

Sloppy Joes to make you forget the canned stuff

1 onion, cut up

1 teaspoon garlic

1 pound hambuger

Brown all together then drain.

Add 1 cup ketcup, 1 cup water with 1/4 cup brown sugar dissolved, and 1 tablespoon molasses. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and wait to thicken.

We actually fought over the leftovers-it’s that good

This N That

 

This is me trying to eat dinner last night. The hubby picked up the camera and shot me looked pissed and mad. I’m just hot. Sweaty and icky hot. I’ve mixed the suppers around some. Last night we had pork stir-fry because I needed to get the pork used up.

Tonight I went Italian with Chicken Parmesan. The dinner I had planned used rice and I didn’t want back-to-back rice dishes.

I’ve been working on making a new 101 Things in 1001 Days and one of the things I contemplated was weeding out my recipes. My system is that anything that is paper-photocopies or printouts-get placed in a big plastic file folder. There are individual files marked “breakfast,” “hamburger” “meat” “cakes”. You get the idea. I went through my box tonight and tossed liberally. Some of these recipes I’ve had for nearly 10 years.

Yeah-that’s the throwaway pile. I feel so much better now. Now, if I can only cook what I’ve got left in that box.

So-how was your dinner? Nicole from Nic in the Kitchen has become a regular follower of my one man show! Welcome Nicole! And now I must shower and crash!

Menu Plan Monday

 

Yep, it’s that time again-even though we are one hour away from Monday. When I went grocery shopping last week the plan was to get a ham. Unfortunately that didn’t work out as the expense would have been too much. Yes, things are tight around here. So instead I got some hamburger (a family pack) and divvied that up into  1/2 pound packages in the freezer. 1/2  pound works for us  since it is just I and the hubby. So lots of rearrange of the schedule but it seems to be working.

We didn’t eat supper tonight-got a sub at the grocery store and had lunch. The hubby is sleeping good and so I just ate the rest of the sub for my dinner. He can fix himself a ham sandwich for supper if he gets up before breakfast

This weeks menu looks like this:

Monday: Chili Ranch Grilled Pork (I’m going to do this on the Foreman grill), leftover mac and cheese, and a veggie (green beans? peas? green beans?)

Tuesday Beans and Ham over Rice (think red beans and rice but with pintos instead)

Wednesday: Pork Stir Fry

Thursday: Chicken Parmesan (I’ve got breaded frozen chicken in freezer that I’ll put in the oven, cook some angel hair pasta, and warm up the spaghetti sauce. Viola!)

Friday: Chili-crockpot version with maybe cornbread

Saturday: Grilled Ham and Cheese Sandwiches, broccoli and carrots with veggie dip

The heat has finally broken. In fact, thanks to Tropical Depression Dean we got rain and 80° temps today. But I am still not wanting to turn on the oven too much yet. Still awfully sticky in Tulsa.

So, what’s on your plate?

White Sauce Stroganoff

I like stroganoff but have never found a recipe I like. Some use cream cheese or cream cheese with chives spread. I’ve played-cook it in a crock pot and on the stove. Nothing seemed to be good. I found myself, though, with a half pound of hamburger and need to create dinner. I had a can of mushrooms stems and pieces and went looking for a white sauce with sour cream. Found one at Cooks and made the sour cream version. Add some spices and the mushrooms. Pour over egg noodles and OMG. Is this good or what? Definitely going into my replay file.

Hamburger

White sauce-medium

Garlic salt and powder

Dried dill

Minced onion

Chives

Parsley

Fry hamburger with minced onions and garlic salt. Drain when done. Make white sauce: melt 2 tablespoons butter in skillet then add 2 tablespoons flour. Mix together and slowly add 2 cups milk. Stir till thick then add half cup of sour cream. Add garlic powder (not a lot), parsley, dill, and chives. When thick and bubbly add the hamburger to it and serve over hot egg noodles.

Not an exact recipe on the spices and herbs. My idea of measuring when I am throwing something together consists of a couple of shakes and a pinch

Menu planning

There is a lot of days between the 15th and 31st this month. So the key to my menu plan for the next two plus weeks is frugality and using a ham as the basis of most of my meals. I’m gonna cook the ham late at night-I’m usually up through the night-as I am not turning my oven on in the forecasted 100+ temps of the next few days. Without further ado…

Sunday: Leftover cowboy soup

Monday Pork Roast Leftovers

Tuesday: Hamburger and ??? Do I do hamburgers or brown it with pasta or rice. Maybe spaghetti? I just don’t know yet.

Wednesday-payday!! Eating out at Ruby Tuesday’s

Thursday: Ham Dinner (ham, asparagus casserole, mashed tators, gravy)

Friday BLT Sandwiches

Saturday: Scalloped potatoes with ham

If Saturday is like normal I will be taking sup up to the hubbies work at midnight. At least the sun will be down when I turn the oven on!

What’s on your plate this week?

A little late…

But I decided to post my menu anyway. We have been seriously deficient in money and thus in groceries. We borrowed from the in laws and was able to pick up a couple of meats. It’s been an adventure but for the most part it has worked. I must thank my mother for teaching me to cook without recipes. Last night’s meal of potatoes and hot Italian sausage with corn was just throwing stuff together. Then I added cheese and the hubby ate it up. In fact, there’s leftovers in the fridge if anyone is interested because I don’t like hot sausage! In fact, I’m not crazy on any type of sausage but the bulk stuff and only in casseroles and sausage!

Tuesday-leftover spaghetti sauce with hamburger. I’ll cook and add some pasta. Warm up the garlic bread leftovers. Dinner’s served!

Wednesday-Cowboy soup

Thursday-Meatloaf

Friday-Cowboy Soup Part Two

Saturday Pork Roast

Sunday-Hamburger ?? I’ve got half a pound of hamburger-do I make nachos? Add it to a package of pasta mix? Add some rice and tomatoes? Not sure yet.

Pizza!

Pardon the bad pic

I’m not sure where I got the recipe, probably from a blog somewhere, but in the interest of using every last scrap in my kitchen-we’re a little broke at the moment-I made homemade pizza and sauce. Topped with ham, black olives, onions, and lots of cheese. This ranks right up there with Hagan-Dazs Coffee Ice Cream as nearly as good as great sex!

Quick Pizza Dough

1 package quick rise fry yeast (Red Star)

1 cup lukewarm water

2 tablespoons veggie oil

1 tablespoon honey

2 1/2 cups flour

Mix yeast in water, then add other ingredients. Mix well be hand. Cover with dishtowel and let sit in bowl for 5-10 minutes. Flatten on greased pan. Add your own toppings. Bake at 450° for about 12 minutes.

It really is that easy!

Last Meal?

Interesting question over on Chew on That about last suppers. What would you eat for a last supper?

Me, I want a whole day.

Start out with an early breakfast of leftover Thanksgiving goodies: asparagus casserole and a turkey/mashed potatoes/gravy/noodles all mix together. Served hot and steaming. Ice tea to drink, please.

Mid-morning snack would be fried green tomatoes, cucumbers, and zucchini.

Lunch would be pasta salad, pea salad, and a lettuce salad. The lettuce salad would be ham, cheese, fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, french fried onions, and ranch dressing. Crackers on the side and more ice tea.

Mid-afternoon snack would be thick, chocolaty, fudgey brownies. With cherry pie filling on top and milk.

Just before dinner sneak out and get a hamburger (the .59 cent one) and a large french fry from McD’s.

Supper would be pork roast with potatoes and cabbage cooked in the broth. Corn, frozen to start with and cook just to perfection. 90 minutes rolls and a gallon of tea.

For dessert it would be pineapple cake with cream cheese icing. Ice water, tea, milk?

And as I was getting ready to meat death it would be Jelly Bellies and Dr Pepper.

What would be your list?

Getting Behind

I’ve got several recipes to post. We’ll get there I promise. So today…

Italian Goulash

1/2 pound of hamburger

Dried minced onion

Garlic Salt

2-3 cups cooked small egg bowties

Can of petite diced tomatoes

Italian Seasoning

Parsley flakes

I browned the hamburger with onion and garlic salt. While that is going I cooked the noodles. Once cooked, I drained the noodles and added a tablespoon of butter. Drain hamburger when done. Add noodles and tomatoes to pan. Sprinkle with Italian seasonings, parsley flakes, and garlic salt. (No specifics here-to your taste, palate, and family enjoy). Cover and let cook on med-low for five minutes or so. When most of the tomato juice is soaked up, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Serves two or three.

This was a throw together dinner that was beyond belief good. Definitely will make this again!