Monday, January 25, 2010

Menu Monday

Hey good lookin'.....whatcha got cookin'...how 'bout cookin' somethin' up with me!


hamburger hash/salad
chicken enchiladas/rice/beans
chicken & dumplings/salad
egg bake/coffeecake/lil' smokies
huraches al pastor

So, whatcha got cookin' this week?

Stromboli

This recipe comes from my sister-in-law Summer. The Cooper's are glad that she shared her stromboli recipe on her blog. It has quickly become a favorite and is fun and easy to prepare. The kids love helping 'braid' the dough. The picture above is my first attempt and it was sadly anemic with the filling...still yummy...but the more the better! Don't be shy!

Stromboli
one box pillsbury hot roll mix or frozen bread dough (thawed) or 1 batch of your favorite bread dough
1 T. butter, softened
1/2 tsp. of each: oregano, parsley, dry mustard, pepper, garlic powder
1/4 lb. pepperoni
1/4 lb. salami
1/2 lb. ham
1/4 lb. shredded mozzarella cheese

prepare dough according to package directions or recipe
roll dough out to a 14-inch square
mix spices with softened butter and spread over dough
cover middle 1/3 section of dough with meats and cheese
cut strips about 2-inches wide into sides of dough
fold dough strips in over filling, alternating sides to look braided
sprinkle top with parmesan and Italian seasoning
let rise for 20 minutes, then bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes
serve with marinara sauce for dipping



Monday, January 18, 2010

Menu Monday

Another week. Another menu.


spanish chicken/rice/green beans
salisbury steak/potatoes/fruit (didn't get to this last week)
coconut chicken/fruit/veggie
stromboli/oranges
potstickers/rice/fruit

Monday, January 11, 2010

Menu Monday

Here's what's cookin' this week.

sausage and pepper hoagies/fruit/tortilla chips
nachos supreme
salisbury steaks/potatoes/salad
leftovers
on the road

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Thai Coconut Curry Soup

(photo by: Antonis Achilleos for Bon Appetit)

I found this recipe in a picture-less little black and white booklet sent out by Bon Appetit magazine as a thank you for ordering their magazine. Well, there was one picture. It was on the front. And it was this soup. (Side note: If you are a food magazine editor, or you ever become one, here's my request of you--always, always, always include a picture of every recipe! In my experience, if it doesn't have a picture, I don't try it. It's too hard to imagine how yummy it might be with just a list of ingredients. Just sayin'.)

So out of that booklet of 50 or so recipes, this is probably the only one I will try because the picture sold it before I ever saw the ingredient list. It looked like it might be coconut milk based, and I saw that little lime wedge. I love coconut and lime together. So I found what page the recipe was on and decided to give it a try. The list is loooooong, but it's not hard.
And it tasted just how I'd hoped it would. If I had this in a restaurant, I would be completely satisfied! So thanks Bon Appetit for this picture at least!

Thai Coconut Curry Soup
adapted from Bon Appetit

2 T oil
3 T chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 T minced lemongrass
2 T minced fresh ginger
2 T Thai yellow curry paste
2 T curry powder
1 t hot chili paste
2 cans coconut milk
5 c chicken broth
2.5 T fish sauce
2 t sugar
3 c snow peas
1 sweet potato, cubed
1 lb rice vermicelli noodles
3/4 lb skinless, boneless chicken thighs, thinly sliced
1/2 c red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 c green onion, thinly sliced
1/4 c cilantro
3 red Thai bird chiles, thinly sliced
1 lime, cut into wedges

Heat oil in large pot over medium high heat.
Add onion, garlic, lemongrass, and ginger. Stir until fragrant, about 1 min.
Reduce heat to low and add curry paste, curry powder, and chili paste.
Add 1/2 c of the coconut milk and stir for 2 min.
Add remaining coconut milk, broth, fish sauce, and sugar. Bring to a boil.
Add sweet potato and chicken.
In a separate pot, bring some water to a boil and add rice noddles. Cook until done, about 5-7 min. Drain.
Add snow peas to the pot with the chicken and cook until heated through.
Divide noodles among serving bowls. Cut with scissors if too long.
Pour hot soup over noodles.
Garnish with red onion, cilantro, green onion, chiles, and lime wedge.


Monday, January 4, 2010

Menu Monday

Can't wait to see what 2010 will bring.
New recipes. New wisdom. New growth.

So far it has only brought bitterly cold air! I hope it gets over that real fast!

Here's what's cookin....

ginger chicken/rice/broccoli

bbq beef sandwich/slaw/fruit
curry soup
brazilian beans & rice
deep dish pizza/fruit