Meal Plan for September 7th - 13th

It's Meal Plan Day!!

Be sure to tidy your fridge and sort your coupons before making your meal plans for next week!!

Sunday Coupon Preview

Cooking Quote of the Week:

The most indispensable ingredient of all good home cooking: love, for those you are cooking for.
~ Sophia Loren


Table Blessing

(May be sung to The Common Doxology)
Be present at our table, Lord,
Be here and everywhere adored;
Thy creatures bless and grant that we
May strengthened for thy service be. Amen.

Monday - Labor Day Meal - Larry’s Grilled Meat, Very Easy Baked Beans, Stuffed Eggs, Baked Mac and Cheese and Green Onion, Cheese and Sour Cream Drop Biscuits

Larry wants to grill something! I am planning on making these side dishes to go with whatever meat he decides on:

Very Easy Baked Beans

1 (28 ounce)can Bush's Country Style Baked Beans
1/4 - 1/3 cup of ketchup
2 slices pre-cooked bacon.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Open the beans and drain them in a colander. Add ketchup. Pour the beans into a small casserole dish. Top with bacon and bake uncovered until hot and bubbly, usually about 20 minutes.


Stuffed Eggs

6 eggs
2 tablespoons mayonnaise (This is approximate - use more or less according to your taste.)
1 tablespoon pickle relish
Paprika for garnish

Place eggs in a pot; cover with water. Bring the water to a full boil; put lid on pot and turn burner off. Allow eggs to sit in hot water for about 15 minutes; remove from water and peel under cold, running water.
Cut eggs in half, lengthwise.
Remove the egg yolks and mash them with a fork in a small mixing bowl.
Mix in the mayonnaise and relish. Spoon mixture into the egg shells and sprinkle with paprika.


Baked Macaroni & Cheese

Recipe from:
http://www.marvelousrecipes.net/2009/09/02/baked-macaroni-cheese/

If your family enjoys macaroni & cheese as much as mine does, this is the recipe for you! This is a Campbell’s recipe that I found in a magazine. It is easy and quick to make and is pure comfort food! (The picture is also theirs). ~ Emily

1 (10-3/4 oz) can Campbell’s Condensed Cheddar Cheese Soup
1/2 soup can milk
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1-1/2 cups corkscrew-shaped pasta (rotini) or medium shell-shaped pasta, cooked and drained
1 tablespoon dry bread crumbs
2 teaspoons butter, melted
1. Stir the soup, milk, black pepper and pasta in a 1-quart baking dish.
2. Mix the bread crumbs with the butter in a small cup. Sprinkle over the pasta mixture.
3. Bake at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes or until hot. Garnish with fresh oregano. Makes: 4 servings.

Green Onion, Cheese, and Sour Cream Drop Biscuits

Recipe from:
http://misadventuresofmub.blogspot.com/2008/09/green-onion-cheese-and-sour-cream-drop.html

1 cup flour
1/2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tbsp butter, cut into small pieces
2 oz shredded cheese
1/8 cup green onions, chopped finely
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup sour cream

In a bowl (I like to use a bowl with a lid), mix together dry ingredients. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or knife (or if you're untechnical like me you can use a fork) Add the cheese and onions and toss well until it's evenly mixed (if you use a bowl with a lid you can put the lid on and go crazy here). Add buttermilk and sour cream and stir until moist. Drop by 1/4 cupfuls onto a baking sheet covered with parchment and bake at 450 degrees for about 15 minutes. The edges should be browned when you're done.


Tuesday - Shrimp Scampi Pizza

Recipe inspired by one I found at:
http://closetcooking.blogspot.com/2008/06/shrimp-scampi-pizza.html

1 Pillsbury Refrigerated Pizza Dough
1 pound frozen, fully-cooked shrimp, thawed and tails removed
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 pinch red chili pepper flakes (optional)
1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
4 cloves garlic (chopped)
1/4 cup chicken broth
1 lemon (juice and zest)
1 tablespoon butter
2 cups mozzarella (grated)


Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Pat pizza dough into baking pan, prick dough all over with a fork and bake until just beginning to brown.

While crust is baking, prepare topping:

1. Heat the oil and melt the butter in a pan.
2. Add the red chili pepper flakes, parsley flakes and garlic; sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute.
3. Add the shrimp and sauté until heated through. (With pre-cooked shrimp this will just be a minute or so. Don’t over cook!)
4. Remove the shrimp from the pan.
5. Add the broth and lemon juice; bring to a boil.
6. Simmer the liquid until reduced by about half, about 3-5 minutes.
7. Add the butter, wait for it to melt and turn off the heat.
8. Pour the mixture onto the pizza crust, add the shrimp and top with the mozzarella cheese.
9. Bake until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted, about 5 minutes.


Wednesday - Eat at church!


Thursday - Voodoo Pasta and garlic bread

Voodoo Pasta

Inspired by a recipe I found at:
http://thematzats.blogspot.com/2007/12/voodoo-pasta.html

16 ounces fettuccine pasta
1 lb smoked sausage, sliced on the diagonal
1 green pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning, more if you want it spicier
2 cups milk
¾ cup Parmesan cheese, divided

Put water for pasta on to boil.
While water is reaching a boil, sauté sausage, green pepper and onion in a large non-stick skillet until lightly browned. Reduce heat to simmer and keep sausage mixture warm, stirring occasionally.
Once water reaches a full boil, add fettuccine noodles, cooking as directed on package.
While pasta is cooking, make sauce.

Sauce:

Melt butter in sauce pan. Stir in flour and Cajun seasoning. Slowly add milk. Stirring constantly until sauce is thickened. Add ½ cup of Parmesan cheese. Stir long enough to melt cheese.

Drain pasta. Return to pasta pot. Pour sauce over noodles, stirring to coat well.

Plate pasta. Top with sausage mixture. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese.

Friday - Eat Out!!!

Saturday - Tater Tot Casserole, Ranchy Frito Corn Salad, Bacon-y Green Beans and "Biscuit" Rolls

Since we had one of our Leftover Buffets instead of this meal a couple of weeks back, I’m going to try to do it this week. The kids love this tater tot dish, and Logan is begging for the corn salad again!

Tater Tot Casserole

2 lb. ground chuck, browned and drained
1 can cream of cheddar soup
½ cup mayo
½ cup sour cream
2 -3 cups cheddar cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together, and pour into a sprayed baking dish:
Ground chuck, cheddar soup, mayo, sour cream and 1 cup of the shredded cheddar cheese

Top with tater tots.

Bake for 45 minutes. Sprinkle more cheese ( 1 - 2 cups) on top of tater tots. Return to oven long enough to melt cheese.

Bacon-y Green Beans

2 -4 slices of chopped bacon
2 - 3 green onions, finely chopped
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 can chicken broth plus water to completely cover green beans
2 cans Allen's Italian-style green beans, drained

If possible, use a cast iron Dutch oven for cooking these. You can use a large cast iron skillet - just stir carefully!

Sauté bacon with green onions. Cook until onions become translucent. Add garlic and cook a few more minutes. Add green beans and broth. Lower heat and cover. Cook until green beans reach desired tenderness. Remove lid and allow liquid to evaporate.

The longer you can cook these, the better. An hour or a bit longer is great!!

“Biscuit” Rolls

I buy the cheap, store-brand butter-flavored canned biscuits. Depending on the size of your family, you can use the 5-count or 10-count rolls of biscuits.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter.

Spray muffin pan with cooking spray. Place a refrigerated biscuit into each muffin cup. Spoon melted butter over each biscuit. Bake for about 10 minutes.