April 2008

T 1 Mandy and Jordan over w/Pizza
W 2 Taco Salad
Th 3 BBQ Pork Steaks/ Polenta/ Peas
F 4 Pizza Burgers
S 5 Caribbean Pork over Rice/ Salad
S 6 Baked Potato soup/ Pumpkin Bread
M 7 Fish Stix/ Garlic Fries/ Broccoli
T 8 Tamale Pie/Salad
W 9 Beans w/Quesidillas
Th 10 Pancakes w/ Bacon
F 11 Creamed Chicken over Confetti Rice Squares
S 12 Spaghetti/ Salad/ French Bread
S 13 Leg o' Lamb/ Smoky Scalloped 'Taters/ Orange Braised Green Beans
M 14 Shepherds Pie/ Salad
T 15 Mexican Pot Roast/ Mashed 'Taters/ Corn
W 16 Split Pea and Ham Soup/ Wheat Bread
Th 17 Sausage Hash w/ Eggs
F 18 Burritos w/ Leftover Roast
S 19 Chicken Rice Casserole in Freezer/ Salad
S 20 Hamburgers/ Chips/ Coleslaw
M 21 Chicken Alfredo Soup/ French Bread
T 22 Beef Teriyaki/ Rice/ Salad
W 23 Swiss Chicken/ Mashed Potatoes/ Green Beans
Th 24 Breakfast Burritos
F 25 Tacos/ Beans
S 26 Ham/ Baked Sweet Potatoes/ Creamed Peas
S 27 Tuna Noodle Casserole/ Peas
M 28 Stew/Rolls
T 29 Meatloaf/ Rice Pilaf/ Carrots
W 30 Creamed Ham over Corn bread
(special thanks to Son #6 for typing this post for me!)

Church Easter Brunch!

Goodie! A chance for good food and being with the brethren! And what better time than to unveil a new recipe to my little guinea friends? I have been wanting to try this recipe I found in "The Best of America's Test Kitchen 2007". I'm hoping it tastes like those yummy McGriddle's at McDonald's, which we all know are SO bad for you. I needed to make it safe for Sis. B. to eat; no gluten allowed! So at Trader Joe's I found some gluten-free waffles and will make her a special version of this casserole all for her own (hopefully)pleasure! One thing of note, I refuse to buy regular Maple Syrup at the store anymore because the first ingredient in all of them (except for the really good REAL stuff) is High Fructose Corn Syrup. Ack! That dreaded four-word slimey gunk! So, I made my own! Nowadays, you can't even buy Corn Syrup anymore because it's even made out of that four-word gunk. I looked up a recipe online for a homemade version of corn syrup and found one! Then I added Mapleine flavoring and wha-la! My own version of Maple Syrup that costs just pennies! Here is the recipe for the Maple Syrup: 2 c. sugar (I used Organic from Costco), 3/4 c. water, 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar and a pinch of salt. Bring ingredients to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, cover for three minutes. Uncover and cook to softball stage, stirring often. Then I added 1/2 teaspoon Maple flavoring and 1/2 t. vanilla. I think I might of cooked mine a little too long since it looks a little thick as it is cooling. Now here's the recipe for the yummy dish I will make with it! Just remember girls...a waffle without the w is just awful!!!

Maple Sausage and Waffle Breakfast Casserole

6-8 frozen waffles (1/2 inch thick)
12 oz. maple breakfast sausage, crumbled
butter for pan
6 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1 1/2 cup)
6 large eggs
1 1/4 cup whole milk
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

1. Heat your oven to 375 degrees. Arrange waffles on a baking sheet in a single layer and bake until crisp--about 10 min. each side.
2. Brown the sausage in a skillet, breaking it up with a spoon. Drain on a paper towel
3. Butter an 8 inch pan. Add half the waffles in a single layer. Add half of the sausage and 1/2 cup cheese. Repeat the layers of waffles, sausage and cheese. Whisk eggs, milk, syrup, salt and pepper together. Pour this egg mixture over the casserole. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and place weights (another pan the exact same size with soup cans in it or some kind of weight system!) on top. You want to get the egg to soak into the whole top of the casserole so there's no dry spots at all. Refregerate the casserole for at least 1 hour or overnight.
4. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Let the casserole stand at room temperature for 20 minutes. Uncover the casserole and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Bake until the edges and center are puffed, 45-50 minutes. Cool for a bit before serving.
Note...do NOT use Belgium type waffles for this recipe! If you double this recipe, increase the baking time by 30-40 min.

So, there you have it! I'm making it right now and will refrigerate it overnight. I'll let you know tomorrow if it is a success! Keep your fingers crossed for all my little guinea brethren!

March 2008

S 1st Spagetti Salerno Style
S 2nd Pastrami Sandwiches/Chips/Pickles
M 3rd Tacos/Refried Beans
T 4th Reuban Casserole/Corn
W 5th Philly CheeseSteak Sandwiches/Carrots
Th 6th Burritos
F 7th FireCracker Chicken/Macaroni Salad/Sweet Potato Biscuits
S 8th Cheese Steak/Roasted Potatoes/Carrots
S 9th Maple Sausage and Waffle Breakfast Casserole
M 10th Bro. Eric Funeral--King Ranch Casserole/Buttermilk Spice Cake
T 11th Birthday dinner @ Sis. DaynasCream of Chicken Soup/Savory Cheese Muffins
W 12th Sausage Penne Pasta/Salad
Th 13th Date Night w/The Dad!!
F 14th Pizza Burgers/Fries
S 15th Grilled Cheese/Tomato Soup
S 16th
M 17th Corned Beef/Cabbage/Potatoes/Carrots YUMM!
T 18th Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole/Salad
W 19th Skillet Pork Chops/Smokey Scalloped Potatoes/Brocolli
Th 20th Cheese Soup/Ham Sandwiches
F 21st Taquitos(leftover corned beef!)Refried Beans/Guacamole
S 22nd Stuffed French Bread/Coleslaw
S 23rd
M 24th Slow Cooker Guiness Beef Stew/Biscuits
T 25th
W 26th Huevos Rancheros
Th 27th Beans/Tortillas
F 28th Chicken Cacciatore/Pasta/Salad
S 29th Leftover Beef Stew
S 30th
S 31st

As you can see I have some definite holes to fill in! Sorry this is late, but I've been super busy!

Where Are Those Recipes?

If at all possible, I'm going to try and not reinvent the wheel by rewriting out recipes from my menus. Sis. Sharon, you asked for the Monte Christo Sandwich recipe and I'll tell you where I got it! Have you got yourself a library card in that nice Kansas city you live in yet? Not going to live there much longer? Well, most libraries will give you a card even if you are just visiting the city for a short time...all you need is an address showing you live there. Anyway, you should be able to get the cookbook I found the MC Sandwich in at your library! WhooHoo! It's in the Best of America's Test Kitchen Cookbook 2008 listed on the side bar of my blog. I love this cookbook, you should see my copy! I have all these little hot pink/orange sticky notes sticking out of the side of it. I finally decided to buy this cookbook for myself because otherwise I would have had it checked out of my library ALL the time! These are the other recipes that have recently graced my table from this wonderful cookbook:
1. Lexington Pulled Pork
2. King Ranch Casserole
3. Pork Carnitias
4. Blueberry Boy Bait (yummy Lorraine!)
5. Lorraine's now famous Spicey Nachos!
6. Runsas (Beef Cabbage Rolls)

Starting in March, I'll try and site the cookbook I'm getting a recipe from if it's not just a plain old standbye recipe! Good luck finding the cookbook Sharon! And while you're at that nice little Kansas library...stop by and get Izzy some storybooks and start some cozy reading time! (hint...find "Fancy Nancy" she'll love it!) It's never too late to start reading to your kids! (just ask mine!)

Cajun Sweet Potatoes

These are easy as pie! Just get yourself some Cajun seasoning, peel some fresh sweet potatoes, quarter them and put them in a large bowl. Depending on how much you are making, put 2 tablespoons oil into the bowl with 3 tablespoons of the Cajun seasoning. Stir it around until all is well coated. Heat your oven to about 450, put the sweet potatoes into a jellyroll pan. Make sure there is only one layer of potatoes in the pan. Cook the potatoes in the oven for 20 minutes, then stir them. Cook another 20 minutes and stir again. They should be starting to get a little soft now. Cook them in the oven for about 10 more minutes until they are nice and soft when a fork is pushed into them.

Steph's Sweet 'N Spicy Kielbasa

Serves 6
1 c. brown sugar, packed
1/3 c. spicey mustard (Dijon)
1/3 c. onion, finely chopped
2 lbs. smoked Kielbasa sausage

Cut sausages into 2" lengths. Combine browns sugar, mustard, and onion in a crockpot and stir well to combine. Add the cut sausages and stir well to coat them with sauce. Cover the crockpot with it's lid and cook on low head for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally to re-coat the sausage with the sauce.
(this goes really good with the Cajun Sweet Potatoes, something about the combination hot, sweet and salty is yummy!)

I Found a New Cookbook!

I love new to find a new cookbook and I think I found a good one! Freezer meal cookbooks are especially useful to me because I am always on the lookout to find another meal that I can make and put in the freezer for later. Want to know what's in my freezer right now? Well, let's see...first I have to move all of daughter in law #2's meals out of the way... Oh yes, there 's my stuff! I have a 13x9 King Ranch Casserole from the last church dinner I made...I just made two casserole's instead of one! Then I have Lexington Pulled Pork and two bags of shredded chicken and a gallon size bag of chicken broth. OOhh..yeah...there's those turkey bones from Thanksgiving! We'd better have some turkey noodle soup soon! I think I'm getting a little low on what's in my freezer..so maybe I'll find some good recipes in this new cookbook and give them a whirl!

February 2008

F 1st Pizza/Carrot Stix
S 2nd Pork Enchiladas/Salad
S 3rd SuperBowl - everyone out
M 4th Monte Christo Sandwiches/Fruit/Chips
T 5th Hamburgers/Fries
W 6th Leftover Baked Potato Soup/Zucchini Bread
Th 7th Steph's Sweet Kielbasa/Cajun Sweet Potatoes/Peas
F 8th Chicken 'n Dumplins/Mashed Potatoes
S 9th Spare Ribs/Stuffed Potatoes/Salad/Cornbread
S 10th (Church Dinner)King Ranch Casserole/Tropical Carrot Cake
M 11th Chili Dogs/Fries
T 12th Chicken Tacos/Beans
W 13th Grilled Cheese/Tomato Soup
Th 14th Pizza (Valentine's Day)
F 15th Spagetti/Bread
S 16th Meatloaf/Brn. Rice Pilaf/Garlic Green Beans
S 17th Ultimate Spicey Beef Nachos
M 18th Skillet Pork Chops/Mac n Cheese/Salad
T 19th Ham Omelets/ Hashbrowns
W 20th Our 27th Anniversary! I don't have to Cook, sillies!
Th 21st Ham Wraps
F 22nd Lexington Pulled Pork Sandwiches/Coleslaw/chips
S 23rd Brisket n Onions/Roasted Potatoes/Corn/Salad
S 24th Chicken Alfredo Soup/Bread
M 25th Hamburger Hash/Brocolli
T 26th Yumm Bowls
W 27th Baked Potatoes w/Chili n Cheese
Th 28th Crock Pot Pork Roast/Brn. Rice/Carrots
F 29th Cincinnati Chili over Spagetti/Garlic Bread

January 2008

W-2nd Leftover Soup/Bread
Th-3rd Roast/Mashed Potatoes/Peas
F-4th
S-5th
S-6th
M-7th
T-8th To RiverDance!!!
W-9th Baked Potatoes w/Chili and Cheese
Th-10th
F-11th Hot Dogs/Fries
S-12th Stir Fry w/ Brown Rice
S-13th Baked Potato Soup/ Zucchini Bread
M-14th Spagetti w/Meatballs/ Salad
T-15th Omelets/Hashbrown Potatoes
W-16th Spagetti w/Meatballs Salad
Th-17th Omelets/ Hashbrown Potatoes
F-18th Baked Potato Soup/ Zucchini Bread
S-19th Lexington Pulled Pork/ Pasta Salad
S-20th Grilled Cheese Sandwiches/Tomato Soup
M-21st Slow-Cooker Stroganoff/W.W. Noodles/Peas
T-22nd Hamburger Hash/ Corn/ Salad
W-23rd Ham Wraps/Chips/Carrots
Th-24th Pancakes w/Bacon
F-25th King Ranch Casserole/Garlic Green Beans/Rolls
S-26th Yumm Bowls
S-27th Pork Carnitas w/Rice and Beans
M-28th Steph's Sweet Kielbasa/Cajun Sweet Potatoes/ Coleslaw
T-29th Baked Chicken/Msh Potatoes/Broccoli w/Cheese Sauce
W-30th Burritos
Th-31st BBQ Pork Chops/Creamy Cheesy Potatoes/Salad