A menu? Truly?

Here I am, sharing a menu again.  It's so much easier to make dinner when I have a plan! 

Wednesday: beef and barley soup, rice, pumpkin rolls,
Thursday: Spaghetti w/spaghetti squash noodles, broccoli. 
Friday: Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza, salad, chips/salsa
Saturday: Chili for the ward carnival/trunk-or-treat
Sunday: Shepherd's Pie w/ghosts
Monday: Halloween!  Pumpkin Quesadillas/Mummy dogs & veggie sticks,
Tuesday: 20 minute teriyaki chicken and rice, stir fried veggies
Wednesday: Honey sauced crockpot chicken, rice, salad

Menu for this week. . . even though it is Tuesday

Monday - Grilled Chicken Salad
Tuesday - Brats with Sauerkraut
Wednesday - Potato Soup
Thursday - Leftover Soup
Friday - Chicken Madiera (Recipe from Meagan)
Saturday - If we are home. . . Oven Tuna Sandwiches
Sunday - If we are home. . . Chicken Cordon Bleu Pasta?

For Bacon Lovers

Here's a great idea that is new to me and hopefully you like it!

Bacon at Costco is 4 lbs for $12. Great deal right?

Well, my sister-in-law buys a pack about every 3 weeks or so - her family likes bacon a lot. She cooks it all in one session and then freezes it in ziploc bags in the freezer. Then, whenever someone wants bacon on their _LT sandwich or on their egg mcmuffin, they just heat it in the microwave and she says it looks and tastes totally fresh after microwaving. Sometimes, her kids sneak it out of the freezer and eat it frozen, and they love it!

I have several recipes that call for bacon and I hate cooking it frequently because of the splattery mess it makes all over the stove and counters. Hence, I am loving this idea!

Twice Baked Potato Casserole

You know how twice baked potatoes taste so good but are so time consuming to make? Well... Here's my new solution!

Ingredients:
5 lg baking potatoes
1/2 c butter melted
1 pint sour cream
3-4 bacon strips crumbled up
3 green onions diced
1 cup cheddar or Mexican style cheese shredded
1 can cream of chicken
salt
pepper
Lawry's seasoned salt
garlic powder

Directions:
Bake potatoes wrapped in foil in oven until done (fork goes in easily).

While potatoes are baking, mix butter, sour cream, bacon, green onions, cheese, and cream of chicken together in a bowl. You could try this without cream of chicken but I was worried about not having enough sauce with the potatoes. If you like less sauce, don't use the cream of chicken.

Remove baked potatoes from oven, unwrap and dice madly quick because they will be super hot and therefore you won't be able to touch them for more than a second at a time. The quick dicing will automatically make the skin mostly fall off so go ahead and remove it if you can without burning yourself too badly. Place all potato dices into a pyrex 9x13 dish.

Sprinkle seasonings all over potatoes and hope you haven't overdone it. (I didn't measure the seasonings.) Then spoon the sauce over the potatoes and smooth out over the top. Bake until bubbly and lightly brown on top. 350-400 degrees for 20-30 minutes. Remove from oven and add a sprinkling of cheese, diced green onions, or bacon bits to the top solely for presentation.

Enjoy!

Ok, so I know this recipe is a bit sad, hence I added humor. I made this up Monday night and it tasted great so if you make it and add a twist of your own to perfect it, let me know! We can create this masterpiece together! :D

By Request

Grandmary asked me to post this recipe, which I'll admit is one of my favorites!

Banana Crunch Cake
Yield: One 8-inch-square cake

This comes from my King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking cookbook, which I adore!  This cake is amazing and I could probably eat the whole thing myself.  Best to cut a slice and then put it away before eating or it will be hard to stop! 

Cake Batter:
1 cup oat flour (grind oats in blender till fine)
1 cup whole wheat flour (traditional or white whole wheat)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup mashed banana (2 or 3 large)
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (I've never used this...for obvious reasons, but I'm sure it will make it wonderful)
1 cup chocolate or toffee chips

Cruch Topping:
3/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt (make sure to put this in. It gives the topping just a little extra)
2 Tbs unsalted butter, melted.
1/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

To make the cake batter:
Whisk together flours, baking soda and salt.
Cream together the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, stopping to scrape sides and bottom ofhte bowl. Mix in half dry ingredients until moistened, then mix in the bananas, yogurt and vanilla. Scrape down the sides and bottoms of the bowl, then add the remaining dry ingredients and the nuts and chips mixing until evenly moistened. Transfuer batter to prepared pan.

To make the topping:
Combine the oats, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a small mixing bowl until well blended. Sitr in the melted butter until the moisture forms large crumbs. Stir in chopped nuts. Sprinke teh topping over the batter in pan.

Bake until edges pull away from the pan and a cake tester comes out clean--40-45 minutes. Remeove the cake from the oven and place on a rack to c ool for 20 minutes before serving warm, with ice cream.

Neopolitan Rice Crispies

This is the first recipe of Rice Crispies that I have made successfully taste good. And the idea of dying the marshmallows has opened my eyes to a whole new world of making rice crispy eggs at Easter time or other such funness. :D

From Fox 13 News: (Yes, I find cooking advice in the weirdest locations.)

You will make THREE separate batches: one of Strawberry, one regular, and one chocolate.

1st the Strawberry Batch

* 2 TB butter or margarine
* 3 Cups mini-marshmallows
* ½ tea. Strawberry Extract, added with marshmallows
* 2 drops Red food coloring, added with marshmallows
* 4 Cups Rice Krispies


2nd the Regular Batch

* 2 TB butter or margarine
* 3 Cups mini-marshmallows
* 4 Cups Rice Krispies


3rd the Chocolate Batch

* 2 TB butter or margarine
* 3 Cups mini-marshmallows
* 4 Cups COCOA Krispies

First Start by making the strawberry batch. Melt Butter over LOW heat, and then add marshmallows. Melt over LOW heat. **

When all marshmallows are melted, add the strawberry extract and red food coloring. Stir in Rice Krispies, stir until completely combined. Press into buttered 13 x 9 pan. Using the butter wrapper press into pan, or put butter on your hands. Make the regular batch and when finished press it on top of the strawberry batch. Make the chocolate batch and when finished press on top of the regular batch.

They will be ready to serve in about an hour. Cool at room temperature. Best served the same day or wrap in plastic wrap.

**Microwave Directions: In a large glass bowl, melt butter then add marshmallows stir. Melt on high for two minutes and stir. If not completely melted microwave for another minute.

Roasted Red Pepper Tortellini Bake

My visiting teacher made this for us after I had Jacob.  Brooklyn has been asking for it ever since.  To my happiness, it is quite easy to make.

1 pkg tortellini--cooked according to directions.
1-2 jars alfredo sauce (I used about 1 1/2 but later wished I'd put in the whole 2. Judge on the amount of tortellini.)
1 roasted red pepper
broccoli florets
1 lb grilled chicken--cut in small pieces
bread crumbs

Slice red pepper into thin strips, place on baking sheet.  Brush with olive oil and broil on high for about 10 minutes, or until they are just starting to blacken on the edges.  Place roasted red peppers and alfredo sauce in a blender and blend until creamy.  Combine chicken pieces, broccoli florets, cooked tortellini and sauce in a baking dish.  Top with bread crumbs and bake at 350 for about 25-30 minutes or until warmed through.

Morning Glory Muffins

These muffins are delicious.  Though made with only whole wheat flour, they were moist and yummy.  Very filling, they make a fantastic breakfast or snack. 

Morning Glory Muffins
from the King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking cookbook.

1/2 cup raisins
2 cups whole wheat flour, traditional or white whole wheat
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups peeled and grated carrots
1 large tart apple, peeled and grated
1/2 cup sweetened coconut
1/2 cup sliced almonds or chopped walnuts (I didn't add these)
1/3 cup sunflower seeds or wheat germ (optional, I used wheat germ)
3 large eggs
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup orange juice
2 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 375.  Lightly grease a muffin tin or line with papers and coat the papers with nonstick spray. 

Put the raisins in a small bowl and cover them with hot water; set aside to soak while you assemble the rest of the recipe.  Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, spices and salt in a large mixing bowl.  Stir in the carrots, apple, coconut, nuts and sunflower seeds (or wheat germ, if using).  In a separate bowl, beat together the eggs, oil, orange juice and vanilla.  Add to the flour mixture, and stir until evenly moistened.  Drain the raisins and stir them in. 

Scoop the batter evenly into the prepared pan (the muffin cups will be almost full to the top; that's OK).  Bake the muffins until nicely domed and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 25-28 minutes.  Remove from the oven and allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn them out onto a rack to finish cooling.