Month: April 2017

Weekly Meal Plan 4/24/17

Eggs, Weekly Meal Plans

Oh, hello! I know it has been a while. I have been cooking up a storm this weekend and have a lot of good items on the menu for this week.

So happy it is spring and summer is right around the corner! Looking forward to the farmer’s markets and vacation time!

Weekend of Eggs…

Pretty Farm Fresh Eggs!
Bacon, Tomato, and Spinach Fritatta
Beautiful Yolk!
Eggs Benedict with Avacado and Poblano Hollandaise

Saturday was Sandwich night.  Always a big hit! Delicious French bread toasted with chicken, bacon, provolone, lettuce, and tomato. I wanted to add some avocado, but it was rotten =(

img_7446

Made this last night for dinner… Super yummy as always!

img_7457-1

Tonight is Meatloaf and Mashed Potatoes (new recipe)

Tuesday- Dim Sum Night (raided the freezer section for dumplings, shui mai, and spring rolls)

Wednesday- Out

Thursday- Pork Tenderloin- Maybe a new recipe or maybe like this

Friday- Chicken and Broccoli Pasta Alfredo

Happy Eating!  ❤

Penne with Vodka Sauce

Pasta

I made this once before but never blogged about it, because I didn’t quite feel like I had the right proportions for the ingredients. So I did a little research and read lots of recipes. I  decided to use Giada’s recipe for Penne with Vodka sauce. It did not fail!

I used my sauce recipe instead of hers, which you can find here (minus the meat).

Ingredients

  • 1 quart Simple Tomato Sauce
  • 1 cup vodka
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
  • 1 pound penne

Directions

Simmer the tomato sauce and vodka in a heavy large skillet over low heat until the mixture reduces by 1/4, stirring often, about 20 minutes. Stir the cream into the tomato and vodka sauce. Simmer over low heat until the sauce is heated through. Stir in the Parmesan cheese until melted and well blended.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Drain the pasta and transfer it to the pan with the sauce, and toss to coat.

I added 2  shredded chicken breasts to the mix for a little extra protein. Next time I might throw in some broccoli or other veggies for a nice vegetarian version.

SO GOOD!!!!

Smokey Pork Sholder

Pork

This pork is my best yet. Really it is all thanks to my spice blend rub and beer. I am sharing to make this world a better place =)

Spice Rub- 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 tablespoon white cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon each of chili powder, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, fennel seeds, salt and pepper.

I massaged the pork all over with the rub and let sit for about 30 minutes (the longer the better). I heated up my dutch oven on high and added a few tablespoons of olive oil. Then I browned all sided of the pork shoulder. After that, I added in 2 beers and 1 small container of beef broth. I turned the heat down to medium low and let cook for 6 hours. This would be awesome in a crockpot as a weekday meal!

First meal was BBQ Sandwiches. Success!

Meal 2- Pork enchiladas   You can never go wrong with enchiladas!

Blueberry Honey Pancakes

Breakfast and Brunch

Happy Saturday! It has been a while (again) since I have posted, but we have been on spring break here in Georgia and cooking was pretty much non-existent. We took a little trip to Washington D.C. over the break and  had a blast! The weather was beautiful and we got to see the pretty cherry-blossom trees. We went to all the monuments, lots of museums, and just enjoyed our time together as a family.

Thursday was the first night I cooked in over a week. The girls went to the store with me to help me pick out some meals for the week. Thursday night it was baked shells, which was kind of like this recipe, but with only beef and mozzarella (no ricotta). Last night I made a roast chicken. Tonight I am making a new recipe for pork shoulder; I am planning on using this massive piece of meat a couple of ways, so be on the lookout!

This morning I made these scrumptious blueberry honey pancakes. I took a few different pancake recipes I have made along with some others I have found, and kinda did my own new thing. The girls gobbled them up with a little bit of some blueberry honey reduction sauce (see below).

 Blueberry Honey Pancakes

Ingredients

1 1/3 cups flour- you could use whole wheat
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
1 large egg
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons honey
1 pint of fresh blueberries

Directions

In a large bowl, add the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt)and whisk together until combined.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients (oil, honey, milk, and egg).

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir together until combined. Don’t overwork the batter, though. A few lumps here and there are just fine.

Grease a large skillet or pan with butter or oil over medium heat.

Using an ice cream scoop or other easy to pour measuring device, pour about a tablespoon of batter on the griddle and top with blueberries. I usually use about 4-6 on each one, but it depends on how many you have and what size they are.

After about 2 minutes, you should start to see bubbles forming on the top of your pancakes. Turn them over and cook for about 2 minutes more.

You can serve with honey, butter (ohhhhh, honey butter!), syrup, jam, or this…

Blueberry Honey Reduction Sauce – 1/2 pint of blueberries, 1 tablespoon OJ, 1 tablespoon honey- let boil, then bring down on low and reduce for 10 minutes =)