Menu Plan Monday - Week of January 17

Sorry this is a little late! Just forgot to hit publish yesterday!


Here is our menu for the week:

Monday: Chicken Marsala (from America's Test Kitchen cookbook - YUM!), Asparagus

Tuesday: Slow-Cooker Week Night Chili (also from America's Test Kitchen!)

Wednesday: Chicken Fajitas (and again from ATK!)

Thursday: Leftovers

Friday: Chicken Marinara

Saturday: Tacos

Sunday: Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Tasty Tuesday: Bread Machine Focaccia

You'll either love me or hate me for posting this recipe (AND linking it up to Tasty Tuesday over at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam).

I'm having mixed emotions myself because it is so stinkin' good I want to eat the whole pan.

I found a basic starter recipe on All Recipes and then tweaked it a little based on some other reviews. This is what I came up with - as good as any restaurant focaccia I've ever had!

Oh bless you, dear bread machine.



Bread Machine Focaccia

Ingredients
1 cup warm water

2 tablespoons olive oil (plus 2 tablespoons for later)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

2 teaspoons dried rosemary (plus 1 teaspoon for later)

3 cups bread flour

1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
Kosher salt, for sprinkling

Directions
Put water, 2 Tbsp olive oil, salt, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, 2 tsp rosemary, bread flour and yeast in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. I did mine in the exact order listed, making a well in the flour for the yeast.

Select dough cycle; press start.

Remove dough from bread machine when cycle is complete. Pat dough into a 9x13 inch baking pan or 12 inch pizza pan. Use your fingers to dimple the dough every inch or so. Brush with remaining 2 Tbsp olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt and remaining 1 tsp rosemary.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cover foccacia with plastic wrap while oven preheats.

Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

This bread is delicious as is, but could also be dipped in a mixture of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. We had it with spaghetti last night!

Enjoy and be blessed!

Today I'm linking up with...

Menu Plan Monday - Week of January 10

It's Monday and I'm linking up to Menu Plan Monday over at I'm an Organizing Junke!


I did some freezer cooking and baking this past weekend and I am excited about how it will help the rest of the month! I will share recipes after we try them - they were all new recipes!

But we are also snowed in so if I run out of anything, this menu may have to change! Flexible is the key word this week! And we do have leftovers to use up!

But here is the plan for now...

Monday: Spaghetti, Fresh Homemade Bread, Green Beans

Tuesday: Homemade Pizza

Wednesday: Grilled Cheese, Soup (still deciding what kind - potato? tomato?)

Thursday: Steak, Baked Potatoes

Friday: Sesame Chicken, Fried Rice (Sesame Chicken was one of my freezer recipes!)

Saturday: Hamburgers, Oven Fries

Sunday: Chicken Marsala, Asparagus

My First Offical Menu Plan Monday!

I'm an off-and-on menu-planner, but this is the year to be ON all year!

And to stay accountable, I'm joining in with I'm an Organizing Junkie's Menu Plan Monday Link-up each week! I actually have all of January planned out, but I'll just post it a week at a time!

Be warned - we are not super-adventerous eaters, but I am trying to expand our food horizons in 2011!

Here is the menu for the week of January 3rd!

Monday: Bacon-Wrapped Pork Chops, Oven Fries, Corn

Tuesday: Crispy Oven-Fried Chicken, Applesauce, Corn

Wednesday: Chicken Tacos (crockpot)

Thursday: Twice Baked Potatoes, Green Beans

Friday: Honey-Glazed Chicken Stir Fry, Rice

Saturday: Chicken Quesadillas (with leftover Chicken Taco meat!), Oranges

Sunday: Crockpot Ham, Baked Potatoes, Carrots

What's for dinner at your house this week?

Back to Planning: What's For Dinner in October?

Ok, time to get serious about planning ahead again!

Here's what we're planning for dinner this month!

Brinner
Homemade Pizza
Chicken Marinara
Steak Kabobs
Chicken Veggie Pasta
Twice Baked Potatoes

Chicken Tortilla Soup
Steak with Mushrooms
Chicken and Fried Rice (looking for a good homemade recipe!)

BBQs (aka Sloppy Joes)
Chicken Chili
Burgers and Oven Fries
French Dip
Glazed Ham Steak
Joanie's Chili
Cornflake Chicken
Apple-Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Any recipes we need to try next month? Please share!

Texas Caviar

So I have been without meat, dairy, and any kind of sweetner for the past 21 days, so I've had to get creative in what I eat - think vegan only stricter (not a diet, a fast leading up to Easter).

I would love to share some recipes that got me through these past three weeks, starting with my greatest discovery...



Texas Caviar.

Just so you know, I have always hated beans and peas of any kind - except plain old green beans. So I was a little skeptical about trying this dip.

I was SO pleasantly surprised. It is easy, yummy, and filling - what more could you want?

There are a lot of variations out there, but this is the Texas Caviar I enjoyed! Hope you do too!


Texas Caviar

Ingredients
1 can black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
1 can whole-kernel corn, drained
1 can Rotel, Mexican style
3 ribs celery, chopped
Cayenne pepper and black pepper, to taste

Directions
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate at least an hour to combine the flavors. Serve with tortilla chips or crackers.

Something new is coming...

Some very different kinds of recipes will be coming your way soon...

Things are about to change in less than two weeks...

But until then, stay tuned for chicken noodle soup, deer steaks and more yum!!!