April menu

So far for the month of March we have had 19 out of the 24 meals I had planned. So we are doing better.

1st- lasagna
2nd- open
3rd- grilled chicken
4th- traditional Easter dinner with the family
5th- sloppy joes
6th- Tostadoes
7th-sandwiches
8th- pork tacos-tasty kitchen
9th- hamburgers
10th- open
11th- pork chops
12th- bacon sandwiches
13th- grilled pizza
14th- beans
15th- mystery meat
16th- calf sale
17th- calf sale
18th-ribs
19th- Cowboy calazones- pw
20th- tacos
21st- sausage wraps
22nd- veggie nite
23rd- mexican lasagna
24th- hot dogs
25th- meat loaf
26th- quesadillas
27th- meatball sandwiches
28th- Chicken wraps
29th- nachos
30th- philly stk sandwiches

Italian bow tie bake and butter bread

Great for those meatless nights. Super fast

Bow tie bake
8 oz. uncooked bow tie pasta- any pasta will work
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1 envelope Italian salad dressing mix
2 C mozzarella cheese shredded

Cook pasta according to package directions. In a bowl combine sauce and dressing mix. Add cooked pasta and toss to coat. Put in a greased shallow 2qt. baking dish and top with cheese. Bake at 400 degrees uncovered for 15-20 minutes or until heated through.

Butter bread
This is great bread to serve with the bow tie bake or any Italian dish.

1 T garlic powder
1 T garlic salt
1 T poppy seed

Sprinkle on bread that has been buttered. Bake at 225 degrees till crisp.

My baby is turning 4

Will is about to have a birthday so we took pics on Saturday. Here are a few of our favorites.

New green cleaners

I saw these in the Amarillo paper today and wanted to try them so I posted here.

Drain opener
1/2 C vinegar
1/2 C baking soda

What to do:
Pour baking soda down the drain and follow with vinegar. COVER- I didn't not know this part and let sit for 30 minutes. Some clogs could take an hour. Flush with boiling water.

Window cleaner
1/4 C vinegar
1 C water
1 drop dishwashing soap.
Mix and pour into a spray bottle.

Dishwasher detergent
1 C washing soda
1 C borax
1/2 C kosher salt
1/2 C citric acid
Mix together and store in a tight fitting mason jar. Use 1 or 2 TBS only per load.

Instead of using jet dry use vinegar. I do this all the time.

All purpose cleaner
2 C white vinegar
2 C water
20-30 drops of essential oil-optional
Mix and pour into a spray bottle.

Toilet bowl cleaner
Sprinkle your toilet with baking soda and then drizzle with vinegar. Let it soak for at least 30 minutes and then scrub with a toilet brush.

Chicken Alfredo

4 chicken breasts
1 package egg noodles
2 cans chicken broth
1 pint whipping cream
1 1/2 C Parmesan cheese grated
Garlic to taste

Sprinkle cajun seasoning on the breasts and cook until done. We used our pannini maker to cook ours. Meanwhile boil your noodles in the chicken broth. when tender mix in butter, whipping cream, cheese and garlic. Stir until well blended and add chicken. Toss and serve.

Sloppy joes

2 lbs. ground chuck
1 onion
1 C ketchup
2 T mustard
1 T vinegar
1 tsp. salt
chili powder to taste.

Brown ground chuck and onion. Drain and add all the other ingredients. Serve on hamburger buns. We like to top ours with cheese.

Grandma's lemon cookies

Grandma and I used to make these all the time!!!! I still miss you Grandma.

3/4 C bisquick
1/4 C vegetable oil
1 pkg. instant lemon pudding
1 egg

Mix together and roll into balls. Press down with a fork. Bake at 325 degrees for 8 minutes.

Drip beef

Another PW great-
Ingredients

* 1 whole Beef Chuck Roast, 2.5 To 4 Pounds
* 1 can Beef Consomme Or Beef Broth- we used beef broth
* 3 Tablespoons (heaping) Italian Seasoning
* 1 teaspoon Salt
* ¼ cups Water
* ½ jars (16 Oz) Pepperoncini Peppers, With Juice- we used a small jar of roasted red peppers bc that is what we had.
* Buttered, Toasted Deli Rolls

Preparation Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a heavy pot or dutch oven. Stir lightly to combine seasoning with the liquid.

Cover and bake in a 275 degree oven* for 5 to 6 hours, or until meat is fork-tender and falling apart. **If meat is not yet tender, return to oven for 30 minute intervals till it’s tender!**

Remove from oven. With two forks, completely shred all meat, leaving no large chunks behind. Serve immediately, or keep warm over a simmer on the stove.

May make the day before, then store in the refrigerator. Remove the hardened fat from the top before reheating.

Serve on buttered, toasted rolls. Top with cheese and melt under the broiler if desired. Serve with juices from the pot. She said she used mozzarella but we used American and it was great.

March menu

I make out a menu for the month and grocery shop accordingly. I noticed last month we made 11 of the 17 meals we had planned. We may not eat it on that day but most of the time we have it at some point that month.

March 2010
WEEK 1
1st- game
2nd- enchiladas- freezer
3rd- beans
4th- Grilled Chicken
5th- drip beef sandwiches-PW
6th- ham

WEEK 2
7th- spaghetti
8th- sandwiches with leftover ham
9th- fettuccine alfredo-lori- pg. 127
10th- sloppy joes
11th-open
12th- Chicken tortilla casserole
13th- tri- tip

WEEK 3
14th- open
15th- Chicken fried steak
16th- steak
17th- tacos
18th- open
19th- baked ziti
20th- pork chops
21st- brady's steak

WEEK 4
22nd- enchiladas-freezer
23rd- homemade pizza
24th- casserole- freezer- I forgot what it was so it will be a surprise
25th- open
26th- leftovers
27th- Party-burgers and dogs

WEEK 5
28th- roast
29th tacos
30th- open
31st- burrito es

Jalapeno poppers

another tried and true recipe from Pioneer woman

slice and seed as many jalapenos as you need.
Mix:
1 brick cream cheese
1/2 c grated cheddar cheese
1 green onion sliced- i forgot to do that.
Enough bacon to wrap around peppers

Stuff the mix into the jalapenos and wrap the bacon around the pepper.
Secure with a toothpick and then baste with your favorite bar b que sauce- Head country is awesome. Bake at 275 degrees for 1 hour. PW says you can prepare these the day before and leave in the frig.

Green chili stew

1 lb. ground beef
2 cans rotel
4 small cans green chilies
1 16 oz. canned tomatoes
2 C cubed potatoes- we just use 1 can of potatoes
3 T chili sauce
1 tsp. onion salt
1 tsp. garlic salt

Brown ground beef. Place in slow cooker with remaining ingredients. Simmer 3 to 4 hours. Or simmer approx. 2 hours on the stove top.

Banana praline muffins

1/3 C chopped pecans- toasted
3 T brown sugar
1 T light sour cream
3 ripe bananas
1 large egg
1 1/2 C pancake mix
1/2 C granulated sugar
2 T vegetable oil


Stir together pecans, brown sugar and sour cream. Set aside- We just omitted the nuts altogether. Mash bananas in a medium bowl, add egg and next 3 ingredients stirring just until moistened. Put into a sprayed muffin tin filling 3/4 full. Carefully spoon the pecan mixture in the middle of each muffin. Bake at 400 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans immediately and cool on wire racks.

This is a great way to use up that last little bit of pancake mix.

Chicken tortilla casserole

4 chicken breasts or 1 whole chicken baked- I use canned chicken
1 dozen corn tortillas
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 small onion chopped
1 can green chilies salsa- i just used green chilies
1/2 lb grated cheddar cheese
1/2 lb grated monterey jack chese grated
1 C milk

Cut cooked chicken into bite size pieces. Break up tortillas. Mix soups, onion and green chilies together. Butter a 9x13 pan . alternate layers of tortilla, chicken, cheese, and soup mixture. Make two layers of each and save some cheese for the top. Bake at 300 degrees for 1 1/2 hrs. The lady that posted this recipe said she also does this in the crockpot.