Menu Plan Monday, October 30

Monday: Chicken Crescent Casserole (we never had it last week)
Tuesday: Sausage, Pepper and Onion sandwiches
Wednesday: Spaghetti and Meatballs
Thursday: Chicken Chili Blanco
Friday: Sauteed Whiting, Oven Fried Potatoes, and a vegetable to be named later
Saturday: Visit family, eat there!
Sunday: Teriyaki Pork

Visit the Menu Plan Monday headquarters to find all the other participants' plans for the week!

Teriyaki Pork

Teriyaki Pork for Nesco

4 boneless pork chops, cubed
1 tbl cornstarch
1 tbl cold water
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup Dark Soy SAUCE (reg. works too)
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp pepper
2 tbl Orange Juice (optional)

Put all of the above into a saucepan over LOW heat until it bubbles...it will thicken up more later. Pour some of the sauce into bottom of cookwell of roaster oven. Add pork cubes and then the rest of the sauce. Bake at 325 degrees; stir 1/2 way through cooking. Bake 25 to 30 minutes.

This can also be made in a regular oven, in a Pyrex pan.

I serve it with brown rice...it has a rich, not too sweet sauce.

SOURCE: Bensmom526 at Family Corner

CARBS in the sauce:  70

Chicken Chili Blanco

Get the recipe and photo at Cook and Count.

Chicken Crescent Casserole

Get the recipe, photos and nutrition facts at Cook and Count!

Spanish Garlic Shrimp

Get the recipe with photo and nutrition facts at Cook and Count.

Spaghetti Sauce with Meatballs

Makes about 4 dozen meatballs and plenty of sauce!! I like to make this in a big batch. I freeze it in "meal size" containers (enough meatballs for one meal plus about 2 cups of sauce in each container).

Get the recipe with photos and nutrition facts at Cook and Count.

Skillet Lasagna

Another "haven't tried it yet!" recipe:

28 oz. can diced tomatoes
water
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. minced garlic (3 cloves)
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 lb. meatloaf mix (beef, pork and veal) or ground beef
10 curly-edged lasagna noodles, broken into 2-inch lengths
8 oz. can tomato sauce
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese, divided
freshly-ground black pepper
1 cup ricotta cheese
3 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil leaves

1. Pour the tomatoes with their juices into a 1-quart liquid measuring cup. Add water until the mixture measures 1 quart.

2. Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and salt and cook until the onion begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the ground meat and cook, breaking apart the meat, until no longer pink, about 4 minutes.

3. Scatter the pasta over the meat but do not stir. Pour the diced tomatoes with their juices and tomato sauce over the pasta. Cover and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is tender, about 20 minutes (mine needed considerably more time).

4. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the 1/2 cup Parmesan. Season with pepper. Dot with heaping tablespoons of the ricotta, cover and let stand off the heat for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with the basil and the remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan. Serve.

Serves 4 to 6.

Variation: can substitute 1 lb. Italian sausage for the meatloaf mix. Add 1 chopped red bell pepper to the skillet with the onion in step 2.
Source: Cooking at Home with America's Test Kitchen, 2005.

My friend recommended using a smaller pasta as the lasagna noodles took a long time to cook. I'm going to try it with rotelle or mafalda.

Pork Roast with Caramelized Onions

1 large Vidalia or other sweet onion, sliced
2 tbl olive oil
2 tbl sugar
2-lb boneless pork loin, seasoned with black pepper and garlic

I cook this in my Nesco oven.
Preheat the oven to 400. When it's hot, place the pork loin into the roaster and turn it down to 300.

Heat a heavy skillet and add oil. Add onions and sugar. Stir to coat. Cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions are brown and caramelized. Use tongs to place the onions on top of the pork roast and continue cooking until the roast is done (usually about 1 1/2 hours). Use a meat thermometer to verify doneness.

To make in a regular oven, use a foil "tent" over the pork roast after adding the onions.

Swiss Chicken Bake

This is a family favorite and is soooo easy!

Get the recipe with nutrition facts at Cook and Count.

Menu Plan Monday, October 23

MONDAY: Swiss Chicken Bake, rice, broccoli and honey-wheat bread
TUESDAY: Pork Roast with Caramelized Onions, roasted potatoes, green beans
WEDNESDAY: Greek Chicken with Potatoes since we never ate it last week!
THURSDAY: Spaghetti and meatballs
FRIDAY: Spanish Garlic Shrimp with rice
SATURDAY: Chicken Crescent Casserole
SUNDAY: Skillet Lasagna

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Greek Chicken Recipe (by request)

I'm happy to share the recipe, though we have not yet tried it! That was a new recipe for us, and as it turned out, my husband got called away on a business trip and wasn't going to be home for dinner. The kids and I played "Clean Out The Fridge" and they thought it was fun!

I'll save this recipe for another night, since I think it sounds delicious!

Greek Chicken

1 chicken quartered or chicken pieces, about 4 lbs, skin and extra fat removed
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
1 Tblsp oil
2 unpeeled Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1 in chunks
1 cup red onion, chopped
1/4 tsp each salt and pepper
1 Tblsp each oregano and chopped garlic
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup pitted, halved kalamata olives
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
Lemon wedges

Mix flour, salt and pepper in a gallon size plastic zipper bag, add chicken a few pieces at a time, close bag
and shake to coat chicken evenly. Heat oil in a deep skillet over med. heat. Add chicken and cook, 10 minutes
or until golden, turning once. Remove chicken to a platter. Add potatoes, onion and salt and pepper to the pan
and cook 5 minutes, or until potatoes are golden, stirring occasionally. Add the oregano and garlic, and cook
1 minute. Stir in chicken broth and return chicken to pan. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook 15 minutes or until
chicken is done, and potatoes are tender turn, chicken at least once.
Stir in the olives. Remove to a clean platter, sprinkle with the feta cheese, and garnish with lemon wedges.

Source: Debbie's Country Cookin' newsletter

Menu Plan Monday

I found a fun new meme when I visited a blog whose owner had posted in my combox at my other blog! (Yes, I really do visit my visitors! I find too many great blogs that way.)

It's Menu Plan Monday!

Here's my menu (recipes to be posted during the week as I cook them):
MONDAY: Drunken Roasted Chicken
TUESDAY: Pork Cubes Smothered in Onions
WEDNESDAY: Greek Chicken & Potatoes
THURSDAY: Spaghetti with Italian Sausage
FRIDAY: Breakfast for Dinner--homemade waffles and fruit
SATURDAY: Swiss Chicken Bake
SUNDAY: Beef, Swiss and Onion Sandwiches

All menus, of course, are subject to change at the whim of the Husband of the Chef! Yesterday that whim worked out great, as we ended up inviting friends over for a spontaneous "Chili and Chicken Wing Dinner."

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