Friday Foodstuffs- Comfort Food

I think I should stop calling my weekly menu planning "Friday Foodstuffs" because I never seem to actually get the post out on Friday. Oh well! I like alliteration so it's staying FF, even if it is a lie!!

Hands down the best meal last week was the Coconut Peanut Sauce Beef with Pineapple-Ciliantro Rice.  Holy Flavor, Batman!  That dish was divine!  The sauce would be great over pretty much any grilled meat, if you aren't a red meat sort of person.  But the rice...  Ooooh the rice.  You should make it RIGHT NOW.

Go ahead. I'll wait
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
See? Isn't it the best rice you've had in your life?

While your at it, go check out The Double Dipped Life. I'm going to stop making my own menu plans and just follow the ones she creates eat week!

This week I realized I need to actually read the recipes the night before so I'm prepared. Because I didn't do that, I was frantically thawing shrimp while trying not to burn onions for the Penne a la Betsy  (needed a kick, we added crushed red pepper) and I was browning a pork shoulder at 5:45 AM so I could start the Slower Cooker Barbecue before I left for work. 

Whoops.

Friday: Chana Masala (which I was supposed to make on Thursday but got a pizza instead).  It was great even without the corriander which apparently no grocery store in Savannah carries.  Grrr.

Saturday: Out

Sunday:  Grilled Sirloin Steaks with Baked Potatoes

Monday: Baked Fish With Orange Cilantro Sauce, Curried Roasted Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Tuesday: Shredded Beef (see Comments) Burriots

Wednesday: Chicken Peanut Curry

Thursday: Mulligatawny Soup

Question of the Week: Last week was kinda crappy mentally and all I wanted to do was crawl into bed with some of my comfort foods.  Those emotions inspired this menu though I tried to avoid the comfort foods that would cause heart attacks.  What is your ultimate comfort food and why? 

Friday Food Stuffs: Looking for Crock Pot ideas

Despite having a short week we are buried in delicious leftovers! The Tomatillo Enchiladas and the Slow Cooker Chicken with Onions, Apples and Rosemary made enough to feed a large family!  The crock pot chicken used to stuff the enchiladas was ridiculously simple and I’ll be using that again for various dishes!  Also, I didn’t make the tomatillo salsa for the enchiladas because tomatillos were ridiculously pricey. Instead I just used the Herdez Salsa Verde and the substitute was fine.  I will try it in the future as it looked too yummy to pass up!

And the pork chops?  So simple but amazingly flavorful.  

Thanks to everyone who commented on their fall favorites.  I finally got my Pumpkin Spice Latte yesterday morning. Oh and my most favorite beverage ever, the Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate is back!  They didn’t have it last year which was pretty much devastating to my then-pregnant self, so I plan to get my fill now.

Haven’t had it?

Don’t.

Trust me.

It’s ridiculously addictive and your wallet and waistline will be begging for mercy by Spring.

There is no rhyme or reason to this week’s menu.  Some of the meals are based on the random foods in the fridge approaching their due date.  The chili is to celebrate the start of football season (GO BEARS!!!!).  The Nachos are because Cinco de Nachos occurred while in Asheville and we need to get our Nacho Fix. Everything else just looked good when I went exploring at my favorite foodie sites.

Friday:  Out
Saturday:  Pizza Margharita(ish), Salads
Sunday:  Sunday Steaks: Brett’s Famous in Our House Chili Made with Steak (to celebrate the start of football season!)
Monday: Buffalo Salmon, Brussels Sprout, Blue Cheese and Glazed Pecan Salad
Tuesday: Nachos
Wednesday: Chicago Chicken, Curried Sweet potato fries
Thursday: Shell Pasta with Sausage and Greens

Friday Foodstuffs Question:  I used my crock pot twice this past week.  I was so excited to get one as a wedding gift but now I rarely use it.  Breaking it out this week reminded me that crock pot dinners are simple and convenient so I want to start using mine more often.  What’s your favorite crock pot/slower cooker recipe?  Can you recommend a website or cookbook based around crock pot recipes?

Friday Foodstuffs and PIF Friday!!

Holy Crap did we eat well over the week.  Pretty much everything but the Spaghetti and Meatballs was a success. The two dished I would most recommend are the Butter Chicken and the Basil Lime Fruit Salad.

The Butter Chicken was un-frickin-believable.  Seriously delish and super easy.  However, I only used about half of the cream the requested.  Next time I make it I am going try adding some veggies to the dish.  I also might branch out and instead of cream, use coconut milk.  If you can get it, I suggest serving a side of naan to sop up all the delicious and fattening sauce!

The Basil Lime Fruit Salad was an awesome complement to our "breakfast for dinner" night.  I've made it before and it's a nice twist from a regular fruit salad.  It's perfect for a summer picnic or perhaps a baby/bridal shower. Again, I'd half the amount of the simple syrup poured over the fruit, otherwise it buries the natural sweetness.

Our grocery bill has gotten a bit out of hand over the past few weeks so with this weeks menu I tried to focus on recipes made from stuff we already had on hand.  I did a sweep of the freezer and cupboards before deciding on a menu.

Saturday-Chili Honey Chicken thighs, Green Beans
Sunday Steaks-Garlic Crusted Parmesan Steaks, baked sweet potatoes
Monday- Asparagus, Goat Cheese and Lemon Pasta (recommended by Ms. Jenna)
Tuesday-Mexican Chicken Lasagna*
Wednesday-Leftover Pulled Pork, stove-top baked beans
Thursday-Curried Salmon Salad Wraps (my own recipe), Tater-Tots

*Do you have a Pampered Chef Deep Covered Baker?  No?  Well you should.  It's a lifesaver.

What you are eating this week?


____________________________________________________________


Pay it Forward Friday-

The kindest thing someone did for me this week comes from my boss.  We have a crazy week coming up and have been preparing for it over the last 6 month.  Since "The Event" is about to reach it's climax, there is much to be done.  More than I can accomplish in my measly 24 hour work week.  Yesterday, when I realized there was no way I could leave at my regular time, she cleared me for some overtime.  Then, she said "Why don't  you go get Max and bring him here".  So instead of letting the poor kid sit in day care for an extra 90 minutes, I ran across the street, picked him up and brought him back.  I always keep a blanket in my office and toys in my diaper bag so I plopped him on the floor and let him play at my feet while I finished up a few things. I loved having him there.  It made working on such an arduous task a little easier when I could turn around to see my cute little dude smiling up at me. My boss didn't have to allow such a non traditional work arrangement and I am grateful for her kindness in suggesting Max come hang with us.  I do think she loved some baby time too!

Spread some warm fuzzies by sharing the kindness bestowed on you!  Link up with Mama Nash.

Sunday Steaks- Saturday Edition

I'm cheating on the second week of Sunday Steaks. Due to the 4th we knew we would probably have a cookout with friends, so we decided to push Sunday Steaks up a day. This week, flank steak was on sale and I had a ton of leftover flat leaf parsley so we made Garlic Rubbed Flank Steak with Chimichurri Sauce. Technically, Flank Steak isn't steak, but I'm not about technicalities.

I realize this isn't the most appetizing photo, but I promise it was yummy!

I highly recommend this dish! Brett grilled the meat to a perfect medium rare and the fresh, citrusy taste of the sauce was a strong complement to the charred flavor of the meat. I over-processed the chimichurri a bit, making it a little too thin. I think a chunkier version might have been better. Still it was great and had a gorgeous color.

As a side I made a disappointing corn pudding. It wasn't really an appropriate parring, but I was trying to clear out some frozen corn taking up space in our freezer. Despite not being the most obvious side dish, the recipe wasn't very good, so I'm not going to post it. At least it looked pretty.

I think a better paring would be black beans and a nice salad. However, the Sam Adams Summer Ale we drank was a good choice of beverage.

For dessert I broke out an old recipe- Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie or, as it's more commonly referred -Big O pie. So. Freaking. Good. If anyone wants the recipe, let me know and I'll re-post. I don't remember where it came from as it's been sitting in my recipe box for years so I can't give credit, but it's great!

I would consider the second week of Sunday Steaks quite successful.This is a tradition I'm starting to dig!

Please send any steak recipes my way. If Brett and I try it, I'll be sure post the results!

Sunday Steaks- A Monday Morning Recap

Now that we are all grown up and parent-ey Brett and I aren't able to have our regular fancy schmancy date nights.  So instead we've decided to crank up our Sunday night meal by implementing "Sunday Steaks".  It's like it sounds.  Each Sunday we will spend a little extra ching for a nice steak dinner.  As much as we wish it would, our budget doesn't allow for fillet each week so it's both a challenge and a tradition.

My husband cooks a mean steak.  Seriously, he can give steakhouses a run for their money.  It's a complicated process and one I'm not interested in attempting. I'll just come up well done- which in the case of steak is not a good thing. So when we find good cuts of steak on sale its his job is to cook them while I come up with interesting side dishes.  However, Sunday Steaks are not just about your typical grilled slab o' beef.  We plan to try a *plethora* of steak recipes/cooking techniques involving various cuts and complementary sides. I think it will be a fun tradition and hopefully we can expand our beef eating horizons. I'll post the recipes and results here for any fellow steak lovers.

The first Sunday Steaks dinner was a delicious success. Once Max went down for the night we got to cooking.  A violent southern summer storm was brewing so Brett seared 2 thick sirloins on the stove top with the grill pan instead of our charcoal grill.  (always charcoal, never propane in this house.  Sorry Hank Hill)  While he seared animal flesh I made Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Caramelized Onions and Bacon. Sunday steaks is also about taking perfectly healthy vegetables and making them deadly!  We started the meal with simple salads of mixed greens and portabello mushrooms.  His was topped with Blue Cheese Vinaigrette while I topped mine with goat cheese and a few splashes of Black Cherry Balsamic Vinegar from Lowcountry Gourmet Foods here in Savannah (so yummy and supports local business!).  We also had a few slices of "take and bake" rosemary bread from the Kroger bakery. Oh and to keep it extra classy, we cracked open a box of wine. The fancy box design made it look yummier than Franzia but it wasn't.  Still wine is wine and after 9 months without, I'll take what I can get. And of course, we finished it off with microwave cake.

Look at those grill marks!  My man is talented!

These pictures just don't do the meal justice as I took them as an afterthought.  Still, you get the idea of yumminess.    If anyone has any great steak or side recipes, please share!

*******************************************************

Word up, Yo! I used plethora, the Word of the Week!