What's on the menu?

db potatoes are easy to make - and eat:)

chicken, fried rice and spinach. DH cooked, I was doing chores at the barn. Still snowing.

Watched a few cooking shows, and now DH who never cooks, thinks it's so easy! Actually it is, but you don't see all the prep work on the shows that you have to do. We'll see if he makes a meal this week!

Very true, Deb. Warped view on many of the shows.

Roast chicken with mac & cheese, Caesar salad on the side.
Pineapple upside down cake for dessert.

The chicken stuffed with broccoli rabe & sausage sounds like a winner! Louise, when it's cold in FL, you still suffer.....remembering last Jan. when after coming in from my walks (in Bean's heavy jacket & ski hat) my face would be frozen. Had to keep the heat on the whole time! Anyway, think I'll have ravioli tonight.

Cooked some fresh collard greens (huge in preventing macular degeneration) and Hank said if I could smell, I wouldn't eat them. I've always loved them, so he's all wet. He won't be having any, but the girls and I will have some and Hank and I will have roast chicken and salad. Dessert will be before dinner......we're waiting for one of our neighbors to bring her little girls over for a visit, so there will be Christmas cookies served prior to everyone's dinner.

Marilyn - I know just what you mean. Cold is cold!! All of our tender plants and my tomatoes and green beans are covered up. It's really the wind that makes it so cold.

I'm thinking of pot roast today in the crockpot. It's still cold outside!

Good soup or stew day! I will be doing something with pork chops. Maybe in the pressure cooker.

Mmmm, all sounds delish! After saying I rarely use my crockpot, I have a chicken soup in there now....art class today, so I don't have the time to cook when I get home.

I was thinking pork chops today too.

flank steak

Sheppards pie tonight. Chicken is cooked and peeled for chicken soup tomorrow.

Oh and brownies

Yum!

double yum

I have friends coming for lunch on Friday, so I'm baking a few batches of Christmas cookies.

I'm trying to hold off baking till next week

I hate to bake! My aunt used to make a cookie with apricots, figs, raisins & walnuts....it was somehow cooked, but not baked....can't find the recipe anywhere.

My resistance to all the homemade cookies walking through our front door has been seriously plundered. This has got to stop!

Dinner? 8 pounds of sugar, 9 pounds of flour, 17 eggs, 56 pounds of butter, 1 quart of first class vanilla, 17 pounds of chocolate......you get the idea! Thankfully, it's mostly in my head......I said, "mostly"....... I can't in good faith have dinner, can I?

Gotta go watch "Swamp Men" with Hank. What am i doing here???????

Oh yeah, I forgot to add that Swamp Men can actually be found on the HIstory Channel.....what AM I doing here???? And.... What is the History Channel thinking???!!

I think Louise had a sugar high .

Oh, yeah, but that's a good one! Guess it's leftover chicken soup tonight, unless I get inspired.

Robin.....is this the recipe?

HONEY FRUIT NUGGETS
Makes 20 nuggets
1/4 cup dried pitted prunes
1/4 cup dried apricots
1/4 cup dried figs
1/4 cup pitted dates
1/3 cup wheat-flake cereal; (1 cup uncrushed)
1/4 cup honey
1/2 square unsweetened chocolate; melted
Non-stick cooking spray
Coconut or chopped nuts for rolling…
• Let prunes and apricots stand in boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain.
• Put all fruit through food chopper and blend with crushed cereal.
• Blend in honey and melted chocolate.
• Spray hands with non-stick cooking spray and shape mixture into 1-inch balls.
• Roll in coconut or chopped nuts.
• Chill or set aside to "ripen."
• Can be made ahead of time.

Close, Pixie....no chocolate or cereal in them, & they were rolled in sugar. I will try them, so thank you very much!

X-mas party with the Lions Club tonight.

Contrition meal tonight......green beans and tilapia....period!

Have fun, JUmper....oh, you are good, Louise. I'm having steak & onions, baked tatoe, & broccoli...I figure the broccoli counts for something!

Leftover ziti or pork chops and sauerfraut, diner's choice

Talked to my Mom today....I didn't have her over Sunday, so no leftovers.....she was cooking eggs for lunch & dinner! Hellooooo....my sister is taking her for her hair appt. today, I suggested she bring food over for Mom...then I went to the store & bought stuff to cook & get over to her tomorrow. If I don't do it, no one else does.....really upsets me.

So good that you are on top of things that way, Marilyn! I can imagine how frustrating that would be. The care you give may be lifesaving for her. Some adult kids just don't get it about older parents and it all falls to one. And then, some get it but leave it all to others anyway. She is very lucky to have you close enough to pick up on things.

I'm making a pizza meatloaf with angel hair pasta on the side. I saw a recipe on the net today and decided to try it. The "dough" will be the meatloaf mix shaped round and flat - about 1" thick - with tomato sauce, cheese and pepperoni on top. We'll see how it turns out.

That sounds good, Dave - let us know how you like it! How long do you bake it?

It bakes for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. I think it may need longer than that, but I'll check. I just put it into the oven. Looks great already.

Post a photo of it???? Sounds very interesting! Enjoy!

Yum, sounds good and different!

My family loved it. I ended up baking it for about 50 minutes.

Recipe and picture are below:

PIZZA MEAT LOAF

Meat Loaf Base Ingredients:

1 Onion, peeled and chopped
1 Green Pepper, peeled and chopped
Fresh Garlic, peeled and sliced – as many cloves as you like
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Red Pepper flakes to taste
About 2 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds Ground Meat of your choice – turkey, beef, pork, veal or any combination
About ¾ cup Bread Crumbs
2 eggs
Worcestershire sauce to taste
Jarred pasta sauce – about ¼ cup
Dried Basil to taste
Dried Oregano to taste

Topping Ingredients:

Jarred pasta sauce – about ½ cup
About 8 ounces of your favorite shredded or sliced cheese – American, Mozzarella, Provolone, Cheddar, etc.
Pepperoni Slices
Olive Oil
Dried Oregano

Preparation:

Saute onions, green pepper, garlic, salt, peeper and red pepper flakes in olive oil in large skillet until soft and lightly browned. Let cool about 15 minutes
Place all base ingredients in large mixing bowl and mix until well combined. On a large baking pan, form the meat mixture into a round 1 inch thick “pizza” making the outside edges a little thicker.
Pour sauce on top of base and spread to within 1 inch from edge. Top with cheese and sliced pepperoni. Drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with dried oregano.
Bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 – 50 minutes or until done. Let stand about 10 minutes on top of stove before slicing and serving.

Serving Suggestions:

Serve with any cooked pasta with butter and parmesan cheese.

For a low-carb meal, serve the Pizza Meat Loaf with cooked vegetables.

that looks great!!!

My GKs would love that! Thanks for the recipe, Dave.....Yes, Louise, you're right about some adult children not getting it! Having friends over for lunch today.... mulled cider, baked mac & cheese, salad, dried fruit or lemon cookies.

OK, folks, I guess I'm feeling creative in the kitchen lately. Here is a new recipe I developed today and is now just about ready to serve:

Buffalo Style Cream Of Chicken Soup With Roasted Vegetables

Ingredients For Roasted Vegetables:

Fresh Garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped or sliced – as many cloves as you like
1 large Onion, coarsely chopped
1 Green Pepper, coarsely chopped
1 Turnip, chopped into small (less than 1”) pieces
1 Cup Baby Carrots, coarsely chopped
1 Head Cauliflower and/or Broccoli, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper to taste

Ingredients For Buffalo Style Cream Of Chicken Soup:

1 stick Butter or Margarine, cut into small cubes
½ cup Flour
2 cups Chicken Stock
6 cups milk
½ cup Blue Cheese Dressing
8-10 ounces cheese – American, Cheddar, etc.
1 bag Buffalo Style Chicken Strips, thawed if frozen, cut into small pieces

Preparation:

Roasted Vegetables: Place all ingredients for roasted vegetables into a large roasting pan or onto a large baking sheet. Mix together well. Bake in 400 degree oven for 1 hour or until all vegetables are tender and lightly browned. Check and stir periodically.

Soup: In a large soup pot, melt butter and stir in flour until well blended and a roux forms. Cook for one or two minutes stirring constantly. Carefully and gradually stir in the chicken stock, milk and blue cheese dressing. Simmer for about 10 minutes until heated through and thickened. Carefully and gradually stir in cheese and simmer for another 10 minutes until heated through and all cheese is melted. Add the Buffalo style chicken strips and stir until combined. Add in all the roasted vegetables and stir until thoroughly combined. Simmer soup for at least 15 minutes. Enjoy!