Monday, October 31, 2011

Gnocchi with Squash and Kale

I had planned to make gnocchi with squash and kale for dinner one night last week, but just did not get to it. I made it as a side dish for steak. The kids loved it and even though they picked out some of the kale, I'm sure some of the kale was digested. The boys took extra servings! I used double the gnocchi.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

A Nice Leftover Buffet

What makes a leftover buffet nice? Sitting together while eating. There was a lot of food in the frig--again. And, I had class until 5pm so making something in time to eat was going to be a challenge.

I did prepare food for tonight's dinner. I made slow-cooker sloppy joe's. This is the recipe I usually use, but I did not use the slow-cooker. I cooked the mixture on the stove for about 45 minutes.

I also made queso potato soup to have for lunches, and some for my neighbor. I think even my oldest son, who does not usually like any kind of soup, will like this one.

Monday, October 24, 2011

Usually Pizza Night

Mondays have been our Old Forge pizza night, but tonight I have a meeting. Many of the pizza places are not open on Mondays, so we went out last night for pizza. We went to Anthony's, one of our favorite places to eat. Because our anniversary is Tuesday, the kids ate pizza and we ate steak and shrimp and a variety of their menu.

Today, with our busy dinnertime schedule, I started to get prepared before work. I am making Honey-Lime Grilled Chicken, except I am not grilling it. My husband will be finishing the recipe (taking it out of the oven). I made the sauce this morning. I will broil the chicken for a bit and add the barbecue sauce before I leave for my meeting.

Have you tried the potatoes that come in their own steamer package? They are a little more costly, but they are done in the microwave in 8 minutes. From that point you can serve them, or mash them, or make gnocchi out of them. For busy weeknights, it is a life saver.

Friday, October 21, 2011

Using leftovers for soup

Last night is usually the leftover buffet. I had some time in the afternoon so I added a little twist. There was a lot of chicken left from the chicken and peppers and I had a feeling no one was going to finish it. So, I made soup. The chicken had been cooked with tomatoes, wine, prosciutto, and peppers. I removed all the bones and shredded the chicken. The "sauce" that was left was concentrated and gelatinous, just like a good stock. In a stock pot, I sauteed celery, carrots, and onions with salt and pepper. I added the meat and the stock and water. A little time and some heat was all it took to become soup. I also cooked some egg noodles to add to the soup.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Tuesday already


Sunday I cooked a big meal for friends. My friends named our house, Grahams pub and they check in through facebook when they are here. I tried a new appetizer, shrimp tarts. It is refrigerated biscuits pressed into a mini muffin pan, a few chopped shrimp, a dollip of ricotta. I seasoned the ricotta with salt and pepper. Bake for 20 minutes at 425 degrees. Top with a strip of basil.



The main course was chicken with peppers and side dishes were roasted potatoes and roasted broccoli. Dessert was a buttermilk breakfast cake. I decorated it with fall sprinkles.

As I was making the chicken with peppers, I had extra tomatoes from the very large can I purchased. My plan was to make some marinara sauce with the extra tomatoes. We are having rigatoni with marinara. That made tonight's meal easy.

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Crock Pot Chicken

Tuesday morning I put 6 chicken breasts into the crock pot with some chicken stock and a can of fire-roasted tomatoes. The chicken cooked during the day. The flavor was good and chicken with a side of potatoes and a salad was diner.

Last night, the extra chicken had two fates: 1) shredded with barbecue sauce and 2)chicken salad (very basic with only mayo added). Since the family was coming and going at different times, there were options available.

Tonight is leftover buffet. I'm also roasting spaghetti squash for my husband. I'm having dinner with the girls.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Pizza Monday

Since the wedding was last weekend, I did not even get to the grocery store. I hate to start the week without a plan for the family meals but I had no plan except for our pizza night.

We went to Revello's last night. I have not been there in many years and I'm not sure why. It is a comfortable place with great food and pizza. I'm having leftover pizza for lunch today. Can't wait.

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Leftover Buffet, Sort of

There is so much food in my refrigerator right now. It is a sign of our busy lives. My husband and I have to get better at packing leftovers and soup for our lunch. All of us have to eat what is prepared for the day, not just pb&j (as my oldest and youngest do.) Last night we had burgers and I have more ready to go for tonight along with fettuccine, salad, soup, and a variety of other things that I do not want to waste.

This weekend we have a family wedding so we will be eating at the rehearsal dinner and reception. Sunday is my dad's birthday, so mom is making dinner. I'll post again on Monday. Have a good weekend!

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

New Monday Plan

Molly is taking dance lessons in Old Forge on Monday nights from 6:30 to 8:30 this year. If you are not familiar with Old Forge, Pa, it is known for it's pizza. If fact it is the "Pizza Capital of the World". My husband and I grew up in Old Forge and we have tried all the pizza places, but our kids have not.

Our Monday night dinner plan, while Molly is at dance, is to visit each place. Last night, we started at Salerno's. The kids have had Salerno's pizza before so it was not new, but it was good.

I wanted to have a rating sheet for each place so we could compare each place but my family would not "play" with me. Oh well.

By the way, we do save pizza for Molly to eat after dance. But last night, she did not get any chicken wings...don't tell her.

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Sunday Sauce

Friday evening I made sauce. My sauce is a long cooked sauce, which is common in the area I live in. My sauce is consistent, but the meats I use change. My best sauce starts with pork bones and has meatballs in it. This time, it is a meat sauce with Italian sausage. The seasonings stay the same. My mom always uses tomato paste, sometimes I use the paste and sometimes I use a combination of tomatoes. It depends upon what I have on hand, what is in season and how much time I can spend on the preparation (the simmer usually takes hours).

Today, it is rainy and cold. It is a perfect day for comfort food.