Dinner Diva Menu Week of 1/25

Sunday: Grilled ham and cheese sandwiches, Creamy Broccoli Soup

A new twist on grilled ham and cheese:
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=571884
SO GOOD!!!!!


Creamy Broccoli Soup
Ingredients
14 ounce package frozen broccoli florets (about 5 cups)
1 small onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
3 cups chicken broth (vegetable broth can be substituted)
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
3/4 cup fat free half and half
1/2 cup 2% milk
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 1/2 Tsp. salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup small fresh broccoli florets
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
Directions
Place frozen broccoli, onion, chicken broth, and parsley in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Cover tightly and simmer for 45 minutes. Remove from heat and uncover. Stir together half and half, milk, and cornstarch until smooth. Set aside. Puree hot cooked mixture in blender, in batches, until smooth. (My husband, who recognizes that the purchase of kitchen gadgets for me returns in yummy food for him, bought me an immersion blender for Christmas. I plan to use it in place of the blender in this recipe.) Return to pan. Stir in half and half mixture, salt, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, broccoli florets, and lemon juice. Bring up to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15 minutes. Taste and correct seasonings, if necessary, and serve.
Nutrition Info
Calories: 85; Fat: 1.5g; Saturated Fat: 1.0g; Protein: 2g; Carbohydrates: 16g; Fiber: 2g; Cholesterol: 3Mg; Sodium: 1112Mg

Monday: Meal Swap Day, my turn to cook: 4 cheese Stuffed Shells with Smoky Marinara, salad, homemade french bread

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=428921

Note: this recipe makes 2 casseroles. One to eat now and one to freeze for later.

Tuesday: sweet orange salmon, orange wedges, steamed edamame, red potatoes

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1054902

Wednesday: Meal Swap Day, Jen's turn to cook (note, eat leftovers tonight if you're not in a meal swap)

Thursday: Sloppy Joes, steamed mixed veggies, commercial french fries (such as Ore Rida)

try this sloppy joe recipe from Deceptively Delicious (psst: it has veggies in it, but noone needs to know):

http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=430485

Friday: Sesame Shrimp, rice, commercial egg rolls

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Sesame-Shrimp/Detail.aspx

Saturday: Pizza night!

Dinner Diva Menu Week of 1/11

Monday: Chicken Pot Pie (meal swap day, my turn to cook)
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1870831

Tuesday: BBQ Meatloaf, steamed broccoli, baked potatoes (make extra for another meal)
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1160599

Wednesday: Meal Swap Day (Jen's turn to cook); if you're not lucky enough to participate in a meal swap, serve meatloaf sandwiches tonight with leftover meatloaf, steamed edamame, and tater skins (using leftover baked potatoes)

Thursday: grilled steak, baked sweet potatoes, sauteed zucchini

Friday: grilled salmon, mixed greens salad, wheat pilaf

Saturday: Pizza or eat out!

Sunday: Taco Soup
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-live/tex-mex-chicken-taco-soup-recipe/index.html

Dinner Diva Menu Week of 1/3

Happy New Year! By now we've all resolved to eat better and exercise more, right? Fewer dinners out and more dinners at home will help us through this economic downturn. Hopefully Dinner Diva Menus can help by providing ideas.

Sunday: Beef Stroganoff, Caesar Salad, Fresh french bread or dinner rolls

Monday (Meal Swap day, my turn to cook):
Onion-Smothered Pork Tenderloin: http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1733265
Roasted Potato Wedges (wash 8-10 small to medium sized white baking potatoes, cut into wedges. Put wedges, 1/3 cup vegetable oil, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper into gallon sized ziploc bag. Seal, and shake to coat. Arrange wedges on baking sheet and bake at 400 for about 45 min to an hour, or until browned and tender.)
Steamed Broccoli sprinkled with fresh parmesan

Tuesday: Mexican Black Bean Chili: http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=520032
(tip: use leftover chili to make supreme nachos, chili-stuffed baked potatoes, or freeze it for another day)

Wednesday: Meal Swap Day, Jen's turn to cook (If you're not lucky enough to participate in a meal swap, serve leftovers tonight)

Thursday: Polynesian Chicken and Rice: http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=665456

Friday:
Grilled Orange Roughy fillets
sauteed zucchini
steamed brown rice

Saturday: leftovers or pizza

Dinner Diva Menu Week of 12/28

Sunday: Leftovers

Monday: Meal Swap (my turn to cook) Creamy Chicken and Rice Casserole, Caesar Salad (http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=665347)

Tuesday: deep dish pizza

Wednesday: Maryland Crab Cakes, Twice-Baked Potatoes, salad in edible parmesan bowls
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=223853
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1559150
http://www.sargentocheese.com/recipes/1440/edible-parmesan-bowls/

Thursday: Meal Swap (Jen's turn to cook)

Friday: Crab Cake Sandwiches, roasted potato wedges, steamed green beans
(Using leftover crab cakes and whole wheat hamburger buns, make crab cake sandwiches--chili sauce makes a great condiment on these!)

Saturday: frozen pizza night

Dinner Diva Menu week of 12/1

For a number of weeks now, a neighbor friend and I have been swapping meals once a week. On Wednesdays, she cooks two of whatever they're having and gives one to us. On Thursdays, I cook two and give one to her. The idea is that it's almost as easy to make two meals as it is to make one, so with a little extra effort one day a week, we each get a day free of cooking one day a week. I have always enjoyed cooking for people, and it's been really fun and I think both of our families are really enjoying it.

Monday: Pork Chops With Sauerkraut
Ingredients
4 pork chops, approximately 4 ounces each
salt and pepper
2 Tbsp. olive oil
14 ounces sauerkraut, fresh or canned
1/4 onion, thinly sliced
1/2 small apple, peeled, cored, and chopped
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
1/4 cup beer or cider vinegar
Directions
Sprinkle pork chops with salt and pepper, to taste. Heat olive oil in a skillet and brown pork chops on both sides. Set aside. Rinse and drain sauerkraut, pressing excess liquid out. Mix sauerkraut, onion, apple, parsley flakes, and celery seed. Put pork chops in a baking dish, then cover with sauerkraut. Pour beer and drippings from skillet over. Cover tightly and bake at 350 degrees for 90 minutes.
Nutrition Info
Calories: 277; Fat: 16.0g; Saturated Fat: 6.5g; Protein: 24g; Carbohydrates: 10g; Fiber: 1g; Cholesterol: 28Mg; Sodium: 656Mg

Tuesday: grilled shrimp, steamed broccoli, steamed brown rice

Wednesday: (meal swap day!)

Thursday: (meal swap day; my turn to cook!) Lasagna Soup, served in bread bowls

http://www.campbellskitchen.com/SpecialtySiteRecipeDetail.aspx?specialty=swansonbroth&recipeID=23930

To make breadbowls, you can make your own dough in a breadmaker or by hand, or you can buy frozen bread dough. Spray insides of oven safe bowls (if you have any deep oven safe cereal bowls, those work well, or any 2 cup capacity oven safe bowl) with cooking spray. I use 1/2 of a 1 lb recipe for each bowl. Place the dough into the greased bowl, turning to coat. Cover and let rise about 40 minutes. Bake at 350 for about 20 min (more or less). Allow to cool. Scoop out the center of the bread and fill with soup. Top with the part of the bread that you removed.

Friday: Tacos

Saturday: pizza, carrots

Sunday: meatloaf, steamed green beans, roasted potato wedges

Dinner Diva Menu week of 11/23

When I'm planning our Thanksgiving feast, I always forget that we will actually have to eat the rest of the week too! I tried to include simple, healthy, light meals this week to balance out the enormity of the caloric influx of Thursday's meal.

Sunday: Soup, salad, breadsticks

Monday: grilled orange roughy, steamed green beans, steamed brown rice

Tuesday: spaghetti, spinach salad, garlic bread (optional)

Wednesday: leftovers (clear out those fridges!)

Thursday: see previous post

Friday: Turkey-Cranberry Wreath

Turkey Cranberry Wreath

2 pkg. refrigerated crescent rolls
1/2 C. mayonnaise
2 T. honey Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. coarsely ground pepper
2 C. cooked turkey, chopped
1/2 C. celery, sliced
3 T. fresh parsley, snipped
1/2 C. dried cranberries
1 1/4 cups (5 oz) Swiss cheese, shredded
1 egg, separated

Preheat oven to 375°F. Unroll crescent dough; separate into 16 triangles. With wide ends of triangles toward the center. arrange 8 triangles in a circle on Large Round Stone. Corners of wide ends will touch and points will extend 1 inch beyond of baking stone. Arrange remaining 8 triangles in center. matching ends. Seal seams using pizza roller. (Points will overlap in center; do not seal.)

Combine in Classic Batter bowl or Stainless steel bowl, Turkey, 1 cup cheese, celery, cranberries, parsley, mayo, mustard, and pepper, mix well. Scoop filling evenly over each triangle. Coarsely chop walnuts; sprinkle over filling. Beginning in center, lift one dough triangle across mixture. Continue alternating with outer triangle, slightly overlapping to form wreath. Tuck last end under the first.

Separate egg over bowl. Beat egg white lightly; brush over dough. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top if you desire.

Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Yields 8 servings or 16 if cut in half!

Saturday: pizza, veggies and dip

Thanksgiving Menu

This is our Thanksgiving Menu for this year. It is a combination of recipes that I make every year and ones that my sister-in-law makes every year. My brother and his family will be joining us for Thanksgiving this year, and I'm pretty sure this will be our first Thanksgiving together since college. I'm very much looking forward to spending time with them. Plus I'm totally jonesing for this yummy food!

Grilled Turkey: Everyone should try a grilled thanksgiving turkey once in their lives. It's a very easy method, and cooks the bird to perfection, with a golden brown crispy outer layer and flavorful tender juicy meat inside. It is quick to cook, and because you use a foil roasting pan, clean up's a snap. And it frees up your oven for potatoes, rolls, and pie! Here's how: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/The-Greatest-Grilled-Turkey/Detail.aspx?washelp=1&rid=219079#219079

Sweet Potato Casserole: This casserole recipe was given to me by my old boss and dear friend, Colleen. It immediately became a favorite with the whole family. I feel funny about including it with the side dishes, because it tastes just like dessert!

Sweet Potato Casserole

Mash together:
2 C. cooked, mashed sweet potatoes (4-5 potatoes)
1 ¼ C. sugar
¾ stick of margarine
1 C. milk
¼ t. nutmeg
¼ t. cinnamon
2 eggs

Bake at 400 for 40 minutes or until set (mine usually takes much longer than this)

Mix together and spread over top:
¾ stick margarine
¾ C. crushed corn flakes
½. C. brown sugar
½ C. chopped pecans

Bake at 400 for 10 minutes, or long enough to melt topping.

Green Bean Casserole: just follow the recipe on the French's Fried Onions can! YUM

Homemade rolls: these I make in the breadmaker beforehand and freeze. Then a quick microwave heat-up and they taste like I baked them that moment!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tanya-holland/homemade-dinner-rolls-recipe/index.html

Chocolate Creme Pie: Though not a traditional Thanksgiving Pie, I made this one year and my husband made me promise to make it every year. This one's for you, Babe:

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=222479

note: I substitute ready-made refrigerated pie crust (pillsbury) for the graham cracker crumbs.

Corn Casserole (this one is Mary Kay's, email me for recipe)

Stuffing (Mary Kay's recipe)

Gravy (Mary Kay's recipe)

Cranberries (Mary Kay's recipe)

Pecan Pie (Mary Kay's recipe)

I hope all of you enjoy your feasts! I love your comments!