The Weekend

Well we survived the first week of school!! It was a good week, both kids are happy with there teachers and classes, so that makes me happy!!Friday night Blake had football practice and it was Mike's turn (We take turns with 2 other friends driving them so that is REALLY nice) So I didn't cook we just had leftovers from the week. Saturday we had our big Sunday school party that Mike and I were in charge of (We are the social team leaders for our class) It went great and everyone had fun, it was from 4-7 so no cooking again for me!! Although I did make Macaroni Salad for the party but that was easy!! Sunday night I made breakfast for dinner. We had scrambled eggs, sausage, grits, and biscuits! I love breakfast for dinner!

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday!

Tuesday I made:
Grilled Tomatillo Chicken

This recipe comes from Taste of Home. I did puree the sauce and was glad I did...I thought it made the texture more appetizing, more like a salsa. It was a very summer-y dinner and hit all around!!!

Ingredients:
* 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
* 4 slices provolone cheese
* 1 medium onion, chopped
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 6 tomatillos, husks removed, chopped
* 1/4 cup lime juice
* 6 pickled jalapeno slices, chopped
* 1 garlic clove, minced
* 1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
* 1 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon pepper
* Sour cream, optional

Directions:
* Using long-handled tongs, moisten a paper towel with cooking oil and lightly coat the grill rack. Grill chicken, covered, over medium heat or broil 4 in. from the heat for 4-7 minutes on each side or until a meat thermometer reads 170°. Top with cheese; cook 1 minute longer or until cheese is melted.
* In a large skillet, saute onion in oil until tender. Add the tomatillos, lime juice and jalapenos; cook 3 minutes longer. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the cilantro, cumin, salt and pepper. (I pureed the sauce a little because I didn't think the chunks of tomatillos looked very appetizing) Serve tomatillo mixture and chicken and with rice; dollop with sour cream if desired. Yield: 4 servings.
Cilantro Lime Rice
Cook rice as usual.
For each cup of rice:
2/3 cup cilantro, loosely packed
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped scalions
1 jalapeno (or to taste)
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp olive oil
Puree the above in a blender, add to the cooked rice, stir well.
Wednesday I made Shrimp and Grits I got off of a friends blog. It was really good!
Shrimp and Grits

GRITS:
1 box (4 cups) chicken broth
3/4 cup whipping cream
1 cup quick cooking stone ground grits - (if you can’t find stone ground, just get whatever you can find – but NOT instant packets)
Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan
SHRIMP:
2 Tablespoons Butter
1/2 Medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 pound smoked sausage (NOT KIELBASA) sliced
2 pounds raw large shrimp, peeled and deveined (I buy them frozen and take the tails off)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 can rotel – normal
chopped green onions for garnish
*good bit of Cajun seasoning

DIRECTIONS:
Grits first! In a heavy bottomed sauce pan, bring the chicken stock and whipping cream up to a low simmer. While simmering, whisk in the grits and a pinch of salt. Stir constantly and return to a low simmer. Cook until thickened, stirring often about 10 minutes. Stir in the butter and Parmesan cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Let them cool some so they can get SUPER THICK, the grits need to be very thick so they can stand up to the runny sauce from the shrimp. The sauce thins out the grits a bunch, so they need to start out with it being extra thick.
Shrimp/Sausage: this goes pretty fast – if you are doing this for guests, I would wait to do this part until they are actually there… so you don’t end up overcooking the shrimp.
Heat a large pot (I use my Le Creuset stockpot) over medium heat.
Measure the wine and open the can of rotel so that it is ready!
Melt butter and then sauté the onion, garlic and bell pepper.
Sauté until tender and translucent add sausage. (you don’t want the sausage to get overly browned)
When sausage has cooked, add the shrimp and sauté for about 2 minutes (not done yet) add white wine and diced tomatoes/rotel.
Bring to a boil, about 5 minutes – Season with salt, pepper and cajun seasoning (if you are using Tony’s – don’t add extra salt!)
SERVING:
Put a hearty amount of grits in bottom of bowl and top with sausage, shrimp and the runny sauce – top with green onions and serve with crusty bread/butter
Thursday night I am going to hear Jeannette Clift George speak at a woman's event at our church......I love her!!! Mike is going to WCJH for 6th grade orientation so we are having a simple dinner Spaghetti and meat sauce.

School!

Well I can't believe summer is over and more than that I can't believe Blake is in junior high! He came home yesterday LOVING it.......I am very relieved!! I thought the independence of junior high would be good for him! Hoping the love continues! Emily had a great day also she loved her teacher and has several friends in her class.

Sunday night we had burgers and fries and Monday night I made something that I don't even know what it is called. My sister wrote down the recipe for me over a year ago but didn't put the name on it and she can't remember what it's called either!! Oh well it's good and even my kids loved it!

1 Lb. Lean Stew Meat
4 cups shredded slaw mix
3 Tbs. quick-cooking tapioca
1 envelope onion soup mix
3 cups water
1 12 oz. can of beer

Place meat and slaw mix in crockpot, sprinkle with tapioca and onion soup mix. Pour beer and water over all.
Cook on low 7-8 hours or high 3 1/2 to 4 hours.
I serve it over rice. I also made sauteed okra and tomatoes with it. My kids ate it up!

Weekend Fun!

Friday night I went to Chuy's with some of my bestest girlfriends to celebrate Amber's 40th birthday! Chuy's is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO good....I wish they would build one in Katy! Emily went to one of her friend's for a welcome back slumber party. McKenna has been in New York most of the summer visiting her mom and her dad set up a fun welcome home party. So Mike and Blake were on their own for dinner!

Saturday afternoon/evening we are going to a party to celebrate Amy's birthday. I'm taking shrimp ceviche and hot dog buns. It's a new recipe so if it's good I'll post the recipe.

Hope you all enjoy your last weekend before the craziness of school starts!

The Week!

Tuesday I made Crock Pot Chops and Gravy (This recipe is a repeat and can be found in an earlier post.) Wednesday we had Creamy Italian Chicken over egg noodles.

Creamy Italian Chicken
Ingredients:
2 lbs of boneless/skinless chicken breasts (cut in strips)
1/4 cup of butter (melted)
8 oz. container of cream cheese with chives
1 can cream of mushroom soup (can use 98% FF)
1 (0.7 oz.) pkg. Italian dressing (dry mix)
1/2 cup of water
Egg Noodles
Add-Ins: onions,mushrooms,carrots Directions:
Place Chicken breasts in crock pot.
Combine butter, cream cheese, mushroom soup, italian dressing mix, and water.
Stir any Add-Ins you want into the sauce.
Mix and pour over chicken.
Cook in crock pot for 6-8 hours.
Serve over egg noodles

Thursday I had Sub Training from 8-5 and then picked up our friends Theresa,Virginia Kate and Causby and went to meet the teacher. The boys were at football practice so us girls went to Chic Fil A and the boys ate leftovers from the week!!

Weekend

The weekend was easy cooking....no recipes involved!! Saturday was sausage, Velveeta shells and cheese corn on the cob and baked beans. Sunday steaks for the boys and chicken for me and Emily.
Monday night I made Creamy Lemon Chicken. I usually don't like lemon in food but this one is mild lemon flavor and I like it! This one also came from a friends blog, On My Menu

Creamy Lemon Chicken over Rice (or Noodles)
Ingredients:
2 c. cooked, diced chicken
2 cans cream chicken soup (I always use 98% FF in my recipes and it tastes just as good)
1/2 c. mayonnaise
4 T. lemon juice
2 t. onion salt
2 t. garlic powder
1/2 c. sour cream
hot cooked rice, egg noodles, etc.

Directions:
* Cook rice or noodles as directed (we prefer rice).
* Cook remainder of ingredients, EXCEPT sour cream, until just boiling.
* Remove from heat and add sour cream.
* Serve over rice or noodles.

Home from Camp! :)

Picked Blake up today and we went out for lunch! Glad to have him back!! He had a GREAT time and LOVED his room makeover! He was SO surprised. It's amazing what a little paint, some stuff to hang on the wall and rearraning the furniture can do. Thanks to my awesome friend Theresa for all the help and fun shopping! Since we went out for lunch no one was hungry so instead of cooking Jamie and I went to the Mommy Swagger Expo and then went and checked out the new Coach store! If you know me well you know I LOVE Coach but I resisted and didn't buy one.....guess I got my fix this week from Wendy.......LOVE my pink Coach Wendy ;)THANKS!!! This is our first Saturday the entire summer to have NOTHING on our agenda and it feels great! Already did 4 1/2 miles this morning with a friend and now just gonna relax, spend time with the family and maybe swim a little!

Wednesday and Thursday

Last night we had leftovers!!

I have a roast in the oven right now for tonights dinner and it smells SOOOOOOOO good!!! Can't wait to try it! This recipe comes from The Pioneer Womans Cookbook

Pioneer Womans Pot Roast

Ingredients:
* 1 whole (4 To 5 Pounds) Chuck Roast
* 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
* 2 whole Onions
* 6 whole Carrots (Up To 8 Carrots)
* Salt To Taste
* Pepper To Taste
* 1 cup Red Wine (optional, You Can Use Beef Broth Instead)(I used Barefoot Merlot)
* 2 cups To 3 Cups Beef Stock
* 3 sprigs Fresh Thyme, or more to taste
* 3 sprigs Fresh Rosemary, or more to taste

Directions:
First and foremost, choose a nicely marbled piece of meat. This will enhance the flavor of your pot roast like nothing else. Generously salt and pepper your chuck roast.
Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Then add 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil (or you can do a butter/olive oil split).
Cut two onions in half and cut 6 to 8 carrots into 2-inch slices (you can peel them, but you don’t have to). When the oil in the pot is very hot (but not smoking), add in the halved onions, browning them on one side and then the other. Remove the onions to a plate.
Throw the carrots into the same very hot pan and toss them around a bit until slightly browned, about a minute or so.
If needed, add a bit more olive oil to the very hot pan. Place the meat in the pan and sear it for about a minute on all sides until it is nice and brown all over. Remove the roast to a plate.
With the burner still on high, use either red wine or beef broth (about 1 cup) to deglaze the pan, scraping the bottom with a whisk to get all of that wonderful flavor up.
When the bottom of the pan is sufficiently deglazed, place the roast back into the pan and add enough beef stock to cover the meat halfway (about 2 to 3 cups). Add in the onion and the carrots, as well as 3 or 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary and about 3 sprigs of fresh thyme.
Put the lid on, then roast in a 275F oven for 3 hours (for a 3-pound roast). For a 4 to 5-pound roast, plan on 4 hours.

Chicken Marsala Casserole

I get my rotisserie chicken at Sam's because you can't beat the price......4.99!!This recipe came from a friends blog, I have tried MANY of her recipes and most have become family favorites!!


Marsala Chicken and Mushroom Casserole
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
10 ounces sliced mushrooms
(I added 1 t minced garlic and 1/2 white onion, chopped)
1 1/2 tablespoons flour (or cornstarch)
1/2 cup marsala wine or white wine (I used marsala cooking wine)
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
Salt and pepper
1 cup long-grain rice
2 packed cups coarsely chopped rotisserie chicken
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
Directions:
1.Preheat the oven to 350°. In a large skillet, heat the butter over medium-high heat until just melted. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle the flour on top and stir in for 1 minute. Stir in the marsala and cream and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Stir in 2 cups water, the parsley, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
2.In a greased 9-inch-by-13-inch casserole, spread the rice in an even layer; top with the chicken. Pour the mushroom gravy on top. Cover snugly with foil and bake until bubbly, about 35 minutes. Discard the foil, sprinkle the parmesan on top and bake for 5 minutes more.

Sunday and Monday

Made a ribeye for Mike, grilled chicken breasts for Emily and I.

Last nights dinner was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO good! I got the recipe off a friends blog and it was very flavorful! It called for a pork roast but at HEB I found some packages of Pork cuts that were like extra pieces they looked really good and lean so I asked the butcher and told her what I needed it for and she said it would work great and it did! I paid $3.40 for it where a pork roast was around $11.00. BIG savings!

Café Rio Pork Salad

For the Pork:
Buy the cheapest 2-3 lb pork roast you can find, put garlic salt and salt and pepper and fry it to brown it. Put it in a crock-pot (or regular baking pan) with 1 cup of brown sugar, 1 cup of Coca Cola, and 1 cup of Salsa. Roast until the pork pulls apart easily and is tender. You can bake it at 350 in the oven for 2-3 hours til the same consistency.

For the Dressing:(this stuff is SOOO good, I could drink it :-), well maybe not, but it is great to dip chips in too)
2 cups Mayo
2 cups of Sour Cream
10 sprigs of cilantro
3 Tomatillos
2 green onions
1 clove garlic
1 jalapeno pepper
juice of 1 lime
1 or 2 tsp of salt
Put it all in a blender and let er' rip.

For the Rice:
Use a box of Mexican flavored rice, only use half the seasoning, make as directed but adding 5 sprigs of cilantro and juice from 2 limes while the rice is boiling and before you let it simmer.

For the Rest of it:
We use romaine lettuce, guacamole, black beans, cheese and the flour tortillas. Pile it all on the in the same order as the restaurant... tortilla, cheese, rice, beans, pork, lettuce, dressing, guacamole, and we even put Parmesan on top. It is freakishly close the real thing. Give it a shot!

One week

This week was a little hectic! Our students left Wednesday morning and it was SOOOOO hard to say good bye! We really were blessed by having them for 3 weeks and they will forever have a special place in my heart! Wednesday evening Emily and Hammy were playing in her room and she fell off her couch and fractured her elbow :( Then on Thursday after seeing the Orthopedic Dr. she got her Phase 1 braces. POOR girl has had a rough week! She has really been a trooper though!!

Monday night we had grilled pork tenderloin, rosemary garlic roasted potatoes and steamed cauliflower. On Tuesday for the girls last night with us I made chicken fried chicken, mashed potatoes, cream gravy and steamed yellow squash. Wednesday I made:
Shephard's Pie

Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
- 2 c. French's french fried onions
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup
- 1/2 c. water
- 1/2 t. each salt and pepper
- 1 package (10 oz) frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook meat in large ovenproof skillet until browned; drain.
(I use a normal skillet and layer the ingredients in a square casserole dish for the oven)
- Stir in 1 c. fried onions, soup, water, salt and pepper.
- Spoon veggies over beef mixture. Top with mashed potatoes.
- Bake 20 min. or until hot. Sprikle with remaining 1 c. onions. Bake 2 min. or until golden.

Thursday night we had Spaghetti with meat sauce.
Friday night Hamburgers as always it is.
Saturday night I got a break from cooking and we went out for dinner at a mexican restaurant in Rosenberg with some great friends!

Hoping this week is bump free!!! Blake is headed off to camp today for a week and I am surprising him with a room makeover!! Can't wait to see his face when he sees it!

Weekend

Friday night we had tacos, spanish rice and beans. Saturday we had a full day planned so before heading out for the day I put dinner in the crockpot.

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

1 bag frozen meatballs (regular not italian style)
1 jar grape jelly
1 jar Heinz Chili Sauce

Put meatballs in crockpot. Mix jelly and chili sauce together pour over meatballs stir and cook on low 5 hours. I serve over rice.

We had steamed baby carrots and green beans with it.

Sunday night we had good ol chili dogs, tator tots, watermelon and cantalope.