This week's Menu

Since last week we pretty much ate whatever needed to be eaten to clean out the fridge in preparation for Thanksgiving, it wasn't much of a menu.

After three days of turkey leftovers, we're back into the swing of things. It was really hard to get inspiration so I just added in some standbys.

Monday- Mushroom chicken with rice and broccoli. (Literally just chicken breasts + a can of Progresso GF mushroom soup in a crock pot. Lazy but effective.)
Tuesday- Beef stew + cornbread (I can't believe I've never posted beef stew. That'll be fixed)
Wednesday- Sweet potato and black bean enchiladas
Thursday- Chicken nuggets + french fries + green beans
Friday- Baked parmesan fish + sauteed sweet potato

Can you tell we have a whole bag sweet potatoes left over? Hey, they were on sale!

Pumpkin swirl cheesecake

Happy Thanksgiving!

I've got dinner to cook so let's just jump right into this:

Make cheesecake. Swirl in some pumpkin. Simple but looks like you worked really hard.

Crust:
1/2 c. GF flour
1/4 c. butter, melted

Mix together, and press into pie pan.

Filling:

8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 c. greek yogurt
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 t. vanilla
dash of salt
2 eggs
1 1/2 c. pumpkin puree
1 1/4 t. [Pumpkin pie spice:]

• 1/2 t. cinnamon
• 1/2 t. ginger
• 1/8 t. nutmeg
• 1/8 t. cloves

With a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese and yogurt until well-incorporated. Beat in sugar, vanilla, and salt. Add the eggs one at a time until they're just mixed in. (Apparently over-mixing eggs can lead to cracking.)

Pour half of the mixture into the pan. Mix the pumpkin and spices into the other half.
Drop the pumpkin mixture into the pan at random. Globs are okay.

Swirl with a knife and bake at 325 for around 1 hr, until the middle looks set. Chill in the fridge before serving.

-Or, make Pumpkin Pie!

Clever leftovers: Pork Stir Fry

Here's the thing about leftovers. 99% of the time they become the next day's lunch. Which is great because I always have a great lunch. When it comes time to eat them again for dinner the next night, though, I'm pretty over it.

I try to make sure things get eaten quickly because although I follow the rule "When in doubt, throw it out," I hate to throw food away. It's a delicate balance.

Reasons why I'm always trying to re-invent leftovers...

This time it's leftover pork loin. The easiest way for me to change it up is to make a stir fry.

Ingredients:

leftover pork
assorted veggies: Peas, carrot, broccoli (whatever you've got that needs to be used up!)
sesame oil
GF soy sauce
ground or fresh ginger
sesame seeds

Heat the oil in a skillet and add the veggies. Sautee those until they're warmed. Add in the pork, and season with soy sauce and ginger. I do this by taste, depending on the seasonings that are already on the pork. The soy sauce flavor usually dominates, and the sesame oil gives it a little more authenticity as opposed to "I tried to make leftovers into a stir fry."

When everything is all nice and heated, serve over rice and top with a few sesame seeds.

This was one of those meals that when we sat down, hubs complimented me on my ability to make what he calls, "Scrap Meals."

#Win.

This week's menu

Monday- Roasted pork loin, peas, sauteed sweet potato
Tuesday- Grilled sausage and roasted veggies
Wednesday- it's our 2-year wedding anniversary and I'm not cooking!
Thursday- Chicken with rice and veggies
Friday- Tuna melts with chips and salsa

This week's menu

For your inspiration! Another brand new menu- My appetite has definitely made a comeback and I'm cooking more.

Mon- BBQ ribs, green beans, and mac n cheese
Tues- Crock pot beef, mashed potatoes, carrots
Wed- Vegetable soup, cornbread
Thurs- Roasted pork loin, peas, sauteed sweet potato
Fri- Baked parmesan fish, mixed veggies, mac n cheese [P.S. if you cook the fish, grease the pan really well!]

We're supposed to get a massive cold front on Wednesday. I'm hoping this is a good week. I got a bunch of new clothes and a new dog this weekend, so it's primed!

yummy recipe

Just so you know, Sage & Browned Butter Ravioli was really good. Like, restaurant good. The flavors really were delicious. I mean, how can you go wrong with butter and sage and parmesan??

So simple. [well... if you've already made your ravioli or picked some up at the store]

Clever leftovers: Chicken Tortilla Soup

We've got some more leftover roast chicken. I already made Chicken Pot Pie. You know what that means! Time to get creative!

This edition of Clever Leftovers involves chicken tortilla soup. Not just any chicken tortilla soup-- really quick chicken tortilla soup. Like, came home from work late and it's cold and rainy and everyone is hungry quick.

 
Put a big pot on the stove. Throw in the pot approximately:

2 cups leftover chicken
1 c. frozen corn
1/2 jar salsa (1 c)
2 c. chicken broth
1 t. cumin
1/2 t. garlic powder
crushed tortilla chips

These are all approximate amounts, as almost all leftover-type recipes are. Throw in whatever you've got that you think will taste good.

Let it warm up, then serve with a dollop of sour cream and more tortilla chips.

Makes appx 4 servings.

This week's Menu

For the first time [I think] ever...
We made and ate everything on last week's menu. So this week = brand new menu!

Here's what we got:

Mon- Grilled steaks, baked potato (Hubs request)
Tues- Spaghetti with ground turkey, garlic bread
Wed- Chicken and corn chili
Thurs- Broccoli and mushroom mac and cheese (Just make mac and cheese and add in whatever you like!)
Fri- Sage and browned butter ravioli - Link to recipe here

Notes:

• I bought a bunch of vegetables yesterday- they'll be added to meals- just not sure which will go where. 
• Also. I accidentally planned two meatless days. Sweet. 
• I might not make these meals in this exact order, since it's 2 meatless days back-to-back.
• Not to mention that's 3 pasta days... Might make the mac and cheese a "cheesy brown rice" type of dish instead.

On that note, I'll be making a big batch of the ravioli today and freezing it because there's no way I'm making it after work.

Pumpkin Waffles

I had the BEST breakfast this morning.

October may be over, but thankfully the pumpkin season is still in full swing. We've got at least another full month of shameless pumpkin-eating over here.

My husband made fun of me for how much I loved these waffles. --Then he asked for another one. They taste like pumpkin pie, but in a warmer way. Perfect for this wonderfully chilly morning.

Pumpkin Waffles

Mix in a bowl:
1 c. flour mix
1/2 T. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
2 T. sugar
[Pumpkin pie spice:]
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. ginger
1/8 t. nutmeg
1/8 t. cloves

Measure 3/4 c. milk in a glass measuring cup. Add in:
1/3 c. pumpkin puree
1 egg
2 T. oil
Mix with a whisk.

Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients to make the batter.

Pour ~1/2 c. of batter into a greased, preheated waffle iron and cook for a few minutes- I check to see if they're done when the steaming has calmed down.

Top with syrup and a dollup of whipped cream.

Makes 5-6 waffles.