Recipe Review: Cheeseburger Salads

I made the Cheeseburger Salads tonight and they were super yummy!! Better yet, they were so EASY!! I used a package of Jenni-O gound turkey instead of hamburger. Next time I will make extra sauce as a little more "dressing" was needed, in my opinion. I will also melt the butter for the "croutons" (I only used 2/3 cube) and drizzle and toss in a bowl before toasting.

My thoughts on leftovers

Raise your hand if you're REALLY great about eating leftovers?? Yeah, I'm not raising mine either. Food that goes uneaten is money wasted in my mind, so unless I have enough for a freezer meal, I avoid making extra food whenever possible. Especially meat! So what i do, for example, is because I know that we will never eat a whole roast in one sitting, I buy a nice sized one and cut it in half. I have this handy little gadget that I actually got from a Groupon and I love it. It's called a Frisper by a company called Oliso. It works just like a Food Saver but it's way smaller and was way cheaper!! And using it keeps my frozen meats so much better! Anyway, today I was able to get roast on sale B1G1. So I got 2 for $20 and cut them both in half. That's $5 per meal! And I know that none of it will go to waste :) Win-win! If your family is really great at eating leftovers my hat's off to you because it just doesn't happen over here.

May 2012 Menu

Have I ever mention how GOOD it feels to crack out a dinner menu for an entire MONTH!!?? I've been doing this for a little over a year and the feeling never changes!! I'm assuming that because you read my blog you are at least aspiring to menu plan. If it's just an aspiration, at this point, I challenge you RIGHT NOW to sit down and fill out 1 week. JUST ONE! You can do it!! You will feel sooooo good, I promise.

So, really quick, I had a few newbies on my menu last month so I wanted to give a quick review.

The Bacon Wrapped Meat Loaf was fabulous! I used the hot sauce (option to use ketchup) and my kids thought it was too spicy to eat. Whoops. But my husband and I loved it! Also for next time I'll throw it under the broiler the last few minutes to crisp the bacon a bit more because I dont like chewy bacon.

The Chinese Chicken Salad was also very yummy! I loved the crispy won ton wrappers and I used a rotisserie chicken which made this a super easy and quick meal. I will be making again.

And I already gave you my review for the Artichoke Lasagna.

There were a few more that I actually didn't get to this month but I had a great excuse...Ever heard of the Ragnar?? Yeah, I ran that. So a few meals didn't get made ;)

So, on to May. I'm trying several new recipes this month. New recipes make me smile :) I LOVE the discovery and challenge of it. Here's what I'm trying...

Spicy Stewed Beef with Creamy Cheddar Grits
Cheeseburger Salad
Pork Sandwiches with Cilantro Jalapeno Slaw
Fancy Macaroni
Chicken Salad Snadwiches
Grilled Chicken with Broccoli Pasta Salad
Mediterranean Salmon and Noodles
Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad
Honey Butter Pork
Lasagna


And here's the rest, all tried and true recipes

Meatball Sandwiches (I use ground turkey which is leaner so I use less breadcrumbs otherwise it would be really dry. This is also a huge recipe as-is, so either cut in half or freeze some meatballs for later. Bake for 6 min on a cookie sheet, turn once then bake an additional 6 min. Add meatballs to a crockpot with jarred spaghetti sauce and simmer on low for a few hours). Serve on crusty rolls with cheese, black olives, red onions or whatever else you like.
Thai Coconut Curry Noodles
Tortellini Pasta Salad (I use red pepper instead of tomato and add baby spinach)
Honey Lime Enchiladas with Cilantro Lime Rice
Egg Salad Sandwiches
Crockpot Cordon Bleu
Fish Tacos
Funeral Potato Casserole
Turkey Breast and Sweet Potato Casserole
Grilled Homemade Pizzas
Round Steak in Mushroom sauce (Roast, 1 pkt dry onion soup, 2 cans cream mush soup in the crockpot)
Turkey Burgers
Rice soup (1 box Uncle Bens Wild Rice, water per instructions, 1 can cream of chicken soup, 1 C sour cream, 1/4 C white cooking wine, 1 can canned chicken, drained. Simmer, covered, until rice is soft)
Sweet pork salads
Sweet and Salty Salad Wraps

I think that's it! Now I have to go sort through a months worth of coupons that I've been neglecting. *Sigh

Barley and asparagus

If you're like me, you're always looking for easy and delicious and DIFFERENT side dishes. Here's one of my fav's

1 1/2 C quick barley
3 C chicken or vegetable broth
2 Tbs dry onions
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp thyme
Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 C chopped carrots
1 C asparagus cut into 1 inch pieces

Bring first 5 ingredients to a boil, cover and simmer for about 15 min (until tender)

Steam asparagus and carrots until crisp tender (you may want to start w the carrots and add the asparagus a few min later)

Combine the veggies w/ the barley and sprinkle w/ a little parmesan (optional).

Artichoke lasagna review

We hated it ;).....YUM!! So good! It's definitely a keeper. I added a grilled chicken breast and used a large jar of marinated artichoke hearts (the recipe calls for 15 fresh baby artichoke. I don't have time for that!) I made 2 small pans, one for now, one for later and it was perfect! You'll be seeing it in the rotation again :)

April Menu

I am in no way, shape or form ready for it to get hot :( I AM ready, however for some switch ups in the menu. Warmer weather means more grilling, more salads and sandwiches. Yum! The first recipes I am listing are new ones for me. I'll always to let you know which ones I have never tried before, all the rest and tried and true.  Good luck with your planning!!

*On a side note, we use a lot of ground turkey in our house. This is a good month, because of Easter, to buy whole turkey breasts on sale and have your butcher grind it for you :) Also, I am not making Easter dinner this year, but for Christmas I followed a recipe that involved slow cooking your ham in the crock pot with a bottle of Dr Pepper and a can of pineapple. DE.LISH. Try it!

(Newbies)
Artichoke Lasagna (I am cheating and using marinated artichoke hearts)
Honey Butter Pork Tenderloin and Snap Pea Salad
Bacon Wrapped Meat Loaf
Chinese Chicken Salad
Grilled Chicken and Sauteed Brussel Sprouts

(and the rest)
Tacos, Spanish rice, Chips and Guac
Grilled Salmon, wild rice
Chicken rolls
Pot roast
Egg Salad Sandwiches
Swedish Meatballs, green beans
Grilled Tilapia, steamed veggies
Stir Fry
Fajitas
Sweet and Salty Salad Wraps
Spaghetti, salad and garlic bread
Breakfast
Turkey Burgers and sweet potato fries
Grilled Pizzas
French Dip
Thai Coconut Curry Noodles
Sweet Pork salads
Funeral Potato Casserole

Homemade Ezekial Bread tutorial

**(Sorry for the interruptions by my son in the videos! I put a show on for him, but that obviously didn't work. Guess hearing Mom talk to herself was distracting!)

Ezekial bread is not only delicious, but because it is made with legumes and grains other than wheat it is much higher in nutrients and protein than other breads. Adding chia seeds only adds to the nutritional value. You get extra fiber, omega 3, anti oxidants, protein and iron.

***You obviously can't make this recipe without a food mill/grinder. I will also post a wheat bread recipe that you can use store bought wheat flour. If you don't have a Bosch, you can use a Kitchen Aid, but cut the recipe into 1/3 and make 2 loaves.



Homemade Mix:

5 C Hard Red Wheat
3 Cups Spelt
1 C Hulled Barley
1/2 C Millet
1/2 C Green Lentils
1/4 C Great Northern Beans
1/4 C Red Kidney Beans
1/4 C Pinto Beans

Ezekial Bread:

Grind 3 1/2 C Homemade Mix and
3 C Hard White Wheat

Add about half of the fresh flour to your Bosch and add:

6 C very warm water
1 C Honey
2/3 C Canola Oil
1/2 C Powdered Milk
3 Tbs Vital Wheat Gluten
3 Tbs Dough Enhancer
4 Tbs yeast
3 Tbs Chia Seeds (optional)

Mix with whisk attachmet until well blended and then let sit until bubbly (about 20-30 min)

Change to your dough hook and add:
The rest of your fresh flour
2 Tbs Salt
4 eggs

Turn on your mixer to level 1 and slowly add high gluten flour until dough starts to pull away from the bowl (about 4-6 Cups) (Video 1)(very boring, but I want to keep things detailed for you!)

Let mixer run for about 8 min and check dough for elasticity. Check every 2 min if additional kneading is necessary. (Video 2). Under kneaded dough will be very sticky or gooey and hard to work with. Over kneaded dough will be very tough and yield a loaf of brick not bread. So tend to your kneading dough after the initial 8 min.

Oil your hands and your countertop and remove dough from bowl. Knead it a few times by hand and then divide into 6 equal parts. Form into 6 loaves and set in oiled loaf pans. (Video 3).  Cover with a lightweight towel and allow to rise until about 1-1 1/2 in above pan. Dough will continue to rise in the oven.

Preheat your oven to 425* Immediately after putting your bread in lower temp to 325*. Bake for 15 min and then insert a temp probe. Bake until temp reads 185*. Remove immediately from pans and cool completely on a cooling rack before bagging.