Menu Plan Monday

Three new recipes this week! Two that involve chicken in the crockpot and one that is sure to make my husband happy- beef stroganoff. I have been on the hunt for a good beef stroganoff recipe for years now, and this one looks promising.

Monday: Leftovers
Tuesday: Slow Cooked Chili Chicken Tacos
Wednesday: Dinner at Grandma's
Thursday: Crock Pot Chicken Vindaloo
Friday: Pierogies and Broccoli
Saturday: Beef Stroganoff
Sunday: Lasagna and Salad

coq au vin

Cog au vin. Chicken and wine. A classic french winter dish that is a great way to make plain old inexpensive chicken classy enough for company. This was a big hit with my husband and my in-laws yesterday!

coq au vin
adapted from Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics

4 ounces bacon
4-5 pounds bone in chicken pieces (I like chicken thighs)
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound carrots, peeled and cut diagonally in 1-inch pieces
2 yellow onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup Cognac
1 bottle (375 ml) red wine
2 cups chicken stock
10 fresh thyme sprigs
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 pound frozen small whole onions
1 pound mushrooms, stems removed and thickly sliced
crusty bread for dipping (optional, but highly recomended)

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.

Add the bacon to a large Dutch oven and cook over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove the bacon to a plate with a slotted spoon.

Pat the chicken pieces dry and liberally sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. Brown the chicken pieces in the hot oil from the bacon, working in batches in a single layer for about 7 minutes, turning to brown evenly. Remove the chicken to the plate with the bacon and continue to brown until all the chicken is done. Set aside.

Add the carrots, onions, 1 tablespoon salt, and 2 teaspoons pepper to the hot oil and cook over medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the Cognac and put the bacon, chicken, and any juices that collected on the plate into the pot. Add the wine, chicken stock, and thyme and bring to a simmer on the stove top. Cover the pot with a tight fitting lid and place in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes.

In a medium saute pan, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and cook the mushrooms over medium-low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, until browned. Remove the stew from the oven, mix a ladle full of the broth with the 3 tablespoons of flour and stir into the stew. Add the frozen onions and mushrooms, cover and return to the oven for another 10-15 minutes.

Serve hot with crusty bead for dipping.

Menu Plan Monday

A week of warm winter food for a very cold winter week...

Monday: Chicken Chili
Tuesday: Soup and Sandwiches
Wednesday: Drunken Garlic Pot Roast
Thursday: Roasted Winter Vegetable Soup (something new and healthy!!)
Friday: Turkey Meatloaf

Menu Plan Monday

January 4, 2010. Back to school and back to work after a wonderful week of friends, family and food.

The real start of the New Year and as good a time as any to get back to menu planning.

Monday: Linguine with Clams and Bacon
Tuesday: Quesadillas
Wednesday: Pizza Night
Thursday: Roast Chicken with Oven Roasted Potatoes and Salad
Friday: Chicken Chili

My goal for next week: to try at least one new, healthy recipe

And for menu plan ideas far more inspiring than mine, check out Menu Plan Monday over at Laura's

Menu Plan Monday

Since I am not feeling especially creative, a week of tried and true family favorites...


Sunday: Grilled Steaks and Grilled Corn with salad (it was yummy!!)

Monday: Salmon Cakes

Tuesday: Refried Bean Quesadillas

Wednesday: Creamy Sausage Pasta

Thursday: Pizza Night

Friday: Chicken Fajitas

Saturday: Out

Refried Bean Quesadillas

Back in September, I posted this Quesadilla recipe. I talked about what a wonderfully quick, simple and inexpensive meal it was (still very true). I talked about all the different types of fillings you could use (also still very true).

However, it would seem that since then my girls have settled on these Quesadillas as their most favorite and will accept no other. Which is okay, because my husband also loves them and they are really easy to throw together. Everyone wins.




Refried Bean Quesadillas
Serves 4

1 can refried beans
4 burrito size flour tortillas
1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 avocado, sliced
sour cream for serving (optional)


Place the beans in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for two minutes.

Layer one quarter of the beans and one quarter of the cheese on one half of each tortilla.

Fold over each tortilla and cook over medium heat until the cheese is melted and the tortilla is lightly browned, about 3 minutes per side.

Cut into quarters and serve with avocado slices and sour cream for dipping.

Menu Plan Moday

The warm weather has finally arrived here, which means I am craving summer dishes. We do a lot of grilling in the summer and I also find myself craving salads and lighter dishes with lots of veggies.

Last night I made Asian Noodles, which is one of my summer favorites. Flavorful sauce, lots of veggies and good warm, cold or at room temperature. The kids gobbled it up!


Sunday: Sandwiches at the park

Monday: Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad

Tuesday: Out with the kids

Wednesday: Pizza Night

Thursday: Grilled Lemon Chicken Salad (recipe to be posted, one of my summer favorites)

Friday: Quick Meat Sauce

Three Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies

Looking for an easy cooking project for a rainy afternoon? This one is not only easy but tasty, which makes it a big hit at our house.

My five year old really can make them all by herself (aside from taking them in and out of the oven, of course) and surprisingly enough they are quite good cookies!

Three Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
1 egg
1 cup sugar
1 cup peanut butter

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix all ingredients together and drop one inch spoonfuls onto a cookie tray (15-18 cookies).

Dip a fork in sugar and press down on the cookie dough to flatten and then repeat on the other side so you have intersecting fork marks. Repeat for each cookie.

Bake for 10-15 minutes. I find I prefer mine slightly under done.

And just because she is cute, here is my little chef at work:

Menu Plan Monday

Well vacation week is here, and our calendar is filled with day trips and sleep overs, which means I will also apparently be taking a bit of a vacation from the kitchen. No complaints here!

Monday: Grill or eat out after Red Sox game

Tuesday: Spaghetti and Meatballs

Wednesday: Date Night

Thursday: Pizza Night

Friday: Bean Quesadillas

Saturday: Something on the Grill

Sunday: Pasta with Shrimp and Broccoli

Menu Plan Tuesday

Better late than never right?

Our Easter dinner went very well. I ending up making these savory palmiers from Ina Garten's Back to Basics cookbook, which turned out delicious. For dinner, I served Lamb Persillade (very quick and very tasty) along with Cauliflower Gratin and green beans.

This weeks menu will feature mainly leftovers and things from the freezer so I can use up some odds and ends as well as stay out of the grocery store this week.


Monday: Leftover Steak Fajitas (these reheat so well!)

Tuesday: Pesto Pasta with Pine Nuts and Sundried Tomatoes

Wednesday: Pizza Night

Thursday: Hot Dogs and Salad

Friday: Spicy Sauteed Chickpeas, Beef & Cilantro

Saturday: Out for Brunch

Sunday: Movie and dinner out