December 1-7, 2013

Sunday:  Dinner out with Small Group

Monday:  Chicken Fried Venison, Garlic Butter Spaghetti Squash, Roasted Brussels Sprouts, & Bread

·          Chad was able to prep the venison and prepare it outside on the grill, which I always love!  I took care of the vegetables inside.  We had our favorite Garlic Butter Spaghetti Squash and roasted Brussels sprouts.  For the Brussels sprouts, just cut them in half and core them.  Some of the leaves will fall off of the outside, and that’s ok!  Put the Brussels sprouts in a ziplock bag and toss them around with olive oil, salt, & pepper.  I left mine in the bag for about 30 minutes so that the olive oil would really sink into the sprouts.  Then I roasted them at 400 degrees for 15 -20 minutes or so, stirring them around about halfway through.  You’ll know they are done with they have started turning golden brown.

Tuesday:  Pizza Night

·          We had to run some errands late in the afternoon, which almost never happens.  Chad was eating out that evening, so we picked up a pizza from the deli at the grocery store for a quick, easy dinner.  J

Wednesday:  Black Bean Spinach Enchiladas with Rice

Black Bean Spinach Enchiladas

·          My friend Sharon made these for us several months ago when she and her family stayed with us, and they are DELISH!  This week, I actually made several frozen meals for some family friends, and this was one that I knew would freeze well.  Everything that I made for them, I also made for us.  These enchiladas are so, so good…even as a leftover!  (http://www.thegardengrazer.com)

Thursday:  Chicken Pot Pie

·          This was the afternoon that “Ice-Maggedon 2013” hit the metroplex!  My goodness…I was so happy that I made meals for another family because it ensured that we had dinners as well.  The roads have been so unsafe, that leaving the house is almost impossible. This is a wonderful and simple chicken pot pie that can be made ahead and stored in the fridge or freezer. 

Chicken Pot Pie

        2 cans Cream of Potato soup

        15 oz frozen mixed veggies or canned veggies (drained)

        2 cups cooked chicken, diced

        ½ cup milk

        1 tsp thyme

        Black pepper

        2 9-inch pie crusts

        1 egg, slightly beaten

        Combine soup, veggies, chicken, milk, thyme, & pepper.  Spoon into prepared pie crust.  Cover with the other pie crust, crimping the edges of the two pie crusts together to seal.  Slit the top crust with a sharp knife, and if desired, brush with beaten egg.  Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes.  Yum!

Friday:  Honey BBQ Turkey Meatloaf with Roasted, Diced Sweet Potatoes, Zucchini, & Asparagus and Rolls

Honey BBQ Turkey Meatloaf

·          We’ve had this a few times lately, but it sounded delicious again during our days of being “iced in.”  It’s a great cold weather meal, especially since this one was already prepared and in the freezer.  As always, I used ground turkey instead of beef and oatmeal instead of bread crumbs.  I also diced up a sweet potato and a zucchini and cut up some asparagus and roasted it all together with a little Season All at 400 for about 20 minutes.  Roasting different vegetables together this way is a great use of any random vegetables you might have in your fridge that need to be eaten before they go bad.

Saturday:  3 Envelope Pot Roast Sliders with Roasted Pesto Potatoes and Roasted Broccoli

Slow Cooker Three Envelope Pot Roast Sliders

·          This recipe is actually a combination of Six Sisters’ Three Envelope Pot Roast Sliders and You’re Too Crafty’s Best Pot Roast Ever.  I saw the Six Sisters recipe first and liked the idea of having pot roast sliders rather than traditional roast with sides.  But, I didn’t want the flavor of salsa, so I used a Coke instead, as suggested by You’re Too Crafty. 

So, I put my roast in the crock pot.  Then I mixed 1 packet of onion soup mix, 1 packet of Italian dressing mix, & 1 packet of Au Jus gravy mix with 1 cup of water.  I poured that on top of the roast, then poured a Coke on top of that.  I cooked it on high for 2 hours, then on low for 3-4 (my slow cooker cooks pretty hot).  It was SO, SO GOOD!  The house smelled amazing all afternoon!  Seriously, the gravy is so ridiculously delicious that I could have downed it with a straw.  J 

I used King’s Hawaiian Rolls, spicy mustard, & Havarti cheese to make our sliders.  I put the gravy in small bowls so we could dip our sliders into it.  I’m not kidding…these are DELISH!  Make them!

Roasted Pesto Potatoes

·          Wash and peel potatoes and dice them into 1-inch chunks.  Throw them in a bowl with several generous spoonfuls of pesto.  Stir it all around and toss onto a greased baking sheet.  Roast at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes until potatoes are golden and fork tender.  J