May 25-31, 2014

Sunday:  Dinner Out

·          We had just returned the day before from a wonderful week in Florida!  To say we had no groceries in the house would be an understatement.  J

Monday:  Memorial Day Cookout with Family!

Tuesday:  Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches with Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Broccoli

French Dip Sandwiches 

·          My friend, Michelle, shared this recipe that she found from Our Best Bites, and we love it!  It is so, so easy, and the flavors are amazing.  It’s actually better the next day, so make enough to have leftovers, or just make it the day before.  J

1 2-3 lb beef roast

2 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper

2 1-ounce packages of dry onion soup mix

2 can beef broth

6-8 buns

swiss, provolone, or mozzarella cheese (shredded or sliced)

Heat oil in large pan, rub roast with salt and pepper, sear on all sides.  Place roast in crockpot, sprinkle with onion soup mix.  Pour beef broth over roast.

Cook 8-10 hours on low.  Or 4-5 on high and 3-4 on low.  When meat is ready, shred with a fork.  Place shredded meat in rolls, top with cheese and broil open-faced until cheese is melted and bread is golden.  Ladle juices into small bowls for dipping. 

Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Broccoli

·          Just a refresher for anyone new to reading our menu…we roast….ALOT.  I’m not sure that a vegetable has passed through our kitchen that we haven’t roasted.  So, I often don’t list out the directions on the blog simply because it would feel completely repetitive.

But, it’s been a while, and this combo is a fave in our house.  I dice up sweet potatoes into half-inch cubes and toss them on a foil-lined and sprayed baking sheet.  (Sweet potatoes still have a tendency to stick, even on foil.  So I spray the foil with cooking spray or olive oil too!)  On the other side I toss on chopped broccoli.  Drizzle them both with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper – or any season salt will do.  Roast in a 400-425 degree oven for 15 minutes, then stir everything around.  Usually another 6-10 minutes does the trick, but you’ll know your veggies are done when they start turning a little brown around the edges.  Yum!  More often than not, I squeeze a little fresh lemon juice and sprinkle on freshly grated parmesan over the broccoli right after it comes out of the oven.  J

Wednesday:  Leftovers

·          I told you that the French Dip Sandwiches are actually better the next day…trust me on this.  I just put the meat and gravy back in my crock pot and had it on warm for about 4 hours.  It was perfectly delish!

Thursday:  Grilled “10 Chicken” with Roasted Carrots and Asparagus and Warm Bread

Grilled “10 Chicken”

·          We might be obsessed with this ridiculously easy was to prepare chicken, but I’m not ashamed.  We just love it!  We use bone-in chicken thighs, but please use whatever chicken you are comfortable with.  We like the dark meat, and cooking it on the bone retains so much moisture.  Plus, it’s one of the most inexpensive cuts of chicken you can buy.  Place your chicken in a Ziplock bag and pour in soy sauce, Italian dressing, and garlic powder.  That’s it!  I always let ours marinate as long as possible…this time it was about 8 hours.  Chad grilled it for our family as well as our friend Jeff who came over for dinner.  It was yum, yum, yum!!  And, I took a picture of the veggies, but forgot about the chicken!

Friday:  Sliders, Fries, and Fruit

·          Chad and the boys when backyard camping with some of our friends, so he took the food with him to prepare over there.  I stole just a bit of the ground beef and made dinner for Payton and me.  I just made our patties in a skillet on the stovetop.  Instead of fries, I had an avocado drizzled with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. 

Saturday:  Orzo and Quinoa with Sausage, Peppers, and Tomatoes, Spinach Salad, and Garlic Cheddar Biscuits

Orzo with Sausage, Peppers, and Tomatoes

·          This is a Giada de Laurentiis recipe that my friend Jamie shared with me a few years back.  I haven’t made it in a very long time, but I’m so happy I stumbled across it again!  It’s such a tasty dish, and it’s pretty simple to make.  I actually made one small change and did half orzo, half quinoa to add to the health factor a bit.  It’s already a pretty healthy recipe on it’s on, but adding in the quinoa takes it up a notch.  If you just use orzo, it’s still delicious!  You might not use quite as much orzo as the recipe calls for, though.  Here’s the recipe below, without any substitutions.

3 cups chicken broth

1 pound orzo pasta

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 links mild Italian turkey sausage, casings removed

1 garlic clove, minced

2 jarred roasted red bell peppers, cut into 1/4-inch strips

2 plum tomatoes, chopped

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, or basil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1) In a large saucepan, combine 3 cups of water with chicken broth. Turn the heat to high and bring to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente. Drain, making sure to reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water. 

2) While pasta is boiling, get out a large skillet. Heat oil in it over medium-high heat. Add turkey sausage and cook around 4 minutes, breaking it up with the back of a spoon as you go. (It should be cooked through, but not quite browned.) Add garlic. Cook until fragrant, 30 to 60 seconds. Add bell peppers, tomatoes, and red pepper flakes (if using). Sauté 2 or 3 minutes, until everything is heated through. 

3) Combine pasta, sausage mixture, and 1/2 the parsley in a large serving bowl. Salt and pepper to taste. If you need the pasta water to moisten it up, add it now. Mix well. Sprinkle Parmesan and the rest of the parsley on top. Serve.