Menu Plan 12/9

I think the hardest part of cooking is deciding what to make and grocery shopping. I'm posting my plan here if anyone needs ideas.

1. Stovetop Chili Mac. This is good, especially if you cook the pasta al dente. It definitely needs some lime or pickled jalapeños. I also threw in frozen corn.
2. Sheet pan Greek chicken and vegetables. Give me all the sheet pan recipes. Sometimes I make naan. Sometimes I push the easy button and buy it from Costco. I do make this tzatziki. 
3. Sheet Pan Sausage and Veggies. Perhaps Rob's favorite easy dinner. I use smoked beef sausage (the horseshoe shaped one by the kielbasa) and serve it over short brown rice, but you can do something healthier like chicken sausage. The veggies are very customizable in this. I like frozen green beans and frozen broccoli. Just throw it straight on the pan, frozen.
4. Bottom Round roast, roasted potatoes/carrots/butternut squash
5. Use leftover roast to make French dip sandwiches (just buy the McCormick Au Jus packet and toast the buns with provolone or swiss)
6. Dijon chicken with Zucchini and potatoes. This was from a Hello Fresh meal and its really good. I love the sauce.
7. Potato Tacos. A Sorensen classic.
8. Frozen Butternut squash ravioli and bagged Caesar salad. I'm obsessed with Better Goods from walmart. This pasta was great. I do this sauce with walnuts rather than hazelnuts.
9. Homemade burgers and frozen (air fried) sweet potato fries. 
10. Quiche and smoothies. I do Joanna Gaine's ham and cheese quiche recipe but tweaked for kids. No fun veggies.
11. Overnight French Toast. To get rid of my failed and flat wheat bread :)

Rainbow Jello

If you have 6 hours to spare, this is so pretty and strangely so fun to watch take shape.

6 - 3 oz boxes of jello, rainbow colors/flavors

1-16 oz sour cream

Mix 1 box at a time with 1 cup boiling water

Pour half cup of the liquid jello into an 8x10 pan and put into the fridge for 30 minutes

While that sets up, mix the remaining half cup of liquid jello with 1/3 cup sour cream.

Pour on set layer of jello.

Repeat a million times until you get 12 layers of ROYGBIV

Top with homemade whipping cream

 

Stromboli

 Found HERE

• 1 and 1/3 cups (320ml) warm water (between 100-110°F, 38-43°C)
• 2 and 1/4 teaspoons (7g) instant or active-dry yeast (1 standard packet)
• 1 Tablespoon (13g) granulated sugar
• 2 Tablespoons (30ml) olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 and 1/2 cups (about 450g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled), plus more for hands and work surface (I put flour in untill it pulls away from the sides and gets kneaded around in a ball(

Fillings for 2

• 3 Tablespoons (43g) unsalted butter, melted
• 2 garlic cloves, minced (or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder)
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley (or 1 teaspoon dried)
• 1 pound thinly sliced meats such as Italian cold cuts, deli ham, or large pepperoni slices*
• 3/4 – 1 pound cheese (about 3 cupsshredded or about 16-20 slices deli cheese)*
• We each make our own pizza roll and put whatever we want in it: cheese (not too much!), pepperoni, sausage, mushroom, pepper, etc. 

Egg Wash & Topping for 2

• egg wash: 1 large egg beaten with 1 Tablespoon water
• optional: sprinkle of chopped fresh or dried parsley, sea salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and/or parmesan cheese

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Instructions

1. Whisk the warm water, yeast, and granulated sugar together in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a dough hook or paddle attachment. Cover and allow to rest for 5 minutes. *If you don’t have a stand mixer, simply use a large mixing bowl and mix the dough with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula in the next step.

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2. Add the olive oil, salt, and flour. Beat on low speed for 2 minutes. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. With lightly floured hands, knead the dough for 5 minutes (for a visual, watch me do it in the video below). The dough can be a little too heavy for a mixer to knead it, but you can certainly use the mixer on low speed instead. After kneading, the dough should still feel a little soft. Poke it with your finger—if it slowly bounces back, your dough is ready to rise. If not, keep kneading.
3. Lightly grease a large bowl with oil or nonstick spray—just use the same bowl you used for the dough. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it to coat all sides in the oil. Cover the bowl with aluminum foil, plastic wrap, or a clean kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rise at room temperature for 60-90 minutes or until double in size. If using instant yeast, this takes about 1 hour. (Tip: For the warm environment on a particularly cold day, heat your oven to 150°F (66°C). Turn the oven off, place the dough inside, and keep the door slightly ajar. This will be a warm environment for your dough to rise. After about 30 minutes, close the oven door to trap the air inside with the rising dough. When it’s doubled in size, remove from the oven.)
4. Preheat oven to 400°F (204°). Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
5. Shape the dough: When the dough is ready, punch it down to release the air. Divide in half. (If you aren’t making 2 strombolis, freeze the other half of dough. See freezing instructions below.) On a lightly floured work surface using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll each half of dough into a 10×16-inch rectangle. I like to use my hands to square off the edges, as shown in the video below. If the dough keeps shrinking as you try to shape it, cover it lightly and let the dough rest for 10 minutes before trying again. (The gluten just needs to settle.)
6. Add fillings: Mix melted butter and garlic together. Spread all over each rectangle. Sprinkle each with parsley. When you start layering on meats and cheeses, leave a 1 inch border on the bottom and sides and a 3 inch border on top. (Basically you’ll have an empty 3×16-inch gap on top that only has butter/garlic on it. This is because when rolling, the fillings will be pushed forward. See photos and video below if you need a visual.) Arrange a layer sliced meats onto each dough, usually about 8-10 slices on each depending on size and thickness of slices. Add a layer of cheese. Repeat with more meat and cheese until all is used—about 1/2 pound meat and 1/2 pound cheese per stromboli. Brush all edges with egg wash, including 3 inch gap at the top. This helps the stromboli hold its rolled shape. Slowly roll each into a tight 16 inch log, folding in the two ends as you roll. See me do this in the video below. Dust your hands or the dough with flour if things become too sticky. Carefully transfer each to lined baking sheets. Pinch or tuck in ends to seal if they became unfolded.
7. Brush each stromboli with egg wash and, if desired, optional toppings. Using a very sharp knife, cut 3-4 slits into the tops of each, which helps steam escape. At this point, you can cover shaped stromboli tightly and refrigerate for up to 8 hours.
8. Bake for about 25 minutes or until crust is golden brown—if you have an instant read thermometer, the center of the stromboli should be at least 200ºF (93ºC). If meats are particularly greasy (like pepperoni), some grease will spill out the sides. Cheese may bubble out the sides or top slits, too. If baking both at the same time, rotate pans halfway through baking and extend bake time (if needed) by 2-3 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a cutting board and slicing.
9. Serve plain or with pizza/marinara sauce for dipping.
10. Cover and store leftover stromboli (slices or whole) in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

White Bread

 I've been making this lately.  Found HERE

• 2 cups warm water (105-115 degrees)
• ▢ 1 Tablespoons active dry yeast*
• ▢ 1/4 cup honey or sugar
• ▢ 2 teaspoons salt
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons oil (canola or vegetable)
• ▢ 4 - 5 1/2 cups all-purpose or bread flour*

Instructions

 

• Prepare the dough: In a large bowl or stand mixer add the yeast, water and a pinch of the sugar or honey. Allow to rest for 5-10 minutes until foaming and bubbly. (This is called “proofing” the yeast, to make sure it is active. If it doesn’t foam, the yeast is no good, and you need to start over with fresh yeast).
• Add remaining sugar or honey, salt, oil, and 3 cups of flour. Mix to combine.
• Add another cup of flour and mix to combine. With the mixer running add more flour, ½ cup at a time, until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. The dough should be smooth and elastic, and slightly stick to a clean finger, but not be overly sticky. Add a little more flour, if needed.
• Knead the dough: Mix the dough for 4-5 minutes on medium speed (or knead with your hands on a lightly floured surface, for 5-8 minutes). 
• First Rise: Grease a large bowl with oil or cooking spray and place the dough inside, turning to coat. Cover with a dish towel or plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place* until doubled in size, about 1 ½ hours.
• Spray two 9x5'' bread pans generously with cooking spray on all sides. (I also like to line the bottom of the pans with a small piece of parchment or wax paper, but this is optional.)
• Punch the dough down well to remove air bubbles. Divide into two equal portions. Shape each ball into long logs and place into greased loaf pans.
• Second rise: Spray two pieces of plastic wrap with cooking spray and lay them gently over the pans. Allow dough to rise again for about 45 minutes to one hour, or until risen about 1 inch above the loaf pans. Gently removing covering.
• Bake: Preheat oven to 350 F. Bake bread for about 30-33 minutes, or until golden brown on top. Give the top of a loaf a gentle tap; it should sound hollow.
• Invert the loaves onto a wire cooling rack. Brush the tops with butter and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing.
• Once cool, store in an airtight container or bag for 2-3 days at room temperature, or up to 5 days in the refrigerator.

Fig and Goatcheese Pinwheels

Found HERE 

Ingredients

• 1 thawed sheet puff pastry (13.2 oz) - I use Jus-Rol brand and love it!
• ½ cup fig preserves 
• 4 oz log goat cheese, crumbed 
• 4-5 sprigs Fresh thyme
• 2 tbsp light brown sugar 
• 1 large egg, for egg wash

Instructions

1. Unroll the thawed puff pastry and place on parchment paper. Spread the fig preserves on top - making sure it’s evenly spread with about 1 inch or less of puff pastry still left untouched on the sides. 

2. Crumble the goat cheese evenly on top of the fig preserves. Add the brown sugar and fresh thyme, making sure it’s evenly spread.

3. Gently roll it up into a log, making sure the roll stays tight and nothing is spilling out as you go. Once rolled, I rolled up my parchment paper around it. 

4. Pop the roll in the freezer to chill for 20 minutes. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. 

5. Once they have chilled, remove and spread out the parchment paper. Use a SHARP knife to slice them in ½ inch pinwheels. I found that wiping my knife after each cut was beneficial. 

6. Once sliced, spread them evenly out on the parchment paper on a large sheet pan. 

7. In a small bowl, beat one large egg to make an egg wash. Lightly brush the tops of the pastries with the egg wash.

8. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the pastries are golden and flaky!

9. Garnish with sprinkles of additional brown sugar and thyme. Enjoy while warm!

Ham and Cheese Sliders

I'm trying to up my school lunch game. The girls love these so much. I originally got the idea from this girl. (I sort of want her Costco one stop cookbook...) I'm also trying to simplify dinners. 

One Package of Kings Hawaiian Rolls (you can get a two pack at Costco)

Ham (we like smoked. Honey feels to sweet to me with the rolls)

Cheese (we like tillamook Cheddar but you could do swiss as well)

Mayo Mustard

1 T. or less Melted butter

Everything but the Bagel Seasoning (I've found this at Costco but Trader Joes has it as well)

Cut the Hawaiian rolls in half long wise so you have a top and bottom large sheet of rolls. Spread mayo mustard over the whole thing. Layer ham then cheese. Put the roll tops back on in one big sheet. Brush with melted butter (sometimes I add dry mustard to this but it's optional), then sprinkle with Everything but the Bagel Seasoning. Cut into individual roll sandwiches. I freeze 1-2  in a baggie for my little kids and 3-4 for hungrier kids. 

You can also throw all 12 rolls in a 9x13 pan and bake at 350 for 20 minutes. They also air fry well in small batches.

Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup

 

I doubled this and it filled my dutch oven pot. It's good. I'm always looking for new soup recipes, we get sick of the same old ones.

Ingredients

• 3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and diced (costco rotisserie makes this soo easy)
• 1 stalk of celery, chopped
• ½ white onion, diced
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• ½ cup shredded carrots (I prefer diced carrots)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 cups low sodium chicken broth (plus bullion to taste)
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 teaspoon thyme (I used fresh because I had it)
• 16 ounces potato gnocchi (find this in the pasta section of the store)
• 2 cups half and half, see note
• 1 cup fresh spinach, roughly chopped

Instructions

• Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add celery, onions, garlic, and carrots and saute for 2-3 minutes until onions are translucent. 
• Add chicken, chicken broth, salt, pepper, and thyme, bring to a boil, then gently stir in gnocchi. Boil for 3-4 minutes longer before reducing heat to a simmer and cooking for 10 minutes. 
• Stir in half and half and spinach and cook another 1-2 minutes until spinach is tender. Taste, add salt and pepper if needed, and serve. 

Notes

Milk: for even more creamy richness, swap one cup of the half and half for heavy cream.