This Week's Plan

This week, I'm going to make some food for the freezer, so I have things I can defrost and reheat. When I make soups, stews, sauces, and chilies, I try to double the recipe and freeze half in family-sized portions. If I do one or two dishes this way every weekend, I wind up with a wide variety of meals that I can just defrost and heat up. These meals are a great gap-filler for those nights we just don't want to eat whatever was planned. For example, last week, I baked a ham for Sunday. Although I had creative ways to use the ham, by Wednesday, we were all ready to swear off ham forever. So I needed a gap-filler. In that case, it was hot dogs. But if I'd had chili or spaghetti sauce in the freezer, we would have eaten much better that night.

So this week, I'm making a big pot of red sauce. I can freeze most of it and use it later for spaghetti, rigatoni, lasagna, chicken Parmesan, and even pizza. I'm also going to make a big pot of chili. Finally, I'm going to roast a chicken, and we'll get two meals out of that. So here's the plan:

Saturday: Spaghetti with Red Sauce & garlic bread
Sunday: Roast Chicken with Asparagus and Rice (my kids don't like
potatoes)
Monday: Green salad with chicken, apples, dried cranberries, and
pecans
Tuesday: Chili with rice
Wednesday: Chicken Tikka Masala
Thursday: Spaghetti, Chili, or whatever Rudy want to feed the
boys. I'll be out!

I'm going to do much of the prepping on Saturday and Sunday. I'll make the spaghetti sauce and chili on Saturday. I'll make the Tikka Masala from a Now We're Cooking recipe. I'll put the chicken in the marinade on Saturday and freeze it, then move it to the refrigerator for defrosting on Tuesday night. Then Wednesday, all I'll have to do is quickly cook the chicken in the sauce.

I'll post recipes later tonight.

And we have a very special guest post coming tomorrow. My friend Juliet, who is the best baker I know, has written up her recipe for Super Easy Pantry Snack Cake. My mouth was watering just reading it, and I know I'm going to try it for tomorrow night!

Hungarian Goulash

I made this last week, but I didn't want to post the recipe until I was sure how it came out.  It smelled a little odd while it was cooking, like I had over-spiced it, but the flavors were great.  They were even better the second night!

Hungarian Goulash

1 onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 1/2 pounds beef chuck roast, trimmed of all fat and cut into 1" cubes.

4-6 teaspoons hot Hungarian paprika (don't use sweet or Spanish - it's not the same!)

1 teaspoon smoked paprika (optional, but gives a distinctive flavor)

1 15-0z can crushed tomatoes

6 ounces red wine

1 15-0z can beef broth

2 green bell peppers, seeded & diced

2 large turnips, peeled & diced

1 scant teaspoon thyme

1/2 scant teaspoon marjoram

1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds

2 bay leaves

1/2 teaspoon salt

ground black pepper to taste

1 teaspoon sugar

1. In a large dutch oven over medium heat, saute the onions and garlic in olive oil until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add the beef and cook until beef is browned on all sides, about 6-8 minutes.  Stir in half the paprika and saute 2 minutes more.  Stir in the tomatoes and saute 2 minutes more.
2. Add the remaining ingredients.  Stir well.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer 2-3 hours, partially covered.  Taste, adjust seasonings, and serve.
3. Serve over pasta with sour cream and chopped chives as a garnish.

Note:  Hungarian Paprika is completely different from Spanish Paprika.  It comes in both sweet and hot varieties.  This recipe uses the hot variety.  The degree of spice can vary greatly based on brand.  It's best to add the paprika with a very light hand, then taste it about 1 hour in and add more if needed.  The turnips will soak up some of the spice and add a bit of sweetness, and the spice will mellow a bit while cooking.  But this dish can range from mellow to fiery hot depending on the brand and amount of paprika used.

This Week's Plan

I'm feeling a little loosey-goosey about planning this week.  I don't really have a set plan.  But I've given myself lots of options.  I was at Costco yesterday, and they had these gorgeous hams on sale.  So I bought one, and I'll cook it tonight.  That will give us a ton of options through the week.  I also got sweet potatoes, broccoli, green beans, peppers, mushrooms, and pasta.  Plus I'll make a hearty bolognese sauce today.  I'll freeze most of it, but we'll use it one night this week.  Then next week, it's easy to make a chicken parmesan or even a pizza one night.

As I said, it's loose, but the plan goes something like this:

Sunday:  Baked ham, roasted broccoli, sweet & spicy sweet potatoes

Monday:  Baked ham, sauteed green beans, mashed sweet potatoes

Tuesday:  Spaghetti Bolognese with extra veggies for mom.

Wednesday: Macaroni & cheese with ham & broccoli  (I'll make this Tuesday night and bake it Wednesday)

Thursday:  Grilled ham & cheese sandwiches with broccoli salad

I'll freeze the ham bone with the excess meat hanging off it and use it to make Navy Bean soup for next week.  I love ham for its versatility and complete reusability!

Tortilla Soup with Chicken

This is one of my favorite soups. I've added a ton of veggies, which makes it different from a traditional tortilla soup. But I feel better when soups have lots of veggies - some may sneak into the kids and husband! This soup is quite mild. If you'd like it spicier, use a jalapeno or two instead of the Anaheim chile, and add a bit of crushed red pepper. Alternatively, use a hot chile powder instead of a mild one.

Tortilla Soup with Chicken
(Serves 8 - I serve it to my family of 4 over 2 nights)

2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 Anaheim or Pasilla Chile, seeded and diced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 large onion, peeled and diced
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
1 pound skinless boneless chicken, thighs and breasts are best
2 49-ounce cans low-sodium chicken broth
2 15-ounce cans petite diced tomatoes
1 15-ounce black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup corn kernels (if canned, drained and rinsed)
1/2 cup cilantro, minced
4 teaspoons mild chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1 bay leaf
3/4 cup brown rice (or white rice)
16 6-inch corn tortillas, cut into strips

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Add all the diced veggies (through garlic) to a large soup pot with a tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Saute until fragrant and onions are translucent, about 6-8 minutes. Stir in 2 teaspoons of the chili powder and 1 teaspoon of the cumin, and saute 2 minutes more. Add the diced tomatoes and saute 3 minutes more.
3. Add the chicken broth to another large pot and bring to a boil. Add the chicken, reduce heat to simmer, and cook 6-8 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken from the broth and pour the broth into the soup pot. Dice the chicken and add it to the soup.
4. Stir in the beans, corn, cilantro, and the remaining chili powder and cumin. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer. Add a bay leaf and let simmer for 10-15 minutes.
5. Add the rice to the soup and let cook for 30 minutes more (if using brown rice, 10 minutes if using white rice). Add 3/4 of the tortilla strips and cook another 10 minutes.
6. Arrange the remaining tortilla strips on a cookie sheet in a single layer. Bake in heated oven for about 10 minutes until crispy, tossing occasionally.
7. Serve soup garnished with toasted tortilla strips, diced avocado, chopped green onions, and shredded cheddar cheese.

I make this in large batches and serve it over a couple of days. When I do that, I don't add the rice and tortillas until the night I am serving the soup. That keeps it from getting soggy.

This Week's Plan

Last week's plan worked pretty well! I had a plan for each night, and executed to it most nights. We never ate dinner later than 7, and most nights, I was prepping for the following night. So I'll do the same thing again this week, although with different menu choices.

It's turned cold and rainy here in California, thank goodness. I've never been so happy to see the rain. I'm hoping for a heavy rainy season so that our reservoirs are replenished, and so my new plants and trees get nice and strong for next summer. But cold and rain definitely bring out the cravings for comfort foods: hot soups, spicy foods, casseroles. I love them all!

Saturday: Tortilla Soup
Sunday: Hungarian Goulash with Herb-Roasted Potatoes
Monday: Tortilla Soup
Tuesday: Hungarian Goulash over pasta
Wednesday: I'm going out. Boxed mac & cheese for the boys (they love it).
Thursday: Chicken Enchiladas

Family Favorite Minestrone

This is not a very traditional minestrone, but my family really likes it. I'm happy with it because it has lots of veggies and fresh herbs. Lots of chopping to get ready, but the you just leave it alone. We usually get 3 meals out of it. I'll often divide it into thirds and freeze two thirds of it.

If you're going to eat it over a few days or freeze it, though, don't put the pasta in. When you reheat it, bring it to a boil, put the pasta in, and let it simmer for 10-12 minutes. If you refrigerate or freeze it with the pasta in it, the pasta will soak up all the juices and turn into those soft gooey noodles that you get in canned soups.

Family Favorite Minestrone
makes about 14 cups

1 Tablespoon olive oil
4 sliced thick cut peppered bacon, diced
1 onion,
diced
2 large carrots, peeled and diced
2 celery stalked, diced
2 small turnips or parsnips, peeled and diced
3-4 turnip green leaves or swiss chard
leaves, washed and chopped
1/2 head of green cabbage, cored and chopped
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 15-ounce cans diced tomatoes with juice
1 15-ounce can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
2 48-ounce cans chicken broth
8 ounces small pasta, such as orzo, alphabet, or mini shells
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1. In a large deep pot (like a stock pot), cook the olive oil and bacon over medium heat, stirring often. Cook until the fat is rendered from the bacon, but it is not brown and crispy.
2. Add the vegetables through cabbage. Cook, stirring often, until onions are translucent and greens are wilted, about 10-12 minutes.
3. Add the herbs and garlic, and cook 2-3 minutes more.
4. Stir in the tomatoes with their juice, pinto beans, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook, partially covered, for 45-minutes to 1 hour, until vegetables are tender.
5. Stir in pasta (see note below) and let cook 15 minutes more, until pasta is tender.
6. Serve in bowls sprinkled with freshly shredded Parmesan cheese and drizzled with fruity olive oil.

NOTE: If you plan to refrigerate or freeze for later use, only add pasta to as much soup as you think you'll need at any one meal. When reheating, bring to a boil, add the pasta, and let simmer for 15 minutes. Adding the pasta to soup that will be refrigerated or frozen makes the pasta soggy and it soaks up much of the broth from the soup.

This Week's Plan

I started my new job this week. It's a great job and I'm loving it, but it really threw a wrench into dinner. Until this week, we've eaten between 6 and 6:30. The boys have their bath at 7:30 and go to bed at 8:00. This worked out well in my past life, when I got home with the boys between 5:30 and 5:45. But now, I'm walking in the door at 6:45 PM. By that time, we're all grumpy and ravenous. I don't have 30-45 minutes to get dinner on the table, unless I sacrifice bath time and homework. Or start putting the boys to bed at 9, which will leave them sleep deprived. Plus I really need that time of peace and solitude that comes when the boys have settled down for the night and I can sit and relax.

I really don't want another week where the plan goes out the window at we eat hot dogs or TV dinners most nights. So I have a new plan for this week: meals that are very nearly heat-and-eat. I'll accomplish this by doing most of the prep the night before, and through liberal use of pre-cut fruits and veggies.

Here's the plan, both for meals and how I'll prep them.

Saturday: Roasted Chicken with Lemon & Herbs, Root Vegetable Gratin

Sunday: Minestrone & Bread

Monday: Minestrone, bread & salad

Tuesday: BBQ Chicken Sandwiches with Coleslaw and Sweet Potato Fries

Wednesday: BBQ Chicken Rollups & salad

Thursday: Warm Chicken Salad (I don't know if the kids will eat this, but I'll serve it a little deconstructed for them, and I'll have lots of fruit on the side)

As for how I'll do this and make it work:

• Saturday, I'll put some effort into making the Roasted Chicken dinner, because I actually have time to cook.
  
• Sunday, I'll make the minestrone. I'll divide it in half just before adding the pasta, and I'll add pasta to the half we're eating that night. I'll save the other half for the next night, adding pasta when I'm reheating it on Monday. That will allow the flavors to develop in the fridge overnight, without the pasta getting soggy. I'm also going to cut up fruits and veggies for most of the rest of the week.
  
• Monday, while the soup is reheating, I'll poach enough chicken breasts and thighs for the dinners on Tuesday - Thursday. I'll store them unshredded.
  
• Tuesday, I'll shred enough chicken for 2 nights, heat it up in a homemade barbeque sauce, throw together a packaged coleslaw while the sweet potato fries are baking. (I'll cheat by using frozen ones - there are some good brands out there.)
  
• Wednesday is really easy because I'll just throw heated up leftover BBQ chicken and some veggies in warm tortillas, and I'm done! Plus I'll cut the veggies for the next night's salad.
  
• Thursday, I just saute the veggies for the salad, shred the remaining chicken and heat it with the veggies, and I'm done for the week!

That's how it should work, anyway. I'll let you know what really happens next week, when I post that plan. This weeks' recipes will be posted by Sunday morning, in case you want to make any of these dishes yourself.