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July 20, 2006

Menu for a week

Thanks to Jeannette's suggestion, here's a hypothetical menu for a week.

Middle-Eastern meatballs, 2 ways

Mix 2 lbs. of ground beef (or turkey, or chicken) with 1 egg, ½-1 cup breadcrumbs, ¼ cup diced green or red pepper, ¼ diced onion, 2-4 cloves minced garlic, 1-2 tbsp. cumin (ground and/or seed), 1 tsp. coriander, 1-2 tsp. cinnamon, 2 tsp. allspice, ground red pepper, salt and pepper to taste, and a splash of lemon juice. And pine-nuts, if you’re feeling extravagant. Roll into small, even balls, cook in oven at 350 for about 20 minutes, or until done (on tin-foil or cooking-sprayed cookie sheet). This makes a ton of meatballs, enough for several dinners or lunches.

Freeze any that you don’t need right away. And…

#1: Toss frozen or fresh vegetables of choice (eggplant, cauliflower, carrots, peas, zucchini, whatever!) with some plain tomato sauce. Flavor with any of the spices used in the meatballs, if desired. Simmer until vegetables are tender, adding meatballs if frozen. Boil water for couscous (I usually toss in some chicken bouillon for extra flavor). Add couscous to the water (read the direction on the box). Pour the sauce with veggies and meatballs over the couscous.

#2: Warm meatballs, if frozen. Serve in pitas with yogurt, feta, and fresh vegetables (red or green pepper, cucumber, onions, lettuce).

Crockpot Sausages

Slice one onion and 1-2 green or red peppers thinly. Lay in bottom of crock pot. Lay kielbasa (and or hot dogs or healthier or gourmet versions of sausage—we had oodles of high-schoolers to our house when I made this, so we used a mix of kielbasa and hot dogs). Pour one bottle of barbeque sauce over everything. Cook on low for 3-4 hours. Serve on hot dogs buns (sturdy ones, like Kaiser buns—it might be saucy!), with sauce and vegetables. I saved the leftover sauce, and I’m cooking chicken in it today to shred for sandwiches.

Hutzla

Okay, this is a traditional PA Dutch breakfast that has been passed down through several generations of our family. Take day old bread (2-3 slices a person) and tear into chunks. Fry (in butter, or using cooking spray—butter is better!) until lightly browned. Meanwhile, beat eggs and milk (say, one egg and a ¼ milk for two slices of bread), adding ½-1 tsp. vanilla (or liquor if you’re feeling daring—a little Irish Cream is heavenly!). Pour over bread stirring quickly to coat. Press down slightly to make an even layer. Turn once when golden brown (you might need to cut it), cook until golden brown on other side, but still custardy in the middle. Serve with syrup.

Salmon in a Pepper Crust. Mmm! This is one of our favorite salmon dishes, and it takes very little work. I usually let it marinate for a couple of hours. And a coffee grinder makes it easy to grind the pepper.

Pasta with Brie and Fresh Tomato Sauce I know this isn’t the place I got the recipe I use (I’m still not sure where I found it), but with tomatoes finally coming in season, an uncooked tomato sauce is refreshing and easy. And I love brie!

And talking about seasons, almost local (NJ) blueberries are coming to the stores. So a crisp, pancakes, or muffins would be a special treat.

EDIT: Another easy, easy meal starter--bagels! Our local bagel shop has a summer sale (a baker's dozen for less than $5). Since my old roommate Teresa used to work at a bagel shop, and was able to take home leftovers at the end of the day, I learned to make all kind of bagel based meals.

Breakfast: bagels with butter, cream cheese, or egg
Lunch or dinner:
Bagel half+tomato sauce+cheese and toppings+broiler=bagel pizza
Bagel half+BBQ chicken (leftover from crockpot recipe)+veggies+cheese+broiler
Bagel half+tuna salad+cheese+broiler
Bagel half with a good canned soup
Bagel sandwich with anything you want!
*Bagels can also be sliced thinly and toasted for bagel chips for snacks or into chunks for croutons.

cooking stuff | By Tim and Jo | 09:32 AM

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Comments

Posted by: Jeannette at July 20, 2006 12:43 PM

Posted by: mrscrumley at July 20, 2006 07:21 PM

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