Menu Plan June 18th-28th

Sunday June 18th
Pizza
Salad

Monday June 19th
Brisket
Macaroni salad
Peas

Tuesday June 20th
BBQ brisket sandwiches
Salad

Wednesday June 21st
Breakfast for dinner:
Waffles(frozen from last batch), sausage, eggs, grits

Thursday June 22nd
Hunter's night-baked potatoes

Friday June 23rd
Beans and cornbread

Saturday June 24th
Pizza Nachos

Sunday June 25th
Hearty Mexican Spaghetti

Monday June 26th
Calzones

Tuesday June 27th
Hot Dog Casserole

Wednesday June 28th
Orange Chicken(frozen)
Rice

Pigs in a blanket from scratch

This is a recipe off the zaar...now food.com I guess...but you can find it here.
Hunter made these tonight for dinner and is getting better at following recipes everyday!  As a matter of fact I took a shower as he made them:)

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
3/4 cup buttermilk
18 miniature hot dogs
Heat the over to 400ºF. Grease a large baking sheet. Sift the dry ingredients (flour through salt) into a mixing bowl (or dump them in one at a time, whatever).
2Rub the butter pieces into the dry ingredients until mixture is crumbly. Stir in cheese until evenly distributed.
3Make a well in the dry ingredients and add the buttermilk. Stir well with a wooden spoon. Let the dough sit for 3 minutes.
4Sprinkle the dough with flour and stir once or twice then turn out onto a well floured counter.
5With floured hands, pat the dough into a 15 by 7 inch rectangle, trimming the sides if necessary to get a true rectangle. (Handle the dough as little as possible for tenderness, yeah right).
6Using a pizza cutter, slice the rectangle into thirds horizontally then slice each third into thirds vertically, this will give you 9 small rectangles. Slice each rectangle diagonally into two thin triangles.
7One at a time, roll up the sausages in the triangles. Place pointy side down on greased cookie sheet.
8Bake for 12 to 13 minutes, until golden brown. Cool on the sheet for 3 minutes then tranfer to a wire rack.

Cinnamon Rolls

These were SO good!!!  I made a pan full today and had to promise to make another pan full tomorrow.  I used 1 cup of whole wheat flour so I didn't feel like they were completely unhealthy;o)
The recipe came from this blog here.

Bread Machine Cinnamon Rolls

Dough:
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons warm milk
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 egg, lightly beaten plus 2 egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
4 cups flour (Add a bit more if dough seems too wet after first few minutes of kneading in the bread machine.)
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons bread machine yeast

Filling:
4 tablespoons butter
1 1/3 cup brown sugar mixed with 2 tablespoons cinnamon

Icing:
1 teaspoon milk
1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
4 tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla

Put the dough ingredients in the bread machine in the order listed and run on the dough cycle. After the dough cycle is finished, roll the dough into a large rectangle and spread it with 2 Tablespoons melted butter and 2/3 cup brown sugar mixed with 1 Tablespoon cinnamon.

Roll up and cut into 10-15 rolls and place in two greased round cake pans. Bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes or until browned. Spread the icing on as soon as they come out of the oven.

You can also cover the unbaked rolls with plastic wrap, stick them in the refrigerator overnight, and then bake in the morning.

Pizza Rolls

I saw this recipe on another blog (here) and knew I absolutely had to make them.  Pizza from scratch is a staple around here and one meal noone will complain about or pick at...

This didn't go quite as smoothly as I was hoping but it still tasted awesome!

Menu Plan Wednesday July 7th-July 13

Our last menu plan lasted us longer than planned and we even cooked smaller portions...it definitely puts in perspective how much a 12 year old boy eats!  hee (Hunter is at my mom's for a summer vacation at the beach)

(Tonight: soak beans)

Wednesday July 7th
Lunch: leftover hot dogs
Dinner: Black beans and rice

Thursday July 8th
Lunch: Baked potatoes
Dinner: Pizza Rolls

Friday July 9th
Lunch: Waffles and fruit
Dinner: Quick Pasta Carbonara
(make sure there is fresh bread made)

Saturday July 10th
Lunch: Sandwiches w/ pretzel goldfish
Dinner: Tacos and rice

Sunday July 11th
Lunch: Grilled cheese and soup
Dinner: Fried chicken salad

Monday July 12th
Lunch: Leftovers or ramens
Dinner: Pizza(Veggie, Cheese and pepperoni)

Tuesday July 13th
Lunch: Leftovers or mac n cheese with hot dogs
Dinner: Pigs in a blanket from scratch

Whole Wheat II

This recipe comes from The Bread Machine Cookbook.  With making the homemade yogurt I love when recipes call for yogurt now!  I also just used regular flour and wheat gluten again(2 Tablespoons in this recipe).  This was a really good bread with a totally unique texture!

This is for a large loaf(would only do a medium next time and reduce yeast a lot more so it doesn't fall)

1 1/2 C plain yogurt
1/3 C water
3 Tbsp margarine or butter
3 Tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 C bread flour
3/4 C oats
1 1/2 C whole wheat flour
2 1/2 tsp yeast

I used the whole wheat setting.

Fry Bread Tacos

This was super good!  We used a cup of whole wheat flour instead of all white flour and it gave it a great hearty-ness(is that a word?).  8" circles are too big especially for the kiddos!

NAVAJO FRY BREAD

4-5 cups flour
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup instant milk
2 cups water
To make fry bread: Mix dry ingredients.
Stir in water.
Knead dough lightly; cover and let rest 15 minutes.
Heat 1" vegetable oil in a 10" skillet.
Pinch off dough in small amounts and pat dough into thin 8" circles.
In the hot oil, quickly brown on both sides.
Drain on paper towels.

Potato Hot Dogs

This was such a simple thing to do but it makes something that looks completely different from our usual hot dog meals and the kids loved it!

Make mashed potatoes.
Cut hot dogs down the middle and fill with potatoes.
Top with cheese.
Bake at 350 until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Jiffy Box Mix Clone

I made our corn casserole to go with beans instead of cornbread last night and it calls for a box of Jiffy cornbread mix.  I have plenty of cornbread ingredients so I found a recipe to do it myself.  The Jiffy is cheap but this is still way cheaper!

If a box of Jiffy is called for instead use:

2/3 cup flour
1/2 cup corn meal
3 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

If you want to make it into cornbread then add:
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
And bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes.

Rye and wheat bread

I didn't take a picture of this because it looks like bread:)  But it was SO good!  The outside reminded me of the crunchiness of a cracker!

1 1/8 water
2 2/3 Tbs vegetable oil
3/4 cup wheat bran
1 Tbs honey
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup bread flour(I used regular)
3/4 cup rye flour
3 Tbs vital wheat gluten
2 tsp yeast

Add in that order and use the whole wheat setting with a medium crust.

Black Bean Pasta Salad

I kinda threw this together to use up things and it was really good!!

8 ounces smallish pasta(I used medium shells)
1/2 cup miracle whip--this was just to use up the last of a jar but could be removed without any effect I think
16 ounces salsa
2 cups cheese--I used half colby jack/monterey jack and half mozzarella
1 can black beans--I used leftover beans from our black bean burrito night

Boil pasta, cool completely then throw the rest in stir and put in the fridge to let the flavors mix.  I left it in an hour but anywhere up to a day would work fine:)

Rachel Ray's Sloppy Joes

These were so good and easy!  I used a cheaper ground beef and cut out the olive oil plus used green bell peppers.  We'll definitely have these again!

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan
• 1 1/4 pounds ground beef sirloin
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon steak seasoning blend, such as McCormick brand Montreal Seasoning
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 small red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 cups tomato sauce
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 4 crusty rolls, split, toasted, and lightly buttered

Directions

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add oil and meat to the pan. Spread the meat around the pan and begin to break it up. Combine brown sugar and steak seasoning. Add sugar and spice mixture to the skillet and combine. When the meat has browned, add onion and red peppers to the skillet. Reduce heat to medium and cook onions, peppers, red wine vinegar and Worcestershire sauce with meat for 5 minutes. Add tomato sauce and paste to pan. Stir to combine. Reduce heat to simmer and cook Sloppy Joe mixture 5 minutes longer. Using a large spoon or ice cream scoop, pile sloppy meat onto toasted, buttered bun bottoms and cover with bun tops. Serve with your favorite sides or sliced tomatoes seasoned with salt and pepper, dill pickles and Deviled Potato Salad. Have plenty of napkins on hand!

Ham Skillet

This was a great way to use up leftover ham...very different from what we normally have!  I cooked the rice separately because I tripled the recipe and my skillet wasn't big enough.

1/2 cup chopped onion
3 tablespoons butter, divided
1 1/2 cups frozen peas (green, or English peas), about 10 ounces
1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped cooked ham
1 cup long-grain rice, uncooked
3 to 4 cups chicken broth
2 to 3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
Preparation:
In a heavy skillet, saute the chopped onion in 2 tablespoons of butter until onion is tender. Add ham and rice; cook over low heat until rice just begins to turn golden brown; add 3 cups chicken broth. Cover and cook, stirring frequently, over low heat for 20 minutes. Add frozen peas and cook, stirring frequently, for 10 to 15 minutes longer, or until rice is tender, adding more chicken broth if necessary. Stir in 1 tablespoon butter and the Parmesan cheese.
Rice and ham skillet recipe serves 4.

Gingerbread Waffles

These were in the Family Fun magazine and I knew I had to make them.  The smell of gingerbread in the house was so warm and comforting!  We ate them without syrup(and with syrup and with only butter and...) and they were delicious!  

Ingredients
4 eggs
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup molasses
1 cup buttermilk
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
Whipped cream and fruit, optional
Instructions
With an electric mixer, beat the eggs until they're light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar, molasses, and buttermilk and mix until blended, about 1 minute more.
In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, spices, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and stir until smooth. Stir in the butter.
Cover and refrigerate the batter overnight or cook immediately in a waffle iron until golden brown, 2 to 4 minutes. Serve with whipped cream and fruit, if you like. Makes 14.

Potato Bread

I love trying new bread machine recipes.  This one turned out to be a very thick yummy bread!

1-2/3 cups warm tap water
2 tablespoons margarine
4 cups unbleached bread flour or whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons Honey or brown sugar
1/2 cup instant mashed potato flakes
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
Measure the ingredients into the bread pan in the order listed. Make a well in the flour and sprinkle the yeast into it. Set the machine to it’s Rapid or Quick Cycle. On my machine this lasts for 80 minutes, or 1-1/3 hours. Press Start, and let the machine work it’s magic. Remove the cooked bread from the pan after baking and allow it to cool before slicing.
If you like a fluffier, higher rising loaf, then you make bake this on the Basic Cycle instead of the Rapid Cycle. The bread will be fluffier, and rise much higher. It will still taste very good too.
The texture of this bread reminds me of the crusty homemade loaves you can still find baked in old fashioned wood burning stoves in some hidden portions of the deep south. I like this bread best with margarine and jelly, but it is an excellent all purpose bread. It stays soft a little longer than some machine baked breads. Perfect for lunchbox sandwiches. Makes a 2 lb loaf.

Duggar's oatmeal cookies

This is my official go-to recipe for oatmeal cookies.  These were AWESOME!   These were from Mandi's week on recipechallenge.

DADDY’S FAVORITE OATMEAL COOKIES 
(& Jessa’s favorite cookie dough!)
1 c. butter
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. white sugar
2 eggs
Cream first four ingredients Together,
Now add:
1 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
2 c. flour
3 c. oatmeal (or just a little less)
1 1/2 c. chocolate chips (optional)
Mix. Shape into balls on pan, then flatten with hand.
Bake at 350 for 10-15 min.

Pricebook

To see this typed out it looks like nothing but this is hours and hours and hours of work.   I live north of Houston and would love to merge lists with anyone else that has one going!  I have gone to Target also but nothing made the lowest price so didn't get listed.  I will keep this updated and add more items as I grocery shop too.


Produce:
Garlic peeled Sams 3-13-10 $3.47/2#  $1.74/#
Grapefruit(Texas Ruby Red) Kroger 1-10-11 $3.99/10#  .39/#
Mushrooms(large) Sams 3-13-10 $3.98/24oz 16.6/oz
Onions(yellow) Sams 3-13-10 $6.98/10#  .698/#
Potatoes Target 1-10-11 $3.99/10#   .39/#
Red grapes Kroger 7-2-10  .99/#

Meat/TVP:
Bacon(ends) Grocery Warehouse 3-13-10 $15/20# .75/#
Beef 80/20  Sams 3-7-10     $20.09/9.75 lbs  2.06/lb
Beef 80/20 Kroger 3-18-10 $9.95/5#  $1.99/#
Ham shank HEB 4-3-10 #1.29/#
Hot Dogs(Beef) Sams 3-13-10 $18.58/10#   12 cents/oz
Pepperoni Sams 3-13-10 $11.74/5#  $2.35/#
TVP (Bob's) HEB 4-3-10 $2.29/10oz   23cent/oz
Brisket Kroger 7-2-10      .99/#

Frozen:
Birds eye stir fry veggies Sams 3-13-10 $6.98/72 oz  9.7cents/oz

Baking/pantry:
Baking powder aluminum free Kroger 3-18-10 $2.69/10oz 27cents/oz
Brown Sugar Sams 3-26-10 $4.58   4.09cents/oz
Chicken Bouillon Sams 3-26-10 $4.87/25 oz 19cents/oz
Cornstarch Sams 3-13-10 $2.28/35oz  6.5cents/oz
Flour bleached Randalls 3-29-10 $1.29/5#  26cents/#
Flour Whole Wheat Kroger 4-3-10 $2.29/5#  46cents/#
Flour soy Kroger 4-3-10 $2.39/1.5#  9.96cents/oz
Honey Sams 3-13-10 $11.67/80oz  15cents/oz
Instant Dry Yeast Sams 3-26-10 $4.16/2#   2.08/# 13cents /oz
Milk dry powder Sams 3-13-10 $11.88/4.4lbs  16.875cents/oz
Oatmeal Sams 3-26-10 $6.98/9# 4.8cents/oz
Olive Oil (Bertolli EVOO) Sams 3-13-10 $13.98/2Lt  21cents/oz
Pinto Beans Sams 3-26-10 $26.79/50#   53.6cents/#
Pectin liquid Walmart 4-3-10 $2.87/6 oz 48cents/oz
Powdered Sugar Sams 3-26-10 $4.54/7#  64.86cents/lb
Rice Sams 3-26-10 $14.54/50#  29 cents/#
Salt Walmart 4-3-10 33 cents
Sugar Walmart 1-10-11 $1.56/4#   40 cents/lb
Unflavored gelatin  Kroger  3-18-10   $6.89 8 oz (86cents/oz)
Vegetable oil(Wesson) Kroger 3-18-10 $1.99/48oz  4 cents/oz

Canned goods:
Baked Beans(Allens) Sams 3-26-10 $4.38/115oz can  61cents/#
Diced tomatoes Sams 3-26-10 $2.88/102 oz  2.8cents/oz
Mushroom stems/pieces Sams 3-13-10 $5.88/100 oz  5.9cents/oz
Peaches sliced Del Monte lt syrup Sams 3-13-10 $4.98/106oz  4.7cents oz
Pudding(chocolate/vanilla) Sams 3-13-10 $3.98/112oz  3.6cents/oz
Tomato Paste Food Fair 3-7-10  49 cents/6 oz  8.2 cent/1 oz
Tomato Sauce Sams 3-26-10 $2.78/106 oz  2.6cents/oz
Tomato soup(Campbells) Kroger 3-18-10 $1.39/26oz  5cents/oz


Pasta:
Ramens Sams 3-13-10 $5.88/36  16.34cents/each


Dairy:
American cheese Sams 3-7-10 $9.72/160 slices/5#  $1.94/lb
Butter HEB 4-3-10 $1.50/#
Butter Sams 3-13-10 $7.12/4# $1.78/#Sliced
Cheddar cheese(shredded) Sams 3-13-10 $11.12/5# $2.22/#
Eggs white Sams 3-26-10 18 ct 2.54  14 cents/egg
Milk whole Walmart 4-3-10 $2.38/Gallon
Mozzarella cheese(shredded) Sams 3-13-10 $ 10.43/5# $2.09/#
Yogurt vanilla yoplait Walmart 4-3-10 .45  (Target .50 1-10-11)


Drinks:
Fair Trade Coffee 3-7-10 $9.88/40oz  3.95/lb
Tea single bags Kroger 3-18-10 $1.49/100/8oz  18cents/oz
Tea family bags Kroger 3-18-10 $1.31/5.4oz 24 cents/oz

Cleaners/laundry:
Dishwasher detergent Sams 3-13-10  $7.98/192oz  .04/oz
Gain fabric softener Sams 3-13-10  $9.48/133Fl oz  7.35/oz
Wind Laundry detergent Sams 3-13-10 $14.28/32.5lbs  44cents/lb

Condiments:
BBQ Cattlemens Sams 3-13-10 $8.88/1Gal  6.9cents/Fl Oz
Ketchup Sams 3-26-10 $3.48/114 oz  3.1cents/oz
Pace Picante $8.56/138 oz 6.2 cents/oz
Soy Sauce Sams 3-26-10 $4.98/64oz  7.8cents/Fl Oz


Bread:
Hamburger buns Sams 3-7-10  $1.88/16 buns 12 cents/bun
Flour tortillas Sams 3-26-10 $4.48/30 tortillas   15 cents/tortilla
Whole wheat bread Sams 3-7-10   2/$3.66 20 oz  $1.47/lb

Misc:
AA batteries  Sams 3-7-10  $10.98/48  23 cents each
AAA batteries Sams 3-7-10  $12.98/48  27 cents each
Diapers Target "club pack" 124 for $19.99  16 cents each
Foil Sams 3-13-10 $17.84  18"X500'  2.38cents/sq ft  .035 cents/linear ft
Popcorn Sams 3-26-10 $16.58/50#  33.16cents/lb
Scott 1000 TP Sams 3-13-10 $18.88  3456 sq ft .0055/sq ft  ($23 at Sams 12-2010 .006/sq ft)
White vinegar Sams 3-26-10 $3.38/2 Gallons   $1.69/Gallon

Corn Dogs

Tonight was supposed to be pizza but I am out of mozzarella so I had to come up with something else(since I had no urge to go to the store today).  I don't deep fry so this was not my first thought...of course it went over fantastic with the kids and I just hope they don't think we'll be eating them more than once every year or two. I used the recipe off hillbilly housewife.

• 1 cup milk
• 2 medium eggs
• 1/4 cup oil
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/3 cups corn meal
• 2/3 cup flour
• 1 to 1-1/2 pounds hot dogs
• flour for dusting (about 1/2 cup)
• Hot Fat for Deep Frying
• Popscicle sticks

In a large bowl combine the milk, eggs, oil, sugar and salt. Mix it very well. Sprinkle in the baking powder, corn meal and flour. Stir it all up to make a slightly thick batter.

Take your hot dogs and dry them off on paper towels. Dust the hot dogs with flour, coating them completely. The cornmeal batter won’t stick to the hot dogs unless they are coated in flour. The batter just slides right off of the wieners naturally slick outsides. Shove popscicle sticks into the flour coated hot dogs. Set the hot dogs aside.

While all of this is going on, it’s a good idea to get your hot fat to heating up. You want the temperature to be about 375F. Allow the fat to preheat so it is almost smoking by the time you are ready to add the corn dogs.

Now, to coat the floured hot dogs with batter you have two choices. You can swirl the hot dogs in the bowl of batter until they are coated, and then drop them into the hot fat. If this is a little difficult I know of an easier way. Scoop some of your corn meal batter into a narrow jar or cup which is as tall as your hot dogs are long. Fill the jar or cup about 3/4 of the way full. Dip your hot dog into the batter while you hold onto the stick. Swirl the hot dog to coat it evenly. Be careful or the batter will overflow. Raise the wiener above the cup and let any excess batter drip off. Quickly place the battered dog into the hot fat. The fat will bubble up and cook the outside of the batter, making the corndogs the exact same shape as the ones you buy at the store.

Only fry a few corn dogs at a time. If the corn dogs crowd each other they don’t fry very well. I only fry 2 or 3 at a time. Turn the corn dogs when the bottom side is well browned. Use tongs to remove the cooked corn dogs from the fat. Allow them to drain on paper towels. Repeat the process, coating and frying a few at a time, until all of the corn dogs are cooked. Refill the narrow jar or cup with batter from your bowl as necessary. Continue until all the hot dogs are coated or until you no longer have enough batter to coat the hot dogs efficiently.

If you don’t want to waste any unused batter, it can be dropped by small spoonfuls into the hot fat, and fried until brown. Serve these along side the corn dogs.

If desired, you can make small corn dogs by cutting hot dogs into thirds, or quarters. Poke a toothpick up into the end of the hot dogs. Coat and fry them as described above. These are nice for fancy days, and for kids parties. Provide plenty of ketchup and mustard for dipping.

This recipe makes about 12 to 14 corn dogs.

Tortellini soup

I took a recipe from thefrugalgirl.com and modified it to use what I had on hand.  The neighbor gave us the BEST carrots and I used green onions from our garden.  I saw the first tomato starting to turn red so it won't be long and the tomatoes will be fresh and homegrown too.

1 pound sausage(I used bulk natural breakfast sausage)
1 medium onion(or green onion)
1 clove garlic(I used three but we loooove garlic)
5 cups broth...for this I used 5 cups water and 5 chicken boullion cubes from the mega pack I bought at Sams
1 can tomatoes(about two cups)...diced, stewed...whatever kind
8 ounce tomato sauce
1 cup sliced carrots
1 medium pepper(I used half of a yellow bell pepper)
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp oregano(I used a good amount of italian seasoning for this and basil)
1/2 cup red wine(thought I had an open one but it wasn't so 1/2 a cup went in the pot and a big glass went with me for lunch)
16 ounces of frozen tortellini...originally this called for 8 ounces of fresh or 4 of dry(cooked before adding) but with a 3 year old and 1 year old the more pasta the better, right?

Brown the first three ingredients.  Throw in the rest except for the wine and tortellini and simmer for 30 minutes.  Add the tortellini and wine, cook for 1-3 minutes(I did four just to be sure the tortellini was done).  Serve.  Yum!  I meant to throw on some parsley at the end since mom gave us a huge plant but the wine made me forget.  ;o)

Carrot Raisin Salad (Lubys)

Got this off recipezaar.  While I love Lubys I never order carrot raisin salad...I only make it at home to use up carrots but I quite like it.  This was done this without pineapple and it's great!

Ingredients
2 lbs carrots, peeled and trimmed
1 cup crushed pineapple, drained
1 cup raisins, plumped
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup powdered sugar
Directions
1Shred carrots using a large hole grater or food processor.
2In a large bowl, comine the shredded carrots, raisins and pineapple.
3In a small bowl, mix the mayonnaise and powdered sugar until well blended, pour over carrot mixture and toss lightly to coat.
4Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours.