Menu Plan Monday - April 29, 2013

Wow!  I can't believe I haven't posted since Passover.  What a month it has been.  As some folks already know, we are in the process of moving to Florida.  Kids still have another month of school and plenty of activities to keep us very busy.  I'm not sure how often I will be posting in the next month or two, so I am apologizing upfront.  I'm keeping the menus simple and trying to use up things from the pantry/fridge/freezer.


Monday - Leftovers, crudite

Tuesday - I need to make Sweet and Sour Chicken for a school event, so I will just make extra for our dinner, rice and veggies.  I plan on using a recipe similar to this one. but add in some veggies like carrots and peppers.  I've made this recipe before and it is really good.

Wednesday - Shredded beef tacos or pasta.  Not sure yet, depends on how everyone is feeling.

Thursday - Homemade pizza

Friday - Spaghetti and Meatballs, challah

Looking for more menu ideas or recipes, please visit MPM at orgjunkie.com

Menu Plan Monday - Pesach Edition

Happy Passover!  I'm taking a bit of a break to write and post some pictures (mostly taken last year).  It's going to be a crazy, busy week.  I haven't planned out all the meals for the week, especially since I'll need to pack Passover-friendly lunches for the kids and DH this week.

Menu plan:




First night Seder: (Monday)

Hard-boiled eggs and salt water
Haroset
Gefilte fish and horseradish (For B)
For the kids:  Baby Moses salad
Mock-chopped liver (for me!)
Matzah ball soup
Cranberry compote
Mini Veggie Kugels
Potato souffle with caramelized onions
Aunt Babe's Brisket
Steamed Asparagus
Dessert:  Passover brownies (tried a new recipe this year - I need to share later), coconut macaroons, Matzah toffee bark, and Rainbow cookies

Matzah Ball Soup

Potato Souffle with caramelized onions and mushrooms

Mock Chopped Liver

Baby Moses Salad

Mini Veggie Kugels

Brisket

Rainbow cookies

Second Night : (Tuesday)

Repeat on most, but I may make carrot souffle to add to the veggies.

Wednesday ; Leftovers (hopefully)

Thursday:  Matzah Pizza

Friday - Roasted Chicken, sauteed spinach, potatoes, ?

Lunches. etc.:  Farfel and cheese, Spinach Souffle

Farfel and Cheese

Looking for more menu ideas or recipe, please visit MPM at orgjunkie.com

Menu Plan Monday - March 11, 2013

Still working on cleaning out some of the pasta/rice stash and the freezer.

Monday - Sweet and Sour Tofu, Green beans, Brown rice

Tuesday - Pasta

Wednesday - Fish Tacos

Thursday - Homemade Pizza (lots of dough in freezer)

Friday - Spaghetti and Meatballs (from the freezer and into the crock-pot)


Looking for more menu ideas and recipes, please visit MPM at orgjunkie.com

Menu Plan Monday - March 4, 2013

Keeping this short today.  Can't seem to get my head in the game.  Trying to clean out the freezer a bit to prepare for Passover (3 weeks-yikes!) 

Monday - Grilled Chicken salad and quinoa. 

Tuesday - Pasta...maybe frozen ravioli?

Wednesday - Roasted chicken with shawarma seasoning, schug, hummus, leftover quinoa, roasted sweet potato fries.

Thursday - Eggplant parmagiana (use up some bread crumbs)

Friday - Chicken Piccata (EVOO for the butter in the recipe), sauteed spinach, challah

For more recipe ideas and menus, please visit MPM at orgjunkie.com

Purim Wrap-up

Gingerbread Hamentaschen

I wanted to post some pictures of  the treats we made and sent out last week for Purim.  I tried out a few new recipes this year to mix things up a bit.  First, I made gingerbread hamentaschen.  I used a basic gingerbread dough added a bit of apple butter for the filling and finished them with a bit of royal icing drizzle. The kids loved these and I will definitely make them again.  I think they love anything with a drizzle of icing.  A few of them didn't stay closed through the baking, so I don't know if they needed a bit more flour or just more pinching to stay closed.

Blondies

Another new-ish recipe was for the blondies.  I have made the Pioneer Woman's recipe for "Knock-you-naked" brownies a few times.  I thought I would run with the idea.  I used a box of vanilla cake mix (actually the valentine's one), omitted the nuts to the batter, and added white chocolate chips and shredded coconut for the center.  Another keeper of a recipe and super easy!

Chocolate pretzel candy

Last new recipe which is not really a recipe at all.  Something I saw while scrolling pinterest one day and thought "that looks good".  Little pretzel squares topped with chocolate hearts placed in a low oven (200 F) for 8-10 minutes.  Remove and top with an M&M.  Let cool (that's the hard part!).

Pumpkin Bread

I also made pumpkin bread.  Yes, with more royal icing on top  :)

Brownie covered oreos

This is an old picture, but I also made brownie covered oreos from this recipe.

And of course the star of the show was the Hamentaschen.

Packages getting ready

And the kids really enjoyed helping make the baskets inside.  I saw the idea here.

After all the baking and packing, I decided to get a bit festive with my Challah for the week, too.

Menu Plan Monday - February 25,2013

It's hard to believe it's the last week of February already.  Spring does seem to be on it's way here.  I survived the winter break.  Our menu plan from last week got a bit jumbled up because the kids were under the weather for a few days.

Sunday:  I made sushi for Purim.  The kids have been begging for sushi all week and it just didn't happen for Friday last week.  I decided to try to make them triangular-shaped to be more festive.

Monday:  Korean Beef.  I'm thinking of trying my own variation of this recipe.  Leftover sticky rice and steamed veggies.

Tuesday:  Baked Ravioli

Wednesday:  Baked tilapia, broccoli

Thursday:  Homemade Pizza.  Last week we had both New York style and Chicago style

Friday:  Roasted Chicken, Challah, Sweet potatoes, ?

Looking for more menu ideas and recipes, please visit MPM at orgjunkie.com

 

Hamentaschen

Hamentaschen

Recipe adapted from Gloria Kaufer Greene (1999) The New Jewish Holiday Cookbook

I love this recipe.  It comes together very easily and works really well.  I cut the baking time down quite a bit from the original recipe.

Makes about 3 dozen (using a 3" cutter), about 5 dozen (using a 2" cutter)
  

Dough:

4 eggs

1 1/3 cup sugar

¾ c. oil

2 tsp. Vanilla

1 Tbs. Baking powder

½ tsp. Salt

4 ¾ c. Flour

1-2 (12 oz.) cans pastry filling (like Solo)

(3 cans if doubling the recipe.)

In a large bowl, beat eggs with the sugar until well-combined. Add oil and vanilla. Add flour, baking powder, and salt and mix until completely combined. Divide the dough into two pieces and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill several hours or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Remove dough from the plastic wrap and roll out one piece on a lightly floured surface to about ¼“ thick. Using a round cutter, cut circles and place the dough circles on the parchment sheets. Add about a scant teaspoon (1/2 teaspoon for 2" circles) of pastry filling onto the center of each circle. Fold up the edges to form a triangle and pinch the edges together. Bake cookies for about 12-15 minutes (10-12 for smaller cookies). Continue forming cookies with remaining dough. Cool on baking sheet briefly before transferring them to cooling racks to completely cool. Store in airtight container.

Happy Purim!