Menu Plan Monday - May 21, 2012

Wow!  It's the last week of school already!  Trying to keep this short today.  Just an update first.   I made cupcakes for Miss D's school last week.  I think they turned out pretty nicely.

I made fondant apples for the tops.

The cupcakes were pretty simple vanilla with vanilla buttercream.  I made 4 dozen and only brought half a dozen home.  I would say a success. 

Okay, on to the menu:

Monday - Hamburgers, corn on the cob, watermelon

Tuesday - Penne a la vodka, baked zucchini "fries"

Wednesday - Grilled Chicken and veggies

Thursday - Homemade Pizza

Friday - Baked Tilapia, challah

Weekend (Shavuot) - Not sure yet, I know I will be making this recipe for Baked Blintzes and some sort of cheesecake (maybe a frozen key lime cheesecake? or a traditional baked cheesecake?), other than that, not sure.
  Looking for more menu ideas, please visit MPM at orgjunkie.com

Menu Plan Monday - May 14, 2012

Rainy weekend.  Lots of rain.  Not complaining though, we certainly needed it.  Many things going on this week.  I need to make four dozen cupcakes for Miss D's school on Thursday.  Art and music night Thursday, dance rehearsal Friday and recital next Sunday.  Whew!  I'm tired just thinking of it.
Went to Micheal's this weekend to pick up a few things for cupcake baking this week.  Has anyone else noticed the changes in the baking aisle?  What is up with that die-cut cake decorating system?  The prices and the amount of space it takes up makes my head spin.  Here I am, trying to find a simple 99c decorating tip and ending up frustrated and empty-handed.  I mean, I understand why they are doing it, but ugh!  Now I know I don't always stick by Alton Brown's rules of unitasker versus multitasker (especially when baking is involved), but I try.  Who has the room for all this stuff?  Okay, 'nuff said.  On to the menu.

Monday - Turkey Burger sliders, zucchini

Tuesday - Pasta night

Wednesday - Oven chicken strips, broccoli

Thursday - Pizza Night

Friday - Spag. and meatballs (already made and in the freezer).  Heat the sauce and meatballs in the crock-pot, so they are ready when we get home from rehearsal. Challah.

Looking for menus and recipe ideas, please visit MPM at orgjunkie.com

Menu Plan Monday - May 7, 2012

So not ready for Monday this morning.  We had a great weekend.  DH was home all weekend for the first time in a looong time.  We got some little projects around the house done.  So nice.  We even had some rain Friday.  My grill is clean and semi-fixed.  Still waiting on a part to come in the mail.  We celebrated our Cinco de Derby day in style.  Watched the races with tortilla chips, salsa, black bean salsa and guacamole.  Ate grilled fish tacos and I made a Brown Derby Cake for dessert.  Has anyone ever heard of this cake or made it?  Gosh, what a blast from the past.  Maybe it's a New Jersey thing?  Not sure.  I remember (way back when I was growing up in NJ) the Wycoff Bakery had this cake.  I didn't find too many recipes for it online, but I found a great video from the Crumb Boss.  I didn't add the peach filling and just used a box mix of devil's food cake, but it was so yummy!

Menu:
Monday - Onion Pot Roast (in the crock-pot) with carrots

Tuesday - Ravioli, crudite

Wednesday - Grilled chicken tacos, guacamole

Thursday - Homemade Pizza

Friday - Lime Scallion Chicken (made the tequila lime chicken last week!)

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

Menu Plan Monday - April 30, 2012

Wow, almost May already!  Fired up the grill last night.  (Note to self:clean grill).  I think grilling season is definitely here.  DH ordered a few necessary parts that have deteriorated due to time and rust.  A good clean and we should be ready for summer.  Hot weather predicted all week here and not a drop of rain.  Only one more month of school for Miss D and then summer break.  I haven't even finished planting my garden (Note to self: plant garden :)



Sunday - Island Ribs, grilled potato wedges

Monday - Grilled Sliders, Oven sweet potato fries

Tuesday - Pasta night

Wednesday - Crunchy Chicken

Thursday - Homemade pizza

Friday - Tequila Lime Chicken or Lime Scallion Chicken?

Saturday - Soft Fish Tacos, guacamole, salsa and chips...and maybe a Hungry Girl Margarita?

For more menu ideas, please visit MPM at orgjunkie.com

Shlissel Challah or sea creature?...you decide

  This is the Shlissel (key-shaped) Challah I made last Friday.  I think it looks a bit odd.  Oh, well.  Points for trying?  The kids loved it though (and the sprinkles).

Strawberry Jam

Strawberry Jam

This is my grandmother's recipe for strawberry jam.  I've been meaning to post this recipe for a while now.  (BTW this is why some photos are new and some are old!)  Anyway, my grandparents used to own a fruit farm in Pennsylvania.  I remember picking strawberries at that farm when I was young and I remember the smell of the kitchen when my grandmother used to make this jam.  This recipe is very simple and only needs two ingredients: strawberries and sugar (along with a little bit of time and love!).  It's not a traditional firm jam, but a softer, almost runny consistency.  Which makes it perfect for topping yogurt, or even better, ice cream!  My kids love it though for sandwiches: cream cheese and jam for my daughter and just jam and bread for my son.  My kids and I went out picking strawberries yesterday at a local farm.  When we finished, the owner/farmer asked us what we had planned for all of the strawberries, my son replied "Jam!".   So here we go:

  Just wash, hull and chop the strawberries into a measuring cup.  

 Add an equal amount of sugar to strawberries So for 2 cups of strawberries: 2 cups sugar.  Pretty easy, huh?  Lightly shake pan to coat with sugar.  Make sure you use a large, heavy pot for this.  Later when it cooks it will bubble up a bit.

 Cover allow to sit 8 hours, or overnight at room temperature.  I really think this is the key step.  The sugar will dissolve and liquefy.  At this point you can leave the strawberries as they are for a chunkier jam, or mash up with a potato masher.  Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat.  Stir gently to make sure all the sugar has dissolved.  When the mixture begins to boil, cook for about 10 minutes.  You can skim the bubbles that come to the surface if you would like a clear jam.  I don't (as you can see from the picture below).  I actually really like that bubbly part when it hardens (kinda like strawberry jell-o).  I don't really use a thermometer for this either, but the jam will need to get to about 221 F (I checked it today again to be sure).  You can stir the mixture occasionally as the strawberries want to stick to the bottom of the pot and scorch (not good for jam).  When it's done just ladle into canning jars and seal.  I don't usually "put up" this jam.  It never really lasts long in my fridge anyway.  The recipe will make slightly more jam than the amount of strawberries you start with.  So, today, I started with 2 cups of strawberries and ended up with 2 1/2 cups of jam.  Enjoy!    

Menu Plan Monday - April 23,2012

Brrr.  It's downright chilly this morning.  The wind is howling and knocking pine cones against the house.  The weather is supposed to warm up by the end of the week, but until then, I'm layering up!

Despite the wind and temps dropping, yesterday was a great day for strawberry picking!
We are fortunate to have a farm around the corner from us.  We went a few weeks ago for a play-date for the kids.  They had a blast and I made a big batch of strawberry smoothies afterwards.

I plan on making (another) batch of my Grandmother's Strawberry Jam today.  I've already made it a few times this Spring.  I know at least one of my readers has been asking for me to post this recipe for a while (yes Keith, I promise I will this week).  I can't seem to make enough of it.  My kids go crazy for it.  Especially my son.  He could eat a jelly sandwich (nothing else, just bread and jam) everyday.  Honestly, he could probably just sit and eat the whole jar with a spoon, if I let him!  :)

Anyway, back to the menu plan:

Monday - Minestrone soup with homemade baguettes.

Tuesday - Pasta night

Wednesday - Peach Whiskey Chicken, from The Pioneer Woman's new cookbook...I just got my book from Amazon on Friday and I can't wait to dive in!

Thursday - Maybe Macaroni and Cheese, veggies

Friday - Pecan Chicken, Challah.

If you would like more ideas for menus and recipes, please visit MPM at orgjunkie.com

P.S. I updated the page with a link to the recipe for the jam.