This Week's Menu

Monday- Roast beef, salad, biscuits with jam

There are 1000's of ways to prepare Pot Roast, and I typically don't like any of them. But last year a friend of mine at church made a roast that was to die for. I asked her for the recipe and she said it was top secret but gave me a copy of it anyway. It's a piece of paper with some random notes from her mom- not really a recipe at all, but a process. I'm going to try it and see how it goes. The biscuits and jam idea came from the four different types of homemade jams and butters we received for Christmas. I can't wait to pick my favorite.

Tuesday- Philly Beef Panini; sweet potatoes; cucumbers, carrots and dip

With the leftover beef I want to try this recipe from Southern Living Cooking School

Prep: 10 min., Cook: 7 min.

Yield: Makes 4 servings

1/2 onion, sliced
1/2 green bell pepper, sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, sliced
2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
Salt and pepper to taste
1 (10-ounce) package prebaked thin Italian pizza crust
7-ounce Roast Beef
3 (1-ounce) provolone cheese slices

1. Cook first 3 ingredients in 1 teaspoon hot oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

2. Top half of pizza crust with roast beef. Spoon onion mixture over roast beef; top with cheese slices. Fold crust over filling, and brush both sides of crust with remaining 1 teaspoon olive oil.

3. Cook in a preheated panini press 2 minutes or until golden brown. Cut into 4 wedges, and serve immediately.

Note: If you don't have a panini press, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium, and place sandwich in hot skillet. Place a heavy skillet on top of sandwich, and cook 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown.

Wednesday-black beans and rice with tortillas, lettuce and cheese

This recipe came from a blog I have read for awhile Crockpot365.

--1 can of black beans--1 can of pinto beans
--1 cup of rice --1 can (14.5 oz) of diced tomatoes
--1 T olive oil
--1/2 t kosher salt
--1 t Italian seasoning
--1/2 T dried onion flakes

The Directions.

--put the 1 tablespoon of olive oil into the bottom of your crockpot, and add the rice. Swirl the rice around in the olive oil, until it is coated nicely.

--drain and rinse the beans, and add them

--drain the tomatoes, but reserve the liquid in a measuring cup. I got a little under a cup of tomato juice. Add the tomatoes.

--add water to the measuring cup with tomato juice. You need 2 cups of liquid.

--add seasonings stir well, and cover.

Cook on low for about 6 hours, or on high for 3-4. Brown rice or wild rice will take longer to cook than white rice.

Thursday- Poppy Seed Chicken, fruit salad, broccoli

I made Poppy Seed Chicken for a leftover potluck over the holidays and my kids loved it. They requested that one night they get the whole pan to themselves. Basically you take 4cups of chicken, 1 can cream of chicken soup and 8 oz sour cream and mix it up. Pour into a casserole dish and top with 1 sleeve of Ritz crackers mixed with a stick of butter and 1 tbsp of poppy seeds. Cook at 350* until bubbly. No, it's not healthy- but it's good! This is when I say something like, "It's better than Mickey D's."

Friday- Dahl, rice, curried cauliflower, Naan

I made this Indian inspired dinner while my vegetarian sister-in-law was in town over the holidays. It was really good and I wanted to add it to our regular dinner rotation. The Dahl is from Joy of Cooking. Here's the cauliflower recipe:

1 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 (10-oz.) packages fresh cauliflower florets
1 medium onion, chopped
3/4 teaspoon salt

1. Cook curry powder and red pepper in hot oil in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring often, 1 minute. Add cauliflower, onion, and salt, and cook, stirring constantly, 2 to 3 minutes or until onion is crisp-tender. Reduce heat to low; add 6 Tbsp. water. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes or just until cauliflower is tender.

Enjoy!