Menu #15

It has been very cold here, which is the perfect time for soup and other warm, winter foods. This menu is a little short as it is a busy two weeks. However, there are several items on here that should allow you to have leftovers. Never waste good food and leftovers! 

One Pot Cajun Chicken Pasta, salad

It is well-established that my family likes Cajun dishes and flavors. This recipe from cookingclassy.com drew me in because it has all those flavors, it’s pasta, and it all cooks in one pot fairly quickly. If you are not a fan of bell peppers, you might want to omit or go easy on them. Half of each one is plenty unless you really like them. Add a nice green salad, and you have a wonderful, quick meal.

Baked Chicken Leg Quarters, Air Fryer Red Potatoes, broccoli

Leg quarters are an inexpensive protein that you can use to feed a large family. Be on the look-out for when they are on sale. Many times you can get them for as little as 29 cents a pound. However, they are usually sold in 10 pound bags, so you will probably have to portion them out and freeze what you don’t need right away. I buy them when they are on sale and do that with all of them and pull out a package when I’m ready for them. This recipe from fooddoodles.com is super simple and delicious. Dark meat chicken does take a little longer to cook, so make sure you leave plenty of time for it to cook. Red potatoes are also a great alternative to russet potatoes. These from thediaryofarealhousewife.com cook up in the air fryer quickly and have a nice texture. Some steamed or roasted broccoli rounds out the meal.

Pasta e Fagioli, bread/rolls

As I have stated numerous times, I am the soup queen, and we love soup during the winter months, although we eat it year-round. This is a great copycat from topteenrecipes.com of an Olive Garden soup. It makes a big pot, so you can feed a large family, have leftovers for a while, or freeze some to pull out another time when you need a quick meal. Serve with some warm rolls or bread, and you have a complete meal.

Spaghetti Carbonara, green beans

I guess these two weeks I want lots of soup and lots of pasta! My husband loves the spaghetti carbonara in the main dining room when we cruise, so I’m giving this a try. This is a super-easy recipe from damndelicious,net. Make sure you have some really good bacon when you fix this. It is the star of the show. I have learned the hard way that freshly-grated parmesan is also a must when dishes call for that. You can get some already grated in a bag, but it does not melt the same and it makes food sticky and clumpy. I found a good deal on a wedge at Aldi’s. In fact, there are lots of good deals there. Some seasoned canned or frozen green beans make a good side to this dish. In case you have forgotten, I season mine with salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder. Do what works for you. A little bacon or bacon drippings, since you have it anyway, would be really good in the beans as well. 

Broiled pork chops, Creamy Mushroom Risotto, zucchini

I don’t really have a recipe for the pork chops. I cooked some not long ago that had me broil the chops as part of the recipe, and they came out so well, I decided to just do some plain chops under the broiler. I have some bone-in pork chops, so that is what I am going to use. You can use boneless as well. Just watch them as they will dry out more quickly. Just season with salt and pepper or whatever seasoning you like. The original recipe called for some steak seasoning, which is really good on them as well. Use the broil function of your oven and cook the chops for about 7 to 10 minutes. 

As I stated a few menus back, my husband loves the risotto we get in the main dining room when we cruise (you can tell we like to cruise and we like to eat on the cruise, since I have mentioned it twice in this menu). This recipe from spendwithpennies.com works well. Just a reminder that you do have to be willing to be committed when cooking risotto. It requires constant monitoring for about 20 to 25 minutes. 

For the zucchini, just wash and slice some zucchini into small disks. Heat up a skillet over medium heat, add a teaspoon or two of oil and let it heat, and put in the veggies. You can add others as well. Add whatever seasonings you like – I usually use Mrs. Dash and a little salt –  and stir it occasionally until the zucchini is the consistency that you like.

Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup 

As I said, this must be the two weeks for soup and pasta! We like both, and they make great leftovers. And nothing is better on a cold winter day than chicken noodle soup. I have another chicken noodle soup recipe that does not cook in the slow cooker, but I am using this one this time so that it can cook while we are out and about all day and it will be ready when we get home. It is another recipe from damndelicious.net. I guess she and I must be a lot alike – we both like pasta and soup!! For this soup you may want to have some extra broth available. It does get a little thick once it cooks. You can thin it out with some additional broth. The seasonings are a little heavy for my taste, so you might want to use just slightly less of the thyme and the rosemary if you don’t like it too seasoned. You can put a salad or some nice fresh bread or rolls with this or even some crackers, if you like. 

Southern Style White Beans with ham, cornbread

This is a good southern recipe. People who don’t live in the South don’t know what they are missing. I especially love this recipe from food.com  because you don’t have to soak the beans overnight. You can cook them in about three to four hours. I like to cook mine a day ahead so that they have time to really absorb all the flavors. Most of the time I fry up some andouille sausage to go with these, but this time I have planned for ham because I have some leftover ham in the freezer. I always cook them with a ham bone or a ham hock. Gladiola Yellow Cornbread Mix is our cornbread of choice. I do like to add some diced jalapenos to mine before cooking. We like the extra kick.