Menu #23

This menu is a little short, but it should have just about enough to get you through two weeks. We have a lunch planned with our small group from church, a day trip to Silver Dollar City, and a cookout with some friends at their house, so I am a meal or two short for a full menu. It’s also the end of school for us, so there are some quick meals for those busy end-of-school days. 

Salad with chicken

No recipe here! This is exactly as it sounds. Sometimes we like to have a big salad with grilled chicken. I load it up with all our favorite veggies, some boiled egg, pickles, and sometimes seasoned corn and top it with the chicken. We are always stuffed after eating such a big salad.

Garlic Salmon Linguine, asparagus

My basic premise for trying out this recipe is the fact that I have one piece of frozen salmon filet left and I want to use it. I found this recipe in a cookbook I have called Dinner on a Dime from Taste of Home, but I also found the same one at punchfork.com. It calls for canned salmon, but I am using my salmon filet instead. I will just season it and cook it on the stove, and then I can chop it up and use it in the recipe. I am planning on halving the recipe since it is only about 6 to 7 ounces of fish, and it is just for the two of us. Some roasted asparagus will complete this meal. Just trim the stems, toss it in a little olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and roast for about 12 to 15 minutes at 425 degrees F. 

Manwich, fries

Not too much to say here. Sometimes you just need a no-brainer, quick meal. You just need a pound of hamburger, a can of Manwich, some buns, and some frozen fries to fry up or put in the air fryer. 

Bulgogi, Sticky Fried Rice, asparagus

You may not be familiar with this Korean dish. We used to go to a little hole-in-the-wall Korean restaurant where we lived, and they served the BEST bulgogi and korean fried rice. Basically it is thin pieces of sliced beef that have been marinated in this sauce and then stir fried. We found some bulgogi sauce at Aldi, and my husband wanted to try it out. We also purchased some thin beef strips cut for fajitas. We tried just a couple of pieces ahead of time and decided that the sauce needed to be just a little bit sweeter. So for this meal, we will add some brown sugar to the sauce and let the meat marinate all day before cooking. Sticky fried rice is planned with this since that is what the restaurant serves. This is a new one for me. I am using sweet rice that I bought at an Asian market. Then I will just do my “normal” fried rice procedure. The biggest part of any fried rice is to cook the rice ahead of time and let it cool all day or overnight in the fridge. Cold rice is needed for fried rice. I have attached a sticky fried rice recipe from slurrp.com if you want to modify that. Or just have regular fried rice. As you can see, we have an abundance of asparagus, so that is the side for this meal as well. 

Southwest Chicken Wraps, spanish rice

This recipe is from an old recipe card that I have from an old company called Great Meals in Under 30 Minutes. I don’t believe they are even in existence any longer. That was back when mail memberships for things were very popular. These are just some very basic wraps with a nice southwest flavor.

3 cups chopped, cooked chicken

1 can black beans, drained

8 oz picante sauce

1 ½ tsp chili powder

¼ tsp garlic powder

1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese, divided

flour tortillas

shredded lettuce

chopped tomato

green onions

guacamole

sour cream

cilantro

Combine chicken, picante sauce, chili powder, and garlic powder in a large skillet and mix well. Cook over medium heat until heated through. Add ¾ cup cheese and beans to chicken mixture and mix well. Remove from heat. Wrap flour tortillas in a kitchen towel and microwave to warm. Spoon equal portions of the chicken mixture onto the warm tortillas. Top with the remaining ingredients, or with anything else that you like. 

We just each make our own with the toppings that we like. I guess ours may be more like soft tacos than wraps. Depends on the size of the tortillas, how full you fill them, and how tightly you wrap them.

Spanish or Mexican rice is a good side. 

Pizzas, salad

We love to make our own little individual pizzas. I just buy the individual crusts, some pizza sauce, and the toppings that we like. We usually use pepperoni, mushrooms, and black olives, and, of course, cheese. You put whatever toppings you like. Be creative! Load the pizzas down, cook them for a few minutes according to the package instructions, and add your salad. You can also make pizza dough, but we like the premade ones just as much. I usually put a little olive oil and Italian seasoning on the crusts before putting on the toppings.

Turkey wraps, fruit, chips

I have some leftover smoked turkey in my freezer as well as some frozen homemade flour tortillas from a local taqueria. I’m trying to be frugal and use items that I have, so I decided to plan on some turkey wraps. I will just use the turkey and add additional ingredients that we like. My husband likes lettuce and sliced onion. I like tomato. We both like candied jalapenos. I will also make a little honey mustang sauce by mixing some yellow mustard and honey until it is the flavor and consistency we like. You use whatever toppings and condiments you like or have on hand. Fresh fruit and chips complete this simple yet satisfying  little meal.

Fettuccine with Black Bean Sauce, broccoli

This recipe is also to use some ingredients that I have in my pantry and fridge. This is basically a meatless dish since it has the black beans in it instead. I will say that I think you could replace the black beans with a half pound of ground sausage cooked up and it would be a great meal as well. Or maybe do a little of both. The recipe is in my Dinner on a Dime cookbook from Taste of Home and it is also at tasteofhome.com. Steamed broccoli with a little seasoning is the planned side dish for this meal.

Fried catfish, rice pilaf, green beans

We picked up some cajun breaded catfish strips at our local grocery store. The brand is Louisiana Select. I found them at creolefood.com. I have linked it for you. These are a pretty good substitution for getting fresh fried catfish. I do them in the air fryer because it is healthier and less messy, but I am sure frying them in oil makes them the very best. Instead of having a heavy meal with fries and hushpuppies, I have decided to go a little lighter and prepare a box of rice pilaf and some green beans.

Chicken Pasta Primavera, fruit

This recipe is also from Dinner on a Dime from Taste of Home. I did not find it online or anything similar, so the recipe is below. There are lots of great pasta primavera recipes out there that have additional veggies and more sauce, so you might want to search for some of those. The original recipe I have actually does not call for chicken. It is just meant to be a side dish, but I am adding shredded rotisserie chicken to mine to make it a full meal. Fresh fruit is in season, so that is what will complete this meal.

2 cups broccoli florets

1 large carrot, julienned

1 can  (10 ¾ oz) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted

½ cup milk

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 clove garlic, minced

⅛ tsp pepper

3 cups cooked spaghetti

1 ½ cups shredded chicken

In a large saucepan, combine everything except the spaghetti and the chicken. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat until vegetables are tender, about 12 minutes. Stir in spaghetti and chicken; heat through.