Menu #6

These two weeks are a little better for my planning….and yours! I have several more meals planned than the last few weeks. I guess these couple of weeks are a little slower for us. That’s okay, it’s about to ramp back up again for a while!

One Pot Chicken and Dirty Rice, Salad

This is a new recipe for me. You know we love our Louisiana foods and flavors, so this one fits the bill! You know I am using andouille or smoked sausage. I keep that in my freezer. This recipe is from thechunkychef.com. It’s a great use for chicken thighs as well as chicken stock that you might have in your freezer. Pair it with a nice salad and you have a wonderful meal.

Ribs, potato salad, Ranch beans

I cannot take credit for these ribs. We have a large pack of seasoned ribs in the freezer. All I have to do is cook them. I plan to cook them in the oven, but there are also directions for cooking them on the grill. Many stores now carry pre-seasoned ribs and other meat. I have shared my potato salad recipe (if you can even call it that) in an earlier menu, but I will share it again below.  You use what you like or you can buy some. I will finish this off with some canned Ranch-style beans. My kids have always called them Cowboy Beans because that is what the daycare called them when they were little. Delicious!! I guess you can tell we like ribs because I think this is the 3rd or 4th time they have been on the menus since I started!!

For the potato salad, I peel and cut up russet potatoes (you decide how big a batch you want to make) and boil them. I also put an egg in there to boil at the same time (my MIL taught me that – genius!). Once they are cooked and drained, peel the egg and chop it and add to the pot. Then I add mayo, mustard, sweet pickle relish, salt and pepper and stir it all up. I start with small amounts and add additional if needed until it is the color and taste that I want. We actually like to eat our potato salad warm, but I know many do not. If that is the case, if you are making homemade, just make it ahead of time and chill.

Chicken and Noodles, pudding

When you see this, you know it is DKG night! This recipe can be found in a couple of the other menus, but here it is…again!

Place some bone-in chicken (or a whole chicken, depending on the amount you are making) in an oven-safe dutch oven and cover with water. Place a lid on the pot. Cook the chicken in the oven ay 350 degrees F until it is cooked through, usually about an hour or longer based on the size of the chicken or chicken pieces. Remove from the oven and move the pot to the stove. When the chicken is cool enough, remove the meat from the bones and add it back to the pot with the liquid that is still in there from cooking the chicken. Bring it to a boil and add chicken Ramen noodles. The amount depends on how many you are feeding. When it’s just for my husband, he just uses a couple of packages. Pour in half of the seasoning packets and cook until the noodles are done. 

Tarragon Chicken, rice dish, cooked carrots

This is another one of those dishes that comes off an old recipe card. Here is the recipe:

2 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

¾ cup dry white wine (or broth)

2 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp dried tarragon

1 tsp dried parsley

¼ tsp salt

⅛ tsp black pepper

Heat butter and oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook chicken in hot butter mixture until lightly browned, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.

Add wine (or chicken broth) to skillet drippings. Bring to a boil, stirring continually. Stir in mustard, tarragon, parsley, salt, and black pepper. Cook, stirring continually for 3 minutes.

Return chicken to skillet and turn to coat. Cook until chicken is cooked through and tender, about 10 minutes. Transfer chicken to a serving plate. Pour sauce over chicken and serve.

I just bought a Knorr rice dish to go with this. I will use frozen carrots and season them. I cook them on the stove according to the directions. Then I drain them, put them back in the pot, and add brown sugar, butter, and a little cayenne pepper. The amount depends on your taste. It’s usually a couple of tablespoons of brown sugar, a couple of tablespoons of butter, and a pinch or two of cayenne pepper. You can leave that part out if you don’t want them to be spicy.

Blackened salmon, Rice-a-Roni, salad

I love using the individual salmon portions from Sam’s. One individually frozen filet per person is more than enough. They are just the right size and thickness. This recipe is super simple but delicious. My husband likes salmon done this way more than any of the other ways that I prepare it. This recipe is from wellplated.com. A lot of times we will have some sort of potato with this dish. I just decided to mix it up a little bit and do a quick side of Rice-a-Roni. You can choose the flavor that you like or just do your own rice. A nice green salad rounds out this meal.

Hot Dogs (Chili Dogs), french fries

I don’t think this needs much explanation. I like hot dogs with ketchup and mustard and my husband likes chili dogs with onions, so I heat up some canned chili (no beans) and cut up some onion for him. I like cooking fries in an air fryer. They come out crispy and there is much less mess and clean-up. I just buy frozen ones. 

City Chicken, mashed potatoes, peas

The recipe I have is one cut from a Taste of Home recipe magazine. Until I did a search for it, I had no idea that City Chicken was actually a “thing” from the Midwest. It is actually made with pork. It does take a little time for it to cook, so this is not a recipe you can make for a quick dinner. You can thicken the pan juices to make a gravy for the mashed potatoes. I make homemade ones but you can use instant or deli mashed potatoes. And you already know that I only use Le Sueur peas. 

Chicken Fried Rice, Asian Salad

We love Chinese food, but most of the time I make it at home instead of going to a restaurant or getting take-out. The linked recipe from eatingonadime.com is very similar to my recipe. I pretty much use all those same ingredients. I just cook it a little differently. I also add white pepper and sesame seeds to mine. The key is to have COLD rice. I cook it in the morning, put it in the fridge, and then pull it out about 30 minutes before I am ready to cook. Be sure to break it apart so that all the grains are separated. 

For the salad, use your favorite salad greens. I add some shredded cabbage and shredded carrot. Toss with Kraft Asian Toasted Sesame salad dressing. Then add some toasted almonds, chow mein noodles, and mandarin oranges.

Meatloaf, buttered potatoes with lemon pepper seasoning, green beans

This is a recipe that I have used for probably 20+ years. My family loves it! It is on an old recipe card from Great American Recipes. The linked one is the exact recipe. It is from justapinch.com.  I have a few tips for it and I have made a few adjustments to it over the years. I like to mix up everything the night before. I think having that time for the flavors to meld makes it so much better. It also makes it easier to get it cooked since I have done all the prep work already. I mix up the meat portion in one container and the topping in another and store them in the fridge. I also like to make a double batch of the topping. We like ours extra saucy. I have also found that I like to make little individual meatloaves instead of one large one. They cook up faster, and each person gets their own little meatloaf. I have some little oval dishes that I portion the meat into and I place all of them on a cookie sheet to cook. 

For the potatoes, I peel and cut up some russet potatoes and boil them while the meatloaf is cooking. Once the potatoes are tender, I drain them and then add butter or margarine and mix it around. Then I sprinkle them generously with lemon pepper seasoning. 

The green beans are canned green beans that I season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. You can also use frozen green beans or whatever vegetable you like.