Menu Plan Monday - November 30th

I’m getting back into menu planning finally. Posting it really helps me stick to it. Here’s my menu plan for this week.

Monday (tonight) - Chicken and Rice and mixed veggies.

Tuesday - Country Fried Steak (recipe below), mashed potatoes and gravy, niblet corn

Country Fried Steak

1 egg

1/4 cup milk

1 cup all purpose flour

1 sleeve saltine crackers, crushed

1 1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt

1 1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 1/2 teaspoon steak seasoning (I use McCormick’s Grill Mates because thats what is in my spice rack)

4 (4 ounce) cube steaks

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Whisk together the egg and milk in a shallow bowl and set aside. Whisk together the flour, crushed saltines, seasoned salt, onion powder and steak seasoning. Dip the steaks in the egg and milk mixture and then press each steak into the flour mixture. Pat the steaks with the flour mixture to coat them completely. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat and fry the steaks until golden brown, firm and hot all the way through (about 4 minutes per side)

Wednesday - Fend for yourself night

Thursday - Easy Baked Pasta (recipe below), caesar salad and garlic bread

Easy Baked Pasta (recipe I clipped from the Atlanta Journal Constitution)

1 pound ground beef

3 cups ziti pasta cooked and drained

1 (26 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce

8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese

3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large skillet brown the ground beef and then drain. *In a 9 x13 inch baking dish, stir together the ground beef, cooked pasta, spaghetti sauce, mozzarella and a 1/2 cup of the parmesan cheese. Top mixture with remaining parmesan cheese. Cover and bake for 20 minutes until heated through, gooey and delicious.

*Note-this is always messy for me to do. I wind up spilling some every time and still haven’t figured out how to mix it all together neatly.  Lets see, where were we? Oh!

Friday - Dinner out somewhere. It is  the annual Porterdale Christmas in the Village event. There will be a parade complete with Santa and live reindeer! Our families are going to come to our house, go to the parade and then go out to dinner.  It was so much fun last year and we can’t wait to take Sebastian for a picture with Santa.

Saturday - Pork chops, rice and broccoli and cheese sauce.

Sunday  - crock pot beef stew and biscuits

All these recipes are making me hungry. I think I’m finally getting my appetite back. I’m going to set up the weeble’s swing in the kitchen so he can hang out with me while I do the dishes and cook.

[Via http://spilledsweettea.com]

Turkey Avgolemono

Avgolemono soup

Last Friday I attended the Gunma JETs’ Thanksgiving dinner for more than 50 local JETs, other foreigners, and friends. As you can imagine, a Thanksgiving dinner for 50 is quite a spread. I’m pretty sure there were 6 (small) turkeys! Not wanting to waste, I volunteered, as in past years, to take the bones home for turkey soup. I’m sure we were quite a sight bicycling home with our two giant bags of turkey bones, an empty wine bottle, and a pair of wine glasses (not that we would bicycle after drinking wine, as, of course, it is illegal… that’s merely a coincidence).

So on Saturday morning I got to work removing any bits of meat remaining on the bones that filled a good part of my refrigerator. After that, I had to nest everything together as efficiently as I could to get them into my two largest pots. Onto the stove went the pots. I filled them to the brim with water and set them simmering.

After several hours the house smelled like Thanksgiving, and I had a quart of turkey meat and three or four quarts of very concentrated turkey stock–it’s like jello once it cools. Ordinarily I would get more stock from so many bones, but my pots are small so they were packed so full that there wasn’t much room for the water. I’m sure it won’t be a problem to dilute it with water before I use it.

And after making turkey stock all day, what would make a better dinner than turkey soup? After I strained the stock I managed to find enough meat still on the bones–but now fall-off-the-bone tender–to make a very meaty soup. And avgolemono is nice and easy. I just cooked up an onion and some celery (I don’t think it’s traditional, but it’s tasty and I had some in the fridge) in a bit of olive oil, added some rice, stock, and meat, and finally finished the soup with lemon juice, egg, and chopped dill. Although this soup is easy, the egg and rice make a thick soup that’s filling enough to enjoy as a main course. And that’s just what I did.

So next time you have leftover turkey bones, why don’t you get in the mottainai spirit and make turkey avgolemono? Of course this recipe is delicious made with chicken too. In fact, the picture above is actually a chicken avgolemono that I made this spring, but trust me, it looks almost the same.

Turkey Avgolemono

olive oil

one onion, chopped

half a stalk celery, chopped finely (optional)

one half cup uncooked rice

white wine or sake

about 6 cups homemade turkey stock (or chicken)

some turkey meat (or chicken), chopped

two bay leaves

juice from one lemon

two eggs or 4 egg yolks

handful of fresh dill, chopped

salt and pepper

Heat some olive oil in a large pot. Add the onion and celery. Sprinkle with some salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft. Add the rice and stir. Add a splash of wine or sake and stir again. Add the turkey stock, bay leaves, and turkey meat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes until the rice is very tender.Turn off the heat.

Put half of the lemon juice and eggs in a bowl and whisk together thoroughly; make sure that there are no bits of unincorporated egg white or they won’t make your soup creamy. If you use all egg yolks the soup will be more yellow and taste richer. Don’t use all of the lemon juice at first because you don’t want the soup to be too sour–you can always add more later.  Gradually stir a few cups of hot soup together with the egg mixture to temper the eggs. Once the egg mixture is warm, add it to the pot of soup and stir well.

Add a handful of chopped dill or other green herbs like parsley and green onions. Stir soup and taste. Adjust your seasoning with salt, pepper, and lemon juice.

[Via http://beyondboulder.wordpress.com]

The "Joy" Begins ...

I finally get to test out Joy recipes this weekend – my first one home since I went to college so it feels kind of weird. And wonderfully homey. What to choose? My parents were glad to volunteer me to make a whole meal for dinner, but I figure I’ll only make the entrée out of the Joy of Cooking and just mix up a quick salad and have some fresh fruit to go with it. So the first thing I need to find is an easy entrée. The second, if I feel like making it would be a side of some sort for that dinner. The third, which I’m definitely going to do, is to make something sweet to take back to the dorm for the other  girls.

So, a lot of these recipes have a lot of different steps. That’s pretty intimidating … but I can do it! I shall not be scared away by print. Print is my friend. I love to read. *deep breaths* How sad would that be if I had to report my first Joy recipe as a failure because of my own inadequacy? Very, but it won’t happen.

The journey begins … tomorrow. Which reminds me of a quote from Bilbo Baggins in Lord of the Rings. “It’s a dangerous business, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no telling where you might be swept off to.” I’m about to step on the road.

For entrée: Fettuccini with fresh herbs

For side: Fresh Garlic Bread

For Roomies: Peanut Butter Pie (& pie crust & chocolate glaze)

[Via http://lwolf09.wordpress.com]

"You will amaze your friends." 8, 15, 37, 48, 64, 73

Speaking of fortune cookies (in Wednesday’s post), can you see the future?  Well, if you are the one making it happen, sure you can!

How to Change Your Fortune

I think this would be a lot of fun to use as a clue to where to find a larger gift than packaging will allow.  For example, if I want to give my grandma a new cookbook (and I do!), but I want to give her her gift in one of those magic boxes, like everyone else’s gift, I could remake her fortune to read something like, “You will be surprised and delighted when you pull out your chair for dinner this evening.”  Then, at some point shortly before dinner, I just need to sneak the book onto her chair.

I also have a special fortune planned for my hubby.  But that’s the only hint you get.

[Via http://chasedbyanelephant.wordpress.com]

that terrible onion aroma

I don’t know about you but I physically cannot stand onions. I can eat them but I cannot cut them in the raw. I cry like a little baby. Just now though, I was able to grate a whole onion without the slightest tear. Sure anyone walking by my house would have wondered what the mad scientist in the window was doing, but I wasn’t crying. I used swim goggles. It really worked. My nose was burning a little but I didn’t cry. Just a note.

[Via http://domestichusband.wordpress.com]

Living with Uncertainty

It is highly unusual for me to be coming to this part of the year without having a clear vision of what is store for me in the new year to come.  However since my decision to resign in July, uncertainty has been my constant companion and that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.  It has made me think deeply about my vocation of teaching and I truly believe it is a vocation. I have also had to think about balancing the different roles I have in my life and all of that is productive.  I remember a saying “let go and let God” and that is what I have been doing for the last six months.  That isn’t easy when I’m used to having all my ducks in a row and knowing exactly what the next step will be.

As of this moment I know these things:

• My true passion is teaching.  I will teach in any primary year level.  I used to think that Prep would be too hard. Now I think it would be great fun.
• I am open to new and different experiences in teaching.  They will all be part of life’s rich tapestry.
• While I can be a competent homemaker, I’m not cut out to make it my full time occupation.
• When I am feeling contented and on top of things that feeling spreads to the rest of my family.

I’ve been doing an number of things to deal with the uncertainty around next year.  These include sticking to a regular daily and weekly routine, slowly getting the house more organised so that a return to work is made easier and training my boys in taking on more household responsibilities instead of being “waited on”.  I’ve made sure that I have regular social contact through my knitting groups and book club. I’m also being open to suggestions about what I might do.  I’ve applied for a number of positions in a range of different schools and in many different year levels for anything from six months to 12 months.  I’m willing to try new things but I feel that I need more than casual relief work to truly utilize my talents and to make a viable financial contribution to my family.  Four days out of 10 weeks is certainly not enough for us to live on!

I’m also looking after my health.  Weight Watchers and Contours are a big part of my life.  Our menu planning at home is improving and we are cooking more regularly.  I stay in touch with my doctors on a regular basis and follow their advice.  I’m still not the best sleeper but I think part of that is natural when I’m faced with not knowing what the new year will bring.

[Via http://teresamcnamara.wordpress.com]

Korean Short Ribs (Kalbi) - Hawaiian Style

I’m not sure if this recipe is exact, but the Korean Short Ribs I used to get in Hawaii were INCREDIBLE!!   I could get RICH here with a Korean BBQ Joint.

Korean Short Ribs (Kalbi / Galbi) – Hawaiian Style

Ingredients

2-3 lbs short rib of beef

3/4 cup soy sauce

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup water

3 inches piece fresh ginger, sliced

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tablespoon sesame oil

Directions

1

Combine all ingredients and marinate ribs for 4 hours.

2

Broil or barbecue to desired degree of doneness.

[Via http://armedbear.wordpress.com]