day to day cook

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Baked Potato Soup

6 baked potatoes
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. flour
4 c. milk
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 c. crumbled bacon
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
3/4 c. sour cream

Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in flour, salt and pepper and heat just until bubbly (only a few seconds). Gradually stir in milk. Continue to heat until it comes to a boil. Boil for 1 minute or until thickened. Cut baked potatoes into small pieces and stir into sauce. Add half of the bacon, cheese, and sour cream. Scoop into bowls and top with remaining ingredients.

Monday, June 7, 2010

Menu Plan Monday--Master Shopping List

Part of what makes menu planning such a wonderful time saver is the fact that you won't have to run to the store at the last minute to get an ingredient that you need for dinner! If you have made your list and checked it twice, you will have everything you need to make all your meals for whatever period of time you have planned. Part of making that happen involves having a good master shopping list. When you go through your menu plan you will write down the ingredients you need for each recipe, but you need a list of things that you always want to keep on hand, like flour, butter, milk, etc. Having a good master shopping list will ensure that you always have the basic necessities on hand to be able to make any dish your heart desires. It takes time to perfect a good master list (I still find myself altering mine), but when you have one, you will see it is well worth the time investment.

I'm still trying to find a way to upload my shopping list here to help all of you create yours, but in the meantime...
just start a basic list of things that you know you need on a regular basis. Whenever you find you are out of something you need, just add it to your list. In no time, you will have a good master list going!

What I do with my master shopping list is this:
Place inside a plastic sheet protector and put inside the pantry door. Whenever you run out of something, you can highlight the item right on the sheet protector with a dry-erase marker. (Train your family to do this!!!) Then when it is time to go shopping, you can just remove the whole thing and take it to the store. Once you are done shopping, erase your highlighted marks and start over.

Menu Plan 6/7-6/13

Monday:
breakfast~smoothies
lunch~baked potato soup
dinner~salisbury steak

Tuesday:
breakfast~cream of wheat
lunch~leftovers
dinner~chorizo quesadillas

Wednesday:
breakfast~banana bread
lunch~sandwiches
dinner~roasted chickens

Thursday:
breakfast~granola bars
lunch~pasta
dinner~cheesy macaroni and ham bake

Friday:
breakfast~crumb cake
lumch~quesadillas
dinner~pizza

Saturday:
breakfast~omelets
lunch~tuna macaroni salad
dinner~fettucine alfredo

Sunday:
breakfast~cereal
lunch~go out
dinner~enchiladas

Saturday, June 5, 2010

Chef Salad

Named because of ingenious use of various leftover foods in the restaurant kitchen, the chef salad is a wonderful planned-over food and a great way to use up whatever you have laying around your kitchen. The variations are endless, but listed below are the must-have ingredients in a chef salad.

Top your basic salad greens with:

hard boiled eggs (boil ahead of time on food prep day!)
shredded cheddar cheese
deli turkey and ham, sliced julienne
variety of vegetables including carrot shreds, cucumbers, and tomatoes

You can top with any dressing, but French is traditional and I love it with ranch! Don't forget the croutons!

Friday, June 4, 2010

Meat Lovers Pizza

This pizza is to die for! Perfect if you have carnivores like me! I try to make it when I know I will have leftover meats from other dishes. Like my leftover sausage from Peppers and Eggs, ham from Cheesy Macaroni, and bacon from Twice Baked Potatoes. I love Planned Overs!

Meat Lovers Pizza

Top one batch pizza crust with:
1 c. pizza sauce (I just mix some Italian seasoning into tomato sauce)
2-3 c. shredded mozzarella cheese (we are cheese lovers here!)
pepperonis
chopped bacon (if bacon is cooked ahead of time and chilled you can easily just crumble with your hands)
sliced ham, cut into small pieces
cooked sausage
(you can use any meats you want!)

Bake at 400 for about 15 mins.

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Baking Mix

Thursday is my food prep day and this baking mix is one of the things I will make up ahead of time to make meal preparation even easier! It can be used in place of Bisquick to make things like pancakes, biscuits, muffins, and fruit cobblers.

4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup instant nonfat milk powder or dry buttermilk powder
1 cup vegetable shortening plus 2 tablespoons

Simply combine all dry ingredients and then cut in shortening using a pastry blended until evenly distributed. Store in a covered container or a large baggie.

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Oatmeal Scotchies

One of my favorite cookies!

3/4 c. butter, softened
3/4 c. sugar
3/4 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 c. flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
3 c. oats
2 c. butterscotch morsels

Preheat oven to 375. Beat butter and sugars until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Stir the butter mixture into the dry ingredients. Stir in oats and butterscotch morsels. Drop by large spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 mins, until edges are brown and centers are still soft. Cool on pan for 2 mins and then remove to wire rack to cool completely.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Garlic Lime Chicken

OMG this recipe is such a family pleaser. So good, and S-I-M-P-L-E. It is modified from a recipe found at Saving Dinner (have I mentioned how much I LOVE that site?!)

Garlic Lime Chicken

Heat 2 tbsp olive oil over med high heat in a large skillet. Sprinkle chicken pieces (any type you want) with salt and pepper, followed by paprika and garlic powder. (I can't be bothered to measure and mix, I just sprinkle it right on the chicken-just be careful!) Place chicken pieces in oil and brown about 3 minutes on each side. Turn heat down to medium low. Use a fork to completely squeeze out all of the juice of a lime on top of the chicken. (one lime will do well for up to 8 pieces of chicken) Put a lid on the pan and continue to cook until no longer pink in center. (time will vary depending on what type of chicken you use-BLSL about 10 minutes, bone in pieces 15-20) Check the pan every few minutes and add some liquid (water or chicken broth) if it starts to get dry.

Delicious served with tortillas, rice, corn, and beans El Pollo Loco style :)