menu for week of 4/19

Menu:

Monday - BBQ: Hamburgers, Hot Dogs, chips, strawberries

Tuesday - Pork Tenderloin (repeat night - I have the rest of the pork tenderloin in the fridge that I need to use), rice pilaf, green salad

Wednesday - Chicken-Fajita Tostadas, fruit salad, Spanish rice

Thursday - Spaghetti, breadsticks, green salad

Friday - Sticky Chicken, steamed rice, green beans

Saturday - Hearty Black Bean Soup (repeat meal - we didn't do it last week), green salad

Sunday - Tamale Pie, green salad, peaches and cottage cheese

Recipes:

Juiciest Hamburgers Ever:

1.5 lbs. ground beef

1/2 lb. pork sausage

1 egg, beaten

3/4 cup bread crumbs

3 T. evaporated milk

2 T. Worchestershire Sauce

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

2 cloves minced garlic

Mix it all together and form 8 patties. Cook on grill (duh...)

Chicken-Fajita Tostadas:

2 medium onions, thinly sliced

2 bell peppers, thinly sliced

1 box (10 ounce) frozen corn

1 cup salsa

2 T. olive oil

2 cups shredded cooked chicken

corn tortillas

shredded cheese (cheddar, colby-Jack, etc)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line baking sheet with foil. On foil combine onions, peppers, corn, 1/4 cup salsa, and 1 T oil; season with salt and pepper. Roast, tossing occasionally, until vegetables are tender and lightly browned, about 15-20 minutes. Add chicken, stir to combine. Continue to roast until warmed through, 5 minutes more. Transfer to a bowl (throw foil away). Arrange corn tortillas on baking sheet; brush with olive oil and top with shredded cheese. Bake until golden; 5-8 minutes. Serve with chicken mixture on top.

Sticky Chicken:

1 pkg. onion soup mix

1 jar apricot jam, small

12 ounces Russian Dressing

about 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Mix ingredients together and cook in crock pot.

Tamale Pie:

1 (15 ounce) can tomatoes

12 oz. corn, drained

1 1/2 T. chili powder

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 can black olives, drained

Stir and simmer above ingredients in a large pan. Then brown the following ingredients in another pan:

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef

1 c. diced onion

1/2 c. diced bell pepper

1 clove minced garlic

1/8 c. olive oil

Add the two pans together.

Mix together in a bowl:

1 c. water

1/2 c. cornmeal

Add that to the mixture above. Put it all in a 9x13 pan.

Mix the following ingredients together:

1 1/2 c. milk

1/2 c. cornmeal

1 tsp. salt

2 T. butter or margarine

1/4 lb. grated cheese (can use less and it is still good)

2 eggs, beaten

Heat slowly in saucepan until thickened. Spread on top of mean mixture in 9x13. Bake uncovered at 375 for 40 minutes to 1 hour.

Mom's Spaghetti Sauce:

1 medium onion , chopped

1-1.5 lbs ground beef or turkey

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1 quart or large can tomatoes

2 6-ounce cans tomato paste

3 6-ounce cans water (just use the tomato paste can)

2-3 tsp. sugar OR some grated carrot (this just helps with the acidity, so you only need one or the other)

1 tsp. salt

pinch of pepper

2 tsp. basil

1 tsp oregano (I always add more b/c I love oregano)

pinch of cayenne pepper

Saute onion and brown the meat. Add minced garlic and if desired drain off fat. Add tomatoes to mear. Add everything else and let simmer. Add water periodically if it seems to be getting too thick.