Weekend Menu

*turkey burgers
Fries

*(Toddly is home!!!) grilled steak soft tacos
Black beans
chips
dips
margaritas!

*Pasta Salad with Shrimp, Peppers, and Olives

Pulled Chicken Sandwich

I hosted my bunco group at my house this month, and I decided to try this recipe for Pulled Chicken Sandwiches. It was a huge hit with us - we give it two enthusiastic thumbs up!

We grilled the chicken Sunday night. This recipe will clean out your spice cabinet! It starts with a dry rub on the chicken before it is grilled.


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While the chicken was grilling, I made the sauce.


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Pulling the chicken was the most time-consuming part. After all the pulling was done, we mixed the chicken and the sauce.

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The pickle slices are a must - we prefer Best Maid.

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Since the recipe says you can make this up to two days ahead, that's exactly what I did for Bunco. I got it out on Tuesday and heated on Low in the crockpot. It was a hit. I loved it for a party food b/c all the work was already done!

Our New Favorite Pizza

I use this pizza dough recipe that Carla gave me. It makes enough for one big pizza and one kiddie pizza. You just mix the water, yeast, and sugar (I use honey) and let the yeast do its thing for 5 minutes. Then mix it all up in the blender. I often add freshly minced garlic and grated Parm-Regg.

1 cup water, yeast, 1/2 t brown sugar, 3.5 cups bread flour, 1/4 to 1/2 cup olive oil, and 1 t salt.

And the toppings...
Wal-Mart pizza sauce
Fontina
Dots of chili-garlic sauce
Chopped turkey pepperoni
Portabellas sauteed in red wine
red pepper flakes

kid pizza...

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Grown up pizza...

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Buttermilk Brined Pork Chops and Roasted Broccoli

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This was a yummy and easy meal! I brined the pork chops over night and then cooked them in the grill pan. They were tender and had lots of great flavor. I used fresh rosemary and dried sage.

Roasted broccoli is one of our current favorites from Cooks Illustrated - thanks to my friend Jen for sharing it.

Buttermilk Brined Pork Chops

Roasted Broccoli
Roasted broccoli w/ optional garlic
1 large head broccoli (about 1 3/4 pounds)
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar

Ground black pepper

Lemon wedges for serving

1. Adjust oven rack to lowest position, place large rimmed baking sheet on rack, and heat oven to 500 degrees. Cut broccoli at juncture of florets and stems; remove outer peel from stalk. Cut stalk into 2- to 3-inch lengths and each length into 1/2-inch-thick pieces. Cut crowns into 4 wedges if 3-4 inches in diameter or 6 wedges if 4-5 inches in diameter. Place broccoli in large bowl; drizzle with oil and toss well until evenly coated. Sprinkle with salt, sugar, and pepper to taste and toss to combine.
2. Working quickly, remove baking sheet from oven. Carefully transfer broccoli to baking sheet and spread into even layer, placing flat sides down. Return baking sheet to oven and roast until stalks are well browned and tender and florets are lightly browned, 9 to 11 minutes. Transfer to serving dish and serve immediately with lemon wedges.

What's on the Menu? 6/28-7/3

I'm going to try some new recipes this week, so hopefully I'll find something blog-worthy!

Saturday: *new recipe*Mustard-Maple Salmon, Wild Rice, Green Veggie
Sunday: Homemade Pizza (fontina, turkey pepp and mushrooms)
Monday: Tex-Mex Pasta Salad (Todd’s request)
Tuesday: *new recipe*Buttermilk – Brined Pork Chops; corn on the cob; green veggie
Wednesday: *new recipe*Orzo Salad with Chickpeas, Dill and Lemon; Green veggie; bread
Thursday: Waffles and Low-Fat Sausage (Leo’s request)

What's on the Menu? 6/22-6/26

Sun – Turkey Burgers (from the freezer); Fries
Mon – Veggie Sides Night! Mashed New Potatoes; Steamed asparagus; Black-Eyed Peas;corn on the cob
Tues – Catfish; Spicy Asian Slaw; leftover peas
Wed – (neighbors over for dinner) app – pitas and baba ghanoush; Kabobs; wild rice; spinach salad
Thur – Tuna sandwiches and chips; any leftovers

SW Pinto Bean Burgers with Chipotle Mayonnaise

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile. I really haven't tried anything terribly blog-worthy.

I made these Pinto Bean burgers - they were ok, but I won't make them again. I intended to freeze half, but then I realized they had sour cream in them...I was worried about how that would freeze. ???

So, since they weren't AWESOME, I won't go into tons of detail. I am finding that I prefer bean patties that do not have breadcrumbs in them. I think this is the second bean patty recipe I have made with breadcrumbs mixed in that I didn't love. The nice thing about these was that the recipe made huge, hearty patties.

Before beans and corn...

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The completed mixture...

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The patties. I refrigerated these for awhile so they would firm up.

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Making the chipotle mayo. When I open a new can of chipotle peppers, I chop them in the food processor and then freeze. Then I just scrape some off as I need it. Most recipes use so little and the can usually has lots left over.

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Final Product...

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