I was inspired to make a cheese board for my family Thanksgiving celebration this year due to all of the posts that seem to be going around right now. Ty even decided that he would refinish an older cutting board for me to use as the serving piece. Didn't he do a lovely job? We celebrated our special day on Sunday and ate some seriously yummy food....now Thursday is all about relaxing and enjoying the true start of the Holiday Season. I am even planning to decorate the house and tree. Heck, I may even crank down the a/c, start a fire, and drink some spiked egg nog ;)
Last week's menu was over the top successful. And...I have a few pictures to show ya.
They were even better when I heated them up the next day in a dry frying pan. Usually seafood reheated isn't my favorite, but this particular recipe was a superstar in this aspect.
I used a regular pie crust instead of the crescents which required a significantly longer cooking time but it was delicious as always.
I substituted quite a bit for this recipe. I only made half since there is just the two of us eating each night. I used one can of black beans, and one can of refried black beans to avoid using the immersion blender. Ty asked that I add some corn, sweet pepper, and onion to the mix and the additions gave the soup a delightful texture. We also had leftover rice that we served the soup over. We will definitely make some version of this soup for the upcoming colder months.
Pumpkin Chipotle Bucatini with Ground Chicken
This pre made sauce from Aldi is absolutely delicious! I browned the ground chicken on Sunday and stored it in the refrigerator until the day that we made it. The only step for this yummy dinner was to add the sauce and chicken to the crock pot and cook on low for about 4-6 hours. No other seasoning required.
Artichoke and Cheese Strudel
Again from Aldi! You can see how delicious it is since there was only about 1/4 left when I got to take the photo. This frozen delight is part of Aldi's Oktoberfest inventory that I look forward to each year. My only recommendation is to be open with the cooking time. Watch carefully when baking as I found this pastry takes about 10 extra minutes in the oven to reach the golden brown color. A tip I have to share is use parchment paper to cover the cooking sheet. The bottom of whatever you are baking gets crisp and no washing required.
I had intended on using the crock pot again for Thursday evening for convenience with attending my class...however, I have now coordinated my work schedule to use Thursday's as my study day. Since I was home, I cooked this in the oven with wonderful results. The meat was tender and moist and the flavor from the mushrooms permeated the whole dish. The smell during the oven time had our stomachs rumbling. Time got away from me and I didn't get to make a veg to make a balanced meal before my class started. That seems to be an ongoing problem for weeknight meals that I need to pay some extra attention. I've been so focused on the main portion of the meal that the green part suffers.
Scalloped Potatoes
These come from a box...sometimes a sale price combined with a coupon makes me buy these. A nice reminder of my childhood and despite the preservatives quite delicious!
Cinnamon Coffee Cake
This dessert for two is perfect for Ty and myself.
Baked Chicken Cutlets {freezer meal}
Green Salad with Feta, Cranberries, and Almonds
I love having things in the freezer that are ready to go and baby greens that don't require a lot of prep are right up my alley.
This week's absolute favorite recipe goes to Gringa Mexican Rice! Of course, it was dark and we were really hungry and I didn't get a passable photo of the results. The Famous Dave's seasoning was exchanged for Montreal Steak seasoning and I used Tastefully Simple's Garlic Garlic for the Garlic Pepper seasoning with fantastic results. I used leftover chilled rice, and pre cooked ground beef to make this meal come together in about 5 minutes. At the end of the cooking process, I stirred in about 1 tbs A-1 sauce that took this recipe from good to great! We will be having this weekly until I either have a change in my course schedule or until we get tired of eating it. Again, I didn't make a green vegetable because I didn't prep any over the weekend. That's my number one goal in the upcoming weeks. Prep the veggies, prep the veggies....no excuses.
Next week's {Thanksgiving Week}
SUNDAY: Family Thanksgiving Potluck, Cheese Board, Lemon Pecan Slab Pie, Individual Creme Brulee. Lots and lots of other good stuff!
To Do: Put chicken in the marinade and place frozen bag in the frig.
MONDAY: Grilled Chicken, Roasted Baby Potatoes, Asparagus
To Do: Nothing, freezer meal.
TUESDAY: Spinach and Bacon Quiche {freezer}, Caesar Salad
To Do: Cook rice, put hamburger in the frig.
WEDNESDAY: Gringa Mexican Rice, Leftover Caesar Salad
To Do: Not exactly sure yet, my assignment for Friendsgiving hasn't been given yet. Just been given, I'm making a ham.
THURSDAY: Friendsgiving!
To Do: Nothing, a day off tomorrow...shopping maybe???
FRIDAY: Eating out if I shop, otherwise I'll plan on the fly.
That's it! Have a happy Thanksgiving Day and enjoy, without guilt I might add, all of the cheesy goodness that in my mind makes the day super special!
This post is linked to orgjunkie.com
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