Week 2 Ingredients: Ground Beef, Pasta & Corn

The Menu & Recipes:

Southwest Baked Ziti

Stuffed Bacon Cheeseburgers & Pasta Salad (make your own recipe and add 1/2 cup corn)

Shepherd’s Pie

Taco Soup

The Plan:
Brown 3 pounds ground beef in skillet over medium heat. Drain and cool. Separate into thirds and freeze each pound in Ziploc bags for use later in the week. Boil 6 ears of white or yellow corn for 12 to 16 minutes or until tender. Remove from water and cool. Remove kernels from corn, reserve 1 cup and freeze the rest in Ziploc bags for use later in the week.

Prepare Cheeseburgers & Pasta Salad with remaining (uncooked) ground beef and reserved corn.

Southwest Baked Ziti

Ingredients
• 1 pound ziti noodles
• 1 pound ground beef, cooked through
• 2 (28-ounce) cans diced tomatoes with seasonings (green pepper and onion or garlic and oregano, or any flavor you want)
• 1 cup yellow or white corn
• ½ cup sliced black olives
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 2 teaspoons dried rosemary
• 1 (15-ounce) container ricotta cheese
• 4 cups grated mozzarella cheese, reserve 1 cup, for topping
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside. Meanwhile, heat ground beef in a hot skillet over medium. Add tomatoes, corn, olives, thyme and rosemary and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat. In a medium bowl, combine ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese and garlic powder and mix well. Spoon 1/2 cup of the tomato sauce in the bottom of a 4-quart casserole dish. Top with half of the cooked ziti. Top with half of the cheese mixture. Top with 1 cup of the tomato sauce. Repeat layers (remaining ziti and remaining cheese mixture). Top with remaining tomato sauce. Sprinkle remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheese over top. Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 more minutes, until cheese is golden and bubbly.

Stuffed Bacon Cheeseburgers

Ingredients
•1/2 cup shredded Monterey jack
•4 slices cooked bacon, chopped
•1 pound ground chuck
•Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
•4 large hamburger buns, split
•Ketchup, mayonnaise, and mustard, for serving
•Lettuce, sliced tomato, onion, and avocado, for serving
Directions
Combine the jack cheese and chopped bacon in a bowl. Put the beef in another bowl and season with salt and pepper; use a rubber spatula to mix it in. Flatten 1/4 of the meat mixture in the palm of your hand. Squeeze together about a tablespoon of the cheese and bacon mixture to make a little nugget; put it in the center of the ground beef. Bring up the sides of the patty over the filling, making sure the cheese is completely covered by the meat. Flatten slightly for a nice patty shape. Set them side by side on a platter in the refrigerator while preparing the grill.
Place a large grill pan on 2 burners over medium-high heat or preheat an outdoor gas or charcoal barbecue and get it very hot. Brush the grates with oil to keep the burgers from sticking. Grill the burgers for 8 minutes per side for medium. (The USDA recommends cooking ground beef until it is no longer pink and the internal temperature is 160 degrees F.) Remove the burgers to a clean side plate while you toast the buns.

Rub the grill rack with more oil and place the buns cut-side down, toast for 1 minute. Serve the burgers with your favorite condiment and any garnish you like, such as lettuce, sliced tomato, onion, and/or avocado.

Sheperd's Pie

Ingredients

• 1 small onion
• 1 pound ground beef
• 2 (8-ounce) cans tomato sauce
• 1 1/2 cups mixed vegetables or niblet corn, prepared
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 8 to 10 medium red new potatoes
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 12 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 cups instant biscuit mix

Directions

Beef Layer: Saute onions in 2 tablespoons butter. Add ground beef. After beef is browned, add tomato sauce; Mix in vegetables. Add salt and pepper, to taste.

Potato Layer: Peel and slice potatoes 1/4-inch thick. Cook in boiling water for approximately 15 minutes or until fork-tender. Whip potatoes with electric mixer; mix until moderately smooth. Don't over beat them; a few lumps are nice. Add 1/2 cup heated milk, 1/2 cup butter, and sour cream. Salt and pepper, to taste. Whip until mixed. Adjust thickness by adding more milk, if desired.

Biscuit Layer: Combine biscuit mix and 1 cup milk. The mix should be thinner than normal biscuit mix but not runny.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Spray a 9 by 9 by 2-inch pan, or any similar casserole dish. Layer half way up with the mashed potatoes. Next, spread a layer of mixed vegetables or niblet corn on top of potatoes. Then add a layer of the meat. Pour biscuit mix over meat. Melt 4 tablespoons of butter and drizzle over top. Bake for approximately 35 to 45 minutes until top is golden brown.

Note: Leftovers make this dish easy to put together. So if you have leftover pork roast or beef roast with gravy and mashed potatoes from Sunday dinner then this is an easy mid- week meal that will take only a few minutes.

Taco Soup

Ingredients
•1 pounds ground beef, cooked and drained
•1 cups diced onions
•1 (15 1/2-ounce) cans pinto beans
•1 (15 1/2-ounce) can pink kidney beans
•1 cup yellow or white corn
•1 (14 1/2-ounce) can Mexican-style stewed tomatoes
•1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes
•1 (14 1/2-ounce) can tomatoes with chiles
•2 (4 1/2-ounce) cans diced green chiles
•1 (4.6-ounce) can black olives, drained and sliced, optional
•1 (1 1/4-ounce) package taco seasoning mix
•1 (1-ounce) package ranch salad dressing mix
•Corn chips, for serving
•Sour cream, for garnish
•Grated cheese, for garnish
•Chopped green onions, for garnish
Directions
Sauté onions over medium heat in stock pot. Add in cooked ground beef, beans, corn, tomatoes, green chiles, black olives, taco seasoning, and ranch dressing mix, and cook in a slow cooker on low for 6 to 8 hours or simmer over low heat for about 1 hour in a pot on the stove. To serve, place a few corn chips in each bowl and ladle soup over them. Top with sour cream, cheese and green onions.

Rosemary Lemon Salmon

Ingredients

• 1 fillet salmon, skin-on, between 5 to 7-pounds
• 1 tablespoon butter
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 to 3 bunches fresh rosemary sprigs, plus more, for garnish
• Lemon or orange slices

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Using small fish tweezers remove pin bones from the length of the salmon and discard.

Place salmon skin side down on tin foil in a large roasting pan and season with a tablespoon of butter, salt and pepper. Place the sprigs of rosemary and lemon slices over the salmon so that they are overlapping and form a tent over the salmon. Wrap each salmon in the tin foil and roast for 15 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 145 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer.

Remove the salmon from the oven and bring to a well ventilated outdoor area. Light the oven dried rosemary on fire over the salmon. Let the ash fall over the salmon leaving streaks of concentrated rosemary flavor.

Using a large fish spatula, remove the side of salmon from the roasting pan and place on a platter. Garnish with sprigs of fresh rosemary and lemon wedges.

Week 1 Ingredients: Chicken, Black Beans & Rice

The Menu:

Southwest Chicken Salad

Chicken Burritos

Chicken Enchilada Soup

Chicken & Black Bean Enchiladas

The Plan:

Bake or Grill 2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breast (family of four) seasoned lightly with salt and pepper. Cut into 1 inch chunks. Prepare 2 cups of rice (I prefer jasmine or basmati) to use in 3 of the above meals.

The Recipes:

Southwest Chicken Salad

Chicken Burritos

1 cup rice, 2 cups chicken, 1 can black beans, lettuce, tomato, sour cream, cheese, olives, tortillas.

Chicken & Black Bean Enchiladas

Chicken Enchilada Soup

Heat 4 cups chicken broth in stock pot. Add 1/2 tray of enchiladas from earlier in week and mash lightly with potato masher. Add 1 cup red enchilada sauce. Heat through. Garnish with sour cream, cilantro, cheese and tortilla chips.

Southwest Chicken Salad

Ingredients

* 1/2 pound canned black beans, drained and rinsed
* 1/2 cup cooked corn (cut from about 2 ears)
* 1 pounds cubed chicken breasts, cooked
* 1/4 cup minced cilantro sprigs, washed well and spun dry
* 1 avocado, chopped
* 1 head green leaf lettuce, rinsed and roughly chopped

Directions

Toss together and drizzle with dressing (below).

Cilantro & Lime Ranch Dressing

* 1/2 cup ranch dressing
* juice of 1 lime
* 1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped

Blend together well and serve over salad.

Chicken & Black Bean Enchiladas

Ingredients

• 4 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 pound cooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 (4-ounce) can diced green chiles
• 1 cup cooked rice
  
• 2/3 cup prepared salsa, mild, medium or hot
• 4 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• 8 (8-inch) flour tortillas
• 2 2/3 cups shredded Monterey jack and or Cheddar

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and saute 2 minutes. Add chicken and saute til heated through.

Stir in black beans, green chiles, and salsa and simmer 5 minutes, until sauce thickens and reduces. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro and rice.

Arrange 4 tortillas on a flat surface. Top each tortilla with an equal amount of chicken mixture. Roll up tortillas and place side by side in a shallow baking dish. Top tortillas with shredded cheese (1/3 cup per tortilla).

Bake enchiladas 15 minutes, until cheese is golden and gooey!

Makes 8 servings

Introducing: MENU PLANNING

I've had several people ask for my recipes and weekly menu, so I've decided to post here. Each week I choose two to three main ingredients (generally using what's on sale at my local grocery store) and prep those ingredients for 3-4 meals of the week on one day so I don't have tons of prep time each evening. The remainder of the days in the week we'll have a couple vegetarian meals, leftover night, Dave's night (which usually turns into a fend for yourself night), and a night when we eat together with extended family. Stay tuned for my weekly menu!