Pastys

I used this as my guideline:

http://www.upper-peninsula-now.com/pasty-recipe.html

But, here's what I did:

3 shredded carrots

4 stalks of celery hearts, diced

4 small yellow potatoes, shredded

3/4 rutabaga, peeled and shredded

1/2 yellow/sweet onion, minced

1 t. salt

1 t. pepper

1 T. parsley

1 lb ground beef (80/20 - when I usually go for 93/7)

I made 5 pastys from this mixture.

Baked at 375 for 1 hour.

Potato Pancakes

Mix:

3/4 c. whole wheat flour

3/4 c. white flour

2 1/2 c. potato flakes

4 t. baking powder

2 t. salt

Separately, mix:

5 c. milk

4 T. oil

4 eggs

Combine mixtures

Heat griddle to 350-375, make pancakes with 1/4-1/2 c. batter, turning once.

Pulled Pork Sandwiches and Broccolislaw

I put a pork roast in the crock pot with about 1 c. water and left it on "low 8 hours"

In the evening, I took two forks and shredded the meat, then added some barbeque sauce. I served it with whole wheat dinner rolls and broccolislaw.

Broccolislaw:
preheat oven to 350 and toast until golden brown:

a 3 oz. package of ramen noodles, crushe

10 oz. almond or cashew pieces

in a large bowl, combine:

16 oz. coleslaw or broccolislaw mix

1 bunch green onions, chopped

toasted noodles and nuts

whisk together in small bowl/measuring cup:

1/2 c. (or less) white sugar

1/2 c. (or less) oil

1/4 c. (or less) cider vinegar

1T. soy sauce

toss two mixtures together and serve

Tortellini

Jeffry isn't home for dinner during the week any more. : >( So, meals are more haphazard with just the kids and I.

Tonight: Tortellini

I cooked a package of frozen cheese tortellini per the directions on the bag.

I shredded 3 zucchini into a saucepan and added a jar of ready-made pasta sauce (I keep forgetting I have some homemade stuff in the freezer - oops!)

That was it. Not terribly exciting, but tasty.

Bean Nachos

I like Tostitos brand multi-grain tortilla chips.

I served them with black beans, sliced black olives, diced tomato, diced avocado, some leftover taco-seasoned tofu from last week, shredded cheese and sour cream.

We just microwaved them once we were done setting them up.

Another fairly easy, customizable, yet tasty meal.

Eggy in a Basket

Sundays are still "breakfast for dinner".

This week: Eggy in a Basket

I was first intrigued by these watching "V for Vendetta". They are good

So, here's what I do:

• heat a skillet (to 350 or so)
• use a glass to cut holes in however many pieces of bread I'm using (I've saved these for some cute French Toast)
• butter one side of the bread (if you can do both sides, more power to you)
• place hole-y bread, butter side down on the skillet and break an egg into the hole
• salt and pepper to taste
• try to butter the unbuttered side of the bread, or at least melt some butter on the skillet and ...
• flip once

For this batch, I topped them with cheese. I debated about trying to make Eggy-in-a-Basket-Grilled-Cheese, but figured that was a bit out of my league for the moment.

Kielbasa and Cabbage Mashed Potatoes

I grilled the Kielbasa. Or, more correctly, charred it. Jeffry liked it while the kids and I ate around the charcoal.

I sauted a package of shredded cabbage with some onion while boiling the potatoes (skins on). Once everything was soft, I mashed them together. It's a great way to hide some vegetables in dinner - if you like to do that.

Buttermilk, Maple, Pecan, Apple Pancakes

A new flavorful idea....

While skillet is heating, mix together:

2 eggs

2 c. flour (probably about 1/2 c. white, and 1 1/2 c. whole wheat)

1 1/2 c. milk

1+ T. lemon juice to make the milk buttermilk

2 heaping T. brown sugar, packed

4 T. canola oil

2 T baking powder

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. maple flavoring

large apple, chopped

about 3/4 c. pecans, chopped

Pour 1/4-1/2 c. onto griddle and flip when bubbles start popping on the surface.

Bread and Cheese

On the rare night we get the kids in bed late and have a later dinner just to ourselves ... we often have bread and cheese.

Italian bread and usually Muenster cheese, although we've moved to Provolone now. Tonight, we had Raspberry-Jalapeno jam to go with it. Not a bad jam.

Baked Potatoes

A family favorite - even Jack, who has not liked potatoes in the past ate his tonight.

Bake potatoes in the microwave (I know, they're better wrapped in foil and left in the oven - maybe another [less busy] day)

Serve with:
ham or other meat
steamed broccoli
sauted onions
sauted mushrooms
shredded cheese
butter
sour cream
and anything else you might like

Spaghetti and Meatballs

I've made them before, using my Betty Crocker cookbook, but these meatballs were from the frozen section of the grocery store. However, I did add shredded zucchini to the jar of ready-made sauce so I didn't have to serve another vegetable with dinner.

It seems that anything with meat is a hit now that we only have meat every other day or so. And with kids, spaghetti noodles are always a hit (then a rather sticky mess, but hey, dinner is fun).

Taco Salads

The Taco Salads were just regular salad with some taco-seasoned tofu, olives, avocado, tomato and shredded cheese. A little variation to my usual salad

Steaks and more

On the grill:
steaks (No Name brand)

On the grill, on greased tinfoil:
sliced zucchini, mushrooms and onions
Pierogies

Yum!

Vegetarian White Chili

Today's concoction ...

In the crock pot, on low for 8 hours:

1 can butter beans

1 can northern beans

1 can pinto beans

1 can chicken broth

1/2 large onion, chopped

1 yellow pepper, chopped

2 t. minced garlic

2 t. ground cumin

2 t. parsley

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. pepper

1/2 t. chili powder

Verdict:

Good! Leesha and her friend both had seconds. Jack and Maggie ate some too.

Debut Stuffed Peppers

I've never eaten stuffed peppers, so here are my ...

Debut Stuffed Peppers

2 peppers; tops, seeds, etc. cut out

Mix separately:

1/2 c. cooked, mashed squash

1/4 c. chopped sweet onion

1/4 c. chopped mushrooms

1/4 c. chopped broccoli

2 slices of bread, torn

1 egg

pepper

Stuff mixture into peppers

Place in shallow ceramic dish, cover with foil

Bake at 350 for 50 minutes

cover with cheese and bake an additional 15 minutes

Verdict:

Needs more flavor. Salt and more cheese improved them. Without a doubt, meat would add to the flavor as well.