Penne Rustica and Caesar Salad

The pasta needs to be refrigerated (if you are planning to use it in the next few days) or frozen (if you will use it later).

**Update: I think you should bake the pasta for more like 20-30 minutes once taking it out of the fridge. You may want to let it set out on the counter for a while before sticking it in the oven, too.

Bake @ 475 for 10 minutes. If frozen, thaw in refrigerator the day of. Cover with foil and bake @ 375 for 1 hour. Remove foil during the last 15 minutes.

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This is a Macaroni Grill copycat recipe.
It makes a ton.
It is not a low-carb recipe.
Enjoy!

Ingredients:
12 oz. grilled chicken breast (marinate in olive oil and garlic salt overnight, then grill on barbecue for best flavor)
½ pack thick bacon
48 oz. (3 boxes) penne pasta
2 large red bell peppers- diced
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
½ tsp paprika
Gratinata Sauce:
2 tsp butter
2 tsp chopped garlic
1 cup marsala wine OR 1/3 cup apple juice + 2 tbsp red wine vinegar +enough chicken broth to equal 1 cup
1 tsp dijon or dry mustard
1 tsp salt1 tsp chopped rosemary
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
8 cups heavy cream
Directions:
Sauté garlic in butter in large pan. Add marsala wine, mustard, salt, rosemary, cayenne pepper, and heavy cream.Cook pasta according to directions. Cook bacon. Slice chicken into medium-bite size pieces.Combine sauce, cooked pasta, diced chicken, cooked bacon, bell peppers, parmesan cheese, and paprika and mix thoroughly. Spread in pans. Top with chopped rosemary and mozzarella cheese.
Bake @ 475 for 10 minutes. If frozen, thaw in refrigerator the day of. Cover with foil and bake @ 375 for 1 hour. Remove foil during the last 15 minutes.
Number Of Servings: Yields one 8×8 and two 9×13 casserole dishes.
Preparation Time: More than an hour

Crockpot Carnitas Tacos

Ingredients:

* 2-4 lb pork shoulder roast (This time I gave you country ribs because they were on sale and it just a shoulder roast that is cut into 3 pieces)

* 5 garlic cloves each cut into 4 slices

* 1 jalapeno pepper

* 1 bunch of fresh cilantro

*12 ounces of beer

Prep:

With a knife, cut several small slits into the roast. Insert pieces of garlic cloves in roast**. Place in crockpot with whole jalepeno pepper, cilantro, salt to taste (I use about 1 Tablespoon of Kosher salt). Pour beer over top. Cook on HIGH 4 hours or LOW 6 hours until fork tender. Remove meat and shred. Discard the pepper and cilantro. Serve in warm tortillas with onions, cilantro, and verde salsa.

**For meal swap this time, I put the garlic cloves in a baggie. Since the roast is cut into 3 pieces, just put the garlic into the pot with the cilantro and jalapeno, it's too hard to get the cloves into the meat. (The jalapeno is in the bag with the cilantro.) You can mix up the garlic with the shredded pork when you go to serve it if you want.

*My kids have a hard time with tacos so I usually put the carnitas with cheese and beans in a tortilla and then melt it in the microwave so it’s easier for them to eat. I gave you a little bag of cheese in case you want to do the same for your kids.

*Serve with rice and beans. (Microwave rice packet, put beans in a bowl and microwave)

*extra cervezas for the grown-ups!

BBQ beef sandwiches

See recipe in October 2010 "Crock pot beef or pork roast" for instructions. The roast will be frozen, so allow time for thawing before the morning you want to put it in the crock pot. There will be rolls for serving as sandwiches if you like it that way. I'll send broccoli instead of salad since there are already 2 salads on the schedule for this week.

Prep suggestion for broccoli:

Steam in microwave for about 3 minutes (to get it slightly steamed but still with a crunch) by putting in a covered container with a little water in the bottom.

Drain water and add a drizzle of olive oil and a splash of lemon juice.

Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and toss.

Chicken Skewers

I decided not to do the penne rustica for this week--since Betsy is giving us a baked pasta dish (and because it's a lot easier to prep this meal!).

When you receive it, the chicken will be close to thawed and should be kept in the refrigerator until used. Make rice per directions.

Preparation (45 min.):

• Add teriyaki (Soy Vay) sauce to bag of chicken and marinate for 30 minutes or longer. Soak skewers in water.
• Pre-heat grill. Thread chicken, pineapple and onions onto skewers.
• Grill skewers until chicken is cooked through (a few minutes each side).
• Slice cucumber and toss the salad (lettuce, tomatoes, snap peas, cucumber, cabbage). Serve with salad dressing of your choice.
• Serve with rice.
• Enjoy!

BBQ chicken Salad

2 skinless, boneless chicken
2 heads of lettuce
1 fresh tomato
1 bunch of cilantro
1 can of corn (drained)
1 can of black beans (drained)
chopped celery
avacado
1/2 can of French Fried onions
1/2 cup BBQ sauce
1/2 cup ranch dressing

Marinate the chicken and bbq it. I gave you a few extra pieces of chicken for the kids in case they aren't a big fan of salad. Cut up the chicken. Dump everything into a bowl. Mix (with dressing if you prefer) and serve with rolls.

Pork Chops and Mashed Potatoes

You'll be getting fresh pork chops and a mashed potato dish that can be baked within a day or so, or frozen until you want to use it (your pan will be half of what the recipe below makes). Also canned green beans.

Pork Chops:

6-7 bone-in pork chops

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1/2 can (use soup can) water

1/2 can milk

Brown pork chops in skillet. Remove chops from pan. Mix soup with water and milk. Pour into pan a little at a time and stir, scraping up browned bits. Add chops back to pan and spoon gravy over them. Simmer for 45 minutes, turning pork chops and spooning gravy over them periodically. Serve with rice or potatoes.

Make-ahead Mashed Potatoes:

5 lb. potatoes, peeled and boiled

1-8 oz. package cream cheese, softened

1/2 c. half and half

1/2 c. butter

1 tsp onion salt

1 tsp seasoned salt (Lawry's)

1 tsp salt (I left this out)

1/8 tsp pepper

1-2 tbsp. chopped chives (optional)

pinch of baking soda

Beat cream cheese and butter and add to drained potatoes. Mash by hand. Put in mixer and add remaining ingredients. Put in greased 9x13 pan. Top with pats of butter and paprika (or cheddar cheese). Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Can be made in the morning or days ahead and frozen.

swap and lasagna

Hi ladies! I'm hoping that this week we can get it worked out with the cooler bags. Let's try to get our meals packed in individual cooler bags when we're at home. This week I got 2 spice packets for Taylore's meal and all the bags of cheese for Laura's meal and Wendy didn't get her entire meal from me. EEK. Sorry about that...not sure how it happened. I only ended up with 2 cooler bags, so hopefully this week we'll all go home with 3 bags. If you have extra Trader Joe's cooler bags, can you send them to the swap time so we can make sure everyone goes home with 3 bags?

My meal this week is the same lasagna I made you back in November. It is frozen so you can make it whenever you want. Just thaw it out for 24 hours in the fridge before you cook it. I wrote the baking times on the foil. I'm also sending you salad to go with it. Enjoy! :)

Yay for tartar sauce!

Betsy, wanted to let you know that I have never liked tartar sauce before, but yours is so good! We loved it, and it makes us want to eat more fish! The fish and fries were both great...I'd love to find out your source.

Fish Tacos

fish tacos / cilantro-lime sour cream / black beans and rice

• Thaw fish. (Taylore--Whenever it says fish, just substitute chicken.)

• Make rice according to directions on box.

• Heat up the black beans.

• Heat the grill on high while preparing the fillets. Put a small amount of olive oil on the fish, then squeeze a lime over them. Rub the oil and lime juice into the fish, then sprinkle liberally with the taco seasoning. Turn the grill down to medium and cook fish until done.

• While fish is grilling, combine all the ingredients for the cilantro-lime sour cream in a blender and mix until it looks like a green cream sauce.

- sour cream

- juice of 1 fresh lime

- small handful of cilantro

- 1/4 tsp cracked black pepper

• Take the fish off the grill when it is done and squeeze more fresh lime juice over them while they are hot.

• To assemble the tacos, put corn tortillas on the hot grill for a few seconds each side. Add a small sprinkling of cheese, place 1/2 fish fillet (cut lengthwise) on the tortilla, top with shredded cabbage, cilantro-lime sour cream, some pico de gallo, fresh cilantro sprigs and a fresh lime wedge.

• Serve with black beans and rice (and cervezas!)

Asian Pork Tenderloin and Roasted Cauliflower

Asian Pork Tenderloin from Emeril

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup pineapple juice (or substitute orange juice)
  
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped green onions
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped shallots
• 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves
• 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh ginger
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons Chinese 5-spice
• 2 tablespoons chopped garlic
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper
• 2 pork tenderloins (about 2 pounds total)

DIRECTIONS

Combine all the ingredients except the tenderloins in a food processor and pulse several times to puree. Put the tenderloins in a large plastic storage bag and pour in themarinade. Seal the bag and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Heat a large nonstick ovenproof skillet over high heat. When the skillet is hot, add the tenderloins and sear, turning to ensure even browning, about 4 minutes. Transfer to the oven and cook for 18 to 20 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part reads 145 degrees F. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Alternatively, heat a grill to medium-hot. Grill the tenderloins, turning several times, for 25 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part reads 145 degrees F. Remove from the grill and let rest for 5 minutes.

ROASTED CAULIFLOWER

Ingredients:

• olive oil
• garlic salt
• black pepper
• Parmesan cheese
  

Directions:

• preheat oven to 400
• cover a baking sheet with tin foil
• cut up cauliflower into smaller florets and place in a large bowl
• pour 3 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 teaspoon of garlic salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper over the top
• mix together and spread on baking sheet
• bake at 400 for 30 minutes until slightly browned and fork-tender
• at the last 5 minutes sprinkle parmesan cheese on top

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Ingredients:
1 lb shredded chicken
1 (15 oz) can peeled tomatoes
1 (10 oz) can enchilada sauce
1 medium onion chopped
1 (4 oz) can chopped green chile peppers
2 cloves of garlic minced
2 cups of water
1 (14.5 oz) can chicken broth
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt (although I added a bit more to taste. I also added some lawry's seasoning salt to taste too)
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 (10 oz) package frozen corn
1 can of black beans
1 T of chopped cilantro

Place all in the crock pot and set on a low setting for 6-8 hours or high for 3 to 4 hours. I put the chicken breasts in the crockpot whole. Then right before serving, I took out the chicken, shredded it and then put it back in and mixed it all up.

Serve with tortilla chips, guacamole and cheese to top the soup.

Meeting

I would vote for a Tuesday morning swap. I could meet there too, or pass my food to Betsy when we drop our kids at school.

Ralph's Newcastle Chili

2 lb. ground beef

1 1/2 lb. italian sausage

1/2 cup onion, chopped

2-28 oz cans tomato sauce

1-14 oz can diced tomatoes

1-14 oz can stewed tomatoes

2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1-14 oz can kidney beans, drained

2 Tbsp parsley flakes

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp garlic salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

2 Tbsp brown sugar

10 oz Newcastle Brown Ale

Brown ground beef and italian sausage, breaking into small pieces. Drain fat, set aside. Brown onion and garlic and add to meat in a stock pot. Add tomatoes and sauce, beans, spices. Add beer. Bring to boil, then reduce to low heat. Simmer, partially covered, over low heat for 2-3 hours. Serving options: tortilla chips, shredded cheese, sour cream, cilantro. Makes 8 cups.

Spinach salad ingredients included are:

Spinach

Feta

Dried cranberries

Candied walnuts

Brianna's blush wine viniagrette

Also, honey butter is included for the cornbread.

Menu change

Hey ladies! Loved meal swap again this past week! Sorry for the late notice, but I need to change to Ralph's chili for this week. It will be completely prepared, ready to be reheated, and accompanied by cornbread mix and fixings for a spinach salad.

updated schedule/swap time

Just an FYI...I updated our January schedule for Taylore's meal and my meals.

I think we need to change our swap time. Now that 3 of us are going to CMA at that time it is just a little chaotic, especially for Wendy who has 3 kids and the meal swap and CMA all by herself. Kenny got a little overwhelmed last week when I started explaining to him what he had to do. Ha!

Here's some suggestions...What about a Tuesday afternoon swap? I think Taylore might come this way for CMA on Tuesdays...we could either meet at Granada before/after her CMA (but that puts her in the same boat as Wendy). Or we could meet some time in the later afternoon on Tuesdays in the parking lot by the Little Prince Cafe on Beach/Malvern which would be half way for everyone.

We could also try a Friday afternoon swap (also at the Beach/Malvern location), maybe around 1:30? Then we would know what meals we have for the week ahead.

What does everyone think?

Marinated Pork Loin

Directions for the swap--

Pork Loin:

1. Put marinade mixture in the bag with the onions and shake it all together. Pour this into the pork loin bag and shake it around to coat the meat. Refrigerate for 6 to 12 hours.

2. Take pork loin out of refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

3. Sear the outside of the pork loin in a hot skillet.

4. Cook uncovered in a baking dish for 50-60 minutes (until 160 degrees).

5. Add a tablespoon or so of flour (depending on the thickness you prefer) to the extra marinade and heat in a small stockpot, stirring until the gravy thickens and is hot.

6. Slice pork loin into 1 inch thick medallions, serve with gravy.
______________

Green Beans: steam in pot on stovetop (in 1/2 inch of water) for 10 minutes or so, until they reach desired doneness.

Israeli Couscous: Follow directions on box.
______________

 Pork Tenderloin Marinade Recipe

1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup (or less) brown sugar
2 Tbsp sherry
1/2 onion, minced
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp garlic powder

Combine ingredients marinate 6-12 hours and follow directions above to cook pork tenderloin.

Fish and Chips

Fish and Chips with Homemade Tartar Sauce

*Taylore...you guys are getting chicken and I put a note about it in your bag.

1. Preheat Oven to 425 degrees

2. Line a large baking sheet with foil and spray with PAM.

3. Spread Fish and Chips on baking sheet

4. Cook for 20 minutes

Serve with salad and tartar sauce.

Betsy’s Secret (until now!) Tartar Sauce Recipe J

I usually make this up as I go, but this is basically what I made for you. I gave you each ½ what this recipe makes.

1 cup mayonnaise

2 T lemon juice

1 teaspoon Worstershire sauce

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

½ teaspoon ground pepper

½ teaspoon Tabasco sauce

¼ cup of chopped Dill pickles or (Heinz Dill pickle relish if you don’t feel like chopping)

Mix together and let it chill for at least and hour before serving. Tartar sauce will keep for about 10 days.

Oven Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Oven baked drumsticks recipe can be found in October posts.

Must give credit to my sister-in-law, Kelly for this quick and yummy way to eat sweet potatoes any time of year. I did some research to see if I could cut the sweet potatoes ahead of time and have them last all week, but the things I read suggest that over-night in water is about the best you can get. So, here are the full prep instructions:

Preheat oven to 450.

Peel 2-3 sweet potatoes (depending on size).

Slice into rounds and place in 9x9 baking dish.

Drizzle with 3 Tbsp. olive oil and sprinkle with 1 tsp. sea or kosher salt.

Stir lightly.

Place in oven, stir every 20 minutes for even cooking, for a total of about 45 min to 1 hour (pull them out when softened but before they blacken).

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos

Ingredients:

1/3C (3oz) cream cheese

1/4 C green salsa

1 T fresh lime juice

1/2 t cumin

1/2 t onion powder

1 t chili powder

1/4 t granulated garlic or garlic powder

3 T chopped cilantro

2 T sliced green onions

2 C shredded chicken

1 C grated cheese

small corn tortillas (flour are really good too)

kosher salt

cooking spray

Heat over to 425. Line baking sheet with foil and lightly coat wtih cooking spray. Heat cream cheese in microwave for 20-30 seconds to soften. Combine all ingredients.

******I prepared the meal up to this point. (So keep the mixture refrigerated). Proceed from this point.

Work with a few tortillas at a time. Microwave a couple for 20-30 seconds. Put them in between damp paper towels. If they crack while you roll them, try heating them for longer. Place 2-3T of the mixture on the lower third of the tortilla keep it 1/2 inch from the edges. Roll it as tight as you can. Place seam side down on the baking sheet. Make sure they are not touching. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle som kosher salt on top. Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the edges start to get golden brown. Serve with salsa, guacamole or sour cream.

Makes about 12-16.

******I included a can of black beans, an avocado for making guacamole and some sour cream.

Coulombe Update

I had already bought all my groceries before Betsy's email went out about the order of our meals. So this week I am doing the taquitos rather than doing them in week 3.

Also, Besty...I never got an email from you. Can you resend? I am also curious what meals of mine you would want again. I have Laura's and Wendy's ratings, but never got yours.

Finally, nothing of mine will need to be frozen, only refrigerated (the chicken mixture and perhaps the corn tortillas.

Thanks ladies! Glad to be starting this up again!

January Schedule

SWAP ON MONDAY, JANUARY 10

Laura= Marinated Pork Loin with green beans and Israeli couscous

Taylore= Baked Creamy Chicken Tacquitos

Wendy= Oven Baked Chicken Drumsticks/Tenders and oven roasted sweet potatoes

Betsy= Fish and Chips with Homemade Tartar Sauce and green salad (Chicken for Coulombes!)

SWAP ON MONDAY, JANUARY 17

Laura= Fish/Chicken Tacos with rice and beans

Taylore= BBQ Chicken Salad

Wendy= My Mom's Pork Chops, mashed potatoes, veggie (fresh pork chops)

Betsy= Asian Pork Tenderloin and Roasted Cauliflower

SWAP ON MONDAY, JANUARY 24

Laura= Grilled Chicken Skewers with rice and pineapple

Taylore= Chicken Tortilla Soup

Wendy= BBQ Beef Sandwiches and salad

Betsy= lasagna and salad

SWAP ON MONDAY, JANUARY 31

Laura= Macaroni Grill's Penne Rustica with chicken and salad

Taylore= Terriyaki Chicken/Fumi Salad

Wendy= Ralph's Newcastle Chili, cornbread, veggie

Betsy= crockpot carnitas tacos with rice and beans

Swap tomorrow

Hi girls! Did you guys get my email a couple days ago? I didn't hear back from any of you so I hope that any repeat meals I picked weren't the ones at the bottom of your list! sorry!

I am still learning about how this Weight Watcher's points thing works for Kenny, so I have 3 meals and I'll let you know what my 4th one is later. (In case you didn't get my email, Kenny is doing Weight Watchers and I'm trying to figure out how to make Meal Swap an WW work together.)

My meals this month are:

-Fish and Chips with homemade tartar sauce/green salad (chicken for Coulombes) (all frozen except salad)

-Asian Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Cauliflower (fresh)

-Crock Pot Corned Beef, Baked Potatoes, Broccoli (corned beef could be frozen, but not veggies)

Are we still swapping at CMA on Mondays? If so, Kenny will be there to do the swap tomorrow. Will swapping then cause anyone in our music class to feel left out of our meal swap? I could also bring me and Wendy's meals over to Fullerton on Tuesday mornings after I take Levi to school if that would be better.

-Betsy

Update

Sorry to make a change on you, but I bought my chicken fresh today, not frozen. Sell by date 1/12. Also, the veggie will be oven roasted sweet potatoes.

Wendy's meals for January

Oven Baked Chicken Drumsticks/Tenders and a veggie (frozen chicken)

My Mom's Pork Chops, mashed potatoes, veggie (fresh pork chops)

BBQ Beef Sandwiches and salad (do you want the roast fresh, or for me to cook it for you?)

Ralph's Newcastle Chili, cornbread, veggie

I'm in

Ladies,

I'm in for this month. Please forgive me if I pull from my "super-simple" repertoire...I'll probably be bouncing a baby on my hip while I try to prepare my food! I'll get back to you with my recipes in the next couple of days. Would you guys be willing to label your lists with which meals will have frozen components (if you know ahead of time)? I'm open to feedback, so please let me know if you have other thoughts about it; I have just felt it would be helpful to know ahead of time what would be frozen.

Looking forward to it!

Wendy

Taylore's January 2011 meals

Hello,

I'll be making the following meals this month:

BBQ Chicken Salad
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Baked Creamy Chicken Tacquitos
Terriyaki Chicken/Fumi Salad

Yay for meal swap!

Taylore :)

Starting up again...?

Hi friends,

Are you still interested in starting up the meal swap again next Monday? If so, I thought we could chime in with our meals for the month.

I plan to make:

Marinated Pork Loin--I will give it to you unfrozen, but you can freeze it if you like.
Fish Tacos--The fish (chicken) will be frozen, but cabbage, cheese, etc. will be fresh.
Macaroni Grill's Penne Rustica--The pasta will be frozen and will need a day to thaw in the fridge.
Grilled Chicken Skewers--The chicken will be unfrozen, but can be frozen if you like.