Our Menu: Week of March 17 to 23

Ah, the week of St. Patty’s Day!  My sister’s recent fascination with genealogy has uncovered that we are more Irish than anything!  I always knew we were at least a quarter Irish since my maternal grandfather was, but it turns out there’s good reason to raise a glass and say “Slainte” on March 17th!  What does this have to do with our menu, you ask?  Nothing, really!  Except that we went out to a pub on the 17^th for some grub and a couple of pints, thus making the menu shorter this week.  Next year I really want to make an Irish feast on St. Patrick’s Day and these are the recipes I am dying to try:

Guinness and Honey-Glazed Pork Loin
Colcannon 
Chocolate Stout Cupcakes with Bailey’s Irish Cream Frosting  

Only 360 more days till St. Patrick's Day 2013!   Now, on to the week’s menu!

Ham and Potato Soup and Salad

A repeat – see this post.  I used gluten-free all-purpose flour this time and the soup didn’t get quite as thick, but it was still very tasty. 

BBQ Meat with Grilled Veggies

It’s only March, but I’m so excited that it’s BBQ season already!  The best part of the season is the super easy clean up after dinner. Jason and Brayden each had a steak on the ‘Q and I had a pork chop that I sprinkled with Montreal Steak Spice.  We also had grilled veggies on the BBQ for the first time this year and I was reminded of how much I LOVE them this way!  I included mushrooms, purple onion, cherry tomatoes, zucchini and asparagus. Toss them in a bowl with olive oil, salt, pepper and some garlic powder and cook them in a BBQ basket.  They don’t take long at all and they are so good! 

Rosa’s Lasagna!

I have mentioned Rosa a few times (my sister’s mother-in-law) and I was so very lucky that I saw her this week and she sent me home with one of her lasagnas!  Rosa is the pasta and sauce master and makes both herself.  We steamed some cauliflower and broccoli to go with it and had a Caesar salad.  Thank you, Rosa!

Jerk Chicken Thighs, Spanish Rice and Steamed Broccoli and Cauliflower

Bev (my sis) keeps raving about Grace Jerk Chicken Sauce and picked up a jar for me.  I rubbed it on some chicken thighs and roasted them in the oven.  Delicious but be forewarned, the sauce is HOT!  I used WAY too much!  I was going to make some plain rice to go with the chicken, but I decided to whip up some Spanish rice instead. It's very easy.  Saute a chopped onion and a couple of garlic cloves in some olive oil.  Add a can of diced tomatoes, about a tablespoon of chili powder, a teaspoon of cumin and some salt and pepper to taste.  Then add 2 cups of uncooked long grain rice.  Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and let it simmer until the rice is done. If it doesn't look like there's enough liquid for the amount of rice you used, just add some water.  I also steamed some broccoli and cauliflower to go with it.  

Saucy Green Beans and Sausage

A new recipe!  This was really easy and so tasty!  The ingredients are so simple but the flavour was fantastic.  We had leftover Spanish rice with it. 

Pita Pizzas and Salad

A simple supper for a Friday night.  See this post.

Our Menu: Week of February 18 to 24

Ham and Potato Soup with a Salad

This soup was really hearty and what I would definitely call comfort food.  It would have been great with a baguette for dipping, but alas, wheat and I have parted ways. Here’s the recipe.

Pan-Roasted Chicken with Lemon-Garlic Green Beans

I love a good one-dish meal and this one was fabulous!  I made it for Sunday dinner but as long as you have 50 minutes to bake it, it was quick to throw together.  I might go a bit lighter on the lemon next time by not putting the slices in the bottom of the baking dish.  I will be adding this to our regular dinner rotation!  Find it HERE.  

Chicken Asparagus Penne and Caesar Salad

This pasta dish is a favourite in our house and one we’ve had on rotation for several years.  It is super-quick and delicious.  I don’t have a formal recipe for this one, but this is what I do:

Cook a bag of penne pasta (I use brown rice pasta).

In a large skillet (I use a wok-like deep frying pan), cook 3 or 4 chicken breasts cut up into bite size pieces in some olive oil.  Add in a few cloves of minced garlic (to your taste), some salt and pepper and add a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes (optional).  Cut the asparagus into 1 inch pieces and add it to the chicken once cooked, but only when the pasta is cooked and you’re ready to mix everything… nobody likes mushy asparagus!  Add the pasta and drizzle some more olive oil to coat it.  Grate a bunch of FRESH parmesan cheese, stir it up and cook just till the cheese is melted.  YUM!

Easy Crockpot Fiesta Chicken with Rice and Broccoli

I found this recipe on Pinterest!  Very good, would definitely make it again.  I used 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead of breasts, but would cut it to 6 at the most next time, as it made a LOT for just the three of us.  I served it over rice with some grated cheddar to garnish and steamed broccoli.  Here’s the recipe.

Mexican Pulled Pork and Pinto Beans (Crock Pot) with Roasted Cauliflower

See THIS post!  For the cauliflower, I toss it with some olive oil and salt and pepper and roast it in the oven at 350 for about 20 minutes or till it’s done.   

Pork Stir Fry

This is also a repeat – click HERE.

Pita Pizzas

As simple as it sounds!  Pitas make a great thin pizza crust.  I buy a can of pizza sauce, some mozzarella, pepperoni and use whatever veggies we have on hand like onions, peppers, mushrooms, etc.  They cook up very fast in the oven – 5 minutes or so at 400 then I usually broil them for a minute or two at the end. 

Happy cooking!