Menu Plan Monday!!!

Hey Ladies, come on into my kitchen and see what I'm cooking this week....I have some old family favorites and some new ones too. The favorites usually have recipes up already so I'll link, and if not, then I will have the recipes up on the day that I make them, so if you're interested in a specific recipe just come back OR let me know and I'll go ahead and get the recipes up for you:)

If you're interested in playing along or just checking out what everyone is cooking, run on over to "I'm an Organizing Junkie".

MONDAY 30th

BREAKFAST: Banana Nut Muffins
LUNCH: Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
DINNER: Chicken Enchiladas


TUESDAY 1ST

BREAKFAST: Cereal, Orange Juice
LUNCH: Tuna Sandwich
DINNER: Baked Penne w/ Meat Sauce


WEDNESDAY 2ND

BREAKFAST: Oatmeal
LUNCH: Pigs in a blanket
DINNER: Six can slow cooked chilli


THURSDAY 3RD

BREAKFAST: Cinnamon Toast
LUNCH: Soup and Yogurt
DINNER: Portuguese Meatballs w/ Homemade fries


FRIDAY 4TH

BREAKFAST: French Toast
LUNCH: Grilled Ham and Cheese
DINNER: Homemade Pizza


SATURDAY 5TH

BREAKFAST: Cinnamon Rolls
LUNCH: Grilled Hotdogs, Potato Salad
DINNER: Hay and Straw


SUNDAY 6TH

BREAKFAST: Sausage, Bacon, Eggs
LUNCH: Mini Pizzas
DINNER: Vegetable Soup

Favorite Ingredients Friday!!!

It's been a long time since I've participated in the Favorite Ingredients Friday, shame on me. Things get so busy around here and I tend to forget these weekly features.....so I apologize to the wonderful lady at "Overwhelmed with Joy".



For today I'm sharing my Portuguese Steaks, they can be served 2 ways....you can either serve them for dinner with some homemade fries (the way I make them more often), or you can serve them as a sandwich in some fresh french rolls which is called a Bifana (I do this for a quick lunch or light dinner).

PORTUGUESE STEAKS

INGREDIENTS

• 3/4 cup red wine
• 1/4 cup water
• 10 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoon chile paste
• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 (4 ounce) beef tenderloin steaks
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil

DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium bowl, combine red wine, water, garlic, chile paste, white pepper and salt. Add beef, and turn to coat evenly.
2. In a large heavy skillet over medium heat, fry 3 steaks for 2 minutes on each side; Set steaks aside, and drain liquids into the red wine mixture. Repeat with remaining beef.
3. Pour oil into skillet, and reduce heat to medium-low. Fry steaks for a second time, 2 minutes on each side. Drain oil, and return all steaks and marinade to the pan. Allow to boil for 2 minutes.

Peixinhos da Horta (Deep Fried Green Beans)

My kids love green beans so the first time I served them this popular portuguese side dish, they couldn't get enough, they literally devoured these faster than I could fry them. Enjoy!

The literal translation of the title of this dish is "little fish from the garden." The name comes from the fact that once the beans are cooked, they resemble a tangle of slender fried fish that are popular in Portugal. Serve them as a side dish, a starter,or even a snack.

Now because I just eyeball things and I've been making these since I was oh, about 14 years old or so, I don't have exact amounts so I am sharing a version of the recipe from Leite's Culinaria.

Peixinhos da Horta

(Deep-Fried Green Beans)
Makes 6 to 8 servings

Note: I sometimes add about half a cup of finely chopped onion, it gives it that extra ZING. :)

INGREDIENTS
1 pound green beans, trimmed
About 4 cups peanut oil, for frying
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup water
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

METHOD

1. Cook the beans in a large pot of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Drain, cool in a bowl of ice water, and drain again.

2. Heat the oil in a deep fryer or a large saucepan over medium-high heat to 350°F (175°C). Combine the flour, water, eggs, baking powder, salt and pepper in a large bowl; whisk until a smooth batter forms.

3. Dip six beans at a time into the batter, shaking off any excess. Add the beans to the hot oil and fry until golden brown, about 4 minutes per batch. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the beans to paper towels to drain. Sprinkle with more salt and serve hot.

Menu Plan Monday!!!

Hey Ladies, come on into my kitchen and see what I'm cooking this week....I have some old family favorites and some new ones too. The favorites usually have recipes up already so I'll link, and if not, then I will have the recipes up on the day that I make them, so if you're interested in a specific recipe just come back OR let me know and I'll go ahead and get the recipes up for you:)

If you're interested in playing along or just checking out what everyone is cooking, run on over to "I'm an Organizing Junkie".

MENU PLAN April 23rd - 30th



Monday 23rdth
Breakfast: French Toast
Lunch: Omelettes in a bag
Dinner: Portuguese Chicken Piri-Piri



Tuesday 24th
Breakfast: Pancakes
Lunch: Soup & Sandwiches
Dinner: Caldo Verde (portuguese kale soup)



Wednesday 25th
Breakfast: Cinnamon Toast
Lunch: Pot Pies & Mixed Veggies
Dinner: Jasmine's Birthday (out to dinner)




Thursday 26th
Breakfast: Cereal, milk
Lunch: PB&J Sandwiches
Dinner: Empadao (Shepherd's Pie)



Friday 27th
Breakfast: Banana Pancakes, Juice
Lunch: Cheese Quesadillas
Dinner: Homemade Pizza



Saturday 28th
Breakfast: Bagels w/ cream cheese
Lunch: Baked Ham and Cheddar Sandwiches
Dinner: Fettucine Alfredo



Sunday 29th
Breakfast: Bacon, Eggs, Biscuits and Gravy
Lunch: Hotdogs
Dinner: Beef Curry

Here's the Portuguese Chicken Piri Piri recipe, it requires lots of marinading time but is well worth the wait. I usually just marinate it the day before and let it sit in the refrigerator until the next day. YUMMY!

I serve mine with homemade fries and some portuguese salad (lettuce, onion, tomatoes, olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper)

Galinha Piri Piri

2 tablespoons grated fresh lemon rind
3 tablespoons lemon juice
10 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons hot pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 (1 kg) lbs chicken pieces

1. In large glass bowl, combine all ingredients except chicken; mix well.

2. Add chicken, turning to coat.

3. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours, turning occasionally; can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours if you want to make it ahead.

4. Reserving marinade, place chicken, skin side down, on a greased grill over medium heat; close lid and cook for 10 minutes.

5. Turn and brush with marinade; cook for 30 to 40 minutes or until juices run clear when chicken is pierced.

6. For a less spicy version, replace above marinade with Portuguese Paprika Marinade: 1/3 cup dry white wine, 1 tsp grated lemon rind, 3 tbsp lemon juice, 2 tbsp tomato paste, 1 tbsp olive oil, 1/2 tsp paprika, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp hot pepper sauce, and 2 cloves of garlic, minced.

BEEF AND CHEESE LASAGNA

For dinner tonight I made this lasagna, I honestly can't remember where I found it at, but I know it was online. It's not MINE so credit goes to whoever it belongs to.

Beef and Cheese Lasagna

Lasagna Filling*:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 pounds lean ground beef or ground turkey
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
3 (28-ounce) cans diced tomatoes
1 (14-ounce) can tomato sauce


Lasagna:
4 cups ricotta cheese (regular or part-skim)
8 ounces grated mozzarella cheese (regular or part-skim), divided
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
12 uncooked lasagna noodles
1/4 cup grated Parmesan or Romano

*Cooks note: this amount of filling makes enough for 3 recipes. If you are only making this recipe, the extra sauce can be frozen for up to 3 months.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

For the Lasagna Filling:
Heat the oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and saute 3 minutes, until soft. Add, beef and cook 5 to 7 minutes, until browned all over, breaking up the meat as it cooks. Stir in basil, oregano and red pepper flakes.

Add diced tomatoes and tomato sauce and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

For the Lasagna:
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine ricotta, half of the mozzarella, egg, and black pepper. Mix well.

Pour 1 cup of the meat sauce in the bottom of a 13 by 9-inch lasagna pan. Arrange 4 UNCOOKED lasagna noodles on top of sauce, overlapping noodles slightly to cover the bottom. Spoon half of the cheese mixture over noodles. Top with 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce and 4 more noodles. Top second layer of noodles with remaining cheese mixture, 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce and 4 more noodles. Top noodles with 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce and remaining mozzarella cheese. Top with Parmesan cheese.

Refrigerate or freeze the remaining sauce.

Cover with foil and bake 45 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 more minutes, until top is golden and bubbly. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing.

Blogger Awards Nomination and a Recipe!!!

So I woke up this morning to a great surprise, the wonderful Mrs L had nominated this blog for the Blogger Choice Awards Best Food Blog. WOW!!!

I'm so thrilled to know that there's people out there who love this blog and enjoy the recipes I share, so thank you Mrs L for nominating me and thank you to anyone who may vote for my blog :)

Alright so as promised I'm sharing a recipe, actually I will be updating with a lot more today so you might want to keep checking :)

CALDO VERDE

If there is ONE soup that I absolutely love it's Caldo Verde and ask any portuguese person about it, I can bet you they all know it well.

It's one of my favorite soups and one that reminds me of home and especially my greatgrandmother, she made the BEST Caldo Verde. Enjoy!!!

4	tablespoons olive oil
1	onion, minced
1	clove garlic, minced
6	potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
2	quarts cold water
1/2	lb chorizo sausage, thinly sliced
2	teaspoons salt
	ground black pepper, to taste
1	lb kale, rinsed and thin cut or julienne

1. In a large saucepan over medium heat, cook onion and garlic in 3 tablespoons olive oil for 3 or 4 minutes.
2. Stir in potatoes and cook, stirring constantly, 3 or 4 minutes more.
3. Pour in water, bring to a boil, and let boil gently for 20 minutes, until potatoes are real mushy.
4. Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium-low heat, cook sausage until it has release most of its fat, 10 minutes.
5. Drain.
6. Mash potatoes or puree.
7. Add the sausage, salt and pepper into the soup and return to medium heat.
8. Cover and simmer 5 minutes.
9. Just before serving, stir kale into soup and simmer, until kale is tender and jade green.
10. Stir in the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and serve at once.

Portuguese Bread Rolls (Papo Secos)

10 cups flour (more or less)
1 tablespoon salt
2 packages active dry yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup margarine
3 1/2-4 cups lukewarm water
1 1/2 teaspoons shortening


Ingredients:

Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup of the lukewarm water with 1/2 tsp sugar added, let stand for 5 minutes or until doubled in size.

Place in large bowl, add enough flour to make a batter, cover with a cloth and blanket, and let stand until it forms bubbles and looks lumpy.

Add remaining ingredients, mix well and knead for about 10 minutes or until smooth.

Add more flour if dough is too soft.

Cover with the cloth and blanket and let stand in warm place until doubled in size.

On floured board, using about 1/3 cup dough for each roll, shape into round balls.

Let shaped rolls rest on a cloth.

After all rolls are shaped, beginning with first shaped rolls, flatten each with palm of hand, making an indent in the middle with the side of your hand, and fold in half.

Lay each on a cloth with open side down.

Let rolls rest for 5 minutes.

Place rolls on baking sheet with open side up, and brush with milk.
Bake in preheated 500F oven for 10-15 minutes.