MENUS AUG. 14TH - 20TH

Ok here are my menus for this week, and since it's monday, I'm going to add it to the weekly feature over at Organizing Junkie. If you want to see how other families are planning their menus, run on over there, I'm sure you'll find tons of great ideas :)

I have already posted the recipe for the Salisbury Steak so go see it if you're interested. As I make the other meals, I will post their recipes too so don't forget to keep checking back each day.

Dad's Favorite Chicken

Well for dinner, I had some chicken that I had thawing, so I decided to make one of my dad's favorite chicken dishes. It's pretty easy and simple to make and it's so good and filling, plus I get to throw in some carrots which means the kids get their veggies without even knowing :)

This dish brings back so many memories for me. It really was my dad's favorite, and if for some reason we were eating something for dinner that he couldn't eat, then he would ask my stepmom to fix him this chicken. It quickly became one of my favorites too, mainly because of all the gravy, or the "molho" as we Portuguese call it. There was always bread to dip it in. Yum Yum!

Dad's Favorite Chicken

1.5 lbs of chicken breasts, cut into small bite size chunks
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 medium tomatoes, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups of carrots, finely chopped
1 bay leaf
paprika
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
olive oil (about 2 tablespoons)

In a pan, add olive oil, onions, tomatoes and carrots.  Cook for a few minutes until onion is translucent.  Add in the bay leaf, salt and pepper, paprika and crushed garlic.

Add in a little bit of water, turn the heat to medium and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. (If the chicken is previously boiled it won't take as long).  Keep checking to make sure the food doesn't stick, and add little bits of water to keep it moist and to make a gravy.

When chicken is cooked through check to make sure that there is enough gravy and that it's not too watery, if it is, then in a small bowl add in a few tablespoons of the gravy, and a tablespoon or 2 of cornstarch.  Mix well, then pour slowly into the pan, stirring constantly until the gravy thickens up.

Now you can this chicken with rice or homemade fries, just the way my greatgrandmother, grandmother and the rest of the women in my family, have been doing for years and years. Actually it's a pretty common side dish in Portuguese cooking.

Portuguese Homemade Fries

4 big potatoes, good for frying
Vegetable Oil for frying
Salt for seasoning (I use Garlic Salt which gives it that kick)


Wash the potatoes well, then slice them.

Next further slice them into thin strips. I put them all in a bowl and run some cold water over them to wash them but also to prevent them from going dark. Just remember to make sure you drain all the water and dry them off in a dish towel before adding to the hot oil......don't want any burns.

Add the vegetable oil to the frying pan and turn it to medium to high heat. Drop one fry in there and watch until it starts sizzling, remove it from the oil and slowly and carefully add a batch of fries. Be careful and watch for splatters, you don't want to get burned with that hot oil.

Let them cook for a few minutes, until golden brown.

Remove them from the oil using a slotted spatula onto a plate covered with paper towels to absorb all the oil. Sprinkle with Garlic Salt.

Serve with the chicken recipe above. Enjoy :)

As always, if you try out the recipes let me know how you liked them :)

FIVE INGREDIENTS FRIDAY!!! Aug. 11th

I'm so glad I'm back to my blogging so I can start participating again in my favorite features.....if you are anything like me and LOVE cooking, then you need to start heading over to Overwhelmed with Joy, especially on friday's, for her Five Ingredients Friday Feature. :)

You'll be sure to find tons of wonderful recipes.

With school starting soon I thought I would share a recipe that I sometimes have while she gets ready for school. Being that I usually don't have time for breakfast until I get back home from dropping Jasmine off, this is a fast and easy eye opener to get your morning started.

Booster Sunrise Smoothie

1 cup orange juice
1 banana, cut in chunks
1 cup low-fat vanilla frozen yogurt
1/2 cup Egg Beaters egg substitute (Liquid Eggs found in the Dairy Case)

1. Combine ingredients in a blender. Serve.

Serves 2.

Remember if you want to participate and share your own Five Ingredients Friday recipe, go on over to Overwhelmed's blog and add your name to Mr Linky. :)

Honey Mustard Chicken Fingers

I've been collecting recipes for so long, and I have tons either in cookbooks or family written recipes or just clipped from magazines. One of the recipes that I use quite often and the family loves is the one I'm posting today.

It's extremely easy to make and they're so delicious. Hope you enjoy them.

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CHICKEN FINGERS WITH HONEY MUSTARD

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3/4 cup milk
1 cup vegetable oil for frying

HONEY MUSTARD:
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup Dijon Mustard

SERVES 6

Cut chicken into 1/2 x 2-inch strips. For honey mustard sauce, blend honey and mustard in a small bowl. Set aside.

Mix flour, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl. Dip chicken in milk. Roll in flour mixture to coat well. Place chicken on waxed paper.

Pour 1/4 inch of oil into a large heavy skillet. Heat over medium-high heat to 350 F or until a cube of white bread dropped in oil browns evenly in 1 minute.

Divide chicken into batches. Place chicken in an even layer in hot oil. Fry, turning once, for about 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown and crisp. Drain on paper towels. Serve with sauce.

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The kids love this, it's just like having take out chicken strips at home, but it's made by mommy :)

MENUS AUG. 7TH - 14TH

Now here are the Menus for the following week.

Again I'm giving you the links to the recipes that have already been posted on the blog. Basil Burgers, Homemade Fries, Awesome Pot Roast, Yummy Hero Sandwich.

Here is a recipe that I have made for years and remember eating back home while growing up too. It's one of my favorites and it's one of those meals that is really filling, the kids and hubby love it too. It's also a way of having my kids eat veggies.

Chicken A La King

1 lb chicken tenders, cut into bite size chunks
1 small onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 cup chopped carrots
1 small can of mushrooms
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon garlic, crushed
olive oil
1 quart Heavy Cream

In a pan add olive oil and all ingredients, except Heavy cream. Cook on medium high for about 20 minutes until chicken is cooked through and onion, green peppers and carrots are tender. Again, remember that I eyeball, so I usually go in there and stir often and add a little bit of water to keep it moist. When all the ingredients are cooked through, add the heavy cream and simmer for a few minutes until it thickens up, creating a creamy sauce. Remove bay leaf.

Serve over white rice or mashed potatoes.

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For Desserts this week, I'm making : Jelly Rolls (I usually make two of these, one with jelly and one with whipped cream filling) and Tres Leches Cake.

TRES LECHES CAKE

1 package white cake mix, plus ingredients to prepare mix
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1 cup milk
1 cup (1/2 pint) whipping cream
1 container (8 ounces) whipped topping, thawed

Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 13x9x2-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Prepare cake mix according to package directions. Bake about 35 to 40 minutes or until cake is firm to the touch. Remove cake from oven; cool 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine sweetened condensed milk, milk and whipping cream in a 4-cup measure. Poke holes all around the warm cake, using a wooden skewer or toothpick. Slowly pour milk mixutre evenly over top of holes on cake. Let cake cool 10 to 15 minutes more to absorb all the liquid. Cover and refrigerate cake in pan at least 1 hour.

When cake is completely cool, spread whipped topping evenly on top. Cut into pieces and serve with fresh fruit. Keep cake covered and refrigerated.

Look below for the menus for July 31's to August 6th. :)