What's For Dinner? 30-Minute Menus For 2009 - 29th Edition

This is the 29th edition of the weekly 30-minute menus. These are published on a weekly basis; I like to develop the weekly menus on Friday, grocery shop on Saturday, and start the week's menus on Sunday.

School is starting for many of us so the meals this week are quick and easy - so you can put your dinner on the table lickety-split and your energies into getting your children settled in school. The menus are also easy on the budget which is a great help this time of year!

Grilled Shrimp with Greek Veggie Salsa will be served at my house on Saturday as a delightful finale to summer. I will invite a few friends over to make a grand party of it all. The appetizer course will be 'At the Cheese Ball': cheddar cheese balls; summer sausage with roasted garlic mustard; sliced pears, veg tray, spicy tomato salsa; tortilla chips, savory herb crackers; and honey roasted almonds.

You will find that I use several cooking methods, mix and match, to get dinner on the table quickly! (The ingredients in parenthesis show some of my quick-prep steps.) You can always substitute your favorite made-from-scratch recipes when you have more time.

I hope you have a great week!

Sunday:
Roulade de Poulet (boneless, skinless chicken breasts; buy extra chicken for Thursday)
Mushroom Rice Pilaf (boxed pilaf)
Broccoli Medley (fresh bagged veg mix)
Nutty Fruit Salad
Fruited Pink Creams (purchased ice cream, liqueurs; buy enough ice cream for Friday and Saturday)

Monday:
Spaghetti Bolognese (boxed pasta, jarred Bolognese sauce)
Italian Vegetables (frozen veggie mix)
Jam Thumbprint Cookies (jarred jam)

Tuesday:
Cream of Broccoli Soup (vegetarian; buy extra broccoli for Friday)
Artichoke Crostini (jarred artichokes)
Caramelized Peaches

Wednesday:
Shepherd's Pie (instant mashed potatoes, canned mixed vegetables and soup)
Waldorf Salad
Cherry Fluff (canned cherry pie filling and pineapple, frozen whipped topping)

Thursday:
Oven Fried Chicken (boneless, skinless chicken breast or tenders, seasoned coating mix for chicken)
Macaroni and Double Cheese (boxed macaroni and cheese dinner, shredded cheese)
Green Beans
Fresh Baked Cookies (take-and-bake cookies)

Friday:
Ham and Cheddar Strata (pre-cooked ham or ham lunch meat, purchased sourdough bread, bagged cheese)
Broccoli / Bell Pepper / Mushroom Stir Fry (sliced mushrooms)
Toasted Pound Cake with Ice Cream and Chocolate Sauce (purchased pound cake, ice cream, and chocolate sauce)

Saturday:
Grilled Shrimp with Greek Veggie Salsa (cleaned and deveined shrimp, canned tomatoes and black olives)
New Potatoes
Corn on the Cob
Ice Cream with Apple Crunch Topper (purchased ice cream)

I sincerely hope you have fun with your meal planning and preparation,

What's For Dinner? 30 Minute Menus For 2010 - 4th Edition

This is the 4th edition of the weekly 30-minute menus for 2010. These are published on a weekly basis; I like to develop the weekly menus on Thursday or Friday, grocery shop on Saturday, and start the week's menus on Sunday.

Winter is in full-force here in Atlanta; we move between rainy and very cold/clear weather. To help chase away the colds and flu the weather helps bring to us this time of year, the menus this week are hearty to keep everyone at your table warm on the inside.

To help with the budget during these tough times, I have included 'cook once - eat three times' menus. You family will not mind one bit because each menu is so different than the others; they won't even know your clever time-saving and budget-saving trick if you don't tell them!

You will find that I use several cooking methods, mix and match, to get dinner on the table quickly! (The ingredients in parenthesis show some of my quick-prep steps.) You can always substitute your favorite made-from-scratch recipes when you have more time.

I hope you have a great week!

Sunday:
Eye of the Round Roast Beef with Peppercorn Sauce (crock pot, gravy mix; save some beef for Tuesday and Thursday)
Mashed Potatoes (frozen steamers)
Chop House Salad (jarred salad dressing)
Individual Boston Cream Tortes (purchased pound cake, instant pudding mix, prepared chocolate syrup)

Monday:
Spicy Redfish with Pineapple Slaw (bagged slaw mix, jarred slaw dressing, canned pineapple)
Herb and Mushroom Rice (boxed rice mix)
Chocolate Dipped Cookies and Berries (purchased cookies, chocolate morsels)

Tuesday:
Blue Cheese Encrusted Beef Stew (beef from Sunday; prepared pie crust, jarred beef gravy, canned potatoes and carrots)
Fresh Fruit Salad (prepared mayo)
Apple Dumplings a la Mode (purchased ice cream, prepared pie crust)

Wednesday:
Oven Fried Chicken (boneless, skinless chicken breast or tenders, seasoned coating mix for chicken)
Macaroni and Double Cheese (boxed macaroni and cheese dinner, shredded cheese)
Green Beans
Fresh Baked Cookies (take-and-bake cookies)

Thursday:
Mexican Beef and Cheese Soup (beef from Sunday; shredded cheese)
Tortillas with Guacamole Spread
Stacked Brownies (purchased brownies, ice cream, and chocolate syrup)

Friday:
Tortellini Rustica with Fresh Vegetables (vegetarian; prepared tortellini, grated Parmesan cheese)
Three Pepper Salad (jarred Italian salad dressing)
Quick Tortoni and Seasonal Berries (purchased coconut macaroon cookies and ice cream, frozen whipped topping)

Saturday:
Fiesta Chicken (boneless, skinless chicken breasts, Ro*Tel canned tomatoes)
Yellow Rice (boxed rice mix)
Mexi-Corn (canned corn)
Pear Salad (canned pears)
Banana Pudding (purchased vanilla wafers, instant pudding mix)

I sincerely hope you have fun with your meal planning and preparation,
Elizabeth Randall and Family

What's So Great About Slow Cooking Anyway?

As I walked through the grocery store aisles a few weeks ago, I noticed the increase in prepackaged slow cooker meals. I've been using my slow cooker and reaping the rewards for years, so it was no real surprise to me when others started proclaiming the benefits of cooking with a crock pot. Why did it take the rest of the country so long to catch up? With this increase in popularity, I've recently been asked by a few 'newbies' 'What's so great about slow cooking anyway?'

That's an easy question to answer even if all you've ever done is make chicken stew with your slow cooker. It's just so dang simple and the food tastes better when cooked slowly and evenly in a crock pot.

I'm a work at home mom. I operate a Family Child Care and also have a busy online business, both of which keep me going all day long. That on top of my daughter's activities and the in and out nature of my husband's business, we're usually searching for time to sit down and eat, especially eating together as a family. There's where the slow cooker comes in handy. I have tons of slow cooker recipes, and can find just about anything to cook that my kids and picky husband will like to eat.

Since I work at home, having the kitchen stay a comfortable temperature is a must, as I spend quite a bit of time there preparing meals and snacks for my day care kids. I use my crock pot year round, and love its usefulness during the warm weather months when I can fix the beginnings of the meal in the morning when I've got other 'stuff' out on the counter anyway, put it all in the pot, and then clean up the whole mess when I'm done. The crock pot requires very little clean up itself, so there you have yet another major reason for why slow cooking is so great.

For those of you who work away from home, consider this scenario: As the day goes along, the slow cooker is busy fixing your meal for you, and when you walk through the door at the end of another grueling day at work, your dinner is waiting. All you need to do, depending on the recipe you've selected, is prepare a side dish or salad, add some bread, set the table, and call the family in to eat. Simple, simple, simple; and very satisfying to come home to.

Here is a favorite slow cooker recipe that you can try with your family. I'm sure you'll all love it.

Country-Style Crock Pot Chicken

6 carrots, sliced

6 celery stalks, sliced

8 chicken pieces

1 can (10-3/4 oz) cream of chicken soup, undiluted

1 envelope dry onion soup mix

1/3 c or chicken broth

2 tsp cornstarch

Slice vegetables place in crock pot. Place chicken on vegetables. Spread undiluted soup over chicken. Sprinkle dry onion soup mix. Do not add any water. Cook on High 4 hours, or until chicken is done. Stir often, but leave that lid on during cooking! 10 minutes before serving, mix broth and cornstarch. Pour over chicken, stir well. Serves 4.