Week of 10/30/2011

So this week was a bit crazy, I had to eat a lot of soup because I had oral surgery. Then we got a ton of Salmon so I found a new way to cook it, which is going to be my new "go to" way to cook salmon forever.

Meal One: Cauliflower Soup

Meal Two: Turkey Noodle soup

Meal Three: Seared Salmon with Pea Puree and Lemon Caper Yogurt (this meal is super easy and fast. My 4 year old basically made the puree and the sauce, minus the chopping and zesting), served with wild rice

Meal Four: Seared Salmon Stir-Fry, over brown rice (or like me mix leftover brown and wild together)

Recipes

Cauliflower Soup
I use the recipe from Rachael Ray, but I rarely make the cheddar dippers

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/cauliflower-soup-and-garlic-and-cheese-sourdough-dippers-recipe/index.html

Turkey Noodle Soup
OK, so this is strange, so I will give you two ways to do it.
1st. this way I did it. I took my mom's turkey soup base from the freezer, boiled it and threw in some halved brussel sprouts. Then in a separate pan I cooked some pasta for only half the recommended time, then drained them and after they sat for a few minutes, I added them to the soup (this keeps them from continuing to absorb liquid.)
2nd (if your mom doesn't stock your freezer with awesome turkey soup base after thanksgiving and Christmas.)
In large stock pan, over med heat, heat 1 T olive oil and 1 T butter. Then add diced onion, carrot and celery, season with poultry seasoning, salt and a good amount of pepper. Saute for about 10 minutes. Add 4 c chicken broth/stock and 1 c shredded cooked chicken, and any additional veggies you have around, I like brussel sprouts, but I have used broccoli and cauliflower. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, in a separate small pot boil some pasta for half the recommended time, drain, let set about 3-5 minutes. Then add pasta to simmering soup and turn off heat.

Seared Salmon: THIS WILL CHANGE EVERYTHING
Super simple. Take salmon fillets, or chunks (whatever), and season with salt and pepper on both sides. Coat heavy skillet with olive oil over high heat. Sear the salmon until a golden crust forms, about 4-5 minutes on the first side. Flip the fish and continue cooking; 2 minutes for medium rare and 4 minutes for medium well, depending on the thickness of the fish. I like mine medium well, so I went four minutes, you could not see raw salmon on the side of the filet, was how I judged it.

Pea Puree: Don't knock it 'til you try it, Seriously
2 c frozen peas, thawed
1/4 c fresh herbs, it called for mint, but I used parsley and basil (my mint was dead)
1 clove garlic
1/2 t each of salt and pepper
1/2 Parmesan cheese
4-5 T olive oil
1/4 c water or chicken broth
* this recipe called for 1/2 c olive oil, but I just couldn't do it, so I changed it to 4T olive oil and water, it turned out great, so I am going with it.

Add all ingredients to blender and puree, I add the water a little at a time, you may need more or less. Then some on plate under seared salmon fillet.

Also, I have used the remaining puree on top of pasta, at lunch time (it's like pesto). Then I am going to hopefully be using the coming week to help stuff tomatoes

Lemon Caper Yogurt Sauce. (my husband is love love loving this sauce)
1 pint of plain Greek yogurt
1 lemon, zest and juice
1-2 T capers, drained and chopped a bit
pepper

Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix. Spoon over the top of your seared salmon.

Seared Salmon Stir-Fry:
2 salmon fillets, chopped into approx. 1 1/2 inch chunks
4-6 oz sliced fresh mushrooms
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1 large carrot cut into 1/4-1/2 inch rounds, I like on the diagonal
1 clove garlic
2 t fresh grated ginger
salt/pepper
2 t sesame oil

Shopping List:
Salmon
chicken or turkey breast
onions
cauliflower
carrots
celery
bell pepper
mushrooms
green veggie, broccoli or brussel sprouts
fresh herbs (basil or mint)
parsley, fresh
thyme, fresh
lemon
garlic
ginger
frozen peas
capers
greek yogurt
Parmesan cheese
milk, or 1/2 & 1/2
butter
Chicken Broth

Menu Week of 10/16

OK, so I lied.
I went on vacation, but I couldn't keep myself from menu planning and cooking, it is like an addiction. But I guess it is one of the few addictions where others actually benefit from it..right?

Meal One: Blue Cheese Buffalo Burgers with oven fries
Meal Two: Spaghetti and Meatballs with roasted broccoli
Meal Three: Hawaiian pulled pork with rice and macaroni salad..
can you say carb overload!!!

Recipes:

Buffalo Blue Cheese Burgers:
1 lb turkey burger, I would love to use buffalo, but I couldn't find it.
1/2 onion diced
1/2 pint of mushrooms chopped
1 clove garlic
1 palm full of breadcrumbs
1 egg
Franks red hot sauce, or buffalo wing sauce of choice
Blue cheese crumbles
crisp lettuce
favorite hamburger buns

Saute onion and mushrooms, seasoned with salt/pepper, in a small saucepan over med heat in a small amount of oil, for about 5-10 minutes, until onions are translucent. Set aside to let cool a bit.
Meanwhile, place burger, breadcrumbs, egg, 1-2 T hot sauce and a light sprinkling of blue cheese in bowl, then add in onion mixture. Combine all ingredients and mix well. Divide mixture evenly into 3-4 patties.
Heat grill pan, or george foreman (cook 5 minutes), then spray with non-stick cooking spray, over med-high heat. Add patties to pan and let cook on each side for 5 minutes. During last minute on second side add a sprinkling of blue cheese to each burger then cover pan for 1-2 minutes. If you used the George just hold the lid over the patties with cheese for a minute to melt/soften cheese.
Place each patty on a bun, top with a good amount of buffalo wing sauce, top with crisp lettuce and bun.

Oven Potatoes

4-5 small potatoes
olive oil
seasoning (ranch mix, Italian mix, dried herbs, your choice)
black pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cut potatoes into wedges, then drizzle with olive oil and seasoning. I would say about 1-2T olive oil and 1 T seasoning mix and 1 t pepper. Then mix well, a bag works really well for this, but a bowl is fine too.
Place on foil lined backing sheet, you can spray it with cooking spray if you like, sometimes it helps.
Then place in preheated oven for 40 minutes.

Meatballs and Spaghetti:
I use the Barefoot Contessa recipe for this, but I make a few changes...

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/real-meatballs-and-spaghetti-recipe/index.html

So I don't use the veal/beef mixture. I use whatever I want, and I truely mean this. My favorite is 1 lb hot and 1 lb mild turkey sausage. But this time I could not read labels and ended up using 1 lb turkey burger and 1 lb pork breakfast sausage, and it was great. So you truly can't mess it up using whatever mixture of 2lb of meat you want.
I also don't do the fresh/dried breadcrumb combo. I just use the same amount but I use whatever bread crumbs I have, like seasoned, regular or panko. I haven't seen a negative result so use what you have or what is easiest for you.

Pulled Pork, Hawaiian style:
About 4 lb Pork Butt, cut into even sided large chunks (like double chop size)
1 T seasoning salt
pepper
water
oil

In pressure cooker over med high heat add 1 T oil. Season meat with seasoning salt and pepper then add to pressure cooker and brown on all sides. Add water to cover meat, then top pressure cooker and turn heat to high. When Pressure cooker goes "CH" for a minute, turn heat down to med to med-high, for 40 minutes. You want to hear the "CH" sound the whole time, so if it stops, up the heat a little.
Let pressure cease from pan, then drain meat and take tongs to it to shred.
Serve meat over white rice, and top with soy sauce, yoshidas and/or sriracha

Hawaiian Macaroni Salad:
I really like the one from Hawaiian time, but I can't find a recipe for it. I am still looking for a really good one. The one I made was sad, so I am not going to put it up here, but if you have a great one, let me know I would love to try it.
And if I find one, I will place it here, so that in the future we have one to refer to.

Shopping List.
2 lb ground sausage
1 lb ground turkey
pork butt/shoulder
onions
mushrooms
potatoes
garlic
parsley
lettuce
breadcrumbs
egg
blue cheese
Parmesan cheese
red wine
spaghetti noodles
hamburger buns
soy, teriyaki, hot sauce
buffalo wing sauce
macaroni salad

Menu Week 10/2-8

Busy cooking week, but I will not be making much the next couple weeks, so you can extend this super packed cooking week into two if you like.

Meal One: Meatloaf, mashed potatoes and veggies
Meal Two: Italian Breakfast
Meal Three: Elk Stew with cornbread muffins
Meal Four: Homemade noodles with fresh Meat Sauce
Meal Five: Butternut Squash Soup with homemade croutons

Note: I made a loaf of bread (see recipe below), that I used in meal two and five. Also the meat sauce I make a large batch, so you can freeze it in containers for later use. This makes life so much easier in the end. I also made my own pasta this week, which is sort of easy, and delicious, but if you don't have the time just use the store bought. I will keep trying to perfect the pasta thing so I can figure out how to make a bunch and freeze it, that way my shift to a mostly homemade lifestyle will be in full effect.

Recipes

Meatloaf: this isn't your mom or dad's meatloaf, so if you tell me you don't like meatloaf...think again!!!
2 lb ground meat, I use turkey and elk
1 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, chopped or pressed
olive oil
1 palm full of Parmesan cheese
2 palms full of seasoned bread crumbs
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1/2 c red wine...this is key do not leave it out
1 egg, slightly beaten
2-3 T fresh chopped parsley
BBQ sauce, A-1 sauce, and ketchup

In skillet, over med-high heat, add 1 T olive oil, chopped onion, salt and pepper and saute about 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute another 3-5 minutes, until all is soft.
Mix together in small bowl 1 part BBQ sauce, 1 part ketchup and 1/2 part A-1 (meaning ex. 1 c BBQ, 1 c ketchup and 1/2 c A-1) set aside.
Preheat oven 350 degrees. In large bowl mix together all ingredients, except sauce mix, but including sauteed onions. Mix meat mixture to combined, but don't over work the meat. Score a cross (or X) into the meat mixture to create four equal sections. Then form each section into a mini loaf and place on a foil lined baking sheet that has been sprayed with olive oil, or Pam. Top each loaf with sauce mixture, so that most of the meat is covered on each loaf. Place in preheated oven for 40-45 minutes, until internal temp is 155-160 (it is usually 45 minutes). Let the loaves sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Serve with mashed potatoes (add a little horseradish for a kick) and mixed veggies

No Knead Bread:
3 c flour
1/4 t instant yeast
1t fine table salt
1 1/2 c warm water

1. Mix dough: The night before, combine all ingredients in a big bowl with a wooden spoon until the dough just comes together. It will be a shaggy, doughy mess. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit 12-20 hours on counter top.

2. Shape & preheat: The dough will now be wet, sticky and bubbly. With a wet spatula, dump the dough on a floured surface. Fold ends of dough over a few times with the spatula and nudge it into a ball shape. You can use your hands if you like, just keep your hands wet so that the dough does not stick. Generously dust a cotton towel (not terrycloth) with flour. Set dough seam side down on top of towel. Fold towel over the dough. Let it nap for 2 hours. When you've got about a half hour left, slip your covered pot into the oven and preheat to 450F.

3. Bake: Your dough should have doubled in size. Remove pot from oven. Holding towel, turn over and dump wobbly dough into pot, using your hands to get the dough off the towel. Doesn't matter which way it lands. Shake to even dough out. Cover. Bake 30 minutes. Uncover, bake another 15-20 minutes or until the crust is beautifully golden and middle of loaf is 210F. Remove and let cool on wired rack. If not eating right away, you can re-crisp crust in 350F oven for 10 minutes. Best way to eat it? Smear a warm slice with some good butter

Italian Breakfast (so this is basically eggs poached in tomato sauce over toasted bread, however I had to adapt it a little bit, and I know the best way thanks to my friend Kim)

Spaghetti Sauce
Bread, see above
Eggs
fresh mozzarella
fresh basil

for the sauce:
4 oz chopped pancetta (optional)
1 onion
1 carrot
1 stalk celery
2 cloves garlic
2 lb fresh tomatoes
1 14 oz can tomato sauce

Place onion, carrot, celery and garlic into food processor and super chop to make a fine dice. In a large saucepan over med heat, saute pancetta for 5 minutes. Add veggie mixture from food processor and saute 7 minutes. Meanwhile, chop tomatoes and add them to the pan as you go. Then add tomato sauce and mix well. Cover and lower heat to a simmer, let simmer for about 1 hour.

Meanwhile place thick slices of bread in oven at 400 to crisp up, they will need about 10 minutes, but just keep your eye on them and toast them to the crispness that you prefer.

In a large deep edged skillet boil water with 1/4 c vinegar. Add eggs one at a time to boiling water and poach for 5 minutes.

On plate, place one slice of toasted bread, top with mozzarella cheese and fresh basil, top that with poached eggs then marinara sauce.

Elk Stew (of course you can use beef, but we are talking about me here)
Side note here...I did this in the pressure cooker, if you do not have one, just follow the basic recipe and put it in the crock pot instead, it will take about 8 hours on high.

2lb cubed meat (stew meat, sirloin, round steak, whatever)
1 med onion chopped
1 clove garlic
4 carrots, chopped 1/4-1/2 inch thick
4 med potatoes cubed
1 T tomato paste
3T flour
2-4 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1 c red wine
4 c chicken broth
1 c frozen peas

Heat 1 T olive oil in pressure cooker over med-high to high heat, add meat and brown on all sides for about 5 minutes. Remove meat from pot and set aside. Add another 1-2 T olive oil and add onion, saute about 5 minutes, then add garlic for another 30 seconds, then add tomato paste and combine for another 30 seconds. Now add flour and let cook 1 minutes, stirring. Add wine and scrap any brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Add thyme and bay leaves, then add carrots, potatoes and reserved meat, along with any juices that accumulated. Add chicken stock and additional water if the meat/veggies are not covered. Be careful not to over fill you pressure cooker, keep an eye on the max fill line. Place lid on pressure cooker and turn heat to high. Let pressure cooker go "CHCHCH" then turn heat to med or med high. You still want it making the "CH" sound but every stove is different. My stove is super hot, so I go to medium, but on a normal range I think it would be med high. Let it "CH" for 25 minutes then remove it from heat to let it cool. Once the pressure has gone, open the lid, discard the thyme and bay, then add peas to just heat through.
Serve with corn muffins...I use good old Jiffy muffins.

Meat Sauce:
(I have done this in previous weeks, but I will put it in again for a refresher)
2 lb ground sausage, whatever combo you like
1 large onion, diced
6 cloves of garlic
2 cans tomato paste, plus four cans of water
3 cans tomato sauce, plus 3 cans of water
3 small palm fulls of dried Italian herbs, I used Italian seasoning and oregano
2 bay leaves

In large pot, over high heat brown sausage. When sausage is about half done cooking, add onion. Once meat is cooked through add chopped garlic and cook another minute. Add tomato paste, sauce and water. Take herbs and rub through hands as you add to sauce, to release the aroma, and add bay. Stir to combine. Bring sauce to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer for 2-3 hours. Stir sauce every 15-30 minutes, to ensure nothing sticks to the bottom. DO NOT scrap the top of the sauce off the sides of the pan, just stir the actual sauce. It is a little messy with the sauce simmering, but if you cover it, the sauce will not thicken. If it is driving you nuts you can use one of those grease screens, it works okay.

Homemade pasta:
Basic recipe is 2 eggs per 1 c flour. To calculate how much to make, figure one egg per person. So I was making dinner for four, so I did 4 eggs and 2 c flour.
Put flour in a bowl, make a well in the middle and crack eggs into that. Combine mixture slowly with hands, until well combined. Dump out onto a smooth floured surface. Knead dough until very smooth. Then roll dough out, either with a rolling pin or a pasta machine, which I had and is very nice, but the pasta cutter portion wasn't working for me.
Once your pasta is thin, keep adding a dusting of flour to keep it from sticking to anything. Cut thin strips of pasta and separate from other slices.
Boil large pot of water, then add some salt to season pasta, toss in pasta and let boil for 2-3 minutes. Then it is done....delicious
for a step-by-step process with photos, go to www.thepioneerwoman.com and search homemade pasta, it's what I used.

Butternut Squash Soup
1 onion, chopped
1 T butter
1T olive oil
1 clove garlic, pressed/chopped
1 butternut squash, med-large, peeled and cubed (the larger the squash the thicker the soup)
2-4 sprigs of fresh thyme
4 c chicken broth
salt/pepper

In dutch oven, heat butter and olive oil over med-high heat. Add onion, salt and pepper and let soften about 5 minutes, add garlic and thyme 30 seconds. Add squash and chicken stock, then bring to a boil, lower heat to simmer and cover 20-25 minutes.
Remove thyme sprigs and use immersion blender to whiz soup to a smooth consistency. If you do not have an immersion blender, then you should let the soup cool a little then add it in half batches to the blender. Then return the soup to pot and place back on burner to bring up to temperature.....GET and IMMERSION BLENDER!! The original recipe calls for 1/2 c cream at the end, but I almost always forget and I have never missed it.
Top with croutons...

Homemade Croutons:
day old bread
olive oil
spike
pepper

Using the remaining slices of the bread you cooked earlier this week..hint hint. Chop bread into cubes then toss in bag with a drizzle of olive oil, pepper and spike (salt sub.). Close bag and shake it like you mean it.
Place seasoned bread cubes on foil lined baking sheet and place in oven at 400 degrees for 20 minutes..checking after 15, then 5 then another 5 minutes if needed. I think I just turned the oven off at 20 minutes and them in there for the next ten minutes while I finished the soup. This whole process should be done when you have put the lid on the soup pot, then it all comes out at the same time.

Shopping List: It's a long one, but this is like almost two weeks worth

2 lb ground sausage
2 lb ground burger
stew meat
pancetta
eggs
onions, 6
potatoes
garlic
celery
carrots
butternut squash
tomatoes 2 lb
fresh parsley
fresh basil
fresh thyme
bay leaves
frozen peas
frozen mixed veggies
bread crumbs
cornbread muffin mix
flour
instant yeast
mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese
tomato sauce 4 cans
tomato paste 2 cans, and a tube
red wine
chicken stock
BBQ sauce
A-1 sauce
ketchup