November Recipes

1st: 3 Envelope Roast

1 envelope dry ranch dressing mix

1 envelope dry Italian dressing mix

1 envelope dry brown gravy mix

1 beef roast

Carrots

Potatoes

Onions quartered

Place roast in bottom of crockpot. Sprinkle dry mixes over roast. Pour 1 cup water into bottomof crockpot. Top with Veggies. Cover; cook on low for 7 hours. Thicken juices as needed for gravy.

This is a favorite in my house but I'm not so proud of it due to the premixed envelopes. If you notice, I don't normally use those kind of ingredients b/c I am too lazy to read up on all the ingredients that I can't pronounce to figure out if they are healthy or not. I try to cook all whole foods, so this one doesn't fit that bill, but we love it.

2nd: Pacific Chicken over Rice

Ok, this has the potential to be good but with a few changes. As is, it is COMPLETELY too salty b/c it's WAY too much soy sauce. I will make this again but cut the soy sauce by 1/2 or more and make up the difference with chicken broth. Right before we ate I turned the crock off and threw some frozen pea pods in there and let them steam for a few minutes. It seemed too weird w/o any veggies. We had a salad on the side.

3rd: Fish Tacos http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Fish-Tacos/Detail.aspx

This was a fun dish. Next time I'll need to plan a better side.

4th: Pasta w/ meatballs from freezer (or multiply x3 to freeze if you have none)

5th: Brined Pork Roast w/ onion compote & mashed potatoes & side veggie

Go ahead and get that 8 lb monsterous loin at Cosco or Sam's (1.99/lb) and brine the whole thing. Just freeze meal sized portions after brining. It keeps the flavor beautifully. This is my all time favorite roast so I don't need to review it. Jim gets tired of hearing me say how delicious this as I'm eating it.

Brine

Makes 8 servings.
8 cups water

1/2 cup coarse salt

1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar

1 tablespoon fennel seeds

1 tablespoon coriander seeds

1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns

3 bay leaves

1 center-cut boneless pork loin roast (about 4 pounds)

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage or 1 tsp dried

2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary or 1 tsp dried

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried

2 teaspoons chopped fresh marjoram or 1 tsp dried

Combine first 7 ingredients in heavy large pot.
Bring to simmer over medium heat, stirring to dissolve salt and sugar. Remove from heat. Cool to room temperature. Transfer brine to very large bowl. Add pork (weight pork with plate to keep below surface). Cover; refrigerate over-night. Drain pork. Return pork to bowl; cover with water (weight pork with plate). Soak at room temperature 2 hours.
Position rack in top third of oven and preheat to 350°F. Drain pork. Pat dry. Transfer to rack set in large roasting pan (I don’t have a rack and it comes out great). Rub pork all over with oil. Sprinkle with fresh herbs, pressing to adhere. Sprinkle with pepper. Roast fat side up for about 30 mins. Turn fat side down adn roast until thermometer inserted into center of pork registers 150°F, about 1 additional hour. Transfer pork to cutting board; tent with foil. Let stand 10 minutes.
Cut pork into 1/4- to 1/2-inch-thick slices.
Serve with Onion Compote (and mashed potatoes).

Onion Compote
1 pound + pearl onions
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter

24 garlic cloves, peeled

1 bay leaf

1 1/2 cups tawny Port (I use chicken broth and it’s great)

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

4 teaspoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup raisins

1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme or ¾ tsp dried

Bring large saucepan of water to boil. Add onions. Boil 2 minutes. Drain. Rinse under cold water. Peel onions. Trim root end slightly, leaving root base intact. It is tedious but worth it. I just squeeze the onion out of the peel, it wastes some onion, but the job gets done faster. Melt butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add garlic and bay leaf. Sauté until garlic is golden brown, about 6 minutes. Add Port, vinegar, sugar, and salt. Simmer 8 minutes. Add onions and raisins. Simmer until onions are tender, stirring occasionally, about 9 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in thyme. Discard bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over medium heat before serving.) Serve warm.

8th: Moroccan Beef Stew x3 to freeze

This recipe is courtesy Katy of my FF. It was excellent when she made it last year. I am going to halve the 6 portion recipe for 3. We'll see how it goes.

This is a keeper. It was gobbled up by all, especially my 1 year old. I only got 2 meals out of what should have been 3 but I chalk that up to it's popularity. I'll make the 6 portions next time. Yum.

9th: Chicken & Broccoli Stir Fry or "Lighter Sesame Chicken" http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/lighter-sesame-chicken?autonomy_kw=lighter%20seseame%20chicken&rsc=header_3

We have had this before. It's simple and pretty good. Not spectacular, but it's good and I think it's reasonable to expect that some broccoli will enter my kids little bodies if honey is in the dish.

10th: Puttanesca Sauce over pasta w/ Shrimp

12th: Turkey chili w/ Corn bread http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Lauras-Quick-Slow-Cooker-Turkey-Chili/Detail.aspx (I will use diced tomatoes instead of the tomato soup.)

This was a good comfort meal. It was a bit bland. I will probably repeat this after doing some research and tweaking it to give it some kick next time.

14th: Split pea soup w/ hearty bread or grilled cheese

Jodi turned me onto Split Pea Soup last year. I dont' know that I would have made it if I hadn't fallen in love with it when she brought it over for lunch one day. I immediately had to have more! This is the first time trying it in a slow cooker. Hopefully it's just as good.

My mom picked up a bread machine at a garage sale last year ($5 I think?) and every now and then we break it out and make some fresh bread for stews and soups. Yummy and smells wonderful. Thanks mom!

Ok, this was ok but I had to add tons of salt it seemed. I also remember Jodi's soup of last winter (over the stove) being much better. No one in my house touches this soup but me so I froze it in Jenn sized portions for lunches. Hopefully I can get at least one of my in-laws to have this with me when they visit in December.

15th: Lasagne x2 to freeze

This is the real deal lasagne. It's heavy and it's awesome. One recipe makes 2 meals for any family.

courtesy: Barb of FF

16th: Orange Garlic Chicken

17th: Roasted Salmon brushed w/ limejuice w/ spinach and feta saute

I think this is the Salmon recipe: http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/roasted-salmon-with-lime-and-cilantro?autonomy_kw=roasted%20salmon&rsc=header_2

19th: Thai chicken/veggie curry

For this (Jim's favorite dish but he doesn't know it has coconut milk in it) I just loosely follow a recipe on the jar of red curry paste.
Use any veggies you like. I use onion, carrots, peppers, zucchini and sometimes mushrooms and always peas (but add frozen peas at the end).
So what I do is throw in some Olive oil in the pan and let it heat up, then spoon approx 1 ½ T of curry paste till fragrant. Then add your veggies & chicken (diced) in cooking order then add a can of coconut oil and some chicken broth. Stir 1 T corn starch w/ 1 T chicken broth and add to thicken. Sometimes I add a can of diced tomatoes. Peas at the end. Serve over rice. It’s a general recipe and it’s different every time but that’s about how I make it. I have purchased red curry paste in a large can at the Asian market and I just freeze the remaining paste in ice cube trays and then put into a freezer bag for later use. The jar that you can purchase at Giant Eagle is fine to just keep in the jar at room temp for several months.
*FYI: Trader Joes has the best price on coconut milk @ .99 cents/can.

21st: Curried Butternut Squash & Apple Soup w/ hearty bread

I don't know whose recipe this is. I got it at Sue Orr's recipe exchange/Pampered Chef party. Doesn't it look interesting?

22nd: Cheddar-topped Shepherd's pie x2 to freeze

23rd: Chicken Tortillas Soup w/ corn muffins http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Homesteader-Cornbread/Detail.aspx

Chicken Tortilla Soup -- Pampered Chef Recipe:

4 (6") corn tortillas

1/2 C onion, chopped

3 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

1 garlic clove

1/4 tsp. chili powder

1/4 tsp. ground cumin

2 cans (14.5 oz each) Chicken broth

1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained

1 can (4 oz) chopped green chilies, undrained

4 tsp. fresh cilantro, snipped

2 oz reduced-fat cheddar cheese, shredded (1/2 C)

4 thick slices fresh lime (optional)

*I add frozen corn at the end.

1.) Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut tortillas into 1/2" strips using Kitchen Shears. Place on flat Baking Stone . Bake 7-8 minutes or until crisp. (I usually skip this and it never seems to matter.)

2.) Meanwhile, chop onion using Food Chopper. Cut chicken into 1/2" pieces using 8" Chef's Knife . Heat Generation II 4 Qt Casserole over medium-high heat. Spray with vegetable oil using Kitchen Spritzer. Add chicken; cook and stir 3 minutes. (I put frozen chicken breast in the oven at 380 degrees for about 35 min and shred with 2 forks.) Add onion, garlic pressed with Garlic Press , chili powder and cumin. Cook and stir 2 minutes. Stir in broth, tomatoes and chilies. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.

3.) Snip cilantro using Kitchen Shears . (I have never used cilantro.) Divide tortilla strips among 4 bowls. Ladle soup over totillas using Nylon Ladle . Shred cheese over top with Deluxe Cheese Grater . Sprinkle soup with cilantro. Garnish each bowl with lime slice to squeeze juice into soup, if desired. (This freezes well even with teh tortillas in it. DO NOT USE FLOUR TORTILLAS or they just puff up and get huge. You must use corn. Don't make the mistake I did.)

24th: Shrimp and Cabbage lo mein

25th: Pasta w/ meat sauce

26th: Chicken Tex Mex Burritos -- yum! http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/slow-cooked-tex-mex-chicken-and-beans?autonomy_kw=tex%20mex&rsc=header_9 You must have the chipotle chilis. Freeze unused chili's by 2s for later use.

THANKSGIVING MENU TO COME

30th: French Dips w/ crispy potatoes & salad

French Dips courtesy Barb & Taste of Home
3# beef chuck roast, trimmed
2c. water
1/2c. soy sauce
1 tsp. dried rosemary
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 bay leaf
3-4 peppercorns

8 french rolls, split
sauteed onions
swiss cheese

Place roast in slow cooker. Add water, soy sauce and seasonings. Cover & cook on high for 5-6 hours or until beef is tender. Remove meat from broth. Shred with forks and keep warm. Strain broth and skim off fat. Pour broth into small cups for dipping. serve with sauteed onions and swiss on hoagies (we sometimes broil for a minute to melt the swiss). Serves 8

*Barb says that she halves this recipe a lot.