Weekly Menu for July 4-8, 2005
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Welcome to the menu for July 4-8! In order to make the best use of Menus 4 Moms, before beginning the Menu please read the Menus 4 Moms plan basics and the Busy Cooks Pyramid as Menus 4 Moms will be based on these items each week. If you have questions, please check the FAQ page.
The menu for this week includes a July 4th feast, beef vegetable soup, subs, tacos, and Easy Chicken Parmesan.
Enjoy the weekly menu!
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Menu for June 27 - July 1, 2005
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Monday - Recipes
Barbecue ribs
Baked beans
Cornbread
Coleslaw
Festive Flag Cake
Tuesday - Recipes
Tacos
Mexican salad
Refried beans
Wednesday - Recipes
Beef vegetable soup
Crusty bread
Sliced fruit
Thursday - Recipes
Subs/hoagies
Potato salad
Fruit
Friday - Recipes
Easy Chicken Parmesan
Sugar snap peas
Garlic bread
Grocery List
This week's Grocery List can be downloaded here:
Grocery List for July 4-8, 2005 - PDF
Shopping List Software format (download shopping list free Windows software)
Monday Recipes
Notes for Monday:
- Today's meal is a mid-day cookout that will have you so full you won't need to plan dinner!
- You may boil your ribs at a slow simmer instead of cooking them in the oven. Slow cooking is the secret to great ribs. If you prefer to smoke the ribs, see Fabulous Foods for Famous Dave's cooking tips.
- To prevent a messy grill, cook these in foil.
- Don't forget to make the Festive Flag Cake on Sunday so it will be ready.
- Thaw a bag of cooked ground beef and a bag of black beans if you have them for tomorrow's dinner.
Barbecue Ribs
Recipe provided by:
Submitted by Kristy
- 4 pounds pork spareribs
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 cup rum
- 1/2 cup chile sauce
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1 dash ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Cut spareribs into serving size portions, wrap in double thickness of foil, and bake for 1 1/2 hours. Unwrap, and drain drippings. (I usually freeze the drippings to use later in soups.) Place ribs in a large roasting pan.
In a bowl, mix together brown sugar, ketchup, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, rum, chile sauce, garlic, mustard, and pepper. Coat ribs with sauce and marinate at room temperature for 1 hour, or refrigerate overnight.
Preheat grill for medium heat. Position grate four inches above heat source.
Brush grill grate with oil. Place ribs on grill, and cook for 30 minutes, basting with marinade.
Baked Beans
- 2 cans pork and beans
- 1/2 cup barbecue sauce or more to taste
- 1 tsp. prepared mustard, or more to taste
Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and simmer for 20 minutes.
Cornbread
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 1 cup flour
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 3 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 cup milk
- 1 egg
- 1 can corn, drained
Preheat oven to 425°F. Put half of the olive oil in a 9x9x2 cast iron skillet and preheat in oven without burning oil. Mix all remaining ingredients in a bowl. Pour batter into preheated cast iron skillet and bake for 20-25 minutes or until done.
Coleslaw
- 1 bag prepared broccoli* or cabbage slaw, or homemade shreds
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 Tbsp. vinegar
- 2 tsp. sugar
Combine last 3 ingredients and refrigerate covered until ready to use. Mix with shredded slaw vegetables just before serving.
Festive Flag Cake
- 1 prepared angel food cake, sliced
- 2 cups whipping cream
- 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1/4 cup milk
- 8 oz. cream cheese
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 pints raspberries
- 1 pint blueberries
Combine whipping cream, vanilla, granulated sugar, and ¼ milk in a bowl. Beat until soft peaks form. In a separate bowl combine cream cheese and powdered sugar. Fold into whipping cream mixture. In a 9x13 pan, spread 1/3 of the whipped cream mixture, a layer of cake slices, and repeat, ending with the remaining 1/3 of the whipped cream mixture on top. Top with strawberries and blueberries in the shape of a US flag. Refrigerate overnight before serving.
Tuesday Recipes
Notes for Tuesday:
- I suggest making soft tacos with whole wheat tortillas for a healthier meal, but you may substitute hard tacos if you wish.
- If you don't have black beans in the freezer, you may prepare dry black beans according to the package directions and freeze all but 2-3 cups, or use canned ones.
Tacos
- 1 lb. browned ground beef (from freezer)
- 1 pkg. taco seasoning
- 1 pkg. whole wheat tortillas* (or make your own)
- cheddar cheese
- shredded lettuce
- chopped tomatoes
- salsa
Cook taco seasoning and cooked beef according to package directions. Serve meat with remaining ingredients at the table so everyone can make their own tacos.
Mexican Salad
- variety of lettuces, torn into bite-sized pieces
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded & chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, seeded & chopped
- 1 can corn, drained
- 1 bunch green onions, chopped
- 1 can black olives, drained
- 1 tomato, diced
- 1 bottle ranch salad dressing
Combine all ingredients and serve.
Refried Beans
- Black turtle beans (from freezer)
- cumin
- Adobo or garlic salt
- olive oil
- 1 can* red enchilada sauce (or make your own)
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Mash 4 cups of beans, adding enough liquid to make beans mushy and soft. Heat 2 T. olive oil in a fry pan and add mashed beans and spices to taste. Stir until hot and bubbly. Heat enchilada sauce in a sauce pan and serve beans topped with enchilada sauce and shredded cheddar cheese.
Wednesday Recipes
Notes for Wednesday:
- Today we are going to start some soup in the early afternoon in the slow cooker. If you do not want to heat up the house, try putting the slow cooker in your garage, or on your porch or deck.
- Although they are not in the ingredients, if you have access to them chopped kohlrabi and turnips would make nice additions to this soup.
- Today we are going to prepare the Frozen Fruit Salad so it will be ready for tomorrow night.
Beef Vegetable Soup
- 1 lb. cooked ground or shredded beef (from freezer)
- 1 onion (from freezer)
- 1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
- 1 bag mixed* or stew vegetables, or chopped fresh vegetables
- 2 cans vegetable* or beef broth
- 1 cup brown rice
- 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
- 2 tsp. dried parsley
- other spices, as desired
Combine all ingredients except rice in a slow cooker and simmer for 4-6 hours. Add rice for the last hour of cooking.
Crusty Bread
Sliced Fruit
Frozen Fruit Salad (for tomorrow)
- 2 T. sugar
- 3 oz. cream cheese, softened
- 2 T. milk
- 2 T. lemon juice
- 1 can mandarin oranges
- 1/2 cup pecans (optional)
- 1 cup maraschino cherries, quartered
- 1 can crushed pineapple, drained
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1 cup whipping cream, whipped
- lettuce leaves
Mix cream cheese and milk. Add mayonnaise, lemon juice, dash salt, pineapple, pecans, cherries, and sugar. Fold in whipped cream (do not stir). Freeze. Serve on lettuce leaf.
Thursday Recipes
Notes for Thursday:
- Tonight's meal can be served cold or hot. I love to toast our sandwiches before adding fresh veggies and serving.
Subs/Hoagies
- 2 lbs. of your favorite deli meats (chicken, turkey, ham, roast beef, pastrami, pepperoni, or any combination of them)
- bacon or turkey bacon slices
- 1/2 lb. provolone* or cheddar cheese
- relish or salad peppers
- condiments of your choice (we like horsey sauce)
- lettuce leaves
- tomato slices
- red onion slices
- 4-6 hoagie rolls
Arrange all ingredients on a platter and let everyone make their own sub, or you can assemble hoagies and toast them in the broiler (watch carefully!). When I do this, I toast both side of the sandwich with the cheese on top of one side and the bacon on top of the other side. Add lettuce, tomato, and onions when they come out of the oven.
Potato Salad
- 3 lbs. new potatoes, cooked and cooled
- 1/3 cup red onion, finely chopped
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup stone-ground mustard
- 2 tsp. sugar
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. pepper
- 1/2 lb. bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 2 Tbsp. dried parsley
Cut cooked potatoes into bite-size cubes and put into a large bowl with onion. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over potatoes and onion, mixing well. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Garnish with fresh parsley, if desired.
Frozen Fruit Salad - prepared yesterday
Friday Recipes
Notes for Friday: none
Easy Chicken Parmesan
- frozen breaded chicken tenders or breasts, or fresh boned chicken breasts that have been breaded and baked
- 1 jar spaghetti sauce
- 2 cups Mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
Place chicken on a flat baking pan (I prefer stoneware). Spoon spaghetti sauce on top until each individual piece of chicken is covered. Sprinkle with Mozzarella cheese, then top with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350° until bubbly.
Garlic Bread
- 1 loaf ciabatta* or Italian bread
- 1 stick butter, softened
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed or minced
Slice bread in half length-wise. Mix butter and garlic well. Spread each half with half of the garlic butter mixture and place halves together on baking sheet. Bake at 350° until bread is crusty and butter mixture is bubbly.
Sugar Snap Peas
- 1-2 small packages fresh sugar snap peas
- 1 Tbsp. butter
- 1tsp. sugar
Wash pea pods. Drain and dry on a paper towel. Melt butter in a fry pan and add sugar snap peas. Toss well and sprinkle with sugar. Heat on medium heat until peas are tender but crisp. Serve hot.
* Indicates that of the options listed, this item is the one on the grocery list.
