Printer-friendly Weekly Menu Plan | Recipes | Grocery List | May 1-5, 2006

Whisk together the vinegar, oil, and hot pepper sauce. Stir in the basil. Pour over the fish and marinate about 20-30 minutes, turning once. Broil or grill about 4 minutes on each side, depending on thickness of fish.

Fried Okra

1 bag frozen breaded okra (or two if your family likes it as much as ours)
oil for pan frying

Heat oil in a deep (2-3") fry pan. Fry okra (do not crowd in pan) until golden brown. Drain on paper towels, salt and serve.

Macaroni and Cheese

2 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dry mustard (optional)
1/4 tsp pepper
2-1/2 cups milk
2 tbsp butter
2 cups (8 oz) shredded American or Cheddar cheese, divided
8 oz Mueller's Elbows (about 2 cups), cooked 5 minutes and drained

In medium saucepan combine corn starch, salt, dry mustard and pepper; stir in milk. Add margarine. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil over medium-high heat and boil 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in 1-3/4 cups (425 ml) cheese until melted. Add elbows. Pour into greased 2-quart casserole. Sprinkle with reserved cheese. Bake uncovered in 375 degree oven 25 minutes or until lightly browned. This can be prepared ahead of time and kept refrigerated until you are ready to bake. Add 5-7 minutes to the cooking time if cold.

Source: Mueller's elbow macaroni box

Tuesday Recipes

Notes for Tuesday:

If you made beans last week or still have some in your freezer, you can use those instead of the dry beans on the list.

Chicken Enchiladas

2 cups shredded or chopped cooked chicken (from freezer)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can chicken broth
8 oz. sour cream
1 onions, sauteed (from freezer)
1 bell pepper, chopped & sauteed
cilantro
cumin
Adobo or garlic salt
6 whole wheat flour tortillas (if you can't find them, get regular ones)
2 cups Mexican blend cheese

Combine soup, 3/4 can chicken broth, and sour cream. Set aside 1 cup of this mixture. To the remaining mixture, add chicken, onion, pepper, and spices to taste. Add 1 cup of the cheese.

Place 2-3 T. of mixture onto each tortilla, roll up, and place the tortillas in a 9x12 pan. Add the remaining chicken broth to the reserved soup mixture and pour over enchiladas. Sprinkle remaining cheese over enchiladas. Cook at 350° until bubbly.

Refried Beans

1 bag black turtle beans (kidney,pinto, or red beans also work)
cumin
Adobo or garlic salt
olive oil
1 can red enchilada sauce
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Rinse beans in a colander and check to be sure there are no stones or other debris. Place beans in a dutch oven and cover with water so that the water is twice as deep as the beans. Heat to boiling and boil for 2 minutes. Turn heat off and cover, let sit for 1 hour. Drain beans in colander and rinse pot. Place beans in slow cooker and cover with water, making sure the water is twice as deep as the beans. Cook on Hi for 5 hours or Low for 8-10 hours.

Drain beans, reserving liquid (place colander on a lg. pan or bowl then pour beans in). Separate beans into 2 cup servings in freezer bags, reserving 4 cups of beans for tonight's meal. Cover beans in each bag with some of reserved liquid and freeze.

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.

Corn

Wednesday Recipes

Notes for Wednesday:

Save 1-1/2 cups of this sauce for Friday when we will use it for Spaghetti Pie.
Make a large salad for tonight and save half of it for Friday night.

Easy Spaghetti Sauce over Ravioli

1 bag frozen ravioli
1 (28 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
1 lb. cooked ground beef (from freezer, thawed)
1 (14.5 ounce) can peeled and diced tomatoes
1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1 onion (from freezer, thawed)
2-3 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. basil

Combine all ingredients except ravioli and simmer in a slow cooker for 4-5 hours on low. Cook ravioli according to package directions and serve sauce over ravioli.

Salad

Green Beans

Thursday Recipes

Notes for Thursday:

If you have a wheat mill, try substituting brown rice flour for wheat flour in this recipe. Freshly ground brown rice makes incredibly fluffy waffles!
If you haven't ever tried grits, do try them. The easiest kind to make are Quick Grits. Do not get instant grits - it is like comparing instant coffee to Starbucks!

Waffles

2 large eggs
1 3/4 cup buttermilk
1 stick butter, melted
2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
2 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup pecan meal (optional but delicious)

Mix dry ingredients well. In a separate container mix wet ingredients. Combine and mix until just smooth. Spray waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray and cook according to the instructions for your waffle iron.

Grits

Prepare grits according to package directions, but soak the grits in the cooking water for 30 minutes to an hour before cooking. Serve with lots of butter, salt, and pepper.

Bacon

Melon

Friday Recipes

Notes for Friday: none

Spaghetti Pie

6 oz. spaghetti, cooked and still warm
2 tbsp. butter
1 well beaten egg
1/3 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1 c. cottage cheese
1 c. Mozzarella cheese, shredded
1-1/2 cups spaghetti sauce (from Wednesday)

Combine hot cooked spaghetti with butter until butter is melted. Add egg and Parmesan cheese. Place in pie dish and form a "crust" with a well in the center. Spread cottage cheese over spaghetti in pie dish. Cover with spaghetti sauce and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake 30 minutes at 350° or until bubbly. Cut into slices and serve.

Leftover Salad

Hot Bread of Choice

* Indicates that of the options listed, this item is the one on the grocery list.