Printer-friendly Weekly Menu Plan | Recipes | Grocery List | July 10-14, 2006

If you think your children will not eat eggplant, use chicken nuggets or chicken breasts for theirs.
If you prefer not to heat up your oven, you may finish the eggplant dish in a skillet instead. Layer as directed in a clean skillet, cover, and cook on medium-low until heated and cheese is melted.

Eggplant Parmesan

2 small eggplants
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup flour
Vegetable oil
1- 28 oz. can of spaghetti sauce
1-2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 400°. Peel eggplant and cut length-wise into 1/2" thick slices. Dip slices into egg, then flour, on both sides. In a large skillet, cook 2-3 pieces of eggplant at a time in hot oil for about 5 minutes, or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

Place cooked eggplant slices on a baking sheet and spoon 2-3 tablespoons spaghetti sauce on each slice. Top with cheeses. Bake 10-12 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly and sauce is hot.

Pasta Carbonara

8 oz. cooked, drained, rinsed linguini (if long, break into pieces before cooking)
1 jar real bacon bits or 8 slices bacon*, cooked
1 bunch sliced green onions & 1/2 tops
4 oz. sliced fresh mushrooms
2/3 c. Parmesan cheese, grated
3 eggs, room temperature
2/3 c. cream, room temperature
2 tsp. dry parsley flakes
Salt & pepper to taste

If cooking bacon from scratch, in fry pan brown bacon pieces. Otherwise, heat a little vegetable oil and add onion and mushrooms, saute until soft. In bowl beat eggs, add other ingredients and mix and set aside.

To fry pan with bacon, onions and mushrooms and add rinsed, cooked noodles; heat. Just before serving, remove from heat and add bowl of egg mixture to hot noodle mixture and mix. Serve immediately.

Salad

Fruit Cocktail

Tuesday Recipes

Notes for Tuesday:

Prepare the sticky chicken for tomorrow so it can marinate overnight in the spices.
Reserve 1 cup of peas for tomorrow's rice pilaf.

Cheddar Chicken Spaghetti

1 package (8 oz) spaghetti, broken in half
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup (substitutions)
1 cup milk
1 T diced pimientos (optional)
1 can green chiles (optional)
1 Tbsp. tarragon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the chicken, 1 cup cheese, soup, milk, pimientos, green chiles, tarragon, salt and pepper. Drain spaghetti, add to the chicken mixture and toss to coat.

Transfer to a greased 13 x 9 x 2 baking dish. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake, uncovered at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until heated through.

Yellow Squash and Onions

4 summer squash (yellow squash)
1 large onion
2 T. butter

Wash squash and slice into thin slices. Slice onion into thin slices. Melt butter in a large saucepan and add squash and onions. Saute until squash is tender and onion is caramelized (turns sweet and brown). Salt to taste.

Peas

Roast Sticky Chicken Preparation

1 large roasting chicken
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons paprika
4 teaspoons salt

In a small bowl, thoroughly combine all the spices. Remove giblets from chicken, clean the cavity well and pat dry with paper towels. Rub the spice mixture into the chicken, both inside and out, making sure it is evenly distributed and down deep into the skin. Place in a re-sealable plastic bag, seal and refrigerate overnight.

Wednesday Recipes

Notes for Wednesday: none

Roast Sticky Chicken in the Crockpot

Chicken prepared last night
1 cup onion, chopped

When ready to roast chicken, stuff cavity with onions, and place in crockpot. Cook on low for 5 hours. The pan juices will start to caramelize on the bottom of pan and the chicken will turn golden brown. Use a meat thermometer to ensure that the meat is thoroughly cooked (180° is well done for a whole chicken). Let chicken rest about 10 minutes before carving.

This recipe was originally created by Mimi Hiller of Mimi's Cyber Kitchen, http://www.cyber-kitchen.com/ and this version was actually an adaptation written by Lynn Nelson, former guide of Busy Cooks, http://busycooks.about.com

Rice Pilaf

3 T. olive oil
1 medium onion chopped (from freezer)
1 clove garlic minced
1/2 green pepper chopped, seeded
1/2 red pepper chopped, seeded
1 cup of frozen peas, thawed
1 c. long grain rice (or brown rice* for healthier version)
2 c. chicken broth (if you are using brown rice add extra water)
herbs of your choice (basil, rosemary, thyme, oregano, etc.)

Thaw onion. Saute garlic and peppers in oil until tender. Add rice and brown until lightly browned. Mix the rest of the ingredients and add to pan. Cover and cook 20-25 minutes (longer - closer to 45 minutes - for brown rice).

Creamed Spinach

Recipe is here.

Sliced Peaches

Thursday Recipes

Notes for Thursday:

Save about 1-1/2 cups steak that has been very thinly sliced for tomorrow's pizza.

London Broil

1 to 1-1/2 lb. flank steak
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp. dry mustard
1/2 tsp. pepper
pinch cayenne pepper
dash hot sauce

Combine all ingredients except steak. Trim fat from steak. Score meat (make shallow cuts) at 1" intervals diagonally, making a diamond pattern. Place steak in gallon-sized freezer bag and pour in marinade, reserving 1/4 cup. Close tightly and shake gently. Marinate all day or overnight. Remove steak from bag, discarding marinade. Grill, covered on medium until desired doneness is reached (use a meat thermometer to determine doneness). Baste twice with reserved 1/4 cup marinade.

Slice into very thin slices against the grain before serving.

Grilled Vegetables

Recipe is here.

Cottage Cheese with Fruit of Your Choice

Friday Recipes

Notes for Friday:

Thanks to Stacie for contributing this pizza recipe!
Use steak leftover from last night.

Philly Cheesesteak Pizza

Prepared pizza dough
1 onion, sliced
1 green pepper, seeded and sliced
8 oz. sliced fresh mushrooms
2 cups mozzarella cheese

Prepare and bake the pizza crust of your choice at 350° about 7 minutes, then remove. Saute vegetables until tender. Sprinkle 2 cups mozzarella cheese on the crust and spread the vegetables and steak evenly over the cheese (no sauce). Bake at 450° until cheese is melted and toppings are hot, about 15 minutes. Serve with mayonnaise on the side for those that want it.

Salad

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