Weekly Menu March 5-11

So, I am going to see if I can try all of my "pinned" recipes I have found on Pinterest.  I think I am getting pretty close on my meal recipes. If you are interested in looking at the recipes I have tried, I always leave a comment on my board after I have tried it.
Monday: Chicken fried chicken, snickerdoodle cupcakes, grean beans, and baked potato
Tuesday: Taco braid, pasta salad, carrots with dip
Wednesday: Crockpot Italian chicken, leftover snickerdoodle cupcakes, tossed salad
Thursday:Best burger on grill, leftover pasta salad, vegetables with dip
Friday: leftovers
Saturday lunch:  Sandwiches                   supper: out
Sunday: lunch: frozen meal        supper: Homemade pizza, carrots and dip, apples

TACO BRAID
Recipe By: Holly Lofthouse

1 lb ground beef

1 packet taco seasoning

1 cup water

1 can refried beans

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup salsa

1 can Pillsbury Pizza Dough

       Unravel the Pizza Dough and let sit out on a greased cookie sheet while you brown the ground beef. Once beef is cooked, add the taco seasoning and 1 cup water. Mix well and let simmer for 5-10 minutes on low.

       Now that dough is room temp and easy to work with, shape out into a large rectangle. Using a pizza cutter or knife, cut one inch strips down along sides of dough. In the center spread out the refried beans.

       Next spread the seasoned ground beef on top of the beans, and then drizzle the salsa over the meat. Last sprinkle the cheese evenly. Now start braiding the one inch strips over the top.

       Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden brown! Let cool 5 minutes

Chicken Fried Chicken 
from mynameissnickerdoodle.com


4 skinned and boned chicken breasts
1 tsp salt
2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 sleeve saltine crackers, crushed
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup milk
2 large eggs
oil

Place chicken breasts between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap, and flatten to 1/4-inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Sprinkle with half of the salt and pepper. Set aside. Combine cracker crumbs, flour, baking powder, remaining salt and pepper. Whisk together 1 1/2 cups milk and eggs. Dredge chicken in cracker crumb mixture; dip in milk mixture, and dredge in cracker mixture again. Pour oil to a depth of 1/2 inch in a 12-inch skillet (do not use a nonstick skillet). Over medium high heat (more on the high side) fry chicken, in batches, 10 minutes, adding oil as needed. Turn and fry 4 to 5 more minutes or until golden brown. Remove to a wire rack in a cookie sheet. Keep chicken warm in a 225° oven.

Country Gravy1/3 - cup flour
2 - 3 tablespoons pan drippings
3 cups milk
salt & pepper to taste

Carefully drain the hot drippings, reserving cooked bits and 2 -3 tablespoons of the drippings in skillet. Add 1/3 cup flour to the skillet with the drippings. Cook over medium high heat. Using a whisk mix the flour into the drippings until it starts to brown and become a paste. This is called a roux. If the roux looks to oily and runny you can add another tablespoon or so of flour and mix again. Whisk constantly until the paste becomes nice and brown.

Slowly add the milk whisking constantly and blending the liquid with the flour mixture until combined. Let the gravy come to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer until the gravy thickens up. If the mixture thickens to much add more milk as needed until the gravy is the consistency that you want. This could end up being more then the required 3 cups. Season generously with salt and pepper and serve over the chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes.


Pizza from Smitten Kitchen 

Yield: One small, thin-crust pizza. Can serve two with a big salad.
Dough
6 tablespoons warm water (may need up to 1 or 2 tablespoons more water)
2 tablespoons white wine
3/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups flour
Assembly
Cornmeal for sprinkling
Flour for dusting counter
1/2 pound torn-up buffalo mozzarella
Few leaves of torn-up basil
Whisk wine, water and yeast in a medium bowl until yeast has dissolved. Add honey, salt and olive oil and stir. Add flour and no matter how dry it looks, work it with a spoon and your fingers until it comes together as a dough. Add more water one tablespoon at a time if you need, but in my experience, this is almost never necessary.
Sprinkle some flour on the counter and knead the dough for a minute or two.
If you’re like me and always trying to reduce the number of dirty dishes left at the end of the night, wash the bowl you made the dough in, dry it and coat the inside with olive oil. Put the dough in, cover it with plastic wrap, and let it rise for an hour or up to two, until it is doubled.
[Easiest way to tell if a dough has risen enough? Dip two fingers in flour, press them into the dough, and if the impression stays, it's good to go. If it pops back, let it go until it doesn't.]
Meanwhile, make some sauce [recipe below].
Preheat your oven to its highest temperature. If you have a pizza stone, sprinkle it with cornmeal and put it in the oven. Otherwise, sprinkle a baking pan with the same.
Once the dough has doubled, turn it out onto a floured counter and gently deflate the dough with the palm of your hands. Form it into a ball and let it rest on a floured spot with either plastic wrap over it (sprinkle the top of the dough with flour so it doesn’t stick) or an upended bowl. In 15 minutes, it is ready to roll out.
Do so on the floured counter until pretty darn thin, then lift it onto a cornmeal-sprinkled baking sheet or pizza paddle. Add the sauce, torn-up mozzarella and slivers of fresh basil.
Slide the pizza from the paddle to your preheated pizza stone, or just put the baking sheet in the oven as is.
Bake for about 10 minutes, checking at 7. Slice and serve immediately.
Moderately Easy Tomato Sauce  **** I will probably just use canned pizza sauce! :)
A more involved, seasonal update of the Basic, Awesome stuff.
Makes enough for one small/medium pizza.
4 roma tomatoes
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Splash of white wine
1/2 teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
Bring medium pot of water to a boil. Poach the tomatoes for one minute only, and then drain them. As soon as they are cooled off enough that you can touch them, peel them. The peels should come right off. If they don’t, make a slit in the skins. This always does the trick.
Drain and dry the pot. Put it back on the burner over medium heat. Pour in olive oil and let it heat completely before adding the garlic and stirring it for a minute with a wooden spoon. Add the red pepper flakes and stir it for anther minute. You do not want the garlic to brown. Put the peeled tomatoes in the pot, along with the wine, sugar and salt. Break the tomatoes up with your spoon.
Let the sauce simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes break down. Carefully taste without burning your tongue and adjust seasonings, if necessary.

Best Burger Ever

Burger Ingredients:
ground beef 85/15
sesame seed buns
1/2 cup of grated Monterrey jack cheese
1/4 cup BBQ sauce
season salt to taste
cracked black pepper
onion powder

We usually like to buy extra lean ground beef around these parts, but when it comes to a juicy burger, you’ve gotta make an exception.  The best burgers have more fat–naturally.

Combine the ground beef, grated cheese, bbq sauce, and seasonings.  Shape patties that are about 1 inch thick.  Then it is very important to  push a 1/2 inch indent into the center of the patty–this is what prevents the patty from becoming a dome.  These burgers stay extra moist because the bbq sauce and cheese are mixed in with the meat.

Reduce heat to medium and allow this side of the patty to cook for about 4-6 minutes, but make sure it doesn’t burn. Then flip the burger over and cook until done.  I like my burger medium-well.  While the burger is cooking, I like to whip up some secret sauce–sort of my version of In & Out’s addicting sauce.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup of mayo
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup relish
2 tablespoons worcestershire
seasoned salt

Combine all ingredients and whisk until well mixed. Taste and adjust ingredients to your liking.

I also butter and toast the buns on a skillet Pioneer Woman style.  Something about a sesame seed bun makes the burger seem more legit.

Now while the burger might not look like an award winner, it certainly tastes like it.

click here for more yummy recipes

Best Burger Recipe Ever with Secret Sauce

3.9 from 14 reviews

Print

Recipe type: Entree

Author: Ashley Stock – Little Miss Momma

I am kinda a stickler when it comes to homemade burgers. I can’t stand the dryness of pre-constructed or frozen patties, or when the patty turns into a giant dome that I can hardly bite into–and my burger muuust have cheese. So last year I set about creating the perfect burger, and you know what? I don’t even make it on the grill.

Ingredients

• Burger
• ground beef 85/15
• sesame seed buns
• 1/2 cup of grated Monterrey jack cheese
• 1/4 cup BBQ sauce
• season salt to taste
• cracked black pepper
• onion powder
• Secret Sauce
• 3/4 cup of mayo
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup relish
• 2 tablespoons worcestershire
• seasoned salt

Instructions

1. Combine the ground beef, grated cheese, bbq sauce, and seasonings. Shape patties that are about 1 inch thick.
2. Then it is very important to push a 1/2 inch indent into the center of the patty–this is what prevents the patty from becoming a dome. These burgers stay extra moist because the bbq sauce and cheese are mixed in with the meat.
3. Wait for the skillet to get super hot and then apply a very thin layer of butter to the pan. Place the patties on the pan, indent side up.
4. Reduce heat to medium and allow this side of the patty to cook for about 4-6 minutes, but make sure it doesn’t burn. Then flip the burger over and cook until done.
5. For the sauce: Combine all ingredients and whisk until well mixed. Taste and adjust ingredients to your liking.
6. Assemble the burgers and serve with avocado, lettuce or your choice of toppings!

 Crockpot Italian Chicken
Crockpot Italian Chicken: 4 chicken breasts, 1 packet Zesty Italian dressing seasoning, 1 8 oz. cream cheese (softened), 2 cans cream of chicken soup; Cook on low for 4 hours. If sauce is too thick, add a little milk. Serve over pasta.

Snickerdoodle Muffins
slightly modified from Culinary Concoctions by Peabody

2 sticks unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp cream of tartar
3/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 1/4 cup sour cream
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar and 1 TBSP cinnamon mixed together for rolling*

1.Cream the butter and sugar until soft about 3 to 5 minutes. Add in the vanilla. Add in the eggs one at a time and mix until each is incorporated.

2.In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cream of tartar and nutmeg.

3.Add the flour mixture and the sour cream alternately to the egg-butter mixture in the additions. Start with the flour and end with the flour. Scrape the bowl occasionally.

4. Using an ice cream scoop, scoop out muffin batter one at a time and drop into a shallow bowl filled with the cinnamon sugar mixture. Roll the muffin around in the mixture until it is covered completely in cinnamon sugar. Place muffin into muffin tin. Depending on the size of your tins, you should get about 12 to 14 muffins. Bake them for approx. 20-22 minutes in a 350F oven or until they are golden brown.

*The original recipe calls for 1 cup sugar and 2 tbsp cinnamon, but this was way way too much for me. I ended up dumping maybe more than half of it.
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