Weekly Menu -- 3/19 through 3/25

This week is kind of a crazy week for us, which is highly unusual. We eat dinner together 99.9% of the time. But on several nights this week, something has landed on the calendar at dinner time. Doug and two of the boys are going to an NHL game Tuesday night, but will eat before they go. Doug has a board meeting Wednesday and high school basketball tournaments Friday. So, for a few of the nights it will just be the kids and me. Paula's Chicken Pot Pies on Tuesday, Cheeseburger Rolls on Wednesday, and Continental Beef on Sunday are the biggest hits this week, so the recipes are below. I'm trying Jesuit Minestrone Soup from this book on Thursday. I'll let you know if it's any good. I tried a chocolate cake last week from the low fat dessert book I talked about last week. It was very good, so the recipe is below.

Monday
Lunch: leftover Corned Beef and Cabbage (or chicken fries) Yum!
Dinner: the kids and I ate deli chicken sandwiches and salad because Doug worked late

Tuesday
Lunch: Birds' Nests (egg in a toast)
Dinner: Paula's Chicken Pot Pies, fruit, homemade bread

Wednesday
Lunch: Nachos
Dinner: Cheeseburger rolls, oven fries, fruit

Thursday
Lunch: Spaghettios
Dinner: Jesuit Minestrone, homemade bread

Friday
Lunch: Welsh Rarebit
Dinner: Knights of Columbus Fish Fry

Saturday
Lunch: Skyline Chili (Saturday regular)
Dinner: Homemade pizza (also a Saturday regular)

Sunday
Lunch: eat out
Dinner: Continental Beef, vegetable, fruit, homemade bread

Paula Deen's Chicken Pot Pie
2 cups cooked, diced chicken
2 hard boiled eggs, sliced
½ cup thinly sliced carrots
½ cup green peas
1 cup chicken broth
1 can cream chicken soup
salt and pepper
1 cup Biscuit Mix
1 cup milk
½ cup melted butter

In a greased 2-quart casserole, layer the chicken, eggs, carrots, and peas. Mix the broth with the soup and season with salt and pepper. Pour over layers. Stir together the Biscuit Mix and milk, and pour over casserole. Drizzle butter over topping. Bake at 350 degrees until topping is golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes.

NOTE: I double the egg and the topping and cook it for about 50 minutes.


Cheeseburger Rolls
1 recipe roll dough
¼ lb hamburger
½ teasp onion salt
½ teasp garlic salt
salt and pepper (to taste)
cheddar cheese, grated

Make ninety minute roll dough. Roll into twelve 3 inch circles. In a saucepan, brown hamburger. Drain. Add onion salt, garlic salt, salt and pepper. Put 1 tablespoon hamburger mixture and 1 tablespoon of cheese in the center of the 6 circles. Then press another circle on top and seal the edges. Bake at 350° for 10-15 minutes (until golden brown).

Ninety Minute Rolls
2-2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup water
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. margarine
1 pkg. or 1 Tbsp. yeast

Mix 3/4 cup flour with sugar, yeast, and salt. Heat milk, water and margarine until very warm (120°-130°). Add to dry ingredients and beat 2 minutes on medium speed. Add 1/4 cup flour. Beat 2 minutes on high. Stir in enough flour to make a stiff dough. Knead 2-3 minutes. Place in greased bowl and let rise 15 minutes. Divide dough into 12 pieces and shape into balls. Place in 8-inch round cake pan. Let rise 15 minutes. Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes.

NOTE: I usually make the Daily Bread recipe and use half of it for the Cheeseburger Rolls and bake the other half as a loaf.

Continental Beef
6 T butter
1 cup minced onion
1 lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced
2½ lbs. beef stew
8 oz. tomato sauce
2 t Worchestershire sauce
1 T sugar
2 t paprika
2 t salt
⅛ t pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
buttered noodles

Melt 2 T. butter in Dutch oven over low heat. Add onion and mushrooms and saute until tender. Remove from pan. Add more butter to pan and melt; add beef in several batches, and brown. But all beef, mushrooms and onions back in Dutch oven.
Combine tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, paprika, salt, pepper, and garlic. Pour sauce over meat. Cover and cook slowly over low heat for 2-1/2 hours or until meat is tender. Stir occasionally. Serve with buttered noodles.



I was out of eggs on Friday (how can that happen?) and this recipe happened to need no eggs!

Mocha Chocolate Cake
1½ cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup cocoa powder
1 t baking soda
¼ t salt
¾ cup brown sugar
4 T canola or vegetable oil
1 cup water
½ t vanilla
2 T strong coffee
powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Measure flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a 9-inch square pan. Whisk to combine and add brown sugar, whisking with a small whisk or fork until no lumps remain from brown sugar or cocoa.

Pour oil over dry ingredients. Mix water with the vanilla and coffee and pour over. Blend with whisk or fork until batter is smooth. Check that all dry ingredients are scraped from corners.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool. Dust with powdered sugar and cut into squares to serve.