Weekly Menu -- 4/9 through 4/15

We had a wonderful Easter and are enjoying the beginning of our Holy Week. This is our Spring Break week in our home school, coinciding with Anthony's break at St. Charles.

Considering it's Holy Week, mostly our menu is an average week's menu, with the exception of Friday. We're splurging on Paula's Fiery Cajun Shrimp (recipe below). We don't normally eat shrimp on Fridays, even though it's not meat, because I don't feel shrimp is a sacrifice. Since we live in Ohio, shrimp is fairly extravagant, so we will celebrate this Holy Week since Friday penance is not obligatory on solemnities and every day of Holy Week is a solemnity. Paula's Fiery Cajun Shrimp is soooo good. I make rice and broccoli to eat with it, but really all we want is lots of French bread to dip into the spicy sauce. Yum!

Tuesday's Chili is a favorite and the recipe is below. It's another recipe from Paula Deen's show -- it's her son Jamie's Chili and it's really yummy, especially served with Fritos to scoop. Tuesday night's Mexican Ice Cream Pie (recipe below) is one of my kid's all-time favorite desserts. The cinnamon in the sauce really makes it. And it's very easy. Sunday's Blueberry Crisp is one of my most favorite desserts and the recipe's below. Hopefully blueberries aren't an arm and a leg at the grocery. We'll probably make homemade ice cream to go with.

Monday
Lunch: sandwiches, chips
Dinner: Sloppy Joes, Oven Fries, fruit, leftover Easter cake and candy

Tuesday
Lunch: Chicken strips, carrot sticks
Dinner: Jamie's Chili, Fritos, green salad and fruit, Mexican Ice Cream Pie

Wednesday
Lunch: Tomato Soup and grilled cheese sandwiches
Dinner: Roast beef and fried onion French Dip sandwiches, chips, fruit, Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

Thursday
Lunch: Nachos
Dinner: Chicken Fingers, Scalloped Potatoes, Carrots, Tapioca Pudding

Friday
Lunch: Tuna salad sandwiches
Dinner: Paula's Fiery Cajun Shrimp, white rice, broccoli, French bread, Graeter's ice cream sundaes (Grandma and Grandpa gave gift certificates for Easter)

Saturday
Lunch: Skyline chili
Dinner: going to a birthday party

Sunday
Lunch: Sausage and cheese omelets, toast
Dinner: Baked chicken breasts with basil, Creamy potato bake, salad, rolls, Blueberry Crisp


Jamie's Chili

2 lb ground beef
1 med onion
1 sml green pepper, chopped
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 can whole peeled tomatoes
cumin to taste
1 T chili powder
1 can chili beans
1 can black beans
1 can kidney beans
1 pkg seasoning mix
2 cups chopped celery
shredded cheddar
sour cream
Fritos

Brown ground beef in large dutch oven and drain grease. Add onion and green peppers and cook for a few minutes. Add tomatoes (diced and whole). Add cumin, to taste, and chili powder and cook for about 10 minutes, until vegetables are tender. Add beans, chili seasoning and chopped celery. Simmer and slow cook for 4 hours.
Serve with cheddar cheese or sour cream and Fritos.



Mexican Ice Cream Pie

1 chocolate cookie crust
1 qrt cinnamon, vanilla or chocolate ice cream
½ cup whipping cream
¼ cup sugar
1 oz. unsweetened chocolate
½ t cinnamon
whipped cream, optional

Place ice cream in mixer and mix briefly until softened. Spoon into crust and smooth top. Freeze for about 2 hours.

Heat whipping cream, sugar and chocolate to boiling over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Boil about 30 seconds or until chocolate is melted. Remove from heat. Add cinnamon. Serve wam over ice cream pie with extra whipped cream if desired.




Fiery Cajun Shrimp

2 cups butter, melted
½ cup Worcestershire sauce
¼ cup lemon juice
¼ cup ground black pepper
2 t hot sauce
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 t salt
5 lb unpeeled medium shrimp
2 lemons, thinly sliced

Stir together butter, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, pepper, hot sauce, garlic and salt. Pour half the mixture into a large heatproof dish. Layer half the shrimp and half the lemon slices; then form a second layer of shrimp and lemon slice s and pour remaining sauce into the dish. Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes, or until shrimp are pink, stirring twice. Serve with French bread for dipping.

(NOTE on quantity: I halve everything except the lemons-- I still use two-- and it feeds six)




Blueberry Crisp

4 cups blueberries
2 T flour
¼ t salt
½ cup sugar
1 cup flour
1 cup quick-cooking oats
½ cup brown sugar
½ t salt
½ t vanilla
½ cup butter

Mix blueberries, 2 T flour, 1/4 t salt, and 1/2 cup sugar and place in bottom of greased 10 x 6 or 8 x 8 pan. Mix dry ingredients and cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over blueberries and bake for 30 to 40 minutes.
(Can be doubled and put in 13 x 9 — bake until bubbly)