Friday, September 5, 2008

MMC 30-Minute Menus September 7

How is school going? I bet things are very hectic right now as everyone settles into the new routines. It sure is busy at our house! This week's menus start off with a roast beef in the crock pot and then using the cooked beef during the week - you will have supper in a snap!

I am also using a lot of farm-fresh fruits and vegetables to take full advantage of this marvelous time of the year. Sometimes we make supper out of just fresh vegetables with fruit au naturale for dessert.

You will find that I use several cooking methods to speed dinner prep including prepared foods. When you have a bit more time, you can always substitute the prepared foods with your made-from-scratch recipes.

Sunday:
Roast Beef with Onion Gravy (place roast in crock pot, pour 1 pkt dry onion soup mix over roast, and add 1/2 cup water)
Potatoes (peeled, quartered, and added to crock pot with roast)
Squash Fritters (finely diced zucchini and yellow squash with egg, flour, and salt to form fritters and fried)
Boston Cream Tort (slice purchased pound cake in four horizontal layers; spread prepared instant vanilla pudding between layers and pour chocolate ice cream topping over the top layer)

Monday:
Broiled Tilapia
Linguine with Peas (linguine in primavera sauce with peas)
Tomato Wedges
Broiled Pears with Ice Cream (halve and core pears, broil face down, flip pears and fill core cavity with OJ, honey, and butter mixture and broil until tender and lightly browned)

Tuesday:
Sliced Roast Beef with Peppercorn Sauce (beef from Sunday; peppercorn, beef broth, heavy cream, Dijon, and chopped shallot sauce)
Baked Potatoes (microwave 2 minutes then put in oven to finish baking)
Tomato / Asparagus Stir Fry
Pineapple Upside Down Cup Cakes (made just like the full cake only bakes in shorter time; fresh peaches can be substitued for the pineapple)

Wednesday:
Chicken and Noodles (boil chicken tenders and add noodles to cook in same pot! Basil, marjorem, or thyme are nice herbs for the dish.)
Corn / Black Bean / Cherry Tomato Salsa (vegetables with lime juice, chilies, and cilantro)
Mixed Berry Stack (layered puff pastry with whipped cream and mixed berries; buy extra berries for Friday and Saturday dinners)

Thursday:
Beef Vegetable Soup (using beef and onion gravy from Sunday and any fresh veggie finds)
Grilled Cheese Sandwiches (I liked smoked Gouda with apple slices on sour dough; the kids love American on white bread)
Pan Seared Peaches and Cream (peach slices with butter, cinnamon, and brown sugar)

Friday:
Hamburgers
Buns and Condiments
Potato Wedges (baked in oven; sprinkled cheese is optional)
Corn on the Cob (herb rub such as basil or cilantro)
Blueberry Turnovers (blueberry, cinnamon, and butter mixture rolled in crescent rolls and baked)

Saturday:
Cajun Salmon and Shrimp Salad (blackened salmon and shrimp over bed of lettuce with vinaigrette)
Assorted Rolls
Cheesecake Tarts with Mixed Berries (instant cheesecake mix in graham cracker tart shells and berries for garnish)

Get inspired for your weekly menus at Org Junkie!

I sincerely hope you have fun with your meal planning and preparation, Elizabeth Randall and Family

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