Have you made your New Year's resolutions yet? I have made a few - one of my standards is to do better in the kitchen (prepare better meals). I have always made weekly menus but not always followed the plan - this year I will do better at that!
I will be going to my mother's house Sunday and Monday so have planned a couple of special meals for her: Sunday lunch is Chicken Veronique which is one of her favorite dishes of chicken with a mushroom sauce and Monday I will serve Cajun Salmon and Shrimp Salad. Both are very quick and easy to prepare but a quite delicious!
Wednesday night's supper for New Year's Eve is a quick and elegant menu of French Onion Soup so that we will have time to get ready for our neighborhood party. This is a really cool party where everyone walks to the party. Sometimes it is a progressive dinner party beginning with an appetizer course at one house, entree at another house, and desserts with champagne at the final house; this year it is a cocktail party. It is fun and we catch up with what our neighbors have been doing all year.
The menu for New Year's Day has some traditional dishes but you'll want to add your own. I will add hopping John to my menu to be sure to include rice, black eyed peas, and hog jowl!
I really enjoy having friends over for a casual 'do' after the more formal New Year's Eve celebrations - lets people kick back and relax - so we will host a party on Friday night. I will be serving Cincinnati Chili with a condiment bar so everyone can mix-and-match their own chili! The appetizer course will be the 'At the Cheese Ball' party from Party in a Bag on my website.
Do you have a party in your holiday plans? Check out the latest feature on my website - Party in a Bag! The Bags are designed to help you pull your party together in 30 minutes - flat! I love to entertain but don't often have the time required to pull off a big, fancy 'do', so, over the years, I have learned a few short-cuts; I will share them with you.
If you are planning a dinner party, take a look at the Holiday and Special 30-Minute Complete Menu Plans on my website. You will find menu ideas to help with your celebration.
The Family Meals 30-Minute Complete Menu Plans are there to help with both weeknight and special dinner prep. I create Complete Menu Plans using the 30-minute menus from this blog:
- The Complete Menu Plans give you recipes and step-by-step instructions for preparing the complete meal (not just the entree as most meal plans do) in 30 minutes - flat! I even include a grocery list to save unnecessary trips to the grocery store.
- These are eComplete Menu Plans so you can purchase the menu plan now and use it for dinner tonight!
- You won't have to spend your precious time thinking of menu ideas and then looking up the recipes - I will send it all directly to you!
- You can purchase a Complete Menu Plan for the introductory price of .25 each.
- If you have found my 30-minute menus helpful, then you must check out the 30-Minute Complete Menu Plans!
- You will find that I use several cooking methods, mix and match, to get dinner on the table quickly! You can always substitute your favorite made-from-scratch recipes when you have more time.
I hope you have a great week and Happy Holiday!
Sunday:Chicken Veronique (boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced mushrooms)
Rice or Pasta
Yellow Squash
Tomato and Avocado Salad
Double Chocolate Torte (purchased pound cake and chocolate frosting)
Monday:
Cajun Salmon and Shrimp on Salad Greens (cleaned and deveined shrimp, bagged salad greens)
Assorted Rolls
Cheesecake Tarts with Seasonal Berries (graham cracker tart shells, instant pudding mix; save some cheesecake filling for Wednesday)
Tuesday:
Ravioli Mediteranea (frozen cheese ravioli, jarred vodka pasta sauce, bagged shredded cheese)
Tossed Salad (jarred vinaigrette)
Heavenly Angel Food Cake (purchased angel food cake, strawberry preserves)
Wednesday (New Year's Eve):
French Onion Soup (vegetarian version)
Mixed Green Winter Salad (bagged mixed baby greens, canned Mandarin orange sections, dried cranberries, purchased spiced pecans)
Cheesecake Filled Pears with Fresh Raspberries (canned pears, cheesecake from Monday or instant pudding mix)
Thursday (New Year's Day):
Pork Medallions with Tarragon Sauce
Buttered Rotinni
Steamed Cabbage
Hopping John (canned black eyed peas)
Coconut Cake with Strawberries (purchased frozen coconut layer cake)
Friday:
Cincinnati Chili for a Crowd (Cinci chili 5 ways with noodles, shredded cheese, onions, beans, or plain)
Condiment Bar (jarred salsas and relishes with sour cream)
Citrus and Avocado Salad (jarred citrus)
Stacked Brownies (purchased brownies and chocolate syrup)
Saturday:
Grilled Tuna Medallions with Wasabi Sauce
Steamed Jasmine Rice (boxed rice)
Vegetable Stir Fry (sliced mushrooms)
Individual Orange Souffles (purchased ice cream and coconut macaroon cookies)
Get inspired for your weekly menus at OrgJunkie!
I sincerely hope you have fun with your meal planning and preparation,
Elizabeth Randall and Family
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