Widowing Well with Hope: Savorying Saturday

Saturday, February 23, 2008

What's cookin'????

In my world, Saturday is a day I SO enjoy for it's a day when I can sleep in, move at a slower pace, and spend 2 full days with my family.

A big part of my weekend is spent preparing meals for the upcoming week since I work full-time. By late Sunday afternoon my kitchen looks more like restaurant than our kitchen as I begin preparing breakfasts, lunches, and dinners for the week.

My weekly work routine takes me away from home for roughly 11 hours a day between my commute time and work day, which doesn't allow for much food prep time. So today, I thought I'd give you a peek, into my world.

I'm a big believer that Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so each weekend, I prepare a Quiche, and one of our favorite Quiche's is a Four Cheese Quiche. (For this recipe and many, many more go here!) I bake the Quiche Sunday and then I re-heat a piece each morning. I then add a bowl of fresh fruit which usually consists of blueberries, strawberries, banana, watermelon, and pineapple; and then I toast an english muffin and spread with homemade jam that I make.

Our lunches usually consist of yogert with granola, a turkey, cheese, and spinach sandwhich, and I then throw in a small baggie of pretzels, or organic chips.

Our dinners tend to be eaten late, as I don't get home until after 6:30pm and I don't like to eat a big heavy meal late at night so often we have soup, grilled cheese sandwiches, or grilled panini's. Some nights we do have grilled chicken (we eat a lot of chicken) or flank steak with baked potato's, and veggies.

As I've been preparing my meals for next week, I thought I'd pass along a few recipes.

Poppy Seed Cake

1 Box Duncan hines butter cake mix
1/2 c. sugar
3/4 c. oil
1/4 c. poppy seed
4 eggs
1 small carton of sour cream

Mix all ingredients. Add eggs one at a time, and mix well. Pour in a greased and sugared bundt pan and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Once cool, remove the cake from the bundt pan. I often make a white frosting glaze adding lemon flavoring. My guys really enjoy this.

We also enjoy spicy food...and this recipe is a keeper. It's from Emeril's cooking.

Tex Mex Chicken Taco Soup
1/2 c. diced onions
1/2 c. diced green bell pepper
1 TBSP. minced garlic
Vegetable oil
1 pound of chicken breast, cooked and diced or shredded
1 package of taco seasoning mix
1-8 ounce jar of salsa
1-14 oz. can of corn
1-14 oz. can hominy
1-14 oz. can of ranch style beans
2-4 oz. can tomato paste
2-14 oz. cans chicken broth
1-8 oz. package of cream cheese

Saute onions, green bell peppers, and garlic in a small amount of vegetable oil. Add chicken, taco seasoning mix, salsa, vegetables, beans, tomato paste, and chicken broth. Bring to a slow simmer and simmer for 20 minutes. Place cream cheese in a separate bowl. Using a measuring cup, take some of the hot liquid from the soup and pour over cream cheese to melt and then add back to the soup. Simmer on low for another 10 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips and grated monterey jack cheese.

This soup is also great as a left over.

I'll share one more...and this one is great for company, or a church pot-fellowship.

Chocolate Cookie Cake

Combine the following ingre. and bring to a boil...do NOT COOL:

4 TBSP. Cocoa
2 Sticks of butter
1 C. water

Add the following to the above:

2 C. flour
2. C. sugar
1 tsp. soda

Then, beat in 2 eggs, adding 1 tsp. of vanilla, and 1/2 C. of sour milk. (to make sour milk, I add 1 tsp. of vinegar to the 1/2 C. milk)

Grease and flour a cookie sheet, pour batter into cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

While the cake is baking, make the frosting:

1 1/2 C. sugar
6 TBSP. butter
6 TBSP. milk
1/2 C. chocolate chips

Combine the sugar, butter and milk in a pan and bring to a boil. Boil for one minute. Add the chocolate chips. Stir till dissolved. Remove from heat and beat with an electric mixer until the frosting begins to thicken. (I usually beat it a good 5-6 minutes)

Once the cake is finished baking, pour the hot frosting, onto the hot cake.

This dessert taste's great with ice cream.

This is a recipe that is so quick, and easy so I try to keep the ingre. on hand always. It's great to throw together if you find out someone is going to stop by for the evening and you don't have a lot of time to make something.

Enjoy your Saturday friends!!!

Saturday, July 28, 2007

Ah...Saturday......

Around our house, Saturdays are a day to prep for the upcoming week since I work full-time outside our home. I've had to learn the art of being super organized so that during the work week our home doesn't become crazy around meal time.

Since our daughter Ashley works every Saturday morning, this is usually the time Andrew in knee deep in yard work (he get's a break this week since he's at the cabin); so I'm armed and ready in the kitchen preppin' meals for the week.

It does take A LOT of organization on the front end; (more on this later) but once I discovered a routine, it runs like a well oiled machine.

Today I'll be making yummy blueberry muffins and sausage/cheese biscuits which will work perfectly for part of our breakfast menu this week. Simply pop em in the microwave and a warm yummy breakfast will be just minutes away.

I will also be preparing Chicken Wraps (for lunches next week) which will work perfectly for our church picnic which is tomorrow.

Here's the recipe for the wraps, trust me...they are WONDERFUL!!!!

Mix a day ahead of time:

1 1/2 C.Mayo
1/2 C. BBQ Sauce
2 Tbsp. Fiesta party dip seasoning (by Tastefully Simple) (Optional...but good)

Pecans:
2 egg whites
1 1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 C. Water
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp. Paprika
1/2 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
6 Tbsp. butter, melted
4 1/2 C.chopped pecans

Beat eggs and salt until foamy. Add remaining ingredients. Fold in pecans and butter. Spread on baking pan with sides. Bake @350 degrees for 25 minutes. Stir every 6 minutes. Cool pecans on wax paper. (you won't need all these pecans for the wraps, but very worth making because they are very good on salads)

Then:

6 X-lg. flour tortillas (or Burritos)
4-Cups (or more if you like) chopped cooked chicken..or use shaved chicken slices
Tomatoes chopped
Red Pepper chopped
Feta Cheese chopped (or Mozzerella cheese)
Green Onion chopped(or romaine lettuce))
Pecans (above)
Cooked bacon chopped

Spread tortillas with mayo mixture. Top with spinach leaves in an even layer to 1 inch from edge. Sprinkle tortillas with remaining ingreedients. Roll up tightly. Roll in wax paper. Tie with twine, or ribbon and chill. Before putting on serving tray, cut between twine into individual sandwiches.

Refridge overnight.

Praying that you have a WONDERFUL day!

Kim~