What's For Dinner? 30-Minute Menus For 2009 - 28th Edition

This is the 28th edition of the weekly 30-minute menus. These are published on a weekly basis; I like to develop the weekly menus on Friday, grocery shop on Saturday, and start the week's menus on Sunday.

School is starting for many of us so the meals this week are quick and easy - so you can put your energies into getting your children settled in school. The menus are also easy on the budget which is a great help this time of year!

I am serving Shrimp Scampi on Saturday night just for the fun of it! This ever-so-simple meal is great for busy weekends especially if you have invited dinner guests to your house.

You will find that I use several cooking methods, mix and match, to get dinner on the table quickly! (The ingredients in parenthesis show some of my quick-prep steps.) You can always substitute your favorite made-from-scratch recipes when you have more time.

I hope you have a great week!

Sunday:
Cheese Stuffed Jumbo Shells (vegetarian; jarred marinara sauce, shredded cheeses)
Mixed Greens and Pear Salad (bagged salad greens, canned pears)
Pineapple Upside Down Cupcakes (boxed cake mix, canned crushed pineapple)

Monday:
Kung Pao Chicken (chicken tenders)
Fried Rice
Melon Salad with Apricot Dressing (apricot jam, yogurt, shredded coconut)
Ginger Ice Cream and Fortune Cookies (purchased ice cream and cookies)

Tuesday:
Dilled Tilapia Bundles (puff pastry)
Asian Stir-Fry (frozen stir-fry veggie mix)
Cranberry-Apple Salad
Tuilles with Ice Cream (purchased tortillas and ice cream)

Wednesday:
Lemony Pork Chops
Angel Hair Pasta (boxed pasta)
Fresh Broccoli Spears
Rice Krispy Treats (rice cereal, mini-marshmallows, chocolate morsels)

Thursday:
Speedy Chicken Divan (cooked chicken if available, frozen broccoli and cheese mix)
White Rice
Tossed Salad (bagged greens, jarred salad dressing)
Apple Pie a la Mode (purchased apple pie and ice cream)

Friday:
Meatball Stew (frozen meatballs)
Bread Bowls (refrigerated biscuits)
Fruit Salad with Yogurt Dressing (purchased yogurt, canned Mandarin oranges, pear slices, and pineapple)
Buckeye Chocolate Chippers (prepared cookie dough, canned chocolate frosting)

Saturday:
Shrimp Scampi (cleaned and devined shrimp)
Angel Hair Pasta
Asparagus
Cheesecake Tarts (prepared graham cracker tart shells, cheesecake pudding mix)

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

Valentines Day Dinner (part 1 of 2)

Diary of a Local Boy (Season I). Valentines Day Dinner 2010, on the menu: Tender Rib Eyes cooked Medium Rare w butter, mushrooms, onions, garlic fries, salad w almonds, and coconut cake, red wine.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsEe6MXUxKI&hl=en

Tasty Butternut Recipe - Squash Is a Healthy Dinner Vegetable

This butternut recipe for squash is a tasty and healthy vegetable for your family meal. Butternut squash is a power food - an excellent source of fiber, vitamins, minerals and beta carotene and has been shown to have anti-cancer properties as well as other health promoting benefits.

Unfortunately, we don't cook butternut squash often and most people don't know how to cook it properly. It is a very versatile vegetable, it can be cooked as a savory dish or sweet with sugar and spices. Most recipes that call for pumpkin can be made with butternut squash as well.

Butternut Squash is a winter squash with a thick skin that helps to preserve it. Trimming away this thick skin is the hardest part of the recipe below. Many people don't peel it, but halve it and roast it in the skin, scooping the squash out at serving time. For this recipe you need to peel the squash and cube it before roasting.

Baked Butternut Squash Recipe

1 large butternut squash (about 1 - 1 ½ pounds)

salt and freshly ground pepper

2 teaspoons anise seed, crushed

1/8 teaspoon cardamom

2 - 3 teaspoons brown sugar

8 Tablespoons butter, melted

2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Peel and cut open the squash. Remove and discard the seeds and fibers.
Cut the squash into 1 inch cubes and place into a buttered 2 quart baking dish.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper, anise seed, cardamom and brown sugar.
Drizzle the butter and lemon juice over all.
Bake uncovered in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes, or until tender.

How to Make Italian Crème Cake : How to Cook Italian Cream Cake

Italian Cream Cake is the perfect dessert for any occasion andour expert is here to show you how to bake one in this free dessert recipe video. Expert: Gail Hoffman Bio: Graduating from the Cordon Bleu Cooking School in Chicago, Illinois with a degree in Culinary Arts, Gail Hoffman has spent the last thirteen years working as a chef. Filmmaker: Adolph Ramirez



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmNch8YVah0&hl=en