Monthly Meal How-To

A few months ago, Jeff and I started making a monthly meal plan rather than a weekly meal plan. By doing so, we cut the amount we spend on food almost in half. Before the beginning of each month, we sit down with our calendar and plan our menu for the entire month. While this may seem daunting, it's really not. There are a few of our favorite meals that are repeated every month. Tuesdays are taco night, so one night each week is already planned. Jeff helps coach our church's youth basketball on Wednesday nights, so we have something that can be easily reheated those nights. I have school until 6pm on Mondays, so those are quick meals that are put together in little time. We also try at least 3 new recipes a month. I have a ridiculous number of cookbooks, so finding 3 or more new recipes is no problem, but you can find tons of recipes online.

Here is our February meal plan:

Saturday, 1st - Pizza
Sunday, 2nd - Superbowl/Jeff's birthday
Monday, 3rd - You're on your own
Tuesday, 4th - Tacos
Wednesday, 5th - Pancakes with buttermilk syrup
Thursday, 6th - Hawaiian haystacks
Friday, 7th - Chopped Challenge
Saturday, 8th - Chicken Salad
Sunday, 9th - Spaghetti with meat sauce
Monday, 10th - Chicken Satay
Tuesday, 11th - Fish tacos
Wednesday, 12th - Crock pot pot roast and rice
Thursday, 13th - Pork and broccoli stir fry
Friday, 14th - Valentine's Day date
Saturday, 15th - Spicy 50/50 burger
Sunday, 16th - Pulled pork
Monday, 17th - Pappardelle with creamy mushroom sauce
Tuesday, 18th - Tacos
Wednesday, 19th - Stuffed baked potatoes
Thursday, 20th - Turkey and avocado melt
Friday, 21st - Chopped challenege
Saturday, 22nd - Hamburgers
Sunday, 23rd - Breakfast
Monday, 24th - Sausage and potatoes
Tuesday, 25th - Fish tacos
Wednesday, 26th - Chicken and rice
Thursday, 27th - Tomato soup and grilled cheese
Friday, 28th - Penne with broccoli, cheddar and bacon

After the menu is planned, I go through each recipe and inventory my pantry to see what we need to buy. Then I make a list and we go on one big shopping trip at the beginning of the month. We buy everything that we can store for up to a month; meat, canned goods, dry goods, etc. Then we go every week or two weeks for things like milk and produce depending on need.

We save time and money by going to this monthly plan. I'll post some of the recipes as I make them, too. Happy eating!

La Bou Dill Sauce

If you live in the Sacramento area, you know about La Bou's dill sauce. In high school it was a staple to get a sliced baguette with dill sauce for dipping. Unfortunately, if you don't live in the Sacramento area, this delicious dip is unavailable. However, it turns out that if you just call and ask for the recipe, they'll give it to you. So without further ado...

La Bou Dill Sauce

1 package of Hidden Valley Ranch buttermilk ranch mix
6 Tbs fresh dill, chopped
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup water

Mix all ingredients together. Add more water if too thick.

Buttercream Frosting

Homemade frosting makes all the difference in a cake. I rarely use canned frosting now that I've made this.

Vanilla Buttercream
2 sticks butter, softened
1 pound powdered sugar (about 4 cups)
4-6 Tbs cream<br>
1 tsp vanilla

Beat sugar into butter one cup at a time. Add 4 tablespoons cream and the vanilla. If too stiff. Add more cream one tablespoon at a time until spreadable.

Chocolate Buttercream
For chocolate buttercream, substitute 1/2 cup of sugar with 1/2 cup cocoa powder and omit the vanilla.

Three Salad Components - Glazed Pecans, Homemade Croutons, and Vinaigrette

Ok, I have no picture of the salad I made for Christmas dinner because I didn't think about it until dinner was over, and by then, there wasn't much left to photograph. It was a simple salad of baby spring greens, glazed pecans, feta, dried cranberries, cucumbers and croutons with a vinaigrette. I made the glazed pecans, croutons and vinaigrette. So without further ado, here are the recipes.

The pecans are an adaptation from the Pillsbury recipe.

Glazed Pecans
2 Tbs butter
2 Tbs brown sugar
2 Tbs maple syrup
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 cups pecan halves

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

In a 12-inch skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add brown sugar, syrup, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Cook until bubbling. Add pecans and cook 2-3 minutes until pecans are well coated.

Spread on cookie sheet and bake 6-8 minutes until caramelized, but not burned. Let cool at least 30 minutes. Store in refrigerator or freezer.


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This recipe was tweaked from a Neely recipe on foodnetwork.com. There were no measurements, so these are an estimation.

Homemade Croutons
1 loaf French Bread
3-4 Tbs Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut bread into 1-inch cubes. Toss with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Spread into a single layer on a cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes, until browned.

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A great friend, Judy, gave me the recipe for this vinaigrette. When I first made it, I didn't have some of the ingredients, so I improvised and came up with this. I still have yet to find a dressing I like better.

Vinaigrette
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
Dash of hot sauce

Whisk all ingredients together until sugar is dissolved.

My olive oil is a little fruity, so I add an extra splash of apple cider vinegar. Add a little more hot sauce to give it a bit of kick.

Creme Brulee

Creme brulee is one of those intimidating desserts. But once you actually make it, it's really easy. All you need are 4 small ramekins and square baking dish to make perfect creme brulee. This recipe is adapted from a Barefoot Contessa recipe. Ina Garten makes some amazing food. This is no exception.

Creme Brulee
1 whole egg
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar, plus more for the top
1-1/2 cups heavy cream
1 vanilla bean
Boiling water

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Beat together the egg, egg yolks and 1/4 cup sugar until combined. Split the vanilla bean, and scrape out the vanilla. Add vanilla and the pod to a sauce pan with the cream. If you do not have a vanilla bean, you can use 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract. Scald the cream and vanilla until hot, but not boiling. Slowly and gradually mix hot cream into egg and sugar mixture. You want to do this slowly so as not to cook the egg yet.

Place the ramekins in a baking dish and divide the custard mixture between the ramekins. Pour boiling water in the baking dish until it is half way up the sides of the ramekins.  Bake for 35-40 minutes until the custard is set. Let come to room temperature and refrigerate until ready to use.

before serving. Sprinkle with a very thin layer of sugar and use a torch to carmelize. Or place under broiler until carmelized.

Enjoy!

Crepes

Crepes. The thin little pancake was something I grew up on. My mom would make them and we'd fill them with ice cream and top them with chocolate sauce. Now I prefer fruit in the middle and a sprinkling of sugar on top. Or plain. I'm perfectly fine just rolling one up and eating it completely unadorned.

Crepes may seem a little daunting, but there really isn't much to them. You don't need any fancy crepe pan or one of those stick things they use to evenly spread the batter on the hot surface. Just a regular old nonstick saute pan will do the trick. And there's no need to use a spreading tool. Swirl the pan and gravity will take care of the rest.

Crepes
1 1/2 + 1/3 cups flour
2 eggs
2 Tbs sugar
2 Tbs vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups milk

Blend all ingredients in a blender until combined. Let stand in refrigerator for one hour.

Heat 8" nonstick saute pan on low heat. Add 1/4 batter to pan and swirl to distribute batter evenly. once edges are dry and the batter is set, lift edge with a toothpick and remove from pan. the bottom should still be yellow with slight tanning. If too brown, lower heat and repeat.

This recipe makes a million crepes. I usually feel like the batter is multiplying while I'm cooking the other crepes. to make bigger and fewer crepes, you can use a 10" pan and increase batter amount to 1/3 cup.

Snickerdoodles

This recipe is an adaptation from a Food Network Kitchens recipe. They are incredibly easy, and don't require cream of tartar like most snickerdoodle recipes, so you likely already have all the ingredients on hand. In a week I will be in full finals mode and really needed the pick-me-up. These do it every time.

Snickerdoodles
2-3/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 sticks butter, room temperature
1-1/2 cups + 3 Tbs sugar
2 eggs
1 Tbs cinnamon

Cream together butter and 1-1/2 cups sugar. Beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.

Add eggs one at a time, making sure each egg is mixed in completely before adding the next.

Add the flour, baking soda and salt and blend until smooth.

Mix together remaining 3 Tbs sugar and 1 Tbs cinnamon in a bowl. Roll dough into 1-1/2 inch balls and roll in cinnamon sugar mixture. Place evenly on cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes. Cool on wire rack.


They certainly made law school more bearable tonight.

Buttermilk Pancakes

I don't know anyone that doesn't like pancakes. They are the quintessential breakfast food. My husband grew up having pancakes most Sunday mornings. Most people are familiar with the pancakes from a box. And while that still works, this recipe is just as easy to me and makes the best pancakes. It's slightly (and I mean slightly) adapted from Alton Brown's recipe for buttermilk pancakes from his book I'm Just Here for More Food. You just mix together the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and cook. It's basically the same as from a box, but with a few more measurements. The original recipe only calls for 2 cups of buttermilk, but the batter comes out more the consistency of muffins. I prefer a more runny batter, so I increased the buttermilk by half a cup.

Buttermilk Pancakes
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3 Tbs sugar
2 eggs
2-1/2 cups buttermilk
4 Tbs butter, melted and cooled

Mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar. Beat eggs with buttermilk and butter. Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients until just blended. Let stand for 5 minutes.

Heat griddle on medium-low heat. If using an electric griddle, heat to 350 degrees. Grease pan and cook in 1/4 cup portions. Flip when bubbles appear and bottom is golden brown; approximately 2-3 minutes. Flip and cook until bottom is golden brown.

Disneyland Dining

Since my husband works at  Disneyland we go there often. We usually get a treat, too. Last night we went to the Jolly Holiday Bakery at the end of Makn Street. I got the raspberry cheesecake and Jeff got the raspberry almond twist. Both were quite delicious.

Teriyaki Sauce

I used to just buy bottles of teriyaki sauce at the store and they were usually delicious. But I wanted to make my own. I found a recipe from food.com that I adapted to my tastes as well as what I had available in my pantry. It's a thick sauce like those you find in a restaurant. Besides being delicious, it's really easy to make.

Teriyaki Sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 cup water
3/4 tsp ground ginger
2 small cloves garlic, finely minced
5 Tbs brown sugar
2 Tbs honey
2 Tbs cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water

In a sauce pan, combine all ingredients except 2 Tbs cornstarch and 1/4 cup water and bring to a boil over medium heat.

Mix cornstarch and cold water to make a slurry.

Once the sauce just comes to a boil, add the slurry and cook until desired thickness.

Feel free to experiment using fresh ginger. I rarely have it on hand, so I haven't done that yet. Enjoy!

Baked Pancake

Whenever I was sick growing up, my mom would make me a baked pancake. It's soft, easy to digest and delicious. Today, it's still a comfort food for me, even if I'm not sick.

Baked Pancake
1/3 cup flour
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
2 tsp sugar
drop vanilla
pinch cinnamon
pinch nutmeg
2 Tbs butter

Set oven to 350 degrees. Put butter in ovenproof 6"-8" skillet and let melt in oven while it preheats. Whisk all other ingredients together. Once oven is preheated, pour the batter into the pan and bake for 8-10 minutes. The pancake will be puffy and the sides high and dry. Serve with fruit, jam or plain with a dusting of powdered sugar.

Curry Chicken

My husband spent a year in South Africa where he developed a love of curry. While I'll probably never get it quite like the ones he had in Africa, he's a fan of this one. I adapted it from a few recipes I found and what he's told me he remembers about the curries he had in Africa. It's especially delicious served over rice and with naan bread.

Curry Chicken
1/4 cup (4 Tbs) curry powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp smoked paprika (regular is fine, too)
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, in bite-sized pieces
2 carrots, chopped
1 Tbs tomato paste
6 oz plain yogurt
1 15 oz can coconut milk


Heat a pan on medium heat. Toast the curry powder, onion powder cinnamon, paprika, and bay leaf over medium high heat for about 45 seconds stirring constantly. Add chicken, salt and garlic. Cook for just a few seconds, then add tomato paste, yogurt, coconut milk and carrots. Stir together. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes.

Pie Crust

The perfect pie crust is hard to find. There are many theories bakers prescribe to; all butter, all shortening, both shortening and butter. Don't touch the crust with your hands, etc. I'm an all butter baker myself. The flavor can't be beat. I also touch the crust. This particular recipe is adapted from Sur La Table's The Art and Soul of Baking. Even though pie crust can be daunting, this one has yet to fail me. This recipe is for a single crust, but can easily be doubled for a double crust pie.

Pie Crust
1 stick of very cold butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 1/4 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp sugar
2-3 Tbs cold water

In a food processor, pulse the butter, flour and sugar together until it resembles course sand and peas. Add cold water 1 tablespoon at a time and pulse until dough forms a ball. Form the dough into a disc and place on a well floured board. With a flour rolling pin, roll from center to the top. Turn dough 1/4 turn, and roll from center up again. Keep repeating this, turning 1/4 turn until the dough is the appropriate size for the pan.

These are cherry pocket pies I made with my lattice mold. A single crust recipe makes 4 of these pocket pies. And excess pie dough is also delicious sprinkled with cinnamon sugar and baked.

Mexican Chicken

Did you grow up with a weird dish that none of your friends ever heard of? This is that dish from my childhood that no one else ever had or heard of. It's really simple, but delicious. The original recipe calls for Fritos to cover the top before you bake it. However, if you have any leftovers, they get soggy. So I leave them off and just add them to my plate.

Mexican Chicken
2 cans refried beans
1 large chicken breast, cooked and shredded
1 1/2 cups cheese (cheddar, jack, etc)
1 small can red enchilada sauce
Fritos or Tortilla chips

Other possible toppings:
sour cream
guacamole or avocado
lettuce
salsa

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In an 8x8 or 9x9 oven-safe dish, spread beans on the bottom. Top with chicken, then cheese. Pour enchilada sauce over. Cover and bake for 35 minutes. Top with Fritos or Tortilla chips.

Tacos

Tacos are my favorite food. It's a very rare occasion that I'll turn down a taco, especially homemade ones. These certainly hit the spot.

Carne Asada Tacos
1 lb carne asada (skirt or flank steak will also work)
1/4 cup oil, olive or vegetable
juice of 2-3 limes
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp oregano
1 cloves garlic, minced
dash of cayenne
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
8 corn tortillas
any toppings you like (cheese, lettuce, salsa, hot sauce, sour cream, avocado, etc)

Mix the oil, lime juice, cumin, oregano, garlic, cayenne, salt and pepper together. Add meat and marinate for at least an hour. Grill or cook on high heat on the stove. Carne asada is sliced very thin, so it takes no time at all to cook. Let the meat rest for 10-15 minutes. Cut into small pieces.

Grill the tortillas. I did this by just laying them over the gas flame of our stove for a few seconds. You can do this on your BBQ. Fill each tortilla with meat and the toppings of your choice. If you like more heat to your meat, add some finely chopped chiles to your marinade, such as jalepano or serrano.

Enjoy!

Fruit Dip

This is a wonderful addition to any fruit platter. It's also my secret to fresh fruit pies. A layer of this on the bottom of a fresh strawberry pie really sets it apart. The best part is that it takes hardly any effort at all.

Fruit Dip
1 8oz package of cream cheese, room temperature
1 7oz jar of marshmallow creme
1 Tbs orange zest
A dash of ground ginger

Beat all the ingredients together. Best served chilled.


Nothing to it, but it adds so much.

Whole Wheat Pancakes and Buttermilk Syrup.

This is an adaptation from a recipe my aunt gave my mom years ago. The pancakes are really light and the buttermilk syrup is good on anything. Sometimes I find myself wishing I could just sit down with the pot and a spoon for breakfast.

Whole Wheat Pancakes
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup white flour
1 Tbs baking powder
3 Tbs sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/3 cups buttermilk (you can use regular milk)
2 eggs
3 Tbs butter, melted and cooled

Blend all ingredients together with a whisk until just incorporated. Heat a griddle on medium-low heat or an electric griddle to 350 degrees. I use an ice cream scoop to portion out the batter so the pancakes are fairly even.

I let the batter sit while I make the syrup and this just give it a quick stir before cooking. I find a slightly better texture when I do this.


Buttermilk Syrup
2 c sugar
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
1 cup buttermilk
1 Tbs corn syrup (see note below)
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda

In a large dutch oven (note: it is important to use a very large pot to avoid spilling over!) melt the butter over medium heat. Add in the sugar, buttermilk and corn syrup. Bring to a boil and boil for 5 minutes, stirring to avoid burning. Take off the heat and stir in baking soda and vanilla. It will foam up, which is why it is important to use a large dutch oven or pot to ensure it doesn't boil over and get your stove all sticky! Pour over the whole wheat pancakes and try not to just eat it with a spoon.

Note on corn syrup: Do not leave the corn syrup out or try to substitute it! It is vital to keeping all of the ingredients bound together. I didn't have corn syrup, so I substituted a tablespoon of brown sugar and about 2/3 of a teaspoon of water (A 4 to 1 ratio of brown sugar to water is a substitute for corn syrup) However, the syrup totally separated and left a gloopy mess sitting in an oily pool. Needless to say, we didn't eat that batch.

Popovers

Popovers are one of those breakfast items I distinctly remember from my childhood. We didn't have them often because they take a little while to bake, but it was always a treat when my mom made them. This morning, I really wanted them, so I made them. Growing up, my mom used old ceramic mugs. If you have one of those fancy popover pans, by all means, use it. But I find a muffin tin works just fine.
Popovers
1 1/4 cup flour
1 1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp salt
3 eggs

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Mix all ingredients together. Heavily grease each well of your pan (I used cooking spray to do this). Divide batter evenly between each well. If you are using a muffin tin, they will be about 2/3 to 3/4 full. Bake for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 degrees and bake for 15-20 minutes more or until the popovers are browned.

I find them perfect adorned with just a little butter, but they're also delicious with jam or preserves. My husband's aunt makes a wonderful pomegranate jelly that is great. No matter what you put on them, they're best right out of the oven so the butter melts into all the airy pockets. In a word: scrumptrulescent.

Brie Burger

I made this burger with brie, carmelized onions and apricot sauce. I had something similar at a build-your-own-burger restaurant. Try it sometime!

This burger is completely homemade, including the bun.

BRIE BURGER
Moomie's beautiful burger bun (recipe to follow)
Hamburger patty (recipe to follow)
1 once brie, melted on top of patty.
1 Tbs apricot sauce (recipe to follow)
Carmelized onion
Lettuce, tomato, pickles as desired.

MOOMIE'S BEAUTIFUL BURGER BUNS (makes 8 buns)

1 cup water

2 Tbs butter

1 egg

3 1/4 cups flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp salt

1 Tbs instant yeast

Place all ingrediants in bread machine and let it run the entire cycle.

Divide dough into 8 equal parts and shape into buns. Place on a greased cookie sheet and let rise for 30 minutes.

Bake at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool before serving.

APRICOT SAUCE

1/4 cup apricot preserves

1 Tbs white vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

Mix apricot preserves and vinegar together. Add a pinch of salt and a little but of pepper. Taste and add more salt if too sweet.

HAMBURGERS (makes 4 patties)

1 lb ground beef

1 Tbs mustard (any kind you like: yellow, dijon, grainy, etc)

1 clove garlic, smashed

1 tsp seasoned salt (regular salt is fine)

1 tsp pepper

Combine all ingredients until just combined. Do not overmix. Shape into 4 equal sized patties. Create a small divet in the center of each patty. Grill or pan fry.

To make the brie burger, melt 1 ounce of brie on each burger.

Lime Cran Apple

Back in March Jeff and I visited my parents in Arizona for a long weekend. We flew on Southwest and they introduced me to my new favorite drink. I ordered a cranberry apple juice and to my surprise, it came with a wedge of lime. Let me tell you, it was delicious!

All you need:

Glass filled about 1/3 to 1/2 way with crushed ice

Cranberry apple juice

Lime juice (1/4 lime if you're using fresh)

I admit, this time around, I only have the bottled stuff. But it still works. But just fill the rest of the glass with the juice and add a squirt or two of lime juice. Stir it up and enjoy!

If using a fresh lime, squeeze the 1/4 of a lime in there and add the juiced rind.