Menu- Week of 1/22-28

Sunday- Steak & Baked Potatoes
Monday- Waffles & Sausage with strawberries & banana's
Tuesday- Fried potatoes & onions with sausage
Wednesday- Tuna Casserole
Thursday- Pizza Rolls & Cinnamon rolls for dessert (with crecent rolls)
Friday- Spaghetti
Saturday- Fajitas - Chicken & Steak

Menu - week of 1/15- 1/21

Sunday- Dinner @ mom's house
Monday- Mexican chicken- (didn't end up making last week)- was ok, didn't love/didn't hate
Tuesday- Baked chicken- bacon alfredo
Wednesday- Sub sandwiches & chips
Thursday- home made pizza
Friday- Sweet and sour Meatballs & rice
Saturday- Datenight

Sausage Tomato Pasta

From See Jane in the Kitchen

1 package penne, cooked according to package
1 pound mild italian sausage
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 large can diced tomatoes with italian seasonings
1/2 onion, chopped
2 TBS olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced

1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
italian seasoning

Cook onion, sausage, and garlic with olive oil. Drain fat. Add heavy cream and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add can of tomatoes and italian seasoning to taste. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese, heat and toss with pasta.

Wonton Chicken Tacos

From See Jane in the Kitchen

1 can chicken

3 ounces cream cheese

1/4 cup salsa

1/4 tsp garlic salt

1/4 tsp cumin powder

1 package won tons

oil for frying

Drain chicken and mix with cream cheese, salsa and seasonings. Place about 2 teaspoons of mixture on wonton and fold into a triangle (wet the edges and seal by pinching or running your finger along edges) Fry in hot oil until light golden brown, they are done fast. Serve with salsa, sour cream and/or guacamole.

Menu- week of 1/8-1/14

Sun- Steak/baked potato/salad
Mon- Won Ton chicken taco's + nacho cheese dip
Tue- Chicken noodle soup with fresh made rolls
Wed- Sausage Tomato Penne
Thur- Mexican Chicken
Fri- Mashed Potato Bowls
Sat- Date night

Dark Chocolate Christmas Temptation Cookies

Prep Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes

Cook Time: 7 minutes

Approximate Time: 1 hour, 22 minutes

Yield: about 3 dozen

Rich dark chocolate paired with Candy Cane Kiss candies, softened and swirled on top. These cookies are a heavenly little bite of Christmas.

Ingredients

• 3/4 C ( 1 1/2 Sticks) butter
• 1 1/2 C packed dark brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp water
• 2 1/4 C dark chocolate chips
• 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste
• 2 eggs
• 2 1/2 C sifted all purpose flour
• 1 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 bag Candy Cane Kiss candies

Instructions

1. Put butter, dark brown sugar and water in a large saucepan and stir over low heat until melted.
2. Add dark chocolate chips and stir until most of the chocolate chips are melted, remove from heat and continue to stir until all the chocolate is melted.
3. Add in 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste and mix well.
4. Pour into a large mixing bowl and allow to sit and cool for about 10 minutes, stirring a couple of times to help cooling.
5. Carefully measure 2 1/2 C of sifted all purpose flour into a large bowl; add in baking soda and salt - sift together
6. When the chocolate is cooler, add in one egg at a time beating each on high speed until completely blended.
7. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add in dry ingredients, don't forget to scrape the sides and bottom, until blended.
8. Chill the dough for about an hour - while it's chilling - unwrap the Candy Cane Kiss candies
9. Pre-heat the oven to 350 F
10. Roll dough into 1/2" to 1" balls and place on un-greased or parchment lined baking sheet about 1 1/2" apart.
11. Bake about 7 minutes (could be as long as 9 minutes - do NOT overbake)
12. When the cookies come out of the oven, place a Candy Cane Kiss on top of each hot cookie in the middle and let them sit about 5 minutes.
13. Using a toothpick, swirl the softened Candy Cane Kiss until you like the pattern, it will just melt down onto the cookie.
14. Remove the swirl topped cookies from the baking sheet and place them on a cooling rack in the refrigerator to set the candy.
15. Repeat with the rest of the dough and candies.
16. Serve chilled straight out of the refrigerator or at room temperature, either way - DELICIOUS!

Cheesy Au Gratin Potatoes

from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Cheesy Au Gratin Potatoes
Printable Version with Picture
Printable Version

*Serves 6-8

Potatoes:
3 tablespoons butter
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup milk
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (8 ounces)
26-ounce bag frozen shredded hash browns
1/2 cup light sour cream

Topping:
3 cups cornflakes, lightly crushed
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until the onion is softened and translucent,a bout 5-6 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for about a minute. Combine the chicken broth and milk in a liquid measure and slowly whisk in the mixture. Add the salt, pepper and thyme. Stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring frequently, until the mixture is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.

Take the pot off the heat and stir in the cheese until smooth. Mix in the frozen hash browns, lifting and folding the mixture until well combined. Finally, stir in the sour cream.

In a medium bowl, toss the lightly crushed cornflakes with the butter until evenly combined. Scoop out the potato mixture into a 9X13-inch baking dish and top with the buttered cornflakes. If baking the potatoes by themselves, bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, until hot and bubbly around the edges. If baking the potatoes with a ham (my ham recipe bakes at 300 degrees), bake the potatoes for 90 minutes at 300 degrees then crank the oven to 400 degrees and bake the potatoes for 10 minutes more. In both baking situations, let the potatoes rest for 10 minutes before serving.