Menu Plan Monday!! Week of 12/20/10-12/26/10

It is "Menu Plan Monday". These are the dishes I plan on making this week if all goes well (I still have to wrap some more gifts, bake, the list goes on and on....)

Monday: Buttered Noodles with bread/butter

Tuesday: Deviled Chicken with stuffing

Wednesday: Bacon & Egg Bake

Thursday: What's in the pantry?

Friday: Soup & Sandwiches

Saturday: Christmas Brunch

Sunday: Family Get-together in WV (I'm bringing Shrimp Canape' to the 7 fish italian dinner)

I am also hoping to throw in Orange Pudding Salad and Fruit Cocktail Cake :) Let see what I can do....

Spinach-Bacon Salad

I am a fresh spinach fanatic and was really excited about making this recipe for my mom and dad's Christmas exchange.

Spinach-Bacon Salad

Ingredients:

2 quarts fresh spinach, torn into pieces
8 bacon slices, cooked, crumbled
3 eggs, hard-boiled, chopped

Directions:

In salad bowl, combine all ingredients. Toss well before serving.




The following is the dressing recipe provided, but personally I prefer strict red wine vinegar on my spinach leaves :)

Hot Bacon Dressing for Spinach-Bacon Salad

Ingredients:

1/2 pound bacon, chopped
1 cup sugar
1 1/3 cups white vinegar
5 teaspoons corn starch

Directions:

To make dressing, fry bacon until crisp, drain and leave bacon drippings in skillet. Add sugar and vinegar to skillet and stir well. Add 1 cup water and bring to a boil. Mix corn starch with 2/3 cup water and stir until it dissolves. Pour cornstarch mixture into skillet with dressing. Return to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and toss salad with warm bacon dressing.

Pizza Potatoes

I also made these potatoes for my Dad's family get-together yesterday. Once again, a hit...especially with my husband who likes anything potato!

Pizza Potatoes

Ingredients:

1 (5.5 oz) box scalloped potatoes
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup pepperoni slices

Directions:

Prepare potatoes according to package directions but do not bake. Pour into sprayed casserole dish and spread cheese over potatoes. Arrange pepperoni slices over cheese. Cover and bake at 400F for 30 to 35 minutes.

Cheesy Artichoke Dip

I made this dip for my Dad's side of the family yesterday during our Christmas get-together. It was a hit!! I got it out of my 3,4,5 ingredient cookbook.

Cheesy Artichoke Dip

Ingredients:

1 (14 oz) can artichoke hearts, drained, chopped
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup mayonnaise

Directions:

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Pour into sprayed baking dish and bake at 350F for 20-30 minutes. Serve with fresh vegetables, chips or crackers.

Artichoke Chicken

I made this delicious recipe last night for dinner. There is some expense in this as artichoke hearts and swiss cheese are not cheap, however, it is a quick, 3 ingredient recipe. I served it with parsley potatoes and sweet peas. Check it out!

Ingredients:

8 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 (6 oz) jar marinated artichoke hearts
8 slices Swiss cheese

Directions:

Between 2 pieces wax paper, flatten chicken to uniform thickness. Brown chicken breasts on both sides in sprayed or well-greased skillet and arrange chicken in single layer in greased 9 x 13 inch pan. Drain artichoke hearts, chop coursely and spread on top of chicken. Lay Swiss cheese over all and bake at 350F for 20-30 minutes or until chicken is tender and cheese melts.

Custard Pie

I needed a recipe for a dish to serve to my MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) friends at our last meeting. It was about an hour before bedtime when I remembered I had to bring a snack. I started flying through my cookbooks when my 12 year old son walked up with a cookbook that he and his friends had made in his 6th grade HomeEc class the year before. "Can I make a dish out of my cookbook?", he asked. I could use some time off of my feet so I answered with, "Sure, knock yourself out!" 1 hour later, my aspiring chef had baked one of the most tasty pies I have ever eaten. Thanks Cameron (and his friend Matthew Cunningham for adding this recipe to their book)!!

Custard Pie

Ingredients:

1 prepared 8 inch pie crust
4 eggs
1 cup sugar
2 Tbsp butter, melted
1 cup milk
2/3 cup evaporated milk
2 Tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to bake 350F. In a medium bowl, beat eggs for approximately 2 minutes. Gradually add sugar, butter, milk, evaporated milk and vanilla extract. Mix well. Pour mixture into pastry shell. Bake 45-60 minutes, until top is light brown. Sprinkle with ground cinnamon. Serve warm or chilled.

Crazy Peanut Butter Cookies

I threw this one together the other night. Found the recipe in the RCB Marching Band cookbook (finally got back into this one). These cookies actually have a slightly different taste than regular pb cookies. Really good!

Crazy Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup peanut butter (smooth or chunky)
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda

Directions:

Mix all ingredients well. Form into 1 inch balls. Please on an ungreased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart, then flatten with a fork. Bake at 350F for 8 minutes or until edges are just beginning to brown.