Menu Planning

What to make for dinner? I think about that a lot. I decided I would brain storm and list our family meals, to help relieve the stess in the future. The next step is to post recipes for these dishes. Yum.

Pork chops, scallop potatoes and veggies

Chicken Cordon Bleu, seasoned rice and broccoli
Hot Dogs, baked beans and green beans
Russian Chicken over rice with veggies
Sloppy Joes
Breakfast taco
Pancakes and eggs
Spaghetti
Lasagna
Noodles with Alfredo Sauce
Chicken Stir Fry
Teriyaki Chicken with brocolli
Meatloaf and mashed potaoes
Shepards pie
Fajitas
Enchiladas (I have at least 4 different recipes)
Tacos
Taco Soup
Taco Salad
Black bean soup with homemade rolls
Chicken and Dumplings
Chicken Noodle soup
Chicken Pot Pie
Quiche
Steak glorious steak
BBQ Chicken
BBQ Beef sandwiches
Chicken and seasoned rice with mixed veggies
Chef salad with rolls

. . . . . . . . . . . .

Here are a few recipes I want to try that look scrumdiliumptous!!!
Stromboli over at Sister's Cafe. I love browsing through the Sister's Cafe blog. It is full of so many yummy recipes. Go take a look, but don't go when hungry!

Fantastic Fudgewiches over at Plum Pudding

Orange chicken by Leigh Anne at Portland Mama. Leigh Anne has a fabulous blog Your Home Based Mom, full of recipes, party ideas, and pretty things in life. Go check it out!

Well I am off to make dinner and pumpkin cake from Sister's Cafe. Oh how I love fall food, spiced cider, pumpkin cake, pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie, soups, stews, apple crisp, turkey and gravy. I think I need to do a series of posts dedicated to pumpkin recipes. Pumpkin soup, 2 varieties of pumpkin cake, pumpkin dip, pumpkin bread, pumpkin cookies. I have already posted two pumpkin favorites. I better stop before I gain 5 pounds!

Russian Chicken

We have a new favorite recipe, Russian Chicken. I served it 2 Sunday's ago and everyone loved it. Audrey asked if we could have it the next day and next Sunday. I just laughed! It is such an easy recipe and so yummy! You can easily double or triple this recipe. It is perfect for a Sunday lunch or dinner.

Russian Chicken
3 - 4 large chicken breasts, frozen***
1/2 cup apricot jam
1/2 cup Wishbone Russian dressing
1/2 envelope onion soup mix

Put the frozen chicken into a crockpot. Then mix the other ingredients in a small bowl. Pour on top of chicken and throughly coat. Cook on low for approximately 4 hours. Rotate chicken every hour or so. Yields 6 servings. I served it over rice with steamed veggies on the side.
***If your chicken is not frozen add a 1/2 cup water to the sauce before covering the chicken. Also cook for a shorter amount of time.

Its Pumpkin Time!

picture from www.verybestbaking.com

Caramel Pecan Pumpkin Pie

1 15 oz can of pumpkin

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 slightly beaten eggs

3/4 cup half and half or milk

1 unbaked pie shell

In a bowl, combine the pumpkin, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Add the eggs. Gradually add the millk, stir until combined. Pour into pie shell or greased pie plate. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, sprinkle the nut mixture on top. Bake for another 20 minutes.

Caramel Pecan Topping
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
2 Tablespoons butter, softened

Mix together the ingredients.

**I like to make my pumpkin pie crustless, I am not a fan of crust. Also my mother-in-law can't have gluten so this is perfect for her.

picture from www.verybestbaking.com

I made a pumpkin roll all by myself for the first time last Friday. It turned out beautifully. I did not add the nuts. Also my jelly roll pan is a little to long so I folded my parchment paper about an 1 1/2 on one end to shorten it. Then I placed butter knifes along the fold to keep the batter from over flowing my makeshift dam. For the filling I used fat free cream cheese and lowered the butter to 1/4 cup or 4 tablespoons. Don't be intimidated it is actually very easy!

Libby's Pumpkin Roll

CAKE

1/4 cup powdered sugar (to sprinkle on towel)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup pumpkin
1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

PREHEAT oven to 375° F. Grease 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan; line with parchment paper. Grease and flour paper. Sprinkle a thin, cotton kitchen towel with powdered sugar.

COMBINE flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt in small bowl. Beat eggs and granulated sugar in large mixer bowl until thick. Beat in pumpkin. Stir in flour mixture. Spread evenly into prepared pan. Optional: sprinkle with nuts.

BAKE for 13 to 15 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched. (If using a dark-colored pan, begin checking for doneness at 11 minutes.) Immediately loosen and turn cake onto prepared towel. Carefully peel off paper. Sprinkle cake with powdered sugar, roll up cake and towel together, starting with narrow end. Cool on wire rack.

TIP: Sprinkle lots of powdered sugar on the towel and on top of cake before rolling up the cake so it will not stick to the towel.

FILLING
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
6 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Powdered sugar (optional for decoration)

BEAT cream cheese, 1 cup powdered sugar, butter and vanilla extract in small mixer bowl until smooth. Carefully unroll cake. Spread cream cheese mixture over cake. Reroll cake. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving, if desired.

Monsters

This is my favorite breakfast, MONSTERS also known as German Pancakes! I LOVE them! I make them often. Delicious!

Here is my recipe:

1/4 cup salted butter

6 eggs

1 cup milk

1 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Turn oven to 400 degrees. Put butter in 9x13 pan and place in oven while it preheats. Do not let it burn! Mix the rest of the ingredients in a blender till combined. Pour batter in pan and bake for 18-22 minutes. Do not open the oven till Monsters are golden and puffy. Serve with syrup, jam or powdered sugar.