Menu for Oct 25-31st

OKAY so obviously there were not enough menu ideas for last week; I have to apologize and yes, my family DID eat. I have been delivering phone books the past 2 weeks; over 1000 to be exact; and last week was CRAZY!! I went out to deliver once my boys got home and then when we were done, everyone was SOOO hungry, it was cereal, grilled cheese or whatever we could make FAST!! The good news is, all the meals I didn't make last week, will be moved to this week. Less grocery shopping for me, YIPPEE!!


CAFE RIO SALAD
Went to a friends house for Dinner on Sunday, she made one of our favorite meals. Cafe Rio Salads. If you have a Cafe Rio Restaurant nearby, this recipe is similar to one of their salads and OH SO GOOD!!

2-3 lb. boneless pork roast
1 small bottle of favorite BBQ sauce
1 bottle of Cherry Coke OR Dr. Pepper
2 C brown sugar
flour tortillas
corn tortillas, sliced into strips and fried in oil till crispy
shredded lettuce
diced tomatoes
cut avocados
shredded cheddar cheese
1 can black beans
2 C. cooked white rice
Parmesan cheese

Cook pork, BBQ sauce, cola and brown sugar in slow cooker on low for 3-5 hours or until meat can shred.

DRESSING RECIPE
1 packet hidden valley ranch buttermilk dressing
1/2 c. Buttermilk
1 c. mayo or sour cream
1-2 Finely chopped jalapeno peppers (We omit this because we don't like spicy!)
1 tsp. crushed garlic
¾ bunch fresh cilantro
juice from 1 lime (about 2 tsp.)
salt & pepper

Place all ingredients in blender and mix well


To assemble salads:
Place tortilla in a frying pan on Med.-hi, sprinkle cheese on top and heat till cheese is melted. Layer with meat, rice, beans, lettuce, tomatoes, avocados, tortilla strips, dressing and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Eat with a fork or attempt to fold it up and ENJOY!! You will get Rave reviews for such little effort on your part!


CHICKEN POT PIE

Made this last week, forgot to post it. Bonus for you though!! This was a first time recipe and my family INHALED THIS!!

Filling
1 box Pillsbury ready made pie crust (There are 2 crusts in the box)
2 cups water
14 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breasts,
cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 carrots, peeled and cubed (about 1 cup)
2 ribs celery, sliced (about 1 cup)
1 medium onion, chopped (about 3/4 cup)
2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup butter
4 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup frozen peas


Remove crust from fridge and let sit to room temperature. VERY IMPORTANT!!

To make the filling: In 4-quart saucepan combine water, chicken, carrots, celery and onion. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add chicken bouillon, pepper and butter. Dissolve cornstarch and flour into whipping cream and stir into chicken mixture. Simmer 3 minutes stirring frequently until thickened. Add peas and set aside.

Unroll 1st crust and lay in pie dish. Part of the crust will hang over the edge, fold it in and gently press to give an extra thick crust. Spoon in filling till it is just below the edge of the pie pan. Place top crust on top. Again, fold over extra and pinch edges for a nice edge or press with prongs of fork. Be sure to cut slits in the dough to allow steam out. Bake at 400 for 30-40 m in. or until golden brown. Allow to cool approx. 15-20 min. This recipe will give you enough for 2 pies so you can make a second or put the filling in the freezer and save for another day!


HAWAIIAN HAYSTACKS
Many of you know what these are and can probably make them with your eyes shut. But for those of you who have never heard of them, I wanted to post this for you. This is such a simple and fun meal. My kids have fun with all the different toppings is bowls and building their own haystack.

2 C. cooked rice (adjust to fit however many you are cooking for)
1 large can Cream of chicken soup
1 lb. diced boneless skinless chicken (I use the thighs for this one)
1/2 can milk (Use the soup can)
TOPPINGS:
Shredded cheese
Chopped green peppers
Chopped green onions
Chopped celery
Chopped tomatoes
Pineapple tidbits
Coconut
La Choy Rice Noodles. (The chow mein noodles are okay too, we just like the rice ones)

Cook chicken in a pan, once done, add soup and milk, simmer till completely warmed through. Pour over rice then add other toppings to build your haystack. We usually leave out the celery and tomatoes, but experiment and find other toppings you like too. To keep it "Hawaiian", we just stick with all the others.


RIBS AND POTATOES

It's too cold to cook the ribs on the grill, so I'm doing my 2nd favorite way! Yep, you guessed, I'm using a crock pot!

1 full slab pork ribs
Dry rub
1 1/2 C. Apple juice
1 C. water
2 C. favorite BBQ sauce
1 C. brown sugar

Cut ribs into 2-3 rib portions. Season both sides of ribs with your favorite meat seasoning. I prefer Pappy's Seasoning, I can only get it in Fresno. Place ribs in slow cooker, Pour in juice and water and cook on low for approx 4-5 hours. Remove ribs and place on a broiler pan or foil lined cookie sheet. Place oven rack to top level and turn oven on to Broil. (If your oven can select LO or HI broil, select the LO setting) Baste BBQ sauce generously with sauce and place in oven for about 5 min. Turn over and bast the back and broil for another 4-5 min. ENJOY!!

I recently acquired 50 lbs. of small red potatoes, so we are having some with dinner tonight. I LOVE roasted red potatoes! All you have to do is slice them up, pour on a little oil and cover with a good seasoning and bake for about 20-30 min. I love getting the roasted potato packets in the produce section, usually with the guacamole mix. Check them out!



PORTABELLO RAVIOLIS
WITH SUN DRIED TOMATO ALFREDO SAUCE

Some of you know that I made the ATTEMPT to make homemade raviolis this week. Well, it was a disaster! My sauce for it however DID come out pretty good, so I'll at least share that with you.

1 jar sun dried tomatoes
8 oz. Ghouda cheese
1 QT. 1/2 & 1/2
1/4 C. butter
1-2 C. milk
1/2 C. flour
1/2 -1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2-1 tsp. garlic salt

In large frying pan, melt butter on MED. heat. Once melted, add flour and whisk until it soaks up the butter and is very pasty. Slowly add the milk and whisk until the flour begins to break up. Continue to add the 1/2 and 1/2. while it is heating, take some of the tomatoes and puree them in a blender. The amount to use is up to you. You can also just put them in the sauce as chunks. Pour in tomatoes and once sauce is warm, cut cheese into chunks and place that in as well. With a wooden spoon, give an occasional stir to insure that the cheese is not sticking to the bottom. Pour in seasonings. (adjust these for taste) Let simmer and boil and 5 min. Use this sauce with your favorite pasta. (We made homemade pizza and I used this for a sauce base with chicken, mushrooms, onions, and green peppers....IT WAS YUMMY!!!)