Weekly Menu - Double Time!

I know so many of you have been anxiously awaiting my weekly menu. How have you survived? How have you known what to cook your family for dinner?! Shame on me for making you wait. To reward you, I'm posting 2 weeks worth of menu ideas. With the holidays in full swing, planning ahead is crucial and this will give me a few extra minutes to wrap gifts, decorate, or better yet, shop!

Sunday: Black-eyed Pea Cornbread Cakes w/Jalapeno Sour Cream & Orzo with Zucchini, Tomatoes, and Goat Cheese
Notes: I was not a fan of the black-eyed pea cakes, although Colin loved them. I used the Glory seasoned peas, as the recipe suggested, and I just wasn't a fan of their seasoning. I didn't do the sour cream, I made up a little aioli of my own with mayo and enchilada sauce (it's all I had on hand). The orzo was good but it made a TON. I would definitely half the recipe next time. Don't skimp on the cheese though because that's what really makes the dish!

Monday: Tortilla Pie (recipe below because I can't remember which blog I got it from) & Mexican Slaw
Notes: The tortilla pie was good but I'd omit the cinnamon next time. The slaw was not very Mexicany and I would not repeat.

Tues/Wed: Chicken & Dumplings in the Crockpot (I know this is a Better Home & Gardens recipe but I can't find it on their site. If it's worth posting, I'll do so later.)

Thursday: Castle Burger Bites, sweet potato fries (my recipe below), Tangy Mustard Coleslaw(This has become my favorite slaw recipe. I cut some of the mayo and replace with more mustard. I just use one bag of broccoli slaw instead of the shredded cabbage, onion, and carrot. I rarely have white wine vinegar, so I just used 1/2 apple cider and 1/2 white vinegar.)

Friday: Spaghetti with meat sauce, salad, French bread

Sunday: Turkey & Stuffing Pie, Creamed Corn (crockpot), and Home-Styled Butterbeans

Monday: Crab & Ricotta Manicotti, salad

Tues/Wed: Chicken Scaloppini w/Spinach and Linguine, French bread

Thursday: Veggie quesadillas, Corn and Black Bean Salad (This has also become a favorite and my go-to corn/bean salad. I went thru plenty trying to find the right one and this is it.)

TORTILLA PIE

1 T olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
salt & pepper
1 T chili powder
1/8 t ground cloves (I omitted)
1/2 t cinnamon (I'd omit next time)
1 t chipotle powder (I used cumin instead)
1 t dried red chilies (I omitted)
1 can of black beans, drained & rinsed
1 small can of corn, drained
2 c fresh salsa (I only used about a cup because that's all I had.)
1 c cooked rice (I used 1 lb of cooked ground beef instead.)
12 corn tortillas
1 c cheddar cheese, shredded (or more!)

1. In a large pan, heat olive oil and add in onion. When onion wilts, add in red pepper and garlic and saute until soft. Stir in spices, black beans, corn, salsa, and ground beef, if using, and heat through.

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly oil a 9x13 casserole dish and overlap 6 of the corn tortillas at the bottom of the dish. Spoon half of the bean mixture overtop and then cover with the cooked rice, if using. Top rice layer with half of the cheese, layering the remaining 6 tortillas overtop. Add the remaining bean mixture and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake until casserole is heated through and cheese is bubbling, about 20 minutes or so.

Notes: This can be prepared ahead of time by completing step 1 entirely and then refrigerating. I warmed the mixture up slightly before continuing with step 2.

SWEET POTATO FRIES
I went many years hating sweet potatoes, until one day I tried sweet potato fries at Mojito in Louisville. Love at first bite! In an effort to duplicate their smokey, yet sweet flavor, I came up with this recipe (I've never actually measured any of the spices so these are total guesstimations!).

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled, sliced and cut into french fry shape
2-3 T. olive oil
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 425. Toss the fries in a bowl with olive oil. Top with the spices and coat well (I've found your hands are the best tool!). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread fries in 1 layer on the sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes and then flip the fries. Bake again for 15 minutes. (Times might vary depending on the size of your fries.)