Menu Planning Monday-12/21/09

With Christmas being this week, meals are going to be light and easy to cook. I've still got a TON of Christmas baking to do (yay! More recipes to come!) and Christmas being on Friday (which means a big meal for us) I'm not looking forward to doing much else this week.

So...here we go...

Monday-

Cheeseburgers, mac and cheese, green beans

Tuesday-

bean soup, cornbread

Wednesday-

Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, corn

Thursday-

BBQ Pork Ribs (w/homemade bbq sauce), not sure on sides yet..lol


Friday-

Christmas Dinner! We missed Thankgiving dinner so we're using it for Christmas!

Turkey
Bread Stuffing
Mashed Potatoes
Green Bean Casserole
Dinner Rolls (homemade)
Candied Yams
Mac and cheese (homemade)
Corn Pudding
Lemon Meringue Pie
Peanut Butter Meringue Pie
other goodies that Mom is baking...lol

Do you menu plan? Join us at Menu Planning Monday!

OH MY! You have to try these biscuits!! (buttermilk biscuits)

4 cups all purpose flour (I used bread flour and oh my!)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup chilled vegetable shortening or butter, cut into small chunks*
2 cups buttermilk**

* The vegetable shortening or butter must be very cold

** If you find yourself short of buttermilk for your recipe, you can make your own by adding 2 tablespoons of vinegar to 2 cups of whole milk.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F

In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With a pastry blender or two knives, cut in vegetable shortening or butter until particles are the size of small peas. Make a well in the center of the ingredients. Add milk, all at once, into the well; stir just until dough sticks together and is free from sides bowl.

On a lightly flour surface, knead dough gently about 10 to 15 times (do not over knead or the biscuits will be tough).

Gently roll or pat dough to 1-inch thickness. Cut with a floured 2- or 3-inch biscuit cutter or a drinking glass that has been dipped in flour. Place onto an ungreased baking sheet, close together for soft-sided biscuits or 1-inch apart for crisp-sided ones. Prick biscuits with a fork.

NOTE: If you need to hold the uncooked biscuits, the cut dough rounds can be refrigerated for up to 1 hour.

Bake 5 minutes; reduce oven to 400 degrees F. and bake another 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and serve warm.

Makes 15 biscuits.

Courtesy of Linda

Green Bean Casserole

1 (10 3/4 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/4 cup milk
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 tsp Worchestershire Sauce (you can also use soy sauce if you prefer)
2 (14 1/2 ounce) cans cut green beans, drained
1 1/3 cups French-fried onions (French's)


Combine soup, milk and pepper in a 1 1/2 qt baking dish; stir until blended.

Stir in beans and 2/3 cup fried onions.

Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes or until hot.

Stir.

Sprinkle with remaining 2/3 cup fried onions.

Bake 5 more minutes or until onions are golden.

Macaroni and Cheese

This recipe was said to be President Reagen's favorite mac and cheese. I know we sure like it!

1/2 lb macaroni
1 teaspoon butter
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dry mustard
3 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1 cup milk, plus a couple of tablespoons if needed.

Boil macaroni in water until tender and drain thoroughly.

Stir in butter and egg.

Mix mustard and salt with 1T hot water, and add to milk.

Add cheese, leaving enough to sprinkle on top.

Pour into buttered casserole; add milk, sprinkle with cheese.

Bake at 350°F for about 45 minutes or until custard is set and top is crusty.

Your Very Basic Bread Stuffing

2 cups dry bread cubes
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon pepper
3/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/2 teaspoon sage
1 cup melted real butter (not margarine)
1/2-1 cup hot chicken broth or turkey broth, to moisten

Combine bread, onion, celery and all seasonings.

Add melted butter.
Toss gently to mix.
Add hot broth to moisten to desired consistency (but be careful NOT to make it soggy.)

Pour all into a large casserole and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 35-45 minutes.

Do not let the top get too crispy. If it starts to, cover it with foil.

Mashed Potatoes

5 lbs potatoes, peeled (9 large)
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons onions or garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2-4 tablespoons butter
butter, for greasing pan
butter, to melt on the mountain at serving time


Quarter the spuds, cook in salted water until tender (25-30 min?), drain well, and mash.

Add remaining ingredients, mixing well (I use my KitchenAid mixer).

Butter a large casserole dish, spoon spuds into the pan, smoothing off the top.

Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes OR zap in the microwave until heated through.

SERVE: Stir, then spoon into a lovely LARGE bowl, add a dollop of butter at the top of the mountain.

NOTE: These can be made up to a week ahead of the time they're needed and then reheated.

Corn Pudding

Okay, I know what you're thinking. Prolly the same thing I did when I first heard of it. Corn Pudding? Wait. Corn. Pudding.

LOL Yes.

And it's delicious.

1/2 cup butter
1 egg
1 cup sour cream
1 (8 1/2 ounce) box Jiffy cornbread mix
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can creamed corn
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained

Melt butter in a casserole dish.

Mix in egg and then all remaining ingredients.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.