Week 1 Dinner Menus

Here is a week's worth of recipes and ideas. I endeavored to include a variety of protein sources, ethnic flavors, styles and difficulties. I want to include one soup per week, and a homemade bread and dessert. Let me know if you have any thoughts about how to improve the format or variety. I encourage you to add to the recipes, change days, use them as you wish, and leave comments- what you did or didn't like, or even recipes that you prefer. If nothing else, I hope this sparks ideas. 

When it is cold outside, nothing, and I mean NOTHING is more satisfying than a hot soup.  I Watch the weather report- snowy and icy days call for warm comfort foods.  Feel free to switch the days as needed.

• Day 1- Vegetable beef soup with barley- brown 1 lb of hamburger with chopped onion, celery(if desired) garlic, salt and pepper. (This can be a package of ground beef that was precooked and frozen). Add potatoes-skin on is fine, carrots, and any of the following: corn, green beans, peas, kidney beans (I prefer fresh or frozen, but canned works as well) Add 1/2 C barley (rice works as well) about 4 C beef broth (can use bullion) 1 pkg onion soup mix, seasonings (I like bay leaf, thyme, seasoned salt (or Natures seasoning) pepper and parsley) Add water as needed. For more beef flavor, you can add bullion cubes or use the stock from a soup bone. Cook in crockpot until vegetables are tender.  

If you have extra time, this would be good with Rachel's quick biscuits. (recipe at bottom)

Since eggs are plentiful in this family, and inexpensive during the off-season, and our family loves brunch... so make eggs for supper on occasion! 

• Day 2- Southwestern Omelets -diced potatoes fried in large skillet with oil, onion, salt and pepper on high. Add diced ham or browned sausage or crumbled bacon. turn to medium low heat. Wisk 6-8 eggs with 1/4 C milk, and pour into skillet. Add diced tomatoes, spinach, diced green onion, diced avocado, and 1 C shredded Monterey jack cheese. Stir together and serve on tortillas with some salsa and sour cream.

again, if your meat is precooked, this meal goes together very quickly. 

Once a week, a pasta meal will stretch the budget...it is filling and goes a long way. 

• Day 3- Chicken Tetrazzini- (freezable)16 oz linguini, cooked, ½ cup butter softened, 4 chicken breasts, cooked, diced, (If money is tight, use less chicken, or use less expensive deboned chicken)  2 cans cream of chicken soup, 2 cups sour cream, salt and pepper,, ½ cup chicken broth, 2 TB parmesan cheese, 2 cup shredded mozzarella

Instructions- Cook noodles according to box instructions. Set aside.. In a medium bowl, combine ½ cup butter, cooked chicken, soup, sour cream, salt, pepper and chicken broth. Mix well and then add in cooked noodles. Spray a 9x13 pan and pour in noodle mixture. Sprinkle cheeses on top. Bake uncovered at 350 for 40-45 minutes. 

Here's a crockpot recipe that makes dinner easy. Put this together in the morning, and it is ready and hot when it's time for dinner.

• Day 4-Haystacks- (meat is freezable) Make crockpot chili in the morning before you get too busy- browned hamburger with onions, garlic, (easy to do with precooked frozen hamburger) Add 2 cans crushed tomatoes, 3 cans chili beans, 1 can beef broth, 1 C water, 2 T chili powder, 1 T Worcestershire sauce, 1t basil, 1 t cumin 1 T. steak sauce, 1 t garlic powder, salt and pepper...you can add any leftover salsa or picante to this recipe. Just put this in crockpot on low, stirring occasionally until time to eat. Just put this over corn chips (or rice if you have time to make it) Cover with shredded cheddar cheese...can add sour cream, green onions, tomatoes, guac... if desired

This is a personal preference, but since fish is so healthy, I try to add a fish recipe once a week. 

• Day 5- BBQ salmon- This is a grill recipe, but you can use your skillet if you're out of propane! haha Salt and pepper both sides of salmon. Brush grill or skillet with oil. Heat to medium high. grill 4 minutes on each side. Then brush generously with BBQ mixture then grill 2-4 min. on each side, continue applying BBQ mixture turning occasionally or until flaky.  BBQ mixture- 1/2 C bbq sauce, 2 T brown sugar, chopped green onion, 1 T. liquid smoke

This skillet is so versitile...think Silver Dollar City. Change it up using potatoes and veggies with chicken and smoked sausage in oil, and leave out the Asian flair (teriyaki and cabbage). I've added Silver Dollar City copy-cat recipes at the end... Just use your big skillet, and fry- 

• Day 6- Smoked sausage asian skillet-  Cut up a 1 pound smoked sausage, (or browned pork sausage, or ground pork) potatoes, carrots, onions, broccoli, green beans, into bite sized pieces. 2 T oil in a deep skillet. Add carrots and onions, salt and pepper, fry until firm/tender. Add other chopped veggies, shredded cabbage (optional) broccoli, green beans, corn or any other stir fry veggies.  Stir until hot and cooked through. Add 1/4 C teriyaki sauce to taste, stir until coated well. Serve over rice or fettuccini noodles. 

Silver Dollar City Potato Skillet- option 1

·    2 T bacon drippings  1 onion chopped, ¼ C. Green bell pepper finely chopped, 2 lb russet potatoes scrubbed and sliced, 1 large sweet potatoes peeled and sliced ,   2 T. water, 1 tsp seasoned salt (can use Cajun seasoning) 1 lb smoked sausage, sliced  Adjust amounts as needed to feed your family. By the way, potatoes are cheap! This is an economical meal. Great use for leftovers- can use other meat if desired.

      Silver Dollar City Potato Skillet- option 2

bb 2cups skin-on red potatoes, thinly sliced, 2cups whole baby carrots, fresh or frozen, 2 cups whole green beans, frozen, 1 sliced onion, 1 thickly sliced zucchini, 1 thickly sliced squash, 2 cups (1 pound) cooked, diced ham or cooked smoked sausage, thinly sliced, teaspoon Kosher salt, lard or your favorite cooking oil, Paprika, garlic, and pepper to taste

      This is a great recipe when having company. It is delicious every time. choose a side or 2, and it's a perfect company dinner.

• Day 7- Pan Fried Chicken- Mix a bag of crushed pork rinds (this is the only use I've ever found for these that is acceptable! haha) with 1 C parmesan cheese, 2 pkgs. Ranch dressing mix on a large plate. Pound out boneless skinless chicken (breasts or thighs) to flatten. lightly salt and pepper both sides.  Dip in melted butter and press in the pork rind mixture. Place in 9x13 pan (or larger if making more than 4 pieces). Any extra mixture, pat on the top of the chicken. Bake uncovered at 350 for 45 minutes.  This recipe is a little unusual, but you are in for a treat! It makes the best, juiciest chicken you've ever eaten. 

Here are 3 features I thought you'd enjoy: 

Bread of the week: 

Farm Meal Biscuits:   Rachel Chaney Busenitz                                     

·      2 cups self rising flour

·         1/4 cold butter

·         3/4 cup cold milk or buttermilk ( I usually just add it until it forms a dough. It ends up about 1 cup )

·         2 T. melted butter

Cut butter into flour until crumbly textured using a pastry cutter. Add milk a little at a time until it forms a dough. Turn onto floured surface and pat to about 1 inch thick. Cut out biscuits and place in a greased pie plate with sides touching (or any glass pan with sides. Metal tends to make it crunchy) Bake at 425 until just beginning to brown on top. Brush with melted butter and enjoy.

Dessert of the week:  

Kaiti's German Chocolate caramel delight cake!!!  Kaiti Chaney

Make 1 german chocolate cake in 9x13 pan as directed. poke holes, pour 1 can sweetened condensed milk over the top. Pour a jar of caramel topping over the whole cake. Top with whipped cream and crushed Heath candy bar. Cover and refrigerate. Serve cold

Time saving tip of the week: You guessed it! Get out the crock pot and put 10 pounds of hamburger with seasoned salt, salt, pepper and a diced onion. Cook for several hours, crumbling and stirring occasionally. Once cooked, drain the meat and bag into 1 pound ziploc bags, or for a more economical alternative, find some old tupperware storage containers on marketplace or a garage sale that are reusable and freeze meat in those. This is one of the best cooking tips I ever learned as a young mom with kids. It saved my life more than once!!!