Upside Down Cats

Last week I had a beautiful 3.22 lb half pork tenderloin in the freezer. What I've done in the past, realizing that there are only two of us, is to slice a large roast like this in half and freeze one, thus minimizing the one-time 'pork commitment.' This time, alas, the pork was hastily stored away in the freezer without prior portion consideration on my part.  Continue reading "One Pork Tenderloin, Four Recipes" »

I'm preparing for a busy week ahead by planning our meals for the week in advance. Here's what I'll be cooking up this week.

 

Chicken Bacon Ranch Burgers, French Fries & Mixed Greens Salad

Roast Beef, Homemade Biscuits & Oven Roasted Broccoli, Cauliflower & Carrots

Breaded Tilapia, Buttered Rice Medley & Mixed Greens Salad

Bucatini w/ Chicken & Broccoli in Alfredo Sauce

Mexican Beef & Vegetable Soup & Homemade Cornbread

Breakfast Cornbread Bake w/ Eggs, Bacon & Cheese Sauce

 

Look out - here comes a new week!

It has been a while since I took the time to post an installment of my What's Cookin'? series! I had to do some early planning this week because I am giving our nieces (ages 11 and 13) a cooking lesson on Saturday. I'm teaching them how to make Chicken Parmesan and sending them home with a recipe so they can make it for their families. We'll see if I can make an impression on the next generation's appreciation for the culinary arts...

At any rate, I have - as usual - planned our meals for the upcoming week in advance. This week is different only in that I am actually posting it for all the world to see (or at least my handful of readers). Here's what will be cooking in my kitchen over the next few days:

 

Chicken, Rice & Refried Bean Burritos w/ Lettuce, Tomatoes & Cheddar-Jack Cheese

Polish Sausage, Potato & Onion Pierogies & Creamy Coleslaw

Eggs in a Rye Bread Frame, Hash Brown Potatoes w/ Sausage & Cheddar-Horseradish Sauce

Chicken Parmesan, Bow-Tie Pasta w/ Butter & Garlic & Tossed Salad

Bacon, Egg & Cheese "Boats" & Hash Brown Potatoes

Lamb Meatballs, Rice Pilaf w/ Toasted Walnuts & Oven-Roasted Asparagus

Chicken-Fried Steak, Mashed Potatoes/Sweet Potatoes & Turnip/Mustard/Collard Greens w/ Bacon

Chicken Parmesan Sandwiches on Toasted Garlic Rolls, French Fries & Mixed Greens Salad

Homemade Macaroni & Cheese & Oven-Roasted Broccoli/Cauliflower/Carrot Medley

Homemade Ravioli Filled w/ Ground Veal & Ricotta in Garlic-Butter Sauce & Mixed Greens Salad

Asian Sesame Marinated Sirloin Tip Steak, Steamed White Rice & Broccoli Spears w/ Garlic

 

It feels good to post my menu again...really, I will try to do it more regularly! Once in a while I've had requests for the recipes for dishes I've listed in my What's Cookin'? series. While I am very flattered, the fact is that most of the time I don't use recipes - except for baking, of course. My cooking tends to be of the "off the top of my head" variety. This week, however, since I need to write up a recipe to give our nieces, I will post my Chicken Parmesan recipe, so stay tuned if you want an easy, yet impressive recipe.

I'm baaaaack with another What's Cookin'?! I have missed having the time to do this each week - has anyone missed me? Hopefully now I can begin doing this on a weekly basis again. What exactly is 'this' you ask?... Well, 'this' is where I share with the world the meals I've planned in advance to cook here in my kitchen during the upcoming week. So, here we go after a far too long absence...

 

Cheesy Sausage & Potato Soup & Homemade Bread

Italian Macaroni & Cheese & Spring Mix Salad

Lamb Shoulder Chops, Rice Pilaf & Mixed Vegetable Medley

Caribbean Shrimp Salad & Homemade Bread

Balsamic-Glazed Chicken Thighs, Rotini Tossed w/ Olive Oil & Garlic & Oven Roasted Broccoli

Italian Sausage & Ground Chicken Burgers w/ Provolone on Garlic-Toasted Rolls, French Fries & Marinated Vegetable Salad

Sausage, Egg & Cheese Bagel Sandwiches & Hash Brown Potatoes

 

MMMMM, as I am writing this, that aforementioned Homemade Bread is baking, creating one of the top five best aromas on Earth...And it looks almost as good as it smells. Is it dinner time yet?

Is it really time to post another weekly menu? Time sure flies when I have an "alternative" work week! Oh, then to top it off, I suffered one of the worst headaches I've ever had, which lasted for two solid days! But enough about me... It's time to answer the burning question, "What's to eat this week?" Here's a taste of the meals I've planned in advance to cook for us...

 

Shrimp Lo Mein (My salute to Chinese New Year!)

Tortilla Crusted Tilapia, Spanish Rice, Oven Roasted Corn & Peppers

Mexicali Pub Burgers, French Fries & Creamy Coleslaw

Beef Roast, Herb Roasted Potato Slices & Broccoli

Bacon, Egg & Cheese Breakfast Sub Sandwiches, Hash Browns & Clementines

 

Well, the plan is in place...now all I have to do is feel well enough to implement it!

Although we're still in the grips of Winter here in the midwest, our 20 degree days actually feel warm compared to last week's sub zero temperatures! All these bitterly cold days make me glad for the warmth of my kitchen! As usual I've planned our meals in advance for the upcoming week. Here's a peek at what will warm us this week...

 

Homemade Macaroni & Cheese & Broccoli w/ Garlic & Lemon

Chicken Breast Wraps w/ Lettuce & Tomato & Cross Cut Fries

Chicken Parmesan, Pasta w/ Olive Oil & Garlic & Mixed Greens Salad

Polish Sausage, Homemade Macaroni & Cheese & Marinated Broccoli, Cauliflower & Carrot Salad

Almond-Crusted French Toast, Maple Sausage Links & Blueberries

Bacon & Garlic-Herb Cream Cheese Omlette & Whole Wheat Bagels

 

Hopefully by keeping the food interesting we can keep the Winter "blahs" at bay!

Here it is...my first post of 2009! It's nothing particularly creative...just another installment of my What's Cookin'? series. At least it's an effort toward blogging this year. My blogging sure fell apart at the holidays! When my schedule changed so did my blogging routine. Hopefully this is the start of another busy blog year for me.

Regardez...the triumphant return of What's Cookin'? where I share with you some of what I've planned in advance to cook during the upcoming week:

 

Hot Dogs, French Fries & Spring Mix Salad

Honey-Lemon Glazed Mahi Mahi, Homemade "Rice-A-Roni" & Oven Roasted Broccoli

Italian Sub Sandwiches w/ Turkey, Roast Beef, Genoa Salami & Provolone & Homemade Vegetable-Lentil Soup

Double Shell Beef Tacos w/ Refried Beans, Lettuce & Tomato

Greek Marinated Chicken Breasts, Couscous w/ Walnuts & Spinach Sauted w/ Olive Oil & Garlic

Pizza Bread & Homemade Vegetable-Lentil Soup

Chicken Enchiladas Blanca & Spring Mix Salad

 

So there we are...I'm back on the blog horse with grand plans to entertain and delight in 2009.

Amen

I am inspired to share a photo I took today of our Winter Wonderland. We are currently situated inside an "ice sandwich" - packed snow on the ground covered in a tasty solid layer of ice from last night's ice storm, topped off with a fresh dusting of today's snow. I am so moved by the weather in fact, that I am finally going to put the finishing touches on the following Holiday post and share it already!

There are several subjects I won't broach here on Upside Down Cats, namely, religion, politics and sports. Simply stated I have nothing good to say about any of them and Mom always told me" If you can't say something nice..." and well, you know the rest.

I do believe, however, that a person's Christmas song preferences are every bit as personally subjective as her opinions on the aforementioned subjects. Yet in the spirit of the season I am perfectly willing to divulge my favorites, knowing full well that they are likely to spark as much controversy as my opinions on those other highly-charged topics of discussion.

Sadly, an appreciation of Christmas songs is not a memory Scott and I can share. Not having been raised celebrating Christmas is a bulletproof excuse though, so I really can't fault him for not waxing nostalgic when it comes to the seasonal tunes. Recently Scott has posted an awesome list of his favorite Non-Traditional Christmas songs on his blog. Although he has developed an appreciation throughout the years for songs about Christmas, Scott would be the first to note that it is different than the songs being ingrained in one's psyche since day one.

It's OK, though...fear not for our shared cultural reference quotient. We'll always have Trilogy of Terror and Caddyshack, so we've got that going for us...

Continue reading "It's Beginning To Sound A Lot Like..." »

When I went grocery shopping yesterday I finally found some acceptable prices on certain meats. It seems like for months and months I've been returning home from the store having refused to pay outlandish prices for even modest cuts of beef, for instance. This week's menu includes some Porterhouse steaks which I bought for what I now consider a bargain price. So without further ado, I give you the meals I've planned in advance for the week ahead...

 

Pan-Seared Porterhouse Steaks, Baked Potatoes w/ Sour Cream, Bacon & Green Onion & Oven-Roasted Vegetables

Homemade Macaroni & Cheese & Oven-Roasted Broccoli Spears

Steak Quesadillas & Spring Mix Salad

Shrimp & Broccoli Stirfry over Steamed White Rice

Chicken Caesar Salad & Garlic Bread

Classic Pub Burgers, Onion Rings & Assorted Vegetable Platter w/ Ranch Dip

Bacon, Cheddar & Hash Brown Omlettes & Texas Toast

 

Maybe eating is becoming affordable again...that's one thing that is not a luxury - especially in this house!

It's been a busy and productive Sunday at home. Among my accomplishments today was planning the menus for the week ahead. Looks like good eating is in our immediate future...

 

Breaded Tilapia Sandwiches, Fried Potatoes & Spring Mix Salad

Shrimp Egg Foo Young, Steamed White Rice & Oriental Broccoli & Celery w/ Almonds

Cheesy Chicken, Pasta & Broccoli Casserole

Italian Sausage w/ Bow Tie Pasta in Vodka Sauce & Spring Mix Salad

Chicken Souvlaki in Pita Pockets & Greek Potatoes w/ Spinach, Garlic & Walnuts

Pancakes, Sausage Links & Clementines

Beef Sandwiches w/ Cheddar Horseradish Sauce, French Fries & Assorted Vegetable Platter w/ Ranch Dip

Bacon, Egg & Cheese Bagel Sandwiches & Hash Browns

 

It sounds as if we're in store for another cold week, so I'm glad to be able to stay out of the weather and home in my nice warm kitchen!