Week 96 Menu

Sunday: Stuffed Chicken Breast and Cauliflower Sformato from CSA basket (Bitten Word)
Monday: Slow Cooker Ribs with sautéed greens from CSA basket
Tuesday: Homemade mac and cheese with veggie surprise (inspired by Two Peas)
Wednesday: Dinner at church.
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: Homemade pizza - half "white," half pesto
Saturday: Out.

Week 95 Menu

Sunday: Pork Tenderloin with Apple-Ginger Pan Sauce (didn't get to it during the week)
Monday: Sausage and roasted, parmesan broccoli from CSA basket
Tuesday: Roasted Potato & Squash soup from freezer with crusty bread
Wednesday: I'm working, but will already have a house full of people, so I'm sure someone will think of something! :)
Thursday: Turkey, turkey, turkey!!!...with cranberries, potatoes, pumpkins and the usual cast of characters
Friday: Leftovers with cauliflower sformato (Bitten Word) from CSA basket
Saturday: Out? Fend for yourself? Breakfast for dinner?

Week 94 Menu

Sunday: Pumpkin pancakes and smoothies
Monday: Meatballs and marinara (from the freezer)
Tuesday: Steaks on the grill and veggies
Wednesday: Dinner at church.
Thursday: Seared Pork Tenderloin with with Apple-Ginger Pan Sauce (Three Many Cooks) and veggies
Friday: Chicken and leftover pork fajitas
Saturday: Away visiting grandparents

Roasted Squash and Potato Soup

I love soup. And, I love making soup. But living in Florida where it's too hot to eat anything but ice cream cold salads for 6 months out of the year, we don't get to eat a lot of soup. But, then, this fall, the planets aligned: the weather dropped below 80 degrees and I got sweet potatoes and butternut squash in my CSA basket! So, I searched my favorite food blogs for a tasty soup with my fresh veggies.

When I was cooking the stock and roasted veggies on the stove top, I was concerned it would be too thin and had plans to add some milk before serving. Oh, me of little faith! After I blended up the stock and veggies, I was left with a very thick soup that would do just fine as the star of a dinner. This soup is very filling and is phenomenal with a nice, crusty bread on the side. It's almost sweet after you've caramelized those veggies in the oven, and was complemented nicely with a generous sprinkling of parmesan over the top.

Roasted Butternut Squash & Sweet Potato Soup

from Two Peas & Their Pod

1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed, and chopped
1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
Drizzle of olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 T olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cans low sodium vegetable broth (15 oz.)
1 cup water
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. On a large baking sheet add the chopped butternut squash, sweet potato, and carrot. Drizzle with olive oil and toss the veggies to make sure they are all coated with oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 40-45 minutes. Stirring every 15 minutes or so. Remove the veggies from the oven and set aside.

2. In a large soup pot, add the olive oil. Add in the onion. Cook until tender. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes.

3. Stir in the roasted veggies. Cook for five minutes.

4. Add in the vegetable broth and water. Add the cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt and pepper. Stir.

5. Let the soup cook for 20 minutes.

6. Puree the soup with a hand held blender. If you don't have one, transfer soup to a blender and puree in batches.

7. Serve the soup hot.

Yorkshire Pudding

When I was growing up, my mom made German pancakes for dinner - always a family favorite! I believe the recipe was one that came with her stand mixer instruction book (I never look in backs of those booklets, but I guess good stuff can come from those things!). Everyone got a pie pan full of an oven-puffed pancake. And, it was always served with warm, cinnamony applesauce. 

One of my favorite food blogs (This Week for Dinner - where I stay accountable for posting a weekly menu!) featured Yorkshire Pudding a while back. I hadn't heard of it before, but once I saw what it looked like, I knew exactly what we were talking about! And, could the preparation be any easier????

The traditional British ways of serving Yorkshire Pudding is as a savory dish with a pan gravy sauce. It may be the "pregnancy nose" talking, but that does not sound like a good time. Since I have a love affair with all things cranberry, I decided to serve it with a chilled, whole cranberry sauce. For me, the tart cranberries are a good contrast to the slightly sweet oven pancake.

Yorkshire Pudding
from This Week for Dinner

Blend in a blender:
- 4 eggs
- 2 1/4 c. milk
- 1 1/2 c. flour
- 1 1/2 tsp. salt

Place 4 tablespoons butter in the oven in a 9″ x 13″ pan until just starting to brown.

Pour the blended ingredients directly into the hot pan.

Bake at 450 for 25ish minutes.

Week 93 Menu

Sunday: Bonefish Grill copycat Bang Bang Shrimp with rice
Monday: Lasagna roll-ups from the freezer (carryover from last week) with sweet potato fries
Tuesday: Shredded Chicken Green Bean Casserole with CSA veggies (PW inspired recipe)
Wednesday: Dinner at church
Thursday: Chickpeas and Paprika with leftover shredded chicken (Three Many Cooks)
Friday: Leftovers with coleslaw with CSA cabbage
Saturday: School fundraiser