Shrimp Toss

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound spaghetti

1 pound uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined

6 - 8 tablespoons butter

2 garlic cloves, minced

8 ounces mushrooms, sliced

5 tablespoons sour cream

1 cup Parmesan or Romano cheese, grated

Salt and Pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Saute mushrooms, garlic and shrimp in butter 5-8 minutes until shrimp are pink. Stir in sour cream and cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix until blended and pour over hot pasta.

AngelFood Ministry Meal Ideas

(three units shown in the picture with no specials)

Unit Contents:

• Breaded Chicken Tenders
• Lemon Herb Chicken Breasts
• Pork Chops
• Ground Beef Patties
• Beef Roasts
• Hot Dogs
• Banquet Turkey & Gravy
• Carrot Slices, frozen
• Green Beans, frozen
• French Fries
• Potatoes
• Eggs
• Shelf-Stable Milk
• Corn Muffin Mix
• Chicken Broth
• Rice
• Macaroni & Cheese
• Sweet Potato Pies

Meal Ideas:

• Chili Dogs, French Fries, Coleslaw
• Turkey & Gravy over Toast, Green Beans, Salad
• Chicken Tenders, Mashed Potatoes with Gravy, Coleslaw
• Grilled Pork Chops, Buttered Potatoes, Carrots
• Herbed Chicken, Seasoned Rice, Tangy Carrots
• Chili, Cornbread
• Shredded Beef Chalupas, Spanish Rice, Fruit
• Gravy & Biscuits, Fruit
• Fried Rice, Egg Drop Soup, Fruit Slices
• Chili-Cheese Fries, Vegies & Dip
• Ground Steak with Gravy, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans
• Scrambled Eggs, Pork Chops, Toast, Fruit/Juice
• Beefy Vegetable Soup, Salad, Rolls
• Chicken Parmesan, Salad

Many of the meal leftovers if your family is kind (or unkind depending how you look at it) enough to leave some can be used in other meals saving preparation time. Beef roast leftovers can be shredded and used in the shredded beef chalupas and/or beefy vegetable soup. Leftover chili can be used to make refried beans for the chalupas. It can be also used for the chili-cheese fries or chili dogs. Leftover scrambled eggs can go into the fried rice.

My family loves chicken tenders, but since I ordered extra units I can also use them in a shortcut chicken parmesan meal. I do not look at it only as chicken tenders. I looks at it as pre-breaded chicken and let my ideas go from there. I can bake the chicken tenders until crispy and then slice them using them for a yummy chef salad.

I hope these ideas can help or fuel ideas of your own. I know sometimes I need a little boost (& lots of sleep) to get my creativity running. Happy Planning!

Food Distribution Day

I pick up my food from both Angel Food Ministries and SHARE Foods the same day. This is my haul for today and should feed my family for a couple of weeks. It would probably last longer, but everyone will be home from work and school so food disappears at alarming rate.

This is my SHARE Foods order. It is three regular units plus 2 specials.

This is my Angel Food Ministries Order. It is 3 regular units.

This is all the food I received today. It cost me $167. That sounds like a lot (and it is), but that feeds nine people for two weeks. Groceries bought at a store will normally run me $150 a week. To put things into perspective, my table is over 7 feet long (88 inches).

What I received today:

• Ham Slices
• Italian Sausage, ground
• Beef Steak Strips
• Imitation Crab
• Shrimp, pre-cooked
• Breaded Chicken Tenders
• Lemon Herb Chicken Breasts
• Pork Chops
• Ground Beef Patties
• Beef Roasts
• Hot Dogs
• Banquet Turkey & Gravy
• Carrot Slices, frozen
• Green Beans, frozen
• French Fries
• Potatoes
• Sweet Potatoes
• Onions
• Iceberg Lettuce
• Celery
• Carrots
• Apples
• Oranges
• Eggs
• Shelf-Stable Milk
• Corn Muffin Mix
• Chicken Broth
• Rice
• Macaroni & Cheese
• Sweet Potato Pies

Beef Stew Bread Bowl

Doesn't it look just yummy? I subscribe to various e-zines as well as regular magazines for cooking. This particular recipe came to me from Pillsbury.

The recipe (included below) calls for pre-packaged and convenience items. It helps to put this meal on the table in 30 minutes. Some items can be be made from scratch like the biscuits or used fresh (vegetables). It is all a matter of personal preference.

It is a good meal that can have all the ingredients at hand for one-of-those days. That is one thing we all have in common.



INGREDIENTS
1 lb. lean boneless top sirloin steak, 3/4-inch thick
1 teaspoon oil
3/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 (5/8-oz.) pkg. brown gravy mix
1 1/3 cups water
1 (15-oz.) can whole potatoes, drained, quartered
1 (9-oz.) pkg. frozen baby cut carrots, thawed, drained
1 1/2 cups Green Giant® Valley Fresh Steamers™ frozen sweet peas, thawed, drained
1 cup canned whole onions, drained
1 (16.3-oz.) can Pillsbury® Grands!® Refrigerated Buttermilk Biscuits


DIRECTIONS
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease eight (10-oz.) custard cups or large muffin cups.

2. Trim fat from steak. Cut steak lengthwise into 2 to 3 strips and then crosswise into 1/2-inch thick slices.

3. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add beef; cook and stir until browned. Add garlic salt, pepper, gravy mix and water. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Add potatoes, carrots, peas and onions; mix well. Simmer 5 minutes. Set aside.

4. Separate dough into 8 biscuits. Press each biscuit to form 5 1/2-inch round. Place each biscuit round into greased custard cup; firmly press in bottom and up sides, forming 1/4-inch rim. Spoon about 3/4 cup beef mixture into each cup.

5. Bake at 350°F. for 14 minutes. Cover with foil. Bake an additional 8 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown and beef mixture is thoroughly heated.

Weekly Menu for November 10-15

Monday

Chicken & Vegetables

White Rice

Mandarin Oranges

Green Salad

Tuesday

Eggplant Parmesan

Creamy Noodles

Green Salad

Garlic Bread

Wednesday

Chicken Salad Sub Sandwiches

Apple Slices

Steamed Broccoli

Thursday

Baked Tilapia

Seasoned Rice

Baked Sweet Potatoes

Green Beans

Friday

Pizza & Wings

Caesar Salad

Breadsticks

Saturday

Beef Stew Bread Bowls

Green Salad

OOPSIE!

It wasn't until I was putting away the items I used for cooking that I realized I made an oopsie with dinner last night. I made carrot coins as a side dish. They tasted just fine, and dinner was just yummy. Then I cleaned up my kitchen.

I put the large container I have of vanilla extract up wondering who could have gotten that out. Then the light went on. I looked in my cupboard and found the cider vinegar still there. uh-oh. See the recipe calls for cider vinegar, but without thinking I grabbed the vanilla and added that instead. I guess I was on auto-pilot.

It was still good, and no one knew about the goof until later. I guess I found a tweak I am going to make as the carrots were yummy & just sweet enough. Now I look like a genius instead of a wreck of a cook. I will take that.

Weekly Menu for November 3-8

Monday

Barbecue Beef Ribs

Baked Potatoes

Coleslaw

Carrot Coins

Tuesday

Venison Chili

Fresh Vegetables & Dip

Cornbread

Wednesday

Baked Potato Soup

Green Salad

Homemade Bread

Thursday

Chili-Cheese Tater Tots

Melon Slices

Carrot Radish Salad

Friday

Pizza (Cheese, Sausage)

Caesar Salad

Saturday

Chalupas

Spanish Rice

Fiesta Salad