Thanksgiving Meal Plan

As I'm looking over the most insane To Do list I've ever had in my life, I keep reminding myself that I can't lose sight of one very important fact: I am hosting Thanksgiving Dinner this year.  *insert face-paling look of panic here*

Last time I hosted the single most amazing meal known to food-dom I was newly pregnant.  And not just "oh you're GLOWING" newly pregnant, rather the kind where any smell that I'd previously taken comfort in was suddenly betraying me and turning my stomach upside down and inside out.  I remember that Thanksgiving vividly and it's not necessarily with fondness.

That was seven years ago.  I've been that afraid to host again.

But now I'm over it!  Now I'm ready to host this giant turkey feast again.  AND I'm ready to do this with hardly any baking on Thanksgiving.  Oh yeah, you read that right. I'm making my dinner ahead of time!!  Because honestly the only way anything ever gets done around here is with some advance-prep.

So here's what's on my menu and approximately when I plan on making it:

Any Day Now
Cranberry Sauce.  Actually this is already done and in the freezer.  And if you try and tell me that you're just going to pick up the canned, gelatinous mass and will actually enjoy eating every last bite of it I might have to call for an intervention.  Cranberry sauce is THE EASIEST dish that will every appear on your Thanksgiving table.  It also has the potential to be the biggest WOW.  Who ever expects this dish of crimson goodness to be, well, good?!  And not just good, but kick-ass good.  So good you are actually reconfiguring your dinner plate layout so you can allot a larger area for this.  Don't believe this recipe is that good?  Make it.  This weekend.  I dare you. ;)

Weekend Before
Mashed Potatoes.  Yup, I'm going to be boiling up potatoes ahead of time and mashing them with some cream cheese and a whole lot of butter.  They'll stay happy in a casserole dish until they hit the oven shortly before Meal Time for a quick reheat.  And if Rob asks me nicely I might even top them with cheddar cheese and crumbled bacon.

Two Days Before
New Recipe! Brined Citrus Turkey.  Last year I experimented with brining a turkey.  I will never make turkey another way again.  It is pure, glorious, HEAVEN.  And honestly it's not difficult to do at all; it just needs a little pre-planning.  This one needs to soak about 24 hours before roasting.  So yes, I am roasting the bird the day BEFORE Thanksgiving.  No, I'm not going to Foodie Hell for this.  I'm going to spend my Thanksgiving Day relaxing and playing games with my family, and knowing my turkey is safely warming in the slow cooker, ready to eat when we are.
Pumpkin Pie. I cannot eat warm pumpkin pie.  Ew.  This baby's going to bake while my turkey begins it's bath.

Day Before
New Recipe! Herbed Oatmeal Pan Bread. Yes, I'm making up some old-fashioned yeast bread, in addition to everything else.  Time-consuming?  Sort of.  Difficult?  Not really.  Totally worth it because it can sit in the fridge for 24 hours before baking?  You betcha!!  And I'm going to be honest: you have not lived until you've had my mother-in-law's oatmeal pan bread.  Dinner's at 4:00.  I'll look for you about 3:30.  Be here. Eat this. You're welcome.

Guests Are Bringing (One of the biggest rules of hosting a dinner party of any kind is DON'T make all the food yourself if you don't have to.  And since side dishes are usually my stumbling block, my fantabulous parents will be bringing these wonderful delicacies)
Green Bean & Corn Casserole
Mandarin Orange Spinach Salad with Sweet & Sour Vinaigrette
Extra dessert, possibly something with apples or pears

And there you have it!  That's what we'll be enjoying come Thanksgiving Day.  There's been talk too about various appetizers to munch on earlier in the day but I'm not too worried about that right now.  All I'm focusing on is the few minutes of effort in the days leading up to this meal.  Because with those few minutes of advance-prep, I will have an almost completely stress-free holiday! :)

This Week's Menu

With this whole craft business thing, you could say that I've returned to the Working Mom world.  Even though the hours are supremely flexible and my office totally ROCKS, I'm working to balance deadlines and family again.  And when it comes to crocheted items, the next few weeks is high season for me!  So you're going to be seeing even easier, faster recipes in my meal plan for a while.  And if it's something that takes a bit longer than 30 minutes, it's probably something I've stored away in my freezer for only the craziest of nights.

Because I always have, and always will believe that eating delicious, healthy, homemade food does NOT have to be difficult or stressful.  It's all in how you prepare. :)

• Thursday: Leftovers. This is probably the fastest meal ever.  And with my tendency to cook especially big over the winter, this means I can often have leftovers 2-3 times a week.

• Friday:  Yes, I'm doing the same thing, but I'm playing around with different crusts.  Mostly because my trusty breadmaker pan is busted and we haven't replaced it yet.  I think I've got a new one just about figured out and will share soon!

• Saturday: Polla alla Cacciatora, and rice.  I tend to stock up on chicken thighs when I see them on sale.  It's time to use some of them!

• Sunday: Between the CSA and my parents, I found myself inundated with bell peppers recently.  So I picked up a flank steak and added two gallon-sized bags of New Recipe! Steak Fajitas to my freezer.  And yes, I'm already going to pull one back out to cook up.  

• Monday: Out latest CSA delivery (and yes, I know I need to catch you up on those) included spinach.  So of course I have to make Chicken-Mushroom Quesadillas!  Just one recipe makes up at least four meals for us.

• Tuesday: Rob might be on his own with the boys for dinner.  So I'll give him a break and just tell him he's making sandwiches.

• Wednesday: Looking over this spread, yup, I think another night of leftovers is in order!

Happy planning!!

This Week's Menu

Ok so after two straight weeks of living off my pantry and freezer (minus a quick weekend trip to my parents' house and my mom's luscious cooking), I am SO FREAKING READY to get back into my kitchen and COOK SOMETHING again!!

WEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!

• Thursday:  I have been daydreaming about Papa's Pot Roast for weeks.  It's time to make that dream a reality.  With mashed potatoes and steamed veggies to go with it, of course.

• Friday: Have you figured out that I rarely change our Friday Menu yet?

• Saturday: New Recipe! Four Cheese Chicken Lasagna, steamed veg and possibly some garlic bread.  We'll see how ambitious I get.

• Sunday: Pork tenderloin with New Recipe! Broccoli Cheddar Risotto

• Monday: Leftovers

• Tuesday: Pancakes

• Wednesday: Creamy Roasted Tomato Soup with grilled cheese sandwiches.

Happy planning!!

Parmesan Chicken in Cream Sauce

It's recipes like this that remind me that good food does not have to be complicated food.

Nor does it require many hours in the kitchen.  How does 20 minutes sound?

Parmesan Chicken in Cream Sauce

Recipe slightly adapted from Kraft, by way of my mother-in-law

Prep time: 5 minutes   Cook time: 15 minutes

2 tsp canola oil

1/4 cup Panko (or breadcrumbs, or cracker crumbs, or leftover oven-toasted quinoa)

2 tbsp Parmesan

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Salt & freshly ground black pepper

1/3 cup chive and onion cream cheese (or another savory flavor of your choice)

1/2 cup chicken stock

1.  Preheat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Panko is the easiest for me to keep on-hand

2.  Combine the Panko and Parmesan in a shallow dish.  Season both sides of the chicken breasts with salt & pepper.  Dredge the chicken in the Panko mixture, coating evenly.

That looks pretty even to me, don't you think?

3.  Cook the chicken in the hot oil about 5-6 minutes per side, or until cooked through (lower the heat to medium if the outside gets too brown).  Remove chicken from the skillet and keep warm on a plate.

Golden brown, crispy chicken.  *DROOOOLING*

4.  Add the cream cheese and chicken stock to the skillet and whisk to combine, gently scraping up any brown bits from the chicken.  Bring to a boil and simmer about 3 minutes until thickened.  Spoon the cream sauce over the chicken and serve!

Just cream cheese and stock; no need to get complicated.

Whisking!

I love this one.  I love this recipe for it's simplicity, it's ease, and it's versatility.  I can switch up the sauce flavors just by changing the cream cheese.  My boys can enjoy their crispy chicken un-sauced while my husband and I go for an extra spoonful or two.  AND I can have it done, ready, and on the table in less time than it takes to watch the evening news.  BONUS!!

This Week's "Menu"

Sooooo, when I said last week that I would soon be doing without a formal meal plan to use up the food I've already got stored around here I honestly didn't think it would be the following week.

But such is life I guess!

It's no secret that despite the relatively small stomachs around here that I cook Big.  I like big meals.  I like knowing that everyone can eat their fill.  And I like leftovers.  But know that for every Big Meal you've seen in the past few months on my meal plans, more often than not at least half to two-thirds of that dish was stuck in the freezer.  It's really an awesome way to stock up!

However at some point I need to seriously use up what's in there.  And when I went to find room for the lasagnas I just made up, it became seriously obvious that I need to clean things out before I can keep adding.

At a glance I know that I have half a dozen meatloaf muffins hiding in the kitchen freezer.  They're right next to the bag of meatballs and the carton of bacon sauce.  From our deep freezer, I already pulled out a container of black bean quesadilla filling to thaw, and noticed a few things of potato soup tucked away that need to be eaten soon.  I also seriously need to pull out the two turkey carcasses and make some stock to use for soups and whatnot this winter.  That will free up lots of space!

And this is just what I have cold.  I'm quite proud of how well-stocked I keep my pantry and know that I could whip up just about anything at a moment's notice.  Between the giant tubs of various pastas, cans of beans, several varieties of grains (regular rice, basmati rice, arborio rice, quinoa,...), vinegars, ready-made sauces, ...dinner really doesn't have to involve a frantic run to the store.  In fact, I'm already thinking some Chicken Biryani would be quite yummy this week.

So yeah...because I have other recipes I'm dying to make up and add to my freezer, I need to make some space first.  And this is the week to do it!  Wish me luck as I attempt to take on this week without a plan...I just might need it. ;)

This Week's Menu

We are fast-approaching a week where I might have to NOT make a meal plan.  Instead I'll force myself to cook entirely from my pantry and freezer.  I have so much food in this house...

But this is not That Week!  This week I have a plan.  YAY!!!  I'm always so much happier with a plan...

• Thursday:   Cheddar-Broccoli Soup and artisan bread

• Friday: You guessed it!

• Saturday: It's time for my annual Lasagna Day!  Since we don't eat lasagna every week, or even every month, I've found that if I spend one day making four half-pans of it that we're pretty much set for the year.  I'll pair this with some tossed salad and garlic bread

• Sunday: Honey Baked Chicken, rice, and CSA veggie

• Monday: Tacos

• Tuesday: Freezer Find

• Wednesday: Chicken Enchiladas, rice, and steamed corn

Happy planning!!

Roasted Vegetable Pasta Bake

So how many successful, tasty dishes does it take before I have to admit that I like something?  Because I'm still not willing to say that I like zucchini.  In fact, just the thought of doing so makes me want to gag.

But *sigh* it's happened again.  I found yet another recipe that incorporates this vegetable that I detest so much in such a gloriously wondrous way that I can't stop myself from having seconds.

Or thirds.

Or fourths.  Please don't judge.

Roasted Vegetable Pasta Bake
Recipe from Kristen Nelsen
Prep time:  10-15 minutes   Marinating time: 15 minutes to 2-3 hours   Cook time: 50 minutes

1 lb short-cut pasta, cooked to just under al dente
1 zucchini, chopped
1/2 red onion, diced
1 container sliced Baby Bella mushrooms
1 1/2 tbsp Italian seasoning
1 tbsp salt
2-4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup red wine
1 (24oz) jar marinara sauce
1/4 cup grated or shredded asiago
1/4 cup Parmesan
Shredded mozzarella

1.  Place all the chopped and sliced vegetables in a large, resealable bag.  Add the Italian seasoning, salt, oil, and red wine.  Seal the bag and smush around to coat everything.  Refrigerate at least 15 minutes, or up to 2-3 hours in the fridge if you have the time.

There is no way this combo could go wrong.

2.  Preheat the oven to 400 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Dump the contents of the bag onto the prepared baking sheet and spread out in an even layer.  Roast for about 20 minutes.  Reduce oven temp to 350 if you're going to bake the casserole right away.

I kid you not, this smells like PIZZA as it roasts.  *drooooool*

3.  In a large bowl, combine the roasted vegetables, cooked pasta, marinara sauce, asiago, and mozzarella.  Spread this mixture into a greased 9x13 baking pan and top with Parmesan.  Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.

You bet I halved this and stuck one in the freezer for later!

What I seriously love about this recipe is it's versatility.  You can use whatever vegetables you want, whatever seasonings for roasting, whatever cheeses you like, fresh herbs if you have them.....the options just keep going!  When my friend made this for lunch at a play date, she used sliced zucchini and squash, plus a few other veggies, and my brain went to it's usual, horrified "but I hate zucchini/squash" place.  But then I smelled it baking, and I was intrigued.  And then I tasted it, and I was shocked.  And then I couldn't stop myself from getting a second helping that I inhaled just as quickly as the first one.

Something truly magical happens when you roast vegetables; all those flavors get concentrated and sweeter.  But when you first soak them in something as delicious as wine and seasonings, well...can you see how I fell in love with this one?

And yes, this is totally Freezer Friendly!!  So feel free to split this in half, like I did, or double it since it doesn't take any more time to make twice as much.