Menu for September 21st-27th

Monday- Grilled steak, lobster, baked potato, green salad

Tuesday- Grilled marinated chicken,bacon mac & cheese, cauliflower with cheese sauce

Wednesday- Pizza(homemade or take out)

Thursday- Chicken fajitas, refried beans

Friday- Sushi

Saturday- Chili macaroni, green salad

Sunday- Tri-tip, chili, mashed potatoes, fruit salad

Dessert of the week: Jessicas Cupcakes!

Basic Cooking Tip of The Week 2

How to fry a taco shell:

To make 12 taco shells, heat 3/4 oil over medium high heat, it should be hot enough in 3 minutes. Add the tortilla like this

Then lift up one side and fold in half like this
Then flip to the other side
Cook each shell this way until they are light brown on both sides, transfer to a paper towel lined plate, so they can drain off any excess oil.

Enjoy with your favorite taco fillings!

Steak Tacos

Ingredients:

2 steaks(I use top sirloin or new york) cut into bite size chunks

1/4c. taco seasoning(homemade or packaged)

1/4c. water

1 lime

14 corn tortillas, fried

Toppings-finely chopped cilantro, diced onion, sriracha thai chili sauce or salsa, avocado, grated cheese

Make It:

Heat a large skillet to medium high, toss steak with taco seasoning. Spray pan and add steak. Cook about 3 minutes until browned, stirring to get an even brown. Add water bring to a low simmer and reduce heat to low, stir occasionally, cook 5-10 minutes until sauce thickens. Meanwhile in a small sauce pan heat oil and fry tortillas. Prep toppings. Squeeze lime on steak and stir. Take a taco shell add meat, cheese, sriracha, cilantro, onion, one piece of sliced avocado. Enjoy!

A little info about sriracha, its a thai chili sauce you find in the asian food section at the market. It is spicy and a little sweet. Start with a little. After a couple trys you will love it! I put it on tacos, mix it in soy sauce to pour on rice, add to stir fry sauce, dip steak in it, and put it on my sushi.

Abundant Harvest Box

I decided to add a new feature to the blog! I want to show you guys what yummy veggies and fruits I get in my box. I really think its a great deal. I switched my subscription from a small box to a large box. The plan was to take everything out and take a picture. I got so excited about how much good stuff was in it that I forgot to take the picture! So here is a list:

25-30 october sun plums(I didn't count but it was alot)

4 pomegranates, 1 bag dark grapes

4 zucchini, 3 lg tomatoes, a container of cherry tomatoes

1 lg head cauliflower, 1 eggplant, 6 carrots

12-14 sml potatoes, 1 head of romaine, 1 head of green leaf, sage

1 cantaloupe, 6 sml bell peppers, 1 basket green figs

All organic! When you make the decision to eat seasonal, local and mostly organic you have to think ahead! I used the tomatoes, 2 carrots, and 1 zucchini to make a pasta sauce that I froze. I also shredded 2 of the zucchini and froze them to use in cakes, breads, and other stuff in the winter. I will be freezing some bell peppers and onions the next time I get them. At some point I will have to learn to can things but i'm not quite there yet.

Basic Cooking Tip of The Week

How to make mashed potatoes:

You will need one good size russet potato per person. In a large pot boil enough water to cover potatoes. Peel potatoes, if you like the skin you can leave a little on. Chop into about 2 inch pieces. Add to water, boil until tender enough for a fork to pierce potato easily. Drain, put potatoes in a stand up mixer, back in pan or a large bowl. Now the rest you do by your taste. Add butter, milk, salt and pepper. If using a stand up mixer, use the paddle, and turn on low. If you don't have a stand up mixer you can mash potatoes in a large bowl with a potato masher. Or you can use a hand held mixer. Beat or mash potatoes and other ingredients until smooth. Taste them once smooth and add extra butter, milk, salt or pepper as needed. Enjoy!

Cheesy Tot Chicken Casserole

Ingredients:

3 chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces and cooked

2 carrots peeled and diced

1/2 onion diced

1/2 head broccoli cut into small pieces

2tblsp flour

2c milk

2tblsp butter

4oz velveeta

1c cheddar cheese

25 frozen tater tots

2teas thyme

Make It:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat a small saute pan to medium heat, spray in some pam, add carrots and onions. Cook over medium low heat until softened. Add chicken stir to combine, keep over heat until chicken is warm. Meanwhile heat a saucepan over medium heat add butter, once butter is melted, add flour stir for 30 seconds to cook flour a little. Add milk whisking constantly, once combined cook over medium low heat until slightly thickened(about 5 minutes). Add velveeta stir until velveeta is melted. Pour chicken mixture into a 9x9 casserole dish, sprinkle thyme over it, add broccoli. Pour cheese sauce over chicken mixture, stir to combine. Sprinkle cheese on top. Then cover with tater tots. Bake for 20-25 minutes until tots are golden brown. Enjoy!

Menu for September 14th -20th

Monday- Shake and Bake drumsticks, Mashed potatoes, Summer squash saute

Tuesday- Pizza(homemade or take out), Green salad

Wednesday- Steak tacos, Red pepper strips

Thursday- Cheesy tot chicken casserole, Fruit salad

Friday- Steak stir fry, Rice

Saturday- Birthday party

Sunday- Patty melt, Sliced tomatoes, Corn on the cob

Dessert of the week: Ice Cream Sundaes