Menu Plan Monday - 12/27/2010

Here's my last menu for 2010 ... wow, what a year ... LOTS of cooking happened this year. I've decided to get back into my recipe box and am making up a bunch of our family favorites since I'M OFF WORK THIS WEEK! Woo-hoo. Actually, not TOO woo-hoo since this week is an unpaid furlough week due to the budget situation with Oregon schools, but I'm thankful to have a job and thankful to have some much needed down time, too.

(Scroll down for recipes with **)
Monday 12/27: Mama's Sweet and Sour Pork**
Tuesday 12/28: Navy Bean and Ham Soup
Wednesday 12/29: Mediterranean Upside Down w/Tzatsiki**
Thursday 12/30: Connie's Tarragon Chicken and Special Rice**
Friday 12/31: Homemade Pizza
Saturday 1/1: Michelle's Beef Enchiladas
Sunday 1/2: Provencial Beef and Potato Pie

Mama's Sweet and Sour Pork

2# pork (pork butt or loin chops), cut into 1" cubes

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

2 Tablespoons soy sauce

1 Tablespoon minced garlic

4 carrots

1/2 leek

2 stalks celery

1 green pepper

1 yellow onion

2 20-oz cans pineapple chunks

1/4 cup vinegar

1/4 cup brown sugar

3 Tablespoons soy sauce

2 Tablespoons cornstarch

2 Tablespoons ginger powder

2 Tablespoons garlic powder

vegetable oil

Marinade 2# pork cubes in 2 Tablespoons lemon juice, 2 Tablespoons soy sauce and 1 Tablespoon minced garlic. While it's marinating, chop four carrots, one-half a leek, two stalks celery, and one green pepper into uniform-sized pieces. Also dice one onion.

Brown pork in a small amount of oil until golden brown and remove from wok/skillet. Saute onion in two tablespoons oil until tender, then add other veggies. While the veggies are cooking, prepare sauce in a gravy shaker: juice from two cans of pineapple chunks, 1/4 cup vinegar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 3 Tablespoons soy sauce, 2 Tablespoons cornstarch, 2 Tablespoons ginger powder, and 1 Tablespoons garlic powder. Add enough water to the sauce to make 2 cups; shake until smooth.

Add the sauce to vegetables, along with the drained cans of pineapple chunks and the cooked pork. Simmer until sauce thickens and veggies are desired tenderness. Serve over rice.

Mediterranean Upside Down

1 lb. ground beef

1 onion, diced

1.5 Tablespoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon cardamon

1 Teaspoon black pepper

1/4 cup pinenuts

1 1/2 cup rice

2 15-oz cans garbanzo beans

Preheat oven to 350. In a 6-qt dutch oven, brown on the stovetop the ground beef with onion and spices. Drain. Stir in pinenuts; sprinkle with rice and add 3 cups water. Drain two cans garbanzo beans, rinse and add to top of rice (do not stir). Cover and bake for 30 minutes. To serve, empty upside down on serving platter, and serve with tzatziki and pita bread.

Connie's Tarragon Chicken and Special Rice

4 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless

half-pint sour cream (lowfat okay)

2 Tablespoons snipped chives

1/2 teaspoon tarragon

2 Tablespoons white tarragon vinegar

2 teaspoons sugar

2 Tablespoons melted butter

salt, flour, paprika

Preheat oven to 400. Combine sour cream with chives, tarragon, vinegar, and sugar in a medium bowl. Melt butter in the 4-qt baking dish. Place 1/2 cup flour and 1 tablespoon salt in pie plate or zipper bag and dredge chicken breasts in flour. Dip chicken in sour cream mixture then place in baking dish. Pour on any remaining sour cream sauce, then sprinkle with paprika. Bake at 400 for 45 minutes. (I always make extra sauce to pass at table.)

Connie's Special Rice

1 1/2 cup water

2 teaspoons butter

3/4 cup white rice

1 Boullion cube

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/4 lb fresh sliced mushrooms

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground thyme

Dissolve cube in water. Saute rice in butter, add broth to rice. Add onion, mushrooms, and spices. Pour into 2-qt casserole dish, cover and bake with chicken.