Weekly menu and Life's lessons

• Saturday
  
  PASTA CON BROCCOLI
  
  10 oz. pkg. shells
  
  1 bunch chopped fresh broccoli or 2 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen
  
  4 tbsp. butter
  
  2 tbsp. crushed garlic or 1 tbsp. garlic powder
  
  1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
  
  4 c. chopped mushrooms
  
  1/2 tsp. salt
  
  1/2 tsp. pepper
  
  2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
  
  1 pt. half & half
  
  
  Boil noodles, drain. Cook broccoli in small amount of water until barely tender. Mix butter, garlic, sauce, salt and pepper and half and half. Bring to boil. Lower heat and add mushrooms. Simmer 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in grated cheese. Pour into large serving bowl. Stir. Serves about 6 people.
  
  
  Sunday
  Rib Eye Steaks on the grill
  
  Marinade
  1/4 c Worcestershire Sauce
  1/4 c olive oil
  1/4 c soy sauce
  salt
  pepper
  1 clove garlic crushed
  parsley chopped
  
  Green Beans
  Asiago Potatoes
  16 small Red Bliss potatoes (about 2 inches in diameter)
  12 garlic cloves
  1/2 cup olive oil
  10 large basil leaves
  1/2 lb Asiago cheese, grated
  1 cup mayonnaise
  Garnish: paprika
  Preparation
  Generously cover potatoes and 1 tablespoon salt with cold water in a medium pot, then simmer until tender, about 12 minutes. Drain potatoes and rinse with cold water. Cool to room temperature in refrigerator, about 40 minutes.
  Meanwhile, cook garlic in oil at a bare simmer in a small heavy saucepan, stirring occasionally, until tender and golden, about 12 minutes.
  Drain garlic, reserving oil for another use, then mash to a paste.
  Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.
  Mince basil, then stir together with garlic paste, cheese, mayonnaise, and salt and pepper to taste.
  Using a small melon-ball cutter or a teaspoon, scoop out a hole in each cooled potato, leaving a 1/4-inch shell.
  Stuff potatoes with cheese mixture and bake in a pan until cheese is melted and bubbling, about 20 minutes.
  
  Monday
  
  El Pato Pork
  Corn tortillas
  Refried Beans
  
  El Pato Pork
  
  Pork shoulder roast or boneless pork ribs
  1 can el pato sauce
  2 cloves garlic
  1 can green chiles
  1 onion sliced
  
  Combine all ingredients in slow cooker and cook on low for 4-6 hours. Shred and serve on warm corn tortillas . Garnish with cilantro, sour cream or yogurt, tomatoes, shredded cheese.
  
  Tuesday
  Make extra chicken to use in the chicken tetrazzini on Thursday
  Salad Nicoise http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/230164
  French Bread
  
  Wednesday
  
  Spaghetti with marinara sauce and Italian sausage
  Green salad
  
  Thursday
  
  Chicken Tetrazzini http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/108730
  Salad
  Bread
  
  Friday
  
  Sloppy Joe's
  Carrot and Celery Sticks
  
  Reflections from the Backcounter
  
  Coming to the end of the horseshow and as always there are so many life's lessons learned.
  
  For every thrill of victory there is the agony of defeat.
  Win with grace and lose with dignity
  Be prepared
  Stay focused
  Listen to your trainer
  Take criticism with humility and learn from your mistakes
  Study, study, study
  Enjoy your victory lap....those moments in life are priceless.
  
  Peace,
  
  Julia
  
  
  

Eat more Chikn!

Monday: Leftover Chicken

Refections from the Backcounter

Fried chicken is truly one of those comfort foods from childhood that can evoke memories of hot and humid southern Sunday night dinners. The smell of the chicken cooking in the oil compresses time and transports me to the small kitchen in the white frame house in West Virginia where my grandmother made the best fried chicken in the world.

That's where the dreamy reflection ends. This is reality and making this fried chicken was an all day affair that was not even served until 8 pm. A nightmare. Luckily, I have the option of frying outside as we have a gas burner next to our grill I suppose that a contained fat fryer might work in the house but I would hesitate to recommend cooking this in the kitchen. What a mess. I was committed because I had promised my son a world class Sunday dinner, Fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans and salad. We even threw in a chocolate cake.

The food was fantastic but I am paying today. I am sure that I gained three pounds from this dinner and probably now need orthotics for my shoes as my feet are still killing me. Luckily for me, my mother came over for dinner (she was the big loser here !) and I put her to work frying the chicken. We had quite a few laughs as we attempted to get the chicken brown (not burned) and cooked through the center. A true culinary challenge. I think I broke my meat thermometer in the process as well.

After all that effort...we are going to EAT MORE CHIKN tonight. I can now see why Chik Filet has such a following.

My son just came into the kitchen for breakfast.

I just can't face it. Let him eat cake!

Peace,

Julia

No More Overload

Monday: Chicken with Corn Salsa http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/433

Reflections from the Backcounter

Monday morning...again....just spent a weekend at a horseshow with a bunch of other moms and the topic of overload came up. We were all feeling overwhelmed with our lives and the opportunity to relax at the horseshow was the best medicine we could have asked for. I recently read a great book by Richard Swenson, M.D. http://www.richardswenson.org/index.html and would recommend it to all mothers.

He remarks on the fact that most adults in the United States live their lives on overload, without margin. He defines margin as the space between our load and our limits. Overload is that point where our limits are exceeded. This is a very stressful and anxiety provoking way to live and leaves us with little energy for joy and exuberance. I hope you read his book as I gained significant insight. Unfortunately, for most of us, the have- to list of the day to day is pretty much non-negotiable. For me, I find that the key to improving my stress load is planning and organization. Without an action plan and a to do list, I fall apart. Thus, my compulsive meal planning. This streamlines my time at the store and my time thinking about and executing dinner preparation. Today's menu is really fresh and tasty. Hope your family enjoys it.

Peace,

Julia