Saturday: On my own – hubs working with a friend on a roofing project in WV
Sunday: last minute lasagna, garlic bread,
Monday: steak, broccoli, pasta
Tuesday: creamy taco mac, salad
Wednesday: Attending a baseball game sponsored by my employer – free dinner!
Thursday: spicy honey chicken, oven fries, green beans
Friday: leftover creamy taco mac; finishing up veggies as a salad before we leave for VACATION!
We’re a bit overrun with jalapenos and tomatoes over here, so I incorporated a few recipes this week to try to tackle some of the masses!
Saturday: pan-fried chicken, cheddar grits/polenta, green beans
Sunday: venison roast (on the grill), cheese-stuffed, bacon wrapped, grilled jalapenos (garden)
Monday: steak, broccoli, pasta
Tuesday: leftover fried chicken, stuffed tomatoes (garden)
Wednesday: lasagna for two, salad
Thursday: fish tacos with baja cream, mexican jasmine rice, black beans
Friday: cheddar brats (grill), corn (garden), oven fries
Saturday: Dinner was on my own, as DH was fishing. Also…
Sunday: spaghetti + meat sauce
Monday: steak, steamed broccoli, pasta
Tuesday: crockpot chicken marsala, mashed potatoes, green beans
Wednesday: beef stroganoff, salad, homemade bread
Thursday: leftover chicken marsala, garlic rice pilaf, steamed cauliflower
Friday: leftover stroganoff, salad, bread
I wasn’t 100% sold on this dish as I was cooking it — but it was a real winner! The flavors are simple, but come together beautifully. I chopped the chicken and mixed it with the orzo, but you could plate it with a whole chicken breast to make it a little fancier 🙂
Herb-Rubbed Chicken with Creamy Orzo
8 oz. orzo pasta, uncooked
2 chicken breasts, butterflied into halves (4 pieces total)
Salt and pepper
2 tsp. Herbes de Provence (I made a homemade version here)
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 shallot, finely chopped (I used onion)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, with juices
2 cups broccoli florets
½ cup heavy cream
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Directions:
– Bring a saucepan of salted water to boil. Add the orzo and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, about 10 minutes. Drain the pasta, reserving ½ cup of the pasta water.
– Season both sides of the chicken breast halves with salt and pepper. Sprinkle evenly with the Herbes de Provence.
– Heat the olive oil in a 12- or 14-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken breast halves to the pan and cook about 3 minutes per side, until golden brown. Reduce the heat to medium, add the shallot to the pan and sauté 2-3 minutes.
– Add the garlic and sauté an additional minute, until fragrant. Add the diced tomatoes with juices and the broccoli florets to the pan, scraping the bottom of the pan to remove any browned bits. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer over medium-low. Cover and let cook until the broccoli florets are crisp-tender, about 10 minutes.
– Stir in the cooked orzo, heavy cream and Parmesan cheese. Mix until well blended and the cheese has melted.
– If necessary, add some of the reserved pasta water to smooth out the sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
– Serve immediately.
These were delicious! I have a bit of an addiction to the crab rangoons served at Chinese restaurants, so I made these to go with my homemade chicken fried rice.…they were a perfect pairing!
These don’t taste exactly like my rangoons, but they’re just as addicting!
Baked Crab and Cheese Wontons
Makes about 20 wontons
Wonton wrappers (about 4×4” in size)
4 tbsp cream cheese, softened
6 oz. can of crab meat (4 oz. drained)
freshly ground pepper (to taste)
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup fresh chives, finely chopped
Directions
– In a small bowl, mix together the crab, cream cheese, pepper, garlic powder, and chives.
– Dollop a heaping teaspoonful onto the center of each wonton wrapper, then wet the edges and fold into a “hat” shape (per the directions on the wonton wrapper package).
– Place the wontons on a baking sheet lined with foil or sprayed with nonstick spray. Spray the wontons liberally with more spray (I used Olive Oil spray).
– Bake at 400º for about 7 minutes, or until lightly browned.
Saturday: grilled venison, corn on the cob, tomato/cucumber salad (from the garden) and baked potatoes
Prepped:
Sunday: chicken fried rice, crab and cheese wontons…also making these wontons for DH to take to work Monday
Prepped:
Monday: steak, cauliflower, pasta
Tuesday: leftover fried rice and crab and cheese wontons
Wednesday: pulled pork sandwiches, coleslaw
Thursday: BLT’s (with homemade bread and garden tomatoes!), macaroni and cheese
Friday: leftover pulled pork sandwiches, baked beans (which had been frozen from my last batch)
Don’t get me wrong — real herbs de provence is delicious and amazing.
But when you live in a small town, it isn’t exactly a common spice to find in-store.
So, since I needed it for a recipe this week, I made my own:
Herbs de Provence
Makes 1 cup
2 tablespoons dried savory
2 tablespoons dried rosemary
2 tablespoons dried thyme
2 tablespoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons dried basil
2 tablespoons dried marjoram
2 tablespoons dried fennel seed
In a small mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients together. Store in an air-tight container.
Look! I downloaded a new logo from orgjunkie 🙂
Saturday: spaghetti with meat sauce, salad
Sunday: cheddar brauts on the grill, sides to be determined by what’s in my fridge that needs eaten up
Monday: steak, steamed cauliflower, pasta
Tuesday: turkey burgers, oven fries, cucumber salad (my garden is still producing cucumbers at an alarming rate. LOL)
Wednesday: herb rubbed chicken with creamy orzo
Thursday: leftover turkey burgers, garlic sauteed green beans (from my garden!)
Friday: leftover herb rubbed chicken with creamy orzo
Kelly Cooks...and other Amazing Feats 
