Side Dishes

Baked Beans
Cilantro Ranch Dressing
Spanish Rice

Cinco De Mayo

We Love Mexican Food. The last several years we have had a get together with family or friends on Cinco De Mayo. We all bring our favorite mexican dish and eat lots! This is what we ate on Cinco De Mayo this year. Homemade chips/Tamales from Lady Tamales/Refried Beans/Spanish Rice/Guacamole/Jim's meat/not pictured...chicken fajitas. So yummy! Missed sharing it with friends this year.

May Weekly Menu 4

Sunday: Porkloin Roast/Mashed Potatos and Gravy/Corn/Jello/Rolls
Monday: Spaghetti/Green Beans/Garlic Toast
Tuesday: BBQ Pork Sandwiches/Chips/Carrot Sticks
Wednesday: Chicken Strips/Fries/Veggie
Thursday: Mini Meatloafs/Micro Potatos/Veggies
Friday: Pizza/Green Salad

This week is such an exciting week for us! We have family visiting. We love having them here. As I planned my menu I wanted to make sure of several things....first, I didn't want it to be to time consuming because I wanted to be able to do stuff with our guests. Second, there are two little boys here so I wanted to choose something they would eat. Third, I wanted to plan meals that if we chose to go out to eat I could still use the meals for another night and switch things around. And, just so you know, they were here on COOKIE MONDAY! So fun sharing our cookie tradition with them. If you come visit I will cook for you too!

Bacon Wrapped BBQ Chicken

Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
Bacon
BBQ Sauce (your favorite)

Wrap bacon around chicken breast. Use toothpicks to hold bacon in place. Grill chicken. When chicken is almost cooked all the way through baste the top with BBQ sauce. Let chicken finish cooking. Remove toothpicks before eating.

I got the idea for this dish from good 0l' Betty Crocker. Her recipe was two different BBQ sauces. We also grilled ours on our George Foreman. Yummy new way to cook chicken and it was super easy.

Chocolate Chip Cookies II

1 1/2 cups butter
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 Tbls Vanilla
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
4 cups flour
3 cups chocolate chips
optional walnuts/pecans
optional add 1/4 cocoa to your dough to make a double chocolate cookie. (See Picture for the two different colors.)

Cream together butter, sugars and eggs. Add vanilla. Mix in baking soda, salt, and flour. Add chocolate chips and walnuts/pecans. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

I got this recipe from another great cook in the family. My sister -in-law Jessica. She always makes the yummies treats. My kids wouldn't leave these cookies alone. They even asked for them to be put in their school lunches.

May Weekly Menu 3

Sunday: Cornbeef Casserole/Jello/Veggie

Monday: Stroganoff/Green Beans

Tuesday: Taco Salad

Wednesday: Grilled Cheese/Potato Wedges

Thursday: LEFTOVERS

Friday: Bacon Wrapped Barbecue Chicken/Baked Potato/Veggie

With this weeks menu I am trying something new. The Bacon Wrapped Barbecue Chicken. I got the idea/recipe from BettyCrocker.com. I am going to make it a little different than theirs. I'll post pictures next week and let you know how it turns out.
A challenge for everyone this week is making a dish that you haven't made before. It can be something you have eaten before, but have not made yourself. Try something new and see if your kids like it or not. I have tried new ones that the kids have requested again, but have also had some that they have requested that I never make it again. Let me know how it goes.

Sloppy Joe Bake

1 lb ground beef
1 cup chopped onion
15 oz can tomato sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tsp. mustard
1 1/2 c Bisquick
1 cup milk
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook ground beef and onion until beef is browned; drain. Stir in tomato sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, and mustard. Heat to boiling. Spoon into 13x9x2 inch pan.

Stir bisquick, milk and eggs with fork until blended. Carefully pour over beef mixture. (Some beef mixture sauce may be come to the surface. That's ok. While baking the bisquick mixture will rise to the top).

Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

This of course is a bisquick recipe. It used to be on the bisquick box, but now is on their website. My cousin D'Le made this dish for me when I was a college student and would go to her house for dinner once a week. She is an amazing cook, just like her Mom. I now make this for my kids. They love it and always ask for seconds and thirds!

May Weekly Menu 2

Sunday: (MOTHER'S DAY) Hamburgers/Watermelon/Grapes/Chips

Monday: Fish and Chips

Tuesday: Sloppy Joe Bake/Veggies/Green Salad

Wednesday: Penne Pasta with Alfredo Sauce, Broccoli, and Chicken

Thursday: LEFTOVERS

Friday: Sweet and Sour Chicken/Rice/Veggie

I hope everyone had a YUMMY MOTHER'S DAY DINNER. Mine was sooo good. Thanks to a wonderful husband who cooked it for me!

Malibu Chicken

Breaded Chicken Patties
Sliced Lunchmeat Ham
Sliced Swiss Cheese


Bake Chicken according to directions on package. Pull out of oven with 5 minutes left to bake. Place a slice of Ham on Chicken then a Slice of Swiss Cheese. Finish baking.


These are on the menu at the Koosharem Cafe, but with a bun. You can also get them at Sizzler. A friend shared them on her food blog and reminded me how I love them. So, go ahead, make them your self!

Classic Spritz Cookies

1 1/2 cups butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
colored sugar or sprinkles (optional)

Beat butter on medium speed of electric mixer until creamy. Add sugar, egg and vanilla; beat well. Add flour, 1 cup at a time; mix well. Dough will be soft; do not refrigerate.

Optional Step: Fill cookie press, fitted with disk of your choice, with dough. Press dough onto flat baking sheet 1 inch apart. Decorate cookies with colored sugar or sprinkles, if desired.

If not using cookie press, roll dough into a log. Slice of cookies 1/4" thick. Place on baking sheet. Decorate with colored sugar or sprinkles, if desired.

Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until firm but not brown. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet; remove to cooling rack to finish cooling.

This recipe is a Pampered Chef recipe. Obviously with all of the butter they have a yummy flavor. They are fun to make with the kids if you have the cookie press. Let the kids pick the disk for the press. WARNING: YOU CAN'T EAT JUST ONE!

May Weekly Menu 1

Sunday: Hoagie Sandwiches/Chips

Monday: Three Cheese Chicken Pasta (Viola Frozen Meal)/Peaches/Pears/CottageCheese

Tuesday: Hamburger Chowder/Grandma Perry's Homemade Bread

Wednesday: CINCO DE MAYO CELEBRATION

Tamales/Enchiladas/Spanish Rice/Refried Beans/Chips and Salsa

Thursday: LEFTOVERS

Friday: Short Ribs/Baked Potato Veggies

A few things about this weeks menu....

We were in Utah Sunday. Jim's mom, Connie, made some yummy sandwiches. I do believe the bread you make your sandwich on really makes the sandwich. I'm not sure where she got her bread, but it was so fresh and yummy. Be creative with your breads/rolls. Try different styles for different things. If I have left over rolls I will slice them and make mini garlic breads.

For several years we have made a Mexican Meal on Cinco De Mayo. We love my mom's recipe for enchilada's.

Enchiladas

1-2 lbs ground beef

some diced onion

15-20 corn tortilla shells

Enchilada sauce 28 oz (or larger)

1 can olives

grated cheddar cheese

Brown ground beef with onions. Add some cheese and enchilada sauce. Just enough to make the meat stick together slightly. Slice olives then add about 1/3 of them to the meat.

Deep fry corn tortilla shells. About 7 secs on each side. Then drain them on paper towels.

Drizzle a little enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Lay tortilla shell in sauce in pan....getting sauce on both sides of shell. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of meat mixture in center of shell. Roll shell up and place at end of pan. Continue doing this until all meat is used up. Line each enchilada up til pan is full. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over the shells evenly. Sprinkle with cheese and top with remainder olives.

Lemon Oreo's

2 packages lemon cake mix
1 1/2 cup shortening
4 eggs

Mix cake mix, shortening and eggs well.
Roll into balls and place on cookie sheet. Bake 350 degrees for 8-10minutes

Orange Frosting

1 cube of butter
8oz of cream cheese
1 pound of powdered sugar
Juice of 2 oranges (you can also use about 1/2 can of frozen orange juice instead) Until it taste orange enough.
If desired, add orange zest just for the look of it
Orange food coloring

I got this recipe from my good friend Kate B. They are so yummy! I couldn't leave them alone so I gave them away to family and friends. Now they are requesting the recipe. Thanks Kate! It's a secret indulgence!