January 9-16 Meaplan

I hope everyone had a great new year. Ours was wonderful – very relaxing, which it just how we like it. And now I feel like I’m playing catch-up to get back to the normal swing of things. I think we’re all looking forward to 2010, everyone needs a little pick me up, right?. Well, I believe it’s our job to make that happen for ourselves, so let’s do it! Here’s what we’ll be eating this week…
*Braised Rabbit Ragout with Wild Mushrooms over Polenta
I have never cooked rabbit before, but I came across some today at a great price so I decided to give it a try. I’ll braise the meat with the usual fair – carrots, onions, herbs, white wine, etc. Here’s to trying new things!
*Grilled Chicken and Apple Salad with Candied Pecans and Goat Cheese
Bagged lettuce was super cheap today so I figured we’d make dinner out of it. I love a salad with fruit, nuts and cheese, and adding grilled chicken to it makes me feel like it’s dinner-appropriate…It’s not very unique but it’s one of my favorites.
*Not-So-Country-Fried-Steak with Mushroom Gravy, Twice-Baked Potatoes and Sugared Peas
I make my country fried steak a little more gourmet than normal. Instead of the usual milk gravy, I add sauteed mushrooms, thyme and nutmeg to mine and it’s really delicious. And for some reason we always serve it with my mom’s recipe for twice-baked potatoes. It’s the best twice-baked potato I’ve ever eaten and it’s so simple to make. She mashes the potato flesh with plain yogurt, Velveeta cheese, chives and salt and pepper. The yogurt is the key ingredient, I think, because it adds a great tang to a normally-too-rich dish.
*Chicken Thighs with a Grapefruit-Rosemary Glaze and Baked Acorn Squash
I love the flavor combination of citrus and rosemary, and I really love a sweet sauce with chicken thighs, so this sounds perfect to me. I’ve had this acorn squash forever and I can only hope it’s still pretty inside. I’ll half the squash, put a TB of butter in each cavity along with some salt, brown sugar and cayenne pepper, then roast until tender and caramelized.
*Blackened Ribeyes with a Tomato, Bleu Cheese and Onion Relish and Roasted Cauliflower
I have some very thin ribeye steaks in the freezer that I’ll rub with blackening spices and pan-fry. And I really like this relish on steak. In the summertime, when the tomatoes are sweet and yummy, we add fresh basil to this relish and use it to top everything from salmon fillets to chicken breasts and it’s really delicious.
*Baked, Deep-Dish Pizza with Spinach Salad
I have some cans of Pillsbury biscuit dough in the fridge that I got awhile back for free…I just today remembered they were in there. I think I’ll press the dough into the bottom of a baking dish to serve as the deep-dish crust for this ‘pizza’. Lots of mozzarella cheese and a home-made marinara will complete the dish. And to make me feel better about eating a lot of cheese and bread, we’ll have a simple spinach salad dressed with oil and vinegar on the side.
*Chicken and Apple Sausage Burgers with Sharp Cheddar Cheese and Sweet Potato Fries
I’ll make my own sausage out of lean, ground chicken, fennel, sage and minced apples. Then top each burger with caramelized onions and sharp cheddar cheese, then place them on toasted English muffins.
*Can-Can’s Beef Hash
My husband requested this for dinner. It’s something he had and loved as a child and I will be attempting to make it ‘just like mom’ this week. I think I’ve got the general idea..it’s like a pot roast-inspired hash (carrots, potatoes, onions, peas), with a roux-based beef stock sauce that is served with buttered toast. (He’s very adamant about the buttered toast part.)
-That’s it for now. We’re off on a family vacation next week, so until then… Happy Eating, Everyone!