Making a menu is - without a doubt - my least favorite chore. I dread it every week. It may be that I often don't have an appetite or that I am bored with all my current meal ideas... whatever. Making a menu sucks. I tried something new this week. I looked up recipes online and decided to make NEW things this week. Here are the things we're trying out. I'll follow up with reviews at some point.
Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff, Sloppy Joe Spaghetti, Mushroom Chicken, Soft Gingersnaps, and Mexican Style Shredded Pork. We're also making turkey noodle soup to finish off the leftovers from Thanksgiving. Last week I made some new (to me) Crescent Rolls that were pretty good and next week I'm gonna try PW's Cinnamon Rolls (minus the coffee). I will admit that the menu and cooking thing is more fun when I'm trying new things.
Last night, we had the Beef Stroganoff. It was so super easy. I did read the reviews and found some tips for making it even yummier - doubled the soup/water, added sauteed mushrooms at the end, and added some spices. We served it over rice. I am so scared of using the slow cooker. In my mind, cooking something for 8 hours = BURNED! It didn't burn. I'm just paranoid, I guess. The meat was fall-apart-in-your-mouth tender. The sauce was a little thin, but that could be corrected with a little cornstarch next time. I had some leftovers for lunch today and it was AMAZING. The flavors fell in love and married over night. YUM!
I also made the Soft Gingersnaps yesterday. They were FABULOUS. Such an easy recipe. I substituted margarine 'cause that's what we had available - and in my opinion butter make for a good flavor, but a crappy product - it cools and goes crispy. Margarine stays softer. Anyway, I followed the directions exactly (other than cutting it in half) and cooked the first dozen for 8 minutes. Those came out like a regular gingersnap on the outside and soft on the inside. The second batch cooked for 6 minutes and came out nearly perfect. So chewy, so delicious. DROOL. There is still dough in the fridge to make a couple dozen more. Yay!
Tonight, I'm making turky noodle soup. Nothing major, but gotta use up those leftovers. I'm excited for the meals we have planned for the rest of the week.
3 comments:
it warmed my heart to see your post in my google reader! i needed someone good to post. :) glad i'm not the only one that hates meal planning. one thing i've done is taken all the regular recipes and a few of the special ones and put them in a spreadsheet with what type of meat they require, rare ingredients i might need to buy and what i like to make with it (sides). i pull that out and usually i decide the meal by what i have in the fridge. i also can plan other meals from the leftovers, ie chicken pot pie after chicken and dumplings is super easy. i am excited to try your new recipes. i'm dying to hear about PW cinnamon rolls. i found that recipe a few years ago, but have never tried it.
how'd your recipes turn out? how were the the cinnamon rolls? we like them for Christmas but i always opt for the pop can of rolls.
Emily! Somehow it's been a couple months since I checked in on blogs but it's been a couple months since you posted! My friend just told me about these websites for mealplanning: thisweekfordinner.com and livinglocurto.com/weekly-meal-plans/ I want to try them. You sound like a chef. I remember a really tasty meal at your place 7 years ago- one of the first times I met you!
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