Dinner Menu-Small Mommy

I almost stuck to my pantry challenge last week. I broke down and bought some frozen chicken instead of using the canned because I wanted to make Christopher barbecued wings. But I don't feel too bad about it because it turns out he LOVED them. And that hardly ever happens!

So here are some dishes I will probably make in the next 2 weeks:

Chicken and white bean chili with cornbread

Meatloaf with loaded mashed potatoes and possibly fried okra. By the way, I figured out how to get Christopher and Nathan to eat meatloaf! I saw online that one mother cooked her meatloaf in muffin tins and covered them with barbecue sauce instead of ketchup. Well, it worked. Christopher loved it!

Barbecued chicken and red onion pizza on flatbread

Pasta primavera and garlic bread

Cheese enchiladas and salad

We bought an 11 lb box of medjool dates from our Palm Springs trip, so I'm going to try to find something to do with those.

I also bought a new blender today and I'm excited to start making milkshakes and smoothies.

Portobello Panini

I haven't had one of these sandwiches in years. Literally. I miss them. And I can't remember if I shared this recipe before or not.

This recipe is my own rendition of the Portobello Panini served at Pasta Pomodoro. I lived off of these the last month of my second pregnancy. I truly believe it's one of the reasons Christopher ended up being my biggest baby! ;0) Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Portobello Panini

Sliced french bread or Italian bread, I use french pre-sliced in the bread aisle
portobello mushrooms, I usually get the biggest ones so I can make nice large slices
olive oil
sliced gruyere cheese
crumbled feta cheese, I use the herbed
jar of basil pesto, nothing fancy
arugula, I usually chop it
diced tomatoes, any kind

This would be awesome on a panini maker. So if you have one, get it fired up now.

I spread pesto on only one slice of bread. Then pile everything in there, using as much or as little of each ingredient as you please; though you don't want to overfill. Drizzle with olive oil.

There really isn't an exact science to this. Just get everything on there and stick it in the maker.

Enjoy!

Summer Cuisine, by Tall Mommy

This week was hopeless: I have been SWAMPED with church obligations and the idea of even stepping foot in the kitchen was almost too much to bear...as a result, we have (and most likely will continue to) eaten dinners out. But next week, I'm getting my mojo back :)

I'm not set on an order, but here is what I'd like to have:

Monday: My take on a Chicken fajita tex-mex salad with this salad dressing by Sunny Anderson of Food Network:
Creamy Lime Dressing:
2 tablespoons freshly chopped cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon lime zest
1/4 cup lime juice
1/2 cup sour cream
1 clove garlic, smashed
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Special equipment: blender
Blend all the ingredients except the olive oil until smooth. While machine is running, slowly drizzle in the oil until incorporated. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.
Yield: 1 1/2 cups

Tuesday: Chicken Pesto Sandwich with Roma tomatoes and mozzarella

Wednesday: These fish tacos with chipotle sauce

Thursday: A bug juicy burger with fries and a summer salad of some sort

Friday: Family Date night

Saturday: Maybe shrimp ceviche (the only menu item we didn't get to last week)

Sunday: I'm thinking homemade mac and cheese with bacon served with a veggie platter with chipotle ranch dip