The Humble Herb

Menu Plan Monday: Nov 9 - 15

2008-11-09T19:41:00.000-08:00

Testing two new recipes this week! Here we go:

Sunday:

Sliced Ham, Honey-Glazed Sweet Potatos, Homemade applesauce, and buttered peas

Monday:

Tanzanian Beef (A friend of ours from Tanzania shared this recipe with us, hence the name), coconut rice, and vegetable

Tuesday:

Potato Chip Chicken Strips, homemade mac n cheese, green beans

Wednesday:

Spaghetti and Meatballs (trying a new highly-rated meatball recipe-- but instead of breadcrumbs, I will probably be subbing some rolled oats instead), broccoli, garlic bread

Thursday:

Pizza, veggies and dip

Friday:

Mexican Bean Dip (refried beans, salsa, cheese, green pepper, and green onion heated in the oven then topped with sour cream) with chips and fresh fruit

Saturday:

Zuppa Toscana with Homemade Whole Grain Artisan Bread

Menu Plan Monday: Nov 2-8

2008-11-03T19:15:00.000-08:00

I will be trying some different stuff this week. Here we go:

Monday:
Pakistani Kima (Hamburger Curry)
(We ate this tonight, and it was excellent-- highly recommend trying it at least once!)

Tuesday:

Apricot-Chili Chicken, homemade mac n cheese, and sugar snap peas

Wednesday:
Spinach Salad with homemade bread (last time I made the salad, I forgot the parmesan cheese-- not going to forget it this time. And, I highly recommend using a block of parmesan and grating it fresh on the largest holes on your cheese grater-- parmesan cheese from the shaker just isn't right for this salad!)

Thursday:

Homemade pizza (trying a no-knead pizza dough this week-- let you know how it turns out!), with veggies as a side

Friday:
Chicken enchiladas (I like to add some peppers and onions to the chicken mixture in the enchiladas), honey-glazed sweet potatos, and a green veggie

Saturday:
Hummus with pita chips, tomato/cucumber salad, and kefir smoothies

No-Knead Whole Grain Bread

2008-10-18T20:37:00.000-07:00

This has quickly become one of my favorite breads to make. It is easy and very yummy with soup or salad. Without further ado...

6 1/2 cups flour (I use about 5 cups of freshly milled wheat and rye flours, and the rest bread flour)

3 cups lukewarm water (maybe a tad more if you are having trouble incorporating all the flour)

1 package active dry yeast

1 teaspoon salt (just plain table salt)

1. Mix everything together well in a bowl. Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a non-sealing lid. Let sit out on the counter for 2-3 hours.

2. Divide dough in half. At this point, I usually refrigerate half of the dough to use a couple days later.

3. Take the rest of the dough and place it in a well-oiled plastic bowl. Loosely cover again.

4. Now get a round cast-iron pot, or a corningware pot, or a small crockpot (one that you can remove from the base of the crockpot!)-- your just looking for a heavy-duty, oven-ready pot with a lid. I have been using a corningware round casserole dish (probably 1.5 quart size??) with great success and no issues with the dough sticking. Place the empty pot and lid in the oven, and turn the oven to 450 degrees. Led it preheat for a good 20 minutes.

5. When the dough has slightly risen again and everything has preheated, dump the dough into the pot, and put the lid back on the pot. If your pot is hot enough, you will hear the dough start to sizzle as soon as you dump it in. (If you don't hear it, then you need to preheat your pot longer next time.) Bake for 30 minutes. Remove lid and bake for another 15-20 minutes, until done. Let cool before cutting. This produces a nice artisan-style bread with a crisp crust. Enjoy!!!

(If you are baking dough that you have had in the fridge, let it sit out at room temperature for a couple hours before moving on to step 3.)

Menu Plan Monday: Week of 10/13 - 18

2008-10-14T12:04:00.000-07:00

This week is primarily a "use what you already have" week. I have quite a bit of frozen meat that I would like to use up, as well as other items. So, here it is:

Monday:
Chicken Divan (I attempted a no-mayo, no-canned soup recipe I concocted, and it turned out really well!) over rice, side of corn/peas

Tuesday:
Breakfast night: Kashi waffles, scrambled eggs, sausage patties, and fresh fruit

Wednesday:
Layered Bean Dip: Freshly made refried beans, salsa, cheese, green pepper, and green onion baked, then topped with sour cream. Served with chips and fresh fruit.

Thursday:
Pizza night (we buy it!)-- I enjoy the night of no cooking! :)

Friday:
Creamy, cheesy, ham and veggie soup. Served with homemade whole wheat artisan bread.

Saturday:
Chickpea and Sweet Potato Curry over Rice; side of vegetables

I will be posting some of these recipes ASAP!

My Second Blog...

2008-10-14T11:50:00.000-07:00

Well, this is my second blog, my first being found here:

TatorTotMishMash

I have created this second blog primarily for cooking/recipes. The other blog is primarily about mommyhood and my kiddos. I realize that it is probably best to have a blog just devoted to food, for those who care about the food part of my life!