Food of the Week

At the Elias house we have two important meals, breakfast and dinner. Breakfast is usually eaten in a rush while Emad hurries to get to work. Or, it is eaten late in the day on a Saturday while Emad is watching Football. Dinner is my time to experiment! I love having all day to dream about and prep dinner. However, there are nights when I am just to lazy to cook anything and we end up eating breakfast for dinner! So, here are some dinners and breakfasts that I have made this week. Let me know if you make any of these and how they turn out!

Dinner

Pumpkin Curry Soup

I started reading A Beautiful Mess' blog this past week and I have fallen in love with their simple, delicious recipes. I made their Pumpkin Curry Soup this past week and paired it with Grilled Turkey & Cheese Sandwiches made with Homemade Bread (See Recipe Below). Because they didn't specify what size can of pumpkin was needed, I ended up with extra "pumpkiny" soup. So, I recommend using the smaller can of pumpkin, not a huge one. I can not rave enough about how good this soup was!!

Polish Sausage & Potato

(Sorry no picture!)

The best thing about this recipe is how easy it is to make! My mom used to make this when I was a kid, so I have fond memories of this dish.

1 Polish Sausage
3-4 Potatoes, diced
1/2 Head of Cabbage, chopped
1/2 Onion, chopped
1 Jalapeno, sliced (optional)
Salt (Note: I used Lawry's Seasoning Salt to add a little extra flavor)
Pepper

1. Slice the polish sausage in 1/2 inch pieces.
2. Add all ingredients to steamer (Salt & Pepper to taste).
3. Steam until potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes.
4. Enjoy!

Salsa Chicken & Rice

(Sorry no picture!)

Emad & I came up with a variation of my mom's classic Salsa Chicken & Rice recipe this week. And, I think I like it better! :)

Salsa 
3-4 Tomatoes
1 Onion
1-2 Jalapenos
1 cup Cilantro

1. Place everything in a blender and blend until creamy.

Salsa Chicken
2 pieces Pita Bread, torn into pieces
2 Chicken Breasts
2 cups Salsa (recipe above)
2 slices Pepper Jack Cheese (optional)
3 tablespoons Butter

1. Grease bottom of 8x8 dish.
2. Place pita bread pieces on bottom of dish. (This will soak up all the juices & be delicious!)
3. Add 1 cup of salsa to dish and spread over the bread.
4. Place chicken breasts on top of salsa.
5. Cover chicken breasts with remaining 1 cup salsa.
6. Place dollops of butter on top of everything.
7. Cover with foil.
8. Bake at 375 for 40 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.
9. Add sliced cheese to top of chicken when it is done cooking. Let it melt before serving.

Serve with side of rice.

Breakfast

Granola

I discovered my husband's new favorite food, granola! Here is the best way to serve granola,

1 Apple, chopped up (or any other fruit, but Apples are in season)
2 cups Plain Yogurt
1/2 cup Granola (recipe)
1 Tablespoon Honey

1. Layer everything in a bowl and enjoy!

Cinnamon Rolls

My favorite type of morning is lazy weekend mornings with fresh cinnamon rolls. The only downside to that is that cinnamon rolls are not a "lazy morning" type of food. They require tons of work and lots of time. But, lately I have convinced myself that homemade cinnamon rolls are worth the work. So, most Saturday mornings, Emad gets to wake up to the smell of fresh baked cinnamon rolls. I would be lying if I told you that I found a simple recipe. BUT, I DID find a super delicious recipe that is almost impossible to mess up. Enjoy!

Eggs & Tamales

This is another childhood favorite dish. And, simple enough to make on a weekday morning when Emad is rushing out the door.

1 package XLNT Tamales (sold near the refrigerated Mexican food at most grocery stores)
6 eggs, scrambled
1-2 cups shredded cheese (cheddar, pepper jack, or whatever you like)
1-2 Jalapeños, seeded & diced (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Slice the tamales and place in a 9x13 baking dish.
3. Bake the tamales while you are scrambling the eggs.
4. Remove the tamales when the eggs are done.
5. Place the scrambled eggs on top of the tamales.
6. Layer the cheese on top of the eggs.
7. Put back in the oven for 15-20 minutes.

Other

Homemade Bread

(Sorry no picture!)

As I mentioned in my last post, I am hate buying things that the store that I can make at home; this includes bread. We do not eat much bread at our house (except for pita bread & tortillas), so I haven't needed to buy much at the store. But, last week when I wanted to make Grilled Turkey & Cheese sandwiches, I needed bread.

When we got married, I got a bread machine which I desperately wanted! Being the rule follower that I am, I would follow all the directions but my bread would never turn out good. It would be THICK, spongy, and not very good. Finally, I found a recipe that goes against all the bread machine's rules and makes the most delicious, airy loaf of bread. Yum!