Meal Planning: Week of December 30th

Review from last week:

The Mills all ended up sick last weekend, so we had to reschedule our date, but we made the pasta for ourselves and it served as left overs a few different times.

The Sausage and Apples dish was interesting.  Both ingredients cooked WAY faster than the recipe said they would, which threw me off a little bit.  My kitchen was also very greasy after pan-searing everything.  BUT, the end result did taste good.

Our Christmas meals.  Oh my.  I will admit that I woke up this morning feeling quite lethargic and still very full.  Worth it!  

Brunch, (not pictured) was so delicious.

But dinner really hit it out of the park.  Everything turned out so great, particularly the thyme au jus that went with the prime rib.  You basically reduce the pan drippings (after you have removed the roast), add wine and reduce again, add beef stock and reduce again, and then whisk in fresh thyme and season with salt and pepper.  YES.  

So, now on to next week (or, at least through New Years Eve, which is all I have mentally planned):

I received 2 cookbooks off my wish list for Christmas:

Both by Jessica Seinfeld!  The first, Deceptively Delicious, is all about creating meals that are healthy (often recipes that hide vegetables or lean meats by pureeing them).  The second, The Can't Cookbook, contains recipes that require few ingredients and are VERY clear in the step by step instructions.  While I think I will officially remove myself from the "Cant Cook" category, this book is full of helpful information and great looking recipes that I have learned so much from already!

So, on that note, most of the recipes this week will be from these two books:

Thursday: Roasted Chicken Drumsticks with Mustard and Rosemary Sauce, with broccoli

Friday: Turkey Chili

Saturday: Pan Roasted Chicken Breasts with Roasted Cauliflower and Sage

Sunday: Left overs

Monday: My vegetarian friend Mark is coming over for dinner, so I plan to make Garlic and Rosemary Cannellini Beans and a loaf of homemade bread.

Tuesday (New Years Eve!): We had decided that we wanted to stay home this year, so why not make an elaborate and delicious meal to enjoy? :)  I had been looking for a recipe for lamb so that I could recreate the delicious meal we had a few weeks ago.  I am going to pick up some lamb chops or lamb shanks and then make the Creamy Cabernet Mint Sauce from this recipe.  We will probably have roasted red potatoes and a still TBD vegetable.