Part 3: Weekend cooking

The final step in my weekly menu planning is weekend cooking. I find that I am most likely to stick to my menu if I can get a lot of the cooking done on the weekend. It is harder to convince yourself to run through the drive-thru if the preparation is done ahead of time. Every week I will walk you through the process of cooking for the week’s meals. I find this to be a great time. I usually bring my internet radio (thank you Doug and Kate!!) into the kitchen with me and drink a nice bottle of wine or a strong pot of coffee while I dance around the kitchen, sing really loud and cook.

Saturday 03/26/11	Sushi for anniversary
Sunday 03/27/11	Bibimbap ("Japanese dirty rice")
Monday 03/28/11	Creole black beans and rice
Tuesday 03/29/11	Sausage and egg pizza
	Kale caesar salad
Wednesday 03/30/11	Taco Wednesday
Thursday 03/31/11	Creamy Mexican corn soup
	Corn fritters
Friday 04/01/11	BBQ chicken tenders
	Baked french fries, fruit
	Cut up chicken

This week I am lucky because I am staying home on Thursday and Friday due to my stepson’s school schedule. This means I only have to prepare food through Wednesday’s dinner (which is tacos with my friends and takes no planning!).

The first thing I make every week is a loaf of homemade wheat bread (all recipes will be at the end of this post). There are some great bakeries that make really good, healthy bread. I cannot afford that bread so I make my own. I use local honey and unbleached all-purpose flour when I make this bread to make sure it is as healthy as it can be.

While the bread was rising, I parboiled a bag of black beans in water for 1-½ hours and chopped all of the vegetables I would need for the Japanese dirty rice, Creole beans and pizza. After the beans had been precooked, I drained them and put half in a freezer bag and stored in our chest freezer for later use.

While the beans were cooking, I sautéed the sausage, onions and peppers for the pizza. I put these in a plastic storage container and stored them in the refrigerator for Tuesday. I then made the Creole black beans in my amazing Le Creuset Dutch oven. I transferred the finished beans into a large plastic storage container and put that in my fridge for Monday.

On Monday, I will only have to scramble eggs and assemble the pizza and make the salad. On Tuesday, I will cook rice in my rice maker and heat up the beans. Other than that, dinner is done! I will just make the meals for Thursday and Friday on those days per the recipes instructions.

Homemade Wheat Bread

·       1 cup warm water (110-115 degrees F)

·       1 tablespoon milk

·       2 tablespoons oil

·       2 tablespoons honey

·       2 tablespoons brown sugar

·       1 teaspoon salt

·       2 cups all-purpose flour

·       1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

·       2 teaspoons instant active dry yeast

Combine first 6 ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer with dough hook attachment; stir.

Add flours and yeast, and knead on medium speed until dough is smooth and elastic, about 8-10 minutes. Place dough in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover with a clean towel and let rise until doubled, about 40 minutes.

Punch dough down; knead for 2 minutes until smooth and then form into a loaf. Place in greased loaf pan and cover. Let rise in a warm place until almost doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. If loaf starts browning too soon, lightly lay a piece of foil on top of the loaf to prevent too much darkening.

Remove bread from oven and allow to rest in pan for a few minutes. Remove to a wire rack and cover with a cloth. Slice and enjoy while still warm! Leftover bread can be stored in an airtight bag or frozen until needed.

Bibimbap

·       3/4 cup soy sauce

·       6 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

·       4 tablespoons light brown sugar

·       1 pound ground turkey, beef, or pork

·       2 tablespoons vegetable oil

·       4 large eggs

·       2 cups cooked rice (Chinese takeout works well)

·       Assorted vegetables (shredded carrot, canned baby corn, spinach, bean sprouts, red onion…), steamed or raw

·       Toasted sesame seeds

Mix together the first three ingredients; set aside.

In a pan, brown the meat in half the vegetable oil, about 5 minutes. Add half the soy-sauce mixture and continue cooking until the liquid is absorbed, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and cover.

In another pan, fry the eggs in the remaining vegetable oil, 4 to 5 minutes.

Divide the rice among 4 bowls. Arrange some vegetables and meat and an egg in each. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds, then drizzle the remaining soy-sauce mixture over the top.

Creole Beans

·       1 (16-ounce) package dried beans

·       1 pound ground pork

·       1 tablespoon vegetable oil

·       3 celery ribs, chopped

·       1 medium-size green bell pepper, chopped

·       1 large onion, chopped

·       Creole seasoning to taste

·       1 tbsp paprika

·       1 tbsp oregano

·       3 garlic cloves, minced

·       1 (14½-ounce) can crushed tomatoes

·       1 (32-ounce) container chicken broth (or homemade)

·       3½ cups water

·       2 bay leaves

·       1 teaspoon sugar

·       ½ teaspoon salt

·       ½ teaspoon pepper

·       Hot cooked rice

Rinse and sort beans according to package directions. Place beans in a Dutch oven; cover with water 2 inches above beans, and let soak 8 hours. Drain beans, and rinse thoroughly; drain and set aside.

Sauté ground pork in hot oil in Dutch oven over medium heat 5 to 7 minutes or until golden brown. Remove pork with a slotted spoon, and drain on paper towels, reserving drippings in Dutch oven. (Store pork in refrigerator until you're ready to stir into bean mixture.) Add celery and next 5 ingredients to hot drippings, and sauté 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add garlic and tomatoes, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 7 minutes.

Stir in beans, broth, and next 5 ingredients; increase heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil. Boil 10 minutes; reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until beans are tender. Stir in pork, and simmer 30 more minutes. Serve over hot cooked rice.

Kale Caesar Salad

Puree 1/3 cup olive oil, 1 garlic clove, 2 anchovy fillets, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, and salt and pepper to taste in a blender. Toss 1 1/2 cups crusty bread cubes with 1 tablespoon of the dressing; broil on a baking sheet until toasted, about 2 minutes. Toss 1 1/4 pounds chopped kale with the remaining dressing; broil on another baking sheet, stirring, until crisp, 5 to 8 minutes. Put the kale and croutons in a bowl and top with lemon juice, grated parmesan and a chopped hard-boiled egg.

Mexican Creamy Corn Soup with Roasted Chiles

·       1 poblano chile

·       1 red bell pepper

·       2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for brushing

·       1 small onion, cut into thin slivers

·       2 cloves garlic, crushed

·       3 cups corn kernels (about 12 ounces)

·       1 tablespoon masa harina (corn flour) or cornstarch

·       3 to 3 1/2 cups milk, plus more for finishing the soup

·       6 corn tortillas

·       Vegetable oil, for drizzling

·       Salt

·       6 ounces crabmeat, picked over for pieces of shell (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400°. Roast the chile and bell pepper and cut into 1/4-inch pieces.
 In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until deep golden brown, about 7 minutes; transfer to a blender or food processor. Reduce the heat to low, add the garlic and cook for 1 minute; transfer to the blender. Reserve the saucepan.
Blend the onion mixture with the corn kernels and masa harina. Pour in 1 1/2 cups milk and process until smooth. Press the mixture through a strainer to remove any tough corn hulls. Pour the soup into the reserved saucepan and bring to a boil, whisking frequently, about 2 minutes. Add the remaining 2 cups milk (a little less if you're using frozen corn) and chile and pepper pieces and return to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring frequently, for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, cut the tortillas in half, then cut crosswise into 1/4-inch strips. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, drizzle with oil and toss to coat. Bake, tossing every few minutes, until lightly browned, about 8 minutes.
Add more milk to the soup if it's too thick; season with salt. Ladle into bowls; top with tortilla strips and crabmeat, if using.

Corn Fritters

·       5  cups  vegetable oil

·       2 1/2  cups  "just add water" pancake mix

·       1/2  cup  cornmeal

·       Salt and pepper

·       1  teaspoon  cumin

·       1/4  teaspoon  cayenne pepper

·       1  (10 oz.) package frozen corn kernels, thawed

·       1  small red onion, chopped

·       1  small red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

·       2  fresh jalapeño chilies, seeded and minced

Pour 2 inches of oil into a 4-quart saucepan. Warm over medium heat until a deep-fry or candy thermometer reads 375°F.

In a large bowl, whisk pancake mix, cornmeal, salt, pepper, cumin and cayenne. Gently stir in corn, red onion, bell pepper, jalapeño chilies and 1 1/3 cups water.

With a spoon, scoop about 2 Tbsp. batter and gently push into hot oil with another spoon; avoid splashing oil. Cook 4 or 5 fritters at a time-any more may result in greasy fritters.

Cook until brown and crisp, 3 to 4 minutes, turning once with tongs to brown evenly. Remove with tongs and drain on a wire rack. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve hot.