Meal Planning Monday

Monday: Spaghetti & Turkey Meatballs
Tuesday: Pot Pie leftovers
Wednesday: Curried Chicken Salad Wrap and Zucchini Parm Crisps

Thursday: Turkey Meatball Hoagies
Friday: Leftovers
Weekend: Tuscan Pork Tenderloin and Honey Roasted Sweet Potatos

December Ingredient of the Month

It's a new month, and; therefore, time for a new ingredient! 

 
This month I've decided that I am going to feature Cream Cheese!

Photo from foodatarian.com

I absolutely love cream cheese - flavored or plain!  It's a great product that can be used in a sweet or savory dish.  In the past, other than spreading it on bagels, I've used it to make cheesecake, and to stuff chicken breasts!

Here is some information from wikipedia:

Cream cheese is a sweet, soft, mild-tasting white cheese containing at least 33% milkfat.  It is meant to be consumed fresh, so it differs from other soft cheeses such as Brie and Neufchatel.  It is more comparable in taste, texture and production to Boursin and Marscarpone.

There are French references to cream cheese as early as 1651.  According to the American food processing company, Kraft Foods, the first American cream cheese was made in New York by dairyman William Lawrence in 1872. In 1880, 'Philadelphia' was adopted as the brand name, after the city that was, at the time, considered to be the home of top quality food.  'Philadelphia' is now used as some as a generic term for cream cheese, and in Spanish is translated as 'queso Filadelfia' or 'queso crema'.

Cream cheese is typically used as a spread for bagels, crackers, bread or vegetables, and also is often used in cheesecakes or salads.  It can be used to make cheese sauces, and is often used in place of or alongside butter. It makes delicious icing, and is the main ingredient in crab rangoon.

Maple Roasted Butternut Squash

Recipe from $5 Dinners 

This is recipe #4 featuring my Ingredient of the Month: Maple Syrup!

I love Maple Syrup!  And I've really enjoyed implementing it into different dinner recipes.  This one was no exception!

This was such an easy side dish to throw together.  And I loved the maple flavor with the butternut squash - as did J.  This recipe is definitely a keeper! :)

Ingredients:
1 2-3 lb butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed
1 T EVOO
1/4 c Pure Maple Syrup
Pinch of cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Toss squash with remaining ingredients and place in a single layer on a lightly greased baking sheet.

Cook for about 30-35 minutes, until fork tender.  Mix once or twice as it cooks.

30 Clove Crock Pot Chicken

Recipe from A Year of Slow Cooking

This is a recipe that's been floating around the blog world a lot in the past year.  They all have their own little twist, but they all involve chicken and tons of garlic!

It was funny as I was sitting there peeling 30-something cloves of garlic - J kept walking by giving my strange looks, and asking if that was all for dinner that night.  :)  Yep - it was!

We both thought this was good.  Honestly - the garlic was not overpowering at all.  It was definitely there - but not at all what you would expect. :)  But - if you make this dish - you should definitely like the taste of garlic.

By the way - anyone know a quick, easy way to peel garlic but keep it intact?  Typically I just smash it and the skin comes right off - but that's obviously not keeping it intact. :p

Ingredients:
4 lbs bone-in chicken (I used thighs and drumsticks and removed the skin)
1 large onion, sliced
1 T olive oil
2 t kosher salt
2 t paprika
1 t pepper
20-40 cloves garlic (I used about 30), peeled but kept intact

Directions:
Place the onion in the bottom of the slow cooker.

Toss the chicken pieces with remaining ingredients in a large bowl, then place in the slow cooker.  Cover and cook on High 4-6 hours, or Low 6-8 hours.

You do not need to add any liquid - the chicken will generate enough that it won't burn.

Pumpkin Mac 'n Cheese

I made this Pumpkin Mac 'n Cheese for Thanksgiving this year.  I combined this recipe and this recipe, and then added in a few things of my own.  I liked that this recipe uses no heavy cream or butter.  And I used Whole Grain pasta to make it a bit healthier.

I thought this was delicious!!  I think most people ended up really liking it.  It's definitely something different, but I really loved the mixture of different flavors.  (Ingredient amounts, especially the spices, are estimates, so go with your own tastes.)

Ingredients:
16 ou small pasta (I used whole grain Farfelle)
1 c milk
3 c pumpkin puree
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 T olive oil
1 c chicken broth
8 ou gruyere, shredded
8 ou sharp cheddar, shredded
1/2 c ricotta
2 T Dijon mustard
Nutmeg, mace, ground cloves - to taste
Salt & pepper, to taste
1/2 c grated Parmesan, divided
1/4 c panko

Directions:
Cook the pasta according to package directions until just al dente.

Preheat oven to 375.

Heat oil in a large skillet with high sides.  Saute garlic and onions until tender.

Add the pumpkin, milk and broth.  Bring to a boil then turn to a simmer for about 5 minutes.

Mix in the gruyere, cheddar, ricotta, mustard, 1/4 c Parm, and seasonings.  Remove from heat.

Combine pasta with pumpkin/cheese mixture.  Pour into a prepared 9x13 baking dish.

Mix the remaining 1/4 c Parm with the Panko, and sprinkle over the top.

Cover and cook about 20 minutes, then cook another 10 minutes until Panko topping is lightly browned.