Menu Plan Monday

It's Menu Plan Monday over at Spirit of Power! Stop by and see what I have planned for this week, and then check back here for recipes as the week progresses!

It's Menu Plan Monday!

It is Menu Plan Monday over at Spirit of Power! Stop by and see what we are having for dinner this week, and be sure and come back for recipes and reviews here at ED&BK!

Meal Plan Monday at Spirit of Power

It's Meal Plan Monday over at Spirit of Power! Check out what's cooking over the next week, and be sure to come back here for all the recipes (and reactions) throughout the week.

Menu Plan Monday link and rundown

It's Menu Plan Monday over at Spirit of Power, and here is what I have on deck for this week!
I am really excited for Tuesday night's Penny Pincher makeover of a recipe from Bon Appetit that looks amazing.
Also, I promise to confess the details of last weeks horrifying slowcooker taco casserole failure (cringe) sometime this week, so visit again soon!

Menu Monday at Spirit of Power!

It is Menu Monday over at Spirit of Power, and I am really excited about some of the recipes this week!

See what is for dinner every night this week!

I love the lists..

So this is the side of my fridge... I have a little journal I carry in my purse at all times and lists for shopping, menus, reminders, and anything else I need to remember go in that book.. I HAVE TO make lists.
And each Sunday a new menu list gets posted on the side of the fridge on my super-klassy note pad. If I run out of something, if I notice something is getting really low (staples) then I write it on the bottom of the pad so I can add it to my shopping lists (separated by store) in my little notebook before I go shopping.
Some people think the menu list is a bit much - however until recently I used to plan 2 weeks to 1 month of meals at a time - of late I find I need more flexibility than that offers.
I can just come home from work, take a glance of the list and know exactly what I am making - no heming and hawing needed - and I can see what I need to take out of the freezer to thaw for the next night as well.
This also lets The Hub see what is coming up for dinner this week, so he doesn't eat something really similar for lunch and get stuck having essentially the same thing for Lunch and Dinner - also, I can look back and see what I have made recently so I don't get too repetitive.

It works for me.

Back in the saddle...

Ok ok ok... Pickings have been a little slim around eatdrinkandbekeri lately - but only because action in the kitchen has been limited..
But I am back in a big way this week, kiddos, I promise!!

Last night I made lasagna pizza topped with ricotta, pepperoni and motzerella for dinner (I did use pilsbury pizza dough to make things easy, but who can resist a picture of the dough-boy anyway?)... The Hub is a big fan of a "Lasagna Pizzetta" from a local joint (or local chain now, I guess) called Pasquini's, so I figured it would be a hit... it was!! And the dough boy makes a pretty darn good pizza crust for that kind of dish - it was a bit bready, but for the weight of the toppings that actually worked out really well!!

Coming up this week:

Gyros
Fish and Chips
Beef Tips
BBQ Chicken wraps


I promise to cook up a storm and get this place hoppin' again!!

Beef Brainstorm

So starting today the elevator in our building is out of order for 6 to 8 weeks for a retrofit, leaving us living in a 6th floor walk up for the next two months (ugh). In preparation I made a trip to Costco and packed in a huge supply of steak, ground turkey, chicken breast, and anything else that freezes or lives in the pantry cabinet, and plan to only hit the grocery for fresh fruits and veggies (easy to carry up the stairs) as needed for the duration of the elevator project.

Costco had a great price on packages of strip steak, and that is a pretty versatile cut of beef, so I grabbed a couple packages and divided them out into freezer bags to pull out of the freezer as needed.

What, prey-tell, will Keri do with all of this beef? Start a new segment here, of course... The Brainstorm!

Today's subject is said steak, so what is a girl to whip up? Here's some of my yummy ideas:

-Kabobs
-Fajitas
-Salad with steak and blue cheese
-Grilled tacos
-Cheese steaks
-Steak Frites
-BFD -Steak and eggs with green chilli
-Beef and Horseradish sauce (I've made this one before)
-Beef Stew and crusty bread
-Stuffed beef (with a mixture of breadcrumbs, herbs and blue cheese)
-Beef and Broccoli
-Beef Stroganoff
-Toasted steak sammies on garlic bread
-Beef Goulash
-This tangerine beef (sounds yum!)
-Steak with merlot sauce
-Beef Wellington
-Beef Lo Mein
-BBQ Beef Sammies
-Good old Steak and baked potatoes (always a fave!)
-Beef Empanadas (the ones I made for my b-day using canned biscut dough were so easy!)
-This Thai grilled beef salad from Ellie Krieger
-Sheppard's Pie
-Ceasar Salad with grilled steak strips



What brillant and yummy ideas am I missing? The H likes variety, and buying one type of main ingredient in bulk means that I have to mix it up and keep things fresh, or he is going to get bored with that ingredient... (Obviously chicken breasts can present this issue as well, but that's another list...)

What's Cookin' 5/4-5/10

Saturday was The H's 38th birthday... This means he gets to pick whatever he wants, whatever he can think of in his wildest (snicker at The H's culinary taste being wild) dreams and I will cook it for him...
Birthday dinner was last night, and he picked grilled steaks and baked potatoes... easy-peesy and classic (Just like The H).. I am glad he picked it tho, because I was happy to eat a nice rare steak (he prefers medium-rare... there are two things I am REALLY glad I learned in culinary school - making sauces, and how to tell how done a steak is by touch.. )

The H has meetings a couple evenings this week - which for me either means that I cook up a yummy storm using all the things he doesn't care for, or that I end up indulging a burger or nacho craving from a favorite take out joint... (I am aiming to stick with the first option this week)

So, Menu for this week:

Sun - Grilled Strips with garlic butter, baked potatoes (with all the trimmings)

Monday - Green salad with balsmic and blue cheese, Grilled chicken with herbs de Provence

Tuesday - (just me) Grilled goat cheese and tomato sammie

Wed - (just me) fruit and cheese plate... grilled veggies

Thursday - Open-faced turkey sandwhiches, sage gravy, mashed potatoes

Weekend night at home - Grilled Pizza or Cubano sandwiches


Have a yummy week!

As promised...

Here is the menu blog... I am freaky passionate about menu planning, organized and affordable grocery shopping, and cooking/meal preperation in general..
I shop at CostCo for the majority of my meats, buying many in large sizes and cutting them down to individual portions for freezing - I go once every 2 months. For fresh produce and other items, I just by in season and on sale... I also use the SHARE program, which allows me to get great prices on pre-selected packages of groceries that I pick up once a month...
I am sure I will get better at blogging about it - for now it is a way to share with friends and feed my obsession for menu planning.


Upcoming dinners include:

-"Bangers and Mash" (Apple chicken sausage with whipped potatoes and Guiness gravy)
-Broccoli Beef and Quinoa
-George Forman Panini sammies with ginger grilled chicken and laughing cow cheese wedge spread
-Balsamic Glazed steak for Todd/ salmon for me with a big salad
-Sheppards Pie (filling made from pre-made meatloaf that was in my SHARE package last month)
-Garlic honey pork tenderloin in the slowcooker with frozen veggie mix...