April Recipes: Week 3

Our menu for the week of April 29th -

Cream of Asparagus Soup with Tuna Salsa Wraps
Crunchy Macaroni and Cheese with Bacon
Salsa-Stuffed Muffin Meat Loaves with Potatoes and Green Beans
Skillet Chicken and Broccoli with Rice
Spaghetti with Homemade Mozzarella Tomato Sauce

Cream of Asparagus Soup
Asparagus is in season right now, so I decided to give asparagus soup a try. I like asparagus, it was a good soup and Lilah actually ate it, but I don't know that it is something I would make again. If you absolutely love asparagus, give it a try.

Preparation Tip: This soup took no time at all to make, but chopping the shallots and asparagus in advance is an option. You could also make the entire soup in advance and simply warm it at dinner time. (Be sure to wait to add the cream and lemon juice until you are ready to eat it.)

Lilah's Take: Lilah actually does really well with soup and she seemed to like this one which was very surprising. She won't eat asparagus as a side, so I guess incorporating into a soup is a good way to get her to eat it.

Ingredients
3 Tbsp. butter
1 1/2 c. coarsely chopped shallots
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
3 Tbsp. flour
3 lbs. asparagus, trimmed and chopped into 1-inch pieces
Salt
1/3 c. heavy cream
2 Tbsp. lemon juice

Directions
In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add shallots and thyme; cook until the shallots are soft, about 5 minutes. Add the flour; cook until well mixed, about 1 minute. Add the asparagus and 6 cups of water; season with salt. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover, and simmer, until the asparagus is bright green and just tender. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until it is very smooth. Stir in the lemon juice and cream.

Tuna Salsa Wraps
http://www.starkist.com/recipe/tuna-salsa-wraps

Preparation Tip: Dinner really can't get much easier than this!

Lilah's Take: Lilah really enjoys eating wraps so these were a hit!

Crunchy Macaroni and Cheese with Bacon
http://www.thenaptimechef.com/2010/02/crunchy-macaroni-cheese-with-bacon/

Preparation Tip: It is key to have all of the ingredients for this dish ready in advance because everything has to be mixed together while the pasta is still hot. I tend to prepare the individual ingredients during nap time so that the only thing left to do before dinner is to cook the pasta and throw everything together and pop it in the oven. I have also made the entire dish in advance and kept it in the fridge until dinner time, but be sure to add a few extra minutes of cooking time to ensure it is hot enough.

Lilah's Take: Have you ever met a kid that didn't like macaroni and cheese? Lilah actually requested this dish this week which was pretty neat.


Salsa Stuffed Muffin Meat Loaves with Potatoes and Green Beans http://www.canadianliving.com/food/quick_and_easy/salsa_stuffed_muffin_meat_loaves.php
These muffin meat loaves are great to make on a weeknight because they cook much faster than a traditional meat loaf. They are also fun for kids because they get to have their own cheese-filled, muffin sized portion!

Preparation Tip: These meat loaves can be made ahead of time so they are read to pop in the oven. If you don't have room in your fridge for a muffin tray, you can at least mix all of the ingredients together ahead of time and just keep the bowl in the fridge.

Lilah's Take: As I mentioned above, Lilah really likes these because of the presentation. They are filled with cheese which helps to make them even more kid-friendly. I typically give Lilah ketchup to dip her meat loaf in as well which is something I have always done myself.


Skillet Chicken and Broccoli with Rice
http://www.canadianliving.com/food/dinner_club/chicken_broccoli_and_cheese_skillet.php

Preparation Tip: This is another really quick and easy dish, but washing and chopping the broccoli and green onions, grating the cheese and cutting up the chicken ahead of time make it even faster.
*Using fresh sage in this dish makes all the difference!


Lilah's Take: Lilah devoured this dish because it incorporates her favorite vegetable and cheese!


Spaghetti with Homemade Mozzarella Tomato Sauce 
This homemade mozzarella tomato sauce is really quick and easy to make with things you most likely have on hand and it is really versatile in that you can add just about any combination of vegetables and herbs that you like. Adding mozzarella cheese makes it a real kid-pleaser!


Preparation Tip: This meal is really easy to make because the sauce can be made in the time it takes to boil the water and cook the pasta, but chopping the vegetables ahead of time will save even more time.


Lilah's Take: Pasta + cheese =A happy Lilah!


Ingredients
3 Tbsp. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 c. each celery, carrot, onion, chopped
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
1/2 tsp. oregano
1 c. mozzarella cheese


Directions
Heat 2 Tbsp. of the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add garlic, celery, carrot, onion and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and oregano, raise heat to medium-high and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes break down and the mixture becomes saucy, about 10 minutes. Stir in the remaining olive oil, salt and pepper. Stir in mozzarella cheese into the pasta with the sauce.

Easiest Sunday Dinner EVER!

My husband and I recently tried cooking a whole chicken in our crockpot for the first time and it was so easy and delicious, we now do it almost every week. The chicken comes out so tender and moist it falls off of the bones so carving is a breeze. When we use a 5 lb. chicken, we have enough leftover for chicken sandwiches for a week or to make a chicken pot pie. I have also made a overnight crockpot chicken stock afterward (see recipe below) and it makes enough stock to last several weeks depending on how often you cook with stock (freeze the stock in small containers; 2 cups per container works well.)

Crockpot Whole Chicken
Ingredients
Rub Ingredients
4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. white pepper
1/2 tsp. black pepper
Roasting or fryer chicken (I usually use a 5 lb. chicken)
1-2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
1 lemon, quartered

Directions
Combine rub ingredients in a small bowl. Rinse chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Rub garlic all over outside of the chicken. Put garlic inside the chicken. Add quartered lemon to the inside of the chicken. Place chicken in slow cooker, cover and cook chicken on low for 8 hours. (Time will depend on the size of the chicken and your slow cooker.)


Crockpot Overnight Chicken Stock

Ingredients
Leftover chicken bones
1 onion, peeled and loosely chopped
1 rib of celery, roughly chopped
1 carrot, roughly chopped (no need to peel)
1 bay leaf
1 sprig fresh parsley
1 sprig fresh thyme
Salt, to taste

Directions
After removing all edible meat from the chicken put/leave the bones, skin, cooking juices, etc. in the crock pot. Leave every single thing that’s leftover (except the good meat of course) in the crock pot. Add the onion, celery, carrot and spices on top of the bones and fill the crock pot almost to the top with tap water (leaving about 1/2” at the top). Turn the slow cooker onto low after dinner and cook all night long. After the stock is done cooking turn off the heat and, using a soup ladle, pass the stock through a fine sieve to remove all herbs/bones/etc. Either refrigerate or freeze the stock for future use.