This Week's Menu {Feb 7}

We managed to accomplish all but one dinner last week. The Chinese Chicken Salad was skipped since we'd had a late lunch at Elijah's birthday party on Saturday. But otherwise, a good week. Here's the goal for this week:

Monday - Chinese Chicken Salad
Tuesday - Almond Crusted Pork Chops
Wednesday - Egg Salad Sandwiches
Thursday - Leftovers
Friday - Spaghetti with Meat Sauce
Saturday - Ham with Au Gratin Potatoes


Last week's Minestrone soup went especially well, and we gorged on leftovers for the entire weekend. I tweaked the recipe I found to suit my needs. Here's what I did:

* Heat two tablespoons olive oil in soup pan over medium heat.
* Brown one chopped onion in pan for approximately 10 minutes.
* Add in two cloves of minced garlic and two heaping cups of chopped kale. Cook until kale is just wilted, approximately two minutes.
* Add one carton (48oz) of vegetable stock and two cans (14oz) of chicken broth. Also add one heaping cup of cauliflower, one heaping cup of celery, one heaping cup of frozen mixed veggies (I used peas and corn) and one can diced tomatoes.
* Bring to a boil and let simmer for 5 minutes.
* Add in desired amount of cooked pasta (I used about 4 cooked cups) and one can of rinsed cannellini beans.
* Continue simmering for about 5 minutes and serve.

P.S. Happy Birthday to the goofiest (thirty-)two year old I know. Hope it's a good one Joe!!