Weekly Menu (Binder Edition)

Maybe you keep a household binder… or even store recipes in a binder?  I keep thinking I might want to get organized myself that way, though I’d prefer it even more in a digital format.  When I think about meal planning, I’d even love to have 4-8 weeks worth of meals all planned out, with room for flexibility and trying new recipes, that I could just rotate through, week by week – take the guesswork out of the equation.  But that would take time I don’t seem to have with a toddler in the house.
So, I’ve modified the Weekly Menu printable to fit in a binder (or be posted on the fridge, or wherever).  You could even print a whole bunch of these and make them into a note pad (see tutorial here) for yourself or even as gifts.  I included space for all 3 meals plus a shopping list, so that you could, in fact, have your entire week’s worth of food all planned out.  Same color scheme as before, these are sized at 8.5” x 11”…

To download, just click on the images above and you’ll be directed to their 4shared locations.  Then, just print on your own color printer, or send it out to Fedex Kinko’s and you’re set!

*** UPDATED 06/26/12 ***
New download location for these images is here.   


Hope this helps keep your meal planning organized!
I’ll be posting this project to the link-up parties listed here.

What's for dinner?

That question drives me crazy… but only when I don’t know what we’re going to have for dinner!

Growing up, my mother always had a meal plan.  Her weekly menu was on the back of her shopping list and it was always posted on the fridge.  I can probably count on one hand the number of times she deviated from it… whatever was listed was what we were having for dinner.  Sometimes you’d be excited about it, and sometimes at least one of us would be whining about it.  But, it was always there, no surprises.  I can see now why meal planning was so important for our family growing up – I wouldn’t want to be a short order cook for a family of 6.

I’ll be honest…  I don’t cook as much for my family as I should unless I come up with a weekly menu.  If I don’t plan things out in advance, I never have anything thawed and/or I’m missing key ingredients.  In my defense, my husband travels a lot.  When it’s just me and Connor, a bowl of cereal or a sandwich will do (Connor still consumes mostly Chef Gerber).  So, I try to plan my meal-making around the nights I know I have someone else to cook for.

This spring, my mom and I made a dry erase board for my kitchen.  I purchased a large frame at Michael’s (the largest that would fit on my wall) and framed a cut of fabric under the glass.  Then I just use dry erase markers and an eraser to help me keep track of household things.  I LOVE IT!  I’d say I probably write something on it every day.  The board helps me keep track of my to-do’s, things to remember, and ongoing shopping lists.  It’s also where I “attempt” to have a meal plan posted for the week!

In June, Alma of Ollibird posted the cutest FREE tiles for Twitter and blog backgrounds.  When I saw the pots & pans graphic, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it (besides update the family recipe blog).

Just for fun, I’ve created another free printable…  a Weekly Menu, inspired by and using Alma’s cute graphic.

These menu images are sized at 8”x10”, perfect for framing in your kitchen.  Once behind glass, it becomes a dry-erase menu board.  You could place this on your countertop, hang it on the wall, or put it in a lightweight frame and attach heavy-duty magnets or Command Picture Hanging Strips to hang it on your fridge.  You could even make one up for an inexpensive wedding/birthday/Christmas gift. 




To download, just click on the images above and you’ll be directed to their 4shared locations.  Then, just print on your own color printer and trim to size, or upload it to your favorite online photo printer (an 8”x10” print at Costco is only $1.49).
Go here to download a version of this weekly menu for a binder!

*** UPDATED 06/26/12 ***
New download location for these images is here.   

Hope this keeps the dreaded “What’s for dinner?” question from being asked too many times in your house!
I’ll be posting this project to the link-up parties listed here.
I'm incredibly honored to have had this project featured on these sites. Thanks so much!!

Mmmm... Mmmm... Mmmm...

Made some yummy new dishes this past week... 

check them out on Rogers Family Recipes!

Swiss Chicken

"Red Lobster" Cheddar Bay Biscuits

Baked Ziti

Banana Blueberry Cake

Cheesy Pepperoni Pizza Dip

I made this dip over the weekend...  soooo good!  Definitely a hit with our resident pizza lover!  
(As seen on Noble Pig.)

Cheesy Pepperoni Pizza Dip

3/4 c. chopped pepperoni

1 can (15 oz.) pizza sauce

4 green onions, finely chopped

1 can (2-1/4 oz.) sliced black olives, drained (opt. - I left it out)

1/2 tsp. dried oregano leaves

1-1/4 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

1 pkg. (3 oz.) cream cheese, softened

1 pkg. (8 oz.) refrigerated breadstick dough

1 Tbsp. butter, melted

2 tsp. minced parsley

In a heavy pot, over medium heat, combine pepperoni, (sliced olives), green onions, oregano and pizza sauce.

Cook until heated through, about 5-7 minutes.

Add cream cheese and mozzarella cheese.

Stir until melted and mixture is well combined.

Turn heat to low while preparing the breadsticks.

Stir occasionally.

Remove breadsticks from tube and cook according to package directions.

When breadsticks are finished baking, brush with melted butter and sprinkle with parsley.

Serve warm.

Rogers Family Recipes

So, in my recent spotty blogging hiatus (that was the entire month of January), I've been a little busy.  

Been trying to organize my life... which included trying to organize my recipes.  

I don't cook for my family as much as I should, and it's directly related to how disorganized I am with all the recipes I've collected through the years.  Scary confession - I have nearly 4,000 recipes saved in one e-mail account... and those are just the recipes I've found online or have been e-mailed in the last 5 years or so.  There are several dozen cookbooks and file folders full of loose recipes scattered both upstairs and down. 

Chaos.

The one thing I have done right is to compile a binder of family favorites in the last 2 years.  Anytime a new recipe is tried and liked, it goes into a page protector and slipped into the binder.

But, my family is too young to have our repertoire set in stone.  So, my recipe hunt continues.  Since I share and receive most of my recipes from my side of the family, I decided to leap forward to 2006 in our process... hence, a new blog.  One day, I hope to take all of these family recipes and publish them into a book for the family and future posterity to enjoy.

Introducing,  

Rogers Family Recipes! 

Contributors include my mom (through me, she's still learning the internet), my sister, and my sister-in-law. 

Rogers Family Recipes is a collection of our go-to family favorites... a resource to refer back to, and a place to share our tried and trues.

 

Let me know if you see something you like... comments are always appreciated!

Pizza for breakfast?!?

This recipe is our new Christmas Morning tradition... with most of the prep on Christmas Eve, the morning of Christmas is a breeze!

I chose this recipe, because I have a husband who LOVES pizza, but thinks he hates eggs.  So that means most breakfast casseroles are off limits.  I'm happy to report that this wasn't too egg-y for him... it was a hit!

Breakfast Pizza

(As seen on O'Keefe Family Fun.)

1 (8 oz) can refrigerated crescent rolls
1 (28 oz) package frozen hash browns
1 lb ground pork sausage
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
4 large eggs
1 tsp salt
½ cup milk
½ tsp ground pepper

THE DAY BEFORE:
Unroll crescent rolls and press on bottom and partially up sides of a 13 x 9 in baking dish, press perforations to seal.
Bake at 375 degrees for 5 minutes.
Cook sausage until no longer pink, drain well, sprinkle evenly over crust.
Prepare hash browns according to package (I made them extra-crispy... ½ bag in ½ cup of oil for 9 minutes, stir, cook for another 9 minutes, done. Repeat for other ½ bag.) and spoon evenly over sausage.
Sprinkle cheese over hash browns.
Cover and chill for 24 hours.

THE DAY OF:
Next morning, whisk together eggs and next three ingredients.
Pour evenly over cheese.
Bake uncovered at 350 for 30-35 minutes.

Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas

If I made this once a week for Brian, he'd be in heaven... and it's a dish that he actually eats the leftovers of - every.last.bite!  Don't be fooled... this isn't very authentic, but it's oh so delicious!  Don't remember where I actually found this recipe, but I've tweaked it a bit to how we like it.

Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt & pepper, to taste
3/4 onion, roughly chopped
1/4 onion, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. butter
1 small can diced green chiles - mild
4-5 oz. cream cheese
8 oz. grated cheddar cheese or mexi-cheese (I usually use a bit of both)
1 can cream of chicken soup
12-14 oz. sour cream
8 oz. chicken broth
10-12 flour tortillas

Boil chicken with onion, salt & pepper about 15 minutes, or until just cooked through.
Let chicken cool.
Cut it into bite-sized pieces or shred it, and set aside.

In small sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat.
Add chiles and chopped onion and cook until onions are just transparent.
Remove from heat and add 6 oz. of the shredded cheese, 1/2 the cream of chicken soup, 1/2 the sour cream, all of the cream cheese, and the chicken.  Mix thoroughly together.
Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray.
Spoon 1/2 c. of this mixture into each tortilla, roll it up, and place it in the baking dish - wedge it in to fit 10-12 stuffed tortillas.

In a separate bowl, mix the remaining sour cream, soup, and chicken broth.
Pour this sauce over the tortillas.
Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the dish.
Bake 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees.

Perfect for breakfast!

We made this delicious cake this weekend...  seriously, so good!
Try it for yourself - it's super-easy, and tastes like fall...

Pumpkin Spice Bundt Cake

CAKE

 

1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix

1 (3.4 ounce) package instant butterscotch pudding mix

4 eggs

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 cup canned pumpkin

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1. In a large bowl mix together all ingredients.
2. With a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat on low for 30 seconds.
3. Increase speed to high & beat for 4 minutes.
4. Pour into a greased & floured bundt pan & bake at 350°F for 40-55 minutes, or until toothpick comes out with just a few crumbs.
5. Let sit 5 minutes & then turn out onto a cooling rack.
6. Glaze with cream cheese glaze (see below) & sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

CREAM CHEESE GLAZE

4 tablespoons butter, room temperature

4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

1 cup powdered sugar, sifted

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2-4 tablespoons milk

1. Beat together all ingredients until smooth.
2. Spoon or carefully pour over cooled bundt cake.

(As seen on The Recipe Club.)

C is for cookie

These lovelies caught my eye Monday...

The cookies themselves look delicious, not to mention the idea for gift packaging!

Bakerella even provides a PDF download of the label and instructions - all you've got to do is piece it together.

If you get ambitious and decide to gift one to me, I'll pretend that it's the absolute cutest thing I've never seen before... promise!

"Beans, beans, the magical fruit"

I have a can of black beans and a brownie mix in the pantry... and conveniently, no fresh eggs.

Since we're grounded to the house, once again (nothing serious, more details to be posted later), it's really tempting to turn the oven on and bake something yummy.

My old roomie, Kristen, says that with just those 2 ingredients, you can make delicious, low-fat, moist and fudgy brownies.

From her blog:

Black Bean Brownies

1 box of brownie mix (family size 13x9)
1 can of black beans

Rinse and drain beans. Place beans back in can and fill with water. Place water/beans in blender until smooth. Add to brownie mix. (You will NOT add the other ingredients - eggs, oil, etc.). Mix together and pour into baking dish. Bake the brownies according to the regular baking directions on back of the box.

They sure do look delicious...

But, I don't know...

With 2 boys in the house, there's enough free-range tooting going on... would these just make it worse??

Frosty made yummy

Here's another one for your files...

I LOVE the White Fudge Covered Oreos that come out this time of year. I have to hold myself back from buying it by the case whenever I'm at the grocery store.

Check out this cute idea at According to Kelly... so very, very clever!

OK, I think I can justify the case now... neighbor gifts, right?? ;)

Suh-weet Potatoes

Here are my mom's famous and super-easy Sweet Potatoes.
Growing up, I don't think I ever realized you could make them any other way.

Mom's Sweet Potatoes

• Figure about 1 sweet potato per person.
• Peel and slice them about ½ - ¾ in. thick.
• Boil them in water until just fork tender. (Don’t over cook them or they'll become mushy.)
• Drain them, and then put them in a baking dish.
• Put pats of butter/margarine all over them, and sprinkle brown sugar over the top. (You’re trying to make a syrup.)
• At this point you can put them in the refrigerator, if you're going to cook them later.
• When ready to cook, just warm them in the oven.
• Just before serving sprinkle marshmallows over the top, and toast them (watch carefully) at about 400 degrees or more.

Gobble, gobble...

I know... there's been a lot of recipes on Sprik Space lately. But, since the morning sickness has finally waned a bit, my appetite has returned - and it's scary!

I will totally be making these cuties in a few years at Thanksgiving time.
Directions here.

Here's another cute tutorial for Oreo Turkeys.

"C is for cookie, it's good enough for me."

I've had really bad luck baking homemade cookies over the last year. They always taste great right out of the oven, but by the next morning, they're either way too soft, or rock hard. (Unless I made these.)

Finally, I've found a cookie recipe that maintains its delicious texture day after day... it does not disappoint!

Try these for yourself...

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 c. butter or margarine
1 c. brown sugar, packed
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1.5 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
0.5 tsp. salt
3 c. oatmeal
1 bag chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, beat butter/margarine until light.
3. Add sugars; beat until fluffy.
4. Add eggs and vanilla, beat well.
5. Add flour, baking soda, and salt; mix well.
6. Stir in oatmeal and chocolate chips until thoroughly combined.
7. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto a cookie sheet.
8. Bake 10-12 minutes or until cookies are just set. Do not overbake. (I used a silpat, and baked mine to perfection with 10.5 minutes in a 360 degree oven.)
9. Makes about 5 dozen.

Punkin, punkin, punkin...

This Sunday, we held an early Thanksgiving dinner with Brian's parents and brother. And now I have a house full of yummy leftovers that we'll be eating for the next week. (That's right, B - I'm not cooking.)

For breakfast this morning, I polished off the remains of a delicious loaf of Pumpkin-Chocolate Chip Bread (I'm pregnant, so it's allowed, right?)... and was sad until I remembered that I had 4 more loaves ready to go in my freezer. YUM.

Try this one at your house...

Pumpkin-Chocolate Chip Bread

2 eggs
1 c. pumpkin
1.5 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
0.5 c. oil
1.75 c. flour
0.25 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
0.5 tsp. each of salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, & ground cloves
1 c. milk chocolate chips (or, you can use 0.5 c. raisins + 0.5 c. chopped walnuts instead)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease and flour 3 small, or 1 large, loaf pan(s).
3. In a large bowl, beat eggs.
4. Mix in pumpkin, sugar, and vanilla.
5. Add oil and stir together.
6. Mix in flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices.
7. Finally, add in chocolate chips.
8. Pour into prepared loaf pan(s), and bake for 1 hour, until done. (I bake about 50 min. and test with a toothpick.)

Turtle-riffic!

Now is the time for all things pumpkin... yippee yay!
This was our Sunday dessert... so delish! Adding nuts and caramel topping ensured that Brian would like it, too.
I promise that if you make this, you won't be disappointed.

Turtle Pumpkin Pie

1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. caramel ice cream topping, divided

1 graham cracker (or chocolate) pie crust

1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp. pecan pieces, divided

1 cup cold milk

2 pkg. (3.4 oz. each) vanilla flavor instant pudding

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

1 tub (8 oz.) whipped topping, thawed, divided

1. Pour 1/4 cup caramel topping into crust; sprinkle with 1/2 cup pecans.
2. Beat milk, pudding mixes, pumpkin and spices with whisk until blended. Stir in 1-1/2 cups whipped topping. Spread into crust.
   
3. Refrigerate at least 1 hour. Top with remaining whipped topping, caramel topping and pecans just before serving.
4. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.

Sweet, sweet goodness!

I haven't been hit by too many cravings yet in my pregnancy... but there have been a few - chips & queso, Taco Bell, frosted circus animal cookies, french fries - I'm the poster-child for healthiness.

This morning, I have an overwhelming urge for Sweet Cereal Mix. It's all I can think about... and I'm frustrated that there's nothing I'm going to do about it, because we'll be out of town this weekend (and I really need to fit into that airline seat!).

It's one of those goodies that I only make this time of year (well, usually only at Christmastime, but I think I'm going to have to stretch it a little this year into November and January, too). My mom first started making it a few years ago, and it's quickly become a family favorite.

If you make this, I promise you will love it... and you'll have a hard time staying out of it - it's just that good!

Sweet Cereal Mix

INGREDIENTS

Candy thermometer
4 c. Special K
5 c. Corn Chex
4 c. Cheerios
4 c. Rice Krispies
2 c. sugar
1 c. butter
3/4 c. light Karo Syrup
Dash of salt
1 c. heavy whipping cream

DIRECTIONS

1. Measure out cereals, and combine in one large bowl. (Separate into 2 bowls, if you don't have one that can accommodate the cereals.)
2. In a medium saucepan, melt sugar, butter, Karo Syrup, and salt together.
3. Bring melted mixture to a boil, and add whipping cream. (Add slowly while boiling - don't let it stop boiling.)
4. Cook to soft ball stage - 230 degrees.
5. Pour mixture over your cereals, and stir together to combine.
6. Spread on a cookie sheet to cool.
7. Store in an airtight container.

TIPS

• Buy enough ingredients to make at least two batches... maybe not all at once, but enough to do it again, because you will want to!
• Generic cereals work fine for this recipe, when you can't find the name brands on sale.
• After you've established that you and your family love this, make sure you can find a good hiding place for your second batch - this stuff is addictive! (But, it IS good for you, because your cereals are all fortified with vitamins and minerals... just pretend there's no butter, sugar, or cream in it. ;)

Lazy Lasagna

This was Sunday Dinner at the Spriks' this past week... and Monday Dinner, too. And if I could always get my way, it would be Tuesday Dinner as well. (It really is that yummy, I promise!) Yeah, sometimes I push my luck too far on a boy that doesn't do leftovers.

Lazy Lasagna
(adapted from Kraft Foods)

1 jar (26-32 oz.) spaghetti sauce

1 lb. ground beef or italian sausage, browned

1 container (15-24 oz.) ricotta or cottage cheese

2 eggs, lightly beaten

2 cups mozzarella cheese, divided

2 cups rotini pasta, cooked

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Mix spaghetti sauce and meat; set aside.
3. Mix ricotta/cottage cheese, eggs, and 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese in separate bowl.
4. Spray 9x13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
5. Spread half of the sauce mixture into prepared pan; cover with layers of pasta and half of the cheese mixture.
6. Top with layers of remaining sauce and cheese mixtures; sprinkle with remaining 1 cup mozzarella cheese.
7. Cover with foil.
8. Bake 25 minutes. Remove foil; continue baking 15 minutes.
9. Remove from oven; let stand 5-10 minutes. before cutting to serve.

Chicken Packets

Sometimes trying new recipes at our house is a little hairy. (Brian's not "picky", he's "particular". ;) This is a delicious dish we've had four times now, and I think I'm finally convinced he really likes it... so it's staying in the repertoire.

Chicken Packets

2 breasts of chicken - diced and cooked
8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature (I usually buy the 1/3 less fat kind.)
2 tubes crescent roll dough (I usually buy the reduced fat version.)
Spices to season the cream cheese mixture (I typically use basil, chives, minced onion, and a little garlic.)
Seasoned dry bread crumbs
4 tsp. melted butter
1 can cream of chicken soup (optional)
Milk (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Unroll one tube of crescent rolls. Each tube will contain 4 rectangles of dough with a diagonal perforation. Press along diagonal perforation to seal together and arrange on baking sheet.
3. Mix chicken, cream cheese and spices together in a bowl.
4. Spoon 1/4 of the mixture onto each crescent roll rectangle, leaving some room on the edges so you can seal the packets.
5. Open the second tube of crescent rolls, and lay those 4 rectangles over the chicken mixture. Press along the edges to seal the packets.
6. Brush melted butter over the top of each packet, and sprinkle bread crumbs on the top.
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown.
8. Serve with a gravy made from thinned out cream of chicken soup (with milk), if you want.
   

This recipe makes 4 large packets - with a side and veggie, 1 packet per person is plenty for dinner. If your family won't consume all 4 in one sitting, freeze the extras before baking (then thaw and bake as normal).

"I found my thrill... on Blueberry Hill"

Blueberries are still on sale where we live, and in plentiful supply. Blueberry Boy Brian and I made these goodies over the weekend, and I have to say they are certainly tasty enough to share the recipe with all of you!

Blueberry Crumb Bars
Adapted from AllRecipes.com

Yield: depends on how small you cut them...

1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup cold butter (2 sticks)
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon salt
Juice of one lemon (3 Tablespoons)
4 cups fresh blueberries (2 pints)
1/2 cup white sugar
4 teaspoons cornstarch

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 9×13 inch pan.

2. In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup sugar, 3 cups flour, and baking powder. Mix in salt. Use a fork or pastry cutter to blend in the shortening and egg. Dough will be crumbly. Pat half of dough into the prepared pan.

3. In another bowl, stir together the sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice. Gently mix in the blueberries. Sprinkle the blueberry mixture evenly over the crust. Crumble remaining dough over the berry layer.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until top is slightly brown. Cool completely (and chill if possible) before cutting into squares. (Store in the refrigerator.)