Menu August 25- August 31

This week's Produce Box contained 2 small Butternut Squashes, a personal Watermelon, 5 Peaches, 2 large Tomatoes, 1 Sprite Melon, a bottle of local Muscadine Grape Cider and 2.5 lbs. of Sweet Potatoes. My husband is eager to try the cider. If it's too sweet for our liking rather than use it as a drink, I'll use it in my cooking maybe to saute with or as a marinade.

Last week's menu was shaken up a bit. We treated our daughters to dinner out Saturday after a great day of soccer games. The butternut was used as the filling in homemade ravioli and the remaining puree was used in muffins.

The ravioli tasted like stuffed pumpkin pie pastas! The muffins didn't turn out quite like I had expected. They were very dense and not as sweet as I had hoped. I'm not sure if I would make them again.
As much as we love the marinated shrimp, again that meal had been scratched from our menu. There is always hope for this week! I kept the Mexican theme but in place of the Squash and Zucchini Burritos I made my delicious Chicken Enchiladas.

Chicken Enchiladas
1 lb chicken
4oz can of chopped green chile peppers
1 small onion
1 can of cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup Sour Cream
1 tsp chili powder
Small Can of Enchilada Sauce
1 package of large sized soft flour tortillas
1 package Mexican cheese (or cheddar)

1. Heat large skillet on med/high heat. Add 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil to coat pan
3. Cook chicken through about 8-10 minutes.
4. While chicken is cooking chop onion
5. Remove chicken to cutting board, add chopped onion to skillet and chili powder
6. While onion is cooking, dice up chicken
7. In a small bowl combine the can of cream of chicken soup, 1/2 cup of sour cream & 2 tablespoons of enchilada sauce. Mix and set aside.
8. Once onion is tender add chicken, green chilies, about 1/4 cup of sour cream mixture & enchilada sauce (add enough to add moisture to skillet about 1-3 tablespoons) Stir and Heat through.
9. In a 9 x 13 baking dish lightly cover bottom of pan with the sour cream mixture.
10. Add chicken mixture to tortillas and roll up, place seam side down in baking dish. (tortillas can be touching each other in dish)
11. Cover tortillas with remaining sour cream mixture and sprinkle with cheese
12. Bake in a 350 degree oven covered for 20-25 minutes then uncover and bake additional 5-10 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and lightly browned.

**Meal can be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated. When ready to bake add 15 minutes to bake time or until heated through.

In addition to the peaches from our Box, my husband brought home fresh peaches he got from a co-workers farm. With all these fresh peaches, I plan on making one entree and a dessert, Peach Pound Cake.

Wednesday- Simplicity tonight. It's Mac N Cheese with fresh fruit for the girls and a grilled cheese sandwich or leftovers for me tonight.

Thursday- Since it's soccer practice tonight, set right in the middle of mealtime, I think I'll make something quick and easy. Cheeseburgers with Tortellini Salad and watermelon from our Box is on the menu.

Tortellini Salad
Cheese Tortellini
Diced mozzarella Cheese
Diced Salami
Tomato
Diced Pepper
Italian Seasoning
Salt and Pepper to taste
Italian Dressing

Cook tortellini per bag directions. Drain and rinse under cold water. Add noodles to large bowl. Add cheese, salami, tomatoes and seasonings. Pour dressing over mixture. Mix well. Refrigerate until cold. Before serving, stir salad and add more dressing if needed.

Friday- I will make one of my favorite dishes, Sweet Potato Casserole, served with pork chops and Southern Green Beans.

Sweet Potato Casserole
1 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup margarine, melted
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
4 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and halved
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg white
1 (5 oz) can evaporated milk

1. Preheat oven 350 degrees
2. Combine first 5 ingredients in small bowl, stirring to form streusel. Set aside
3. Place potatoes in pot covered with water. Bring to boil, cover and simmer 30 min or until tender. Drain. Mash in large bowl.
4. Stir in 1 cup of streusel topping, sugar, vanilla, egg white and milk.
5. Spoon into 2-qt. casserole coated with cooking spray. Top with remaining streusel.
6. Bake for 45 min.
   

Southern Green Beans
4 slices bacon
1 large onion sliced
4 cans green beans
salt and black pepper

Fry bacon, remove bacon before it becomes crispy.
In bacon fat fry onion until tender.
Pour 4 cans of green beans into pot. If more water is needed add until green beans are covered.
Season with salt and pepper.
Add bacon.
Bring to boil then let Simmer for about 30-45 minutes. (add water as necessary)

Saturday- I have intentions to make from last week's menu, the Grilled Shrimp Skewers. The recipe actually calls for apple but we have always omitted it. The spicy yet sweet flavors of the marinade are to die for! This has quickly become one our favorite ways to prepare grilled shrimp. I will serve it with perhaps some cheese and broccoli couscous and corn on the cob bought at DJ's Berry Patch, if there is any left. Between Soccer games and Birthday parties I might find myself too tired to cook. So this is my "removal" meal. Since I have all the ingredients on hand and the shrimp is frozen I can always hold this meal for another night. I can also use the corn with tomorrow's meal if necessary.

Sunday- Peach and Honey Chicken served over rice. I found this recipe online but wanted to change it up some. I hope my changes result in a tasty and savory dish.

Peach and Honey Chicken
Generous turn of Olive Oil
1 clove minced garlic
4-6 chicken breasts
1/2 onion, sliced
5 teaspoons honey
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup water
1 lemon, thinly sliced
1-3 teaspoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons water
2 peaches, peeled and sliced

Directions

1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Stir in the garlic, and cook for a minute or two until the garlic softens and mellows.
2. Stir in the sliced onion. Cook and stir until the onion begins to soften, about 5 minutes, then stir in the honey, soy sauce, ginger, and 1 cup of water.
   
3. Add the chicken to the skillet, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, spread the lemon slices overtop, cover with a lid, and simmer until the chicken is tender and no longer pink, about 10-15 minutes.
   
4. Once the chicken has cooked, remove to a serving platter and keep warm. Dissolve the cornstarch in 2 teaspoons of water, and stir into the simmering sauce. Add the peaches, and chicken and cook until the sauce thickens and returns to a simmer. Pour sauce over chicken to serve.

Monday-With these cooler nights, I was inspired to make some soup (I'm longing for those cooler days of Fall.) I plan on making Butternut Chicken Vegetable Soup. I will be making some modifications to this recipe which will include substituting the kale with spinach, adding 2 cans of beans, using less broth and chicken broth and adding cut up chicken. Some crusty bread will go nicely with tonight's meal.

Tuesday- If the leftovers have not been devoured for lunches, then it's leftover night to make room for Wednesday's Box. But if the fridge is sparse, I am thinking a nice grilled steak with mashed potatoes and peas.