Menu Plan Monday

I haven't linked up with Menu Plan Monday in many months, but with the kids back in school, I'm getting back into all kinds of routines, including menu planning.  Here's what we're eating this week:

Sunday--Corn dogs, mixed garden veggies, applesauce
Monday--BLT's
Tuesday--Cubed steak, mashed potatoes, veggie
Wednesday--Spaghetti and garlic bread
Thursday--Grilled cheese and tomato soup
Friday--Homemade pizza
Saturday--Homemade vegetable soup

I also put up two new recipes for Stovetop Granola and Cinnamon Raisin Bread.

Stovetop Granola

Cinnamon Raisin Bread

Find many more weekly menu plans at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Cinnamon Raisin Bread

This is another recipe from allrecipes.com.

• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup warm water (105 degrees to 115 degrees)
• 2 cups warm milk (110 to 115 degrees F)
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 5 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups raisins
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon water
• GLAZE:
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 tablespoon milk

 In a mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add milk, 1/3 cup sugar, oil, salt and 2 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Add raisins and enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1-1/4 hours. Punch dough down. On a lightly floured surface, divide in half. Roll each into a 15-in. x 7-in. rectangle. Combine cinnamon and remaining sugar; sprinkle over dough. Sprinkle with water. Starting with a short side, roll up tightly, jelly-roll style. Pinch seams and ends to seal. Place, seam side down, in two greased 9-in. x 5-in. x 3-in. loaf pans. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely. Combine glaze ingredients; drizzle over loaves. 

I've made this with and without the glaze--it's great either way!  Like all homemade bread, it dries out quickly, but makes wonderful toast with honey; it also works for french toast. 

It's obviously been awhile since I updated this blog, because now I realize I already posted this recipes.  Oops! 

Stovetop Granola

I adapted this recipe from allrecipes.com, taking some of the suggestions in the comments to cut down on the butter and brown sugar used.

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1/3 cup butter (I used 2 T. butter)
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar (I used 2 T. butter)
• 1/2 cup chopped almonds (I had sliced almonds that I used)
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries (I didn't have cranberries on hand this time)

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oats then cook and stir until starting to brown and crisp, about 5 minutes. (I also added about 1/3 cup of coconut with the oats.) Remove from heat and spread out on a cookie sheet to cool.
2. Melt the butter in the same pan over medium heat. Stir in the honey and brown sugar; cook, stirring constantly, until bubbly. Return the oats to the pan. Cook and stir for another 5 minutes or so. Pour out onto the cookie sheet and spread to cool.
3. Once cool, transfer to an airtight container and stir in the almonds and dried cranberries. Any additional nuts and fruit can be stirred in at this time also. 

After I cooked it on the stove top and poured it on the cookie sheet, I baked it in a 275 degree oven for 10 minutes, then left it in the oven an additional 10 minutes with the oven door open.  It ended up nice and crispy instead of being chewy.

Menu Plan Monday 71

There's not a whole lot going on this week. I'm trying to use up some things from the freezer the next few days. Here's what we're eating:
Sunday--Cheese Ravioli
Monday--Chicken Taco Bake (mixture from the freezer)
Tuesday--Parmesan Drumsticks, Baked Sweet Potatoes, Veggie
Wednesday--Tater Tot Hot Dish
Thursday--Baked Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, Squash
Friday--Pizza
Saturday--Eating Out

Menu Plan Monday 70

Time to move on from the Thanksgiving leftovers! Besides eating all the leftovers on Friday, I made Turkey/Rice Soup on Saturday and BBQ turkey on a bun on Sunday (with the BBQ sauce from this meatball recipe). Here's what we're eating the rest of the week:
Sunday--BBQ turkey on a bun, coleslaw, chips
Monday--Chili Mac
Tuesday--Chicken breasts, rice, veggie
Wednesday--Potato Soup
Thursday--Not sure yet, I need to go grocery shopping and haven't made my list yet!
Friday--Pizza
Saturday--TBD

Adventures in Breadmaking: Whole Wheat Bread

I think I'm starting to get the hang of this bread making! This whole wheat bread recipe was on the side of some North Dakota Mill whole wheat flour.

4 cups Dakota Maid whole wheat flour
2 1/2 cups Dakota Maid bread flour
2 pkg. dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water (110-115 degrees F)
2 1/4 cups warm water
2/3 cups dry milk ( I used warm milk in place of the 2 1/4 cups warm water. Well, I meant to, but I forgot until I had started pouring the water in, so I ended up with about 2/3 cup milk and the rest water.)
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup shortening, melted (I used butter)
1 T. salt

Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup water. Add remaining water, dry milk, honey, shortening and salt. Beat in 1 cup whole wheat flour. Add remaining wheat flour.

Turn out on counter and knead, adding enough bread flour to make a soft dough. Place in lightly greased bowl and let rise in warm place until doubled in bulk (about 45 minutes).

After first rise

Punch down dough, divide and form into two balls. Cover and let rest about 5 minutes.

Separated into two balls of dough

Roll each ball on lightly flour-dusted surface into a 10" by 6" rectangle. Roll up jellyroll fashion and pinch ends together. Place in two lightly greased 8 1/2" by 4 1/2" or 9" by 5" loaf pans, with seam sides down. Cover and let rise until doubled in bulk.

Bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes or until bread sounds hollow when tapped. Remove from pans immediately . Cool on wire rack.

I was happy with how this bread turned out. I need to keep remembering that because homemade bread does not have the preservatives that commercially available bread does, it does not last as long. When I took the half loaf of bread that was left out later in the week, it was starting to get moldy already. Sigh. So, when I make two loaves of bread, I'll put one in the freezer until I'm ready to use it.

The finished product

From the Grocery List to the Dinner Table: Thanksgiving Edition

Last week the Super One ad was filled with bargains for Thanksgiving Dinner.

What I bought for Thanksgiving--

Ocean Spray cranberry sauce $1.15-$1/2=$0.65, Turkey $0.43, almost 14 pounder was $5.96, Potatoes $2.98 for 10 pounds

I have to decide on a veggie, I have Pillsbury pie crust and filling for pies, I just need to get sausage for the stuffing, which is on sale this week

Breakfast items--

Johnsonville sausage $2.99, coffee beans, bagels, orange juice

Lunch--

Canned tuna, chips, bread, whole wheat tortillas

Meals--

Ham and bean soup, bought 2 cans of white beans at $0.88 each, used ham leftover from Saturday's ham dinner, broth from the freezer, and carrots/onion/celery I already had

Cheddarwurst were $2.49 each (although they charged me $3.43, so I'll get back money for these next time I shop), bought buns to go with at $1.55, leftover au gratin potatoes from our ham dinner on Saturday, frozen veggies

Baked potato bar using the surplus of potatoes I have, steamed broccoli, bacon, shredded cheese and sour cream

Also eating this week:

Roast from the freezer with fried potatoes (using leftover baked potatoes from potato bar night) and green beans, homemade pizza, and homemade vegetable beef soup with leftover roast beef from Thursday's supper.

Snacks--

Hunt's Snack Pack pudding $0.97-$0.50/2=$0.72 each

Produce--

Onions $0.99 for 2 lb., organic sweet potatoes $2.99 for 3 lb.

Bananas, oranges, grapes

Dairy--

Pillsbury crescent/sweet rolls 3/$5-$1/2 and $0.30 coupons=$1.23 each

Eggs, creamer, Tru Moo chocolate milk, 2% and skim milk

Pantry/freezer items--

My canned good storage is so full, I've had to put some cans in the kids' play kitchen! Okay, the kids put them there, but I am pretty stocked up.

Marshmallows $0.97, Green Giant canned veggies $0.55, Barilla whole grain pasta $1.25-$0.55 coupon=$0.70, Nestle hot cocoa mix $0.97, Fleischmann's yeast $1.25-$0.40 coupon=$0.85, Campbell's cream soup $0.59-$0.25/4 coupon=$0.53 each, Carnation evaporated milk $0.97-$0.50/2=$0.72, Dole pineapple $1.25-$0.50/2=$1.00 each, Flavorite pumpkin $0.97, Eagle sweetened condensed milk $1.99-$0.55=$1.44, Del Monte canned fruit $0.97, Swanson beef broth $0.59-$0.50/5=$0.49 each, Jello $0.77/Jello pudding $0.88-$0.55/3 coupon=$0.66 each, Comstock cherry pie filling $2.49-$0.50=$1.99, Heinz ketchup $1.66-$1.00 coupon=$0.66, Langer's cranberry juice $1.99, Birdseye Steamfresh $0.97, Green Giant Steamers $1.50-$0.50/2=$1.25 each, Edy's ice cream $2.49

Italian seasoning, salsa, pancake mix, flour, syrup, hamburger, more frozen veggies

Non-food--

Napkins, straws, Kotex Lightdays (got $2 catalina back for buying two), shampoo and conditioner

Kraft Foods deal: $10 off turkey when you buy 12 products. I was buying the turkey anyway at $0.43/lb., so I considered the $10 off to to be off the Kraft products.

Kraft ranch dressing $2.50-$0.83 promotion=$1.67

Planters peanuts $2.99-$0.83=$2.16

Nabisco crackers (two) $2.00-$0.84=$1.16 each

Stove Top stuffing (two) $1.25-$0.83=$0.42 each

Oscar Mayer bacon 2/$6-$0.83 each=$2.17 each (although they charged me $4.99 each! I'll be getting my money back next time I go shopping--$5.86 total with the overchard from the Hillshire Farms Cheddarwurst.)

Kraft shredded cheese (two) $2.67-$0.83 each=$1.84 each

Philadelphia cream cheese $1.66-$0.84=$0.82

Cool Whip $0.97-$0.83=$0.14

Saved $109.73 or 37%