Weekly Dinner Menu Plan #25

• Sprinkle the chicken pieces on both sides with half of the salt and half of the pepper. Heat olive oil to medium in a 10 inch skillet. Brown the chicken for about 4 minutes per side. Set aside.
• In the same skillet, brown the sliced mushrooms. Set aside.
• Reduce heat to low. Melt the butter and stir in the pressed garlic. Whisk in the flour and cook for 2 minutes until bubbly, stirring constantly. Whisk in the cream and broth until smooth. Stir in the remaining salt, pepper, and parmesan cheese.
• Cook on low, stirring until the cheese is melted. Add spinach, peppers, chicken and mushrooms. Stir and heat through. Serve over pasta if desired.

Stovetop Instructions

• Wash and prepare all vegetables according to recipe list.
• In a large soup pot, heat olive oil to medium high. Stir in the garlic, onion, celery and carrots. Cook and stir until the garlic is golden and the onions are transclucent, about 10 minutes.
• Add the remaining vegetables. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook and stir for 10-15 minutes. The vegetables will be crisp tender.
• Next stir in the undrained tomatoes, broth, bay leaves, and Italian seasoning. Combine and bring to a low boil, stirring frequently.
• Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 1 – 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until the carrots are tender. Season with more salt, pepper, and hot sauce to taste.

Crockpot / Slowcooker Instructions

• Wash and prepare vegetables according to recipe list.
• In a 6 quart crockpot or slowcooker, stir together all ingredients.
• Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours.

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter an 8x11 baking dish. Set aside.

  If using fresh chicken, cut the chicken breasts into half-inch size pieces. Season them lightly with salt and pepper. NOTE: You can use any type of pre-cooked chicken if you want to skip this step.
• Heat butter in a skillet to medium high. Working in batches, cook the chicken pieces for 3 - 5 minutes, stirring to cook evenly. Transfer to a dish and keep warm while you cook all the chicken.
• While the chicken is cooking, boil the pasta to package directions for al dente. Drain and set aside (do not rinse).
• Next, in a saucepan, melt the remaining butter on low. Whisk in the flour and cook and stir until smooth and bubbly, about 2 minutes.
• Gradually whisk in the milk and stir until smooth. Add the packet of ranch seasoning and whisk until well blended.

  Increase heat to medium high and bring the ranch sauce mixture to a low boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat and stir until the sauce has thickened, about 5 minutes.
• In the baking dish, build layers of pasta, chicken, bacon, sauce. Top each layer with a portion of the shredded cheese. Repeat layers and finish with cheese.
• Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Serve hot with the chopped green onions
  

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread ½ cup of pasta sauce on bottom of an 8x13 baking dish, and set aside.
• Cook manicotti according to package directions and drain.
• While pasta is cooking, combine ricotta, egg, spinach, parmesan, seasonings, and cooked ground beef. Stir to combine well.
• Spoon ricotta and beef mixture into plastic zip bag. Twist to tighten the bag and snip the corner off. Try to make the bag opening slightly smaller than the manicotti opening.
• Working slowly, squeeze the bag and stuff the manicotti shells one end at a time. Place stuffed shells in the baking pan. Top with the remaining 2 ½ cups of pasta sauce. Cover with shredded mozzarella.
• Bake for 30 minutes, remove and serve hot.

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a rimmed baking pan with foil. 
• Cut chicken breasts in half lengthwise to make 6 cutlets. Brush both sides generously with barbecue sauce, using about 2 tablespoons per cutlet.
• Arrange the pineapple pieces or slices on top of the chicken. 
• In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar and soy sauce to make a paste. Spoon the mixture evenly over the pineapple. 
• Bake uncovered for 20 minutes. During the last few minutes of baking, baste the chicken by spooning the pan sauce over the pineapple chicken. 
• Remove from oven, cover loosely with foil, and rest for 5 minutes before serving.

• Cut the chicken breasts in half LENGTHWISE to create 6 cutlet sized pieces. Set aside.
• In a shallow dish, combine the olive oil, juice of half a lime, zest of one lime, garlic and honey. Add the chicken cutlets to the mixture, turning to coat both sides.
• Stir together the paprika, crushed peppers, cumin, onion powder, salt, pepper and cayenne in a small bowl. Pour over the coated chicken, and rub into both sides of the chicken until all pieces are well coated. Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of one hour up to four hours.
• During the last half hour of marinating, prepare the black bean salsa. In a medium sized bowl, stir together the black beans, tomatoes, jalapenos, 2 tablespoons of lime juice and the sugar. Stir well. Season with salt + pepper to taste. Let rest at room temperature until ready to serve, stirring often.
• Heat grill to approximately 400 degrees. Place the spiced chicken onto the grill. Cook for about 5 minutes on each side, rotating a quarter turn on each side. (Total cook time is about 10-12 minutes.)