Thursday: Pork & Chive Potstickers

Recipe courtesy of Every Day Food Magazine

Serves 4.

Ingredients

* 1/4 pound ground pork
* 1 tablespoon minced chives
* 1 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce
* 1 1/2 teaspoons dry sherry
* 1 teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger
* 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
* 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
* 20 wonton wrappers (from a 12-ounce package)
* 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Directions

1. In a bowl, combine pork, chives, soy sauce, sherry, ginger, sesame oil, cornstarch, and 1 tablespoon water.
2. Place a heaping teaspoon of pork mixture in center of a wonton wrapper. Lightly wet edge of wrapper, fold over, and press to seal. Repeat to form remaining dumplings (makes 20).
3. In two batches, cook dumplings in a large pot of boiling water until cooked through, 4 minutes; transfer to a plate with a slotted spoon. In a large nonstick pan, heat vegetable oil over medium-high. In two batches, cook until browned, about 1 1/2 minutes per side. Serve with dipping sauce.


Soy-Ginger Dipping Sauce
Ingredients

Makes about 1/2 cup

* 1/4 cup soy sauce
* 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
* 1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
* 2 teaspoons sugar
* 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil

Directions

1. In a bowl, stir together 1/4 cup soy sauce, 3 tablespoons rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger, 2 teaspoons sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil.

Monday: Tomato Soup with Cheese and Bacon Toasties

Recipe courtesy of Every Day Food Magazine

Serves 4.

Ingredients

* 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 large red onion, chopped
* 1 garlic clove, chopped
* coarse salt and ground pepper
* 3 large tomatoes (about 2 pounds total), cored and chopped
* 1 cup low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
* 1/4 cup heavy cream
* 6 slices bacon
* 2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
* 8 slices white sandwich bread
* 1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium. Add onion and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until onion softens, 4 to 6 minutes. Add tomatoes and increase heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring, until tomatoes begin to break down, 4 to 6 minutes.
2. Add broth and 1 cup water. Simmer until tomatoes are very soft, about 10 minutes. In batches, puree soup in a blender (use caution when blending hot liquids). Return soup to pot and simmer 1 minute; stir in cream and season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.
3. In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium until lightly browned but not crisp, about 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels; discard fat from skillet. Butter 8 slices bread. Place 4 slices, buttered side down, on a work surface. Top with bacon and cheese. Top with remaining bread, buttered side up. In batches, cook sandwiches in skillet over medium-low until cheese melts and bread is golden, about 5 minutes per side. Quarter sandwiches and serve with soup.

Weekly Menu - Oct. 25-31

Sunday
Chicken Tetrazzini
Monday
Tomato Soup With Cheese and Bacon Toasties
Tuesday
Sunday/Monday leftovers
Wednesday
Baked Chicken with Onions, Potatoes, Garlic, and Thyme
Thursday
Pork & Chive Potstickers and Mushroom Sauté on Crostini with Goat Cheese
Friday
Wednesday/Thursday leftovers
Saturday
Take-out

Thursday: Pizza Bianca & Hearts of Palm Salad with Olives and Ham

Pizza Bianca with Chicken, Caramelized Onions and Fontina Recipe

recipe courtesy of Relish Mag



Ingredients
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 large yellow onions, halved and very thinly sliced
1 tablespoon, plus 1 teaspoon, fresh thyme, divided
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Coarsely ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 (12-inch) thin pizza crust
1 cup shredded Fontina cheese (4 ounces)
1 1/2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
Chopped chives
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 450F.
2. Heat butter and oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions, 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions begin to wilt, about 10 minutes. Add sugar, lower heat, and continue cooking until onions are soft and brown, about 15 minutes.
3. Place pizza crust on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with Fontina and top with chicken and onion mixture. Bake 10 to 15 minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbling. Sprinkle remaining thyme and chives over pizza, and slice into wedges. Serves 4.

Recipe by Laraine Perri, "Quick Chick," Oct. 2009.

Hearts of Palm Salad with Olives and Ham

Recipe courtesy of Epicurious.com

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
6 tablespoons olive oil

2 14-ounce cans hearts of palm, drained, rinsed
6 ounces ham, cut into matchstick-size strips (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 cup assorted olives, pitted, sliced

Lettuce leaves

Combine first 4 ingredients in small bowl. Gradually whisk in oil. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper.

Cut hearts of palm on diagonal into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Place in large bowl. Add ham and olives. Toss with enough dressing to coat generously.

Arrange lettuce leaves on plates. Spoon salad atop lettuce and serve.

Wednesday: Shrimp and Grits & Broccoli

Shrimp and Grits

recipe courtesy of Relish Mag



Ingredients
Grits:
1½ cups water
1½ cups 2% reduced-fat milk
¾ cup stone-ground grits
¾ cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
3 tablespoons grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
Coarsely ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

Shrimp:
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
6 bacon slices, chopped
2 cups thickly sliced button mushrooms
½ cup beer
1 cup chopped green onions
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 to 2 dashes Tabasco sauce
Coarsely ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
1. To prepare grits, bring water and milk to a boil over high heat. Add grits; cook according to package directions. Remove from heat. Stir in remaining ingredients. If grits become to thick, add 1/4 to 1/3 cup milk. Keep warm in a double boiler.
2. To prepare shrimp, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add bacon; sauté until almost crisp. Remove from skillet, reserving pan drippings. Add shrimp and mushrooms to pan drippings; sauté until shrimp is light pink, about 4 minutes.
3. Add beer, green onions and garlic. Cook 2 minutes. Add lemon juice, Tabasco, pepper and parsley.
4. Divide grits among 4 plates. Spoon shrimp mixture on top; sprinkle with crumbled bacon. Serves 4.

"Wild About Shrimp," Oct. 2009.

Monday: Creamy Braising Greens Soup & Savory Smoked Gouda and Sun-dried Tomato Muffins

Creamy Braising Greens Soup

courtesy of Relish Mag



Ingredients
1 slice thick-cut bacon, diced
1 large onion, peeled and diced
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 pound sausage, dried chorizo or
smoked sausage, diced
6 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
7 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 1/2 cups mixed braising greens, such as kale, Swiss chard, mustard greens and dandelion greens, thoroughly washed, stems removed, and cut into very
fine strips
1/2 cup heavy cream
1⁄4 teaspoon hot sauce (optional)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Coarsely ground black pepper
Instructions
1. Sauté bacon in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside, reserving drippings in pan.
2. Add onion and carrot to pan; cook over medium heat until soft and translucent, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and sausage; cook, stirring frequently, until sausage is lightly browned, about 5 to 8 minutes.
3. Add potatoes and broth; stir to combine. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are fork tender, about 15 minutes.
4. Add greens and cream and continue to simmer until soup is thoroughly heated, about 5 minutes. Add hot sauce, if using. Add salt and pepper.
5. Ladle into soup bowls and garnish with reserved bacon. Serves 10.
Recipe by Tracey Medeiros, "Vermont Fresh," Oct. 2009.

Savory Smoked Gouda and Sun-dried Tomato Muffins Recipe

courtesy of Relish Mag



Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
1 cup 2% reduced-fat milk
2 eggs
4 tablespoons butter, melted
3 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes, minced
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 cup shredded maple-smoked Gouda (about 4 ounces)

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 375F. Grease a 12-cup muffin pan or line it with paper muffin cups.
2. Mix flour, baking powder, dry mustard, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Whisk together milk, eggs, butter, tomatoes and parsley in a large bowl; add to flour mixture, stirring until almost combined. Gently fold in cheese; the mixture will be lumpy.
3. Spoon batter into prepared muffin pan. Bake until muffins are golden brown and firm to the touch, about 25 minutes. Makes 10 muffins.

Recipe courtesy of Taylor Farm, Londonderry, Vt., taylorfarmvermont.com. "Vermont Fresh," Oct. 2009.

Sunday: Shrimp Luncheon Dish and Green Bean Salad

Shrimp Luncheon Dish

Green Bean Salad
(recipe courtesy of my Aunt Linda)

cut green beans, drained, 1 can
celery, chopped, 1/4 c
green onions, chopped, 1/4 c
sharp cheese, grated, 1/2 c
capers, 1/2 t (while if small, chop if large)
Green Goddess dressing (about 1/4c)
salt & pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients. This is better if prepared and refrigerated several hours before serving to blend flavors.