Weekly Menu Sept. 30th - Oct. 5th

Sunday-
Shredded Chicken Tacos
Spicy Black Beans
Pico De Gallo

Monday-
Garlic Shrimp with White Beans
Chopped Romaine Salad with Lemon-Honey Vinaigrette

Tuesday-
Spinach with Chickpeas and Olive Oil Fried Eggs

Wednesday-
Chicken in Garlic-Almond Sauce
Green Beans with Red Onion

Thursday-
Chicken Meatballs with Basil,Sun-Dried Tomatoes, and Parmesan
Pasta with Marinara

Friday-
Dinner out

Garlic Shrimp and White Beans

6 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
3 garlic cloves, minced & divided
2 dried chiles de arbol
1 bay leaf
1 1/4 C. Chopped tomatoes
Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
2 (15oz.) cans white beans, rinsed, drained
1 C. Chicken broth
1# medium sized shrimp, peeled, deveined
1 tsp. smoked paprika
2 Tbsp. flat leaf parsley
Garnish: Grilled bread

Preheat broiler.

Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in a large, heavy oven-proof skillet over medium heat.  Add 1 garlic clove, chiles, and bay leaf.  Cook, stirring constantly, just until fragrant, about 1 minute (do not let garlic burn).  Add tomato and season with salt and pepper.  Cook, stirring and smashing tomato with the back of a wooden spoon, until tomatoes are completely broken down, about 5 minutes.  Add tomato paste and cook stirring constantly until paste is a deep red and caramelized, 3-4 minutes.  Stir in beans and broth.  Bring to a brisk simmer and cook until juices are slightly thickened, about 4-5 minutes.  Correct seasoning with salt and pepper.

Combine remaining 2 garlic cloves, 2 Tbsp. oil, shrimp, and paprika in a medium bowl.  Season with salt and pepper and toss to coat evenly.  Scatter shrimp over the bean mixture in the skillet in an even layer.

Place skillet under the broiler and cook shrimp until they are golden and cooked through, about 3 minutes.  Remove and drizzle the remaining 2 Tbsp. oil over shrimp and beans.  Garnish with parsley and serve with grilled bread.  Enjoy!

Weekly Menu Sept 22nd - Sept. 28th

Saturday-
Dinner at Slow's, Detroit.  (For my money the best barbecue in Michigan and would  compete with  great BBQ anywhere!)

Sunday-
Pot Roast with Caramelized Onions and Cabernet Jus
Roasted Potatoes with Sea Salt and Herbs
Green Beans

Monday-
Chinese Vegetable Stri-Fry with Schzewan Shrimp
Rice Noodles

Tuesday-

Tilapia Tacos with Citrus Slaw, Mashed Avocados and Fresh Pico de Gallo
Spicy Black Beans
Yellow Rice with Cilantro

Wednesday-
"Break Fast", Yom Kippur, at Friends house

Thursday-
Pasta Bolognese
Chopped Romaine Salad with Creamy Garlic Dressing

Friday-

Oven Roasted Chicken with Pan Gravy

Spaghetti Squash with Fresh Sage and Parmesan

Chicken Meatloaf

I made this very simple meatloaf yesterday and it's fantastic, absolutely a keeper.  Leftovers are great for sandwiches.

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1# ground chicken
1# ground turkey
1 medium onion, minced
1 small clove garlic, minced
1 large carrot, peeled and shredded
1 large rib celery, fine diced
1/2 yellow bell pepper, fine diced
1Tbsp. Fresh thyme
1 egg, beaten
1/2 C. fine breadcrumbs
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat, add oil and get hot.  Add all vegetables, season with salt and pepper and cook until translucent, about 3 or 4 minutes.  Add garlic and thyme cook another 30 seconds, mix and then remove from heat and let cool 10 minutes.

Meanwhile in a large mixing bowl combine chicken and turkey (I use latex gloves for this task).  Once cooled, add all contents of skillet to the meat mixture.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Mix thoroughly, add egg and breadcrumbs, mix well.

I make a small disk of the mixture and pop it into the microwave for around 20 seconds, heat until fully cooked, and taste it prior to forming my loaf.  If seasonings need adjusting, I can do it now.  After cooking it's more difficult to correct.

Spray a rimmed baking sheet with non-stick oil.  Pour chicken mixture onto baking sheet and form into a loaf making sure it is of consistent thickness all the way through.  Place loaf into hot oven and cook for 40-45 minutes or until a thermometer inserted into it reads 160 degrees.  Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes.  Slice, serve and enjoy!

Slow Roasted Pork Loin with an apple cider glaze

4# pork loin, trimmed and tied
1Tbsp. Fennel seeds
1 Tsp. whole black peppercorns
1Tbsp. Kosher salt
1/4 C. + 2 Tbsp. Brown sugar
1/4 C. Apple cider vinegar
1/4 C. Apple cider or juice
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. olive oil plus extra


With a mortar and pestle crush the fennel and peppercorns (can use the bottom of a heavy skillet).    Transfer spices to a small bowl.  Add salt and 2 Tbsp. brown sugar.  Rub mixture all over the pork loin.  Place in a glass baking dish, cover and chill for at least 1hour.

Combine the rest of the brown sugar, butter, cider and vinegar in a small pan.  Place over med-high heat and bring to a boil, reduce heat and stir until mixture become a thick syrup.  Remove glaze  from heat and reserve warm.

Meanwhile, prepare charcoal grill and light the hardwood.  Get wood coals hot and position to one side of the grill box.  Place grill rack over hot coals.  Drizzle loin with olive oil and place on the grill to the opposite side of the hot coals.  Cover and roast at 225 degrees F for 3 1/2 hours.  Open grill cover and pour apple cider glaze over the loin, cover and continue to cook another 30 minutes or until an inserted meat thermometer reads 155 degrees F. (1/12 hours per pound).

Remove loin and reserve warm for 15 minutes to rest.  Slice loin and present on a warm platter, serve and enjoy!