Parmesan Knots

If you haven't noticed, garlic bread is one thing that shows up on my menu at least once a week. We love the stuff, and ever since I came up with this recipe on the fly, it's been our household staple. But every once in a while, it's nice to try something different for a change -- without resorting to the frozen variety, as I so often do. I couldn't wait to try this recipe when I saw it in a recent issue of Taste of Home, and it did not disappoint. The original recipe calls for each biscut to be cut into thirds before rolling, but I just rolled out each whole biscuit into a rope to make more substantial knots. This is a delicious, buttery, quick and easy alternative to garlic bread, and I will definitely make these cute little knots again!

Parmesan Knots
source: adapted from Taste of Home

1 tube (12 ounces) refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
1/4 cup butter
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes

1. Roll each biscuit into a rope and tie into a knot; tuck ends under. Place 2 inches apart on a nonstick baking sheet. Bake at 400° for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

2. In a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients; add the warm knots and gently toss to coat.

Three Packet Pot Roast and Leftover Pot Roast Hash and Eggs

I've only ever made pot roast one way: cooked in the Crock pot all day long with salt and pepper, garlic powder, bay leaves, and thyme. That's the way my mom always made it, and I guess I just never thought her method could be improved upon. And while this pot roast (found on Jessie's site) doesn't necessarily top my mom's recipe, it is certainly just as good as hers. It had great flavor and was nice and tender, and all three of us enjoyed it a lot. Tomorrow I'll post about the yummy parmesan knots I served alongside the meat and vegetables.

(Also, I have to apologize for the crappy picture. As I was snapping it, my son was sitting in his high chair systematically throwing his dinner onto the floor, so I had to stop that madness rather quickly. Toddlers, they are not what I would call easy.)

Three Packet Pot Roast
source: adapted from Mrs. Ca Cooks, who adapted it from RecipeZaar

1 (2/3 ounce) package Italian salad dressing mix
1 (1 ounce) package ranch dressing mix
1 (1 1/4 ounce) package mushroom gravy mix
1 2-3 pound beef roast of choice
1 cup water
1 cup baby carrots
1/2 pound baby red potatoes, cut into chunks

Place the roast in the center of the Crock pot and arrange the vegetables around the sides. Combine the dry mixes and sprinkle over the roast. Pour water around the sides. Cover and cook for 8-10 hours on low.

***

I reserved some of the meat specifically to use for breakfast the next morning. One of my favorite things to order at Bob Evans (a restaurant we dine at frequently, and yes, we are in our 20s, why do you ask?) is pot roast hash, and I was eager to duplicate it at home. Consisting of red potatoes, leftover pot roast, onion and green pepper, and topped with over-easy eggs, this hash was a perfect, hearty breakfast for a chilly weekend morning.

Pot Roast Hash and Eggs
source: Cassie

2 tablespoons butter
Vegetable or olive oil
1 pound baby red potatoes, diced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup leftover pot roast
4 eggs, cooked to taste

Melt butter and oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add potatoes and cook until they just begin to brown, about 10 to 15 minutes. Add bell pepper and onion, season with salt and pepper, and cook until vegetables are crisp-tender. Stir in leftover pot roast and heat through. Top with eggs and serve.

Weekly Meal Planning

It's October? Seriously? ALREADY? I just don't know where this year has gone. Fall has definitely fallen around here; the leaves are starting to change, and the air is getting crisper. We even had to use our heater a couple of days last week. Autumn is my favorite season, so I hope it sticks around for a while before winter takes over.

It's not hard to see what I've been craving lately: My menu this week is pretty Italian food-heavy. Luckily for me Joe's half Italian, so he never gets sick of Italian food!

Monday: Stuffed pizza rolls, mozzarella sticks. I didn't get to make this last week, and my desire for melty cheese and red sauce has been particularly strong lately, so I can't wait to eat this meal.

Tuesday: Chicken bacon alfredo pizza. We liked last week's pizza so much that I'm using the same method for this yummy-sounding version.

Wednesday: Chicken cacciatore risotto, garlic bread. This risotto is a "leftover" from my meal plan a few weeks ago. I'll use half of a rotisserie chicken for Tuesday night's pizza, and the other half for this meal. (Side note: I think rotisserie chicken is one of THE ABSOLUTE BEST values you can find at the grocery store. It makes everything so convenient!)

Thursday: Chinese take-out. A new place just opened in the same shopping center as the grocery store, so whenever I'm shopping it smells so good I can barely stand it. I've heard good things about this place already, so I'm excited to try it. Our town is sorely lacking in the Chinese food department.

Friday: Zucchini alfredo, parmesan knots. The store is still carrying some decent-looking zucchini, so I figure I'd better take advantage of it while I can.

Saturday: Meatball subs. Totally inspired by Jessie.

Sunday: Meatloaf, individual potatoes au gratin, green beans, rolls. Another meal I'd planned to make a few weeks ago and didn't get the chance to. Clearly it's shaping up to be a meaty weekend.

Weekend Breakfast: Egg, cheese, and tomato bagel breakfast sandwiches -- one of our favorite go-to breakfasts. I just spread toasted, buttered bagels with Miracle Whip (mayonnaise would also work, but I like the flavor of Miracle Whip with eggs), then layer on a fried egg or two, sliced American cheese, and some sliced and salted tomato. Joe usually requests some form of meat on his, but I much prefer mine without it.

Baking: Walnut pear sour cream cake. I can't even type the name of this cake without salivating a little bit. I hope it lives up to my expectations, because they are HIGH.

Mexican Corn Bread

One of the main complaints I always hear about corn bread is that it's just too dry. In fact, it's one of the main complaints I've always had about corn bread I've eaten at restaurants and potlucks. Maybe I've just been lucky so far, but this is the second time I've made corn bread at home, and it's the second time my corn bread has come out perfectly moist and not dry at all. I think this has very little to do with my cooking skills, and everything to do with the ingredients involved.

In any case, this is a delicious corn bread. I elected to leave the jalapeno out of mine to make it milder, but the green chiles still gave it a nice bite. The sour cream provided the moistness, and it also added a nice, tangy flavor. This was the perfect accompaniment to last night's chili, and I’m very happy there are leftovers to warm up for lunch today. I halved the recipe, but just click the link to see the original.

Mexican Corn Bread
source: adapted from Allrecipes

1 (8.5 ounce) package corn bread/muffin mix
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup cream-style corn
3/4 cup sour cream
2 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons chopped green chilies
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons vegetable oil

1. In a bowl, combine corn bread mix and onion. Combine the remaining ingredients; add to the corn bread mixture just until moistened. Pour into a greased 8 x 8-inch baking dish.

2. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes or until lightly browned and the edges pull away from sides of pan. Serve warm. Refrigerate leftovers. Makes 9 servings.

Chicken Taco Pizza

This chicken taco pizza was seriously delicious. And it was such a quick and easy weeknight meal for us, too; it came together in about 20 minutes, and tasted absolutely amazing. This is a really versatile recipe; you can add your favorite taco toppings, and even use the same preparation method for lots of different kinds of pizzas (Joe suggested buffalo-style and BBQ chicken versions; he was very excited about this prospect). We loved this version, though, and will be making it frequently!

Chicken Taco Pizza
source: adapted from Betty Crocker

1 12-inch pre-baked thin Italian pizza crust
1/2 cup refried beans
1/2 cup salsa
2 cups cooked shredded rotisserie chicken
2 cups shredded Mexican-style cheese blend
1/2 cup sour cream
Your favorite taco toppings: shredded lettuce, chopped tomato, sliced red onion, black olives, avocado
1/2 cup crushed Doritos

1. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Place pizza crust on a cookie sheet and spread refried beans over surface, stopping about 1 inch from the edges. Stir together salsa and chicken in a small bowl.

2. Spread chicken mixture over refried beans. Top with cheese. Bake 8-10 minutes or until cheese is melted and pizza is thoroughly heated.

3. Top with desired taco toppings, dollops of sour cream, and crushed Doritos. Cut into 8 wedges.