Meal Plan - 2/8/16-2/14/16

Hi Everyone!

I hope you've had a fabulous week.  I made some updates to last week's meal plan blog post on reviews of the new recipes or ideas, so go check that out!

Here's the plan for next week:

1) Freezer Meal - Slow Cooker Barbeque.  I made this a while back and froze half of it or so, so we need to use that up.  So this will be a nice easy meal.  I'm going to make some tasty sweet dinner crescents to go with it. (Note: These rolls freeze very well so I will probably freeze half for later.)

2) Baked Potato Soup and Basic No Knead Bread - meatless meal for either Wednesday or Friday.  (Ash Wednesday is next week.  Can you believe it?!)  I'll leave out the bacon on the soup.  I'm excited about trying the bread, which is a new recipe for me.  I had it at my aunt's house and it was delicious.

3) Cheese Pizza - another meatless meal for either Wednesday or Friday.  I will use my regular pizza recipe but not put any meat on top.

4) Make up some of my grandma's house dressing and eat that on salads throughout the week for lunch.  I've been adding some lunch meat or whatever meat I have with some lettuce, tomato, and shredded carrots, and that makes a tasty lunch.

5) Need to make up some more chocolate chip muffins for the husband's breakfasts.

6) Last but not least, we decided to have some friends over for the Superbowl.  So, I decided I'm going to have fun with it and make some yummy things.  I've never tried these pretzel bites (though I have made regular pretzels before), but they sound delicious.  And then I'll make up some of those crescent wrapped smokies.  Should be yummy!  And then we will have some other easy snack foods to go with it.

I hope you have a blessed week!  Please comment below if you have any good recipes for me to try!

Nannie's House Salad Dressing

Nannie’s Vinegar and Oil Salad Dressing

1 clove minced garlic

2 T cider or red wine vinegar

1 t sugar

1 t salt

1 t dry mustard

½ t pepper

6 T canola or vegetable oil

Combine all ingredients in a jar and shake well.  Refrigerate.  

Basic No-Knead Bread

Basic No-Knead Bread

From Ann Byrne

6 cups bread or all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface

½ teaspoon active-dry yeast

2 ½ teaspoons salt

2 2/3 cups cool water

In a large bowl, combine the flour, yeast and salt.  Add the water and stir until all the ingredients are well incorporated.  The dough should be wet and sticky.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.  Let the dough rest 12-18 hours on the counter at room temperature.  When surface of the risen dough has darkened slighty, smells yeasty, and is dotted with bubbles, it is ready.

Lightly flour your hands and a work surface.  Place dough on work surface and sprinkle with more flour.  Fold the dough over on itself once or twice and, using floured fingers, tuck the dough underneath to form a rough ball.

Generously dust a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with enough flour to prevent the dough from sticking to the towel as it rises.  Place dough seam side down on the towel and dust with more flour.  Cover with the edges or a second cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours, until it has doubled in size.

After about 1 ½ hour, preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Place a 6-8 quart heavy covered pot, such as a cast iron Dutch oven, in the oven as it heats.  When the dough has fully risen, carefully remove the pot from the oven.  Remove the top towel from the dough and slide your hand under the bottom towel; flip the dough over into the pot, seam side up.  Shake pan once or twice if dough looks unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes.

Cover and bake for 25-30 minutes.  Uncover and bake 4-5 more minutes or until the crust is a deep chestnut brown.