SUNDAY: FULL MOON BBQ

My 'Tis So Sweet girls and I have been meeting periodically while we are in between life group semesters just to catch up and keep up with one another's lives. We met at Full Moon and I got a chicken BBQ potato, ate half of it, and brought the rest home for the hubby.


MONDAY: GRILLED CHICKEN, ROASTED POTATOES & GREEN PEAS

CLICK HERE for my previous post with the Caribbean Jerk Grilled Chicken recipe.

For the peas, I just simply open a can of Le Sueur Very Young Small Sweet Peas, drain about 1/2 way, toss into a pot on medium-low heat, add a squirt of butter and a few dashes of Cavender's All Purpose Greek Seasoning, stir, and let them warm through until we're ready to eat (only takes about 5 mins).

Now, let's talk potatoes. Remember that bag of petite reds we used last week in the beef stew? Well, now it's time to use the rest of them so that they don't spoil.

"ROASTED" POTATOES
- 5 to 6 Publix Petite Red Potatoes, washed and cubed
- A few squirts of butter
- 1/3 packet Roasted Potato seasoning mix

This packet can be found in the produce section of Publix. I don't like to have to spend 40 minutes waiting on them to cook in the oven, so I "cheat" a little...

Preheat oven to 375F. Cube potatoes, making sure they are all similar in size for even cooking. Place cubed potatoes in a pot. Fill with cool water until water covers approx. 1 in. above potatoes. Bring water to a boil. Boil potatoes for approx. 10-12 mins until you can test one and it is soft (should be able to give it a firm squeeze and it start to crumble a little). Drain and place potatoes on baking sheet covered with aluminum foil (for easy clean up). Toss with butter - I use squirt butter for ease. Sprinkle approx. 1/3 seasoning packet and toss to coat evenly. Cook in the oven for approx. 5-10 mins just to crisp them up a little. Sometimes I even turn it to broil for 1-2 mins at the end.


TUESDAY: BEEF KEBABS WITH COUSCOUS

I got this idea from a Food Network show I saw, and they suggested using bottom round in order to save money. Personally, I found it to be tough, maybe it was that particular cut of meat I used. I think next time I'll go for the sirloin. Overall, still came out delicious! Definitely going on the menu again...

KEBABS:

- 2 tbsp olive oil (or canola oil...it's cheaper)

- 1 tbsp minced garlic

- 1/2 cup plain yogurt (I used greek...and I don't even like greek yogurt, but I PROMISE you can't taste it)

- 1 tsp ground cumin

- 2 tsp hot sauce (I prefer Frank's)

- 1 tsp salt/1 tsp pepper
- 1 lb beef, cut into 1 in. chunks
- 1 medium onion, sliced into chunks
- 1 to 2 green bell peppers, sliced into chunks
- 1 box cherry tomatoes
*NOTE: if you use wooden skewers, be sure and soak them in water first so they don't burn on the grill

In a bowl, stir together oil, garlic, yogurt, cumin, salt, pepper, and hot sauce. Reserve half the marinade in a covered bowl and refrigerate. Add beef to remaining marinade, cover, and refrigerate for anywhere from 30 mins to overnight. Preheat grill pan or grill to medium high heat. Be sure to oil the grill surface before grilling the kebabs. Thread beef cubes and onion pieces onto skewers, alternating beef and vegetables.

Place skewers on the grill and cook 3 to 4 minutes on each side for medium-rare. Drizzle with some of the reserved marinade and serve. FYI...I used the remaining "marinade" as a dipping sauce for not only the beef, but also some leftover grilled chicken I had for lunch. It's versatile and delicious!

COUSCOUS:

1 box of couscous cooked according to directions. Here's the kind we used this week...I actually added in a little more olive oil and some sriracha for a little kick!

WEDNESDAY: SUBWAY...EAT FRESH!

We have prayer meeting at church Wednesday night so we're just going to grab some Subway on the way home.

THURSDAY: CAJUN CHICKEN PASTA

Remember that bag of Publix frozen chicken tenderloins that I used last week in my buffalo chicken casserole and chicken bacon ranch pizza? Yep...same bag. I just finished it off by throwing them in this yummy CROCKPOT recipe.

- 5 to 6 frozen chicken tenderloins (you can put them in there frozen or you can use boneless chicken breasts as well)

- 1 jar alfredo sauce

- 2 to 3 tbsp cajun seasoning (I use none other than Tony Chachere's)

- 1 can Rotel or some other type of chopped tomatoes with green chiles (I use Publix brand)

- 1 can corn, drained (optional)

- 1 box Rotini noodles (or whatever noodle you have laying around the house...I happened to have Rotini)

In the crockpot, stir together chicken, alfredo, and cajun seasoning. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours. Cook noodles according to package. While cooking noodles, remove chicken and either shred or cut into chunks. Add back to sauce. Stir in tomatoes and corn and let warm through. P.S. I like to add corn to pretty much everything that I possible can, so you don't have to. It kind of turns it into a "mexi-cajun" dish if you do, which I like :)

Serve over noodles and enjoy!

FRIDAY: DATE NIGHT

That's right...date night again! This guy makes me happier than a camel on Wednesday...