Menu Plan…Thursday?

My friend Jenn just wrote about menu planning, which made me realize I have severely fallen off the menu planning wagon. I hate cooking in the summer…especially when the temps reach the 100’s like they have this past week. Summer is time for salads, sandwiches and lots and lots of grilling at our house. Ok, and eating out.

Part of the reason I used to post my menus here was if I wrote it out, somehow, it helped to hold me accountable. I really need to get back into that, if only for myself. It might give other people some recipe ideas as well in the process, but this is almost entirely for me!

Tuesday night we had grilled pork chops, grilled corn on the cob & salads. For this, we simply put salt, pepper & Emeril’s essence on pork cutlets and grilled them. I wanted something sweet & savory, so I mixed spicy ground mustard and brown sugar as a glaze for mine.

Also planned this week:

Great Aunt Mary’s Casserole – corn tortillas, chili, tomato sauce & cheese. This is a very simple & tasty dish. While the chili is heating up on the stove, I stick the corn tortillas in the oven to get warm & hopefully a slight crisp to them. When the chili is warm throughout, I layer 6 corn tortillas, half of the chili, drizzle half of the tomato sauce (I use a small 8 oz. can) and sprinkle a handful of cheese, continue with one more layer ending with the cheese. Serve with a salad! In the fall and winter, I use leftover chili if we have it on hand. If we don’t have leftover chili, I use canned.

Foil packet chicken – This can be a mixture of many things! This week my plan is 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, taco seasoning, 3 small red potatoes, 1 onion sliced, 6 tablespoons of salsa, 3/4 cup shredded mexican style cheese, 3 tablespoons of sour cream for topping. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lay out 3 large sheets of foil. Slice each potato & onion thinly, and lay out one potato and some onion slices on each sheet of foil. Shake chicken in a bag with taco seasoning, and place on top of potato & onion slices. Top each piece of chicken with 2 tablespoons of salsa then 1/4 cup cheese. Bring up foil sides and double fold and roll down, do the same to the ends. Place in a baking dish large enough to fit them all. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. Let stand 5 minutes, then vent foil packet before opening. Serve with a dollop of sour cream.

Hamburgers – I think we all have our preferred method for these! However, before the end of summer, I do want to try several of these recipes.

Jalapeno Popper Burger

Mozzarella-Stuffed Bruschetta Turkey Burgers with Balsamic Glaze

Apricot Glazed Turkey Burgers Stuffed with Goat Cheese

Seriously, you NEED to go check those links out. Kristin makes those burgers look and sound sooooo very yummy!