Circle as you Go Grocery List

Cut and paste into a Word doc and select 4 columns. If you extend your margins, it will fit on one page. 

Post on the fridge and circle as you run out of things or plan for the next week and circle as you go.

Trader Joe’s

Produce

Buy organic if italic

Apples

Avocado

blueberries

Oranges

Grapes

Cantaloupe

Strawberries

Bananas

Tomatoes

Onions

Shallots

Baking Potatoes

Boiling Potatoes

Sweet potatoes

Refrigerated Produce

Broccoli

radish

Snap peas

Lettuce

Carrots

Purple cabbage

celery

cucumbers

Blueberries

Spinach

Refrigerated Aisle

pizza dough

cream cheese

shredded cheddar cheese

4 cheese mix

mozzarella

gorgonzola

hummus

Bacon

Pepperoni

Canadian Bacon

hotdogs

Canned Goods

Vegetable oil

Olives

Oatmeal

Olive oil

Pizza sauce

Tomato paste

Quinoa

Canned tomatoes

Black beans

Mandarin oranges

Chicken stock packets

Dry goods

Cashews

Almonds

Mango

Cranberries

Joe’s O’s

vitamins

Drinks

Beer

Mineral water

Red wine

White wine

Dairy

Greek yogurt

Butter

sour cream

kids yogurt

egg whites

cottage cheese

nonfat milk

orange juice

eggs

Frozen

peas

corn

julienne veggies

waffles

chicken nuggets

chicken

fish sticks

fish

Ralph’s

Aisle 2 Toiletries

toothpaste

deodorant

vitamins

Aisle 3 Baby

Diapers

Wipes

Shampoo

Aisle 4 Paper

paper towels

trash bags

Aisle 5 Soaps

Dish soap

dishwasher soap

All

Downy

Biz

Mr. Clean

Comet

Windex

sponges

Aisle 6 Cereal

Oatmeal

Life

Nutty Nuggets

Aisle 7 Canned Veg and Fruit/ Rice/ Beans/Soups

Beets

Rice pilaf

baked beans

tuna

kidney beans

garbanzo beans

black beans

cranberry sauce

Aisle 8 Baking/ Foil/

Wraps/Trash

Flour

Sugar

aluminum foil

Ziplocs  big  small

Saran Wrap

Aisle 9 Frozen

Ice cream

Chicken

Mixed veggies

Back Wall/Meat Dept.

bacon

ground turkey

ground beef

chicken

hotdogs

pork chops

Sweet Italian sausage

Aisle 10 Cookies/ Crackers

Aisle 11 Ethnic/Pasta

Condiments

Corn tortillas

beans

enchilada sauce

salsa

taco shells

taco seasoning

pasta

mayonnaise

salad dressing

BBQ Sauce

ketchup

mustard

relish

pickles

olives

Aisle 12 Bread/Jelly/Pnut Butter

Peanut butter

Raisin english muffins

bread

hotdog buns

hamburger buns

bagels

Aisle 13 Snacks/Candy

Aisle 14 Drinks

Cooks

turkey

ham

sliced cheese

tortilla chips

Costco

Coffee

Pecans

Batteries

toilet paper

Target

Cereal

Our Meal Plan

Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Snowman Pancakes

"Daddy makes us snowman pancakes..."

Chocolate chips, maraschino cherry and whipped cream make for a popular breakfast!

Pumpkin Pie and Eggnog

 Check out this blog: http://wehaveplenty.wordpress.com/2011/11/19/rudys-favorite-pumpkin-pie/ 

I made the pumpkin pie and now I officially can eat pumpkin pie without gagging. It's was so yummy and incredibly easy! You stick everything in the blender and then pour it into the pie shell which you've lovingly made from scratch with your own bare hands while singing songs with your beautiful three children who are dancing with ribbons and musical instruments, that seemed like a good idea at the time because you want them to have music in this time where the arts are cut from education, through your kitchen because everyone, all five of you really need to be in the same room in your 1,200 square foot house at ALL times including now which is 6AM in the morning which is supposed to me MOMMY ONLY TIME- just kidding. Mommy Only time is 5-6am :+) 

Better go turn on the heater and pour some more coffee in my mug and get goin! 

My Glorious COFFEE- We use Costco beans. It's the cream I'm talking about here. If you live in Los Angeles and can find Broguiere's eggnog in a glass bottle, it's worth every cent- add a little to your coffee in the morning; gently warm in the microwave at half power and you've got a delectable treat to start your day. After my rant, you're thinking that I'm putting some NOG in my eggnog, huh? I guess you can add alcohol to it, but why ruin a good thing? This is exceptional, homemade eggnog, not the stuff you're used to from the carton. You can see the dairy and how it's made on California's Gold with Huell Howser here: http://www.calgold.com/visiting/Default.asp?Series=800&Show=345

You know it's got to be good if I'm spending $6 on a bottle. I've made it homemade and it's worth every penny, plus it's pasteurized, mine wasn't...nobody got sick! The recipe involves egg whites and folding them into a mixture which kind of stops me right there. A few of my friends and I were searching the South Bay last year for the last bottle and no luck! We're making sure we have a stash this year.

Just in case you feel a field trip coming on, the dairy is easy to miss. The sign says Montebello Sanitary Dairy not Brouguiere's. No, the cows aren't there.

Perpetual Grocery List

This is an easy to use, circle as you go grocery list divided by aisle. We keep it on the fridge and circle the items run out of during the week. Since the formatting won't translate to Blogger, here is the link on www.scribd.com/documents : 
http://www.scribd.com/fullscreen/60449587?access_key=key-hoc087qnjkfdag2uww4

When you have strawberries coming out your ears, bake scones and have a tea party!

Chocolate Toffee Almond Cream Scones

2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup heavy cream (plus 2 TB for brushing on the tops)
turbinado sugar (sprinkle on the tops)
3 ounces Hershey's Symphony Milk Chocolate, Toffee          and Almonds bar, chopped
1/4 cup almonds, toasted and chopped
1/4 cup Heath chocolate toffee bits
1/4 cup Ghiradelli 58% cacao baking chips

Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a 
bowl. 
Whisk to blend well. 
Add the chocolates and almonds. 
Stir in dry ingredients with a spatula while 
pouring in the cream, continuing to stir until you have a 
soft, sticky dough.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead 
8-10 times. 
Pat the dough into a circle 3/4" thick. 
Cut the circles into 8-12 wedges and place the wedges 
an inch  apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. 
Brush each scone with cream and sprinkle generously 
with raw sugar.
Bake at 425°F until golden brown, 12-15 minutes.   
Remove to wire rack and cool. 
Serve with fresh strawberries and cream.

Quinoa with mushrooms and snap pea pods

Quinoa with Mushrooms and Snap Peas

1. Cook quinoa in rice cooker with chicken stock instead of water.
2. Saute 4 sliced mushrooms, 1 sliced green onion and about 8 snap peas cut into thirds in olive oil. Add 1 tsp fresh thyme and 2 TB balsamic vinegar and cook down about 5 minutes.
3. When quinoa is done, remove from rice cooker, add to saute pan and mix together. 
4. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Top with chopped peanuts and 1/3 cup crumbled goat cheese.

Can add baby spinach to saute pan and let wilt a bit after you add the quinoa.

Tasty!

Almost Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnamon Roll Ingredients
1 can Pillsbury Grands
1/2 stick melted butter
cinnamon
brown sugar
raisins

Topping
3/4 cup sifted powdered sugar
1/4-1/2 cup warm milk

1. Roll out dough on a floured surface. Do your best to pinch the rolls together and make a big oval. Don't worry if there are a few holes.

2. Paint melted butter on top of the dough. Keep some to paint on top.

3. Sprinkle brown sugar and cinnamon liberally on the dough all the way to the edge.

4. Sprinkle raisins on the dough. If you want to make half without raisins, sprinkle the raisins on one of the longers sides of your oval. (top of my photo)

5. Roll the dough as tight as you can.

6. Cut about 1 inch rounds all the way down the roll and place in a greased casserole dish.

7. Paint the top with the rest of your melted butter.

8. Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes.

Here's where we need some help. We guessed on the topping and as you can see above, the rolls looked dry. They weren't, but the wet part was on the bottom of the rolls. I bet there is a way to make a topping that cooks on the bottom of the dish. We'll try this next time.

Here's what we did for a topping:

We combined powdered sugar with warm milk,

poured it on top of the rolls 

and

stuck them back in the oven for a few minutes.

They were de-lic-ious!!!

A Boushell and a Peck: Fish Tacos

A Boushell and a Peck: Fish Tacos

Fish Tacos

Yum! Fish Tacos made with Sea Bass from the Pacific Ocean. 

Top fish tacos with cabbage, jack cheese and pink chile mayo-scrumptious!

Bread fish. I dipped it in seasoning, pink chile may and then panko bread crumbs and baked it about 20 minutes at 375 degrees. Next time, I fry!!!

There are different versions of this sauce that are healthier. Look online.

Tyler Florence's Pink Chile Mayonnaise:

• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1-2 chipotles in adobo, plus 2 tablespoons of adobo sauce
• 1/4 lemon, juiced
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Pork Tenderloin and Brussels Sprouts with Quinoa

Neal's Pork Tenderloin and Tewi's Brussels Sprouts
Yum!

Meal Plan February 6-11

Sunday
spaghetti and meatballs

Monday
meatball sandwiches
raw carrots
homemade fries

Tuesday
tortellini and Bruscetta sauce
salad

Wednesday
baked fish
potato
broccoli

Thursday
friends coming, not sure of plan

Friday
bbq chicken
ramen salad
rice pilaf

Sunday Prep- meatballs and spaghetti and meatloaf

We bought a 5lb. package of ground turkey from Smart and Final. 2 lbs. went to meatloaf and 3 went to our meatballs. Here are the recipes. You might think that carrots are a funny addition, but you're using them to add natural sweetness so you don't have to add any refined white sugar. None of our recipes are exact. Throw things in and see what happens, it's usually just fine.

Meatloaf

1 meatloaf seasoning packet

2 lbs ground turkey

1 cup of milk

1/2 cup shredded  cheddar

3 chopped green onions

1 carrot, use a peeler to peel the whole carrot and then chop fine

Mix with your hands.

Put in two small loaf pans.

Bake at 350 for 1 hour.

It will make it’s own gravy.

We prefer this cold on sandwiches with ketchup and mayo, but you can serve it hot with mashed potatoes and honey glazed carrots.

Rose Natoli’s Meatballs

1 lb.  ground meat

1 handful shredded cheese (parmesan and romano)

1 tsp. parsley

salt and pepper

2 cloves garlic

2 eggs

3 slices bread (dampen with water)

Mix with hands

Roll into balls

Fry, bake or microwave. Turn meatballs to cook outside evenly.

Nealeo’s Spaghetti Sauce

(This is a double batch recipe)

Cook

1 lb. Sweet Italian Sausage (If frozen, they are easier to peel the casing off of while they thaw)

quarter the sausage and fry in the skillet.

Set aside. Don’t clean pan.

Saute  the following in your grease and/or in olive oil:

1 chopped onion

2-3 carrots chopped small

2 cloves garlic, minced

Here's a photo:

While that cooks, puree the following in the blender:

1-2 (28oz.) cans tomatoes

Pour in with sautéed onion mixture

Add 2 bay leaves

1 cup red wine

1-2 cans tomato paste, add to thicken

1 handful of leftover fresh tomatoes, depending on the season. If you have a lot from the garden, add more.

Add spices to taste:
Approx. 1 tsp of each:

garlic powder

basil

rosemary

oregano

pepper

Let simmer 2-3 hrs.

When making Mussels Marinara, don’t puree.

Use less tomato paste because you want it thin.

Add red pepper flakes to kick up the spice.

Serve family style with chunks of sourdough.

Two Weeks of Dinners

Two Weeks of Dinners. January 9-22

Sunday

big batch of spaghetti and meatballs with sausage

salad 

Monday

baked pork chops, rice pilaf, salad

Tuesday

leftover meatball sandwiches, salad

Wednesday

sole, cole slaw, potatoes

Thursday

tacos, beans

Friday

pizza, salad

Saturday

DATE Night

Sunday

Thai Red Curry on glass noodles, salad with bean sprouts and Chinese Chicken Salad Dressing

Monday

quiche lorraine, salad with homemade croutons (meatball sandwich bread>olive oil and garlic salt)

Tuesday

turkey noodle soup

salad

Wednesday

leftover spaghetti sauce with penne

salad

Thursday

leftovers

Friday

sole, cole slaw, potatoes

Saturday

Top Sirloin

homemade fries

Caesar Salad (dressing from American Cooking by Williams Sonoma)