Menu Monday

Happy Monday!


This week's menus were a bit different as we didn't have to eat every meal out of the crock pot.  Hooray!  Why didn't we?  Because there were a number of days that the children didn't have swim due to a travel meet.


Monday - Mac & Cheese, you have seen this before.  Mac & Cheese is a family fave, so when we can't think of a meatless meal, it is a "go to".


Tuesday - I wasn't home, but Phil made the children sausages and fries.  


Wednesday - Waldorf Salad

Thursday - Tamale Pie...again, not home...so no photos, but you can check out the cute photos of Ainsley from the party we were at here.


Friday - Smothered pork chops, mashed potatoes, broccoli, green beans, and buttermilk biscuits.  Sorry, no photos...we were in a huge hurry to get to the ballet.  Did I ever tell you we have season tickets?  This last weekend the Ballet San Jose performed Giselle.  


Not a lot of photos for you because I wasn't home most evenings....I do have these though...


Simple Sticky buns.  Yummy!!!!!  Phil and I made these one morning for the children because I had left over puff pastry in the freezer from the chicken pot pies.  

And here is the recipe.....It is an adaptation of a recipe I found on Food Network by Ina Garten


Sticky Buns

• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/3 cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed (I like dark brown, more molasses goodness)
• 1/2 cup pecans, chopped in very large pieces
• 1 package frozen puff pastry, defrosted (I started with a 14 oz package, but removed some for the pot pie.  A standard package has 16)

For the filling:

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 2/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place a 12-cup standard muffin tin on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.  Make sure and use the sheet pan, and line it...these get super bubbly.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the 8 tablespoons butter and 1/3 cup brown sugar. Place 1 rounded tablespoon of the mixture in each of the 12 muffin cups. Distribute the pecans evenly among the 12 muffin cups on top of the butter and sugar mixture.

Lightly flour a wooden board or stone surface. Unfold 1 sheet of puff pastry with the folds going left to right. Brush the whole sheet with the melted butter. Leaving a 1-inch border on the puff pastry, sprinkle each sheet with 1/3 cup of the brown sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the cinnamon, and 1/2 cup of the raisins. Starting with the end nearest you, roll the pastry up snugly like a jelly roll around the filling, finishing the roll with the seam side down. Trim the ends of the roll about 1/2-inch and discard. Slice the roll in 6 equal pieces, each about 1 1/2 inches wide. Place each piece, spiral side up, in 6 of the muffin cups. Repeat with the second sheet of puff pastry to make 12 sticky buns.  (since we didn't have enough dough, we only made 10.)

Bake for 30 minutes, until the sticky buns are golden to dark brown on top and firm to the touch. Be careful - they're hot! Allow to cool for 5 minutes only, invert the buns onto the parchment paper (ease the filling and pecans out onto the buns with a spoon) and cool completely.

Well, got lots to do.  I will try to be back tomorrow with some scrappy goodness.  

Hugs.

Nancy