Menu Plan Monday ~ Sept. 21

Well, I did OK with last week’s plan. I never got around to the Greek Chicken, so I’ll try that another time. The calzones were a HUGE hit. Everyone enjoyed them and they were perfect for CSA pickup night because I put them together ahead of time and they just needed to bake for 10 minutes. Made for a quick, easy dinner when paired with a salad (fruit for the boys). The pork got bumped to last night (the recipe is at the bottom of this post). I guess my least favorite was Monday’s kielbasa. Usually when I do it in the slow cooker, I cook the kielbasa along with sauerkraut. This time I followed a recipe that called for cooking it with onions and peppers and I just didn’t care for the flavor. No one else seemed to mind, though. At any rate, this week is “Family Favorites” week. I think the pork dish I cooked last night is a new family favorite, and I have a couple others on there.

• Sunday: Apple-pecan pork medallions, roasted winter squash, turnip, and fennel
• Monday: Spaghetti a la Daddy (Drew’s sauce from the freezer), green salad
• Tuesday: Turkey melts, soup
• Wednesday: Chili dogs, Adirondack Blue French Fries, salad
• Thurday: Roast chicken, mac & cheese, corn bread, CSA veggies
• Friday: Chicken picatta, pasta salad, broccoli
• Saturday: Take-out (most likely)

Because I am too lazy to type out my piccata recipe (and honestly, I eyeball everything so it’s hard to give exact measurements), the recipes at Simply Recipes is pretty close. Though I add oregano, too. It’s certainly a family favorite and has earned the nickname “Yummy Chicken.” Here is the recipe for the pork:

Apple-pecan pork chops

4 boneless pork loin chops
Salt & pepper
2 Tbsp. butter
1 med. red apple, cored and thinly sliced
1/4 cup. chopped pecans
2 Tbsp. packed brown sugar

1. Trim fat from pork. Springkle with salt & pepper. Set aside.
2. In a large skillet, melt butter over med. heat until it sizzles. Add apple; cook and stir for 2 min. Push apple to side of skillet. Add pork chops; cook for 4 minutes. Turn chops, moving apple aside as needed. Spoon apple over chops. Sprinkle with pecans and brown sugar.
3. Cover and cook 4-8 min. more, until done. Serve apple and cooking juices over chops.

from Better Homes & Gardens EAT, Summer 2007

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