A birthday weekend!

We had two birthday parties yesterday...Back to back! But that's ok cause it got us out of the house. I scored big on presents, what I mean is I spent less than $5 on gifts..call me cheap but these are poor times for us. I got a new tags on very plush stuffed Russ brand teddy bear for my daycare babies first birthday party gift, and I also got her two new tags on books and then went to the dollar tree and got a balloon to match the bag I had on hand. The books and bear were $1 and the balloon $1. For Zach school friend party I found three new in the package toy motorcycles for $1 each, and wrapped them in gift wrap that I already had...these were really awesome and a big hit. So $5 total spent and two very happy kids. If everything was so easy! Here is a super yummy menu to keep you rolling this week! Enjoy.

Sunday:
Golden Chicken
chicken rice
steamed green beans

1 (3 pound) whole chicken, cut into pieces
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup prepared mustard
1 teaspoon salt and pepper
1 tablespoon curry powder

Place chicken in baking pan. Salt and pepper chicken. Mix Butter, honey, mustard and curry powder. Pour over chicken, cover in foil at 350 degrees for the first 30 minutes. Then foil is removed and chicken is basted, basking for another 40 minutes or so until nicely browned. Pour drippings over rice.

Monday:
Scalloped potatoes with broccoli (no meat)

5 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
2 cups blanched broccoli
2 1/2 cups 1/2 and 1/2
1 tsp salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350. Place the potatoes, onion, garlic, 3/4 of Cheddar cheese, and broccoli in a baking dish. Add salt and pepper. Gently stir until well combined. Pour the cream over the potato mixture. Top with remaining cheese.
Bake in the preheated oven until the potatoes are tender, about 1 1/2 hours.

Tuesday:
Chicken lo mein
frozen egg rolls

16 oz linguine or spaghetti noodles
8 oz boneless chicken breasts, sliced thinly or leftover chicken
3 Tbs soy sauce, divided
1 Tbs rice vinegar
1 Tbs sesame oil
4 Tbs olive oil, divided
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 oz snow peas, trimmed
2 oz ham, finely sliced
1 1/2-2 Tbs oyster sauce
4 green onions, finely chopped
salt and pepper, to taste

Cook the noodles according to directions. Rinse under cold water, and set aside.
Slice the chicken, and add it to a bowl with 2 tsp of soy sauce, the rice vinegar and sesame oil, toss to coat Heat half the olive oil in a wok or large frying pan over high heat. Let the oil get hot and add the chicken. Cook for 2 minutes, then transfer the chicken to a plate and keep warm. Wipe the pan out and heat the remaining olive oil. Add garlic, snow peas, and ham to the pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the drained noodles to the pan, and continue to stir fry till the noodles are heated through, about 2 minutes. Add the remaining soy and the oyster sauce, taste and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper. Add the chicken and any juices back to the pan, then add the green onions.


Wednesday:
Pork Roast
Mashed potatoes and gravy
steamed baby carrots

3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon dried rosemary
2 tablespoons minced onion
salt and pepper to taste
2 pounds boneless pork loin roast
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup chicken broth

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place roast in baking dish. Rub with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with rosemary, garlic and onion. Pour in broth and wine. Cover with foil and bake 1 hour. Remove foil and roast for another 1/2 hour to brown. Use drippings to make gravy.

Thursday:
Use up leftovers!

Friday:
Easy lasagna
green salad
bread


1 lb. ground beef
3 1/2 cups spaghetti sauce(I am using homemade)
1 1/2 cups water
2 cups Ricotta cheese
3 cups shredded Mozzarella
1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs
1T minced onion
1T minced garlic
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
8 oz. lasagna, uncooked

Brown beef in 3-quart saucepan; drain off excess fat. Add sauce and water; simmer about 10 minutes. Combine remaining ingredients, except lasagna, for filling. Pour about 1 cup sauce on bottom of baking pan.
Layer 3 pieces of uncooked lasagna over sauce; cover with about 1 1/2 cups sauce. Spread half of cheese filling over sauce. Repeat layers of lasagna, sauce and cheese filling. Top with layer of lasagna and remaining sauce. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes. Remove foil; bake about 10 minutes longer. Allow to stand 10 minutes before cutting.
Have a super week!