Great start to the weekend

What a busy day yesterday! I had 6 babysitting kids, hosted playgroup, had participation at Zach's preschool, got home at 5 in time to clean up, took Zach back to school at 6:30, and then hosted a get together. WHEW!
So we had ppl over from 6-9 last night for drinks and apps. I broke out the homemade cordial and we basically drank the whole bottle. There were not a lot of folks, but we did have a very good time. Someone was generous enough to bring Zach home so we did not have to go get him...yay..more drinks for us!

Now time for the menu. It is the Irish time of year, so a few cabbesque meals are included this week. Hope everyone has a great St.Pats!

Sunday:
Baked Lamb or beef
steamed asparagus

Baked lamb:
1 lb. lamb or beef chunks
2 lg. potatoes
2 lg. onions
3 lg. tomatoes
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. oregano
2 tbsp. butter
1/3 c. water

Cut meat in 1 inch pieces. Peel and slice potatoes to 1/8 inch thickness. Slice onions and tomatoes. Arrange meat, potatoes, onions and tomatoes in layers in a greased 9 inch casserole. Season each layer with salt, pepper, nutmeg and oregano. Top with butter and add water. Bake covered in 325 degree oven for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 20 minutes more or until done.

Monday:
Red Beans and rice

1 pound Red Beans
1 -2 pounds Smoked Neck Bones
2 packages Hillshire Hot or Regular (pork or beef) Sausage
2 medium Yellow Onions, chopped
1 medium Green Bell Pepper, chopped
2 cloves Garlic, minced
2 ribs Celery, chopped
Salt to taste (you may use regular or seasoned salt)
Black Pepper to taste
3 large Bay Leaves
2 tablespoons Chili Powder
1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons Paprika

Soak red beans overnight, or about 6 hours, in enough water to cover all beans. After this soak, drain water, then cover with fresh water. Let beans remain in this water until ready to cook.
Place ALL ingredients and seasonings in the crock pot, add water to cover, adjust heat level to HIGH, cover with the lid, and go about your business. This will take approximately 7 - 8 hours. Serve over hot cooked rice(make twice what you will need, and save the rest for Thursday.)


Tuesday:
Happy St Pats!
Corned beef and cabbage

3 pounds corned beef brisket with spice packet
10 small red potatoes
5 carrots, peeled and julienned
1 large head cabbage, cut into small wedges

Place corned beef in large pot or Dutch oven and cover with water. Add the spice packet that came with the corned beef. Cover pot and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer approximately 50 minutes per pound or until tender.
Add whole potatoes and carrots, and cook until the vegetables are almost tender. Add cabbage and cook for 15 more minutes. Remove meat and let rest 15 minutes.
Place vegetables in a bowl and cover. Add as much broth (cooking liquid reserved in the Dutch oven or large pot) as you want. Slice meat across the grain.

Wednesday:
Sit back and eat some great leftovers!

Thursday:
Baked Cod
rice (heat up leftover rice with any juice left from cooked fish)
steamed broccoli

Baked Cod:
1 lb cod fish fillet
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
1 tsp paprika

If fish fillets are large, cut into serving pieces. Mix butter and lemon juice.
In another bowl, mix flour, salt and white pepper. Dip fish into butter mixture; coat fish with flour mixture. Place fish in ungreased square baking dish, 8x8x2 inches. Pour remaining butter mixture over fish; sprinkle with paprika.
Cook uncovered in 350 degree oven until fish flakes easily with fork, 25-30 minutes. Garnish with parsley sprigs and lemon slices if desired.


Friday:
Chicken Taco soup
1 onion, chopped
1 (16 ounce) can chili beans
1 (15 ounce) can black beans
1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle beer
2 (10 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning
3 whole skinless, boneless chicken breasts
shredded Cheddar cheese (optional)
sour cream (optional)
crushed tortilla chips (optional)

Place the onion, chili beans, black beans, corn, tomato sauce, beer, and diced tomatoes in a slow cooker. Add taco seasoning, and stir to blend. Lay chicken breasts on top of the mixture, pressing down slightly until just covered by the other ingredients. Set slow cooker for low heat, cover, and cook for 5 hours.
Remove chicken breasts from the soup, and allow to cool long enough to be handled. Stir the shredded chicken back into the soup, and continue cooking for 2 hours. Serve topped with shredded Cheddar cheese, a dollop of sour cream, and crushed tortilla chips, if desired.

Saturday:
Grill out night!
Grill pork chops
And that's all I got folks...have a great weekend