Menu Plan Monday
November 10, 2008

Here's is my menu plan for the upcoming week:

Monday: No cooking! (My sister's birthday supper at our parents' house)
Tuesday: Southwestern bean soup, avocado, cornmeal muffins
Wednesday: Slow cooker spaghetti, green salad
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: Vegetarian chili (from the freezer), honey wheat bread
Saturday: Homemade pizza
Sunday: No cooking (Supper with Ben's parents)

Last week Wendy asked for my recipe for tomato sauce ... and I have a confession to make. The big batch of sauce I made back in August was awful. It's still edible, and our family is slowly working through it, but it tastes pretty bad. The sauce scorched on the bottom of the pot and the entire batch tastes pretty smokey. It's gross.

Usually I make spaghetti sauce the easy way. I brown some ground beef and saute an onion. Then, I add a bottle of pre-made tomato sauce. (It's totally cheating.)

Wendy also asked how I make homemade chicken broth. I do it one of two ways:

1. Place one leftover chicken or turkey carcass in a large stock pot. Add about 16 C. of water, a couple bay leaves, 1 tsp. sugar and 1 tbsp. salt. Bring the water to a boil. Let the stock simmer for at least two hours (but all day is even better). Remove the pot from heat. Pour the liquid through a strainer and into a separate pot. Let the broth cool (in the fridge) and skim off the fat.
   
   
2. Place one whole, cut up chicken in a large slow cooker. Add enough water to fill the pot and a couple of bay leaves. Cook on low for 8-10 hours. (I like to cook the chicken overnight.) Pour the liquid through a strainer and into a separate pot. Let the meat cool and pick out all the bones and fatty bits. Freeze the meat for soups or casseroles. Let the broth cool (in the fridge) and skim off the fat. Add salt to taste.
   

Laura hosts Menu Plan Monday each week. Check it out!