Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
7day menu planner
SUNDAY: Be prepared for heaps of praise from the family with this Garlic-Rosemary Chicken, a French classic. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Remove and discard giblets and neck from a 5- to 6-pound roasting chicken; trim excess fat. Starting at neck cavity, including drumsticks, loosen skin with your fingers. Place several sprigs of fresh rosemary and crushed garlic cloves under skin of breast and drumsticks. Lift wing tips up and over back; tuck under. Place chicken, breast side up, on broiler pan. Bake 30 minutes; reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake 1 hour 15 minutes more or until a thermometer in the meaty part of thigh, not touching bone, registers 165 degrees. Remove from oven, tent with foil and let stand 10 minutes. Slice chicken, discard skin and serve with your own ovenbrowned potatoes. Roast some fresh Brussels sprouts with lemon and olive oil, halved and seasoned to your taste. Add dinner rolls. For dessert, buy a yellow layer cake.
Plan ahead: Save enough chicken and cake for Monday. MONDAY: Turn Sunday’s leftover chicken into Asian Chicken With Vegetables and Noodles (see recipe). Serve with mixed greens and wholegrain rolls. Slice leftover cake for dessert.
TUESDAY: Treat the kids to Chili Pizza. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Brown ½ pound ground turkey breast and ½ pound lean ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat for 6 minutes or until no longer pink; drain. Stir in 1 (1.25-ounce) packet lesssodium chili seasoning mix, 1 (14.5-ounce) can no-saltadded stewed tomatoes and 1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans (rinsed); cook 8 minutes on medium or until heated. Arrange 8 burrito-size tortillas in a circle on a 12-inch pizza pan, overlapping edges where necessary. Spoon ground meat mixture onto tortillas. Top with 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese. Bake 5 to 8 minutes or until cheese is melted. Slice into wedges and serve with deli carrot-raisin salad. How about animal crackers and peaches for dessert?
WEDNESDAY: Skip the meat and enjoy Linguine With Parsley and Parmesan (see recipe) for an easy meal. Serve with a romaine salad and garlic bread. Scoop strawberry ice cream for dessert.
Plan ahead: Save enough ice cream for Saturday. THURSDAY: Call it a Hero, Grinder, Submarine or Po’Boy, and it’s still a great sandwich no matter where you live. Split a loaf of French or Italian bread. Spread bottom with deli coleslaw and add a variety of sliced deli meats. Layer cheese, pickles, lettuce, tomatoes and whatever else the cook is in the mood for. Slice into portions and serve your masterpiece with deli potato salad. Pears are dessert.
Plan ahead: Save enough coleslaw for Friday.
FRIDAY: Save money and enjoy Smothered Tilapia Provencal (see recipe). Serve the dollarstretcher with rice and leftover coleslaw. Add crusty bread to sop up the juices. For dessert, make instant vanilla pudding. SATURDAY: Pork Medallions With Apples is a perfect fall entree for guests. Slice 1 (1-pound) pork tenderloin into 8 slices and season on both sides with ½ teaspoon pepper and 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice. Heat 1 teaspoon canola oil in a large skillet on mediumhigh. Brown pork on both sides, remove from pan and set aside. To skillet, add 1 small chopped onion and 1 large cored and coarsely chopped apple; cook 6 minutes or until soft. Add ½ cup apple cider or apple juice to skillet. Reduce heat to low. Return pork to skillet, cover and simmer 5 minutes. Serve with brown rice and sugar snap peas. Add whole-grain rolls. For dessert, spoon frozen or fresh strawberries over leftover ice cream.