Spice up my menu!!

[Kay1018]

My menu is SO boring i cook the same food day in day out, mostly Italian food, every Sunday its a baked ziti homemade garlic bread and a caesar salad.

during the week its pot roast, chicken cutlets, macaroni and meatballs, chicken caesar, chicken and rice, tacos, and country chicken..

Notice i cook WAY to much chicken! any advice?

[clara]

Chicken Chow Mein
Ingredients

* 1/4 cup butter
* 1/2 cup chopped mushrooms
* 2 cups chopped celery
* 2 large onions, chopped
* 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
* 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
* 1 (15 ounce) can baby corn
* 1 (4 ounce) can French green beans or 1/2 cup bean sprouts
* 2 teaspoons soy sauce
* 2 tablespoons cornstarch
* 1/3 cup cold water
* 2 - 3 cups cooked, cubed chicken

Preparation

* In a wok or skillet, melt butter or margarine over medium heat
* Add mushrooms, celery, onions and garlic powder; cook until the onions have wilted
* Add chicken broth and baby corn
* Continue cooking until celery is cooked but still crisp
* Stir in the green beans or bean sprouts and soy sauce
* Mix cornstarch and water together in a small bowl
* Slowly stir into vegetables
* Sauce should start to thicken a little
* Mix in chicken, and heat through

[clara]

Do you like beef?

Beef with Leeks

Ingredients

* 1 lb. beef tenderloin (cut into 1 1/2" cubes)
* 1/4 cup kutsay or leeks (cut into strips)
* 1 red bellpepper (cut into strips)
* 1 egg white
* 1 tbsp. cornstarch
* 3 tbsp. soy sauce
* 3 tbsp. water
* 2 tbsp. sesame oil
* 1 cup cooking oil

Preparation

* Coat tenderloin first with egg white and followed by cornstarch
* Let stand for 15 minutes
* Deep fry and drain
* Leaving 3 tbsp. of cooking oil in the pan, add soy sauce, water, red bellpepper, leeks and meat
* Simmer for a few minutes
* Add sesame oil

[phoenyxstarr]

I'd go to www.kraftfoods.com and sign up for their Food and Family magazine and email newsletter. You get a magazine once every 3-4 months, and the emails come once a week, usually. I was in the same situation, cooking the same things every week, until I got this magazine. Now I try to plan our menu out for 2 weeks (a payday for us) using the magazines that I have. If I get stuck, I use their website, or come here and look for a recipe. I've found a few on here that the family liked, Bacon Cheeseburger Quiche, or Skillet Meatloaf, halfway down the page.

I hope this helps.

[Mama Mangia]

Being Italian we had pasta (of some sort) every Sunday and every Thursday and even meatless pasta on Fridays (we don't eat meat on Fridays). I never tire of it because there are so many ways to prepare it!

And I love chicken - I could eat it several times during the week. It's good for you and it too can be fixed so many different ways.

Don't be afraid to prepare ziti or chicken all different ways! There are so many different sauces, spices, batters/coatings - you name it! Instead of the same caesar salad - try garden salads, different dressings, add eggs or veggies or beans to your salad. You can make salad from tomatoes and mozzarella with a viniagrette dressing and basil; try green beans and mozzarella the same way; add turkey, ham, egg and chick peas to your greens; beans and beets make a salad also. Three bean salad is great. There are tons of salad ideas out there - don't be afraid to experiment.

Pasta can be cooked and tossed with olive oil, salt, pepper, parsley and garlic; try a white sauce and veggies; add different meats and poultry; try it with sun-dried tomatoes, a combination of some of the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes mixed with olive oil and add marinated artichokes; try a creamy tomato sauce instead of a spaghetti sauce; add fish - the combinations are endless. Try a different pasta!! Mix several together!

Chicken can be breaded, battered, baked, roasted, deep fried, BBQ'd (yes even in the oven it can still be BBQ'd), stuffed, used in casseroles, stews, etc.

Make a crockpot stew! Make a meatloaf from ground beef or ground turkey. Try chicken fajitas or steak fajitas. Even small steaks can be battered, coated, etc. Served with a nice gravy or sauce..........

Prepare potatoes differently - from baking to mashed to loaded! Layer potatoes (white and sweet if you want) with onions, season with salt, pepper, parsley and garlic and place pats of butter between the layers and bake at 350* until done. Those go with most meats. Boil small potatoes and serve with butter, salt and pepper - easy and good. Steam potatoes and veggies together if you are health conscious.

Adding a sauce or gravy, stuffing and preparing veggies differently can really spruce up a meal and make it different.

Instead of mac anc cheese - try small diced (boiled) potatoes with Cheez Whiz. Barley, rice and coucous is very good and goes will with veggies (making pilaf!).

I bet you could think of plenty to do! We have recipes here and there are many on line as well. Grab a cookbook and mix and match meals to make different dishes.

[barbiedoll1973_tn]

I'd go to www.kraftfoods.com and sign up for their Food and Family magazine and email newsletter. You get a magazine once every 3-4 months, and the emails come once a week, usually. I was in the same situation, cooking the same things every week, until I got this magazine. Now I try to plan our menu out for 2 weeks (a payday for us) using the magazines that I have. If I get stuck, I use their website, or come here and look for a recipe. I've found a few on here that the family liked, Bacon Cheeseburger Quiche, or Skillet Meatloaf, halfway down the page.

I hope this helps.

And I posted that one that makes me feel so good LOL I am glad that you liked it.