Turkey and broccoli pasta, autumn vegetable soup, porcupine meatballs and a sweet treat
It finally feels like winter around here with at least a little snow almost every day, and frigid temperatures. Honestly, I love winter, and it's the perfect excuse (as if I needed one!) to serve warm and comforting meals.
On the menu February 11 - 15, 2020:
Sunday Autumn Vegetable Soup with grilled cheese sandwiches
I like to prepare soup ahead of time for lunch on Sunday because I am usually totally starving by the time we get home from church and I want something I can get on the table fast! I found this recipe in my cousin Debby Wagler's cookbook, "Grandma's Pantry - Cooking with Noriene Chester". I come from a long line of great cooks, including my cousin, her mom, Noriene Chester (my mom's sister), and my other aunt, Betty-Lou Purdy-Heywood. This recipe originated in the 1986 Milk Calendar but was served to my Aunt Noriene by Aunt Betty-Lou. My Aunt Noriene was a big collector of recipes (it runs in the family) and she really loved soup, so anytime she tried a soup she liked, she asked for the recipe. Aunty Betty-Lou was happy to share. She served this soup with her to-die-for homemade biscuits. It's good!
Monday Leftovers / eat out / takeout
Tuesday Ground Turkey and Broccoli Pasta with Caesar salad
We enjoyed this simple pasta dish. It was quick and easy and only used one pot. (Always a bonus!) The only change I'd make is to add the broccoli in the final 3 minutes of the pasta cooking time. (I should have read ahead in the recipe before I started cooking as it was a little too crisp for my liking. Still yummy though!) I think kids will enjoy this, and it made ample leftovers for lunches this week. I enjoy using ground turkey for a change of pace from ground beef, and it's also very economical at around $6 per pound.
Wednesday Leftovers / eat out / takeout
Thursday Porcupine Meatballs with rice, cooked carrots and kale slaw
Truthfully, these meatballs were a little underwhelming (aside from the delicious ground beef we used from Trick's Creek Farm!) Since making these, I've seen a few other recipes with more ingredients added to the sauce and I think I would prefer one of those. I was trying to use up some pantry items, and they were okay, but this sauce was just kind of blah. I didn't mind the rice in the meatballs, but it did seem like quite a lot, especially when served over top of rice as well. I will try these again, but with a different recipe. If you have one you love, please share it with me!
To celebrate Valentine's Day we had fondue at home. This is something I've never tried before and it was really fun. We enjoyed shrimp, steak, mushrooms and cauliflower in the beer batter, with a curry sauce. So good! I meant to take photos but was having so much fun, I totally forgot.
For dessert, I made my all-time favourite chocolate cupcake recipe. It never lets me down. I am not much of a fancy dessert maker. I tend to stick to cookies, pies, squares and crisps, but every once in a while I crave something decadent. The icing is rich but so delicious and best of all, really simple! These cupcakes are outstanding, at least in my opinion. Note: the recipe makes 24.
Saturday Leftovers / eat out / takeout
#quickandeasymeals #weeknightmeals #mealplanning #eatmoreveggies #alltheveggies #ilovesoup #soup #iloveveggies #trickscreekfarm
Comments