What is on your menu this week?

Today I did three things that I've been wanting to do for a long time... 1.  Buy freshly roasted green chile from the farmer's market. 2.  Enjoy tomatoes from my garden. 3.  Can my own salsa. I had six ripe tomatoes sitting on my counter this morning that I picked from my garden.  I'd been hoping that my garden would have produced a lot of tomatoes.  It was doing a great job until a deer hopped the fence and munched on a few big tomatoes and ate quite a few little tomatoes.  (This made me a little mad and sad.)  We've been enjoying tomatoes in our salads and sandwiches, but I didn't want to waste those big beautiful tomatoes that we had sitting in our "tomato" bowl.  So, I decided to make salsa out of them, even though I didn't have enough to make a full batch of the recipe that I used.  I grilled the tomatoes for a few minutes, so I could skin them. It was a lot of chopping and peeling, but it was worth it. I went to the farmer'...

I saw my friend, Julia's recipe for Hot Roast Beef Sandwiches with Dip on her blog, Neighbor Julia, and knew that I had to try them.  We've had them a few times since then.  Yummy.  Fast.  And so easy!   My daughter loved this so much that she took the sandwich that I'd saved for my lunch the next day to school for lunch.  Even my five year old boy liked these (without the green chile). This is my version of Julia's yummy sandwiches.   Quick French Dip with Green Chilies rolls (I love bolillo rolls from Walmart, but any crusty roll will work) thinly sliced roast beef provolone cheese green chile Au Jus sauce (recipe below) Cut rolls lengthwise, but not all the way through.  Layer roast beef, provolone cheese, and top with green chile. Place under broiler for a few minutes until cheese is melted.  (Be sure to watch it carefully so the bread doesn't burn.  Bathing your kids while making this meal is not...

Breakfast burritos are very popular here in New Mexico.  I've been making them for a long time, but only recently had my first "real" breakfast burrito (a.k.a. made by a restaurant).   They are a favorite at my house and are often our go-to-last-minute Sunday dinner.   Update (6/29/15):  These breakfast burritos are still a staple at our house.  They're super fast to make when you use frozen hashbrowns and crumbled already cooked bacon (I get it at Costco).  The hashbrowns fry up very quickly with a little bit of oil.  I brown the bacon for a minute too. Here's how I make mine one layer at a time: Flour tortilla (I love these Tortilla Flat tortillas that you cook yourself) Bacon pieces (we love Jennie-O turkey bacon or Kirkland ) Hashbrowns (use frozen hashbrowns or grate your own potatoes)* Scrambled Eggs w/Green Chili** Grated Cheese Quick Salsa * Hashbrowns :   Heat a little oil in an non-stick skillet.  Grate p...

This is another of my favorite meals, white chicken chili.  I posted the recipe back in the early days of my blog two and half years ago, but I think it deserves another post. Thanks to my sister-in-law, Annelisa, for giving me the recipe a few years ago when we did a sister-in-law recipe swap.  I've made it many, many times. White Chicken Chili (this is half of the original recipe, but it feeds my family for a meal plus some leftover for lunch) 2 cans white beans (great northern beans) 1 1/2 c. chicken broth 1 chicken bouillon cube 1/2 T. garlic powder 1 med. onion, chopped 1 can white corn, drained 1 (4 oz.) can green chilies 1/2 T. oregano 1 T. cumin 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper 2 c. chicken breast, cooked and diced 1/2 c.+ sour cream (use as much as you like) Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (as much as you like) tortilla chips  Saute onion until transparent.  Add spices and other ingredients.  Cook for 30+ minutes on stovetop or in crockpot on high for 3 hou...

Before I post my menu for the week, I want to share with you one of my favorite things to buy at Sam's Club.  It is this huge tub of... GREEN CHILE!  We've lived in New Mexico for four years now, when we moved here I bought the little 4 oz cans of green chili.  About a year ago I started buying green chile frozen in 16 oz containers from at Smith's.  Then I noticed that they sell 56 oz containers at Sam's Club! I defrost the chili enough to break it apart, separate it into ice cube containers, refreeze, then break into cubes and store in the freezer in a ziploc bag.  Whenever I need green chili for salsa , enchiladas, etc. I grab a couple of cubes and defrost.  Someday I want to buy a 10 lb bag of chilies in the fall and freeze them.  I love the smell of roasted green chilies...  I'm making myself crave a green chili bagel . All right, enough of the chilies (did you notice I can't decide how to spell chile/chili?).  Now onto m...

This is one of my all-time favorite lunches:  a green chili cheese bagel.  My local Smith's makes the best green chili bagels.  Add some mayo, mustard, cheese, ham, cucumbers, spinach or lettuce, then enjoy!  Now onto my menu for the week: Monday: taco soup Tuesday: crockpot chicken stroganoff w/whole wheat egg noodles Wednesday: Chicken Teriyaki Fried Rice Thursday: Honey Pecan Chicken Friday: downtown trick-or treating, maybe mummy hot dogs Saturday:  ward trunk-or-treat (chili) Sunday: Italian meatball soup Extra meal just in case:  Southwestern BBQ Chicken Salad Looks like my menu is a little heavy on the chicken, but oh well, at least it's all planned.  If you've planned your Halloween Week menu , please share. Have a great week!