Sunday
Root Beer BBQ Chicken
For the Chicken:
1 Chicken, cut into 8 pieces (3 1/2 lb.) - I am using drumsticks and thighs
Vegetable oil
Salt Pepper
For the Root Beer Sauce:
1/2 cup diced onion
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cups root beer
3/4 cup ketchup
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup prepared yellow mustard
2 Tbsp. molasses
1 Tbsp. Worchestershire sauce
1 tsp. red peper flakes
Juice of 1/2 lime
Preheat oven to 400º
Coat chicken with vegetable oil, salt, and pepper; arrange on a baking sheet and roast 45 minutes.
Make the Sauce: Saute onion and garlic for the saue in olive oil over medium heat 2-3 minutes. Add root beer, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 15 minutes. Stir in ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar, mustard, molasses, Worcestershire sauce, and pepper flakes; simmer 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat and add lime juice.
Preheat Grill to medium-high
Dip chicken into BBQ sauce to coat, then grill, covered, for 5 minutes. Dip pieces in sauce again, turn over and grill until charred and crisp, 5 minutes more.
Sliced Tomatoes
Potato Salad
Monday
Nachos
Tuesday
Salad
Wednesday
Blackened Ham with Sweet Potato Salad
For the Sweet Potato Salad:
1/2 lb. sweet potato, peeled and ut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 cup diced fresh pineapple
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. plain yogurt
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. fresh lime juice
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
Salt and White pepper to taste
For the Ham Steak:
2 tsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. each paprika, garlic powder, black pepper, dried thyme
1/2 tsp. cayene pepper
1 center-cut ham steak (16-20 oz)
Preheat grill to high.
Boil sweet potatoes in a pot of salted water until tender, 10 minutes. Drain and let cool. Combine potatoes with pineapple and parsley in a bowl.
Whisk together mayonnaise, yogurt, sugar, lime juice, vanilla, salt and white pepper; toss with the potato mixture.
Combine brown sugar, paprika, garlic powder, black pepper, thyme and cayenne for the blackening spice mixture. Rub the mixture on both sides of the ham steak. Grill ham, covered, until the edges of steak begin to curl; flip steak and grill 1-2 more minutes.
Thursday
Friday
Macaroni & Cheese
Toasted Bread Crumbs
1 C. fresh bread crumbs from French or Italian Bread
1 1/2 Tbsp. Butter
Macaroni and Cheese
Salt
1/2 lb. Elbow Macaroni (my preference is Barilla)
4 Tbsp. Butter
2 large eggs
1 can (12 oz.) Evaporated Milk, heated to warm
1/4 tsp. hot red pepper sauce
Ground black pepper
1 tsp. dry Mustard
10-12 oz. (3 cups) mild cheddar, American or Monterey Jack Cheese
Heat oven to 350 degrees and set a 1 1/2 quart heatproof dish, such as a souffle pan in the oven to warm. Mix bread crumb ingredients together in a small backing pan set aside. Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil in a large soup kettle. Add 1 1/2 tsp. salt and macaroni; cook until almost tender, but still a little firm to the bite. Drain and transfer to preheated dish and stir in butter to melt. Meanwhile, mix eggs, 1 cup evaporated milk, pepper sauce, 1/2 teaspoon salt (less if you are using American cheese) 1/4 teaspoon pepper and mustard mixture in a small bowl. Pour egg mixture over noodles along with three-fourths of cheese; stir until thoroughly combined and cheese starts to melt.
Place bread crumbs in oven to toast until golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside. Place p an of macaroni and cheese in oven too and bake for 5 minutes. Remove pan from oven; thoroughly stir macaroni mixture adding a little remaining milk and cheese. Return to oven and cook 5 minutes longer. Remove macaroni pan from oven and stir thoroughly so that macaroni and cheese cooks evenly adding additional cheese and milk if mixture does not look moist and creamy. Return to the oven for a total of 20 minutes, removing pan from oven once more to stir in remaining milk and cheese. Serve immediately, sprinkled with bread crumbs.
Saturday
Go out to eat - keep your kitchen clean for Mothers Day!
