Menu Monday 9/19/11

Happy Monday! After a much-needed travel-free weekend at home with lots of rest and relaxation, I'm excited about all of the cooking that's planned for the week. Check out our menu:

From top left:

Shrimp Carbonara Pasta - This is a photo of a Kraft pasta dish I made on Saturday for my Mom and I. It was SO easy (maybe 6 ingredients) and tasted delicious. I'll be posting the recipe this week!

Update: Click here for my post with the recipe!

Pork Roast, Squash Casserole, Lemon-Balsamic Broccoli and Rolls - This was our big down-home meal that I made on Sunday. I put the pork butt on the stove in a dutch oven around 12:30 and it cooked all afternoon long until it practically fell apart just by looking at it. It was heavily seasoned with garlic salt and pepper, and I seared it on high heat on each side before turning it to low for the afternoon. It was a gigantic hunk of pork, so we have plenty! I also made a side of gravy to go with the pork, my Grandma's recipe for squash casserole, and this recipe for broccoli. It was a wonderful meal!

Pork Sliders - To use up some of our pork surplus, I will be making barbecue pork sliders tonight. There's no recipe here. I'll just shred it up and toss with some bbq seasoning and sauce and serve on King's Hawaiian Rolls (our favorite!).

Veggie Potato Salad -  To go along with the sliders, we'll be having this Southern Living side dish. I made it yesterday to save time since it needed to chill so long. I can't wait to try it! It's loaded with tons of veggies.

Result: Meh. Average. It was loaded with veggies but just didn't have as much flavor as I was hoping for.

Pecan-Crusted Tilapia - I have leftover buttermilk from the potato salad, and pecans already on hand from this cake. This tilapia is the perfect way to use those items up. Hopefully it will taste as good as it sounds. Click here to preview the Cooking Light recipe. I'll probably serve with some rice and a salad.

Update: We got too busy and never tried this, but I'm sure it will be tasty!

Sun-dried Tomato and Bacon Chicken - I've been meaning to try this recipe from Tablespoon for some time now. It sounds fantastic and really easy. I love the short ingredient list! I'll also throw some grilled asparagus on the side, too. 

Verdict: Yummmmmm. Click here for the recipe!

Whew! I'm full just thinking about all of this. My fridge is stuffed with ingredients already, too. As always, I'll tell you about the best ones we make.

Have a wonderful day!