Menu Plan Monday: March 1-7, 2010 and A Thought About MPM

I'll tell you up front that this post is going to be way too long. It has four parts. I creatively labeled them Part One, Two, Three and Four. That way, if you are only here to use me for my delicious menu, and have no interest in my really well written review of last week's menu or my informative preview to this week's menu, including some provocative thoughts I have on Menu Plan Monday, you can scroll down to Part Four to see my menu with lots of links (without which, I personally find MPM to be useful only for the writer of a menu).

PART ONE: Thoughts on MPM, Part One (Part One suspensefully hints that I may have other thoughts on MPM and may share them at some later date)

I love menu planning for my own sake. As I have said before, it gets me started on the right foot to be organized for the new week. And I am always hopelessly striving to be more organized. So I encourage all of my friends to do it, whether you do it on a blog, or on your own computer, or on a scrap of paper on the fridge.

I participate in Menu Plan Monday. MPM is the brilliant idea of Laura at

Orgjunkie. com, where bloggers can post their menu plans for the upcoming week, then link their blog post so other people, bloggers or not, can see what other people are making and get good ideas for their own menu planning.

There are literally hundreds of links (last week 479 people linked) and I can never get to them all. Time is money. Well, in my case, not really, because I am not paid in money. But still. My time is valuable. So most weeks I come up with a way to choose like "every 12th link", or "Blog Names That Sound Cute". Then I start clicking. And I pray that the blog I am headed to has at least one recipe or link posted and not just a stranger's menu plan for the week with the names of what they are making.

I understand why people post their menus, but I don't really understand why they link their post if they only provide a list of menu items and do not include links or recipes. Because I don't know them and this does not help me.

Just thought I'd mention.

PART TWO: Last week's menu

~At the suggestion of Laura from Orgjunkie, I made Chicken Spaghetti, which she found at Pioneer Woman. I think PW (or someone) adapted it from this recipe, and I made a few changes of my own, which I will note at the bottom of this post. Simple to make and my whole family loved it.

~1 Dish Taco Bake was also a hit. I doubled the recipe and cooked it in this little beauty (12" Le Creuset Skillet) rather than in two pie plates. This was a mistake. And I knew it as soon as I had all of the ingredients layered in it. Because the recipe uses quick rising yeast, and the food was already at the top of the skillet. So I placed a cookie sheet under the skillet in the oven and waited for the majik, which soon followed. Next time I will double the recipe, put half or two-thirds in the skillet and the rest on a small pie plate. Because there is something so cozy about serving supper out of a genu-wine cast iron skillet.

Part Three: About this week's menu
Last week I explained about why our "Valentine's Dinner" was late. Well, now it is later still. Because we planned to share it with friends, one of whom has a somewhat fragile immune system, and we still have coughers around here, especially my oldest and my youngest (one of my aunts thinks we should go on Juice Plus. I have heard good things and have considered it for years but just haven't spent the money. Do any of you have any thoughts about JP?). Now that it is so far past February 14th, I have decided I am calling that particular menu simply Who Needs February 14th Traditional and Special Show My Love For My Family Menu. You will see it tentatively planned for Wednesday.

The rest of the week you will see me using that wonderful invention called a crockpot and also trying to force myself to make pork or beef, which are not my favorites but my family enjoys.

Part Four: The Menu WITH Links

Monday: Sloppy Joes on Homemade Buns

Tuesday: Honey-Pecan Pork Chops

Wednesday: Nacho Spuds (Or last Wednesday's meal which I have explained above).

Thursday: Taco Soup (crockpot, from my Older and Wiser Sis)

Friday: Salsa Chicken over Rice (crockpot!)

Saturday: Leftovers

Sunday: Eat Out

Have a genu-winely wonderful week!

My take on Chicken Spaghetti


Cut Up Cooked Chicken (instead of PW's whole chicken I used pieces)
Dry cappellini pasta (angel hair), broken into little pieces
2 cans Cream Of Mushroom Soup
2 cups Costco Grated Mixed Cheese
Olive Oil
½ diced red pepper
½ diced yellow pepper
¼ cups diced onion (I sauteed all of my veggies)
1 jar (4 Ounce) diced pimentos
2 cups Reserved Chicken Broth From Pot
Lawry's Seasoned Salt, to taste
Cayenne Pepper, to taste
Salt And Pepper, to taste
Additional Grated Cheese

Instructions
Cook desired chicken in about 6 cups of water. I used 2 bone in breasts and 2 boneless thighs.

Remove chicken and 2 cups broth from pan, use to cook cappellini until al dente (I used 1.5 pounds and it made a ton). Do not overcook.

Debone chicken and cut meat into small pieces.

Saute peppers and onion in olive oil until tender.

When spaghetti is cooked, combine with all ingredients except the additional cheese, including the 2 cups of broth (start out using less to desired consistency but I used it all).

Place mixture in casserole pan and top with remaining sharp cheddar.

Cover and freeze up to six months, cover and refrigerate up to two days, or bake immediately: 350 degrees for 45 minutes until bubbly. (If the cheese on top starts to get too cooked, cover with foil).