August Menu - Menu Plan Monthly

Hello August and goodbye July!!! ? Summer is quickly coming to an end (thank goodness), I for one am looking forward to Fall and cooler temps. Granted, it will be closer to October before the weather starts to cool down here in Texas, but every month that passes by is one month closer to Fall. Today I have my August Menu Plan for you. This month's menu is filled with simple family friendly meals and desserts. 

Our vegetable garden is still overflowing with summer veggies, so I have quite a few recipes using fresh potatoes, summer squash, bell peppers, green beans, tomatoes and cucumbers.  Any recipe with (New) noted next to the title are the recipes I plan to make and will post in the near future. I have a couple meals that were carried over from last month that I didn't have a chance to make. I hope y'all find something you like. ?

August Dinner Menu: 

1. Honey Garlic Shrimp Stir Fry & Buttery Crisp Green Beans & Baked Brown Rice 
2. Salisbury Steak W/Gravy , Cream Peas & Biscuit Bread
3. Mandarin Pasta Spinach Salad W/Teriyaki Dressing & Grilled Chicken
4. Chicken & Rice Casserole (New) & Fresh Skillet Green Beans & Squash
5. Not My Mama's Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes & Roasted Broccoli 
6. Pork Chop & Veggie Sheet Pan Dinner  & Raspberry Cream Cheese Jell-O Salad (New) 
7. Pennsylvania Dutch Chicken Pot Pie
8. One Pot Spaghetti, Olive Garden House Salad & Freezer Rolls 
9. CopyKat Pizza Hut Pan Pizza & Balsamic Cucumber Salad (Friday - Pizza Night)
10. Teriyaki Chicken Rice Bowls W/Broccoli & Baked Brown Rice 
11. Goulash, Garden Salad & French Bread Rolls 
12. 3 - Ingredient Chicken, Potato Salad & Grilled Corn
13. Tequila - Lime Chicken Burrito Bowls  
14. Navajo Tacos (with Easy Fry Bread) 
15. Slow Cooker Pork Roast & Gravy W/Potatoes & Carrots
16. Baked Ziti, Casar Salad & French Bread
17. Cheese Enchiladas, Charro Beans & Mexican Rice
18. Barbecue Chicken Fajitas W/Peppers, Onions & Pineapple  
19. Meaty Cowboy Barbecue Beans & Pepper Jack Cornbread Muffins
20. Pizza Subs, Tater Tots & Watermelon Slices 
21. Barbecue Chicken & Bacon Pizza  (Friday - Pizza Night)
22. Cheesy Chicken Lasagna Rolls, Grilled Lemon Pepper Zucchini  & Freezer Rolls
23. Italian Sub Sandwiches & Yogurt Fruit Salad 
24. Meat & Rice Stuffed Bell Peppers 
25. Ground Beef & Potato Casserole & Sweet & Sour Green Beans
26. Blueberry Pancakes, Oven Cooked Bacon & Eggs (Breakfast for Dinner) 
27. Skillet Pepperoni & Supreme Pizza  & Ambrosia Fruit Salad (Friday - Pizza Night) 
28. Barbecue Ribs & Grilled Veggie Packets     
29. Grilled Fish Taco's & Cilantro Lime Rice
30. Ground Turkey Soft Tacos, Pico de Gallo   & Sopa de Conchas

Desserts:
Magic Blackberry Cobbler 
Caramel Topped Pumpkin Cheesecake 
Amish Friendship Bread Brownies
Chocolate Eclair Cake 

For more Dinner Inspiration, check out my Monthly Menu Plan Archives.

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Beet-Cured Salmon Gravlax � Easier and Slower Than You Think

Even though I only do it once every few years or so, making salmon gravlax at home is a fun weekend project, and with very little effort, you can produce some very impressive results. I�ve always done this with the traditional fresh dill sprigs, but after enjoying a beet-stained version at Plaj, I decided to try my hand. And, also stain my hand.

If you�re just doing a small tail piece like I did, these times and measurements should get you close to what you see here, but if you're feeling adventurous, and want to do something larger, then you may have to do some research for techniques that work better when doing a thicker piece of fish.

Those slightly more complicated methods involve turning, draining, and basting, to account for a longer curing time. So what I�m trying to say is, you can avoid all that by just doing a smaller piece, which, unless you�re hosting a large party, should be plenty. Speaking of large parties, and the litigious people that sometime attend them, please be sure to get your salmon from a reliable source.

I think a brick works great for a press, but anything that weighs a few pounds would be fine, as long as it�s large, and flat enough to distribute the weight evenly. A book with a few cans of soup on it would do the trick. Regardless of how you press yours, once unwrapped, sliced, and served on a toasted bagel, I think you�ll agree it was worth the wait. So, I really do hope you give this gravlax technique a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 6 to 10 ounces of Gravlax:

8 to 12 ounce tail section of fresh salmon with skin on (scaled)

1/4 cup kosher salt

1/4 cup white sugar

cayenne and/or freshly ground black pepper to taste

enough grated beet and/or fresh dill springs to thickly cover fish

- Press with something heavy, and let cure in fridge for 1 1/2 days, or until salmon is firm, and translucent when sliced. You can carefully unwrap, and poke to test, and then rewrap, and let cure longer if need be.

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Fried Cheese Egg Toast � The Breakfast of Champions (In a Rut)

I�m not sure what your usual breakfast routine entails, but chances are you occasionally get bored with it, and crave something completely different, and when that happens, it doesn�t get much more different than this fast, and easy fried cheese egg toast. Be careful though, since afterwards it�s not easy going back to that bowl of oatmeal.

While pan-frying cheese may not sound particularly healthy, as it caramelizes, it gives up a fair amount of butter fat, which stays behind in the pan. So, you could actually spin this technique as a new, fat-reducing hack � unless you use that to butter the toast, which isn�t a dumb idea.

By the way, I hope you like your yolks runny, since if you don�t, this is not going to be nearly as great. Which reminds me, why do people not like runny yolks? What�s not to like? I hope they don�t think they�re dangerous, because they�re not. Anyway, if you are a fan of the flow, this fried cheese egg toast is the way to go, so I really do hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for one Fried Cheese Egg Toast:

1 ounce grated cheddar cheese

pinch red pepper flakes

1 large egg

1 piece of toast

sliced green onions to garnish

pinch of salt

*Note: For best results, rub your non-stick pan with a few drops of olive oil

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Chocolate Granola � Take That, Count Chocula!

I know chocolate granola sort of sounds like candy, but introducing cocoa into the mix not only makes it delicious, it also actually makes it better for you! Possibly. No one is really sure. The point is this really tastes great, and would make a wonderful treat for the chocolate lover, mother or otherwise, in your life.

I showed amazing restraint not adding anything more that oatmeal and almonds, since I really think that�s the best plan for the chocolate base, but I would have no problem with you accessorizing this as you see fit. Coconut flakes are an obvious choice, as are other usual suspects like dried fruit, any and all nuts, and assorted seeds.

If you want a stickier granola, that will more easily clump together, you can up the brown sugar and maple syrup a bit, as I used the bare minimum in this recipe, but I think it�s plenty sweet enough, especially if you�re a fan of dark chocolate.

Speaking of chocolate, I used Guittard�s Cocoa Rouge, a Dutch-process cocoa, which has a lower acidity than regular cocoa, and works perfectly flavor-wise. However, I�ve heard that type of cocoa doesn�t retain as much of the nutritional value, due to the way it�s processed. The good news is, any high-quality cocoa will work here.

By the way, I was only half-kidding about making this for someone, and then keeping it all for yourself, so best play it safe, and make a double, or triple batch. No matter how much you make, or what you add in, I really hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!



Makes about 3 1/2 cups of Chocolate Granola:

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup maple syrup

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt (or 1/2 teaspoon fine salt)

pinch of cayenne

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa (Dutch-processed if possible)

2 cups rolled oats

3/4 cup chopped almonds

- Mix, and bake at 250 F. for about an hour, or until as crunchy/chewy as you like.

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Madame Cristo, I Presume

I was attempting to do a little twist on the venerable Croque Madame, by soaking the toast in a custard batter before frying, instead of topping it with the usual white sauce, but when I�d finished, I realized what I really had created was a Monte Cristo with a poached egg on top. These things will happen.

It was amazingly delicious, but I decided it wasn�t close enough to call a Croque Madame, which is when I turned to Twitter for help. This is never a good idea, but this time it totally worked out, as some dude who goes by the name, Zap Shakur (@zapshakur), suggested I go with �Madame Cristo,� and the rest is history.

If you�re just making one or two, feel free to poach your eggs right before the sandwiches are done, but for larger parties, you�ll want to check out this poached egg video, which shows a great make-ahead method for serving multiple poached eggs at the same time. This is exactly how it�s done in restaurants, where cooking to order would be virtually impossible.

If you are feeding a larger group, you can make your sandwiches ahead, and then just keep them in a warm oven, until you're ready to top with the poached eggs. But, whether you�re making this for two or twenty, I really do hope you give it a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 2 Madame Cristos:

4 slices white bread, lightly toasted

8 thin slices of Gruyere, Swiss, Cheddar, Havarti, or any other melting cheese

4 ounces thinly sliced honey baked ham or similar meat product

2 tablespoons butter for pan frying

2 poached or fried eggs to top

chives to garnish

For the egg batter:

2 large eggs

5 tablespoons heavy cream or milk

1/2 teaspoon fine salt

pinch of nutmeg and cayenne

1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest

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Scottish Oatcakes � The Pancake, Not the Paperweight

If you Google, �Scottish Oatcakes,� you�ll see lots of pictures of what looks like thick, dense, pressed oatmeal cookies, which is the most common version of this recipe. To be honest, I�m not a huge fan of those, since they tend to be very heavy, and filling, and not really something I want to feature as the centerpiece for a fancy brunch menu.

However, there is another pancake-like version, and this is my twist on that. I should�ve probably come up with my own, more appropriate name, but I really love saying �Scottish Oatcakes,� and it just sounds like something you�d want to eat for breakfast.

Once you mix up your batter, you can cook it right away, which produces something that looks identical to what we have here, except the texture will be much more toothsome. I do enjoy that approach, but if you let the mixture sit for a while, the oats continue to soften, resulting in a creamier center. I�ve also let this go overnight, which will give you a texture very similar to actual oatmeal. 

Regardless, you�re still going to get a beautifully browned, crusty exterior; and it�s that contrast that makes this so unique. Some people like to add dried fruit to these, but I do not. The same goes for the traditional pinch of cinnamon, since I really don�t want these to taste like oatmeal raisin cookies. As usual, suit yourself, but either way, I really do hope you give these great oatmeal pancakes a try soon. Enjoy!



Ingredients for 6 Scottish Oatcakes:

(this is only 2 portions, so feel free to double or triple the recipe)

1 cups *rolled oats

1 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon lemon zest

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 large egg

1 teaspoon honey

1/4 teaspoon fine salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup **self-rising flour

1/4 cup melted butter for panfrying

* I used the regular kind, but if you have to use the instant ones, I probably wouldn�t cook them. I�d just mix them with the cream, and let it sit until the mixture thickened up. By the way, this is just a theory, as I�ve never attempted.

** If you don�t have self-rising flour, just add 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour, plus 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder, and an extra pinch of salt.

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Chocolate Croissants � But Just Barely

I�ll admit to being pretty underwhelmed the first time I had a chocolate croissant, or �pain au chocolat,�as I�d mispronounce it; but eventually I realized the relatively sparse amount of chocolate wasn�t any kind of stinginess, but rather the true secret behind this amazing pastry.

Properly done, this should ride that line between sweet pastry and a savory bread, so don�t overdo it with the chocolate chunks; otherwise you�ll lose that beautiful balance. Other than that, not much can go wrong. Just be sure to bake them until nicely browned, and let them cool before enjoying.

While this will work with that dough in the tube, I�d like to think you�d make a batch of your own dough using our recently posted croissant recipe. Don�t worry, it only seems like a lot of work. Either way, I really do hope you give these chocolate croissants a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 12 Chocolate Croissants:

1 batch of croissant dough from this recipe (split in half for two batches of 6)

about 1 cup roughly chopped chocolate chunks, or chips

1 large egg, plus 1 tablespoon of water for the egg wash

coarsely ground sea salt

- Bake at 400 F. for about 20-25 minutes, or until well-browned

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The Denver Omelet � Denver, Colorado, Not Denver, France

This Denver omelet was one of the first things I learned how to make professionally, during my brief, but exciting career as a short order cook in high school. So, it was a little disconcerting to learn when I arrived at culinary school that everything I had done was totally wrong.

According to the chefs teaching me how to make a classic French omelet, my Denver omelet was overcooked, over-browned, and included too many ingredients.  It was made very clear that if I made that for my exam, I would fail, which was confusing since I thought they were really good, and the people at the diner where I�d worked seemed to agree.

Over the years, I�ve come to appreciate both styles of omelet, and understand they really are two entirely different things. I�m not sure exactly why, but I seem to prefer the softer French version for breakfast, and this heartier American-style for lunch, or dinner. Maybe it�s the browning, or denser texture, but it really does make for a great �can�t figure out what to have for dinner� idea.

As with all omelets, feel free to toss in anything you want, but just be sure to cook it long enough before adding the eggs.  To me there�s nothing worse than an omelet with crunchy, undercooked vegetables in it, and that�s really the only way to screw this up. But, no matter what you use, or when you enjoy this, I really do hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for one Denver omelet:

1 tablespoon butter

3 large eggs

1/3 cup grated cheddar cheese

1/4 cup diced smoked ham

2 tablespoon finely diced onion

2 tablespoon finely green bell pepper

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

pinch of cayenne

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Ben Franklin Breakfast Bowl � One Founding Father�s Alternative to Fast Food

I much prefer teaching to preaching, but this time I�m attempting to do both, with the hope that you might introduce this delicious breakfast bowl into your morning routine. I�m not sure if an apple a day really does keep the doctor away, but I do know that being in the drive-thru line every morning, doesn�t.

We�ve all heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, which may or may not be true, but I�ve always found it to be the most difficult meal of the day.  There never seems to be enough time, and so it�s easy to get into a rut, resorting to questionable choices such as sugary cereal and milk, or fast-food breakfast sandwiches.

As far as specific ingredient choices go, I like to use chilled Honey Crisp, or Fuji apples, and, as I mentioned in the clip, sheep�s milk is my preferred yogurt. Some say it�s easier to digest, and it contains higher amounts of linoleic acid, which apparently helps with fat loss, but I simply prefer the taste. Just be sure to use a plain yogurt, since many flavored varieties contain a shocking amount of sugar.

So, whether you try this to help with that New Year�s resolution, or you�re just looking to add some variety into the morning routine, I really do hope you give this Ben Franklin breakfast bowl a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for one portion:

1 cold, raw apple, cubed

6 ounces plain sheep�s milk yogurt

2 heaping tablespoons granola (click here for our recipe)

chopped nuts and/or additional seasonal fruit to garnish

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Canel�s de Bordeaux (Crispy Baked French Custards) � Hold the Mold!

I�ve wanted to do a Canel�s de Bordeaux video forever, but just never got around to buying the specially designed molds that they require. After seeing a picture of them online a few days ago, I decided this would be the week, and headed out to the one store near me I knew carried the necessary hardware.

Since it was actually a hardware store that also carries lots of kitchen equipment, I figured they would have the beeswax, as well. I�ve been in that store at least a hundred times, and I would anyways see the canel� molds beckoning me, but never pulled trigger, since I was usually looking for something else.

So, you can imagine my shock when I walked down that aisle, as I�d done so many times before, only to find they were no longer stocked. Thanks a lot, Amazon. Anyway, purely out of spite, I decided to make them anyway, using a regular muffin pan, and the results were pretty amazing.

As long as you cook them long enough, the muffin tin works great, assuming you don�t care about getting the classic shape. Since this was an experiment, I only did six, but I�ve scaled the recipe below to make 12. I�m not sure how many real canel� molds this recipe will fill, but it�s probably close to that. Either way, I really hope you give these a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 12 Canel� de Bordeaux:

2 cups whole milk

2 tablespoons plus one teaspoon unsalted butter

1 cup white granulated sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

4 egg yolks

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, or 1/8 teaspoon of fine salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup rum

For greasing pan:

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons beeswax

- Bake at 450 F. for 10 minutes, then at 375 F. for about 50 minutes more, or until well browned.

-- NOTE: These only stay crispy for about 8 hours. So, fair warning if you plan to make them a day ahead. I've never tried to re-crisp. 

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Quick and Crispy Home Fries � Or as We Call Them at Home, Fries

It�s a kind of ironic that the only place many people enjoy top-quality home fries is when they eat out at a diner, but sadly that�s the case. Your average home cook�s home fries look great, and we�ll assume taste amazing, but they usually don�t get that nice crispy crust, like the ones at the local greasy spoon.

The reason is simple. There the potatoes are steamed or boiled ahead of time; then cooled, cut, and kept chilled until service. When you pan fry a cold starch, it gets a beautifully crispy surface, which is the secret to the world�s great French fries, polenta sticks, and Korean fried chicken.

To expedite this process, we�re going to microwave the potatoes for a few minutes, until just barely tender. This simulates steaming, which I think is the best way, since boiling can make them waterlogged. Once cool, all you have to do is keep cooking until you�re happy with your crustification. I really hope you give this easy home fry technique  a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 2 large portions:

 3 large russet potatoes, peeled, quartered

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

pinch garlic powder

pinch onion powder

1/4 teaspoon paprika

salt, freshly ground black pepper, cayenne to taste

fresh chives to garnish are nice

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