Meal planning monday.

Hello Monday....here are 5 of the dishes we will be eating at home this week. Enjoy!

1.) Home made pasta with bolongese (we had bolongese lasagna on Sunday and I reserved the extra ingredients for our first meal of the week.

2.) Simple roast chicken with roasted potatoes and  mini portobello mushrooms ("one pot meal" really pan but you get the idea :) )


Ingredients

• 1 (5 to 6 pound) roasting chicken
• salt-kosher is my fave 
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large bunch fresh thyme (rosemary would be nice too)  use dry in a pinch
• 1 lemon, halved
• 1 head garlic, cut in half crosswise
• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter, melted
• 1 large yellow onion, thickly sliced
• 1 crate of mushrooms - I like crimini or portobello because they hold up better to the roasting process
• 5-6 Yukon or red potatoes
• 4 thick slices of delicious bacon
• Olive oil

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Trim off any excess fat and pat the outside dry. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the chicken with the bunch of thyme, both halves of lemon onion, and all the garlic. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wings under the chicken. This helps so that the legs and wings don't cook to quickly and burn. Place the sliced, mushrooms, and quartered potatoes in a roasting pan. Toss with salt, pepper, reserved sprigs of thyme, and olive oil. Spread around the bottom of the roasting pan and place the chicken on top. Lay the bacon across the top of the chicken Roast the chicken for 1 hour and remove the bacon (which can be reserved for a salad or a BLT). Continue to roast for 1/2 hour, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Remove the chicken and vegetables to a platter and cover with aluminum foil for about 20 minutes (it will continue to cook). Slice the chicken onto a platter and serve it with the vegetables.

3.) Thai coconut chicken curry over brown rice (using reserved chicken). This recipe is from  Sam the cooking guy he is a great local chef you should check out!

4.) Light dinner night : Mixed greens with fresh figs, pistachios, crumbled goat cheese, and honey balsamic vinaigrette* (figs are so yummy right now) *combine 1 part vinegar, 1 part honey, 2 parts olive oil

5.) Salmon in puff pasty with pesto.

Ingredients:

• 
  
  4 pieces of purchased puff pastry, each cut to be large enough to wrap a piece of salmon
• 
  
  4 (4 to 6-ounce) pieces salmon
• 1/4 cup pesto (store bought or homemade)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
On a foil-lined baking sheet, place the 4 pieces of puff pastry. Also place the 4 pieces of salmon, on each pastry and wrap it around to cover salmon.  Bake for 10-15 minutes. until pastry is puffed and golden.
To serve, place each piece of puff pastry on a plate. Top each puff pastry with 1 tablespoon of pesto. Serve with panzanella salad.This is a great way to use old bread!

Happy cooking and eating :)
d