Hello, hello, hello! I’m beside myself today because I’m so anxious to share with you about my sweet potato (ones with orange flesh) SUCCESS! I used this recipe with one slight modification. A reader (sorry I don’t remember who) suggested heating them in some water first which I did just until the boiling point. I took them out, dried them off and then carried on with the recipe. So delicious and healthy and I seriously may be eating them everyday. YUM!! Oh and the homemade Cowabunga Beef Burgers that I made to go with them were delicious as well. To simplify things I used some bottled BBQ sauce instead of making my own. I also especially loved that they weren’t made with egg which meant my son could eat them as well, a nice bonus!
We are starting to see some nice weather this week reaching highs of almost 18 degress Celcius, woohoo! You’ll see, over the next couple of weeks, my menu plan slowly change to adjust for the nicer weather (it better get hotter than 18 though!). I actually use my slow cooker more in the summer time than winter which I think is opposite to when most people use it. I love not having to turn on the oven in the summer. So between the slow cooker, the grill and salads I’m one happy lady 🙂
Although do you think I might be a little premature talking about summer when my backyard still looks like this 🙁
Okay enough talk about me. I’d love to know what your favorite recipe of last week was. Any highlights?
Thank you so much for joining me here today and a big welcome to those joining us for the first time!
Here’s what we’ll be eating in my house this week:
Monday: Beef Burritos
Tuesday: Slow Roasted Rosemary and Garlic Chicken
Wednesday: Spinach Pasta Toss (I’ll add some sausage for my meat lovin hubbie)
Thursday: Hearty Black Bean Soup with bread machine bread
Friday: Leftover buffet
Saturday: Meatball Sandwiches with some kind of salad
Simple Supper Sunday
WHAT’S ON YOUR MENU THIS WEEK?
Menu Plan Monday guidelines and banner selections here.
Michelle says
it all sounds so tasty Laura thanks for hosting..
Snow White says
Thanks again for hosting! Our favorite recipe last week was our baked potato bar — loaded with broccoli, beans and some cheese. We hadn’t had those in a long time and they tasted great.
Glad you had success with the sweet potato fries — they are on our menu this week. We’ll have to try them with Parmesan cheese, it’s usually just oil and salt for us.
Have a wonderful week.
Rita says
I thought our huge piles of snow were bad until I saw yours. Most of the snow is gone here in Michigan, thankfully.
The Cozy Country Hom says
So sorry about the smiley face next to my post…I don’t know what I did or how it got there! I went down to paste my link and hit enter and then there was a message from blinkie??!! My apologies!!
seamaiden says
Doesn’t the smiley just mean that the page recognizes that your computer posted? I always have a smiley next to my entry….
I’m really interested in this sweet potato fry recipe… So did they end up all crispy due to the pre-blanching technique? I’ll have to try that. I love sweet potatoes but they often get soggy on me. 🙂
-Sea
Laura says
Yes only you can see a smiley face beside your name so no worries on that.
As for the sweet potato fries…they still don’t end up crisp really but they definitely weren’t soggy like last time. I could pick them up with my fingers to eat and I dipped them in a little light miracle whip…mmmmm 🙂
Kristen says
Trying to get back on this great bandwagon!
Liz@HoosierHomemade says
We’re having Meatballs too this week, but the sandwiches sound better! Thanks for hosting!
~Liz
mjpuzzlemom says
Fettuccine With Meatballs and Artichokes
was the big hit here.
Thanks for hosting!
Meg says
Definitely King Ranch Chicken was our highlight this week. SO good. Worth the very long prep/cooking time because I made two!
Recipe link on my menu plan post, if you’re interested!
Contemplative Mom says
I’m looking forward to seeing how you use your slow cooker in the summer months. It would be great to avoid the oven as much as possible.
Jena OrganizingMommy says
HI! I’m so glad your sweet potatoes went well. My family just loves it when I menu plan (and actually follow the recipe!) I’m on week 2 of my one month of planned meals! Woo hoo! Since I start on Fridays, I’m part way through my week–thai pineapple rice! was good.
Christine says
Yum, the spinach pasta toss sounds yummy. Can’t wait to check it out!
Jennie says
Sigh. I misposted an OLD URL for my entry… I deleted it and reposted. Shows what I get for posting half-asleep eh? 😀
Meatball sandwiches sound amazing… I think those have to go on next week’s menu here.
Haley says
Hi Laura!
The menu looks great! And how exciting that the snow is melting in your back yard!
I was just recently thinking that I needed to get my crock pot out and use it more…I would love for you to share some more of your slow cooker recipes with me.
Jo's Quirky Cooking says
I’m definately going to try the cowagunga burgers and sweet potato fries! Yum!
Melissa says
The sweet potatoes and the meatball sandwiches sound delicious! I wish we had snow instead of 88 degrees (Fahrenheit, of course). I’m using my slow cooker today because it’s so HOT outside!
Megan says
Thank- you I’m trying your chicken fingers from last week. Hope they were good!!
denise says
you still have snow! it was 91 here on friday. i will gladly take some snow if you would like to send it our way (tn)
🙂
CaseyDeuce says
I’m totally excited about participating in Menu Plan Monday. You all have some wonderful menus and the slow roast rosemary and garlic chicken looks great!
Amy says
That rosemary chicken sounds like a great summer dish for us once our garden gets going. I actually got my plan up this week 🙂 Thanks for hosting this!!
Bonnie says
That chicken you are having on Tuesday looks delicious !
I had a favorite recipe this week … it was this one FISH WITH GROOVY LIME SALSA
Mandy says
Looks yummy! I’m going to have to try that rosemary chicken!
Here’s mine http://mandy–land.blogspot.com/2009/04/menu-plan-mondayapril-27-2009.html
Colleen says
I’m looking for some slowcooker recipes that aren’t hearty stews and don’t use a tomato-based sauce…I’ll have to investigate many of the MPM participants in search of one! Thanks for hosting!
Marci says
I can’t believe you still have snow! UGGGGHHH!!
Last week’s menu was a success. Tried a homemade sauce for my cavatini and made a double batch to freeze. This week is quick and easy. No new recipes…first time in months!!!!
Katie says
I’m stealing your Tuesday meal! I’m stuck on what to make this week, so I thought I’d check here as I make my menu and saw that recipe! A whole chicken is even on my grocery list for Tuesday! 🙂
Angie (Losing It and Loving It) says
Our menu plan is up and it’s pretty simple and boring as usual. Well it looks boring but it always tastes good when hubby cooks LOL
Have a great week!
Stephanie says
I love the menu plan Monday, and I really appreciate you hosting it. Do you think you’d ever want to do a Top 10 Menu Plan Superstars list? These would be people that are great at participating and posting recipes or links to the things they are making. Just an idea…
Meyser says
I created a mirror site were I can put the recipes I talk about in my Menu Plan Posts (the whole tab-thing inside my blog is one big mystery and I like the recipes to be separated from my other posts). I adore sweet potatoes, you give me great ideas!
Leesa says
Thank you for hosting MPM! This is my first week linking to you. I did a MPM last week, but didn’t really know what I was doing. This is great!
Gudrun says
made it! Our weekend was full of birthday dinners and my husband made me a fabulous chicken scaloppine with asparagus and snap pea salad last night! Truly outstanding 🙂
Cheri says
Thanks for hosting, it really helps keep me focused and planning our meals. I also have been slowly starting to include summer meals into my plans and am getting excited for the farmers markets and gardens to start blooming.
purple moose says
Wow, you are still snowy there. Last week was warm-ish for us and almost all the snow melted. We bought vegetable seeds yesterday, can’t wait to plant them! (although it may be 3 or 4 weeks before it’s warm enough over night for the seedlings.)
Susanne says
Well, I don’t think I can even comment on your snow seeing that it’s snowing again here today. Sheesh.
But I can comment on your menu! Yum! We had a yummy bean soup last week with our leftover ham bone from Easter. We finished it up Sat. with cheese toast.
I use my crockpot year round! Love that it doesn’t heat up the kitchen as much as an oven in the summer.
niki says
Thanks so much for hosting this. I have been following along for quite some time now and my family thanks you for all the yummy new things we’ve tried from all these bloggers.
🙂
Steph says
Sounds fantastic, have a great week! 🙂
Kim says
Our favorite new recipe last week was Corn and Pepper Jack Quesadillas, on the grill. Very yummy!
debi b says
so glad you got the sweet potatoes right!
YEAH!
PS Can’t believe you have snow still! HOLY COW!
Sarah says
Thanks so much for hosting MPM every week. I have read and used ideas from here for many months. I just started a blog and for my first post it was a meal plan! I’m excited to join you each week.
Kristin says
I am soooo making your Wednesday dish!!!! Thanks for sharing!
Dawn says
Oooops! I forgot to add my blog name to my MPM link!!! Soooorrrryy!
Trish says
Your rosemary and garlic chicken sounds great. I bookmarked the recipe. 🙂 Thanks!
Ashley says
I really like the spinach and pasta toss!
Casey says
There are so many wonderful recipes here this week! I need to start making a list. Thanks for the opportunity!
Rebecca says
That slow roasted chicken sounds really good! I’ll have to try that for one of our crockpot meals soon.
Elaine H says
I cannot tell you what our favorite recipe was last week since I didn’t really use any recipes but our favorite meal was when a pizza dinner complete w/ice cream and pie for dessert was delivered to our door as a surprise! What a blessing, the boy was especially happy because it meant that he didn’t have to stand outside and grill the burgers and dogs that I had planned on.
Heather says
Those Sweet Potatoes sound great. I can’t wait to try them.
I have to say our favorite recipe last week was the Asian Chicken Noodle Soup, which has been requested again this week, but our Creamy enchiladas were a close second.
I agree with you about not using the oven, at least not inside. I have one of those large roaster ovens that I keep outside, so along with the Grill, I don’t have to heat much inside the house during summer. Also, since we get over 100F weather here in Texas, it saves on air conditioning as well.
Lisha says
I love meatball sandwiches….which reminds me that I have some in the freezer…next week will be meatball sandwiches lol YEAH!! Great menu!
Cynthia Berenger says
We’re fans of the sweet potato fries, too. So easy to make and give that crunchy, starchy texture with the benefits of higher nutrition. When Braveheart and I were courting, my future mil and fil were traveling on I-80 from California to their home. She said to him, “I want to go to Idaho.” When my future fil balked, she said, “I don’t care if it’s 150 miles out of our way; I must meet the woman who got Jimmy to eat a sweet potato!”
Amy @ Muddy Boots says
Our favorite this week was definitely Thai Lettuce Wraps. I made up the recipe as I went, but they were sooooooo good. Better still was that my 2 year-old-with-allergies could -and DID!- eat them.
I took pictures as I went and posted the recipe: http://muddybootsblog.blogspot.com/2009/04/thai-lettuce-wraps.html
Rona says
It’s sandwich and soup week at my house.
We love Meatball Sandwiches and Burritos.
You have a great week.