Menu Plan Monday

Mother Nature wasn't done with us last week, so I had to opt for my non-grilling menu most nights. I was bummed, but the sun has been out a little today. Maybe we'll get to grill this week. The good news is that I didn't have to buy much this week as I had planned for grilling and non-grilling last week and still have lots of food in the freezer.

We ended up making pizzas on Saturday to accommodate a change in menu for a visiting American. We tried a white sauce for the adults' pizza this time, and both really enjoyed it. I'll post the recipe at the end. The sauce was easy to make and had a very good flavor.

This week is looking like this:

Sunday - crock pot ham, gratin dauphinois, and salad
Monday - Chef salad (to use up the stuff cut up for last night before it goes bad), maybe hamburgers if it stays nice
Tuesday - Mac'n Cheese and ham
Wednesday - Tacos
Thursday - Chicken in Madeira Cream Sauce (new recipe - posted below)
Friday - Pork chops in mesquite marinade, hopefully grilled
Saturday - Grilled steak, salad, bread, roasted garlic to spread
Sunday - Grilled duck breast, grilled veggies, cheesy garlic mashed potatoes

Chicken in Madeira Cream Sauce

1/4 cup (60 ml) butter
1/4 cup (60 ml) sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup (60 ml) beef broth
1 cup (250 ml) heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbsp (30 ml) finely chopped parsley, to garnish
6 chicken breast halves
2 tsp (10 ml) butter
1/4 cup (60 ml) Madeira
1/2 tsp (3 ml) fresh lemon juice

* In a large skillet, heat 1/4 cup butter until slightly browned. Add chicken and brown lightly, 30 seconds per side. Place chicken and droppings in a casserole dish and cover. Bake in a 400 F (204 C) oven for 6-8 minutes until chicken feels springy when touched. Do not overcook. Remove chicken to a hot serving dis, cover and keep warm while making sauce.

*Sauce - Saute mushrooms in 2 tsp butter and set aside. Add broth and Madeira to pan juices from chicken. Simmer until reduced by half. Add cream and simmer until slightly thickened. Add salt, pepper, lemon juice and mushrooms. Heat thoroughly.

White Sauce for Pizza

6 Tbsp Butter
6 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Tbsp White Wine
1 tsp Rosemary
1 tsp Basil
2 Garlic cloves, minced

Saute garlic in butter and olive oil. Add all other ingredients and simmer for 15 minutes.

**Notes on the White Sauce - I used dried spices (Herbes de Provence). I will try fresh spices next time as the dried spices seemed to just clump together. Also, I couldn't get the heat in my stove reduced far enough to get only a simmer. I had a pretty steady boil and ended up shortening the cook time by a few minutes. It was still very good!

Check out the other menus at Menu Plan Monday.