This week’s family meal ideas deliver with the BEST salmon patties (they’ve been favorited by over 10k readers) and a classic turned easy casserole! I’ve got some of my best tips for grocery shopping, getting more from this menu, plus stocking your kitchen and dish cabinet. Monday Menu really is the best!
This Week’s Secret To Success
- This week, we’re packing in seasonal ingredients. Using seasonal ingredients is one of the easiest ways to ensure your dishes have the BEST flavor. Fresh green peas, carrots and strawberries rule this week’s menu.
- I also chose recipes that use a lot of the same ingredients to make grocery shopping easier. I don’t have to run all over the store, grabbing ingredients from here and there. I hit a few aisles and I’m done!
- Load up on mayo, sour cream, half and half cream, some cheeses, pasta, strawberries and strawberry gelatin and you have almost everything you need for this week’s meals.
Ways to Get MORE From This Menu
- 2 cups of chopped ham = 10 ounces (chicken cordon bleu casserole). Buy 1 pound- 1.5 half pounds of ham, and you’ll have a half pound to a pound of ham leftover after your casserole to use for sandwiches. (It’ll go great with all that mayo cheese you bought too.)
- Go ahead and buy that flat of strawberries from the farmer’s market, roadside stand or your favorite FFA student. Prep what you need for the pie and salsa. Freeze the rest, and you’ll have the frozen berries you need for your jello salad too! It’s less expensive than purchasing individual cartons and frozen berries at the grocery store.
In The Know
Not having the right tools might be the reason you don’t like cooking.
Wow. Yeah. Not having the right tools really does have a bigger impact than you think.
For years, I cooked using whatever I had. Prep took longer and was harder than it had to be. But the biggest frustration was I didn’t always get the end results I wanted.
For the last few weeks, I’ve been sharing some of my favorite kitchen tools that have made cooking so much quicker and easier. They help me get the kinds of results I want, and that makes cooking SO MUCH MORE SATISFYING.
Here’s what I’ve shared so far:
- the first knives I bought
- the cutting board I still use
- this oil to care for it, wooden spoons and anything with a wooden handle
- bench scraper/knife. It makes transferring chopped veggies, fruits and nuts from the cutting board to bowl or cooking pot SO QUICK & EASY!
- 8 cup mixing bowl with a spout. I measure ingredients in it; it’s a constant for mixing and prepping almost every recipe.
This week’s recipe has you grating quite a bit of cheese. I LOVE having a good box grater for that job. It’s size and sturdy shape making grating through a block of cheese an easy 30 second- 1 minute job. It’s also easy to clean by popping it into the dishwasher.
How I’m Setting My Table
Tasty & convenient recipes are only half of any dinner equation! So, don’t forget to make a plan for your family table with your meal plan!
Having a few things at the ready you really love is THE KEY to making every meal time enjoyable and inviting others over stress free. Here are my suggestions with links you can shop!
- Mikasa China- trellis pattern
- Hester & Cook Paper Cabbage Placemats
- Green Vintage-Inspired Goblets
- Hammered Gold Silverware
- Embroidered Willow Leaf Table Runner
- MacKenzie Childs Pink & White Large Cake Pedestal
- Moss Green Ruffled Dinner Napkin by Hen House Linens
- Pink Cabbage Dessert Plates
- White Ceramic Bread Basket
Menu 1- Salmon Patties
Always a top 10 reader favorite, these salmon patties couldn’t be any easier or tastier! They are a southern classic I've tweaked over the years, using updated ingredients while never changing the heart of the recipe! Whether you prefer southern fried, baked or air fried, you’re going to love serving this tender salmon with loads of flavor and all your best family memories in a classic recipe done up right. Dipping sauce options for this recipe: homemade tartar sauce or Louisiana remoulade sauce.
Menu 2- Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole
Enjoy all the flavors of deliciously rich & cheesy Chicken Cordon Bleu in a easy pasta casserole that will blow your family away! Ham, chicken and penne pasta all wrapped in a creamy swiss cheese sauce and topped with a crisp panko topping is unbelievably delicious comfort food that is sure to earn a regular spot on your dinner table.
Dessert This Week
You’re going to be most successful in the kitchen when you cook using what’s in season! That means it’s strawberry pie time! A true classic, this easy no-bake Fresh Strawberry Pie is bursting with plump, ripe strawberries bathed in a simple sweet strawberry glaze all cradled in a flaky, buttery pie crust.
Breakfast Made Easy
2 weeks away from Easter, these muffins absolutely herald the season. Lightly sweetened with brown sugar & cinnamon, made super moist with sour cream and sprinkled with the nutty crunch of walnuts, these Delicious Carrot Zucchini Muffins are the perfect go-to for breakfast or afternoon snack!
Snack of the Week
This easy recipe for Avocado Strawberry Salsa is both sweet & just a little spicy. It is a sunny bowl of ripe strawberries, red onions, light cilantro, smooth avocado, with a pinch of jalapeno heat. Perfect as an appetizer/dip, on grilled chicken or pork, even on fish tacos, your friends and family are going to love this fresh & zippy little fruit salsa. To dip, I use plain pita chips or cinnamon pita or tortilla chips!
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