Menu Plan Monday ~ Week of August 1, 2011

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I have a week off. An honest to goodness week off. I can’t remember the last time I had one of these. I’ve certainly had vacations here and there over the years, but I was always attached to a job and thinking about it more than I should have. For the next seven days I’m job-free and looking forward to it. I’m going to meet friends for coffee and lunch and cook like I don’t have anything else to do. I’ll be finishing up my Christmas cookies for the blog and stocking my freezer for when I go back to work and school starts. I’ll also be experimenting with some new recipes and processing a whole lot of dirty dishes. It’s food blogger heaven.

The Plan

We continue to get back into the swing of things with school starting in just three short weeks. A cheerleading meet and greet is our first official school-related event of the year and I’m happy to report that we’re almost done with school supply shopping. While I’m trying to stay on top of planning for the school year, I’m also working hard to enjoy the end of the summer. This week’s menu is a mix of summer grilling fun and testing of new recipes I hope to put into regular rotation on our menus.

• Monday: Out at FINO before the Austin Food Blogger Alliance board meeting
  FINO has a lovely happy hour and a collection of appetizers will be great for a mom and daughter dinner out.
• Tuesday: Muffin Tin Tacos, fixin’s, guacamole
  I’m always looking for new and fun twists on family favorites so I’m testing this recipe this week. I’ll add refried black beans and use corn tortillas.
• Wednesday: Chicken Lettuce Wraps
  My slow cooker lettuce wrap recipe is a family favorite and everyone can have the dish “their way”. I top my wraps with julienned carrots and bell peppers and the kidlet likes hers over steamed rice.
• Thursday: Food blogger event
  This week we get to try sushi and Asian fusion dishes. I’m really enjoying the new additions to the Austin food community.
• Friday: Create your own grilled pizza with fresh fruit
  We ended up at Harry Potter last Friday so I’m recycling this menu item. I’m still planning a family trip to Whole Foods to pick out fresh toppings that strike our fancy.
• Saturday: Grilled chicken, Beecher’s mac & cheese, grilled vegetables
  I want to try a technique for freezing individual mac and cheese cupcakes so we’ll have a stash of them in the freezer for when school starts. But we won’t be having just any mac and cheese. We’ll be celebrating our summer adventures in Seattle with Beecher’s recipe and their cheeses.
• Sunday: Beef and bacon sliders, oven fries, grilled artichokes
  I’m working on a recipe that marries the perfection of beef and bacon in a simple slider. I’m close but not quite there. Hopefully this week I’ll find just the right ratio and technique.

Are you doing anything to stock the freezer or pantry before the summer comes to an end? What are your favorite freezer-friendly recipes? Please share in the comments.