Week of November 9, 2014

Halloween is over. Just so we are clear, arachnids do NOT get the respect they deserve. That’s all I’m going to say about it. According to every e-card out there, Thanksgiving does not even exist and it is already Christmas. Thanksgiving does exist to me, but we will talk about those plans next week. I’m going to try and share some Trout family traditional recipes with you!

 

Until then, let’s talk about the great debate at the Rutledge Roost. I maybe have a little OCD (Thanks, Dad!). Mr. Rutledge takes on a more relaxed approach to life. In our marriage, this really balances us (ok, if we are being honest I’m the one who needs balance). The décor of Christmas, however, is a COMPLETELY different story and balance goes out the window. No surprise to anyone who knows me: I imagine perfectly taut white Christmas lights with a bulb at every corner and peak and a tree with tiny little white lights, mercury glass balls, lace ribbons and burlap garland. Mr. Rutledge doesn't quite appreciate my need for the beauty of order. He says Christmas décor should have more "joy" than white lights could ever provide. He envisions something that consists of multi-colored, blinking lights everywhere. Sort of reminiscent of Clark Griswold.

 

I’ve tried everything to resolve with compromise (switch every other year or multi-colored lights outside, but a perfectly pristine tree inside). Mr. Rutledge said, “No!” I tried to remind Mr. Rutledge of the wedding advice our dear friend Cody gave us on the eve of our wedding- he only gets 10% of decisions and he should not waste any of them! Though Mr. Rutledge claims I'm the stubborn one in this relationship (and he may be right most of the time), I have been unable to sway him. So, I resolved myself to the fact that, at least this year, I was going to lose, but I got some chores out of him instead! I gave him a honey-do list and said if he got it done before his parents arrived, he could have multi-colored lights, but absolutely no blinking, twinkling lights allowed.

 

I’m begging all of you. Please tell Mr. Rutledge at every opportunity how much you love white Christmas lights. Until then, here is a look at last weeks's meals, a quiche I made this morning (cooking > cleaning) and the plan for this week:

 

White Chicken Chili (1) – This is a recipe one of the dietitians in Tampa shared several years ago. That was the most incredible place to be a young dietitian for many reasons, but most importantly they were all well-integrated into their respective medical teams and all of them could cook! This chili comes together quickly as long as you have the chicken already cooked. You can buy a rotisserie, make your own, or use leftovers. I have some leftover chicken in the freezer and will be using it.

Ingredients:

2 McCormick White Chicken Chili seasoning mix

2 pounds of boneless chicken breast, bite size pieces

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 can of Navy beans

1 can of Cannellini beans

1 can of Great Northern beans

1 can of black beans

1 can of cream of chicken soup

1 can of Rotel

4 cans of chicken broth

Directions: Heat oil in a large stew pot. Add the chicken; cook until it is no longer pink (about 5 minutes). While meat is cooking, drain and rinse all beans. Stir in seasoning packets, beans, cream of chicken, rotel and broth. Bring to a boil stirring occasionally. Lower to a simmer for 20 minutes.

 

Cauliflower fried rice with shrimp (2) – One of my nurse lunch buddies swears this is good. Mr. Rutledge is a little skeptical but he claims to “try anything once!” I’ll be adding some shrimp to this recipe (marinated in a bit of olive oil, lime juice, crushed red pepper and honey then quickly sautéed at the end).  I’ll also add some fresh ginger and water chestnuts. We are really lightening up the recipe with the cauliflower in place of rice! So we will find out if it is a fair trade.

 

Hors d'oeuvres (3) - We are having some friends over for a football game, so I’m planning on making several appetizers while Mr. Rutledge mans the grill. My tasks are: Pita bread and white bean dip; Goat cheese fondue with apples and candied bacon.

         

Grilled pork chops with Camp O’s Squash Casserole (4) – Mr. Rutledge and I met at summer camp. They made this awesome casserole and Miss Kathy gave me a copy of their recipe. Miss Kathy’s better half cannot remember me. It’s like my entire existence went into a black hole in his brain. He reintroduces himself to me every single time I see him. I mean I only worked half of one summer, so I don’t take it personally, but you'd think after a half dozen introductions Tommy might at least remember my face. We think the pork chop will pair well with the squash, and we are just going to throw the chops on the grill.

  

Campfire bundles (5) – Mr. Rutledge has requested something from our “regular rotation.” He mentioned fish tacos and campfire bundles. I picked the latter. I shared this recipe a few weeks back. Chop up your potatoes, veggies and kielbasa. Add some seasonings of choice. Dump into a glass dish; cover with foil and bake at 400 for about an hour.

 

Produce

2 large heads of cauliflower (1)

Carrots (1, 5)

Garlic (1)

2 White onions (1, 4, 5)

Lime (1)

Ginger (1)

Lemon (3)

Granny Smith apples (3)

Rosemary (3)

5 lbs of yellow squash (5)

Mushrooms (5)

Potatoes (5)

Bell Pepper (5)

Jalapenos (5)

 

Meat/Deli Counter

Shrimp (1)

2 lbs chicken (2)

Bacon (3)

Pork chops (4)

Polka Kielbasa (5)

 

Dry Goods

Soy sauce (1)

Honey (1)

2 can of Navy beans (2, 3)

2 can of Cannellini beans (2, 3)

1 can of Great Northern beans (2)

1 can of black beans (2)

1 can of cream of chicken soup (2)

1 can of Rotel (2)

4 cups of chicken broth (2)

Water chestnuts

Olive oil (1, 2, 3)

Yeast (3)

Sugar (3, 4)

Whole wheat flour (3)

All-purpose flour (3)

Breadcrumbs (4)

 

Seasonings/Spices

Crushed red pepper (1, 3)

2 packages of white chicken chili mix (2)
Garlic powder (3)

Smoked paprika (3)

Dehydrated onion flakes (3)

Poppy seeds (3)

Sesame seeds (3)

Light brown sugar (3)

Cayenne (3)

McCormicks Smokin’ Sweet Tea packet (4)

Pepper

Salt

Fridge/Freezer

Eggs (2, 4)

Frozen peas (2)

Whipping cream (3)

11 oz goat cheese (3)

Butter (4)