Weekly Menu 12-15-25
I am looking forward to this week. A week where there are no appointments and no commitments. A week to relax, enjoy Christmas, the lights, the movies, and the beauty. It’s the time before the last few days before Christmas, when we can soak up the true meaning of Christmas.
It’s a week to enjoy all that is Christmas. Take a walk in the crisp, cold air, check out the Christmas lights, visit a tree farm, or simply make hot cocoa and watch a Christmas classic. (But don’t ever drop the homemade hot cocoa mix in the pantry – it’s a whole other story that involved a LOT of cleaning).
Monday
The night before last, the temps dipped down to 14 degrees. When it’s this cold out, a hearty, steamy bowl of soup is definitely welcomed. With plenty of veggies from our Christmas gathering, this soup will help use up leftovers, and since I’ve made it before, I guarantee it’s delicious. This recipe comes straight from Avery Cooks.
I recently came across this cornbread recipe that I was nodding – yes, this may be the perfect cornbread! This recipe from The Food Charlatan includes buttermilk, sugar, honey, and butter for a moist cornbread that won’t crumble!
Tuesday
I have leftover red enchilada sauce, and I can’t think of a better way to use it than enchiladas. This is a great way to use leftover turkey from Thanksgiving, too. I froze my leftovers in 1-cup measurements, so it’ll be easy to pull out a bag for this recipe from Isabel Eats. With seasonings of cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, and oregano, you can’t go wrong. From the movie, Groundhog Day, “Am I right, or am I right?”
To round out this meal, I’m serving Spanish Rice (just adding some red salsa to the rice with a bit of seasoning), and leftover tortilla chips and Queso dip (from Catherine). I can’t wait!
| Turkey Enchiladas Spanish Rice Tortilla Chips and Queso Cheese Dip |
Wednesday
Another meal makes it to my menu selection this week, based on leftovers! I have pasta and Italian sausage in the freezer, along with fresh spinach and tomatoes that need to be used before they go bad – and it all adds up to a savory, delicious soup to ward off the chill while using ingredients that need to be eaten, and satisfy our taste buds – Italian-style. Another recipe from Skinny Taste!
The only thing worthy of a good Italian meal is sourdough bread, this time served with plenty of garlic butter, well-seasoned, and toasted to a delightful crunch!
| Ravioli Soup Garlic Toast |
Thursday
You might be getting the idea that this week is about using leftovers. And, you’d be correct. Tonight, in fact, we are having some homemade TV dinners that I put together after Thanksgiving. They include turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potatoes, stuffing, veggies, and so on. And guess what? I only used half a can of cranberry sauce for our cranberry meatballs for the party, so it’s like having Thanksgiving all over again – well, not quite…
| Leftover Homemade Turkey TV Dinners Leftover Cranberry Sauce |
Friday
We’re craving fish. Something lean, light, and easy to cook. This grilled mahi mahi recipe from Honest Cooking meets all those prerequisites. It gets its rich flavor from all the seasonings like cumin, oregano, cayenne, paprika, onion, and garlic powder. Then grill the fish to perfection! Be sure to serve this fish with a light, crisp white wine.
For the sides, simple, steamed green beans and a delicious cauliflower au gratin from Jo Cooks that is made with Swiss cheese, but we’re using gruyere – the best Swiss cheese in my opinion, it’s the crème de la crème!
| Easy Grilled Mahi Mahi Steamed Green Beans Cauliflower Au Gratin |
Saturday
I’m ready for a meal out – no cooking! As we prepare for the week ahead, I will be doing plenty of cooking, not only for Christmas, but for Christmas Eve, and our anniversary! All special days with special meal plans.
| Dinner Out |
