Best Dinners Ever | Early September Meals | Meal Planning is a Homemaker Must

This was the best week of meals ever. It was just one of those magical weeks where each meal was delicious and hit the spot.



Join me as I make Houston's French Dip au jus, a delicious vegetable tart, Moroccan fish with fruit salsa, and Marry Me Chicken. I believe meal planning is a homemaking MUST. I can confidently say that meal planning makes my life easier, keeps us within our budget, and produces better meals for our family. This is the meal planning notebook I use.

I hope you enjoy today's video.

My version of Houston's French Dip Au Jus


Ben and I love dining at Houston's restaurant. Whenever we go I always get the French Dip Au Jus. We haven't been since the lockdown and I have been craving this dish.

Slow Cooker French Dip Au Jus
2-3 lb chuck roast
Medium onion
1 10z can beef consommé
1 cup beef broth
1 Tbs soy sauce
2 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
French sandwich rolls (enough to feed your family)
smoked provolone cheese
oil
salt and pepper


I take a chuck roast (usually they are around 2 to 3 lbs), season it with salt and pepper, and sear it in my cast iron skillet with oil... just a few minutes on each side. Then place it in the slow cooker with one sliced onion, one tablespoon of soy sauce and two tablespoons Worcestershire sauce. Pour in one can of beef consommé and one cup of beef broth. Cook in the slow cooker on low for 8 hours.

When the roast is cooked, heat the French sandwich rolls in the oven until they are toasted. I like to spread butter on the inside of the rolls. Place the shredded roast and onions on the rolls. Place smoked provolone cheese on top of the meat and return the sandwich to the oven for another minute until the cheese is melted. Serve with a nice bowl of the au jus (the sauce from the slow cooker). I like to use these au jus bowls. We also serve with French fries (see the recipe for that below).


Air-Fryer French Fries



2 - 3 medium to large potatoes
2 Tbs oil
1 Tbs paprika
1 Tbs garlic powder
salt and pepper

Use a French Fry chopper to chop your potatoes. Allow them to soak in water for 15 minutes. Then drain the water and pat the potatoes dry. Mix the oil, paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper with your potatoes.

Please follow the instructions on your Air Fryer for cooking French Fries. Every one is different. For my Cosori model, here is what I did. I pre-heat the Air Fryer to 280 degrees F for 5 minutes. Then I place the fries in the basket and press the French Fry icon. The machine lets you know when to shake the fries half way through cooking. These fries are DELICIOUS. I like them with ketchup, but ranch dip would be good too.



Vegetarian Vegetable Tart
1 9- inch pie crust
3 to 4 cups of sautéed vegetables
1 Tbs minced garlic
(I use mushrooms and broccoli, but you can use any combination of vegetables you like)
One sliced tomato
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups whole milk
2 teaspoons dried sage
3/4 cup crumbled goat cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Sauté your vegetables and garlic in olive oil until cooked through. (I steamed my broccoli.) Place a prepared pie crust in the bottom of a deep dish pie pan and add the cooked vegetables. Whisk together the eggs, milk, dried sage, salt and pepper. Pour over the vegetables. Crumble the goat cheese on top. Brush the pie crust with egg wash. Place in the oven and cook for 40 to 50 minutes or until cooked through. I like to use a pie crust shield to protect the crust from burning and will keep this on the crust the second half of cooking (or the first half). Serve with a side salad.



Moroccan Tilapia with Fruit Salsa
This meal is inspired by Robin Miller's recipe in Quick Fix Meals. I have altered the recipe somewhat and will leave my version here as well.

Coconut oil for frying
4- 6 6oz tilapia fillets
1 Tbs ground cumin
1 Tbs ground coriander
Fruit for the salsa of your choice (I use mango, white peach and fig)
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 lemon squeezed
a small handful of chopped cilantro

Heat the coconut oil in your skillet (I use my cast iron skillet) over medium heat. Season both sides of the fish with salt and pepper and rub in the spices. Fry about 3 to 5 minutes per side or until cooked through. Chop your fruit and place in a bowl with the raisins. Squeeze the lemon juice over the salsa (I like my new lemon squeezer), and add the chopped cilantro. Serve the fish with the fruit salsa on top. I like this with brown rice, steamed broccoli, and chopped tomato.



Marry Me Chicken
This is a very popular dish that I have seen several times on YouTube and Pinterest. I am linking the recipe I used here from Modern Honey. I will also write it out here for your reference with the adaptations I made.

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 1/2 lb chicken breast tenders (or 3 to 4 large chicken breasts)
Salt
Pepper
2 cloves Garlic (minced)
1 tsp Thyme
1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
3/4 cup Chicken Broth
1/2 cup Heavy Cream
1/2 cup Sundried Tomatoes (chopped)
1/4 - 1/2 cup Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
Italian Herbs

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large oven-safe skillet (I use my cast iron skillet) heat oil over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper and sear until golden, about 4-5 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to a plate.
Return skillet to medium heat. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in thyme, red pepper flakes, chicken broth, and heavy cream. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring often. Stir in sundried tomatoes and parmesan cheese.
Return chicken to skillet and spoon sauce all over the chicken breasts. Bake until chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Garnish with Italian herbs and grated parmesan cheese, if desired.

⚜️ Featured in the video:
Meal planning notebook/ grocery list
Air fryer
French fry chopper
Au Jus bowls set of 12
Slow cooker
lemon juicer
Robin Miller's Quick Fix Meals cookbook
Copper measuring cups
Cast iron skillet
Silicone pie crust cover
Blue & white Churchill plates
Kristin Stepp's YouTube channel

⚜️ Style
Red Nail polish Londontown (Changing of the Guards) JenniferS 25% off
Plum nail polish London Town (Guarded Jewel) JenniferS for 25% off
My bath robe Plush Necessities
French apron
Everlane dress
Earrings SKYE Opale 18K gold freshwater pearl earrings Jennifer20 for 20% off

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A post shared by 極簡的事 (@the.minithings) on Sep 4, 2020 at 12:26am PDT

Comment of the Week
Sandra writes, "Jennifer - I made every single recipe this week. Even the merengues! Having the potato skins tonight and pizza tomorrow! It was delicious and beyond easy. ☺️ Thank you! I still don’t understand how you spend so little on food. I have a family of three and my groceries are so much more than yours! Oh yeah - wait - I live in NY. 😕"

Sandra, I'm so glad the recipes were a hit! I hope you enjoy the recipes in this video as well!


I hope you enjoy the meals this week. If you make the dishes, please let me know. Your comment could be chosen as comment of the week on The Daily Connoisseur.



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