Menu and Shopping List for 8/18-8/22

I've decided to make a slight change to the Meal Planning entries. Instead of posting 6 dinner recipes, I will post 5 dinners and then an extra, super-fun recipe on Friday. I'm guessing that they will usually be appetizers or desserts, which are two of my favorite kinds of food! This week, I'm really excited to share a recipe my friend just gave to me. My husband, daughter and I were just in Maine visiting friends, and they made this amazing crab dip! I would venture to guess that even if you are not a seafood person, you will fall head over heels for it like I did. I think the fact that they used a rosemary olive oil bread loaf helped, because it was a great combination. So that will be the great fun recipe of the week, but it won't be published until Friday. Here is the menu:



Monday: Poor Man's Gumbo

Tuesday: Fiery Wagon Wheels

Wednesday: Meat and Vegetable Kebabs

Thursday: Pasta with Asparagus and Bacon Cream Sauce

Friday: Leftover Kebab Wraps

FUN Recipe: Crab dip in a bread bowl



Shopping List

Produce
2 ribs celery

2 large onions
1 small onion
1 red onion
1 jalapeno chile
3/4 lb. cremini mushrooms

7 cloves garlic

1 bunch scallions

2 green peppers

1 zucchini
1 bundle fresh asparagus
Bag of pre-washed salad

Meat
20 slices bacon
1 1/2 lb. Spicy pork sausage
1 1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast

1 1/2 lb. London Broil

Pantry
One 14.5-oz. can diced tomatoes

1/4 cup tomato paste
One 28-oz. can diced fire-roasted tomatoes (if you can't find fire-roasted, use regular)
2 (6 ounce) cans crabmeat
One 12-oz. can solid white tuna packed in water
2 1/4 cups rice
1 lb. rotelle pasta (wagon wheels)
3/4 lb. fettuccine, or any long pasta
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2-3 Tbls. Italian dressing, plus other desired salad dressing
2 Tbls. soy sauce
5 tablespoons mayonnaise

Herbs and Spices
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 tsp. file powder, such as Zatarain's
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and Pepper

Dairy
1 Tbls. butter

1 1/4 cups half-n-half
8 oz. (about 2 cups) shredded cheddar cheese
11 ounces cream cheese

Bread
4 wraps (any style)

1 (1 pound) loaf, round, crusty italian bread (you might want to wait and buy this right before you are going to use it – it is for crab dip, the recipe is coming on Friday – so the bread doesn’t dry out)

Other Materials

10 metal or wooden skewers