Menu Monday

I'm linking up with Rachel over at In No Simple Language.  Lots of great menu ideas!

Butternut Squash Pasta

 

My bloggy friend, Jennifer at Belclaire House, posted about this pasta sauce a few weeks ago.  When I saw that our T.J. Maxx had a big display of it, I stocked up.  I created this recipe based loosely on Jennifer's.  I sauteed half of a large Spanish onion and a chopped red bell pepper in olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Then I tossed in an entire package of sliced sweet Italian chicken sausages and let those brown.  I deglazed the pan with some white wine, and then poured in the entire jar of sauce.  Once that had heated together, I tossed the sauce mixture with a pound of cooked linguine and topped with grated Parmesan. The whole meal took maybe 20 minutes and it was so good! Definitely more fall flavors than spring, but we didn't care.

Grilled Filet Steak and Arugula {Ina Garten How Easy Is That?}

 

credit

Yeah, I can't find a picture online of the original recipe and we devoured ours before I remembered to make a real-life picture.  So you'll just have to make it yourself.  I made NY strip steaks instead of filet, so I adjusted the cooking time accordingly.  Other than that, no changes. I made this meal to celebrate M's first win as a head coach and it did not disappoint.

Hot Dogs, Macaroni and Cheese, and Broccoli

 

This meal equals childhood summers to me.  I'm pretty sure we had this for lunch or dinner at least once a week.  I "upgraded" our meal by using organic ketchup and organic boxed macaroni and cheese, which may be the yuppiest thing I've written to date.  M and I actually fought over the remaining macaroni and cheese. I'm not proud of this.  But I won.

Coconut Cupcakes {Southern Living March 2007}

And I was so pleased with how my cupcakes turned out! I just used my go-to coconut cupcake recipe, but I toasted the coconut in the oven and topped with my favorite Cadbury Mini Eggs. So cute.

Bon appetit!