I get slightly obsessive about things, especially when it comes to food and cravings. For example, last week I received an email from a friend about Cinco de Mayo and the very mention of that awesome holiday sent me into a “I MUST have Mexican food, now!” frenzy. Later in the week, I was at McDonald’s with my girls for a playdate and one of the employees was passing out free samples of their new McCafe Caramel Frappe. I had never had a cold coffee drink before and thought I would hate it. Wrong. I loved it and have had 4 since, including another one the same day I had the sample. I’m officially addicted.

This week, you will notice something on my menu plan that was on there last week – Baked Chicken Legs from Chaos in the Kitchen. My friend Amy turned me on to them one day last week, I added them to my menu the first time for Wednesday, and we just had them for the 3rd time tonight. Besides Wednesday night, I made them Saturday for lunch and then again tonight, for dinner. My kids love them, my husband and I love them, and I can imagine that they will be making an appearance on our menu at least once every week from now until the end of eternity. They are THAT good. Oh, and simple…which totally makes it the best deal ever!

In fact, if I had it my way, my menu plan this week would read “Baked Chicken Legs”, “Baked Chicken Legs”, “Baked Chicken Legs”, etc., etc. You get the drift. They have become an obsession.

In an effort to have my family not start growing feathers and walking around clucking and pecking at the ground from too many chicken legs, I’ve decided to add a tiny bit of variety to our menu this week. But just so you know, my wish, at least until the next craving hits, is really for these baked chicken legs.

• Monday Baked Chicken Legs from Chaos in the Kitchen
• Tuesday Cilantro Lime Shrimp with a Honey Dipping Sauce from For the Love of Cooking
• Wednesday Spaghetti with 10 Minute Mushroom Spaghetti Sauce from Recipezaar
• Thursday Meat Loaf Muffins from Cooking Light
• Friday Zesty Tilapia with Mushrooms from All Recipes
• Saturday Slow Cooker Pulled Pork from Baking Bites
• Sunday Garlic Lovin’ Salmon

The post Slightly Obsessive and Menu Plan Monday appeared first on Dine and Dish.

I have had the chance to have a few email conversations with both of my adoptees and I must say… they really don’t need my help at all. Bloggers these days seem to be so much savvier then I ever was back in the day… you know, when I had to walk uphill to school, against the wind, without shoes carrying an 80 pound backpack full of textbooks. Yeah… those were rough days. Makes me cold and tired just thinking about it.

Katie, from The Cutting Back Kitchen, is a menu planning, coupon / deal finding queen. She lives in OH and is married to a prince of a guy as well. I wish I had the sense of mind to be so smart with my money when it was just my husband and I. Katie’s blog is a fantastic resource for parents, singles, couples… anyone wanting to save money, cook delicious food, and figure out how to live a great life on a budget! I have a feeling I’m going to learn as much from Katie as she will learn from me!

Stephanie, who writes the blog Desserts for Breakfast, is a lovely CA native. She is a graduate student in linguistics, but I secretly think she should drop all that and just focus on food photography and styling. She is quite talented for being on the newer side of blogging. Stephanie’s blog is full of delicious, indulgent, rich and decadent desserts… all written up with clever writing and beautiful photography!

I hope you will visit both of these blogs and say hi… welcome them to my ever expanding family and give them a little of attention, please. Ask my kids – you kind of have to fight for it around here.

Now, on to menu plan Monday. My menu this week features some really delicious recipes, but I have to give an extra shout out about what we had for dinner tonight. Have you ever eaten at Bonefish Grill™? Have you ever had their amazing Bang Bang Shrimp™? One of the tastiest things on the planet, in my opinion! Well, this past week I found a copycat recipe and made it tonight… Oh. My. Gosh. This stuff is so good. Warning you though… it has quite the kick to it, so if you don’t like spicy food, you might want to skip this recipe!

• Monday: Copycat Bonefish Grill’s Bang Bang Shrimp™ from Recipe Secrets
• Tuesday: Maid-Rite Sandwiches from Recipezaar
• Wednesday: Chicken Pot Pie from Recipezaar
• Thursday: Homey Grilled Ham with Katie’s Scalloped Potatoes, from The Cutting Back Kitchen
• Friday: Worlds Easiest Roasted Tilapia from Kalyn’s Kitchen
• Saturday: Altamont Grade Schools Poor Boy’s, from my childhood
• Sunday: French Dip Panini from Panini Happy

I hope you all have a great week! What’s on your menu? Don’t forget, for more great menu ideas, visit Menu Plan Monday at I’m An Organizing Junkie!

The post Meet My Adoptees & Menu Plan Monday (Recipe – Bonefish Copycat Bang Bang Shrimp™) appeared first on Dine and Dish.

So, this week I’m on the wagon – I have my menu planned, groceries purchased and the motivation to hopefully get me through to next weekend’s menu planning session again. You would think that simply looking at my bank account on the weeks that I menu plan versus don’t would be motivation enough to keep me consistent! We do so much better, which means more fun money, when I plan out our meals and stick to it.

Here is my menu for this weeks Menu Plan Monday at I’m An Organizing Junkie:

• Monday: The Pioneer Woman’s Enchiladas
• Tuesday: French Onion Crockpot Roast Beef
• Wednesday: Three Cheese Pizza with Baby Bella Mushrooms, from Epicurious
• Thursday: Chicken Tequila Fettuccine (lightened) from All Recipes
• Friday: Shrimp Tacos, from Rookie Cookie
• Saturday: Ham and Cheese Panini, from Martha Stewart Living
• Sunday: Mom’s Spaghetti and Meatballs

Coming up this week on Dine & Dish:

• A Giveaway from I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter
• Meet my Adoptees and an Adopt a Blogger Update

If you are looking for something quick and easy to add to your weeknight menu, this Chicken Stir-Fry recipe is a regular on our menu. Switch up the veggies for what your family likes and will eat!

Chicken Stir-Fry (adapted from Recipezaar)

The post Menu Plan Monday (Recipe: Weeknight Chicken Stir-Fry) appeared first on Dine and Dish.

Now, on to Menu Planning Monday (hosted by Laura of I’m an Organizing Junkie). Wow – this was so much harder than I thought to choose from all of the wonderful recipes you all submitted. Thank you for participating and for helping me out with creating a tasty menu for the week! I bet hubby is going to wish he was home this week to enjoy all of these great meals.

My seven year old son, Jacob, and I sat down and went through each and every recipe in detail. I would eat every single one of them, but sometimes kids have to have a say, so he was the one I went to for help narrowing down and making the final decisions. Without further ado, here is our kid friendly Menu Planning Monday menu. The winners of the Amazon.com gift certificates are:

• Monday – Baked Pork Chops with Potatoes and Thyme from Whisk: a food blog
• Tuesday – Pizza Bites from Chaos in the Kitchen
• Wednesday – Garlicky Peppers & Shrimp from Laura
• Thursday – Orzo with Chicken and Asiago from Stacie
• Friday – Out for a birthday party
• Saturday – Terriakyi Chicken Skewers from Marissa at Directed Wandering
• Sunday – Grandmas Hamburger Noodle Bake from Pages, Pucks and Pantry

Thank you all again for your help. Those of you who won the Amazon.com gift certificates… they should arrive in your inbox shortly!

I was a little overwhelmed and cranky when I wrote that post but things are going much better now. With your help, we will have more than cereal and frozen pizza on the menu this week. I appreciate it!

The post Menu Planning Monday with Reader Recipes appeared first on Dine and Dish.

Join Menu Planning Monday. More information can be found at I’m an Organizing Junkie!

• Monday – Bierocks from Delicious! Delicious!
• Tuesday – Penny with Pumpkin Cream Sauce from Everyday with Rachael Ray
• Wednesday – Church Mother’s Circle Kickoff (eat out prior!)
• Thursday – Cheesy Baked Shells and Broccoli from Real Simple Magazine
• Friday – Homemade Pizza
• Saturday – Angel Hair with Spicy Shrimp from Real Simple Magazine
• Sunday – White Bean Chicken Chili from Dine & Dish

• If you are participating in Adopt-A-Blogger 2 and haven’t heard from your partner, please contact me ASAP! Also, if you are an experienced blogger and missed out on adopting someone, we still have newbies who want to be adopted. Just let me know!
• The winner of the Country Bob’s Cookbook is Lan from Angry Asian Creations. Congratulations to you!
• Remember to enter the Dine & Dish giveaway from Cabaret Chocolate for a jar of their delicious Brewed Chocolate! More info can be found HERE.

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I feel the need to explain my menu this week. We had a big neighborhood pool party on Saturday and we had a ton of leftover sandwich buns. My husband smoked some meat and we had a party at our house on Sunday night and got rid of one huge package, but we still have one huge package left. By huge, I mean commercial size package. We have a lot of buns to go through! So, it is sandwich week at Dine & Dish!

• Monday – Cheeseburgers
• Tuesday – Pesto Chicken Sandwiches with Caramelized Onions from For The Love of Cooking
• Wednesday – Emmental Honey & Ham Panini from Paninni Happy
• Thursday – Turkey and Vegetable Hand Pies from Everyday Food
• Friday – Homemade Pizza
• Saturday – Summer Lovin’ Salad from Coconut and Lime
• Sunday – Crokpot Roast with potatoes, onions and carrots

What’s on your menu this week?

The post Menu Plan Monday – On Tuesday appeared first on Dine and Dish.