Easy Weekly Dinner Menu #2: Fire up the slow cooker.

It’s Super Bowl Sunday. I have avoided the grocery stores this weekend, but during the game will be the perfect time to shop with no crowds. (I’m not much of a sports fan, although I do love the party food that accompanies the big game.)

Once the buffalo wings have run out, you will want to think about what you will be eating next week. For this, I bring you The Weary Chef’s next easy weekly dinner menu, with recipes and a complete shopping list.

1. French Dip Sandwiches – There are two kinds of people in this world, dunkers and nondunkers. I fall firmly into the former category. I dunk donuts into coffee, bread into soup, and french fries into milkshakes (OK, I mostly did this as a kid, but the salty/sweet, cold/hot contrasts still appeal). A sandwich that is meant to be dunked has my name written all over it. These sandwiches are GOOD I tell you and very easy. Side dishes could vary, but my suggestions this time around are tater tots and sweet, crunchy baby carrots.
2. Greek Salad – We have this almost weekly at our house. It is of course best served with bread, because what isn’t? I make garlic bread by cutting a loaf of sourdough in half lengthwise, spreading it with softened butter (or your choice of butter alternative), then sprinkling it with dried oregano, basil, dill (be generous with the dill), and garlic powder. Bake butter-side-up in a 350-degree oven for 10-15 minutes until as golden brown and crunchy as you like.
3. Carnitas Tacos – Our other slow cooked roast for the week will be for Fiesta Night. I found this recipe years ago and never looked for another. I do amp up the spices, but it’s good as written too. I definitely recommend serving this with guacamole and fresh margaritas, as featured on this week’s Happy Hour post. This can be a weeknight dinner, but you will need to allow 45 minutes for the final baking step.
4. Mac and Cheese with Stovetop Barbecue Chicken and sliced tomatoes – There are so many mac and cheese recipes out there. So, so many. I have tried lots of them and liked some of them. This week, I used Revolutionary Mac and Cheese from Macaroni and Cheesecake, which is super simple because the pasta cooks in the milk. I used medium cheddar but would recommend sharp cheddar to give it a stronger flavor. I thought it turned out really well and would make it again, but expect to see other mac and cheese recipes appear here in the future. The chicken is an easy recipe I threw together because I had a hankering for BBQ sauce.
5. Buffalo Chicken and Potato Casserole – I recently found this recipe from Cook Lisa Cook on Pinterest, and it was amazingly good. I cut the recipe in half, and I’m not proud to say that two of us ate the entire thing. The Man, who usually just quietly eats his food without complaint or compliment, went on at length about how much he loved it. I was amazed how perfectly the potatoes cooked with this technique, and this will be how I roast potatoes or make homefries from now on. I can’t say it’s kid friendly because it’s pretty spicy, but maybe your kids are tough or maybe you could doctor up the recipe to reduce the heat. Let me know if you find a good milder version, and we can share it here. This is best for a weekend meal since it takes over an hour.
6. Fettucine with Sausage and Mushroom Sauce – My mom gave us a subscription to Dinner of the Month Club for Christmas. I didn’t know there was such a thing, but she is always finding clever stuff like that. Every month we receive a pasta sauce, fancy pasta, and some sort of bonus item like an appetizer or dessert. (This month the bonus was addictive waffle cookies, but I digress.) This recipe is based on what we received this month, and it couldn’t be simpler. Serve with a green salad for a 20-minute dinner.
7. Slow Cooker Chicken Stroganoff with Broiled Asparagus – This stroganoff recipe relies a little more on packaged ingredients than I would normally like, but it is tasty and easy. For the side: wash and trim asparagus spears, toss with olive oil and salt and pepper to taste, then broil in a single layer for 6-8 minutes until tender.

Here is the week’s grocery list in doc and pdf formats. One reader suggested that I append the recipes to the list to make it easy to print everything you need for the week, but that’s a little tricky when I’m using recipes that don’t belong to me. I’m still thinking about the etiquette for that one. Do you have any other formatting tweaks to suggest?