Mealplan Monday #6 and Jalapeno Bacon Poppers

One more oven meal left to go and I am closing down the oven - except maybe for the occasional 10 minute pan of freezer cookies.  This week is much like last, with the exception of my mother coming to town today for the eye doctor .

Jalapeno Bacon Poppers

Monday - Cilantro Lime Chicken, leftover homemade mac and cheese, green beans
Tuesday - Pork and Peppers crock pot, rice
Wednesday - Tex Mex Skillet Casserole, refrieds, salad
Thursday - Grilled cheese sammies on Texas toast bread, soup
Friday - Stir Fry pork and ramen bowls, Chubby Hubby bars (leftover) with ice cream
Saturday - Dad grills
Sunday - probably order pizza, salad

One of favorite things to grill are these little bundles of jalapenos, stuffed with cream cheese and wrapped in bacon.  We discovered them on  a family vacation in Port Aransas years ago.  The recipe is simple:  halve the jalapenos, scrape out the seeds and membrane with a spoon, put about 1 teaspoon cream cheese in each one and wrap with a half slice of bacon.  I can get 28 poppers with 14 jalapenos, a pound of bacon, and a block of cream cheese.  I make them on Friday and hubby grills them for dinner on Saturday.  So good!

Gina

Drought recovery in the landscape

We're still way behind where we should be at this time of year for rainfall, but Central Texas has been blessed with some mild temps and a little bit of rain that has helped my yard discover it wants to live!

One day I mercilessly trimmed the landscaping and re-mulched.   Everything is coming back so pretty!  The lantana is spilling over to the sidewalk.

 

 You can't kill Wandering Jew - it's an invasive species here and once you plant it, 

you've got it.  But I love it, so I don't mind it one bit.

 

These salvia plants I thought were goners for sure.  And now they look like they are spreading.

 

All the sage required was a trim and they filled out nicely. Pretty soon they will be attracting hummingbirds and bumblebees.

And butterflies! They are everywhere!

 

The jasmine the neighbor planted on a trellis scents my yard with the most incredible perfume. I feel a little guilty that we're the ones getting to enjoy it. 

 The fig tree has gone wacko.  Really, at the end of the last two summers I thought it was dead. 

More Wandering Jew.  I love it under the trees.

I still have a lot of lawn maintenance to do - spreading top soil and seeding some bare spots.  But if this trend of a little rain here and there keeps up, we should be able to hang on to our yard fairly easily this summer.

Gina

Mealplan Monday #5

This week, as last, I will be working about 11 hours extra.  I have to make sure I stay organized and plan in advance.  I purposely chose a menu that was relatively pain-free. The objective is to get people fed with minimum fuss. 

Rustown Art

Monday - Chicken Sausage Stew (from The Houston Chronicle)
Tuesday - Ham and Cheese Party Rolls, chips, mini bakery brownies with frozen yogurt
Wednesday - Easy Slow Cooker A1 Swiss Steak, instant mashed potatoes, peas and carrots
Thursday - One Pot Spagetti, green beans
Friday - Eat Out In Night - probably pizza with a bagged salad
Saturday - Dad Grills
Sunday - Dr. Martin's Mix*, corn

Gina

Glazed Yogurt Cake

I found this recipe by Isabelleathome on Tasty Kitchen and had to try it.

 

Anything made with orange marmalade has to be good!   It took 10 minutes to put together, 45 minutes to cook and was easy.

 

Glazed Yogurt Cake
1 1/2 c. flour
2 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 c. sugar
3 whole eggs
2 T orange zest (from 1 orange)
1 t. almond extract
1/2 c. canola oil
1/3 c. orange marmalade
2 T orange juice

Pre-heat oven to 350 and grease a loaf pan (I used my bundt pan).
Zest the orange, then juice it.  Set both zest and juice aside.  In another bowl mix flour, baking powder, and salt.  In a second bowl mix yogurt and sugar 'til smooth.  To that, add the eggs once at a time, whisking til smooth, then add the orange zest and the extract.  Now whisk in the oil.  Finally, add all of the flour mixture to the wet  mixture and  stir gently 'til well incorporated.  Do not overmix.  Pour the batter into the greased pan and bake 50-60 minutes.  *note* I baked mine for less time - I like a really moist cake.  Adjust your baking time to the pan you are using.

Once the cake is out of oven, mix the marmalade and 2 T. fresh OJ in a pot on low heat 'til syrupy. 

Poke a few holes in the top of warm cake and gently spoon on the glaze.  Let cool completely and serve.

We spooned sliced strawberries over each slice and enjoyed it with vanilla bean ice cream and it was wonderful - like a pound cake in texture.  

Gina  

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Mealplan Monday #4 with Mrs. Ringle's Brisket

This week is all about "the easy" as I am picking up extra time at work and the boys go camping on Friday.  

 

Monday - Freezer Meal:  Roast pork shepherd's pie (Easter leftovers), salad
Tuesday - Brown Sugar Chicken, rice, carrots
Wednesday - Bean and BBQ chicken crock pot, Cheesy Bacon Ranch Bread
Thursday - Another Freezer  meal - there's a lot of food still in there...
Friday - Crock Pot brisket for sammies* for the boys, potato salad
Saturday - mom eats out, everyone else either camping, working, or at school.
Sunday - Weeknight Lasagna Toss, garlic bread, salad

*Mrs. Ringle's Brisket

1 4-6# brisket

Prepared yellow mustard

1 envelope Lipton onion soup mix

Slather mustard all over brisket.  Sprinkle onion soup over it.  Place in greased crock pot with a scant amount of water (1/4 c.) Cook on low 8-10 hours.
Shred and serve on buns.

Gina

The making of a rainbow

Coming back from a trip to Waco last month, Hubby and I saw a strange light up in the clouds:

 The car was moving, so my pictures are not as sharp.

 I wonder what ancient people thought as they looked up and saw this light in the clouds.  Were they un-nerved by it?  I was!

 It had to be a rainbow, seen end-on.  Mind you, there was no rain at all!  Just clouds.

Gone.  But it kind of weirded me out.

Gina

Cowboy Bread

Here's what we enjoyed on Easter Sunday morning, 

warm from the oven, with a  side of scrambled eggs, and a cup of coffee:

Cowboy Bread, which is more like a snack cake.  This recipe comes from the Pasadena ISD school cafeterias, by way of the Houston Chronicle.  Those lucky kids - I thought school cafeterias cooking their own food was a thing of the past...

Cowboy Bread

3 c. flour

2 sticks melted unsalted butter

1 cup light brown sugar

1/2 t. salt

1 t. baking soda

1 c. chopped nuts (I used walnuts)

1 t. cinnamon

1 c. buttermilk*

1 egg

Heat oven to 350 and grease a deep 13x9 glass dish.  In a large bowl combine the first seven ingredients, reserving 1 c. of the mixture.  Mix the remaining dry mixture with the buttermilk and the egg.  Pour the batter into the dish and top with the reserved dry mixture.  Bake at 350 for 35 minutes - check to be sure middle of cake springs back when touched.  Serve warm.
 *Make your own by combining 1 c. evaporated milk with 1 T vinegar.  Let sit awhile to curdle.

It was a moist, delicious cake that made the whole house smell good!  I froze half of it for my cowboys to enjoy on a busy school morning soon...

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Mealplan Monday #3 and Honor Scouts

The Monday night steak dinner for the scouts was a big hit. 

So was the Hummer limo that took them to the meeting afterwards:

Monday - Crock pot Chicken Curry with brown rice, spinach

Tuesday - Leftover spagetti, salad

Wednesday - Turkey Pot Pie (using a pre-made pie crust)

Thursday - Bagged chicken teriyaki, ramen, crab rangoons

Friday - Beanie wienie, garlic toast, salad

Saturday - Dad grill

Sunday - Sloppy Joes, chips, carrot sticks

Gina

Thrifty Easter table 2012

I wanted to make the dining room pretty for our family Easter lunch.  My plan was to find some cute placemats and napkins, devise a centerpiece, and get curtains to hang. Two out of three accomplished!

At Goodwill I found this metal cup and saucer sculpture thingy for 99 cents. And 6 Battenburg lace trimmed napkins for $6.  They match the small tablecloth I will use on top of a Spring-y yellow one.

I needed the napkins for bunny ear folded napkins.  (I found the tutorial here.)  The round green placemats were on sale at Kohl's for $2.49 each.  I can use them for other holidays or just whenever.  The little yellow candles were a buck each at Wal-Mart.

 The tea cup thingy got some florist foam and moss that I already had with some flowers I picked up from Dollar Tree.  The bunny from Salvation Army got moved to the dining room as well.

Are you ready for Easter?  I can't wait to spend time with my nearest and dearest.

Gina  

Granny Smith Pies

Monday I made two apple pies, by Hubby's request, for the scouts that were coming to dinner.  They were warm and bubbly by the time they were ready to be served with Bluebell Homemade Vanilla ice cream.

 

Granny Smith Apple Pie

• 1 (15-ounce) package refrigerated pie crusts
• 6 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced
• 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice 
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1. Fit one pastry into a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate. (I used a casserole dish since I was making two pies and wanted them to "match")
2. Toss together apple and lemon juice in a large bowl. Combine brown sugar and next 4 ingredients; sprinkle over apple mixture, and toss to coat. Spoon into prepared pie crust.  I also put a few pats of butter on top of the apples.
3. Roll remaining pie crust to press out fold lines; place over filling. Fold edges under, and crimp; cut slits in top for steam to escape.
4. Bake at 450° for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°, and bake 35 minutes.

 

 I might have to add this recipe to my holidays file.  These were so good the boys licked their bowls. 

Gina

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Mealplan Monday #2

This week, we're having easy dinners.  

Monday - Spaghetti, salad

Tuesday - Kraft Fresh Takes chicken (I got a coupon for a free package so I am looking forward to trying it), skillet potatoes, and mixed veggies

Wednesday - Jamaican Rice and Beans*, sauteed squash

Thursday - Rosemary's Green Pepper Stew, corn muffins

Friday - Tilapia Tacos, pico de gallo, shredded cabbage, sour cream and monterey jack cheese, chili beans

Saturday - Dad Grill  

Sunday - Roast Pork, Green Bean Casserole, mashed potatoes with gravy, oven carrots, deviled eggs, rolls.  For dessert I'm making strawberry cake balls and trying my hand at these marshmallows, and maybe a coconut pie. 

*This is a recipe I got out of a magazine - it involves spiffing up a boxed red beans and rice mix with a can of diced tomatoes, and some diced leftover roast.  So good!

Gina