Happy 19th Birthday, Scout!

Happy Birthday to our Halloween boy, just as beautiful today, inside and out, as he was as a small child.  You are loved, and always will be!

“Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is youer than you.”

-Dr. Seuss 

Mealplan Monday #134 and making it work

I bought myself a nice, big purse a couple Christmases ago, with gift certificates and extra moola.  It wasn't inexpensive, but I did get it on sale.  Anyhoo, it had this little strap that snapped over a pocket.  First I tried to adapt to it, then I pinned it out of my way.

 and then I just got out the seam ripper and dispensed with it. For Pete's sake, I don't know why I have lived with it being a pain for so long.  

 That's just plain silly.  This is a much better spot for my phone to live in.  Works for me!

Monday - Chicken Pot Pie - Scout cooks
Tuesday - Manwiches on Hawaiian buns, chips - Bubbie cooks
Wednesday - (Freezer Meal) Leftover Chipotle Chicken Pumpkin Soup with garlic toast
Thursday - Hamburger Helper, salad (oh, yes I am, and one of the boys can cook...)
Friday -  Pizza?  SCOUT'S BIRTHDAY!!
Saturday - Dad grills
Sunday - Ranch Pork Chops, masheds, veggie

Dessert this week is cake and ice cream in honor of Scout's 19th birthday!  (I can't even believe he is 19!!) 

And here is where she lives - my chair at the dining table - ready to be grabbed on my way out of the door!

Gina

5 thing Friday - blood moon, house pride, disaster zone, Trader Joe's, and chilequiles

On October 8 we had a blood moon.  While I'm not 100% sure of what that is, and am too lazy to look it up, it was spooky and pretty!

 

 All of the rain we had a few weeks ago is much appreciated by my yard and landscaping.  Hubby mowed and I trimmed and it looks super pretty.  I am ready for cooler weather, though.  I would like to sit outside more often.

 It will surprise no one that I am not completely done with the project that started out looking like the above photo.  However, I am plowing my way through this stuff, which is organized and in neatish stacks in the spare room.  I had high hopes of getting it all done this week. 

 I discovered that Trader Joe's has some really yummy choices for lunch.  Scout and I split two different wraps and some rippled sweet potato chips.  

Hubby and I had such a good time on our weekend away.  I miss going out to eat breakfast with him every Sunday when we did not have kids.  That was 'our thing'.

 

Gina

Mealplan Monday #133 and we clean up nicely

 I'm kinda partial to the boys in this family being all cleaned up and smellin' good.

 

 

 They are starting to look more and more like gentleman.

*sniff*

Monday - Cheesy Honey Mustard Chicken, sauteed eggplant, rice

Tuesday - Taco Night - beef soft tacos with guacamole, sour cream, cheese, etc., black beans

Wednesday - Lentil Soup with Beef, garlic rolls
Thursday - Chicken Taco Casserole, salad (will post recipe, too)
Friday - Game Night - Pizza
Saturday - yoyo
Sunday - Mediterranean Pot Roast, French bread, carrots
Dessert this week is Iny's Prune Cake from The Pioneer Woman.  

Sometimes Hubby and I clean up ok, too.

Freezer Meals #11

Next week, I am getting my janky knee fixed, so I want to get some freezer meals stocked up.  Here's what I put together Wednesday:

 While I unloaded all of my groceries, I started up a crock of black beans,

 and one of chicken breasts.  I just sprinkled some lemon pepper on six large breasts and put a small amount of water in here.  I will use them for three meals:  Chicken Pot Pie, Chicken Taco Soup, and Chicken Casserole.  Two big breasts will make enough for each meal to feed four people.

Crockpot Chicken Taco Soup
1 onion, diced
1 can chili beans, undrained
1 can black beans (or make your own, like I did)
1 can corn, drained
1 can tomato sauce
1 can chicken broth
2 can Rotel
1 packet taco seasoning (or make your own)
3 c. cooked and cubed chicken breasts.
I will cook this all day on low and serve with tortilla chips and grated cheese.

Find the Chicken Pot Pie Recipe here.  I have a pie crust all ready to go in the freezer.  The casserole recipe is one I found in a magazine.  I will share it when I make it!

The sauce for Tender and Tangy Pork Chops are from here.  It's a good recipe I've had forever.  We can serve these with coleslaw and rolls.

Mediterranean Pot Roast 
One 3# chuck roast
1 cup drained green olives
1 cup Italian dressing
I tossed all the ingredients in a big freezer zip loc to freeze.  I will cook this from frozen all day in my crock pot.  We can have it with hot French bread and a veggie.  I've never made this before but it sounds good!

 I discovered I didn't have Italian dressing so I made my own with olive oil, vinegar, salt, seasonings. I added parsely and a teaspoon of pesto to this, too. 

Chicken Cacciatore (my recipe)
2 med. onions, sliced thin
3# chicken (I used boneless thighs)
2 garlic cloves, mineced
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
8 oz. tomato sauce
salt, pepper
2 t. Italian seasoning
1/4 cup red wine
Cook 6-8 hours on low and serve with pasta.  I have made various versions of this dish in the past - last time I used the McCormick packets.  But this is a simple recipe.

Crockpot Ranch Pork Chops
6 boneless pork chops (I used the thick rib chops because YUM)
1 packet dry Ranch dressing mix
1 can cream of soup
Mix the soup and dressing.  Slather over the chops in a big zip loc and freeze.  Cook 6-8 hours on low and serve with mashed potatoes and a salad.

 I also cooked 3 pounds of ground beef with onions, drained, then added taco seasoning and a can of diced tomatoes. 

This Taco Meat got divided into two big zip locs to freeze for tacos or whatever. 

 And I couldn't pass up this $4 package of smoked turkey wings to cook in a couple of big pots of beans.  I separated them out into two packages.  I will clean the beans and add to the crock with water and seasonings, then turkey wings.  It usually takes 8 hours or so and halfway through I can add some chopped veggies like carrots and onions.  I also made a big batch of Baked Shells - one for this Sunday and one for later. 

Gina

Mealplan Monday #132 and Flat Creek Winery

 As part of our 29th anniversary weekend, Hubby arranged a trip to  Flat Creek Winery.

 

 I have never been to a winery before.  It was quite the education in how wine is made, not to mention what foods to serve it with, and how to decipher wine labels.

 It is a gorgeous place and the weather was perfect.

 

 Out in the hill country of Central Texas in Marble Falls - can't get much prettier.

 

 

 We took a wine tasting  class in the afternoon that included a tour of the winery.

 It's amazing what all goes into it.  This winery processes grapes for other vineyards, too.

 My favorite part was this room - super chilled and smelling of oak - I wish I could bottle that scent!

 

 

 Two peas in a pod:

 

 Hubby doesn't even really love wine - he said he planned it because I do...awww...

Monday - Tilapia with tarragon-lemon breadcrumbs, Sunshine Corn*, salad
Tuesday - Parmesan Chicken, scalloped reds, butternut squash
Wednesday - Miz Helen's Baked Sandwich, tots
Thursday - Chicken Taco Casserole, salad
Friday - Game night
Saturday - Dad grills
Sunday - Garlic Pork Chops, masheds, green beans
Dessert?  I dunno.  But I'm tempted to go get something pumpkin-y from Trader Joe's.

Sunshine Corn - Melt a tablespoon of butter to a skillet and add 4 oz. of cream cheese and 4 T of green chilies 'til the cheese melts.  Add a bag of frozen corn and simmer until the corn steams.  Season with salt and pepper.

 That evening we attended First Saturday Wine Dinner.  

A three hour long food and wine fest!

 

The food and wine were excellent.  Smoked Shrimp Bisque, Wood-fired Lobster Tail with Wild Mushroom Gratin, Akaushi Beef Chuck Roast with Green Peppercorn Cream, Pumpkin Cheesecake, and more.

The chef was very informative about each dish he served and which wine to drink with it.  And the owner came and gave us a mini lesson on how to drink red wine.

It was held in a huge dining room with about 50 guests - so you could get to know your table mates while you were learning about the wine.

Can't wait to visit there again, and I would love to try out some other wineries, too.  And what a nice anniversary that was!

Gina

5 thing Friday - brinner, their band, shabby-fying, our band, ladies of Wal-Mart

Brinner is a beautiful thing...

 especially when it includes homemade sausage gravy over biscuits, skillet red potatoes, and chickie eggs from Brenham.  

At the recent AISD Band Jamboree, the Texas State Bobcat Band thoroughly entertained us - what a show!  I was very impressed.  I think I went to one game the entire time I went to school there.  I should have gone for halftime, if for nothing else.

Eat 'em up, Cats!

  The lamps I painted black seemed one dimensional - so I shabby'd them up a bit with sandpaper. I'm still glad I painted them - they were so blah.  

Last Friday, our high school band got to practice their socks off all week learning the rest of the halftime show, suffer through heat and humidity with Fall marching uniforms on, stand at the end of the field and watch the entire visitor band show, then march right back up to the stands.  No marching tonight, apparently.

All because of this dumb old lightening.  And we barely got any rain out of it.

I visited this lady for lunch and to change out her smoke alarm batteries, then we enjoyed a tour of the vitamin, pet supply, and bakery of her local Wal-Mart.  Living on the edge.  That's us.

Gina

Mealplan Monday #131 and an unlikely place to drink beer

Hubby and I have discovered an unlikely place to hang out on a Friday night - the Beer Shack at Whole Foods.  Really close to our house and reasonably priced. 

 They have a HUGE selection of beers on tap - our fav so far is the 512 Pecan Porter.

 And they serve oysters grilled or raw.  The view from our perch in the Beer Shack includes the wine section - and on Fridays you can literally stroll around the whole area trying different samples of wine.

 

  

Monday - Baked Spaghetti, salad
Tuesday - Pizza?
Wednesday - Cowboy Quiche, salad
Thursday - Chipotle Chicken and Pumpkin Soup, honey corn muffins
Friday - Cubed Steak Sammie on French rolls, baked sweet potato
Saturday - Dad grill
Sunday - BBQ Burger Beans, garlic toast (heat and eat)
Dessert will be ice cream this week

 

We had a good time last Friday. They close at 10, but it would be an early Friday night for us anyway since I have to work the next day.   Just doing our part to Keep Austin Weird!

Gina