Monday, January 29, 2018

Mealplan Monday #178

The theme for menus this week is freezer clean-out!

Monday
- Alamo Bowls (with rice, cooked chicken, sauteed peppers and onions, black beans, cheese)

Tuesday - Stuffed Baked Potatoes with pork tips (sounds weird, but I think it will be tasty!)
Wednesday - HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Hubby!  Italian Shrimp, Steakhouse Mac and Cheese, salad, rolls, Granny Smith Apple Pie, ice cream
Thursday - Tamales, cheesey refrieds, leftover salad
Friday - Beef Stew Pot Pie
Saturday is YOYO
Sunday -  Chicken Bacon Sub Sandwich, chips, tomato soup


Gina

Friday, January 26, 2018

Sharon's Hamburger Soup

I try to stick to the menus I post each week, and most of time I think I do pretty well.  But every now and again I change it up last minute and this week I decided to forego the chicken curry dish for a crock pot of comfort instead - my late SIL's Hamburger Soup. Every time I fix it, I think of her.  
Feeds a crowd and is pretty wonderful!

Hamburger Soup
3 lbs. ground chuck, sauteed with 1 large chopped onion
Drain that and add:
2 cans tomato soup
1 can stewed tomatoes
3 beef boullion cubes
2 c. water
1 bag frozen mixed veggies (2 c.)
Season it up!
Cook on low in the crock pot all day


And it fed us two nights this week which was great to come home to after a long day!


Gina

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Monday, January 22, 2018

Mealplan Monday #177

Monday - Sammie Night (last week was roast beef and cheddar on sesame buns)
Tuesday - Panaag Curry Chicken, rice, squash
Wednesday - Turkey and Spaghetti (OLD recipe from Hubby's mom)
Thursday - Smoked kielbasa and beans, veggie
Friday - BBQ Chicken and onions in the crockpot, mashed potatoes, veggie
Saturday and Sunday are TBD




Friday, January 19, 2018

5 thing Friday - dibs and dabs, beer, Ted, lotion, birthday dinner

I hate throwing the last dibs and dabs of stuff away, so I almost always am on the lookout for how I can use stuff up completely when cooking.  The last bit of ketchup can go into the stew, that bit of leftover veggie can be added in to a soup or casserole, and so on.
And the last few spoonfuls of almond butter, peanut butter, and pumpkin spice cookie butter can be made into a giant peanut butter cookie with the last bits of chocolate chips sprinkled on top.  It was a warm from the oven treat that hit the spot!
Hubby and I took our growler to Whole Foods Market on Sunday to enjoy the spring-like temps on the balcony in advance of Inga.  We also had oysters and smoked salmon nuggets.  Bonus points for this particular venue being about two minutes from Camp Rustown.
Teddy has been a good houseguest and is warming up to all of us nicely.  Though I'm pretty sure he's asking for me to stop reading and pay attention to him here.
 
I have containers of lotion in every room of this house, and my tote bag and purse, and I use it liberally and often and yet still my hands look like a crone's.  I am trying to limit the time I have them immersed in cleaning products, and even the shower, but I fear I am fighting a losing winter battle.  I even bought new gloves for driving because the bite of the dry cold kills me.
 
Firstborn's birthday dinner last night was delightful: Baked Rigatoni, Caesar salad, garlic crescent rolls, Texas sheet cake with roasted pecans, and ice cream.  It required that I prep it all in advance before leaving for work, but it was a snap to heat up and serve.  Happy Weekend, everyone!  I feel like we earned it this week in Texas!


Gina

Wednesday, January 17, 2018

Remembering a January, 28 years ago

Hubby and I became parents at age 28 with the birth of  our first baby.  (which is, by the way, how old he will be tomorrow!)  I think you can never fully prepare yourself.  It was a bumpy road at times, and we learned so much from this very first baby.  We were as green as they come.
Neither one of us ever holding a baby, much less diapering and feeding one.  But we felt like we had a lot to offer and were so grateful and excited to be given this perfect little baby!
There's something magical about the first.  
He might have outgrown Hubby's shoulder, but he will never outgrow our hearts.

Happy Birthday, Spencer Austin!  We love you so much!


Gina

Monday, January 15, 2018

Mealplan Monday #176


Monday
- Sammie night (last week was honey ham on apple bread with Havarti- so good!)
Tuesday - Leftovers night
Wednesday - Happy Birthday dinner for firstborn!
Thursday -   Turkey Taco Casserole (instead of chicken), salad 
Friday - Chipotle and Onion Shredded Beef on tortillas, sour cream, pico de gallo, etc.
Saturday is TBD.  Sunday will be Baked Beans and Elgin Sausage, garlic toast
Yesterday I made a whole new batch of freezer pie crusts and  ranch dressing mix, too!

Gina

Friday, January 12, 2018

Eggnog pie

Cleaning out the fridge in advance of my Monday grocery run, I spied a half-full jug of eggnog that was to expire the next day.  Which is weird, because I only bought two of them, and that was several weeks ago.
Firstborn, December 2007

Such a thing used to never happen at my house!  Firstborn LOVED eggnog.  I mean, if you didn't get yourself a cup of it right when you saw it, it would be GONE the next time you went to the fridge. Fast forward to now, and he barely had a cup or two of it.  I thought, why not add it into something instead of just tossing it?  Stir it into hot cocoa? Bake it in a cake instead of the milk the recipe calls for?  Make a quick bread recipe with it?  What about a pie?  Pie it is!
I pulled out the very last pie crust from my freezer and let it come to room temp while I assembled:
1 1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. flour
3 eggs
the rest of the eggnog (2 c.)
1 t. vanilla extract
1/4 c. butter, melted and cooled
 
My pie crusts were good! I fold the blob of crust over several times, coat it with more flour, then roll into a ball and use my rolling pin to make a big circle.  After I fit it into the pie plate I let it chill while I mix up the filling.
 Dry ingredients in one bowl, wet in another.  Stir the butter in at the last.
 I actually had too much filling for the crust - it was dangerously close to spilling over.
And when I pulled it out of the oven (350, about 45 min), it was puffed like a souffle!  But I figured it would settle down, and it did.  I left it to cool a bit, then stored in fridge.  And it was the second best pie I made this holiday season!
And a piece of it makes a nice companion to my morning coffee today.
Happy Friday!



Gina

Wednesday, January 10, 2018

Random bits of Christmas 2010

  Here's a tidy recap of Christmas and New Year:
 

 We ate "slapatizers" on Christmas Eve during the day.  We had smoked trout with sliced Asian pear, Thai chili lime spiced cashews, and some mini freezer pizzas and such from Trader Joe's.  

  

 




 Santa brought me anti-snake boots.  Come at me, snakes.
 
 
On New Year's Day, we had our usual feast, along with this walnut raisin pie which was THE BEST PIE EVER.  I know it looks like all we did was eat, play cards, make puzzles, enjoy the firepit and each other's company, and have a great Christmas, but that's only because we did!


Gina

Monday, January 8, 2018

Mealplan Monday #175

It promises to be a long week...
Monday - Sammie night
Tuesday - Beef Stew in the crockpot, rolls
Wednesday - leftovers or take-out
Thursday - Gumbo Sausage Pasta, green salad
Friday - Sticky Chicky, rice, peas
Saturday and Sunday are TBD


Friday, January 5, 2018

5 thing Friday - eating out, plans to sew, puzzles, plans, Teddy

Early in December, Hubby and I visited this cute restaurant that we always pass on the way to Highland's - Cafe Twenty Three Hundred.
 The place was decorated cute and we enjoyed it a lot.
 
The week before Christmas I took a ham lunch from Central Market to my mom, and we moved her ferns indoors, cleaned up the front room, and set up her quilt frame, among other chores.  
 
Puzzles were the rage at my house over Christmas.  I got three of them from Dollar Tree and they were hard!  So, I mod-podged them to keep forever.  Now just need to decide what to do with them.
Hubby and I decided to buy a trailer so we can start gathering big trash at Highlands for the next dumpster delivery.  In the winter, you can more easily see stuff that needs to be gathered because the vegetation dies back. We've owned the property 15 months now - we discover something different every time.
Teddy will be vising us until the busy season ends for The Girl.  I'm sure both of them will be overjoyed come March first.  And either Hubby and I will decide we can't wait for a dog of our own, or we'll know for sure it'll have to wait.


Gina

Monday, January 1, 2018

Mealplan Monday #174

Monday - Ham Balls, cabbage, black eyed peas, rolls, walnut raisin pie
Tuesday - Mexican Chili
Wednesday - Freezer meal: Tamales and pintos
Thursday - Baked Ziti (freeze half for later in the month)
Friday - Honey Garlic Chicken in the crockpot, rice, peas
Saturday - Roast Turkey, stuffing, Arkansas green beans
Sunday - Corn  Chowder
******
Happy New Year!