Menu Plan Monday

Here's the menu plan for this week. . .pretty boring, pretty standard, but still all good.

The highlight of last week was pineapple chicken. Everyone loved it in this house. The only change I would make is to thicken the sauce at the end. . .maybe by stove top. That is just more of a personal preference. The flavour was good. . .and easy.

Monday-spaghetti, garlic bread

Tuesday-Sausage, perogies, stir-fried veggies

Wednesday-Fancy grilled cheese (option 1 or option 2), french fries

Thursday-South of the Border Chicken and Rice Bake, salad (this is a new one)

Friday-Pizza

Saturday-fish something. . . (or out!)

Sunday-pancakes

For more mp ideas, visit www.orgjunkie.com.

A Pink Christmas Giveaway

A very beautiful blog

is having a giveaway.

Cute cards.

Adorable stickers.

Gorgeous note cards.

Christmas made easy by etsy artist Kara Rosenberry.

Pop on over to Bluebird Notes

for this giveaway.

Menu Plan Monday

Menu plan. . .late.

Oh well.

But to qualify, I got a surprise meal made for me on Monday, so really, my plan would have been inaccurate, so it is better to supply you with an accurate plan, right?

That's the excuse I'm gonna go with anyway!

Monday-Chicken Milani (a chicken and vegetable stew), buns

Tuesday-Crock Pot Pineapple Chicken, rice, carrots

Wednesday-sausage, perogies, stir fry veggies

Thursday (CP day)-Beef Barley Vegetable Soup (from last week)

Friday- left-overs or Tuna (or chicken) Casserole/spaghetti

Saturday- will post about this day later. . .its an appie day!

Sunday-Apple Pancake Bake (never tried it yet)

Well, have a happy week, and check out www.orgjunkie for more MP ideas!

MPM. . .if it's not too late. . .

I know, I'm a slacker. . .but I thought I would post anyway, if only for the links! And I can honestly say we have stuck to the plan (because if I changed it at all, you will never have known!) Anyway. . .

Monday- BBQ Chicken, buns, beans (notice all the "B" words? Completely by chance, but not bothersome at all!)

Tuesday-tuna melts, steamed veggies

Wednesday-chicken bacon pizza, carrots and dip
(and oh my--that was terrible. The dip I mean. The pizza ROCKS! You should try the pizza! But I am(or I guess I should say was) a big fan of the epicure (VE) cheese. chive and bacon dip. It is so easy to whip together and tasted so great. I just ordered it again and they changed the recipe in it. . .and wow, that was SICK! Even my daughter who would inhale the old stuff wouldn't eat it! The sad part is the old version is somewhat less healthy for you and I loved that. The new stuff is supposed to be better for you health-wise, but the taste is so lacking. . .in my humble opinion! . . . sorry for venting!)

Thursday (CP)-Beef, Barley and Vegetable soup, buns

Friday- left-overs

Saturday's Snack-um. . .snacks? who has time for that anymore?!?!? (but i do know i am definitely not making that dip again! maybe I'll have to try one of the other ones. . .)

Sunday- might try Apple Pancake Bake. Looks easy and yummy. . .

so there you have it. . .MPM, but very late!

Squah Soup

It is Fall. . .and that means we get to try some fall cooking!

I made squash soup for the first time last year--only because we decided to try to grow some butternut squash in our garden. My hubby remembered his mom making stuff with squash, so we though it would be good to grow. . .if it grew. The squash did grow great, but when I asked hubby what his mom had done with the squash, he couldn't remember. Off to the Internet I went!

We once had a squash soup as a starter at a fancy-ish restaurant, so I thought I might give it a try. It turned out to be wonderful. So. . .a week ago (or more, don't remember anymore!) I made it again!

I have no idea where I got the recipe from, so here is my go at it. . .

What you need:

1 large butternut squash

1 medium onion

2 apples, peeled and chopped

olive oil

butter

salt and pepper to taste

ground coriander

ground cinnamon

ground nutmeg

6-8 c. chicken stock or broth

The recipe suggests slicing the squash as shown (which isn't butternut squash, but looking at the web, this kind is similar--just a tougher shell. I needed hubby to cut them open for me. I wasn't strong enough!) Slice, take out the seeds and goop, then score it to let olive oil seep in and then sprinkle with salt and pepper. cover with foil and roast in a 350F oven for about 1/2 hour. I used this squash as food for the baby as well, so I just roasted it for now, and added the spices later on to the soup.

Next I put a little butter or olive oil in large pan, added a chopped onion, and added the salt and pepper now.

Once the onions were soft, I scooped out the squash from the shells and added the rest of the ingredients. After the soup came to a boil, I simmered it for about 30 minutes--until everything was soft and the house smelled great!

Then, I scooped it into my magic bullet, and pureed it.

The recipe suggested adding a splash of white wine to give it a refreshing kick. For a more savoury taste, it suggested replacing the cinnamon and nutmeg with sage and bits of chopped bacon. We remembered eating it at the restaurant with a dollop of herbed cream.

We just topped it with sour cream and bacon bits. Oh-so-fancy for us!

And enjoy!

For more ideas, visit Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays, Tasty Tuesdays, and What's Cooking Wednesdays.

Trick or Twee. . .

Oh, the fall season is upon us . . .

My little creator has been making his way to the kitchen table to do drawing and cutting each morning at 6:30 a.m. or thereabouts. Of course I know this because I have been enjoying mornings that start at 5 or 5:30 a.m. The joys of early risers! I guess the fact that the Fall season also means darker mornings doesn't phase them in the least.

The best I can do for my early risers is yawn throughout the day, start the coffee right after the bottle is warmed so it is ready to greet me when my hands are less full of baby, and smile when I find these treasures hidden around my house:

I learned a new word today--twee. It means exceptionally cute. I think that is quite fitting when I think about my kiddos! Hence the title of the blog post for this fun fall season. . .

Thursday and Friday were pumpkin days. . . we got to go over to Uncle Nolan and Auntie Pam's house who grew some HUGE pumpkins--and lots of them, and pick from their collection. Thanks guys! (Our pumpkins from the pumpkin patches were just too small!) Then it was carving time!

Silly kids enjoying the "ew" and the "goo" that goes along with pumpkin carving!

But in the end they turned out pretty nice. . .guess which one was made by E and Daddy and which one was made by Princess A and Mommy?

Of course we had to have the "glowing at night" photo too--it is a good excuse to stay up just a little later than bedtime! We brought them over to Opa and Oma's front steps to shine during Trick or Treating night!

Costumes this year got used a lot! Princess A got to wear her costume to her little preschool ballet class. It was so-o-o cute to see all these little ballerinas dressed up and prancing around!

She was quite the butterfly, and was sure to tell her teacher all about it! But the excitement was almost too much along with the running around she did! She was a tired girl at home afterwards!

But that afternoon we dressed up again to go to the local library. They were hosting a visit from an author and a Halloween party to accompany it all! Here is my bat and my butterfly.

And here they are listening to author Daniel De Serrano reading "Scare Me, Beware Me!" We got to create some silly mosters of our own afterwards!

Then the next day, there was a pumpkin party connected to the 5-Day Club (VBS-type activity) that E attended over the summer. Since it was hosted at Grandma's house. Princess A came too (even though she was not really old enough). They carved mini-pumpkins and played games and heard a story. . .it was very cute. They received a bookmark with the Pumpkin Carving Prayer on it (along with all the other stuff in their little treat bags!)

Then, here we are ready to enjoy the neighborhood. It was fun to stop by some of the houses that we knew.

Here they are with their cousins (and a few other people we don't know!)

A bit later, we met up with some friends to walk around the block together. We had lots of fun--and the kiddos looked so great!

And we met some more cousins (and our pumpkin-providers) during the night!

And then everyone went to bed! ~Too many fall fun activities in a short time!

Happy Halloween everyone!

Menu Plan Monday

Menu plan. . .check.
Monday. . .check!

It has been a while since I can boast on having this done on time!

Monday-scalloped potatoes, sausage, stir-fried veggies

Tuesday-teriyaki chicken wings (from last week. . .i did keywest chicken instead last week!), french fries

Wednesday- tacos or taco salad. . .

Thursday-CP Creamy Chicken, noodles, salad

Friday-left-overs

Saturday- see the salsa below!

Sunday-French Toast Casserole

Okay, had to show these. . .roasted pumpkin seeds--wash them out, spread them on a cookie sheet, top with salt, (and garlic and a touch of chili powders), bake for 3o min. at 350F. . .super easy snack on a pumpkin-making day or a squash baking day. Squash seeds can be eaten the same way. We also make it in the fry pan, only then I add some oil. . .not so healthy that way, but a little faster than 1/2 hour away from a treat. Enjoy. . .

This past week was a salsa-making week! It's a lot of work for only a few jars. . .piles and piles of tomatoes and peppers turn into only 4 jars! Oh well, my hubby loves it, so I make it! (Made 2 jars one night and two jars another night. . .the second night I convinced him to help me chop, so that all worked out!) I use these two recipes on www.food.com: recipe # 9272 and #32124. This time around, though, we added a bunch of different kinds of peppers--including Habaneros!!! This site is a good one for telling you about peppers.

See how beautiful/colourful it looks all fresh and cut up in the pan?

For more MPM, see www.orgjunkie.com

Menu Plan Monday

I'm back. . .for now anyway.
It has been a while since I've been in the blog-o-sphere, but I'm back for now. Life just has a way of making itself busy. .

Menu Plan for this week:

Monday- cranberry chicken, Alfredo noodles, carrots and buns (=leftovers)
Tuesday-pineapple pork chops, rice, carrot sticks & peppers and dip
Wednesday-spaghetti, salad, garlic bread
Thursday-Teriyaki chicken wings, baked potatoes
Friday-left-overs or pizza
Saturday- ?
Sunday-pancakes and bacon (or something quick and easy like sandwiches!)

For more MP, go to www.orgjunkie.com!

Making Applesauce

It's not too late to be Tuesday still, is it?

This is "harvest" season.

For us--me--that means applesauce season.

I tried something new this year. Applesauce in a crock pot. I figured if there was something easier than the way I usually make applesauce, I was going to figure it out.

I used this recipe, from the "Crock Pot Lady." I love her blog and have used many of her recipes before, so I figured this one was worth a try as well.

So, I cut my apples. . .with an apple cutter because you need to core and peel them.

Then put the slices in the crockpot with the cinnamon, brown sugar, water, lemon juice, and vanilla. This was where I was beginning to get nervous because when I make applesauce the good old fashioned way, I just use apples. . .maybe a little sugar and cinnamon when serving it, but otherwise just apples.

See how beautiful it looks in the crockpot (above), and also when it is done (below)? After about 5 hours or so, I took my potato masher and made the apples into sauce. It was chunkier than when I make it otherwise, but I thought it was good.

The part I didn't like about it was the vanilla. My kiddos did not like that "flavour" in it either. So, I made another batch the next day, using apples and water.

Yep, that is all. No extra flavouring.

Then I mixed the two together.

And then it tasted wonderful.

Was it easier than the way I usually do it?

Hard to say. When I do it otherwise, I have a system going of washing, coring and cutting, boiling, and using the mill. Put the applesauce into jars for canning or into containers for the freezer and there you go.

The crockpot way there is not as much washing, still coring, AND peeling, but then there is no milling, but some easy mashing. But you can't keep doing this for three or four hours straight as I only have one crock pot (which is a blessing and a con, I suppose.)

They rate pretty evenly to me. The best part is the smell. Yum-yum. But the best-est part is being done. And cleaned up afterwards. And sitting on the sofa, enjoying the smell.

This, of course, must be qualified by the fact that I don't own a KitchenAid. No such luxury in this kitchen. When my hubby and I first got married, and it was a joy to spend time with me, he would help and we had one of those old cone shaped funnels with the wooden club-like tool. So a mill is definitely moving up in the world, but it is no KitchenAid. I may have jealousy issues over those who may have one. :)

Here is my little a, enjoying an apple. You should have seen the drool this caused him. It was great! And now that he is actually eating solids, sometimes I just take a pan, boil a cut up apple for a bit, mash it up, and then he has applesauce. This is a small commitment--one apple at a time. I just have to pay attention to what is one the stove for a bit.

My E had to get involved too. He loves using the mill with me. . .for a short time. . .before I put on a show because I just want the kiddos out of the kitchen. He also helped out by writing "2010" on the top and "apple" on some of them. Of course, he snuck his name on a few too. It's amazing the places he sneaks his name onto. (The best is on coupons--so I have to explain what the coupon says to the person at the checkout and explain my child's obsession with writing his name everywhere!) Thanks E!

And that is applesauce season in our home!

For more tempting ideas, visit Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays.

And What's Cooking Wednesdays.

Menu Plan Monday

Well. . . haven't been so motivated to post any Menu Plans lately. Maybe its the busy-ness of life these days, maybe it is the constant changing of plans or the ease of having left-overs--again and again! But the motivation has been lacking lately.

Sometimes I wonder if it serves any purpose to post things like this. Does it do any good for anyone? But in the beginning, I did it to help me organize my life a little and fix some of the busy-ness in life that I was experiencing at the time, so. . .
here I am again. Posting yet another MPM. And in all honestly, I check out what others have going on--and like doing that!-- so I guess I will hope someone out there does the same! (As an aside, thank you H, for the weekly phone calls about these posts!)

Last week was kinda crazy, anyway. . . a bunch of "things" started up and kick-off type events were going on. Some harvesting and preserving and baking to freeze kind of things kept me busy. I added a TOC deal in there and my hubby surprised us both with a night out--a concert (FVConcert Society, I think--sorry, we don't frequent these events very often, but I loved it and it brought me back to the days when I used to attend evenings like that one more regularly!) But I did plan the week, just never got around to blogging about it. A few from the past two weeks were: BBQ meatballs, sub sandwiches, pizza buns, a roast, stir-fry, hamburgers--we used the BBQ a lot!--that kind of thing.

This week, I am staying true to my past few weeks. . .starting with left-overs!

Monday- Slow Cooker Thai Chicken left-overs (from Saturday) on wraps with a salad on the side
Tuesday-Taco Casserole left-overs (had company on Sunday--the teenage boy did not make it, therefore, left-overs. Enough said.) Fixin' s and applesauce.
Wednesday-Fancy grilled cheese and soup. . . of some kind
Thursday-Slow Cooker Indian Chicken Stew (my friend had this on her blog, though it sounded good, so I may give this one a try)
Friday-Sausage, noodles, carrots and dip
Saturday's Snack-Topped Up Fiesta Dip (see below)
Sunday-hopefully pancakes. . .might try apple cinnamon kind. . .

So here is my roast. . .yep, it was my first time ever doing it, and it turned out okay. I just don't love it. Oh well. . .

My daughter loved it (and needed a picture when she saw me taking a photo of our plate), so I guess I can chalk it up to being a success???


Saturday's Snack. . .I found a link for this one (I'm having trouble with cutting and pasting text here on blogger. If any of you bloggers out there have any advice for me, I would love, love, love it! Who has time to type it all in???)

Here is Topped-Up Fiesta Dip.

When I needed to get some refried beans for my Taco Casserole, I figured I would also try the recipe on the back of the Old El Paso Can. . .I halved it to try it out, and it turned out great. Would be great for an appy night or party. And it looks so colourful and pretty.

A little refried beans, sour cream mixed with taco seasoning and salsa, cheese, tomato, peppers, and green onions.
Easy-peasy, pretty, and yum!

I did find a taco seasoning recipe here, so use it if you like. . .

For more MPM, check out http://www.orgjunkie.com/!