Category Archives: Menu

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Menu Monday

Feeling kind of lazy this morning with too much on our plate this week, so I’m going easy and meal planning (and shopping!) for this week only:

Monday: Southern Living’s Easy Chicken and Dumplings

Tuesday: Tortilla Soup (for real, tomorrow!)

Wednesday: Leftovers

Thursday: Edna Mae Sour Cream Pancakes /  Breakfast for Dinner

Friday: Zesty Pork Loin with Apricot Pan Sauce and garlic mashed potatoes & veggies

Saturday: Disneyland!

Sunday: Easy Breezy Spaghetti before Trick-or-Treating!

Menu Monday X 2!

Shopping for two weeks worked out so well this last time, I’m doing it again! We only had to run to the store three times in between shopping weeks (and one time was by Andy for butter due to our excessive use for buttery cupcakes and other fall homemade goodies so that totally doesn’t count as a need to go shopping), so I’m planning to do this for here on out as my schedule will allow us:

This week:

Monday: Easy Spaghetti and breadsticks

Tuesday: Taco Tuesday (Cooks Illustrated, oh my!) (seriously the best tacos, tell me if you need our recipe!)

Wednesday: Tortilla Soup (also Cooks Illustrated!) and cornbread

Thursday: Beef Brisket Sandwiches (Slow Cooker) and barbecue beans

Friday-Sunday: Wine Harvest Getaway

Next Week:

Monday: Moscow Chicken (Nigella Lawson recipe), rosemary roasted potatoes & green beans

Tuesday: Cajun Chicken Pasta (Pioneer Women)

Wednesday: Marinated Flank Steak and grilled veggies

Thursday: Girls’ Choice (they’re already in bed, I’ll get their wish list in the am)

Friday- Sunday: Out of Town

Menu Monday-ish

Monday: Homemade Sub-Sandwiches with black peppered turkey and roast beef, a side of pasta salad and chips (shh)

Tuesday: BBQ Brisket Sandwiches (Crockpot!) and leftover pasta salad, fruit

Wednesday: PW’s CPK Barbecue Chicken Pizza

Thursday Beef Stir-Fry and Rice

Friday: Jenn’s Fiesta Enchiladas, spanish rice, limes

Saturday: Leftovers!

Sunday: Beef & Noodles from the best cookbook ever, Better Homes and Gardens

How I like to cut a cantaloupe

Are you a fan of the best melon around- the cantaloupe? Right, me, too. I’m not a fan of cutting a cantaloupe into wedges and cutting the flesh from  the  skin, so I’ve been cutting my cantaloupe like you do a pineapple for some time. I like to cute the melon into half first, scoop out the seeds and turn the flat side over on my cutting board.

_MG_0076

_MG_0098_MG_0075Now we’re ready to get down to some business. Take your serrated, oversized knife and slice a thin top off the melon.

_MG_0078Be careful of your hand holding the top! Ouch if you knick it, right?

Ah yes, you should have achieved a shaved-off top. Let’s call it flat top.

_MG_0079Proceed to cut the sides of the melon skin off, like you would a pineapple’s sides:

_MG_0080

_MG_0082(my colors are wonky and I’m going to blame it on the fabulous light my kitchen has (sarcasm) teamed with my lack of interest in processing these shots today)

Once you go around the perimter of the cantaloupe, you’re left with a hunk of flesh. You’re ready to slice down pieces from the top:

_MG_0090_MG_0092Now turn a slice or two the opposite direction and cut across the first slices to create smaller, more edible, pop-in-your-mouth bites.

_MG_0094_MG_0097Repeat with the second half of the cantaloupe and you get a bowlful of melon ready for breakfast, snack, lunch or pre-dinner spoiler!

_MG_0111Go ahead, grab your cantaloupe and give it a go :) You won’t regret it!

Menu Monday

Monday: Taco Salad (we postponed this from last week)

Tuesday: Steak Tips with Mushroom Gravy, mashed potatoes, veggies

Wednesday: Yvette’s Meatball Soup (recipe below!) and crusty bread

Thursday (Girls’ Choice!): Chili Dogs and Hamburgers, tater tots and fruit

Friday: Deep-Dish Quiche Lorraine (Andy’s cooking from Cooks Illustrated, it’s sure to be a winner!)

Saturday: Date night + Carb Load!

Sunday: Dinner @ Disneyland

Monday: Chicken Alfredo (my vote was for ribs, but Andy’s bent on getting a smoker first)

When we lived in San Diego, we had the great privilege to be apart of a Young Marrieds home fellowship (which we no longer qualify under “young” marrieds, now we’re “older” marrieds. ha.). The leaders of the group would host us in their home weekly and bi-monthly, we would have a dinner night and sometimes, Yvette would make a soup that Andy and I couldn’t get enough of (but we didn’t take too much, we shared) (promise). After I had Lauren, she brought it over for us and in her other hand, she wrote out the recipe for me. I love her for this and I still have the beloved written out index card. I think it’s similar to Italian Wedding soup, but this is pretty easy and tasty-tasty so give it a try for when a cool fall night calls for some soup!

Yvette’s Meatball Soup

Ingredients:

2 lbs. ground beef

2 cloves garlic, minced

few springs parsley, chopped

1/2 tsp each marjoram, basil, onion salt OR tsp. fresh (she increases the fresh options)

3 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

4 eggs

floud

4 beef bouillon cubes

8 cups water

2 cups canned tomatoes (I buy chopped)

2 small bay leaves, crumbled

6-8 tbsp. uncooked rice

Directions:

Mix first 4 ingredients, 1 tsp. salt, pepper and 2 eggs.

Shape into 62 smaller round balls and dredge in flour.

Bring bouillon cubes, water, tomato, bay leaves and remaining salt to a boil (I start this while making the meatballs)

Add meatballs and rice. Cover and simmer 45 minutes.

Just before serving, stir in remaing 2 eggs, slightly beaten with a fork.

Enjoy with some crusty bread!

(I automatically doubled this recipe, so if you don’t need leftovers, or have a family of five, maybe half it back)

Menu Monday

Monday: Fish Tacos (we weren’t able to make these last week)

Tuesday: Spaghetti (an old stand-by for Back-to-School Night)

Wednesday: Taco Salad

Thursday (Girls’ Choice): Easy Chicken and Dumplings

Friday: Pepper Steak Tacos with Pico de Gallo and Cilantro Rice

Saturday: Noodle and Spinach Casserole

Sunday: Pioneer Woman’s Chicken Scallopine

As per J.J.’s request, the Maple-Roasted Butternut Squash recipe from last week’s menu:

Maple-Roasted Butternut Squash

  • 1 large butternut squash
  • 1 head garlic separated but not peeled
  • 2 Tbsp. good olive oil
  • 2 1/2 Tbsp. pure maple syrup
  • 1 tsp. kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 ounces thinly sliced pancetta chopped
  • 16 whole fresh sage leaves
  • French bread for serving

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400

Menu Monday

Following Jenn’s lead, I’m going to post our menu for the week.. it feels good to fall into some type of routine right now, the beginning of the “work week” seems to be a good time to do that!

Monday: Barefoot Contessa’s Tuscan lemon chicken w/ maple toasted butternut squash

Tuesday: Glazed and Grilled Shrimp Sides: Green beans and couscous with sun-dried tomatoes and pine nuts

Wednesday: Andy’s steak sandwiches with mushrooms, bell peppers and provolone cheese Side: Chickpea Salad

Thursday (girl’s choice): Edna Mae’s sour cream pancakes, scrambled eggs and bacon Special request: French Breakfast Puffs

Friday: Dinner plans away from home

Saturday: Dinner plans away from home

Sunday: Kristin’s Fish Tacos and Spanish Rice

When Andy is home, we’re crazy grilling people. I don’t have the patience to learn how to cook well on the grill, but we have tons of great recipes that go on there and a few that I would love to share. I’ll be sure to share a new one next week if the shrimp come out as keepers.