Sticking to the menu?

Ok, so this past week, I tried to stay on the plan for meals, but ended up only eating 1 or 2 items. The week b/4 I made sloppy joes. I forgot how much this makes, so we ate on it for many meals after. Also, I made the sausage spaghetti casserole & still have some in the frig for tomorrows lunch. Next time I plan these two meals, I will save 1/2 of each & freeze them for later meals. I am posting the Sloppy Joes recipe as well as dip recipe we had tonight at small group.

Sloppy Joes from the Ultimate Southern Living cookbook

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef*
1 sm. onion, chopped
1 sm. green pepper, chopped
1 (10 3/4oz) can tomato soup (undiluted)
1 (8oz) can tomato sauce
1 c. ketchup
2 T. brown sugar
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
1 t. prepared mustard
1/8 t. garlic powder

Cook 1st 3 ingred. in large skillet, drain fat. Stir in Soup & next 6 ingred. Simmer 10-15 minutes, stirring often. Serve w/ hamburger buns or chips.

* If cooking mass amounts of hamburger for bulk/freezer cooking, 1 pound of cooked burger is equal to 2 cups. You'll need 3 cups cooked beef for this recipe.


Buffalo Chicken Dip

1- fully cooked rotissirie chicken
1- 8oz brick Cream cheese, softened
1 c. Ranch dressing ( I used Kroger brand & it was fine)
1/2 c. Red Hot (Buffalo sauce)
shredded cheese
Celery sticks/chips/sliced baguette bread for dipping

Dice up as much chicken as you can get from the bones & put in microwave safe bowl. Add cream cheese, ranch dressing, & Red Hot & mix. Put in microwave for 7 minutes or until hot/bubbly throughout. Stir once during the middle & when done. Top w/ shredded cheese & serve w/ celery sticks/chips/ or bread.

I usually make ahead of time & store in my mini crock to heat up later.

Wow! This has been a busy week of getting the boys back to school & me starting a new job. It is the 1st paying job I've had since my State Farm job 6 years ago. I've had to make some adjustments...trying to get all my mommy duties done w/in the day. I couldn't have done it w/o planning my meals. Here is a list of what I'd planned for this week.

Sun: fried pork chops,scalloped potatoes & pears
Mon: French fri casserole,green beans & peaches
Tue: leftovers( I was exhausted)
Wed: Tuna burgers, peas, & grapes
Thur: Stomboli w/ sauce, asparagus (family did not like this), & banana
Fri: Sloppy Joes w/ pickles & chips
Sat: Grilled Chicken, potatoes&onions-grilled, fruit, & bread

Next weeks menu will be:

Sun: leftovers for lunch
Itallian sausage spaghetti, salad, & fruit
Mon: leftovers
Tue: Chicken casserole, peas, fruit
Wed: sausage links & homemade mac & cheese, fruit, veg
Thur: leftovers
Fri: homemade pizza, veg, fruit
Sat: leftovers/sandwiches for lunch
chicken tenders, potatoes, & fruit

Before figuring out what we would be having these 2 weeks, I sat down & wrote out everything my family likes. Then from there, I filled in my monthly calendar.(I plan meals a month at a time). I then shopped my pantry to see what I would still need. Luckily, I had most of week 2 food in my freezer/pantry so I won't have to buy much at the store. Also, I don't always stick to my planned meal for a certain day. I am fairly flexible w/in the week, but try not to stray from the plan by ordering pizza/take out.

Ok, think that's it for now...till next time.

Slow-Roasted Summer Tomatoes

So everytime we head to Minnesota, my mom & I ALWAYS stop at a Byerly's grocery store. We LOVE this store & especially their pastries! Also, they have quarterly complimentary food magazines. This recipe is from that mag.




12 tomatoes
20 cloves (yes, 20)
5 large thyme sprigs
1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

Place a lg pot of water on the stove & bring to boil.

Fill large bowl or sink basin w/ ice water.

Using a paring knife, core tomatoe & cut a small x in bottom of each tomato.

Place tomatoes in boiling water, wait for 2 minutes till the skill starts to come off, then place the tomatoes in the ice water to cool. Once tomatoes are cool, peel off the skin & set aside.

Next, cut tomatoes in 1/2 at the equator of the tomato. Remove all the pulp & seeds & place in a bowl. (this can be saved for tomato sauce)

Spread the olive oil on a lg cookie tray & place tomatoes flat-side down on the tray. Sprinkle w/ fresh thyme & crushed garlic & season w/ S&P. Roast in oven at 180-200 degrees for 10-12 hrs or 7-8 hrs if using a convection oven. (like over night) The tomatoes are done when they are done, like fresh apricots.

Allow tomatoes to cool. Slip them into sturdy zipper-top freezer bags, press out the extra air, & freeze. (Save the oil from pan for salads*)

The uses for these roasted tomatoes are nearly endless. They make a great side dish alongside roasted meats, a perfect pizza or bruschetta topping, can be cut up for a quick pasta sauce, or added to lasagna. If you want individual plated appetizers consider garnishing a roasted tomato half w/ a bit of fresh mozzarella & a basil leaf drizzled w/ evoo, good balsamic vinegar, or a simple vinaigrette.**

* I kept some of the garlic to make a garlic butter for steak. Can't wait to try it!
** I doubled the recipe & had 40 cloves of garlic. Let's just say...my house smelled of garlic for a good day.

These are delicious! 2 trays made approx. 2 quart size freezer bags.

So yesterday, Jerrett & I went to the Museum of Natural Treasures in downtown Wichita. I had a coupon for buy on get one free admission. So it only cost me $8.95+tax. Jerrett really enjoyed it. He even told me today that he really liked it. There are a few dinousaur models that he happily posed by. Now that he reads, he likes to read the information on the different displays. He also had lots of questions.
The 1st floor consisted of dinosaur bones, anciet eygptian artifacts, and lots of statues/carvings. Some of it "creeped" him out. The 2nd floor was all war memoriblia. No pictures allowed on that floor. The 3rd floor was mostly Kansas history as well as United States Presidents.

Welcome

I have thought about doing a blog for over a year about some of my favorite past times...Cooking & Reading. This blog will contain recipes that are family favorites as well as newly tried ones. Also, since I read a lot, I thought I would include recently read books & give them a thumbs up or down rating. Enjoy!