Mother's Day 2011

This is sort of out of sequence, hence the name of the blog. Meandering: to move w/o direction.

SO this is about my Mother's Day. We enjoyed a picnic lunch at Harvey County Lake. We were checking it out as a possible future camping area. We also took a hike, shot some pix, the guys played catch, & we even saw a big ugly snake.

Memorial Day Weekend

This is the start of a very busy month! We spent the Memorial Day Weekend again camping with the Krusty Krew at Marion Lake. Some weren't able to make it but some were new. Was a semi-nice weekend. Saturday we were in double sweatshirts & jeans but the sun came out for us on Sunday & Monday and it was back to shorts & tank tops. YAY!

The boys are helping set up the camper.

C's birthday fell again over the weekend, so we let him bring a buddy for the weekend. I think that was his favorite birthday gift.

Boys will be boys. Skipping rocks was a popular pass time for my boys as well as the other 15 kids that joined us.

The kids enjoyed playing night frisbee! Bear is showing it off for me.

The big guys enjoyed their time fishing & hanging out on the boats. The ladies played a lot of cards. I learned a new game called SCUM. It was fun except that I was the scum for 2 or 3 games. The kids played a lot of outside games, fished, skipped rocks, xbox, & wii. Overall a fairly relaxing weekend.

Nov 1-6 menus

Today(Monday)- Jeff had meetings, so the boyz & I kinda cleaned out the frig. Someone had a burrito, one ate mini corndogs & I had leftover bbq pork from last week-topped w/ Heffys Spicy BBQ sauce. Boy, is that stuff HOT! I even tried to mix it w/ some milder sauce but the heat just came thru!

Tuesday-salmon patties & homemade mac & cheese, green beans & a fruit

Wed- one of my meals from the freezer, probably French Fri Casserole, peas, & fruit

Thurs- leftovers from Wed.

Friday-typically pizza & a movie, BUT J starts basketball practice so it might be leftovers.

Sat- grilled cheese (something light as we have a b-day party at 1)
Soup sounds good. Maybe a veggie beef or chicken tortilla.

Sun-Meal planning for the 2nd pay period & then another bake day.

Bulk Cooking Marathon....

This past Saturday I did me some mean cookin'. While Jeff & Colton headed over to winterize our travel trailer, Jerrett & I did some shopping at Aldi. I was preparing for a BIG day of baking & cooking. When the weather starts cooling down, this chick enjoys staying inside and gettin' her bakin' on! So on this day, which started a little later in the afternoon than I anticipated, I got to browning my 5 lbs. of meat w/ 2 large white onions. I do not salt or spice the meat so that I can use it in many different recipes.

Here is what I made:

Creamy Beef & Noodles

Pizza Monkey Bread

14 Bierocks

2 French Fri Casseroles

14 Beef & Bean Burritos

Blackend Chicken & Beans

Pork Chops & Apples

Western Meal

Lemon Crumb Muffins

Cream Cheese Apple Muffins

& finally

Banana Muffins

From start to finish, it probably took me a good 8 hrs to complete. Since it was Pastor appreciation month, I divied up the muffins & took to my church for the pastors & staff. What was left my boyz devoured!

So now I have a freezer of food just waitin' to be eatin'. Here is the recipe for my "go to dish", that's easy to make & great for pot lucks or bringing a meal to someone.

Western Meal (original recipe came from the Casserole Cookbook from Homemade Gourmet but I chgd it up a bit)

1- lb. (2 cups) cooked ground beef

1- Taco packet

1- 10oz can Rotel, undrained

1- 15oz can black beans, undrained

1-8oz. can tomato sauce

3/4 c. Minute Rice, uncooked

2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven 350. (unless you're freezing*)

2. Combine all ingredients, except 1 c. cheddar cheese, in a greased 9x13 baking dish.

3. Bake, covered, for 45 mins. Sprinkle w/ remaining cheese, bake, uncovered for an add'l 5 mins.

Serves 8.

*So, I like to make a couple of these & freeze one for later. I just dump everything but 1c. cheese into a freezer safe ziploc gallon bag & smoosh together. I pre-lable the bag & measure out 1c. cheese that I tape to the outside of the gallon bag so I have everything together. Be sure to put what is inside the bag, cooking instructions, & DATE IT so you know later!

Oct 25-31 Menu

I really need to go to the store but am trying to stretch what I have till next Monday. We shall see.

Last Night(monday) we had: Leftovers (this will be a common occurance this week). Jeff had an evening meeting so he came home & warmed up pork burritos from Sunday & out the door he went.

Tonight (tuesday): Spaghetti, hot bread, veggie, & fruit.

Wednesday...LEFTOVERS, chili, veggie soup, spaghetti,

Thursday:...Leftovers, again...chili, veggie soup, spaghetti, Will this stuff ever go away???

Friday: homemade pizza, garlic pull-apart bread.

So I made a recipe that's kind of like puppy chow today. Its a yummy snack & quick to make.

Chocolate Chow Mein

Place 3 cups each Rice Chex & chow mein noodles in a gallon size zipper bag. Add 1/2 c. chopped peanuts & 1/2 c. raisens(I used dried cherries). Then melt 1/4 chocolate chips, 1/4 c. peanut butter, & 1/4 c. butter in microwave. Pour over dry mixture in bag. Shake & smoosh together. Then add 2 c. powdered sugar to the bag, close & shake & smoosh together. Colton liked it...so it must be good.

Postcards from Pullman

Not only do I like to cook, but I really enjoy reading. This has been the first year in a very long time that I've actually sat down and read. Both boys are in school & I don't head to work until 10:30a.m., so I'm able to get up in the morning & get the boys ready for school, to the bus stop, & usually do a chore b/4 I sit for a bit & read.

I just finished a 3 book series called Postcards from Pullman by Judith McCoy-Miller. The series is set in the 1890's in Pullman, IL. 2 ladies from England head to America for different reasons & end up becoming friends. The books follow Olivia's life from England as a kitchen helper to landing an assistant chef position at an upscale hotel in Pullman. I received the 1st book as a gift & then proceeded to the Wichita public library to find books 2&3. What I really loved about this series, is each book is a continuation of the book b/4 it. I've read quite a few different series in the past few months & they go together but don't focus on on main character. Although I do like them, I prefer the continued character storylines. Anyway, here are the books in the series, In the Company of Secrets bk1, Whispers Along the Rails bk2, & An Uncertain Dream bk3. I wish this story could go on. There were some "supporting" characters that I would like to know how their stories end. Maybe in the future. Who knows?

Week 3 Menu (Tuesday-Sat)

Tues: Tuna Burgers, peas, fruit
1 lg + 1 sm cans albacore tuna in water, add 2 raw eggs, 2 hard boiled eggs, chopped, 1/2 a small onion, chopped, 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese, s&p to taste. Smoosh together & top on your leftover hamburger buns(open faced). Bake till hot & melty.

Wed: Leftover hotdogs from camping w/ veggie chili, chips, & fruit

Thurs: Chili (add 3/4 - 1 lb) ground beef to the veggie chili above, saltine crackers, & salad.

Friday: Appetizers & Movie Night. Mini corndogs, buffalo chicken fingers, pizza pocket slice thingys, & mini chicken tacos. Super healthy...I know.

Sat: sandwiches for lunch b/4 we head to Gaeddert's Corn Maze (www.kansasmaze.com)
Pork roast w/ potatoes, carrots, onions- this will be in the crock pot & ready when we get
home.

I'm a little behind on the menu this week...kind of wingin' it. I don't like winging it. I am a planner, I need a plan for meals. Here's the rest of the week & weekend.

Friday- leftover vegetable soup from earlier this week & grilled cheese sandwiches
We're camping on Sat so we'll be having camping food.

Sat.-cereal b/4 we hit the road to pick up the trailer
Lunch- ham sandwiches/grapes/chips
Supper- hotdogs or hamburgers/ chips/fruit/s'mores. I got the bigges marshmellows I've ever seen a couple weeks ago at Alco. Can't wait to light those babies up for some yummy s'mores!

Sunday breakfast- campers breakfast- sausage/eggs/potatoes sprinkled w/ cheddar cheese. Heart attack on a plate. YUM!

Lunch-if anyone's hungry after breakfast...ham sandwiches or pbj/chips/fruit
Supper- whatever we didn't eat the night b/4. Hamburgers or hotdogs.

Monday breakfast- I cheated...I got premade ham/cheese/egg mcmuffins or cereal.

Lunch- you guessed it...ham sandwich or pbj/chips/fruit

We'll pack up & head home. Piano lessons at 5. Then we'll probably grab a $5 pizza from Little Skeeza's for dinner. Maybe a side salad for me.

Hopefully I'll get the next few weeks of menus planned & grocery list ready so I can do some shopping on Tuesday.

It's been a loooong time!

Hi All, I can't believe it's been since January since my last post. Ok, I can believe it. For me, it is hard to keep up on this blog thing. You know, there's always housework, work, kids, church, & of course, Facebook. I have so much catching up to do, I can't even believe it. So instead of looking back, which I'll do eventually do, I'll look forward to what is ahead of me. Starting with this weeks menu:



Sunday- Meatloaf, cheesy beans, hot rolls, & peaches. Meatloaf recipe below.

Monday- Fried steak, mashed potatoes, white gravy, fresh apples & veggies

Tuesday- Meatloaf sandwiches, veggie & fruit

Wed- crockpot pork roast(one of my favorites), roasted veggies, & fruit

Thurs- BBQ pork sandwiches, chips, apples

Friday- homemade pizza or leftovers



I love this time of year, when it's cool in the morning & evenings are just right for sittin' outside w/ a cup of joe or an occasional glass of wine. It also gets me in the mood for cooking yummy soups, casseroles, & MEATLOAF! I love meatloaf. Here is the best meatloaf recipe I've used. There's nothing fancy to it & there's no wierd stuff in it (like carrots). It's good ol' meat.



All-American Meat Loaf from The Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook


2 lbs. ground chuck

3/4 c. uncooked quick-cooking oats

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1/2 c. ketchup

1/4 c. milk

2 large eggs, slightly beaten

1 t. salt

1/2 t. pepper

1/2 c. ketchup

3 T. brown sugar

2 t. prepared mustard



*Combine 1st 8 ingred. in a lg bowl, smoosh into a 9x13 pan(or shape into 2- 7 1/2" x 4" loaves). Place on a lightly greased pan. Bake 350 degrees ro 4o mins.



* Combine 1/2 c. ketchup, b.sugar, & mustard, spoon over meatloaf, & bake 15 more minutes or until meat thermometer registers 160 degrees.



Yields: 8 servings 337K, 17.8g Fat, 734 sodium

Homemade Crackers

1 1/4 c. whole wheat flour (rye,buckwheat or cornmeal can be substituted)
1/2 t. salt
2 T. olive oil
4 T. water, add more as needed
1 t. seasoning such as chili powder or dried herbs (optional)

Preheat oven 400 degrees

MIx together 1 c. flour, salt & oil. Add 3 T. water & mix well. Gradually add more water, mixing after each time. Should eventually make a compact ball. If it seems too sticky, add more flour.

Sprinkle work space w/ additional flour & roll dough until it's approx. 1/8" thickness. ( I roll it out on cookie tray so I don't have to move it.)

Place dough on cookie tray. Cut w/ pizza cutter.

Bake for 10-15 minutes. You may need to flip after 10 or so minutes, to make sure inside crackers get done.

Yields: appox. 1 pound.