May Menu #2

Monday (10) ~ take-out pizza
Tuesday (11) ~ Red Robin - family night
Wednesday (12) ~ tuna noodle casserole, garlic bread
Thursday (13) ~ taco salad
Friday (14) ~ marinated pork chops, mashed potatoes, salad
Saturday (15) ~ bbq hamburgers, corn on the cob, caesar salad
Sunday (16) ~ chicken parmesan, veggie, rolls

May Menu #1

Monday (3) ~ spaghetti, texas toast, veggie
Tuesday (4) ~ chili & cornbread
Wednesday (5) ~ mexican sundaes (trying out a friends recipe!)
Thursday (6) ~ chicken burritos, rice, chips & salsa
Friday (7) ~ breakfast with a kick: toasted pb&j, yogurt, banana 
Saturday (8) ~ bbq at friends house - Mother's Day celebration
Sunday (9) ~ Mother's Day dinner: costa vida chicken, cilantro salad dressing, lime cilantro rice, rolls, fruit salad

April Menu #2

Sunday (18) ~ grilled chicken and pasta with homemade cheese sauce, salad, bread
Monday (19) ~ taco salad
Tuesday (20) ~ *bean & cheese enchiladas, tortilla chips, spanish rice
Wednesday (21) ~ homemade fried rice, ham, rolls
Thursday (22) ~ homemade pizza, salad
Friday (23) ~ I'm out of town - meals made by husband
Saturday (24) ~ I'm out of town - meals made by husband

*Bean-cheese enchiladas
by: Rosarita Mexican Foods

1 dozen flour tortillas
2 cans vegetarian refried beans
1 cup shredded Monterray Jack cheese
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 can olives, sliced
1 can chopped green chiles
1 can enchilada sauce
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1/2 cup chopped onion
sour cream, guacamole and salsa to taste

Heat refried beans. Mix cheeses, olives, onions and chiles together. Pour some enchilada sauce on a plate, coat both sides of tortilla with sauce and place on empty plate. Put large spoonfuls of refried beans on tortilla forming a line 1/3 from edge. Add same amount of cheese mixture and fold, first up from bottom, then sideways across. Place in row in baking dish. Pour remaining sauce over enchiladas. Sprinkle with reserved cheese mixture. Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until cheese melts.

April Menu #1

*I took a break of sorts from my weekly menu planning. Sick children, spring break and lack of creativity and wondering what-the-heck-to-eat! - left me without the motivation to keep up. But I'm back and planning on sticking to a menu! (Because it's so much easier than wondering "What are we eating for dinner tonight???")

Sunday (11) ~ grilled marinated chicken, couscous, grilled corn on the cob, salad, rolls
Monday (12) ~ paninis and soup
Tuesday (13) ~ tacos and mexican rice
Wednesday (14) ~ hot dogs, baked beans and fries
Thursday (15) ~ my birthday...trying out a new area restaurant: Firebird Wood Fired Grill (Had French Dip sandwich, coleslaw, steak fries and lemonade)
Friday (16) ~ scrambled eggs, toast and hashbrown patties
Saturday (17) ~ birthday family bbq: grilled chicken, salad, homemade mac & cheese, garlic bread and mint brownies for dessert

Anyone else want to share their week's menu? Or have a recipe you'd like to share? I'd love to hear them, if you do. I'm getting kinda tired or rotating the same old items and willing to try out something new. :)

March Menu #3

Monday (22) ~ baked fish, mashed red potatoes, veggie
Tuesday (23) ~ grilled cheese & soup
Wednesday (24) ~ homemade veggie pizza (yummy crust found HERE) & salad
Thursday (25) ~ chicken fajitas & spanish rice
Friday (26) ~ breaded pork chops, stuffing, texas toast, salad
Saturday (27) ~ sloppy joes, homemade fries, veggie
Sunday (28) ~ cheese ravioli, rolls, veggie

March Menu #2

Monday (15) ~ pork chops, homemade fries, salad
Tuesday (16) ~ toasted tuna sandwiches & soup
Wednesday (17) ~ spaghetti, garlic french bread, veggie
Thursday (18) ~ red beans & rice, biscuits
Friday (19) ~ homemade pizza
Saturday (20) ~ breaded fish, tater tots, salad
Sunday (21) ~ chicken & dumplings (wasn't previously made last week)

March Menu #1

Monday (1) ~taco salad
Tuesday (2) ~crockpot southwestern chicken over rice
Wednesday (3) ~spaghetti & meatballs with french bread
Thursday (4) ~sweet & sour chicken over rice
Friday (5) ~chicken broccoli biscuits (wasn't previously made due to change in plans)
Saturday (6) ~yakisoba chicken
Sunday (7) ~chicken & dumplings and side salad
Monday (8) ~homemade burritos, rice, corn
Tuesday (9) ~leftover night
Wednesday (10) ~pork chops, mashed red potatoes, veggie
Thursday (11) ~chilidogs & fries
Friday (12) ~salmon, brown rice, veggie
Saturday (13) ~homemade chicken noodle soup (wasn't previously made due to being sick) & biscuits
Sunday (14) ~homemade lasagna, salad, rolls

February Menu #2

Wednesday (17) ~ Fish sticks, french fries, veggie
Thursday (18) ~ Baked Ziti, salad, wheat rolls
Friday (19) ~ Costa Vida Chicken, Lime Cilantro rice, Cilantro salad dressing, breadsticks
Saturday (20) ~ Breakfast (Waffles, peanut butter, bananas) & hot chocolate
Sunday (21) ~ Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
Monday (22) ~ Yakisoba
Tuesday (23) ~ Soup & Panini sandwich
Wednesday (24) ~ Tuna Noodle Casserole, rolls
Thursday (25) ~ Burgers, curly fries, salad
Friday (26) ~ Homemade Pizza (bbq chicken & artichoke hearts & pesto)
Saturday (27) ~ Salmon, red potatoes, veggie
Sunday (28) ~ Chicken Broccoli Biscuits (wasn't made earlier in the month as planned)

February Menu #1

Thursday 4~Spaghetti, salad, bread sticks
Friday 5~Chef's salad, dinner rolls
Saturday 6~*Chili, cornbread
Sunday 7~*Pulled pork sandwiches, baked beans, salad
Monday 8~Chicken stir fry, rice
Tuesday 9~Toasted tuna sandwich, soup
Wednesday 10~Breakfast: waffles, bacon, eggs, hash browns
Thursday 11~*Chicken broccoli biscuits
Friday 12~Dinner out
Saturday 13~*Enchiladas, rice, chips
Sunday 14~*Chicken pot pie
Monday 15~Salmon, red potatoes, veggie, bread
Tuesday 16~Baked potatoes w. all the works

*Indicates the meals with recipes:

Mom's Chili
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
2 (15 oz) cans Mexican chili beans - pinto & kidney work great!
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
dash of pepper
1/2 cup salsa
(shredded cheddar cheese & chopped onion - optional for topping)

Brown ground beef; drain any fat. Add onion and green pepper just until tender. Combine with tomato sauce and beans (drained). Season with spices and add salsa. Best if allowed to simmer for at least 1 hour. Serve topped with cheese and onion if desired.

Pulled Pork Sandwiches
From: online
2 1/2 lbs pork roast
1 bottle (14 oz) of your favorite bbq sauce
1 tsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 medium onion, chopped
8 hamburger buns or hard rolls

In the crockpot (spray first with nonstick cooking spray), add the pork roast. Cover and cook on LOW for 10-12 hours or on HIGH for 5-6 hours. Remove the pork roast from the slow cooker. Pull the meat into shredded pieces. Throw away any liquid in the slow cooker. Add the pulled pork with the bbq sauce, brown sugar, lemon juice and onion. Cook on HIGH in the crockpot for 2 hours. Serve the bbq pork on hamburger buns or hard rolls. Feeds a crowd!

Bean-Cheese Enchiladas
From: Rosarita Mexican Foods
1 dozen flour tortillas
2 cans vegitarian refried beans
1 cup shredded Monterray Jack cheese
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 can olives, sliced
1 can chopped green chiles
1-2 cans enchilada sauce
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1/2 cup chopped onion
sour cream, guacamole and salsa to taste

Heat refried beans. Mix cheeses, olives, onions, and chiles together in a bowl. Pour enchilada sauce on a plate. Coat both sides of tortilla with sauce and then place on an empty plate to it. Put large spoonfuls of refried beans on tortilla, forming a line 1/3 in from the edge. Add same amount of cheese mixture and fold, first up from the bottom, then sideways across. Place in row in 9x13 baking pan. Repeat until pan is full. Should be able to get 6-8 enchiladas in one pan. Pour remaining sauce over enchiladas. Sprinkle with left over cheese mixture. Bake in oven at 350 degrees until cheese melts. (20-30 minutes). Good served with tortilla chips and rice.

Chicken Broccoli Biscuits
From: Bisquick Baking Mix
1 -2 pkgs frozen chopped broccoli in cheese sauce (start off with one. two may be too much)
1/2 cup margarine or butter
2 Tbsp minced onion
1 Tbsp parsley flakes
1/4 tsp onion powder
2 cups Bisquick baking mix
paprika
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cups cut up cooked chicken or 1 canned chicken (you may also substitute with 1 can tuna for chicken)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cook broccoli as directed on package. Mix margarine, onion, parsley and onion powder in sauce pan. Heat until margarine is melted. Spoon 1/2 into round pan. Sprinkle with paprika.

Mix baking mix, water and chicken until soft dough forms. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto pan. Drizzle with remaining margarine mixture over the top. Bake uncovered until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Spoon broccoli over each serving of biscuits.

Chicken Pot Pie
From: Our Best Bites: http://www.ourbestbites.com/2009/09/chicken-pot-pie.html

Things Usually Happen In Threes, Right?

I should clarify: It's not always bad things that happen in threes. The three things that I'm talking about are the three weekends straight we had with company and barbecues and I'm wiped out! Don't think I'm complaining because I'm not in any way. It was all so FUN...but exhausting. I need a good month to recover before going back to entertaining again.

The first weekend, we had my cousin Holli and her family over. As always, it was so good to see them - especially since their new addition to their family will be arriving soon. Aubrey and Jocelyn always love to see my cousin's son so they were bouncing off the walls with excitement when they were here. So fun to watch them run around in the back yard and play ball. I made the mistake of telling Jocelyn he was coming over after nap time. Therefore, there WAS no nap time! (And I sure learned my lesson not to say next time.) Luckily she slept really well that night. :) Also, for all of our outdoor eating needs, John built a lovely picnic table in just a matter of hours. Found plans online, got the supplies and worked away on it. It's really nice and we even have neighbors requesting one to be built for them! Go John!!

{Menu: Burgers, Hot Dogs, Corn on the cob, Baked Beans, Chips, Brownies and Ice Cream.}

* Made these baked beans for the first time! Definitely a "keeper recipe."

The second weekend, we had some really good friends of ours come over. (I used to be her visiting teacher and he's our home teacher who also gave Andrew his baby blessing.) The kids call them Uncle Rick and Aunt Annette. It's really cute. We had a great time eating and chatting together! And the weather couldn't have been nicer! (We have been experiencing a lot of severe thunderstorms here in the past month or so. We lucked out this day and enjoyed the outdoors!)

{Menu: BBQ wings, Ribs, Hot Dogs, Corn on the cob, Pasta salad, Baked Beans, Veggie Sticks, Cherry Dump Cake, and Lemonade.}

The third weekend that we had a barbecue was today. The weather was borderline cooperative so one of John's running buddies and his family, who we had invited over suggested we have it over at their place since they had more room to have it indoors. Another one of his running buddies and his family also joined us. One of the main reasons to have this barbecue was to see them before they moved back to California in the next month or so. Such is the military life. While it's true that I was barbecued out, I was grateful that we all got together. It was fun to finally meet the host's wife. In fact, it was pretty funny. All three of us ladies were inside gabbing away while all three of the guys were out on the deck talking away as well. I held Andrew a majority of the time so I regret to say that I didn't take any group photos. A few of Jocelyn and Aubrey was all I could muster up while I was taking care of my mommy duties. Luckily, we're all getting together one more time before they move and after both families get back from their vacations. So I'll be sure to get some photos then.

{Menu: Burgers, Hot Dogs, Potato Wedges, Baked Beans, and Mud Pie.}

* We received rave reviews on the potato wedges!

{Going...}
{Going...}
{Gone! Until next time...}

And this ends our barbecue fun. At least until July! We love spending time with our friends and look forward to more get togethers soon. Hope you are all enjoying your summer so far. :) And please try the recipes. They're SOOO good!

When The Going Gets Tough...

...just get in the kitchen and DO something! That's what I decided to do today anyways.

My oh my this has already been a hard week for me. I can't sit on my hands anymore. Waiting for our little one to arrive has been much harder than I thought. So today after a short power nap, I made a special treat that I thought would also be a great present for Aubrey's school teacher and bus driver. These make great last minute gifts too. I think it turned out really nice!

It's called Cinnamon Toast White Chocolate Pretzels. (The pictures she has up on her site obviously do a little bit more justice than mine but they still look nice and tasty!)


I found this recipe this morning on one of my favorite sites: Your Home Based Mom. She has a lot of great recipes (among other great ideas) on her site too that you should check out. This treat was so fast and easy too. Not to mention YUMMY! :-) Her recipe is on her site if you want to try it. (Click on the link above). Just a side note: when it tells you to sprinkle with additional cinnamon sugar, it's easiest to just use the same measurements it calls for in the recipe (the sugar and cinnamon). I just mixed a separate batch and put it to the side until I got to that point in the recipe. Also, just eyeball how much white chocolate you'd like to melt for the topping. I used 4 individually wrapped Baker's White Chocolate Baking Squares that were 1 ounce each (4 oz total) and I was happy with it but you can always use more or less depending on how much you want.

So just when I thought I had nothing else to do...I found myself back in the kitchen. BAKING! I swore a few weeks ago that I was good and done with that for a little while but I guess never say never! Enjoy!!

Now I'm going to go BACK into the kitchen and clean up my mess. (Which was hardly anything at all might I add.) With being this far along in the pregnancy, the clean up is my least favorite part of baking and cooking because my back hurts towards the end but it'll give me something else to do, right? Oh Andrew...I can't WAIT to meet you! It better be soon too before I snack my way to an extra 35 lbs! LOL

Marine Corp Birthday Party

John's work had their Marine Corp Birthday party at an Officer's house this weekend and it had a great turn out. Unbeknownst to me, I was coming down with a cold so I wasn't feeling too good but I still was able to enjoy the event. Due to me not feeling that well, early on in the evening I asked John to put my purse back into the truck which happened to have our camera inside so unfortunately I didn't take a single photo. I'm definitely not feeling well if I don't have my camera at something like this. If a few pictures turn up from the event, I'll be sure to post them for your viewing needs but until then, my words will have to suffice. A few hours before the party started, John drove down to help out a bunch of guys set up a huge backyard tent that covered from the back deck out about 20-30 feet. The host of the party had a roasted pig plated nicely on the table amongst the other food. Head and all. I'm sure it was good but I'm not a pork lover so I can't comment any further than that. Looked good though. I was just busy hoping Jocelyn wouldn't notice the head (heck, the whole thing!) for she would be traumatized forever to watch Charlotte's Web. No...I'm kidding. She'll have to find out eventually, right? They had an array of good food from steak to fruit salad. Jocelyn refused the whole line of food only begging to have a bottled water. She seriously could care less about the rest. Even a cookie? Nope! She sat happily on one side of the deck step (this allowed others to still walk past) and just sat content as ever just drinking a sip of water, putting on the lid, opening it for another sip - you see a pattern here? This went on the whole time we were there. Can't forget to mention the few times her bottle slipped out of her hand while attempting to screw on the lid and plopped right on Daddy's shoe and pant leg - getting it drenched! She was too busy mesmerized in the 'one man band' singing and playing tunes on his guitar not even 6 feet away from where she was sitting. You'd think she was having the time of her life. Maybe she was! It was so cute to see her enjoying herself on the step, sometimes scooting over to be closer to the music but had to be moved back so she wouldn't get tripped on. I was just glad she was doing okay not eating a single thing while we were there. Many offers on my part and many declines of those offers on her part. But they say they'll eat when they are hungry so I let it go. (Until we got home atleast). Aubrey was one of the first to grab a plate of food from our family and scarf it down. She had other motives: girls to go hang out with and play twister and watch video games. Hello? Priorities here. Food and then straight to fun. I was happy she wasn't bored. John had fun mingling but still was a gentleman and made sure I was of comfort. This even includes him dragging a full iced cooler over for me to sit on. Having been in the kitchen most of the early parts of the day, my back was aching and standing that whole time wasn't going to happen almost 9 months pregnant so I was very appreciative of his thoughtfulness. I was also busy dodging cigarette smoke from the backyard so I obviously wasn't sitting on the cooler the whole evening! I also had one of John's Marine Corp buddy's wife, who I'm friends with, there to socialize with. John and I were only planning on staying for an hour or two before it got too late but we stayed an hour or so past that due to him being the youngest Marine at the party and having to stay for the ceremonies. I didn't count but there was well over 50 people. It's tradition that the oldest Marine passes a piece of birthday cake to the youngest Marine. When they read John's date of birth and the date he joined the Marine Corp they all started laughing calling him a baby and such. Basically having fun giving him a hard time for being the youngest. This was my first time attending a Marine Corp Birthday celebration so it was nice being able to accompany John to the party and meet more of the people he works with on a daily basis. We had a great time so I'm glad we went. Since I don't have pictures of the evening to share yet, I'm putting up the recipes of the yummy food we made and brought to the party. We make this potato salad and banana bread often and the apple butter was a new one for me to try but it turned out awesome so I know you'll enjoy it too.

New Potato Salad

by: Barefoot Contessa

3 lbs small red potatoes
kosher salt
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup buttermilk, milk, or white wine
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp whole-grain mustard
1/2 cup chopped fresh dill
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped red onion

Place the potatoes and 2 Tbsps of salt in a large pot of water. Bring water to boil, then lower heat and simmer 10-15 minutes, until potatoes are barely tender when pierced with knife. Drain potatoes in colander, then place colander with potatoes over empty pot and cover with clean, dry kitchen towel. Allow potatoes to steam for 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile, in small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, milk, Dijon mustard, whole-grain mustard, dill, 1 tsp salt, and 1 tsp pepper. Set aside when potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut them into quarters or halves, depending on size. Place cut potatoes in large bowl. While potatoes are still warm, pour enough dressing over them to moisten (or all if you wish but as salad sits, you may need to add more dressing). Add celery, red onion, 2 tsps of salt and 1 tsp pepper. Toss well, cover, and refrigerate for a few hours to allow flavors to blend. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Banana Bread

by: Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook

2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
2 beaten eggs
1-1/2 cups mashed bananas (5 medium)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup cooking oil or melted butter or margarine

Grease bottom and 1/2" up the sides of one 9x5x3-inch or two 7 1/2 x 3 1/2 x 2-inch loaf pans; set aside. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and 1/4 tsp salt. Make a well in center of flour mixture; set aside. In medium bowl combine eggs, bananas, sugar, and oil. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy). Spoon batter into prepared pan(s). If desired, sprinkle streusel topping over batter.* Bake at 350 degrees for 55-60 minutes for 9x5x3-inch pan, or 40-45 minutes for 7 1/2 x 3 1/2 x 2-inch pans, or until a wooden toothpick inserterd near center comes out clean (if necessary, cover loosely with foil the last 15 minutes of baking to prevent overbrowning). Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan. Cool completely on a wire rack. Wrap and store overnight before slicing. Makes 16 servings. *Streusel topping: In small bowl combine 1/4 cup packed brown sugar and 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour. Using pastry blender (or fork), cut in 2 Tbsp butter until mixture resembles course crumbs.

Crockpot Apple Butter

by: Milli Laughlin @ Hostess House Bed & Breakfast

5 1/2 lbs cooking apples (Braeburn, Granny Smith, Jonagold or Golden Delicious work best but any kind of apple should be okay to use)

1 cup water

4 cups granulated sugar

2-3 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp salt

Peel (I used a vegetable peeler and it worked great), core and quarter apples. Combine with the water in a large stockpot and cook until tender (generally 5-10 minutes). Place cooked apples in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Combine the pureed apples, sugar, cinnamon, cloves and salt in a slow-cooker. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours (depending on thickness and depth of color desired). Stir occassionally. Spoon into freezer containers (or small canning jars), cover and cool. Refrigerate or freeze. Makes 9 cups.

Note: For a thicker butter, remove the cover the last couple of hours and simmer until thick while still stirring occassionally.

It's That Time Of Year Again!

Pumpkin season!! Just getting into the holiday season in general. Boy do I love the Fall! As well as the smell of just baked bread floating through the home. Mmm!

My awesome little helper (Jocelyn) and I made our annual pumpkin bread together this morning. She had a blast knocking over the cinnamon spice jar off the pudding boxes while I beat the ingredients together. Whatever works I guess. :) It definitely kept her occupied while I got the bread batter into the oven. It was great 'Mom and daughter' time.


I posted this recipe last year but I'm including it again if anyone wants to try it.

Delicious Pumpkin Bread

5 eggs
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 packages (3 ounces each) cook and serve vanilla pudding mix
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt

In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs. Add oil and pumpkin; beat until smooth. Combine remaining ingredients; gradually beat into pumpkin mixture. Pour batter into five greased 5-in x 2-1/2 x 2-in. loaf pans. Bake at 325 degrees for 50-55 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. OR 2 greased 8 inch x 4 inch x 2 inch loaf pans for 75-80 minutes.