I cannot believe I was a terrible blog-friend last week. I knew I had something to share but couldn't remember what; it was a HUGE thanks to 4everMom for the link to the Dijon-Maple Chicken recipe. I made it with boneless skinless breasts (of course), some ancient Dijon mustard cluttering up my fridge, and the rice wine vinegar I'm working down and it was terrific. I highly, highly recommend it as well, and thank you for the tip! Clearly I'm the last one on the internet to find this recipe but I'm glad she pointed the way. It was not a favorite of the kids but my husband and I loved it and it really hit my happy point of sweet and savory. It's exactly the kind of recipe I need more of: marinade of things I have around the house that only need to be poured on at the last minute and baked. Love that kind of recipe.
Also, I went to a party for my moms' group and the awesome hostess had made Margarita Punch. It was insanely delicious and tequila free. (She had a pitcher with tequila next to it for those who wanted it.) If you like mojitos or margaritas--do not hesitate to make this. Now I need to figure out how to do this one or two glasses at a time.
This week has turned topsy turvy as has a lot of May...I wasn't thinking clearly at the butcher's so we're a little cow heavy this week....
Monday: steak, roasted potatoes, roasted Brussels sprouts
Tuesday: Taco Tuesday
Wednesday: spaghetti and meatballs/meatball sandwiches
Thursday: leftovers
Friday: Pizza night.
My apologies to the bovines in the general vicinity.
Hope you are entering the Memorial Day weekend in whatever way makes you happy!
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Monday, May 13, 2013
Still Here!
Thanks for all the comments last week! It was great to hear from everyone.
Our cabbage is still growing but I do not foresee a giant like in the photos. Still, a "Kept-Alive" cabbage will do me just fine.
This is the busy week (she said, before the next busy week overtook her)--ok, this is the busy week with the two nights out. So:
Monday: Joanne's Pork Tenderloin (recipe on sidebar), rice, roasted Brussels sprouts
Tuesday: Taco Tuesday
Wednesday: Wednesday Spaghetti
Thursday: sausage-onion-apple bake, and probably pesto quinoa for kids
Friday: school event, woohoo!
Last week we held things together and pretty much followed the plan. It's been nice to have the grill out again and we are trying to use the yard before the mosquitoes are too much to take. I planted basil and rosemary this weekend, and we'll see if I have the heart to get more tomatoes. Now that there's so much sun in our back yard, I might try again.
Wishing you a happy week with not-too-much on your plate!
Our cabbage is still growing but I do not foresee a giant like in the photos. Still, a "Kept-Alive" cabbage will do me just fine.
This is the busy week (she said, before the next busy week overtook her)--ok, this is the busy week with the two nights out. So:
Monday: Joanne's Pork Tenderloin (recipe on sidebar), rice, roasted Brussels sprouts
Tuesday: Taco Tuesday
Wednesday: Wednesday Spaghetti
Thursday: sausage-onion-apple bake, and probably pesto quinoa for kids
Friday: school event, woohoo!
Last week we held things together and pretty much followed the plan. It's been nice to have the grill out again and we are trying to use the yard before the mosquitoes are too much to take. I planted basil and rosemary this weekend, and we'll see if I have the heart to get more tomatoes. Now that there's so much sun in our back yard, I might try again.
Wishing you a happy week with not-too-much on your plate!
Monday, May 6, 2013
Deep Breaths
Ok, things are getting a little better around here. I am outing myself as having completely, totally, absolutely fallen down on a big job I really wanted to do well on, but for whatever reason, I just didn't have it in me. I am mystified by this but what's done is done (and what isn't done, isn't done) and I need to just move on. Fortunately it was for neither work nor family, so what's most important is still intact, but it feels crummy.
Meanwhile, at least it's an ending. Work events continue to come along at a blistering pace, as do school events. And the car needs a new timing belt. (Longtime readers with outstanding memories will remember that the timing belt killed my last car, so car repair shops know they can get lots of moolah out of me by telling me it's time for a timing belt.) So it's a strange one this week, but we'll see how it goes...
On the food front, we had a Sonic open near us. I don't quite get it but it was wildly popular.
The May Weeks of Crazy continue...
Monday: Recuperate from big work event on Sunday. Broiled steak. Side of leftover veggies.
Tuesday: No clue. Could be baseball, could be Lego build. Regardless, I will make tacos and we'll see how it goes.
Wednesday: Unsurprisingly, I did not make the avocado sauce last week (though I had the ingredients I realized my husband wouldn't be home before it browned and after I can eat without feeling sick in the night). This week, I'm not even pretending. There was a sale on Rao's and so back to my favorite.
Thursday: A fun day: the first grade Hootenany is in the morning, so I'm working from home and have some time to cook. That doesn't always inspire me but we'll see. However, I do have three chicken breasts ready to go so that might work too.
Friday: No baseball (but wait 'til next week) so I will probably just pick up a pizza again. There are worse eating patterns.
Next week is the last week of the complete crazy with two work events on Monday and Tuesday, both of which are, of course, nights when we have baseball games. Such a bummer--so many nights with none and then two of the last three games are on these totally unmissable nights. But, that's how life goes, and with a job that lets me chaperone the zoo and make the Hootenany and be at the class parties--two baseball games is not a tragedy by any stretch of the imagination.
Wishing you a good week full of things and people you love that don't stress you out!
Meanwhile, at least it's an ending. Work events continue to come along at a blistering pace, as do school events. And the car needs a new timing belt. (Longtime readers with outstanding memories will remember that the timing belt killed my last car, so car repair shops know they can get lots of moolah out of me by telling me it's time for a timing belt.) So it's a strange one this week, but we'll see how it goes...
On the food front, we had a Sonic open near us. I don't quite get it but it was wildly popular.
The May Weeks of Crazy continue...
Monday: Recuperate from big work event on Sunday. Broiled steak. Side of leftover veggies.
Tuesday: No clue. Could be baseball, could be Lego build. Regardless, I will make tacos and we'll see how it goes.
Wednesday: Unsurprisingly, I did not make the avocado sauce last week (though I had the ingredients I realized my husband wouldn't be home before it browned and after I can eat without feeling sick in the night). This week, I'm not even pretending. There was a sale on Rao's and so back to my favorite.
Thursday: A fun day: the first grade Hootenany is in the morning, so I'm working from home and have some time to cook. That doesn't always inspire me but we'll see. However, I do have three chicken breasts ready to go so that might work too.
Friday: No baseball (but wait 'til next week) so I will probably just pick up a pizza again. There are worse eating patterns.
Next week is the last week of the complete crazy with two work events on Monday and Tuesday, both of which are, of course, nights when we have baseball games. Such a bummer--so many nights with none and then two of the last three games are on these totally unmissable nights. But, that's how life goes, and with a job that lets me chaperone the zoo and make the Hootenany and be at the class parties--two baseball games is not a tragedy by any stretch of the imagination.
Wishing you a good week full of things and people you love that don't stress you out!
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Deeply Annoying
So, most of my page views are coming from Russia and Belarus these days. I suspect this is not due to a newly blossoming interest in suburban American cooking but instead has to do with the malware issue and I am not sure how to solve it. So I think my summer list this year will involve migrating my blog somewhere. But I don't have the time right now to focus on what that might look like.
Meanwhile, thanks to 4everMom for letting me know Feedly was taking readers straight to my blog, which is apparently no longer giving the scary malware warning. Still, I'm wary and trying to back up all the info here.
So this new pattern is worked pretty well for me so far: big meal on Monday, taco Tuesday, Spaghetti Wednesday, leftover Thursdays, Fridays freezer food or out for pizza.
Speaking of eating out--Freddy's has become a problem. The kids want to eat there every day. This is not possible or advisable. But we are happy to go for it sometimes--it's really good.
That said, I was re-inspired by Michael Pollan on Dr. Oz. One part is here. I had to laugh at his one-pot chicken, which is so much like the Armagnac chicken I made last week, only more complex. We had it on Monday and when on Wednesday, someone decided he hated pasta, we used the leftover chicken to make taco chicken meat and we all ate well.
This week:
Monday: Argh, baseball game. So. I am really hoping we can grill some chicken on Sunday to eat on Monday. And I'm now addicted to the asparagus-mushroom-onion combo in the veggie section at Trader Joe's.
Tuesday: Tacos (I have been buying less meat for the boys, and using black beans for myself--and anyone else who wants them, but it's really just me. I did at some point do the black beans for the crockpot, and it made a ton. I froze them in two-serving bags and then just defrosted and heated, which was easy and cheap, but I have to be honest; I'm not sure it's much cheaper or easier than draining a can and sauteeing in the same spices I use for the meat. So while I am happy to report the experiment was successful, the jury is still out on whether it's going to be repeated.)
Wednesday: Spaghetti. I did not try the avocado sauce last week because I forgot the basil. This week, I'll try again.
Thursday: The problem with leftovers Monday is none for Thursday. So I will have to get inspired. London broil is on sale, so maybe that with the leftover potatoes from the bag for the Armagnac chicken last week.
Friday: baseball, so freezer meal tonight. Much as I would love to just get a pizza, young Mr. Picky is again getting fussy about what parts of a pizza he will eat and I have no patience for it because he turns around and gorges on pretzels. So probably TJ's mac and cheese for him (at least there is protein) and either the multigrain "stir fry" or mushroom truffle flatbread for his brother.
And that's about all I can take for the week. I am stressed out beyond my max (not to end on a downer) with a major work event on Sunday, and other big events pretty much for two weeks straight. I am going to need to bow out of some of them because I am very much over my personal limit here of what I can do. Wishing you a week of good food and good times with family!
Meanwhile, thanks to 4everMom for letting me know Feedly was taking readers straight to my blog, which is apparently no longer giving the scary malware warning. Still, I'm wary and trying to back up all the info here.
So this new pattern is worked pretty well for me so far: big meal on Monday, taco Tuesday, Spaghetti Wednesday, leftover Thursdays, Fridays freezer food or out for pizza.
Speaking of eating out--Freddy's has become a problem. The kids want to eat there every day. This is not possible or advisable. But we are happy to go for it sometimes--it's really good.
That said, I was re-inspired by Michael Pollan on Dr. Oz. One part is here. I had to laugh at his one-pot chicken, which is so much like the Armagnac chicken I made last week, only more complex. We had it on Monday and when on Wednesday, someone decided he hated pasta, we used the leftover chicken to make taco chicken meat and we all ate well.
This week:
Monday: Argh, baseball game. So. I am really hoping we can grill some chicken on Sunday to eat on Monday. And I'm now addicted to the asparagus-mushroom-onion combo in the veggie section at Trader Joe's.
Tuesday: Tacos (I have been buying less meat for the boys, and using black beans for myself--and anyone else who wants them, but it's really just me. I did at some point do the black beans for the crockpot, and it made a ton. I froze them in two-serving bags and then just defrosted and heated, which was easy and cheap, but I have to be honest; I'm not sure it's much cheaper or easier than draining a can and sauteeing in the same spices I use for the meat. So while I am happy to report the experiment was successful, the jury is still out on whether it's going to be repeated.)
Wednesday: Spaghetti. I did not try the avocado sauce last week because I forgot the basil. This week, I'll try again.
Thursday: The problem with leftovers Monday is none for Thursday. So I will have to get inspired. London broil is on sale, so maybe that with the leftover potatoes from the bag for the Armagnac chicken last week.
Friday: baseball, so freezer meal tonight. Much as I would love to just get a pizza, young Mr. Picky is again getting fussy about what parts of a pizza he will eat and I have no patience for it because he turns around and gorges on pretzels. So probably TJ's mac and cheese for him (at least there is protein) and either the multigrain "stir fry" or mushroom truffle flatbread for his brother.
And that's about all I can take for the week. I am stressed out beyond my max (not to end on a downer) with a major work event on Sunday, and other big events pretty much for two weeks straight. I am going to need to bow out of some of them because I am very much over my personal limit here of what I can do. Wishing you a week of good food and good times with family!
Sunday, April 21, 2013
Spring is Springing All Around
I'm so grateful to those of you who are reading past the malware messages. Thank you.
This is a nice, ordinary week, I hope. A little baseball, a little track (both boys ran a mile in practice last week! They are so proud of themselves, and rightly so), maybe book group if I'm lucky. Wishing you and your loved ones the same.
Monday: Armagnac chicken
Tuesday: taco Tuesday
Wednesday: Wednesday Spaghetti. I am trying the avocado spaghetti from pinterest, but I know that would be of no interest to the boys in the house so we'll see how that goes.
Thursday: Dining Out for Life--a fundraiser night where local restaurants give 33% of your tab to AIDS charities. Our favorite pizza place is on the list so we'll do our usual Friday pizza on Thursday.
Friday: Leftovers. I know, unexciting but sometimes that's how it goes.
Hopefully we'll get a little more springlike weather next week and can grill some of the things still hanging out in the freezer this weekend.
Have a great week!
This is a nice, ordinary week, I hope. A little baseball, a little track (both boys ran a mile in practice last week! They are so proud of themselves, and rightly so), maybe book group if I'm lucky. Wishing you and your loved ones the same.
Monday: Armagnac chicken
Tuesday: taco Tuesday
Wednesday: Wednesday Spaghetti. I am trying the avocado spaghetti from pinterest, but I know that would be of no interest to the boys in the house so we'll see how that goes.
Thursday: Dining Out for Life--a fundraiser night where local restaurants give 33% of your tab to AIDS charities. Our favorite pizza place is on the list so we'll do our usual Friday pizza on Thursday.
Friday: Leftovers. I know, unexciting but sometimes that's how it goes.
Hopefully we'll get a little more springlike weather next week and can grill some of the things still hanging out in the freezer this weekend.
Have a great week!
Monday, April 15, 2013
Deceptive Calm
Oh, Spring, you tease.
Last week brought us 86 degrees--awesome in June, a little less so in April. Then the flu moved in--one boy (small) and one husband (no modifier needed). Add to that the closing of one little league field and the shifting of the schedule and we may just have a "catch our breath" week here on our hands.
Fun development of the (otherwise dominated by state testing) school week: our school is participating in the Bonnie Cabbage Giveaway, so my 3rd grader is growing a cabbage. They are special "oversize" cabbages so we'll see how it goes!
Also: new find for us: Freddy's Steakburgers. Opened in an old Arby's, it's a great little hamburger and custard place. Food is good, prices reasonable, and the kids are hooked. And to be honest, so is mom.
Meanwhile...
Monday: Sick dad=lazy dinner. He gets soup, kids get quinoa pesto, mom gets leftovers.
Tuesday: Happy Taco Tuesday to me....
Wednesday: Wednesday Spaghetti, my next-favorite day of the week.
Thursday: Freezer cleanout. I have some Trader Joe's stuff to use up and some other randomness.
Friday: Night out, and not pizza! It's a celebration at my alma mater, and the kids' school night at the Phillies, so it'll be fun and busy.
Have a great week! Sorry for the complete lack of inspirational eating but I really just needed a plan for my sanity!
Last week brought us 86 degrees--awesome in June, a little less so in April. Then the flu moved in--one boy (small) and one husband (no modifier needed). Add to that the closing of one little league field and the shifting of the schedule and we may just have a "catch our breath" week here on our hands.
Fun development of the (otherwise dominated by state testing) school week: our school is participating in the Bonnie Cabbage Giveaway, so my 3rd grader is growing a cabbage. They are special "oversize" cabbages so we'll see how it goes!
Also: new find for us: Freddy's Steakburgers. Opened in an old Arby's, it's a great little hamburger and custard place. Food is good, prices reasonable, and the kids are hooked. And to be honest, so is mom.
Meanwhile...
Monday: Sick dad=lazy dinner. He gets soup, kids get quinoa pesto, mom gets leftovers.
Tuesday: Happy Taco Tuesday to me....
Wednesday: Wednesday Spaghetti, my next-favorite day of the week.
Thursday: Freezer cleanout. I have some Trader Joe's stuff to use up and some other randomness.
Friday: Night out, and not pizza! It's a celebration at my alma mater, and the kids' school night at the Phillies, so it'll be fun and busy.
Have a great week! Sorry for the complete lack of inspirational eating but I really just needed a plan for my sanity!
Saturday, April 6, 2013
Springing All Around
Yay! It's spring! So, what's that low moaning sound? Why, it's me, grumpymom, annoyed at the baseball schedule. I'll live. And I'm spoiled. But I am annoyed that I never remember to just jot a note: Can my child PLEASE be on the same team as at least just ONE OTHER CHILD from our town? Please? Because sometimes I need to carpool and even from the town next door it's 20-30 extra minutes in some other busy family's life if I can't make it to the start of a game.
And then I feel so guilty because I watch the Sandy Hook parents try to keep the rest of our kids safe and the wave of shame is too much to bear.
Anyway. On that cheery note, we plan our week.
Sunday: Grillin'. Big sale at the Co-op means yummy meat for all. Grilling steaks, and I have brussels sprouts, asparagus, and maybe some potatoes? I'll have to check.
Monday: Soccer tryouts, though in a fit of irony, neither of my kids has the slightest hint of interest. Ok then. I am trying to stay all neutral about it in case they change their minds, but my inner mommy is doing a happy dance of joy to escape that logistical nightmare next fall. (Irony, of course, because their dad runs the intramural/peewee soccer leagues in town. And like the cobbler's kids with no shoes...the boys grew up with a dad too tired from playing soccer with all the other kids in town to go play with them Saturday afternoons so they grew up with no great love and some slight resentment of the game. Ah well.) But, since Dad needs to be at the tryouts, something quick and easy, and in this case, that's pulled pork sandwiches from the crockpot at my husband's request. I'm happy to grant it. Might also do kale chips and roasted cauliflower from my pinterest board. To be positive: I really helped out the compost pile last week. Less positive: that's some expensive dirt I got going there. So I'm trying to be better about using the veggies I have.
Tuesday: I love my taco Tuesdays. Really I do.
Wednesday: Wednesday Spaghetti is really gaining in popularity in my book too. Wednesday is also "Eat Your Vegetables" night at my moms' group with the idea being: how do you sneak veggies in to your kids' diets? I don't do much sneaking but will probably make quinoa pesto for the buffet of sneaky veggies. That or the Trader Joe's "stir fry" (multi-grain with veggies frozen concoction)--both good.
Thursday: Leftovers. I can tell you now, it'll be pork for the parents, taco for older boy, and spaghetti for younger boy. Call me Kreskin (if you're old like me).
Friday: The pizza was a big hit last week so we might repeat. But it's also "fun and fitness" night at school and I'm not sure how slamming down pepperoni pizza fits in to that theme. So we'll see.
So, that's the week I hope will be. The state testing is this week and my oldest (who is taking it for the first time this year) is freaking out. Here's hoping that calms down after Monday. Wishing you a peaceful, successful, freakout-free week!
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