Last week was a bit of a lost week for me. I had an impromptu trip to Pittsburgh for the funeral of the father of my freshman roommate. He was a great guy and I was pleased to be able to make the trip for him but especially for his daughter, of course. Then we had a long-planned trip to Connecticut to see my niece and our mentee, so that was fun but also exhausting. So I am ready to have a quiet week at home.
Monday: pork roast with cider cream gravy (on sidebar) -- I cannot WAIT for dinner tomorrow. Mashed potatoes, roasted cauliflower.
Tuesday: Tacos
Wednesday: WedSpag for the family, Smitten Kitchen's Napa cabbage salad with buttermilk for me (ah, CSA, I won't miss you when you're gone) (which is not a reflection on this salad, which I love, but rather the relentless march of veggies my family doesn't consume)
Thursday: pulled pork (already made!) with the in-laws before trick or treating
Friday: Our niece and nephew, ages 3 and 5, will be here so no idea what happens next but it should be fun no matter what!
Have a great week!
Sunday, October 27, 2013
Sunday, October 13, 2013
That Was Not A Fast Decade, And Other Thoughts
My oldest turned ten this weekend. TEN! Double digits! I'm so proud and melancholy and satisfied and happy and full of love for him. Someone said to me, "Ten years! That went fast!" and I thought, REALLY? I mean, maybe it did but a lot of those days dragged like the Dickens and so it kinda did feel like a whole decade to me. We got out the book of his baby photos and it really has been a long time since he could take a bath in the sink, and I would wonder at those little hands (well, no, I did that last night while he slept), or he was in a onesie, or his huge smile made my heart sing (well, no, that was today). I used to watch my mother, who was one of the great baby whisperers of all time, and say, "I bet you wish I never grew up." And she would smile a funny smile and say to me, "Oh, no. I do love babies but you get more and more interesting every day and I just find new ways to love you all over again." And I hope my kids understand that this is how I feel about them. I loved them like crazy when they were little, and I know they still are, for as impossibly competent and gangly as they are. But every day, even the ones where I am exhausted or distracted or snappish, every day, I love being their mom and watching them grow.
So with that nostalgia out of the way...I am caked out from the weekend. So this is a clean living kind of week.
Monday: freezer cleanout, and in the parade of life's milestones, the First Communion meeting, so a quickie is necessary. Making the crockpot beef dish I froze ages ago, plus some rice, and hoping it works out.
Tuesday: ah, Taco Tuesday, how I love thee.
Wednesday: Wednesday Spaghetti, but on our own.
Thursday: We didn't finish the turkey shepherd's pie last week, so grownups will have this and kids will probably have chicken nuggets (from Bell and Evans, so it's actual chicken, unlike what they found in that gross study this week) or leftovers of the beef if they like it.
Friday: Fundraiser night so my husband and I are going out...the kids will eat something from the freezer. (I am making the final push to get rid of the behemoth...I keep slipping back in to the habit of popping stuff in there!)
Wishing you a great week!
So with that nostalgia out of the way...I am caked out from the weekend. So this is a clean living kind of week.
Monday: freezer cleanout, and in the parade of life's milestones, the First Communion meeting, so a quickie is necessary. Making the crockpot beef dish I froze ages ago, plus some rice, and hoping it works out.
Tuesday: ah, Taco Tuesday, how I love thee.
Wednesday: Wednesday Spaghetti, but on our own.
Thursday: We didn't finish the turkey shepherd's pie last week, so grownups will have this and kids will probably have chicken nuggets (from Bell and Evans, so it's actual chicken, unlike what they found in that gross study this week) or leftovers of the beef if they like it.
Friday: Fundraiser night so my husband and I are going out...the kids will eat something from the freezer. (I am making the final push to get rid of the behemoth...I keep slipping back in to the habit of popping stuff in there!)
Wishing you a great week!
Sunday, October 6, 2013
Oh Fall Where Art Thou?
So after an unusual week (Lego build, Fall Fest, battery dying at a site 22 miles from home), we are settling in to our new normal this week. I know the boys are going to be bummed because it is really going to cut in to playing at home time, but I console myself that the early dark is doing that soon anyway, and this is just preparation for it. But it does make it crucial to have things ready to go for lunches and dinners, so I just spent most of today baking away for the week, so I know for a fact: this is what we're having, for realz. It's in my fridge.
Monday: Rachael Ray turkey shepherd's pie. This was a favorite for a long time but now it's been ages since they had it so the boys might go hungry.
Tuesday: Tacos are in the fridge, ready to go.
Wednesday: Spaghetti.
Thursday: leftovers--shepherd's pie, and also I made Armagnac chicken for Sunday dinner so there are leftovers of that. I finally got smart and something like quintupled the carrots. I love the vegetables in that as much as the chicken, maybe even more.
Friday: Unclear, but probably pizza. It will be after swim practice (which started last week but due to the crazy, we never made it--fortunately the coach was ok with it since the first meet is still far in the future) and it will be the kickoff to my older son's tenth (TENTH!) birthday weekend, so I suspect it will be an all-favorites weekend.
In my kitchen fest (ha ha) today, I also baked off two of the largest sweet potatoes I had ever seen (from the CSA--seriously, the one was about the size of a one-liter bottle of soda) and I will make my favorite miso-sweet potato mash for myself with those. I also have a wilting cabbage from the CSA (and STILL, potatoes aplenty) so I am making the cabbage-white bean dish from 101 Cookbooks; and finally, used the awesome suggestion of the potato gratin, and um, YUM. Also used some of the extra cranberries hanging around with the pears from the CSA to make this pear-cranberry crisp. I am making it for the Mothers & More meeting on Wednesday, though, so I don't know yet how it is. And--finally--I made my sister-in-law's frozen mashed potatoes so those are ready for the holidays.
We are so far relatively unaffected by the government shutdown but not so for our friends. A neighbor works in a federal prosecutorial office (unclear on the details, but we have all cheered as her office has put away several high-profile bad guys), and she's home. Another friend is a labor negotiator, and it strikes me that instead of furloughing him, perhaps they should take him down to DC to work with Congress. Another friend is in foreign service and since is in a language training rotation, is considered non-essential, but that post won't wait. Several friends in DC (of course) are out of work, though the one is a father of a bride-in-a-month, and despite his agitation at not being at work, has delighted his wife by being at home and able to help with the prep. Hoping and praying that sanity and compromise prevail, and soon.
I am completely obsessed with Lorde's Royals. I love her voice, the stripped down sound, the whole thing. Not as thrilled with the video per se but the song itself...I am humming it everywhere.
Busy season here for application prep too so enough blogging for now. Have a great week!
Monday: Rachael Ray turkey shepherd's pie. This was a favorite for a long time but now it's been ages since they had it so the boys might go hungry.
Tuesday: Tacos are in the fridge, ready to go.
Wednesday: Spaghetti.
Thursday: leftovers--shepherd's pie, and also I made Armagnac chicken for Sunday dinner so there are leftovers of that. I finally got smart and something like quintupled the carrots. I love the vegetables in that as much as the chicken, maybe even more.
Friday: Unclear, but probably pizza. It will be after swim practice (which started last week but due to the crazy, we never made it--fortunately the coach was ok with it since the first meet is still far in the future) and it will be the kickoff to my older son's tenth (TENTH!) birthday weekend, so I suspect it will be an all-favorites weekend.
In my kitchen fest (ha ha) today, I also baked off two of the largest sweet potatoes I had ever seen (from the CSA--seriously, the one was about the size of a one-liter bottle of soda) and I will make my favorite miso-sweet potato mash for myself with those. I also have a wilting cabbage from the CSA (and STILL, potatoes aplenty) so I am making the cabbage-white bean dish from 101 Cookbooks; and finally, used the awesome suggestion of the potato gratin, and um, YUM. Also used some of the extra cranberries hanging around with the pears from the CSA to make this pear-cranberry crisp. I am making it for the Mothers & More meeting on Wednesday, though, so I don't know yet how it is. And--finally--I made my sister-in-law's frozen mashed potatoes so those are ready for the holidays.
We are so far relatively unaffected by the government shutdown but not so for our friends. A neighbor works in a federal prosecutorial office (unclear on the details, but we have all cheered as her office has put away several high-profile bad guys), and she's home. Another friend is a labor negotiator, and it strikes me that instead of furloughing him, perhaps they should take him down to DC to work with Congress. Another friend is in foreign service and since is in a language training rotation, is considered non-essential, but that post won't wait. Several friends in DC (of course) are out of work, though the one is a father of a bride-in-a-month, and despite his agitation at not being at work, has delighted his wife by being at home and able to help with the prep. Hoping and praying that sanity and compromise prevail, and soon.
I am completely obsessed with Lorde's Royals. I love her voice, the stripped down sound, the whole thing. Not as thrilled with the video per se but the song itself...I am humming it everywhere.
Busy season here for application prep too so enough blogging for now. Have a great week!
Sunday, September 29, 2013
My Favorite Category of Food
Well, we are in a crazy place--by October everything is up and running, activity-wise, and now what seemed reasonable is looking a little like craziness! The swimming is what is sending me over the edge but we will see how it goes. And really--this week is just sending me over the edge, with lots of odd one-time activities.
Thank goodness--this weekend we were in New York for a bar mitzvah and we were sent home with TONS of leftovers! We'll be eating risotto and mashed potatoes all week. (There was so much more awesomeness to the bar mitzvah than that, but this is my dinner blog!) Hence the title: my favorite food is always leftover party food!
Monday: apple-sausage-potato bake. With mashed potatoes. It's a little potato heavy but mmmm.
Tuesday: Lego build! We will deviate from our usual plan but I can live with that.
Wednesday: spaghetti. Just us, at home, but still--yum.
Thursday: Taco Thursday
Friday: School Fall Fest! This is always a good night. We'll be selling pumpkins all night long but it should be fun.
We will have to see if we can freeze risotto...should be an interesting experiment!
Have a great week!
Thank goodness--this weekend we were in New York for a bar mitzvah and we were sent home with TONS of leftovers! We'll be eating risotto and mashed potatoes all week. (There was so much more awesomeness to the bar mitzvah than that, but this is my dinner blog!) Hence the title: my favorite food is always leftover party food!
Monday: apple-sausage-potato bake. With mashed potatoes. It's a little potato heavy but mmmm.
Tuesday: Lego build! We will deviate from our usual plan but I can live with that.
Wednesday: spaghetti. Just us, at home, but still--yum.
Thursday: Taco Thursday
Friday: School Fall Fest! This is always a good night. We'll be selling pumpkins all night long but it should be fun.
We will have to see if we can freeze risotto...should be an interesting experiment!
Have a great week!
Monday, September 23, 2013
Back to Reality
So, I'm back. I ended up flying cross-country to be with my family for the funeral and I am glad I did though it was hard hard hard. My uncle was such a vital presence, we all kept expecting him to step back in at any second, but of course that never happened.
So this week, I'm being kind to myself again...
Monday: Leftovers from the one-pot chicken recipe with the potatoes and tomatoes. Verdict: looked better than it was. It was a great use of potatoes (though I used too many) and tomatoes (though I didn't use enough); and the chicken parts with bones tasted much better than the ones without. A worthy experiment but we won't be repeating it.
Tuesday: Need you even ask?
Wednesday: This has been a good innovation of 2013. (Spaghetti night, woo!)
Thursday: I am working so this might be crock pot freezer meal night. Will let you know how that goes.
Friday: We are meeting friends for dinner and I am so excited to be off to a happy occasion!
I will also be making a kale salad; I am linking to this video because I have liked it a lot and I am a slow learner and need to watch her almost every time. And heaven knows I have all these ingredients except for the avocado. Except for the hating-to-touch-my-food issues, this is my favorite way to make kale.
Watching that video makes me think it's time to get back on the green smoothie horse too. I need some detox this week. If I try something new, you know I'll share it here.
Wishing everyone a good last week of September!
Sunday, September 15, 2013
In the Swim
So, one full week of school and work down, for almost everyone--my older son immediately picked up the cold that was flying around the school so he was out for a day and probably should have been for longer. But all the activities are underway and we are ready to be in a routine.
Alas, that will need to wait as I got the sad news today that my uncle passed away, unexpectedly, in his sleep. He was in his late 70s and so this is really what we all pray for but it is hard to be one of the ones left behind.
This week:
Monday: I never did make the one pot chicken dish, but with still a world class collection of potatoes and tomatoes, we're going for it tonight with a salad and kale chips if I get my act together.
Tuesday: Taco Tuesday, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
Wednesday: Wednesday Spaghetti is a close second in my beloved nights.
Thursday: Leftovers or freezer food or pesto quinoa. I am not really in shape to go hunting stuff down to do right now.
Friday: Pizza night. Because I am not knocking myself out this week.
Last week, I finally made the pineapple pork chops. They were a complete no-go for my sons but that just left more for me and my husband, and that made us happy. They were great. I left them in a little longer because my chops were pretty thick, but if you have people in your house who would eat this combo, by all means, try it. Apparently it started life as a chicken recipe, so if you think it sounds intriguing except for that pesky pork part--this could still work for you.
In a pig-filled week, I made this crockpot pork tenderloin. I doubled the recipe and froze half. Again--no-go for the boys but my husband enjoyed it. Thanks to my cousin for posting it on facebook!
Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin
2 pound Pork Tenderloin
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
1 TBS Yellow Mustard
2-3 TBS maple syrup
2 TBS olive oil
2 TBS Diced dried onions
1 1/2 TSP Garlic Salt or Powder
Mix ingredients above. Pour over Tenderloin in the crock pot and cook on low for 6 hours.
And to continue the crockpot theme: I tried the crockpot chicken marbella. Again--my husband loved it but no one else did. (Sensing a theme?) Part of this, I think, is my own inability to really warm up to dark meat chicken. It did not do the boneless breasts justice, but the drumsticks I threw in were gobbled quickly by my husband.
That's about all I can do right now. Wishing you a week ahead with all good news.
Alas, that will need to wait as I got the sad news today that my uncle passed away, unexpectedly, in his sleep. He was in his late 70s and so this is really what we all pray for but it is hard to be one of the ones left behind.
This week:
Monday: I never did make the one pot chicken dish, but with still a world class collection of potatoes and tomatoes, we're going for it tonight with a salad and kale chips if I get my act together.
Tuesday: Taco Tuesday, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
Wednesday: Wednesday Spaghetti is a close second in my beloved nights.
Thursday: Leftovers or freezer food or pesto quinoa. I am not really in shape to go hunting stuff down to do right now.
Friday: Pizza night. Because I am not knocking myself out this week.
Last week, I finally made the pineapple pork chops. They were a complete no-go for my sons but that just left more for me and my husband, and that made us happy. They were great. I left them in a little longer because my chops were pretty thick, but if you have people in your house who would eat this combo, by all means, try it. Apparently it started life as a chicken recipe, so if you think it sounds intriguing except for that pesky pork part--this could still work for you.
In a pig-filled week, I made this crockpot pork tenderloin. I doubled the recipe and froze half. Again--no-go for the boys but my husband enjoyed it. Thanks to my cousin for posting it on facebook!
Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin
2 pound Pork Tenderloin
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
1 TBS Yellow Mustard
2-3 TBS maple syrup
2 TBS olive oil
2 TBS Diced dried onions
1 1/2 TSP Garlic Salt or Powder
Mix ingredients above. Pour over Tenderloin in the crock pot and cook on low for 6 hours.
And to continue the crockpot theme: I tried the crockpot chicken marbella. Again--my husband loved it but no one else did. (Sensing a theme?) Part of this, I think, is my own inability to really warm up to dark meat chicken. It did not do the boneless breasts justice, but the drumsticks I threw in were gobbled quickly by my husband.
That's about all I can do right now. Wishing you a week ahead with all good news.
Sunday, September 8, 2013
The Sweet Smells of September
First, thanks for the suggestions on the stink. My title is a bit of a joke as our house is getting better but still has distinct Eau de Dog. We keep thinking we have it on the run, and it returns. The dog goes to the vet tomorrow so we'll see if they have any great ideas. I am afraid it is just Old Dog Stank and the new normal around here. But I am psyched to try the charcoal to see if that helps. This week...
Monday--I'm out, but home for most of the day. I am planning to make the pineapple pork chops that I never got to a few weeks ago. I'll serve with rice and applesauce and peas. (My oldest, and pea-adorer, is sick today with a sore throat and if he's not eating them, making his favorite seems mean.)
Tuesday--tacos
Wednesday--spaghetti
Thursday--trying this one-pot chicken dish in hopes of using all the awesome CSA tomatoes coming our way.
Friday--unclear. I have the crock pot mongolian beef in the freezer so I might try that. If we aren't "porked out" from Monday, there is a slow cooker pork tenderloin floating around Facebook that I might try. If it goes well I will post the recipe. On a different note: it is very strange not going to football games every Friday, but it's kind of pleasant, too. We have no local cousins left in high school, and our advisee graduated, and we aren't getting another until next year, so it's kind of a year off.
A few other random notes: lots of salty language here but this post railing against back to school pinteresting made me laugh out loud.
We are overloaded with CSA potatoes. I thought ordering our own instead of taking what we got would work better, but so far--it is not working out quite as well as I hoped. Partially it's the selection. There was exactly one week of cucumbers. There was also only one week of zucchini! There was no corn. And I could continue but I think our CSA time might be over for a while. The tomatoes are good but we are overrun with them, and I like Jerseys better anyway (yes, totally mental but there it is). But anyway: the potatoes. The good thing is, they have them every week, they are delicious, and now I have more than enough to make the make-ahead mashed potatoes for the holiday season. (I can't believe I haven't posted my sister-in-law's freezer mashed potatoes recipe! I will have to get on that for next week.)
Also, I happen to think that Ghiardelli brownies are a pinnacle of the art form, but suddenly it seems like there are brownie links everywhere. So when the weather turns colder, I'm having a brownie-off, with Tipsy Baker's old favorite, new favorite, and the somewhat wincingly-named (but probably accurate) man-catcher brownies from the Washington Post. (The intention here is to add chocolate chips and bake for 55 minutes.) If I'm missing your favorite brownie, please let me know.
Wishing you a good week!
Monday--I'm out, but home for most of the day. I am planning to make the pineapple pork chops that I never got to a few weeks ago. I'll serve with rice and applesauce and peas. (My oldest, and pea-adorer, is sick today with a sore throat and if he's not eating them, making his favorite seems mean.)
Tuesday--tacos
Wednesday--spaghetti
Thursday--trying this one-pot chicken dish in hopes of using all the awesome CSA tomatoes coming our way.
Friday--unclear. I have the crock pot mongolian beef in the freezer so I might try that. If we aren't "porked out" from Monday, there is a slow cooker pork tenderloin floating around Facebook that I might try. If it goes well I will post the recipe. On a different note: it is very strange not going to football games every Friday, but it's kind of pleasant, too. We have no local cousins left in high school, and our advisee graduated, and we aren't getting another until next year, so it's kind of a year off.
A few other random notes: lots of salty language here but this post railing against back to school pinteresting made me laugh out loud.
We are overloaded with CSA potatoes. I thought ordering our own instead of taking what we got would work better, but so far--it is not working out quite as well as I hoped. Partially it's the selection. There was exactly one week of cucumbers. There was also only one week of zucchini! There was no corn. And I could continue but I think our CSA time might be over for a while. The tomatoes are good but we are overrun with them, and I like Jerseys better anyway (yes, totally mental but there it is). But anyway: the potatoes. The good thing is, they have them every week, they are delicious, and now I have more than enough to make the make-ahead mashed potatoes for the holiday season. (I can't believe I haven't posted my sister-in-law's freezer mashed potatoes recipe! I will have to get on that for next week.)
Also, I happen to think that Ghiardelli brownies are a pinnacle of the art form, but suddenly it seems like there are brownie links everywhere. So when the weather turns colder, I'm having a brownie-off, with Tipsy Baker's old favorite, new favorite, and the somewhat wincingly-named (but probably accurate) man-catcher brownies from the Washington Post. (The intention here is to add chocolate chips and bake for 55 minutes.) If I'm missing your favorite brownie, please let me know.
Wishing you a good week!
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