Menus and a recipe

Monday
Barbeque chicken
GF Mac and cheese
Caesar salad
Grapes

Tuesday
Gluten Free Penne with Sausage in Cream sauce

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage
• 2/3 cup dry white wine
• 1 14 1/2-ounce can mini diced peeled tomatoes with juices
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 2 tsp Italian seasoning

• 1 pound Gluten free(Ronzoni) penne pasta

• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation

Melt butter with oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté until golden brown and tender, about 7 minutes. Add sausage and sauté until golden brown and cooked through, breaking up with back of spoon, about 7 minutes. Drain any excess drippings from skillet. Add wine to skillet and boil until almost all liquid evaporates, about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes with juices and simmer
3 minutes. Add cream and simmer until sauce thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Stir in Italian seasoning. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat. (Sauce can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
Cook GF pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite. Drain pasta; transfer to large bowl.
Bring sauce to simmer. Pour sauce over pasta. Add 3/4 cup cheese and toss to coat. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese.
I freeze half of this and just thaw and warm in the oven.  Delicious.

Wednesday
Beans and rice in the crock pot

Thursday
Tacos with leftover Beans and rice.

Friday
Potato soup and chili in the crock pot.

Menus and a recipe

Monday
Chicken Pot pie
Rolls
Orange jello with mandarin oranges.
Chocolate peanut butter chip cookies

Tuesday
Tortellini casserole
Salad

Wednesday
Chicken quesedillas

Thursday
Spaghetti with meat sauce
garlic bread

Friday
Left overs

I am taking a meal to a friend tonight and thought I would just make 2 and we would eat one tonight too.  It's chicken pot pie, one of our family's favorites.  I started making this recipe before we had kids.  My husband had lived on his own for just one year before we were married.  He survived on Dinty Moore Beef Stew, ramen noodles, banquet pot pies and chunky soups. He still loves all of those meals too.  I'm lucky, I don't have a picky husband.
I thought that since he loved his banquet pot pies so much I would just make some homemade.  It took quite a few recipes to finally come up with this version that is his favorite.

Chicken Pot Pie

2 cans Cream of Potato soup
1 can of mixed vegetables
1/4 cup milk
2 cups cooked, chopped chicken breast
1/2 tsp of each: salt, pepper, thyme
Pastry for a double crust
Mix first 5 ingredients and set aside.  Place one crust in a pie pan, pour the filling in and top with other pie crust. Crimp edges, and cut slits in the top.
Bake for 40 minutes at 350.  Let sit for 10 minutes and serve.

Menus and a recipe

Monday
Spaghetti and meatballs
garlic knots

Tuesday
Potato soup
strawberries

Wednesday
Taco soup
corn chips

Thursday
Fettuccini Alfredo (Andrew cooking)
Italian dunkers

Friday
pizza

Italian Dunkers (recipe is straight from the school cafeteria)

Old hot dog buns divided
Spread with butter or margarine
Sprinkle with garlic powder
sprinkle with Mozzerella cheese
Broil for 5 minutes until melted and bubbly.
 

Menus and a recipe

Monday
Crock pot chicken and dumplings(Amy's Birthday choice)

Tuesday
Broccoli and Beef(a new favorite)
strawberries

Wednesday
Spaghetti (carb loading for Friday track meet)
garlic bread

Thursday
Leftover pulled pork
beans
fruit

Friday
Out to eat

Easy Crock Pot Chicken and Dumplings

3 large Chicken Breasts, uncooked
2 cans Cream of chicken soup
1/4 cup butter
1 Quart Chicken or Vegetable broth
2 tsp(to taste) all natural seasoning salt (I use tastefully simple)

Throw all ingredients in the crock pot and cook on low for 4-6 hours.
Increase to high and add 5-6 frozen biscuits, thawed and cut into fourths.  Cook another 30-45 on high or until biscuits are done

Favorites and Fails Pinterest Pins

Favorites:

Making Mascara last longer- it really works!
http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2013/03/make-your-expensive-or-inexpensive-mascara-last-longer.html

Cinnamon Rolls in the waffle maker!  I think I like them better this way, they're crispy.  http://pinterest.com/pin/547468898421730929/

Tortellini Soup- Yummy and easy.  http://www.the6bennetts.blogspot.com/

Pretzel Choco chip cookies.  http://dessertnowdinnerlater.blogspot.com/2012/12/caramel-pretzel-chocolate-chip-cookies.html

Peanut Butter cookie dough Brownies.  http://thenonpareilbaker.blogspot.com/2011/04/peanut-butter-cookie-dough-brownies.html


Fails:
Homemade shower cleaner.  We have super hard water and no softener.  My hard water stains laughed when I sprayed this on :)
http://www.simpleorganizedliving.com/2012/02/01/homemade-shower-cleaner/

Same with this one, a scrubber with a shower cleaning mixture in it.  Laughable for our house.  http://pinterest.com/pin/44543483786606343

Mexican stuffed shells, not a hit at our house.  Just Ok.  http://thewaytohisheart.wordpress.com/2011/09/30/mexican-stuffed-shells/

Cake mix cookie bars- fail.  Not even close to the picture, actually I ended up throwing them away.  http://parentpretty.com/cake-mix-cookie-bars-recipe/

Menu Monday and a recipe

Be careful what you wish for.
 I have been wanting just one or two days free to get some much needed cleaning done.  Joe and the boys went to a basketball tourney Saturday and Sunday, and the girls and I stayed home.  The girls had some events and things going on that we didn't want to miss.  I hate not going to the bball games, but it is needed sometimes. 
The girls and I had fun shopping 3 different Goodwill's and a consignment shop.  We found lots of great finds.  We even found Amy's prom dress for $75, so that was a score.  It is modest and looks great on her.
After shopping I got to work cleaning.  I cleaned and cleaned and cleaned.  Sad to say it doesn't look much different!  But I feel so much better about it.  All of the little things I don't normally have time to do, got done.
 I cleaned all of the drains (I'm weird),
scrubbed the bathrooms from ceiling to floor,
cleaned out my linen closet and a bunch of cabinets,
changed out all of the our flannel sheets because I am sick of winter,
dusted,
cleaned out the kids totes and found many of the "I can't find it" items,
cleaned and organized our bedroom,
purged a bit,
blew out the garage of all the leaves and dirt,
cleaned out the magazine pile,
grocery shopped,
hosted 5 teenage girls for a sleepover,
cleaned the top of the refrigerator off (gross, by the way),
and did 1 million loads of laundry.
This list isn't meant to impress, but to help me remember what all I did!  My legs were hurting last night!
On to menus:
Monday
Steak fajitas
chips and salsa

Tuesday
Crock pot potato soup
bread
salad

Wednesday
Crock pot chicken teriyaki( I still haven't made this :)
rice

Thursday
Italian baked chicken
green beans
boiled potatoes

Friday

Pizza

I made up a Tortellini Soup last Friday when I didn't have time to use the crock pot version.  It was so yummy!

1 box of chicken broth
1 bar of cream cheese
2 T minced garlic
2 cans, undrained, Italian diced tomatoes
2 cups milk
1 package frozen tortellini
2 cups tore up baby spinach leaves
1 pound turkey sausage

Brown the sausage then add broth and CC.  Stir until cream cheese is melted. Add the rest of the ingredients except the tortellini.  Cook tortellini according to package directions and then add to soup. Cook until all ingredients are incorporated.  Serve with a sprinkle of fresh Parmesan.

It was a hit with everyone.  Aaron and Ann picked out the tomatoes of course.

Beer Cheese Soup Recipe

I am linking up to a Soup recipe exchange at Kelly's Korner  <------ .=".">
Here is one of our favorite soups.  I make it in the crock pot and serve it in Panera bread bowls.

Beer Cheese Soup

Ingredients


•2 tablespoons finely chopped onion

•1/2 teaspoon butter

•2 cans (10-3/4 ounces each) condensed cream of celery soup, undiluted

•1 cup beer or nonalcoholic beer

•1 cup milk

•1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

•1/2 teaspoon dried parsley flakes

•1/4 teaspoon paprika

•3/4 pound process cheese (Velveeta), cubed

•In a large saucepan, saute onion in butter. Stir in the soup, beer, milk, Worcestershire sauce, parsley and paprika. Reduce heat; stir in cheese until melted. Heat through (do not boil). Yield: 6 servings.



I usually double this and just put all of the ingredients in the crock pot on low for 4-6 hours.  Yummy!

Monday Menus

Busy weekend of birthday fun with my baby turning 10.  Someone told me when my kids were real little the quote:  "The days are long, but the years are short."  I find this to be so true.  Seems like yesterday I was complaining that I couldn't leave the house with my brood.  I would be so happy to not leave the house for days on end now!  Seasons of life, this season will pass too quickly too and they will be grown up.  I am trying to savor these moments and make good memories for my kids.  I want them to look back and say "Mom loved God first, and she loved me well".  Hard, weary work.

Monday
Chili in the crock pot
We have a Cross Country meet, and it is going to be chilly outside. My chili is so basic, but the kids love it. 

Tuesday
Grilled flank steak
Grilling season is coming to a close, so I want to get some more in before it gets too cold
Big salad

Wednesday
Shredded chicken tacos (crock pot)

Thursday
Leftovers

Friday
Pizza or out to eat.
My recipe for Chili:

1/2 pound lean ground beef
1/2 pound ground turkey
1 large can tomato sauce
1 large can of water
1 envelope chili seasoning
3 cans of  beans, 1 pinto, 1 kidney, 1 black
Cook in crock pot all day
Serve with cheese and fritos.

Recipe- Stuffed Peppers

Ok, so please know that I strongly dislike (we try not to say hate too often around here) green peppers.  Any peppers, really.

A friend gave me a bag of green peppers from her garden and I thought I would give stuffed peppers a shot.  I looked through a bunch of recipe sites and couldn't find what I was looking for.  They were either too fancy, too unhealthy, or just gross sounding.  So.... I made up a recipe, for something I didn't think I would like.

I cooked them in the crock pot too!  When I got home from work, I thought eww the house stinks like peppers!  Once I tasted them, I changed my mind about the poor, defenseless green pepper.  These are so good.  2 out of 4 of the kids liked them.  Ann is my harshest critic, and Andrew thought they looked  "disgusting".  He will try one after football practice though.

I used ingredients I had around the house.  I used leftover spaghetti sauce from our meal last night too.  Regular tomato sauce would work too I guess.

Tia's Stuffed Peppers

Filling:
 2 cups brown/wild rice
1 pound browned turkey sausage
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 onion diced small and browned  in olive oil (kids can't see them)(you could add peppers too, remember I don't like them though :)
2-3 cups spaghetti sauce (depending how saucy you want it)
Mix all together.

Cut the tops off and deseed the peppers.  Fill with the filling and sprinkle with some cheese( I used Mexican cheese, because that is what was in my fridge)

Bake in crock pot on low for 3-4 hours.  I turned it on "keep warm" until we could eat them.

Making Breakfast ahead of time(recipe)-WFMW

This is my happy little morning boy, Aaron.  He is almost 14, a twig of a boy.  I try to "fatten" him up whenever possible.  He runs, plays basketball and is in constant motion!  He burns sooo many calories that it is hard to keep his weight on.  (as for me, it is flip flopped-ugh!) 
He loves biscuits and gravy, so I started making a huge batch on Sunday and dividing it up into glass storage bowls for him to reheat every morning.  It is working, and he says it still tastes great.  Homemade always tastes better! 
I keep muffins and pancakes made in the freezer also.  The girls think biscuits and gravy is gross!

Biscuits and Gravy

I use frozen biscuit dough because I am lazy!  I will try homemade this summer. I make one whole bag of Kroger brand biscuits.
While they are baking I brown 1# of breakfast sausage.
Add 1/2 stick of butter as it is finishing browning
Once there is no longer any pink, add 1/4 cup flour and combine
Add in slowly 3 cups of milk and stir
Allow to thicken and add salt and pepper to taste.

I put 1-2 biscuits, sliced in half, in a bowl and then add the gravy to cover.

That's it- yummy!  It works for me!

Monday Menus and a recipe

Busy, busy weekend, but fun too.

Baseball, soccer, and track made it fun for the kids.  I love watching them have fun playing sports.  When they have improved and have some success, the look on their face is priceless.  Aaron got 2 Personal record times on Friday at the county meet.  That is a wonderful thing about track, he came in 5th and 3rd, but he had 2 PR's, so it wasn't disappointing.  His time for the 1600 meters was 4:53 and for the 2400 m was 7:50.  He was thrilled, I love watching him run! 

Annie has been working so hard on her soccer and it has really clicked this year.  She has a great coach, and he has really pushed her and gave her confidence!  She had 3 goals! In the heat she played in, it was surprising that her asthma didn't bother her more! 

Andrew is in baseball and he is not sure he will be returning next year.  It is a frustrating sport for him, feast or famine.  His attention span can be short when he is in the outfield. Watching him finally get his hitting going and getting a triple was great.  I had just got to the game, so I told him he just needed his Momma there.  It made him smile, even though they got beat! He loves basketball, so he may just stick to that.

Amy skipped her game to go to a photo shoot we gave her for her birthday.  It was a shoot of Amy and 4 of her best friends.  They had a blast doing it and we can't wait to see the pictures!  She got licensed as a lifeguard this weekend too, so she is set for her summer job coaching a neighborhood swim team!

I literally ran from event to event, did laundry and cleaned the house.  Cooking for us and a few guests thrown in too.  I went to bed last night and told Joe I just felt weary.  He said "why?". hmmmmm? I wonder.

Monday
Flat iron steak
salad
strawberries(I bought some from the upick, I "picked" them from their table :)
grilled zucchini

Tuesday
meatballs in the crock pot
baked beans
strawberries

Wednesday
leftover grilled chicken in a salad

Thursday
chicken sausage on the grill
green beans
macaroni and cheese

Friday
Dinner at a friends(with a pool! whoohoo)

Recipe:
Grilled chicken Marinade

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 packet steak seasoning ( we have used Montreal and Luau, both where good)
1/4 cup brown sugar.

marinade chicken for at least an hour or overnight

We had this , this weekend and it was so good.  I used it on chicken tenderloins and they cooked quick and browned beautifully!