Celebrating Thanksgiving

Dear Family and Friends,

    Three years ago in late October, we moved to Kalamazoo, far from anyone we knew.  When we settled in, we tried to find someone to come and eat Thanksgiving dinner with us because we were used to a large family gathering and thought that we would need that to feel happy about the holiday; but we were new here, and everyone had already made plans--so for the first time we prepared to celebrate Thanksgiving with only our own household.  We planned the menu, made the pies, and surprised ourselves at how this lovely small gathering of gratitude still felt joyful, pleasant and celebratory.

    I know this year is going to be different for lots of people.  Gatherings will be smaller, or will not happen, many spending Thanksgiving in their own homes, and some quite alone as we try to be safe from the pandemic.  I wanted to share some things I have learned about Thanksgiving, in hopes that it might help with your altered celebration.

    Thanksgiving is sacred to me, a true holy-day.  I didn't really understand this until I came to this new type of celebration.  As I spend time working to create an extraordinary meal for my family, it becomes contemplative. I spend time thinking about them, about the year that has passed, and because of some items on our menu, the harvest and preservation work that we have done.  I am filled with gratitude for the abundance. 

    The work is more, because we obviously don't have aunts and grandmas to fill in the menu, but we choose what we want to eat, and work for it just the same.  We often think of the people that made a certain dish--like Tiffany's pretzel salad, or Dave making the green bean casserole (which I believe he does in memory of when Aunt Lou used to bring it.) We remember the Gigantic Pot of mashed potatoes that Grandma Jacobson makes every year with boats of gravy. We miss them as we reminisce, but we are making our own mashed potatoes and we will rejoice in them too.

    The leftovers are more. Yes! this is the BEST part of having Thanksgiving with a small group: ALL the leftovers are at my house. There is no dish I have to think about wistfully because it drove home across town or to a different state. No! they are right here for my personal consumption happiness.  The kids have also loved this part. It makes Thanksgiving go on for days of picking turkey and reheating stuffing for afternoon snacks. Yum!

    We have made some new traditions. We make a big poster of all the things we can think of that we are thankful for.  Sometimes it is cute (if Leslie or Miriam make it so), but always it is crammed with the list of good things in our lives.  Family members add to it throughout the day. It is fun to read what they are grateful for this year. We try to set a pretty table; we put in a leaf (not for visitors to sit at, but to hold all the FOOD!) and take a picture of our meal to remember the dazzle of it all.  We make calls to family and we sometimes watch a movie or put together a puzzle.

    If you are planning your own Thanksgiving at home, here are some things that might be useful:

1) Plan your menu in detail and write it down. Consider your number of servings and your own stamina.  Creating a feast by yourself is plenty of work, so involve any available people.  Also, if you are serving just your family, ask yourself, "What do we really want to eat?" It might surprise you at the answer. I have one friend who eats steak for Thanksgiving. 

2) Make a shopping list consulting your recipes so you don't forget anything. Again, the details are what will make or break it. Consult your supplies so you don't run out of the regular bits, like butter.  Thanksgiving at my house takes lots of butter, eggs, sour cream and cream cheese.

3) Make a time plan, noting everything that can be made early.  I usually spend the day before on pies.  The real trick about Thanksgiving is getting everything hot at the same time, especially when the turkey has been 'hogging' the oven all morning. You can read more details about time plans here.

4) Find ways to reach out to those you love even if you can't be together. Talk to them about the things you are grateful for. Everything is happier when we focus on joy and gratitude.

5) Give thanks. God has provided again for us. This is precious time.

Here is another link that might be useful:

Thanksgiving Recipe Ideas

Blessings on your home and celebration!

Love,

Jenny

A Few of Our Favorite Things

This is my 400th post. Can you believe it?  It seemed like a big enough number to have a little Hoop-la. I've done a few statistics and I will share, (whether you are interested or not--that is the glory of your own blog, after all. :)  Four hundred posts break down into: 323 recipes, 41 posts of kitchen tips along with 22 menu lists.  Then there are assorted ramblings all my own about groceries and memories or anything else that makes me happy or makes me mad.

 I thought we could celebrate by introducing you to my family's favorite things that are listed on the blog. I let them each choose something dessert, and something not. So, here are the family favorites, you might say.

Jake: Lettuce Wraps and Cindy's Chocolate Chip Cookies

Leslie: Pork and Red Chili and Eclair Dessert

Camille:  Quick Scones and Hot Fudge Pudding Cake

Caleb: Hawaiian Haystacks and Peach Cobbler

Miriam: Cream Cheese Alfredo Noodles and Luscious Lime Pie

Ethan: Lana's Waffles with Buttermilk Syrup and Turtle Cookies

Seth: Pizza and Becky Sue's Cinnamon Rolls

Jenny: Piadina (Italian Flat Bread) and Elaine's Rhubarb Pie

Nathan: French Onion Soup and Tutti Frutti Homemade Ice cream 

Now, in asking everyone about their favorite things, I learned that there are a few family favorites that are not on here at all.  In fact three of my children, when asked about their favorite food said "Chinese Noodles".  The recipe for this isn't on here, because I re-invent it each time I make it, but one of my main purposes in writing the blog is for my children to know where their recipes are, so I had better write it down.  It is one for you to look forward to, as I can never make enough to have leftovers, they just keep eating until there's nothing left but the scent and a few onion bits in the bottom of the wok.

Jenny

Old Favorite Winter Meals

I've recently made some recipes that are from the beginning of blog-time, but now have photos. They are both yummy, stick-to-your-ribs meals that we like to eat on cold winter days.  Hope they help in your weekly menu planning.

Frito Burritos is a recipe shared a long time ago from my friend Becky. (Thanks Becky, for all the yummy years.)

Leprechaun Soup is from my childhood.  My mom was looking for food ideas to serve at a St. Patrick's-themed party, and found this recipe in a children's magazine.  I've made it for my family since before any of the children were born...that seems like forever ago!  My husband and I  used to keep a pot of it in the fridge to heat for a quick lunch between college classes.  Now the pot just disappears before our eyes about ten minutes after it hits the table! Time flies, and things change.

Jenny

Apples For My Children

I really do love being a mom!  My children are just my favorite people and I love to be with them.  In the last couple of weeks, we have been enjoying the fresh apple harvest together with some simple recipes and activities.  I posted them all this morning for you to play with too.

Apple Ring Pancakes
Caramel Apples Kids Can Make
Fried Apples

If you want more apple recipes to browse through, try this link:
Recipes For Apple Season

Jenny

Movie Night Foods

I remember weekends at college, when we would gather around the huge TV in the common room of my dorm and watch a movie. (I probably shouldn't add here, that the movie that was so popular with that group of girls, on that particular TV was The Little Mermaid....sigh, I know!)  Popcorn was the First Item Of Business.  Other snacks were welcome, but the popcorn was mandatory!  Today, I wanted to gather a few recipes in a list for you to enjoy with your weekend.

Movie Night Foods
Popcorn. Salted and buttered is standard, but try these for crowd pleasing points:
Elaine's Caramel Popcorn
Marshmallow Popcorn Balls (you don't have to make this into balls, you can just stir it in a big bowl)
Jello Popcorn Balls (these are pretty fabulous in orange for Halloween)

Instead of popcorn, but still in the same groove:
Peanut Butter Goop (also can be eaten straight from the bowl to happy effect)

If you have tortilla chips to share, dip them in these:
Black Bean Dip
Guacamole
Hummus
Hot Artichoke Dip

If you want to pass around the cookies:
Super Simple Cookies (these start with a cake mix and can be thrown together at the last minute, for emergency movie parties)
Davy Crockett Bars (pop these in the oven, then while they bake, put on your make up for those parties where there are going to be cute boys to sit by... make sure and mention you made these)
Cindy's Chocolate Chip Cookies (When the party was announced in advance and there will be a crowd)
No Bake Cookies (Sticky, but great companion food for a chick flick and the chicks don't usually mind licking their fingers.)

And one more in honor of my mother, who is wise and knows that buttery, salty popcorn and homemade fudge should always hang out together:
Easy Rocky Road Fudge.  (Note: you can make this without the mallows and nuts if you want "just" fudge)

Jenny

Labor Day Weekend Food Ideas

The last of the summer weather.  The last much-savored weekend of camping, or trips to the lake or just a backyard barbecue with friends and family.  This is probably my favorite summer get-together for food, since gardens and produce stands are bursting with fresh tomatoes and corn on the cob.  Here is a list of food ideas for that barbecue or potluck this weekend.  Go get that last sunburn of the year! Enjoy!!!


German Potato Salad--this would be nice with anything from the grill
Tutti Frutti Homemade Ice Cream--make this one.  Everyone will love it!
Fruit Cocktail Salad--it doesn't get easier than this.
Banana Cake--try this one in a Bundt pan and pour over Sour Cream Frosting for a gorgeous presentation
Spoon Burgers--this one would stay warm in a crock pot while you are enjoying some time on the lake
Pretzel Salad--especially nice with fresh berries
Old Fashioned Apple Cake--there were beautiful apples at the Farmer's Market last week
Summer Bean Salad--best with those amazing tomatoes
White Barbecue Chicken Sandwich--a twist on traditional barbecue sauce
Frog Eye Salad--a good make-ahead salad
Jello Jigglers--great for events with children, or for the little kid in all of us
Triple Surprise Bars--nice to have for grab and go, or car snacks

If you would like to see more summer get-together foods, try these lists:
4th of July BBQ Foods
Memorial Day Weekend Potluck Ideas
or click on the Menu tab at the top.

Jenny

Thanksgiving Recipe Ideas

I love Thanksgiving!  The only real preparation it requires is asking who will bring what food and finding a fun puzzle for people to visit over when they aren't wanted in the kitchen.  We eat, talk, laugh and spend time with loved ones.  We pray and thank God for the many blessings we enjoy.  The harvest is in, the winter can come and wrap me up in contemplation.  Today I will post a list of ideas for food from this blog.  May your time with this holiday be blessed.  May you have loving arms around you and enough--which, as Mary Poppins reminds us, is as good as a feast.

Thanksgiving Turkey How-to
Salads:
Pretzel Salad
Broccoli Cauliflower Salad
Almost a Waldorf
Snickers Salad
Vegetable Sides:
Fried Sweet Potatoes
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Roasted Vegetables
Sour Cream Potatoes
Winter Squash Fritters
Onion Patties
Rolls:
Oatmeal Dinner Rolls
Heavenly Dinner Rolls
Parmesan Rolls
Butternut Squash Bread (this would make gorgeous rolls!)
90-Minute Bread (This is the recipe my family is most familiar with.)
Pies:
Basic Pie Crust tutorial
Cheddar Pear Pie
Swedish Apple Pie
Rhubarb Pie
Luscious Lime Pie
Cream Cheese Pie
Crisp Pie Topping for a fruit pie
Appetizers:
Ham and Cheese Ball
Hot Artichoke Dip
Gorgonzola Dip
Leftovers:
Pot Pie
Soup with Homemade Noodles

There are many other ideas here.  Click the recipe tab or browse by name in the seach box on the right sidebar.
Jenny

Recipes for Apple Season!

Today I shared a link for a linky party at From My Tiny Kitchen and the theme is apples.  As I searched my recipes for one to share, I realized that I have a bunch of apple recipes hidden all over my blog, so I am posting a list this morning to celebrate this versatile, favorite fruit. 

Applesauce Cookies
One Big Apple Dumpling
Baked Apple German Pancake
Almost A Waldorf
Applesauce Muffins
Stretched Sausages
A.M. Delight Muffins
Fruit Cobbler
Swedish Apple Pie
Snicker Salad
Crockpot Carrot Pudding
Crisp Pie Topping
No Crust Apple Pie
Apples For My Children

There are more apple recipes to come this fall, you can search for them by entering the word apple in the side bar search.

Jenny

4th of July BBQ Foods

I love a party!  This is just a quick post in case you are here looking for picnic or barbecue ideas for the weekend.  We usually have a family breakfast and a burgers/dogs on the grill at some point. Happy Birthday America!

Scones are a family favorite with us.  This recipe is a dream for a gathering in that you can make it days before and let it wait in the fridge until your ready for it.  You can plug in an electric skillet and fry these on the patio.  Set out the honey butter and let people eat them as they cook, hot and scrumptious! It will feed a crowd.  Our family standard for celebration breakfasts is Oatmeal Pancakes (batter prepared night before).

America should have a birthday cake, right?  Here are my summer favorites, as they are make-ahead and come out of the fridge cool and oh, so nice! Easy Jello Pudding Cake, Tres Leches Cake, Brownie Swirl Cheesecake, Frankie's No-Bake Cheesecake.  Here are two that travel really well, and are fast to make (and will feed a big crew!) Texas Sheet Cake; White Texas Sheet  Cake.

Salads and Sides: This is the list when someone says, "Just bring a side dish, dear."  Potato Salad is one of my personal favorites.  Cornbread Salad is the one I'm hoping my sister-in-law will bring. Snickers Salad is going to be one of the favorites on any table (this one you need to assemble just before eating). Two nice crunchy alternatives to the proverbial green salad are Broccoli Cauliflower Salad and Ramen Noodle Salad.  And no self-respecting relative in my family has a gathering without the Baked Beans.

There is a wonderful barbecue sauce for chicken with this recipe for Zesty Chicken Wings. Sloppy Joe's are nice to tuck into after a morning at the parade.  The meat can be hot and ready in your crock pot while you're away. Fried Chicken is classic for a picnic. If you don't have a grill, but you like a charred hot dog, try Hot Dogs and Onions.

What's more American than Apple Pie? Pie in general is one of my weaknesses!  Here are some favorites:

Aunt Elaine's Rhubarb Pie; Luscious Lime Pie; Cream Cheese Pie; and knock-your-socks-off Cheddar Pear Pie. Pie is welcome where ever it goes.

Just some ideas to get your mouth watering!  Eat watermelon.  Eat corn on the cob.  Let your taste buds know you're celebrating!

Jenny

Cinco de Mayo

My Spanish teacher from Mexico explained to us last year that this is a commemorative holiday in Mexico, much more akin to our Memorial Day than to our Fourth of July.  It is to remember a group of peasant farmers who joined with the regular soldiers to win the day in a very nasty battle.  It was not, as we seem to have the idea, for the independence of Mexico.  He said he was a bit shocked and amused at all the celebrations here in the states for this holiday.  So why do we do this???  I think it has something to do with our passionate love affair with Mexican food!  Any reason to enjoy some spicy cuisine and we are on it!  Today I'm posting a list to satisfy that particular hunger.  Most of these are Quick and Easy, as it is a weeknight dinner this year.  There are more recipes under the recipe tab, look for the label Mexican.

Black Bean Dip

Tamale Pie with Cornbread

Taco Soup

Beef Enchiladas

Black Beans over Rice

Frito Burritos (This one serves a crowd.)

Tres Leches Cake (This one is FABULOUS!)

Jenny

Timing: Scheduling so everything can be served together.

When it is time to sit down to dinner, I like everything to be as it should: cold things cold, hot things piping, people on time when called (if you know how to make this magical feat happen, please share!).  But it takes timing for everything to be ready at once.  How do you do this?  They showed us in college, and though I most often do this in my head, it is common for me to think it through while planning the weekly menu and I will always write it out if I am serving company.  This is how you go about it.

1) Decide what time you want to eat.

2) Consult each recipe that will be served and estimate the preparation time, including any baking or chilling times.  Write these down.

3) Working backwards from the dinner hour, figure the time to start each recipe.  Identify recipes that can be made ahead and designate their timing as well.  Concentrate effort on things to be served hot.

4) Write your schedule, assigning a start time to each step.  Some menus will have things that work well together, like while you simmer a casserole for 20 min., you will mix and bake biscuits as a side.

5) Work your plan.

Let's take an example menu and work it through to be served at 6 p.m.
Chicken Parmesan Skillet
French Bread
Green Salad with Gorgonzola Dressing

The dressing is a make ahead, and needs time to chill.  We'll make it in the morning and chill. Gorgonzola dressing: 9:00 a.m.
French Bread will be nice served warm, with only a short time to cool before we cut it.  Reading the directions, I calculated the bread will need 90 min. prep., 35 min. to bake and 5 min. to rest before I cut it.  So, working back from 6, I need to heat the oven at 5:00 p.m., put the bread in the oven at 5:20.  Working another 90 min. back from that, I will need to start mixing the bread at 3:50 p.m.  Don't worry about recipes for bread.  The steps you take with the bread only take a few minutes each, the rising takes the time and dough can do that all by itself.
Chicken Parmesan Skillet takes only about 30 min. from start to finish, but I have to stay with it most of the time.  So, I will plan to wash vegetables and assemble my green salad at 5:15 (remembering to put the bread in at 5:20) and start the skillet meal at 5:30.  I have children to help with the table preparations, so I direct traffic from my post at the stove and the table can be set, and condiments placed while I cook.  If you don't have extra hands, remember to include the table setting in your schedule. 
A condensed schedule might look like this:
9:00 a.m. make dressing
3:50 p.m. mix bread
5:00 p.m. heat oven
5:15 p.m. assemble salad
5:20 p.m. put bread in the oven
5:30 p.m start Parmesan skillet
5:45 p.m. set table
6:00 p.m. serve dinner
There are other choices you can make with this meal, you can serve the bread cold, giving you freedom to make it earlier in the day, you could also assemble the salad and chill it along with the dressing.  You can add other steps to remind you when to check the bread progress. This is just to give an example of how a schedule works.  Even if this is done loosely, it allows you to make jello in the afternoon or plan desserts that can bake while you eat. Knowledge is power!
Jenny

Freezer Meals

We all have a time when mom is down for the count.  New babies, surgery, a trip away from our loved families--all of these are times when you need to know how to freeze a variety of meals that can be popped into the oven or microwave.  Even when mom is around, it is so nice to have something stashed away for a hectic day.  Here is a list of entrees from this blog that can be frozen for later use.  Don't be limited by the list, almost any casserole type dish will freeze well.  Dishes with frozen potatoes are best if you add the commercially frozen potatoes to whatever sauce and pop them back in the freezer without actually thawing them.  Frozen cookies (if you hide them well) and frozen breads or Quick Breads can also be helpful.

A few words on baking/reheating.  Dishes can go straight from the freezer to the microwave.  A casserole frozen in a glass dish can also go straight to the oven, but it must go into a cold oven.  So general directions are to place the dish in the cold oven and then turn on the heat.  As long as they heat up together, there will be no shock to the dish.  Casseroles heated from a frozen state usually will cook in the same amount of time straight from the freezer. Lots of these can be as simple as taking a recipe that fills a 9x13 dish and separating it into two 8 in. square dishes.  Bake one tonight, put one in the freezer.  I once had an afternoon with a friend where we assembled 3 chicken dishes and froze two.   It was fun to work together, and only one mess to clean.  Here is a list to get you started:

Sloppy Jo Meat- Make it with 2 pounds of hamburger and freeze half/leftovers.
Jenny's Enchiladas- Freeze after assembly and before baking.
Lasagna- Freeze after assembly and before baking.
Tater tot casserole- Assemble with frozen tots and pop it back in the freezer.
Chicken Sausage Gumbo- This always makes a lot and I generally just freeze leftovers.  They are so handy for a comfort food in the fall or winter.
Chicken Pot Pie- Freeze after you top it with a crust.
Pork Barbacoa- This one also makes a big batch, and the frozen meat can be used thawed in the microwave and served in tortillas, or heated, drained and served on a bun like a pulled pork sandwich.
Taco Soup- Freeze leftovers.
For breakfast you can freeze leftover waffles and pancakes, then toast or heat in the microwave.  Frozen muffins are one of my favorite things, just put two on a plate and micro cook for a few seconds, and Presto! comfort food. 

Best of luck to you!  We moms have to stick together!
Jenny

Eat In and Save; The Cheater-Pants Meal

Yesterday I was reading on a new site Imagine a Happier You which helps women to work towards a more stable position financially.  Several women commented they felt they were spending too much money eating out, and were frustrated with time and energy being at a premium.  I have been thinking about it, and I want to dedicate several blog posts to this problem that gets many of us.  First, you should know the main reason I don't take my family out to eat:

Once upon a time, about 3 years ago, my husband decided it would be nice to take the children to a restaurant.  We entered a family-friendly establishment (Dee's, I think), and seated 6 children 2 parents and 1 babe-in-high-chair.  The excitement was high as the waitress approached with water in glasses and straws all around.  Children began to blow straw wrappers and pat the tiny puddles of water left on the table every time they pulled the straw out of the glass.  We did survive ordering the food. So did the waitress.  But then it was time to wait for the food....and wait....7 children get fidgety and one of them (I still cringe to think about this) discovered that there was gum stuck to the underside of the table.  Sequence of events: Child in question feels a bump under the table.  Head of child ducks under to see what it is.  Child sits up and announces loudly, "Hey, there is gum under here!"  Six children disappear in the blink of an eye, all heads under the table to investigate.  Ugh! Trying not to draw too much attention to ourselves (ha, ha!) we encouraged the children in strong voices to get up off the floor. (Did I mention ewww!)  They continue to discuss frankly and openly the type, quantity and colors of the gum. Finally mediocre food came from the kitchen.  The children played in it.  We paid for the mostly uneaten food, leaving a large tip for the unfortunate waitress, and headed for home.  The children wanted food the minute we walked in.  Sigh.

Now you have an idea of my background.  This story plus the fact that I am a tight wad keeps us from eating out.  But I still have many of those times when the fridge is empty or unappetizing, or I am tired and just want someone to mother me instead of the other way around.  So, what to do about it?  Many times when I am tempted to run out for something, I tell myself, "It will take 20 minutes either way."  By that, I mean it will take 20+ minutes to drive away, decide on food, pay for it and bring it back, or it will take 20 minutes to put on one of my emergency back-up meals.  When I look at it that way, it seems to take just as much time and energy to run for something.  The main thing to remember here is that what we are really dealing with is hunger and comfort.  Hunger can be taken care of almost instantly, a can of soup, carrots and dip from the fridge.  You can think so much more clearly and be so much braver if you eat something small and instant in the moment.  The comfort part is the most intimidating.  We are hungry, we need comfort after a rough day, but there are all the faces of our loved ones swimming in front of us, they want to be fed and comforted too.

My first tip for this is to stock some cheater-pants meals.  Ones that take so very little time and effort that you can satisfy that first wave of need without compromising your sanity.  The following are some ideas I use:

1)  Western Family Alfredo packets.  Boil noodles, add practically instant sauce, throw in left over meat if there is any.

2) Canned spaghetti sauce, same drill.

3) Canned chili and tortilla chips. Heat and eat.

4) Tomato soup and cheese sandwiches (I can get away with just tomato soup and saltines, but I am a hero if I have oyster crackers or goldfish crackers.)

5) Taco soup: 1 can chili, 1 can corn, 1 can tomatoes.  Stir together, heat, serve with chips and cheese.

6) Instant mashed potatoes and gravy from a can or mix. Stir in left over meat or meat from the freezer (more on this in an up-coming post).

7) Eggs.  The magic protein that cooks so fast!  Scramble eggs, serve with toast. Top with cheese if you feel festive.

8) Egg variation: open 1 can chicken noodle soup, add it to 4 beaten eggs.  Scramble all in a bit of butter, serve over toast.

9) Pancakes and syrup. (esp. if you have a pancake mix on hand!)

10) Biscuits and gravy. (canned or Bisquick biscuits and gravy from a packet or can)

If I serve a cheater-pants meal, sometimes I find that after I am fed, I feel better, so I make dessert...or maybe I feel entitled, so I make dessert.  In either case, a brownie mix can stave off the next wave of just-before-bed munchies.  I'd love to hear some of your quick and super-easy meals! (I can always use a few more....)
Jenny

Some Menu Notes

I have posted a series of dinner menus numbered 1-5 under the menus tab, but I know menus to be such a personal thing, that I am sure they only serve as ideas. No one is cooking just like I am at my house, simply because we have different ingredients on hand at different times.  In the weekly menu section on the side bar, I have been giving an over-view of what you can expect to see on the blog this week.  I post my "What's for dinner?" choices and they are usually sprinkled with a couple of new recipes I have been itching to try.  If you see something different on the sidebar menu that does not show up on the blog, I have a) not made it for some reason or b) it was not good enough to share.  Some of the menu items are already posted on the blog and will simply benefit from a new photo and a minute in the lime light. 

I will start marking new-to-me recipes with a * so you will know.  For instance, the Johnny Cake of this week was a new recipe.  It came out of the oven looking promising.  I even took several nice photos, but it was awful! So you won't find it here!  I will possibly still post some menus in the future, but as summer rolls out before us, things are less structured and the blog probably will be too. If the menus are being used as a whole and you would like more of them in the future, let me know.
Jenny

Menu #5

1) Spaghetti, Piadina, green salad
2) French Onion Soup
3) Potatoes with Ham and Peas  applesauce
4) Cranberry Chicken with rice, green beans
5) Salisbury Steak with noodles, corn, Coconut Pie

Jenny

Brace for Impact

My kids get out of school today.  I love when they all come home for the summer, but there are challenges too, the biggest being seven children always eating!  I am trying to formulate a plan for the feeding frenzy, thinking back on summers past and what has worked.  Mostly, I am frightened.  I want to do it with grace, but when there is a child standing in my refrigerator all the time, I tend to get cross.  I know the best antidote for that is regular square meals.  If you sit down to eat, you are more likely to remember you have eaten.  My five year old still forgets sometimes.  He'll come in about 15 min. after I clean up and say, "Mom, when are we eating dinner?"  You can see why I am afraid.... I also know it helps to plan a snack for morning and afternoon.  About 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. and sometimes at 4 p.m. and then before bed.... Okay, so there had better just be food lying about that can be grabbed on the run at any time.  Thankfully, veggies and fruits come in serving sizes already, and there is always the old standby--popcorn. For the blog this will mean photos of cookies and quick breads.  If I can take the photo before they disappear!  At any rate, here are a few I know I will be using to get us started, I'd love to hear what works at your house! (Please! We need all the help we can get!)

Granola Bars
No Bake Cookies
Quick Scones
Brown Sugar Muffins
Pancakes
Ranger Cookies
Drop Sugar Cookies
Peanut Butter Fingers
Banana Bars
Zucchini Bread
Pumpkin Bread
Black Bean Dip

Jenny

The Making of a Menu

A list, a plan, a tool. A menu is all of these things. It can be as simple as a general idea in your head of what you are making tonight and tomorrow, or it can be very formal with breakfast, lunch and dinner planned out for a month in advance. The menus I make fall somewhere in between, but I thought I'd share my menu making process, and maybe glean ideas from anyone else who would like to share.

First, I do plan for breakfast and lunch, but the menus here are general. I have a list of items I keep on hand for breakfasts: cold and hot cereal with milk, bread for toast and jam, yogurt, syrup for pancakes, muffin mixes etc. I will make a big family breakfast every chance I get, because I love breakfast, but I don’t get that many chances. On a regular school day, people leave the house at four different times for various school and work schedules, so breakfast is a grab and growl affair. Lunch is pretty informal too. Sandwiches, leftovers, a salad and bread, are all options. My little children love macaroni and cheese or Ramen noodles for lunch too. Many times I use leftovers to make a stir fry. Just relaxed, but I still have a certain list of items that I keep on hand, therefore, it hits the shopping list, but I don’t usually write down a week of lunch and breakfast menus.

Dinner is a different story. I once made a list of 18 weeks of dinner menus with shopping lists attached. I look back on that and wonder, "Why did I do that?" Not that it wasn't useful, but with the variety of life and my love of new recipes, I really have never used them as I originally planned. I do still refer to the stack if I am at a loss for a menu item, so they were not a waste of time, but life is not static enough for me to follow such a plan.

Now I make my menu a week at a time. I start out by looking in my refrigerator. Any items needing immediate attention get jotted on a bit of paper. For instance, today I have 1 cooked chicken breast, 1 banana squash, and the makings of a green salad that need to be on my radar as I plan. Also some whipped cream in a can that I found on a good deal, but is something I don't usually have on hand, so I add it to the list. The next thing to consult is my stack of recipes to try. I usually try a couple each week, so if there are special or specific ingredients they need to be noted on the shopping list. Then it is time to consult the ads for this week’s grocery deals. I always shop at the store where milk is cheapest for the week, because it is such a huge part of my grocery budget, so I start by consulting the ad with the best milk prices. If something fresh is on sale, I make a note of it on my list.

Then, I have a system that I use to keep us eating a variety of foods and rotating through our food storage. I have categories of meals, loosely grouped, and I choose one from each every week. For instance, I want to have one chicken meal, one beef meal, one rice, one potato, one bean dish, one soup night, and one with pasta—you get the idea. You can see that these overlap a bunch which is why I say they are loosely grouped. I use it as a guide for plugging recipes in for the week. I also plan to use leftovers. Say my ground beef recipe at the beginning of the week is Sloppy Joes, the leftover meat makes a perfect base for Chili at the end of the week. My family will never recognize them as leftovers! It is now a completely different meal. Last, but not least, I ask myself or my family, what do you want for dinner this week?  I usually get at least one or two requests.

When I create a menu, I only plan five dinners, and I do not usually assign them a date, just sometime this week. I find that at least one night a week is freezer special; pulling out a bag of French fries and corn dogs etc. The other tends to be filled up with something that just comes up. I don’t know why…I used to plan 7 menus, but I found they always lasted into next week. So I quit. You can do just like you want. If you are using this site for menus, take your list of foods to use to the recipes tab and search under ingredients, or by category. I believe in menus, they keep me sane in the face of the dinner rush and help me make sense at the grocery store. I’d love to hear how you put yours together too!
Jenny

Menu #4

1) Chicken Noodle Soup
Sourdough Bread
2) Sloppy Joes
raw veggies and Gorgonzola Dip
3) Alfredo with Ham and Peas
Mary's Bread Sticks
4) Pizza
5) Little Pigs and Potatoes
green beans, Fluff Salad
Jenny

Memorial Day Weekend; Potluck Ideas

The first summer weekend!  Always a good excuse to get together with family and friends.  If it is potluck ideas you are looking for, try a few of these!  Have a great weekend!

Cornbread Salad - make this if you want everyone begging for the recipe. Seriously, just take the recipe with you.
Snickers Salad - make this if you want to be every one's best friend and watch an uncle surreptitiously lick the bowl.
Ramen Salad - make this if you want something tangy or if you are unsure how long you will be away from the refrigerator; no mayo, no worries.
Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad - make this if you are looking for crunchy.
Fluff Salad - make this if your children are helping you get out the door.
Dump Salad - make this if you are in a hurry. You can serve it immediately, so you can also take the ingredients along and assemble on the spot.
Yummy Baked Beans - make this if you love them like I do! I am hoping for some of these this weekend!!!
Texas Caviar - make this if peppers are fresh where you are. Serve with a bag of tortilla chips.
Gorgonzola Dip - make this if you want something wonderful to accompany a relish tray.
Black Bean Dip - fast. easy. compact. What's not to love? bring a bag of tortilla chips too.
Ranger Cookies - take these to eat in the car if you are travelling. Ummm!
Texas Sheet Cake or White Texas Sheet Cake - desserts that travel well and feed a crowd.
Easy Jello Pudding Cake - serve this if the main course is spicy.
Frankie's No Bake Cheesecake or Tres Leches Cake - make this if you need a comfort food.

Browse around under the recipe tab if you haven't found what you are looking for yet. There are so many more!
Jenny

Stretch the Meat, Stretch the Dollar

We are all aware that meat is one of the big expenses at the grocery store.  Here are some ways that I have learned to stretch the meat, I'd love to hear any you have to share!

1) Serve it in casseroles, it takes less to satisfy everyone.
2) Use intensely flavored meats, like ham, bacon or sausage in with a starch-potatoes, pasta, or rice.  The flavor goes a long way and you can use less.
3) Plan leftovers into your menu.  If I am roasting a chicken for one meal, you can bet that in a couple of days, there will be Chicken Noodle Soup, or Chicken and Dumplings. This way, none is wasted.
4) Soups stretch meats.  My Taco Soup feeds us all one and a half times on 1/2 lb. of hamburger.
5) Add beans.  They are such a good-for-you protein, and cheap too!  You can add canned, mashed beans to dishes like Sloppy Joes or Enchiladas, and no one will ever know.
6) Add oatmeal.  Use this one for stretching ground beef in burgers or meatloaf.  Just add the oatmeal to the ground beef while it is raw, about 1/2 c./ lb.  This trick helps keep burgers from shrinking too.
7) Serve bread on the side.  Adults and children alike enjoy bread with a meal, and it is filling.
8) Serve a variety of side dishes.  Everyone's plate should look full when it is loaded.
9) Cut your meat into small pieces when adding it to a casserole or soup, you get meat in more bites of food this way.
Jenny