I know, it's been like forever, RIGHT? All I can say is that the first 42 days of school have been kickin' my you-know-what! And being that I'm 7 years older than the last time I taught first grade, lemme tell ya that the more aged you are, the harder it is to keep up with them!
Nevertheless, people still have to eat, and both the menu planning and cooking have continued as usual. Now that I'm back in the classroom I realize the incredible benefits of having a PLAN for meals more than ever! Since the beginning of August, school has started, GolfDad had hip replacement surgery, we've had multiple birthdays, Nephew's football season has started again plus he's had Scout activities and a more "teen-age" social life, Igor has been on the road in the big rig, Mrs. Igor has been working two jobs (yes, 7 days a week), Mr. Mamie has started working from home which actually means a more irregular schedule, etc. I realize that this is just LIFE, but hey - it's a busy life! So yeah, YAY for having SOMETHING that can follow a plan.
Menu this week:
Monday, 10/11: Goulash, green beans, green salad. This a new recipe, and it sounds REALLY yummy!
Tuesday, 10/12: Crockpot Orange Beef, brown rice, green salad. Another new recipe that I think will be super good.
Wednesday, 10/13: Bacon Ranch Slow Cooked Chicken, egg noodles, Italian Cheese Bread, green salad. I've had this recipe for a while, but don't remember ever making it. I picked it because it's very "Mr. Mamie-ish." The Italian Cheese Bread is one of our absolute favorites, and makes frequent appearances on the table here!
Thursday, 10/14: Spicy Lentil Soup, Garlic Muffins, green salad. The soup is a new recipe and sounds good; also, it's meatless and we try to have one or two meatless meals weekly. I'm hoping the kids will like this! We have made the garlic muffins many times and love them.
Friday, 10/15: Black Bean and Brown Rice Bowls/Tacos with corn tortillas and taco toppings. Another meatless meal, and one we've made lots of times - everyone (including the kids) really likes this combo.
Saturday, 10/16: Homemade Pizza! Yep, homemade dough (from my bread machine recipe book), homemade sauce (I wrote a post on that a long time ago....), and a buffet of toppings. This is usually something we do two or three times monthly, and the kids LOVE it.
Sunday, 10/17: BBQ Turkey Meatloaf, Cheddar Cheese Biscuits, green salad. Mr. Mamie, GrandmaT, and I all love this version of meatloaf. Niece made disparaging comments about meatloaf recently, so I decided that she ought to try this! The cheddar cheese biscuits are a perennial favorite.
Baking, etc. this week:
Salad dressing - I often make our own, as the store-bought kind is either full of HFCS (the cheaper kinds), or rather expensive (the good ones, like Annie's or OrganicVille). I'm making two of our favorites today: Julia Child's Vinaigrette and Cafe Rio Style Cream Tomatillo. Be warned... the second one is ADDICTING!!! It's also really good as a sauce/salsa on tacos, quesadillas, etc. I've even used it as sandwich spread!
Buttermilk Waffles, which I made this morning for breakfast with enough for the freezer (weekday breakfasts, yay!)
Amish White Bread and Whole Wheat Bread - we go through a loaf of each weekly. As I have mentioned in previous posts, I let the bread machine do the mixing and first rise, then I put the dough in the bread pan for a second rise. It's then baked in the oven, which I much prefer to baking in the bread machine itself.
My Grammie's recipe for oatmeal cookies, which I call "Kansas Oatmeal Cookies." I'll post the recipe later today. Niece and I are making these this afternoon.
Pumpkin Muffins, which I plan to make Tuesday evening to take to a meeting Wednesday morning. I have a huge box of the Krustez brand mix from Costco, which I LOVE! However, my mom had a really yummy "scratch" pumpkin bread/muffin recipe, which I'll also be making soon. I'll share the recipe when I do.
Funfetti Halloween Cupcakes - I bought the mix and frosting for cheap at The Walmartz, because it's the kind of thing Niece loves to bake... in fact, she's getting everything out right now (including the way cute Halloween cupcake liners), so I better go supervise!
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