Menu Plan 10/31 - 11/6, 2011

Monday, 10/31: Lemon-Herb Steak, scalloped potatoes, green beans.

Tuesday, 11/1: GrandmaT and Mr. Mamie will be having a mysterious Mexican casserole-type thing that was recently unearthed from the freezer. I can't believe I put something in there unlabelled! It has chicken and green sauce and smells good. They will make a box of Spanish rice mix, and probably have green salad.  I will be at class and we order pizza every week - $5/person for a couple of slices and soda, and keeps us going until we get out of class at 7:30 or so.

Wednesday, 11/2: Vegetable-Barley Soup from the freezer, French bread, green salad.

Thursday, 11/3: Crockpot Chicken Fajitas with lettuce and tomatoes.

 Friday, 11/4: Mixed grill, sweet potato french fries (Alexa brand, from a frozen bag).

Saturday, 11/5: Turmeric Chicken with Jasmine Rice, green salad.

Sunday, 11/6: Wombat's Pork Chop and Stuffing Bake, green salad.


~Mamie "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro!" (Hunter S. Thompson)

Recipe: Mom's Pork Chop and Stuffing Bake

Wombat's on my mind an extra amount these days, now that we're at the two year mark of her passing.  This was one of her winter comfort food recipes, and is a taste of my childhood.

 

PORK CHOP AND STUFFING BAKE

• 2 – 2 ½ C. herb seasoned stuffing mix (do not use Stove Top)
• 1 can cream of celery soup
• 1 C. whole kernel corn
• ½ C. Craisins (optional)
• 1 C. onion, finely chopped
• ½ C. celery, finely chopped
• 4 boneless pork chops, ¾-1” thick
• 1 Tbsp. packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp. Spicy brown mustard

1. Mix stuffing, soup, corn, Craisins, onion and celery.  Spoon into casserole that has been sprayed with Pam.  Top with chops.
2. Mix sugar and mustard and spoon over chops.
3. Bake at 400 for 45-60 minutes or until done (165 internal temp. of pork chops).

Serves 4


~Mamie "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro!" (Hunter S. Thompson)

Halloween Meme

I got this from Mrs. Chili, of course.


Are you scared of bats?   Not at all.  We have tons of them where we live, and we love them - they eat the bugs that we don't love!

When you were a kid, did you go out on Mischief Night? Not familiar with this. I wouldn't have caused any "bad" mischief, anyway.

What is your favorite trick-or-treat candy? Hmmmm, perhaps Kraft caramels? This question makes me think of The Wombat, because she LOVED the mini-Tootsie Rolls, and that's the only candy that was ever given out at our house.

Have you ever seen a ghost? Only in my head, I think.

The most memorable costume you ever wore? As a kid: Pack of red Bubble-Yum gum (Igor was the purple version). GolfDad painted boxes so that they looked EXACTLY like the packs of gum. As an adult, The Wombat made me an awesome bee costume that I have worn several times over my last 15 years of teaching and "doing" Halloween at school.

Do you dress up on Halloween? Only for Halloween at school. This year I am Doc from the Seven Dwarfs. Except, there are five first grade teachers, so we are Snow White and the Four Dwarfs.




Any cooking or baking you do for Halloween? Pumpkin-related foods, because I love pumpkin!

Have you ever been to The Haunted Mansion at Disneyland or Disneyworld? Yes, hojillions of times, because LOVE the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland - especially when it is done as The Nightmare Before Christmas!

Any element of the season you don’t like? Extreme commercialism and our general culture of over-indulgence.

What is your favorite scary movie? I am not a fan of the scary movie genre.

Do you cook the pumpkin seeds from your carved jack-o-lanterns? Yes, if I carve one.

Are you intrigued with vampires? No, and I can't stand Twilight or its plethora of imitators. B00-humbug!

Have a great evening, everyone! Mr. Mamie and I will be crashed out on the couch watching Thor. 

~Mamie "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro!" (Hunter S. Thompson)

Sunday Stroll

Trailhead is a mile from our house. So peaceful and beautiful!














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Everyone's least favorite hobby

Putting the fuel tank back on the Igor Family van after installation of a new fuel pump.




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What I'm Reading

[I actually wrote this post last weekend, but for some reason it would not publish. Of course, now things have changed... I'll try to do an update soon!]

I read Shanghai Girls last summer...

 and finished Dreams of Joy, the sequel, last week.

The story (that runs throughout both novels) is absolutely riveting, full of detail and color and richness that draw you into the time and place. I can't vouch for the historical accuracy (and these are novels, not historical texts), but from what I do know of the era I would say that the general outlines are certainly faithful to world events.  I definitely recommend both!

A few weeks ago I reread Angel on the Square, young-adult historical fiction. Whelan evokes the time period (Russian Revolution) very well, and in a way that is accessible to younger readers.

I followed up with another Whelan novel, Listening for Lions. This book has a unique setting (colonial Africa) and a few interesting plot points, though I didn't think it was as rich as Angel on the Square.

 

Last night I read Mama's Bank Account, upon which the stage play, motion picture, and television program I Remember Mama were based.  It was a quick, entertaining read and peek into San Francisco of the 1920s.
 
There's more to come... until then, happy reading! 

~Mamie "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro!" (Hunter S. Thompson)