Rainy Saturday, ready for fall now!
~Mamie
"When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro!"
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Friday, October 22, 2010
Potato Dreams
Niece was helping me make our Shepherd's Pie for dinner. Her first task was to peel potatoes. While doing so, she asked me if "potatoes and onions make a good side dish." I of course responded affirmatively, and described the various renditions of "potato and onion side dishes" we have eaten.
She then told me" "I had a dream that I was a cook show host, and I did a feature on potatoes and onions."
What an awesome dream!
~Mamie
"When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro!"
Image credit
Happy Feet Friday!
Black "Simple" brand clogs and Halloween socks!
~Mamie
"When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro!"
(Hunter S. Thompson)
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Nearly Wordless Wednesday 10/21/10
Reading rocks!
~Mamie
"When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro!"
(Hunter S. Thompson)
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Ten Things Tuesday 10/19/10
Ten phrases I might as well record because I say them at least ten times a day:
1. Sit on your pockets! Criss-cross apple sauce!
2. Your pencil's broken? OK fine, what do we do. That's right, put it in the "bad pencil" can and get a new one from the "good pencil" can. [It's 47 days into the school year and this still seems complicated.]
3. Really? You have to go to the bathroom? We just came in from recess. Try to wait.
4. Lunch is not for another 47 minutes. It's not that long. You do not have to eat your pencil while waiting.
5. Sit on your pockets! Criss-cross apple sauce!
6. Please keep your hands/feet/tongue to yourself.
7. Don't forget to write your name, number, and date at the top. NAME, then number, then date... look at the board for the date.... NAME first.... then number.... then date.
8. One, two, three - eyes on me!
9. Really? You have to go to the bathroom? We just came in from recess. Try to wait.
10. Sit on your pockets! Criss-cross apple sauce!
~Mamie "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro!" (Hunter S. Thompson)
1. Sit on your pockets! Criss-cross apple sauce!
2. Your pencil's broken? OK fine, what do we do. That's right, put it in the "bad pencil" can and get a new one from the "good pencil" can. [It's 47 days into the school year and this still seems complicated.]
3. Really? You have to go to the bathroom? We just came in from recess. Try to wait.
4. Lunch is not for another 47 minutes. It's not that long. You do not have to eat your pencil while waiting.
5. Sit on your pockets! Criss-cross apple sauce!
6. Please keep your hands/feet/tongue to yourself.
7. Don't forget to write your name, number, and date at the top. NAME, then number, then date... look at the board for the date.... NAME first.... then number.... then date.
8. One, two, three - eyes on me!
9. Really? You have to go to the bathroom? We just came in from recess. Try to wait.
10. Sit on your pockets! Criss-cross apple sauce!
~Mamie "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro!" (Hunter S. Thompson)
Monday, October 18, 2010
Monday Meme
It's a good thing Mrs. Chili always has something to offer, otherwise I'd have nothing!
1. What is the closest item near you that is blue? A bottle of Crabtree and Evelyn La Source Hand Therapy lotion that my wonderful aunt aunt gave me for Christmas.
2. What is your favorite color? Purple all they way!
3. When is your birthday? April 2, which is also Favorite Uncle's birthday.
4. When did you last go to the mall? I was about to say SO LONG AGO I CAN'T EVEN REMEMBER! - but then I remembered that Barnsie is technically connected to the mall, so I guess about two weeks ago. But I ONLY go to Barnes and Noble; NEVER into the rest of the mall.
5. When was the last time you bought a pair of pants? I can't really remember! Probably last winter.
6. What do you want for your birthday? Birthday's a long time away... ask me closer. But the default answer is an iPad.
7. Who will be your next kiss? Mr. Mamie for sure!
8. What was the last candy you ate? A Nerds Rope that Nephew carelessly left here last night. Hope he doesn't think he's getting it back!
9. Are you wearing socks right now? Nope.
10. When was the last time you went out of the state? June, when we took The Little Mermaid to the closest major airport after her visit.
11. Have you been to the movies in the last 5 days? Nope! And probably won't go until the next Harry Potter comes out in November.
12. What was the last thing you had to drink? Iced water, yum, in a big lime-green plastic cup emblazoned with the crest of my grad school.
13. What are you wearing right now? Plaid mens "lounge shorts" and a black t-shirt. It's the last day of fall break and I am home lounging!
14. What was your last purchase? A giant, cold, delicious dietCoke (for me) and a giant, hot, sweet coffee (for Mr. Mamie) at Maverik at 9 this morning.
15. Who was the last person you talked to on the phone? Um... actually talked? Maybe GolfDad on Saturday? Texting is more likely, and that would be my brother, Igor, this morning.
16. Have you bought any clothing items in the last week? Nope.
17. Do you have a pet? Beagle and Laprador, woof!
18. What’s the last sporting event you watched? Broncos/Jets yesterday afternoon.
19. What’s the most played song on your iTunes? A kids' song we use in the classroom almost daily - "Clap Your Hands" by They Might Be Giants.
Clap Your Hands - They Might Be Giants from They Might Be Giants on Vimeo.
20. If you could be anywhere right now, where would you be? Exactly where I am, in my chair in the living room! Except maybe I would rather be at Grammie's house in Kansas, 'cause I miss her.
21. What is the last thing you purchased online? Books from Scholastic.
22. One thing you hate about yourself? My tendency to procrastinate, like I am doing right now... I have SMARTBoard files to build for school this week, cookie dough in the fridge to get baked, bread drying on the counter to make into croutons, both the washer and the dryer have finished their cycles, and I have ironing to finish. But here I am answering a long meme!
23. What’s your favorite soup? Many! Here are a few: Spicy Cheeseburger Soup, Ruby Tuesday Potato-Cheese Soup, Creamy Mexican Turkey Soup (works great with chicken).
24. Do you miss anyone? My mom, endlessly. Family who are far away, like Travellin'Dad, Grammie, and Favorite Uncle.
25. Last play you saw? Hmmmm, probably something at my state's Shakespearean Festival. Or, "Man of La Mancha" put on by a local musical theater company.
26. What are your plans for the day? Refer back to #22.
27. Last person you messaged? Igor. The Maverik manager wondered when he'd be back in town so he could clean the windows (of the Maverik).
28. What do you know about the future? That no one can predict it.
29. Are you wearing any perfume or cologne? Nope.
30. Where are your best friends located? The bestest one is in this room! Other than that, they're all over - here locally; in Berkeley, CA; in Portland, OR; in NYC....
31. How old do you want to be when you have kids? That ship has sailed!
32. Who was the last person who made you cry? Someone from #30.
33. Do you have any tattoos or piercings? Ears pierced; no ink.
34. How do you like your soda? Very cold! And diet.
35. Do you like hot sauce? YES!!!
36. Next time you’ll take a shower? Later today.
37. What was the last movie you watched at home? A short movie that Mr. Mamie downloaded from the Interwebz.
38. What is your mood? Mellow. Yay, fall break!
39. What kind of car do you drive? Toyota RAV-4. 160,000 miles and going strong! We also have a Nissan Pathfinder with 100,000+ on it.
40. Have you ever been to Virginia? Yes, early '90s as part of a trip to D.C. I can still hear the voice on the metro: "Orange train to Vienna!"
41. What are you doing right now? Answering these questions, and them returning to the list in #22!
~Mamie
"When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro!"
(Hunter S. Thompson)
1. What is the closest item near you that is blue? A bottle of Crabtree and Evelyn La Source Hand Therapy lotion that my wonderful aunt aunt gave me for Christmas.
2. What is your favorite color? Purple all they way!
3. When is your birthday? April 2, which is also Favorite Uncle's birthday.
4. When did you last go to the mall? I was about to say SO LONG AGO I CAN'T EVEN REMEMBER! - but then I remembered that Barnsie is technically connected to the mall, so I guess about two weeks ago. But I ONLY go to Barnes and Noble; NEVER into the rest of the mall.
5. When was the last time you bought a pair of pants? I can't really remember! Probably last winter.
6. What do you want for your birthday? Birthday's a long time away... ask me closer. But the default answer is an iPad.
7. Who will be your next kiss? Mr. Mamie for sure!
8. What was the last candy you ate? A Nerds Rope that Nephew carelessly left here last night. Hope he doesn't think he's getting it back!
9. Are you wearing socks right now? Nope.
10. When was the last time you went out of the state? June, when we took The Little Mermaid to the closest major airport after her visit.
11. Have you been to the movies in the last 5 days? Nope! And probably won't go until the next Harry Potter comes out in November.
12. What was the last thing you had to drink? Iced water, yum, in a big lime-green plastic cup emblazoned with the crest of my grad school.
13. What are you wearing right now? Plaid mens "lounge shorts" and a black t-shirt. It's the last day of fall break and I am home lounging!
14. What was your last purchase? A giant, cold, delicious dietCoke (for me) and a giant, hot, sweet coffee (for Mr. Mamie) at Maverik at 9 this morning.
15. Who was the last person you talked to on the phone? Um... actually talked? Maybe GolfDad on Saturday? Texting is more likely, and that would be my brother, Igor, this morning.
16. Have you bought any clothing items in the last week? Nope.
17. Do you have a pet? Beagle and Laprador, woof!
18. What’s the last sporting event you watched? Broncos/Jets yesterday afternoon.
19. What’s the most played song on your iTunes? A kids' song we use in the classroom almost daily - "Clap Your Hands" by They Might Be Giants.
Clap Your Hands - They Might Be Giants from They Might Be Giants on Vimeo.
20. If you could be anywhere right now, where would you be? Exactly where I am, in my chair in the living room! Except maybe I would rather be at Grammie's house in Kansas, 'cause I miss her.
21. What is the last thing you purchased online? Books from Scholastic.
22. One thing you hate about yourself? My tendency to procrastinate, like I am doing right now... I have SMARTBoard files to build for school this week, cookie dough in the fridge to get baked, bread drying on the counter to make into croutons, both the washer and the dryer have finished their cycles, and I have ironing to finish. But here I am answering a long meme!
23. What’s your favorite soup? Many! Here are a few: Spicy Cheeseburger Soup, Ruby Tuesday Potato-Cheese Soup, Creamy Mexican Turkey Soup (works great with chicken).
24. Do you miss anyone? My mom, endlessly. Family who are far away, like Travellin'Dad, Grammie, and Favorite Uncle.
25. Last play you saw? Hmmmm, probably something at my state's Shakespearean Festival. Or, "Man of La Mancha" put on by a local musical theater company.
26. What are your plans for the day? Refer back to #22.
27. Last person you messaged? Igor. The Maverik manager wondered when he'd be back in town so he could clean the windows (of the Maverik).
28. What do you know about the future? That no one can predict it.
29. Are you wearing any perfume or cologne? Nope.
30. Where are your best friends located? The bestest one is in this room! Other than that, they're all over - here locally; in Berkeley, CA; in Portland, OR; in NYC....
31. How old do you want to be when you have kids? That ship has sailed!
32. Who was the last person who made you cry? Someone from #30.
33. Do you have any tattoos or piercings? Ears pierced; no ink.
34. How do you like your soda? Very cold! And diet.
35. Do you like hot sauce? YES!!!
36. Next time you’ll take a shower? Later today.
37. What was the last movie you watched at home? A short movie that Mr. Mamie downloaded from the Interwebz.
38. What is your mood? Mellow. Yay, fall break!
39. What kind of car do you drive? Toyota RAV-4. 160,000 miles and going strong! We also have a Nissan Pathfinder with 100,000+ on it.
40. Have you ever been to Virginia? Yes, early '90s as part of a trip to D.C. I can still hear the voice on the metro: "Orange train to Vienna!"
41. What are you doing right now? Answering these questions, and them returning to the list in #22!
~Mamie
"When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro!"
(Hunter S. Thompson)
Cool!
Your results:
You are Spider-Man
Click here to take the Superhero Personality Quiz
~Mamie "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro!" (Hunter S. Thompson)
You are Spider-Man
|
You are intelligent, witty, a bit geeky and have great power and responsibility.  |
Click here to take the Superhero Personality Quiz
~Mamie "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro!" (Hunter S. Thompson)
Funny
I just read this joke, and it made me laugh. No, my sense of humor is not very sophisticated!
"Last night I dreamed I ate a 10-pound marshmallow. This morning I woke up and the pillow was gone!"
Image credit
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Menus 10/18/10 - 10/23/10 + Re-cap of Last Week
(Of course, I do my menu planning on Sunday, but....)
The Goulash was a new recipe, and it was excellent! Very flavorful and filling. It worked great as left-overs in my school lunch.
I thought that the new Crockpot Orange Beef was so-so, though Mr. Mamie proclaimed it to be "very good." GrandmaT liked it as well, though we all agreed the the previous night's new recipe (Goulash) was better.
Bacon Ranch Slow Cooked Chicken got skipped... for some reason I just didn't feel like making this. I've been fighting a head/chest cold for days, and wanted something soupy and spicy. So we had this White Bean Chicken Chili instead, and it was GREAT!
The Spicy Lentil Soup got skipped also; I decided that it would be a good one to make together with Niece, so we'll do it on a weekend sometime. Instead, we had grilled hot links for Mr. and Mrs. Mamie, hot dogs for the kids, and a veggie burger for GrandmaT with oven roasted white/sweet potatoes. I use the seasoning mix from this recipe, which I make by the large jar-full (a re-purposed seasoning jar from something else, with a sprinkle top). It was time to make new fry sauce (which is just a 3:1 mayo/ketchup mix), and I added a healthy dose of the seasoning to it - awesome!
Black Bean and Brown Rice Bowls/Tacos with corn tortillas and taco toppings are always a hit around here, and there was plenty to serve as weekend left-over lunches.
Homemade Pizza! We love it. 'Nuff said. It's a great breakfast, too! I want to add a recipe tab to my blog, and the sauce and dough recipes will be the first ones I put on there whenever I get to it.
BBQ Turkey Meatloaf, Cheddar Cheese Biscuits, and green salad will be happening tonight. Niece is going to help cook.
Menu this week:
Monday, 10/18: There's no school today, and Nephew has a football game this evening (in the college stadium!), so I think it's going to be a C.O.R.N. (clean out the refrigerator night) dinner.
Tuesday, 10/19: Chicken Indonesian, whole-wheat linguini, green salad.
Wednesday, 10/20: Mr. Mamie has class on Wednesday and Thursday evenings, so I try to do Crock-Pot meals or soups that "hold" well. Tonight it's taco soup, and while I clearly got the recipe from somewhere, it doesn't have a citation/link on it. Oh well, if you need a recipe, Google it - there are a million variations on "taco soup" out there! I'll probably make garlic muffins to go with it.
Thursday, 10/21: Kids are here tonight, and Mr. Mamie has class, so it's going to be soup again. That's okay though, 'cause we love soup! The kids don't seem to mind participating in the "meatless meals" project, so tonight it will be Ruby Tuesday Potato-Cheese Soup, which is our favorite of my many collected potato soup recipes. We'll have green salad too, of course.
Friday, 10/22: The kids are here again, and I get home a little earlier on Fridays (early-out day at school). I'm planning to make this Shepherd's Pie, which again, is a favorite from our collection. Green salad as usual.
Saturday, 10/23: Kids here, and I'm springing something new and very different on everyone: Pumpkin Chipotle Chili. I personally am very excited to try this! We'll have green salad and Sinfully Sweet Cornbread with the chili. BTW, this cornbread is one of the "homemade baking mixes" I keep on hand - every few months I fill several Ziploc bags with the dry ingredients for cornbread, brownies, chocolate chip cookies, and basic muffins (to which many things can be added) so they're handy for grabbing and making with dinners. I made labels with the wet ingredients and directions listed and stuck them on each bag. Definitely cheaper and yummier (and possibly healthier) than store-bought
mixes!
Sunday, 10/24: Kids here, and we often have "breakfast for dinner" on Sundays with some variation on pancakes/waffles, eggs, potatoes, and maybe sausage/bacon (depends on if we happen to have any; meat is optional). Typically I make smoothies also. I don't usually decide which kind of pancakes/waffles until the day of; depends on mood and available ingredients. For the eggs, either Mr. Mamie makes omlettes or Niece makes scrambled.
Baking, etc. this week:
For whatever reason, we didn't go through bread as rapidly as usual last week, so GrandmaT froze half of each loaf to use this week. So no bread making. Niece is here, and as soon as I finish this blog post, we're going to start on this Paula Deen fresh apple cake recipe from Food Network, and then move on to some peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. YUM!!!
Happy cooking and eating!
Sunday Morning
One thing that's annoying me at the moment are the colors of the links on my blog. I have changed them over and over, and they will not switch from the blue/purple. So, sorry for the ugliness! I will keep trying.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
I love a deal! And, some "food politics"
There's some interesting discussions that have happened on various food/frugality blogs about "cheap food." Many of the writers are looking at the issue from the perspective of cheap food = often unhealthy food. They say that food is something we should NOT skimp on. After all, it goes into our bodies and has a lasting impact on our health. Also, our "food dollars" are pretty powerful, and we make value statements buy what and how we purchase food.
I pretty much agree that too much emphasis has been placed on trying to get food costs as low as possible in a family. The media will run a story on someone who got two full carts of food for $4.00 becasue he/she used piles of coupons, and it's like OH WOW, ISN'T THIS GREAT?! The thing is, most (not all) coupons are for processed foods like Hamburger Helper, refrigerated biscuits, sugary cereals, and the like.
We've tried to change our eating habits so that we are eating more FRESH, WHOLE foods - organic when possible, but we're not militant about it. We don't buy commercial breads, or cookies (well, once in a while, if it's like Halloween Oreos!), or frozen pizza, or "dinner mixes/bases" because those are things that I can make much less expensively and and at least slightly more healthfully at home. We've chosen to try to avoid processed, chemical-laden "foods" to the extent that is reasonable, given various budget and time restraints.
Here's an example Mr. Mamie and I were discussing when we were out doing errands this morning. In the last couple years I have discovered the fun of making homemade ice cream. GolfDad long-term loaned me his Cuisinart ice cream maker, and about once a month (probably less) I've made homemade ice cream using real cream, whole milk, sugar, and fruits or coffee or whatever sounded good. The ice cream is delicious, of course, but also not especially healthy, given the fat-laden dairy products and the white sugar that are involved. It's definitely something that's a once-in-a-while treat.
A few weeks ago we were in a grocery store, and they had Dreyer's brand ice cream "specialty flavors" on sale - 2 gallons for $6. Except, they're not gallons anymore, didja know? The grocery shrink ray has hit the ice cream! Nevertheless, it sounded appealing so we bought one each of the special flavors Pecan Praline and Apple Pie. We tried each flavor once on two consecutive nights, and guess what? I thought they were pretty awful! They tasted so artificial, and just like they were full of fillers and chemicals and air. And this is supposed to be "premium" ice cream. Well, they've sat in the freezer ever since, and I guess at some point I'll end up tossing them because they'll be frost-bitten and totally inedible. So, did we get out $6 worth? No, I don;t think so, and I could have made two - maybe more - batches of homemade ice cream with REAL ingredients for the same price.
So anyway, I'm wandering, but the point is we've been willing to spend a little more if needed to get better food. It's not all about getting the cheapest deal. I have come to believe, though, that you CAN buy real food for a decent price, if you are willing to cook it yourself.
Today at Albertson's I think we did a pretty good job. Now mind you, we weren't buying organic (because Albertson's just doesn't have that many organic options), and when organic is available and in our budget, it's what we prefer, but sometimes you just gotta go with the flow.
For $19.50 we got:
In other deal news, I usually buy printer ink for my HP printer that I use at here at home at OfficeMax. I have a teacher rewards card, and I always take the empty ink cartridges back to OfficeMax for the recycling credit. I go through a LOT of ink (when I need something in color, like various school items and recipes, and both these type things get printed frequently) so I buy a lot and have empty cartridges to take in every time. Yesterday in my email there was an OfficeMax rewards certificate for $46. I took it in today and got an extra large black cartridge and one each of the regular size color cartridges, and only had to pay 47 cents - YAHOO!!!
I pretty much agree that too much emphasis has been placed on trying to get food costs as low as possible in a family. The media will run a story on someone who got two full carts of food for $4.00 becasue he/she used piles of coupons, and it's like OH WOW, ISN'T THIS GREAT?! The thing is, most (not all) coupons are for processed foods like Hamburger Helper, refrigerated biscuits, sugary cereals, and the like.
We've tried to change our eating habits so that we are eating more FRESH, WHOLE foods - organic when possible, but we're not militant about it. We don't buy commercial breads, or cookies (well, once in a while, if it's like Halloween Oreos!), or frozen pizza, or "dinner mixes/bases" because those are things that I can make much less expensively and and at least slightly more healthfully at home. We've chosen to try to avoid processed, chemical-laden "foods" to the extent that is reasonable, given various budget and time restraints.
Here's an example Mr. Mamie and I were discussing when we were out doing errands this morning. In the last couple years I have discovered the fun of making homemade ice cream. GolfDad long-term loaned me his Cuisinart ice cream maker, and about once a month (probably less) I've made homemade ice cream using real cream, whole milk, sugar, and fruits or coffee or whatever sounded good. The ice cream is delicious, of course, but also not especially healthy, given the fat-laden dairy products and the white sugar that are involved. It's definitely something that's a once-in-a-while treat.
A few weeks ago we were in a grocery store, and they had Dreyer's brand ice cream "specialty flavors" on sale - 2 gallons for $6. Except, they're not gallons anymore, didja know? The grocery shrink ray has hit the ice cream! Nevertheless, it sounded appealing so we bought one each of the special flavors Pecan Praline and Apple Pie. We tried each flavor once on two consecutive nights, and guess what? I thought they were pretty awful! They tasted so artificial, and just like they were full of fillers and chemicals and air. And this is supposed to be "premium" ice cream. Well, they've sat in the freezer ever since, and I guess at some point I'll end up tossing them because they'll be frost-bitten and totally inedible. So, did we get out $6 worth? No, I don;t think so, and I could have made two - maybe more - batches of homemade ice cream with REAL ingredients for the same price.
So anyway, I'm wandering, but the point is we've been willing to spend a little more if needed to get better food. It's not all about getting the cheapest deal. I have come to believe, though, that you CAN buy real food for a decent price, if you are willing to cook it yourself.
Today at Albertson's I think we did a pretty good job. Now mind you, we weren't buying organic (because Albertson's just doesn't have that many organic options), and when organic is available and in our budget, it's what we prefer, but sometimes you just gotta go with the flow.
For $19.50 we got:
- 10 pounds of russet potatoes
- 2 bags of salad mix (we typically by whole heads of lettuce, but these were on an extreme sale; they'll be mixed with whole romaine leaves and fresh spinach)
- 3 dozen eggs
- 2 pounds of frozen corn
- 3 pounds of chicken breasts
- A big bag of fish sticks - which was the only "processed" food, and probably not coincidentally, the most expensive item. But, Mr. Mamie had a craving, and who am I to deny a man is crunchy processed fish bits?
In other deal news, I usually buy printer ink for my HP printer that I use at here at home at OfficeMax. I have a teacher rewards card, and I always take the empty ink cartridges back to OfficeMax for the recycling credit. I go through a LOT of ink (when I need something in color, like various school items and recipes, and both these type things get printed frequently) so I buy a lot and have empty cartridges to take in every time. Yesterday in my email there was an OfficeMax rewards certificate for $46. I took it in today and got an extra large black cartridge and one each of the regular size color cartridges, and only had to pay 47 cents - YAHOO!!!
Monday, October 11, 2010
Monday Meme
As usual, this came from Mrs. Chili.
1. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was the first thing you thought? You should still be in bed....
2. How much cash do you have on you? There's about $4 in my purse, I think, if I am lucky.
3. What’s a word that rhymes with DOOR? SNORE!
4. Favorite planet? I'm partial to Pluto.
5. Who is the 4th person on your missed call list on your cell phone? A parent, who left a voicemail saying that she would not be able to come in for her volunteer time in the classroom.
6. What is your favorite ring tone on your phone? Monday Night Football theme song.
7. What shirt are you wearing? An old black T-shirt from Tar-jay - I'm in comfy couch-sitting clothes at the moment.
8. Do you label yourself? Yes, but the labels will not be publicly displayed.
9. Name the brand of the shoes you’re currently wearing? Barefoot - for reason see #7. For school today I wore a pair of black and charcoal gray Mootsies Tootsies flats.
10. Bright or dark room? Lots of natural light in the day, nice and dark for sleepytime.
11. Did you do anything to celebrate John Lennon’s 70th Saturday? Played with the Google logo!
12. What does your watch look like? The one I usually wear to school is a light gray Timex Ironaman. All the little alarm noises are helpful!
13. What were you doing at midnight last night? Tossing and turning and coughing and groaning.
14. What did your last text message you received on your cell say? From Mrs. Igor about her changing work schedule.
15. Where is your nearest 7-11? 300 miles away. But Maverik is only 1/4 mile. :)
16. What’s a word that you say a lot? "Shhhhhhhhh" - it IS a word, at least the way I say it!
17. Who told you he/she loved you last? Mr. Mamie - he's the bestest!
18. Last furry thing you touched? BeagleDog, who's sharing the couch with me.
19. How many drugs have you done in the last three days? LOTS of DayQuil and NyQuil!
20. How many rolls of film do you need developed? Like, ZERO! Hello, digital!
21. Favorite age you have been so far? Many have been good... how can I pick among them? Someone's feelings might get hurt.
22. Your worst enemy? Piles of papers.
23. What is your current desktop picture (extra points if you post it.)? At home, a fall leaf covered in raindrops; at school, a stormy sea. Time to change to Halloween pix!
24. What was the last thing you said to someone? "I told you it was that guy!" - to Mr. Mamie, we're watching "24" on streaming Netflix as I write.
25. If you had to choose between a million bucks or to be able to fly what would it be? Couldn't I use the money to buy flying lessons?
1. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was the first thing you thought? You should still be in bed....
2. How much cash do you have on you? There's about $4 in my purse, I think, if I am lucky.
3. What’s a word that rhymes with DOOR? SNORE!
4. Favorite planet? I'm partial to Pluto.
5. Who is the 4th person on your missed call list on your cell phone? A parent, who left a voicemail saying that she would not be able to come in for her volunteer time in the classroom.
6. What is your favorite ring tone on your phone? Monday Night Football theme song.
7. What shirt are you wearing? An old black T-shirt from Tar-jay - I'm in comfy couch-sitting clothes at the moment.
8. Do you label yourself? Yes, but the labels will not be publicly displayed.
9. Name the brand of the shoes you’re currently wearing? Barefoot - for reason see #7. For school today I wore a pair of black and charcoal gray Mootsies Tootsies flats.
10. Bright or dark room? Lots of natural light in the day, nice and dark for sleepytime.
11. Did you do anything to celebrate John Lennon’s 70th Saturday? Played with the Google logo!
12. What does your watch look like? The one I usually wear to school is a light gray Timex Ironaman. All the little alarm noises are helpful!
13. What were you doing at midnight last night? Tossing and turning and coughing and groaning.
14. What did your last text message you received on your cell say? From Mrs. Igor about her changing work schedule.
15. Where is your nearest 7-11? 300 miles away. But Maverik is only 1/4 mile. :)
16. What’s a word that you say a lot? "Shhhhhhhhh" - it IS a word, at least the way I say it!
17. Who told you he/she loved you last? Mr. Mamie - he's the bestest!
18. Last furry thing you touched? BeagleDog, who's sharing the couch with me.
19. How many drugs have you done in the last three days? LOTS of DayQuil and NyQuil!
20. How many rolls of film do you need developed? Like, ZERO! Hello, digital!
21. Favorite age you have been so far? Many have been good... how can I pick among them? Someone's feelings might get hurt.
22. Your worst enemy? Piles of papers.
23. What is your current desktop picture (extra points if you post it.)? At home, a fall leaf covered in raindrops; at school, a stormy sea. Time to change to Halloween pix!
24. What was the last thing you said to someone? "I told you it was that guy!" - to Mr. Mamie, we're watching "24" on streaming Netflix as I write.
25. If you had to choose between a million bucks or to be able to fly what would it be? Couldn't I use the money to buy flying lessons?
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Menus 10/11/10 - 10/17/10
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!
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!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)