Wordless Wednesday

Happy Halloween!

"What's for Dinner?"

I anticipate the first question I hear upon arriving home will be "What’s for dinner?” In past years I have been good about having a menu for kids to refer to – which sometimes increases whining upon their inspection. But as my life is now…my youngest and now only child at home determines what we eat after weekly review of the ‘Menu Master’.

Let me share with you, what works for us.

I often plan meals from the Menu Master in three various ways...

1- According to sales ads, coupon usage, etc.
2- What we already have on hand.
3- What sounds good or is EASY!

I made a master list many years ago (at least 10 yrs. ago) of all the meals I make. I listed them according to the main protein ingredient:
1.chicken
2.beef
3.fish/seafood
4.other(legume dishes or soups and stews).

I starred* the ones that every person in the house liked at that time. (Eliminating "yuk, why are we having that?")

I noted which were cooked in the microwave, oven, stove top or the grill (this is helpful in the summer when you don't want to heat up the house). This is done by adding a simple M,O,S,or G after the food item -it isn't as detailed as it may sound.

I included lunches and breakfasts with a list of several muffins the family liked as well. These lists are more basic and often lunch consists of leftovers. Lunch and breakfast aren't used often anymore but I do refer to them for dinner suggestions because occasionally I like pancakes for dinner.

I have crossed things out that I never make anymore (ie. spaghetti and swiss steak)and have added new things we have tried and liked (ie. Cali spaghetti, shrimp scampi and stuffed mushrooms).

I also penciled in a section on salads so when going to a pot luck I can scan that list quickly for an idea.

Meals tend to be more nutritious and a better variety. No pasta dishes being served two nights in a row here. I also can do planning where I cook a roast for Sunday dinner and plan use of leftovers for enchiladas or a stew a couple of nights later.

All this fits on 1 side of a computer generated 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of paper which I slip into a page protector and have it in the recipe drawer for quick reference.

If I haven't planned a meal ahead and I only have 1#of ground sirloin in the freezer, referring to the Master Menu takes the guess work out of planning dinner.

How Far In Advance Should Meals Be Planned?

-If you use this list to prepare a month long menu – planning your food storage needs based on what you use each month is a snap! Figure out what you use in 1 month and multiply it 12 and there you have what you need for a one year supply.

-If you plan according to sales, you may only plan one week at a time since new circulars come out each week. But if there was an especially great sale, you may have a surplus to use in your plans.

-If you are paid bi-weekly or bi-monthly - your grocery budget may determine the length of your planned menu. We used to get paid monthly so I did major shopping monthly and just saved enough cash for fresh milk and eggs weekly.


This may or may not help you in your menu planning but here is a somewhat current weekly menu I have used over and over because my computer printer in apparently on vacation. Notice the bottom has a suggestion box. Those who complain about the planned meals have a place for their voice to be heard(or seen)and be validated when next weeks menu is planned. I actually love it when all the space is filled in with suggestions. Very little planning needed on my part.

For those of you who love making lists - this will be quite pleasing to you.
~jan

I Was Framed!

I <3 mirrors. 

Not that I am especially {foxy}, but I love the way they brighten spaces, and I especially love having mirrors close to the floor so my kids can see themselves without getting Mom or Dad to pick them up and hold them to a mirror!

This is the mirror that has served that purpose in my house since we moved in

kinda plain. You know what would make it super high-impact?

A frame!

I went to Home Depot and bought 2 8' sticks of trim, and 2 8' sticks of rectangular wood (this wood doesn't appear to have a name. This is the label...)

It is simply a rectangular stick 1" x 1/2". 

(Baby girl plays with wood stake, ready to drive it into the {heart} of any vampires who try to sweet-talk her!)

I measured the mirror, it was 22 x 68. I cut the wood to fit around the border and mitered the ends. Then I painted the outside edge all around ('cause it will show!) and used the nail gun to attach it on all four sides. 

(like my hairy wrists? I actually fear nailguns more than I fear the oven, so Herr Handsome did this part)

Then I measured the outside corners to determine how long the trim pieces should be. Hubby cut and I painted the wood, and then he nailed it up.

(Make sure you paint both sides of the trim, since the back side will be reflected in the mirror, and if it is plain, unpainted wood, it will look cruddy!)

here the mirror is framed on 4 sides with wood and one side with the trim

Once the trim was all hung, I filled the nail holes with spackle, then sanded it a tiny bit to smooth it out, and painted over the holes. 

Finished! It looks like I hung a lovely framed mirror! 

And my kiddies like it too!

<3 AmberLou

Rice ala Lorie

To some extent, I grew up on packaged foods. My mother always worked outside the home, and she took advantage of the convenience foods of the day.  As we got older, my siblings and I took over more of the meal preparation, and of course, we continued to use convenience foods - Kraft dinners (both spaghetti and mac & cheese) and Hamburger Helper mostly. One food that we never had in my mother's home though, was Rice-a-Roni. I'm not really sure why, but whenever we had rice for dinner it was unseasoned, plain white rice.  I remember having Rice-a-Roni at a friend's house once and it seemed so exotic!

When I married and started my family, I cooked the way I did in my mother's home. That is, I continued to buy Kraft Spaghetti Dinner, Hamburger Helper (or, if I was trying to be frugal, the store brand or generic version). Once my family started growing, one box meal just wasn't enough to feed us all, and making 2 or 3 didn't seem so economical or time saving anymore, so I learned to cook from scratch. Of course, once I did, I realized how much better REAL cooking tastes.

Time marches on, circumstances change, children leave home... a few years ago, I found myself in much the same situation as my mother before me. I was divorced, working full time, with only 2 and then one daughter home to feed. Those boxed meals started looking rather appealing to me once again. I bought some Rice-a-Roni on sale at Safeway and my youngest daughter liked it quite well, so we ate it now and then until the sale ran out and I saw the regular price. No, I wasn't about to pay $2 or $3 for a bit of rice and convenience. So, again, I started making my own Rice-a-Roni clone. If you're interested in the origin of Rice-a-Roni and how it became the San Francisco treat, read here.

 Making your own seasoned rice dish (I hesitate to call it pilaf, really because to me, that has to have almonds and saffron) is simple and quick, and rather than the unforgiving portion sizes in those tiny boxes, you can make as much or a little as you need. This recipe makes 4 generous side dish portions:

• 1/2 cup small pasta (orzo, broken angel hair, or the like)
• 1 Tablespoon butter, margarine or olive oil
• 1 cup white rice
• 2 cups chicken broth (I use 2 cups water and powdered soup base)
• 1/2 cup milk
• freshly grated parmesan or romano cheese

Brown pasta in a skillet with the fat.

Then add the rice and stir well,

Add the water, soup base and milk and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and let simmer for 20 minutes. Then sprinkle with cheese

I like to add sauteed mushrooms, bell peppers, onions and spinach to the rice.

I usually serve this with a grilled chicken breast or chop.

Bon appetit!

Lorie

Dinner in a pumpkin

I got this recipe from Allrecipes.com, I seriously LOVE that site:]

It is the perfect autumn dinner and looks so pretty! Its easy and has the 'WOW' factor when you have guests over. A must try!!!

Pumpkin Stew

Ingredients

* 2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes

* 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

* 1 cup water

* 3 large potatoes, peeled and cubed

* 4 carrots, sliced

* 1 large green bell pepper, chopped

* 4 cloves garlic, minced

* 1 onion, chopped

* 2 teaspoons salt

* 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

* 1 (14.5 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, chopped

* 2 tablespoons beef bouillon granules

* 1 sugar pumpkin

Directions

1. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Place beef in the saucepan and cook until evenly brown. Mix in the water, potatoes, carrots, green bell pepper, garlic, onion, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer approximately 2 hours.

2. Dissolve the bouillon into the beef mixture. Stir in the tomatoes.

3. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).

4. Cut top off the pumpkin and remove seeds and pulp. Place the pumpkin in a heavy baking pan. Fill the pumpkin with the beef mixture. Brush outside of the pumpkin with remaining oil.

5. Bake in the preheated oven 2 hours, or until tender. Serve the stew from the pumpkin, scraping out some of the pumpkin meat with each serving.

Add some dinner rolls and you have a warm & delicious dinner!!! 

Enjoy:]

Amanda