Menu for week of April 19th

Breakfasts this week will consist of Chicken Biscuits (daughter), Oatmeal, Yogurt Parfaits, Fruit, Frosted Mini-Wheats and maybe Pancakes and Sausage.

Lunches will generally be leftovers for hubby and I.

Monday: Wild Rice Chicken Dinner, Spinach with Strawberry Salad (this was so good last week, we decided to have it again!)

Tuesday: Mom and Dad's or dinner out for daughter and I

Wednesday: Taco Soup

Thursday: Shrimp Scampi, Chicken Kiev, Rice Pilaf, Green Bean Bundles

Friday: Papa Murphey's Pizza (daughter's sleepover birthday party)

Saturday: Pork Chops in the Crock Pot, Brussels Sprouts, Glazed Carrots, Crescent Rolls

Sunday: Ham, Roasted Asparagus, Deviled Eggs, Macaroni and Cheese, Rolls, a yummy dessert, yet to be decided on

How about you? Go to orgjunkie.com to read 100's of menus for inspiration.

Pam

Back already?

Yep. I said I wouldn't be around much but just had to post this picture of my hubby. Do you see the antennae on his head? He is being a busy bee around the house today. He has a lot on his plate. Procrastination has snuck up and bit him in the bee-hind. lol That's him picking the feathers out of daughter's mattress pad cover. Huh, you ask? Well, we like feather beds. Mommy and Daddy have a king sized one. Daughter's is shedding. Actually hubby said it looked like it had thrown up feathers. He stripped the bed so I can wash everything and even though the feather bed is on the mattress with the mattress pad cover over it, feathers crept out every where. I guess this should be done more often and the mess wouldn't seem quite so overwhelming. I have some laundry drying on the deck, or we would bring the feather bed itself down, but I don't want icky feathers all over my clean clothes! Tomorrow would be a better day to shake that baby out and drape it over the deck to get some fresh air and sunshine.

Clothes on the deck, you ask? I have a hang away thangy that I bought from QVC or HSN that is a neat little contraption that folds up and is easily put away. I like to open it up and put it out on the deck and "line" dry clothes every once in a while. I love that fresh smell. Pollen is a culprit though if you have allergies. The clothes are a little stiffer but that seems to go away quite quickly once you put on the clothes. Why is that? Also, the dryer is sounding a little worse for wear lately. Sometimes it sounds like there's a donkey in my laundry room! lol

My servants, the dishwasher and the washer and dryer, are working away for me today. I love my electric servants, don't you? I have done a pretty good job of trying to do a load of laundry every day or so rather than letting it wait until Monday and trying to do it all. With my back giving me grief, I find the once a day or so laundry job to be much easier for me. But, today I am working on the girl's bed linens, curtain topper, and the guest room linens, all the way down to the bed skirt. In between, I hand wash a few kitchen items and sit in my big red comfy recliner with my laptop, sipping coffee or water, studying Ezra, (enjoying my Logos Bible program), planning my week, and searching the web.

We didn't have our date night last night. Our church had a One Night marriage event and we registered to attend and even paid the $10 but my head was hurting and Robert seemed overwhelmed by prepping for his Marketing class he is teaching for LMU on Tuesday. He is almost done with his syllabus. He teaches this class on Tuesday evenings for five weeks. After that he has a Project Management class for seven weeks here in Knoxville. We are so thankful for his position as Adjunct Professor at LMU. This is part-time work, but it is work. If it works out for him, this could be something he continues to do after getting a full-time job.

Okay. Enough yakking. Back to work for me.

Hope all of you are having a good weekend too. Productive, relaxing, or otherwise.

Pam

What to blog about?

Ever have one of those days in blogland when you just don't know what to write about? I am going through that right now. Actually, I am just too busy right now to even think about blogging much except my weekly menu which I do every week.

We are still trying to finish up our project upstairs, getting ready for daughter's 11th birthday party soiree, husband's new job as an adjunct professor and his three day census training at the end of the month. After we finish with Robyn's room and the guest room we are moving on to the master bedroom and bath. We also want to paint the upstairs hallway and paint the master bedroom and bath. Our closet needs a major overhaul and all the carpets upstairs will be cleaned, including the stairs, when we are finished. I think I will tackle my scrapbooking room all by myself and not ask hubby to help me with that. I think that will make him smile!

So, if things get a little boring around here you will know why. Next week, I will be able to post all the before, during, and after photos of Robyn's and the guest room. I can hardly wait.

Until then,

Pam

Menu for week of April 12th

Breakfasts this week will consist of Oatmeal, Frosted Mini-Wheats, Eggs and Sausage, Yogurt Parfaits, Orange Sweet Rolls and the last of the Toaster Streudels.

Lunches will consist of leftovers, Crock Pot Soup (a Weight Watchers Recipe, recipe below), Black Bean Burritos (a OAMC recipe already made and in the freezer), Cheese Omelets, and Homemade Pizza.

Snacks will consist of Strawberries, Apples, Bananas, Grapes, and Cantaloupe (trying really hard here to incorporate more fruit into our diet).

Monday:

Bean and Cheddar Recipe (OAMC) (recipe to follow if it is good)
Cheese on the Cob (Recipe below)

Tuesday:

Wild Rice Chicken Dinner (OAMC) (recipe below)
Broccoli Salad (recipe below)

Wednesday:

Leftover Buffet (no cooking for me!) Awana and New Life Night at Church

Thursday:

Lil'Cheddar Meatloaves (made with turkey), (recipe below)
Glazed Carrots
Broccoli with Cheese Sauce
Small Group here at house

Friday:

Turkey Smoked Sausage with Green Peppers and Onions
Sauteed Cabbage
Lady and Son's Cheezy Mac (recipe below)
One Night Date Night at church

Saturday:

Crockpot Taco Soup (recipe below)

Sunday:

Chicken Tetrazzini
Spinach and Strawberry Salad

301 class at church in a.m.
Community service in p.m.

So, this is my meal plan for this week along with a few reminders for me. Here are the recipes:

Cheese on the Cob


1/2 cup mayonnaise

5 ears corn, husks and silk removed

1 cup shredded Parmesan

Chili powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Melted butter for serving (my addition)


Prepare grill.


Brush a thin layer of mayonnaise on corn. Sprinkle the corn with cheese, chili powder, salt and pepper. Wrap each corn with foil and place on the grill. Turn occasionally and cook for about 10 minutes (until kernels begin to brown). Serve warm.

(this is especially for dd who is just learning to love corn and she loves anything cheesy)

Wild Rice Chicken Dinner


2 pkg. (8.8 oz. each) ready to serve long grain and wild rice

2 pkg. (16 oz. each) frozen French style green beans, thawed

2 cans cream of celery soup

2 cans (8 oz. each) sliced water chestnuts, drained

2/3 c. chopped onion

2 jars (4 oz. each) sliced pimientos, drained

1 c. mayonnaise

½ c. milk

1 t. pepper

6 c. cubed cooked chicken

1 c. slivered almonds, divided


Heat rice. Meanwhile in a dutch oven, combine beans, soup, water chestnuts, onion, pimientos, mayo, milk and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in chicken and rice; cook 3-4 minutes longer.


Transfer ½ mixture to serving dish; sprinkle with ½ cup almonds. Serve immediately. Pour remaining into a greased 13x9x2 inch baking dish; cool, sprinkle with almonds. Cover and freeze for up to 3 months.


To use frozen casserole: thaw in fridge overnight. Cover and bake 350 degrees 40-45 minutes.


2 casseroles, 6-8 servings each. Rf or FF mayo is not recommended.

(for my family I would probably make four smaller dishes)


Broccoli Salad

1 head broccoli - cut into small pieces, about 1" or less

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 T. chopped onion

1/2 lb. bacon - fried, drained, then broken or crushed into bits

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup sugar

1 T. vinegar

Preparation- Mix together cut-up broccoli, cheddar, onion, and bacon bits. Combine the mayonnaise, sugar and vinegar. Pour over the other ingredients and mix together. Chill before serving.

The Lady's Cheesy Mac

Recipe courtesy Paula Deen


Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 55 minutes

Yield: 6 to 8 servings


4 cups cooked elbow macaroni, drained

2 cups grated cheddar cheese

3 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup sour cream

4 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Once you have the macaroni cooked and drained, place in a large bowl and while still hot and add the cheddar. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining ingredients and add to the macaroni mixture. Pour macaroni mixture into a casserole dish and bake for 30 to 45 minutes. Top with additional cheese if desired.


Crock Pot Taco Soup


1 lb. ground beef

16 oz. kidney beans

11 oz. corn

10 oz. rotel

taco seasoning packet

28 oz. tomatoes

small can green chilies

16 oz. pinto beans

1 small package Hidden Valley Ranch dressing


Brown beef and drain. Add all other ingredients and beef to crock pot and stir. Do not drain cans. Simmer on low 6-8 hours. Good with chips or Mexican cornbread.

Crock Pot Soup

1 can chicken broth
1 cup chopped onion
1 can pinto beans
1 can corn, drained
1 can pork and beans
2 cups chopped tomato
1 pkg. chili seasoning

Mix all in crock pot. Simmer on low all day.

Very good! 1 point per 1 ½ cup serving.

Colonial Williamsburg

Pretty Lady

Pretty Maze

Pretty Coach

Colonial Williamsburg

Photos of Spring Break 2010

Historic Powhatan Resort in Williamsburg, VA. This home was on the resort property where we stayed. The area used to be a plantation.

Statue of Pocahontas

Captain John Smith

Church at Historic Jamestowne