A little comfort food

Does anything say comfort food better than chicken pot pie? I don't think so. I got to make this beauty last night.

I found the recipe on Bev's food blog. She is hiLARious! I love reading her stuff...makes cooking so fun! Anyway, check out the world's best comfort food recipe here. Adjust according to what you have and what you like. I didn't have pearl onions, but I did have a yellow onion, so I diced that baby and threw it in the skillet. I had a frozen bag of chopped kale (because don't we all? ;)) so I tossed that in the skillet too. I also had a bag of frozen peas and carrots and they got thrown in the mix as well. I bought the Kroger brand pie crust, because it was cheaper, and that's how I roll, and I haven't taken the time to learn how to make my own...don't judge!

The rest of the week we are having Italian Sloppy Joes, Blueberry Waffles, grilled steak and roasted veggies, and Salmon Burgers.

What are you having?

Good thing

Brownies a la mode after an evening of swimming is a good thing. Yummmmy

And mostly homemade salsa...it's a very good thing too! 

Per my sweet friend, Stacy:

Start with a jar of salsa (any cheap jar will do)

Add:

•A couple or three cloves of garlic

•a jalapeño or two, depending upon how spicy you like it...I like it haute like my man! ;)

•28 oz can of tomatoes

•a large handful or two of cilantro

•a bell pepper if you have one

•a smidge of sugar if you like

Blend all together in a food processor or blender. Serve with your favorite tortilla chips or use as a topping for nachos for dinner that you topped with the chopped up leftover rotisserie chicken you bought for the delicious jambalaya you made Friday night. (I'll share later. Remind me.) I've died and gone to food heaven!

A couple days late and more than a dollar short

Well, it's Thursday, but I'm posting my menu plan for "On the Table Tuesday" anyway. I didn't get around to posting last week at all. I'm sorry. We had a great week of food, and I wish I had a good enough memory to share our menu with you, but I don't. I erased our sweet little menu board, and it's lost forever. Actually part of it found it's home on each of my thighs, but otherwise, it's gone. You should know, I didn't get around to making dinner last night. I worked on Cora's big closet switcheroo all.day.long, and I was too pooped. So, we had sandwiches from Schlotzskys, and I might have devoured mine in less than 2 minutes flat...well, maybe 3, but who's counting?  Anyway, here it is...

Monday- Sausage and Tomato Rigatoni. It was a huge hit!

Basil from my basil plant. Isn't it pretty? I just love herbs.

What's not to love with ingredients like garlic, basil, mozzarella, tomatoes, and pasta? Target didn't have rigatoni (and I didn't have time to go to Kroger,) so I got the cutest chubby, twirly noodles instead. They made me smile. 

See what I mean? I forgot what they're called. Bottom line, any noodle will do. Don't sweat the small stuff. AND, if you don't have Italian sausage on hand but do have another kind, just add some oregano and fennel, and voilah! you have Italian sausage. 

We had dinner al fresco and were all transported straight to Italy! This is definitely a keeper.

Tuesday- Taco Tuesday! I know Monday was Cinco de Mayo and all, but I had to stick with Taco Tuesday. I used Edie's suggestion for guacamole, Kelvin browned some meat while the kids and I were at gymnastics, I added some chili powder, garlic powder, coriander, cumin, a handful of chopped onion and bell pepper when I got home, grated some cheese, warmed the tortillas, and we were good to go, amigo! Kelvin and I topped ours with some yummy green chili salsa, but the kids were wimps. The older I get, the more I like it HOT! ;)

Wednesday- was supposed to be Brown Fried Rice with Chicken and Vegetables (because sometimes you need a meat free day,) but like I said, I was too pooped to cook. Let me know what you think if you make this recipe. The photo from The Lemon Bowl looks awesome don't you think?

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Thursday- Thai Chicken Enchiladas OH.MY.GAWSH!! These are so good. I wish I had the energy to make a quadruple batch. You'll want to eat them all and lick the dish. One of these days I'll remember to take photos of my food before we devour it, but until then, aren't these yummy looking?

Source

Friday- Date night. The kids are staying with my MIL!! Whoo Hoo! Yeah baby! That's what I'M talking about! Oh, I'm sorry, I got sidetracked. Anyway, I'm not cooking tomorrow night. 

Saturday- I haven't nailed it down, but I'm thinking steak and peppers on the grill with a nice big side salad. mmmm!

Sunday- Happy Mother's Day! I'm not cooking again. I don't know if this is even legal! ;) It's up to the man of the house and our offspring. They never disappoint, so I'm sure it will be great. 

So, I FINALLY got Cora's closets switched. Her bedroom was previously our office and the closet in the office was Kelvin's hunting closet. There are two closets in Luke's room, so instead of doing the big switch when we moved Cora from our room to her own room, I just put all of her clothes in Luke's extra closet. It worked kinda of well, but recently it's been a huge pain. Luke doesn't necessarily like for his younger sister to come tromping through his room to get to her clothes, and frankly, I was tired of hearing them bicker. The big switcheroo has been on the books for quite some time now, and I'm so glad to report, it's completely done. It's SO nice to have all of her things in one space. And now, she can reach everything because I bagged and bagged and bagged all of the size 4T to make room for the 5s. It was kinda of crazy how many clothes that little girl had (I sure do appreciate my friend who gives us hand-me-downs, 'cause this mama is NOT a shopper.) Anyway, I'm happy to have that chore checked off my mental list. Talk about a load lifted...whew!

So, what have you been doing? What's on your menu this week/weekend? Hope it's awesome! Share something in the comments below. 

XO

On the Table Tuesday

Hey there! How was your Easter? Ours was just lovely, really! We took an awesome bike ride with the kiddos on Friday, did an egg hunt and other festivities at church Saturday morning, went to Easter services Saturday evening, took it easy Sunday morning and made Resurrection Rolls, played a fun game, watched the girls wash my car, and joined some friends and let the kids swim until they were a nice shade of blue and covered in chill bumps. All good things must come to an end, huh?

Our family shared time together during Holy Week reading through some scriptures each day and discussing the symbols that led to Jesus' crucifixion and glorious resurrection. Treasures. I just love our Easter Heartfelt banner. Click the link and check it out. We also love our Advent banner from Heartfelt.

Well, now for the food....

Monday- We had hot dog croissants. Our sweet friend, Angie made these while we were at the beach last summer, and I remembered them when I had an extra can of croissants from the Resurrection Rolls. I bought some dogs, wrapped them in cheese, and then wrapped them in the croissant rolls, and baked those babies. They are so good. Dip them in your favorite condiment. I served them alongside some sliced apples and strawberries.

Tuesday- TACO TUESDAY! Whoo Hoo! It's my lucky day. We had fish leftover from last week, so I repeated the fish tacos from last week. Nothing like bringing a little happy to your day with fish tacos!

Cilantro and lime...two of my favorite combos. I hope the cilantro I planted will take off so I won't have to buy it at the store anymore. Not that it's that expensive (2/$.88 at the K-Roger), but picking your own is so much more fun!

I found another fish taco recipe I thought I would give a shot tonight. I gave the chiptole sauce a shot, which was pretty good, but stuck with my tried and true Cilantro and Lime Fish Tacos from Closet Cooking. Y'all, I'm transported to the white sandy beaches of somewhere wonderful when I've had that crema sauce. I could eat it right out of the bowl with a spoon. MMMMM mm mmmm!

Wednesday- We're going to give the Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic recipe a shot. There were rave reviews, and I have chicken and garlic. It was calling my name. I'm serving it over pasta. 

Thursday- Coconut Rice and Black Beans. How could I go wrong with that combo? I've made this recipe before, and I lurve it. So creamy and gooood!

Friday- YOYO- We'll be at a Zumbathon to benefit Emma's Hugs. If you're local, join us at Cedar Bayou Grace United Methodist Church at 7 p.m. Bring your $10 donation and a bunch of friends and get cray-to-the-zay with us! 

Saturday- not sure yet. Luke has a choir festival all day. It might be pizza night.

Sunday- probably cold cuts or BLTs. Luke has his last soccer game of the season. Hope they win.

And because I know you want to see my little darlings hunt for eggs, here they are...

Kelvin made them close their eyes. I think every one of them cheated!

It's all about winning for Luke. We finally made him stop so the girls could find some. 

How'd she get to be so big?

I was waiting for the swing to break so I could laugh. Is that bad? ;)

Such a sweet sister. Carleigh passed over quite a few so Cora could find them. I love her!

Counting the loot  findings!

Have a great week!


I'm Linking to the Organizing Junkie's Menu Planning Monday. Click the link for more menu plans.

Menu for the week

Well hello there! Hope you had a lovely weekend and made it through your Monday and Tuesday. It's time to menu plan for the rest of the week. Here's what's on our table this week...

Monday- Bean and cheese quesadillas. I used the leftover taco soup I made last week (sans meat) and blended the beans to make what looked like refried beans. I spread the beans on a tortilla, topped with cheese, and added another tortilla on top. Cook these in a skillet or on a griddle until tortillas are crisp on each side and the cheese is melted.

Tuesday- was going to be fish tacos, but I'm moving them further down in the week. Tonight is tomato basil soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. The weather completely freaked out around here, and it feels like fall instead of spring. Soup sounds good to me. The link to the soup is from way back when my littles were a lot littler. ;) Carleigh is six, so that means Luke is four. Emma was not enjoying the pumpkin patch very much, and Cora was still in the womb. My how things have changed.

Wednesday- Breakfast Bowls  I still have some potatoes and sausage leftover from the other night, so we will add some eggs and cheese to the mix and call it supper!

Thursday- 10 Minute Fish tacos--10 minutes!?! That's what I'm talkin' about! I love fish tacos. And lime. And cilantro.

Friday- YOYO

Saturday- hamburgers. I love the Teriyaki Turkey Burgers I discovered from Sasha at Lemonade Makin' Mama, but I think we will go a little more traditional and break out some bacon and jalapenos this time. Oh, baby!

Sunday- Easter brunch including Resurrection Rolls and Baked Egg, Tomato and Bacon Cups. I looked through my archives today to find a post about Resurrection Rolls but couldn't find one. I can't believe I haven't posted about them before. That's just terrible. They are so neat and are an exciting (and yummy) way to celebrate the resurrection on Easter Sunday. Check out my Easter board on Pinterest for a link to the rolls and some other really neat Easter ideas. I think I will talk Kelvin into cooking a brisket or some crawfish or something for later in the day.

So, do you have any fun traditions for Easter? I would love to hear about them. Share them in the comments below. I hope you have a great week. Hope to hop back on here a couple of more times this week. I have so many neat things to share. We'll see. I also have Easter parties and other stuff that has to be completed...like painting. Those walls aren't painting themselves. Painters deserve every penny. That's some hard work!

Toodles!

I'm Linking to the Organizing Junkie's Menu Planning Monday. Click the link for more menu plans.

On the Table

It's Tuesday! Time for this week's menu plan. Last week was the first week in a very long time that I actually made everything on the menu plan. I think I can say hands down the black and blue steak sandwiches were our favorite! Kelvin and I loved them so much that we made them again for lunch on Sunday after licking the plates on Saturday evening. :) The curried chicken and coconut rice turned out great too. I threw it all together before we left for Luke's concert that evening, and popped in the oven. Have you ever used the cook timer function on your oven? You might not realize you even have that function. I ignored the extra buttons on my oven for a long time, but y'all, that function is AWESOME! You set how long you want the dish to cook, set the temp, set the starting time, and then go, and the oven does the work for you. Suh-weet! SO, when we got home from the concert, dinner was ready. Love that.

Carleigh looked at our menu plan for this week and said I picked a winner. She like every day. Love that too. :) Here it is...

Monday- pizza and salad...because some days you just need to throw a frozen pizza or two in the oven, for cryin' out loud. ;) We had salad to go with it and some yogurt for dessert. Everybody was happy. I like happy.

Tuesday- Quesadillas- the options are limitless. Just toss whatever you like between two tortillas with some cheese and cook in a skillet or quesadilla maker until the tortillas are browned and the cheese is melted. Cut and top with salsa, sour cream, and guacamole or whatever your heart desires.

Wednesday- Cheeseburger wraps. The kids are tickled pink about these. It's the little things, y'all. I'll probably cut up some fruit to serve alongside the wraps, and maybe some Kettle Salt and Pepper chips too.

Thursday- Taco Soup There are meellion and one different recipes for taco soup. Taco soup is one of those things that you can add or take away according to your liking. I LOVE soup. I wish my family liked it as much.

Friday- Dinner with friends. I think we're going to grill some steak and make the black and blue steak sandwiches again. :) They were a WINNER! I'll be searching Pinterest for a good appetizer and dessert. Feel free to leave suggestions in the comments below. 

Saturday- YOYO (you're on your own)

Sunday- Sausage and potatoes this is a favorite...it's quick and easy and good. I like to add carrots too.

Today, a friend of mine came over for our therapy session lunch. I'm so thankful for my friends. I made black bean and tuna salad. Last week before I went to the store, the pantry and refrigerator were both pretty bare. It was lunch time, and I was assessing my options. There was a can of tuna and a can of black beans in the pantry. I Googled "black beans and tuna" and the recipe above popped up. It has become my favorite new quick meal. There are endless possibilities! You could serve it over mixed greens like I did, or in a pita pocket, or in a wrap or just eat it right out of the bowl! I left out the onions, because I didn't have any, but more importantly, because unlike my little man, Luke, I'm not a big fan of raw onions. I also added chopped jalapenos instead of green chilies. It's a good thing!

source

So, what's on your menu this week? Do you have a favorite throw-down recipe you like to make for guests? Click on the comment section below and do tell!

Have a great week!

I'm Linking to the Organizing Junkie's Menu Planning Monday. Click the link for more menu plans.

This week's menu

Updated with new links...

Hello there! Hope you had a good weekend and got through your Monday without too much of a struggle. I loved our menu last week. I'm sorry I forgot to post it. My favorite day was "Pizza, popcorn, and cupcake" night! Cora turned 5, and we had a couple of her close friends over for a little birthday celebration. It was so fun!

Here's what's on our table this week...

Monday- Burgers and Tots

Tuesday- Taco Cupcakes (healthier version) aka Wonton Tacos at our casa. Make sure and adjust the ingredients to your liking. For instance, I don't buy "fat free" because that usually means there is a chemical replacing the fat. I'm not using ground turkey; rather ground elk. Our family LOVES these. I always say I need to make a double batch. Maybe I'll remember tonight.

Wednesday- The Best Sloppy Joes' Ever well, according to the author of the recipe anyway. I'll let you know how they rate at our house. Let me know if you cook them and what your crew thinks too!

Thursday- One Pot Creamy Chicken Pasta I've never made this one, but it sure sounds good.

Friday- YOYO

Saturday- Black and Blue Steak Sandwich I can't wait for this one. I think it will be deeeelicious!

Sunday- Curried Chicken with Coconut Rice I'm making my kids (and Kelvin) step out of the box on this one, but I think they will thank me. (fingers crossed!)

I used a new-to-me feature on Ziplist for the recipe links this time. Hope it works for ya. I think I've mentioned here before how much I love Ziplist, but it's worth mentioning again. It's the best thing since sliced bread when it comes to saving recipes you find online, making shopping lists you can link to your smart phone and calendar, planning menus, sharing shopping lists, and on and on and on. Check it out at www.Ziplist.com. I wish I were getting paid to tell you about all the goodness that is their site, BUT I'm not. I just really like it.

Well, have a great week. I'll be back to share a couple of things tomorrow and the next day and the next (that is if everything works as planned and I don't forget or get sidetracked, which is always a possibility.) I know...crazy, huh? What's gotten in to me?

I leave you with this cuteness

These are the darling cupcakes from Cora's party...thank you, Amanda! I found the popcorn wrappers on Pinterest...fuh-ree printable, baby! Whoo Hoo! You can download them from this sweet lady's blog.

I'm Linking to the Organizing Junkie's Menu Planning Monday I always get excited when I see her menu plan pop up in my inbox. :) I usually find a couple of recipes to incorporate.

On the Table Tuesday

Well, I'm back with our menu for this week! We have been eating all this time. I just haven't taken the time to post. Without further ado, here it is...

Monday- Meatloaf Muffins (wow, I didn't even mean to use all of that alliteration!) per Carleigh's request. I have to say, they were a big hit with the entire gang! Kelvin raved about them, and Cora gobbled them down like a champ. They will definitely be added to the tried and true list. Click on the title for the recipe from Sarah Carey at Martha Stewart. I've said it before, but she is such a doll...love her and her easy recipes! I accidentally forgot to add the garlic, and I bet it would have made it even better! I left out the onion, because I didn't have time to sauté it first, and I hate crunchy onion in my meatloaf. I eye-balled the seasonings, and know I didn't have enough ground mustard, but it was still good. Don't be afraid to improvise. :) The secret ingredient is goooood! (Just remembered, I didn't have any whole dill pickles, so I used dill relish. It was great! Guess I just gave away the secret.) I also forgot to add the ketchup on the top, but I put it on the table and let everyone add it if they wanted it. Kelvin chose A-1 instead, as did Luke. They thought it was the bees knees...I'll take their word for it.

Tuesday- Tonight we're having Fish Tacos...one of my favorite things in the world. I'll probably try to remember to open a can of black beans to go alongside these delightful things.

Wednesday- Chicken, rice and broccoli casserole I'm using leftover rotisserie chicken for this one. I will probably hop on Pinterest and use one of the handy dandy tutorials for making your own cream of chicken soup. That can stuff kind of gives me the creeps (as Carleigh would say.) Is there anything more comforting than a creamy chicken casserole? Well, beside a snuggly blanket in front of a good fire with a hot cup of coffee? No, not really. ;)

Thursday- Stew in the crock pot YUM!

Friday- YOYO (I forgot to put the first Y on my menu board! haha) Something simple...leftovers, cereal or quesadillas or something.

Saturday- Surf n Turf with some friends. I am so looking forward to this! Let me know if you have an awesome appetizer I should try out.

Sunday- Chicken Enchilada Soup I miss soup! I didn't make near enough of it this winter. I think the weather is supposed to be yucky again over the weekend, so soup will be perfect! This one is a crockpot recipe, so it will be even more perfect since I have to be at church at the crack of dawn for praise team.

So, what's on your table this week? Share a link to your favorite recipe in the comments below. Have a great week! Stay tuned for some exciting before and after photos of our house. I should be painting as I type this. I'm headed there right now! I can't wait for the difference it's going to make. (insert squeal!)

Toodles!

On the Table November 20, 2013

Well, here it is Wednesday, and I'm just now posting my menu for the week. Time is not slowing down, even though I asked sweetly, pretty please, with sugar on top! Well, here it is...what's on our table this week...

Monday
I made another pot of yummy Pedernales River Chili like the pot I made Sunday, and we had Frito pie. It doesn't get much better than that, folks. Comfort food at its finest! Even if you don't plan on making the chili, you should click on the link and read the little tidbit from Lady and Lyndon B. Johnson.

Tuesday
Taquito Tuesday...a little twist on Taco Tuesday. I didn't follow the recipe I linked. But I thought I would include it for you because it sounds good. All I did was brown some ground meat with some onion and chili powder, added about 3/4 can of refried beans and half a can of green chili enchilada sauce and mixed it all together. I then filled tortillas with about 2 tablespoons of the mixture, added a little shredded cheddar, and rolled them up like a taquito. I popped them in the oven for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees. They were so good. I should have made a double batch. It made about 12.

Wednesday
Tonight we're having some chili mac with the leftover chili from Monday. I'm making three boxes of Annie's Mac n Cheese and adding some of the chili to it and serving some steamed broccoli and carrots on the side. This will be a winner with the kiddos.

Thursday
I going to try again to make the Creamy Vegetable Pasta. It sounds so good. We ended up heating up some boudin and sausage instead of cooking this on Saturday night. Kelvin was helping a friend with his deer skull mount, and I was cooking the chili for our small group party. The party was moved from our house to my friend's house because Luke's soccer team won their games on Saturday and had the championship game Sunday afternoon. More on that later.

Friday
YOYO (you're on your own) or pizza or something easy. I'm not cooking

Saturday
Elk steak with roasted asparagus, and salad with walnuts and feta cheese. I can't wait to try some of the steaks from the elk Kelvin got on his hunt. Maybe we'll get to sit by the fire after dinner with a marshmallow or two on a stick and a glass of wine. Sounds like a plan to me!

Sunday
Shrimp burgers with homemade fries.

So, what's on your table this week?

On the Table November 12, 2013

I just can't get over that I just wrote November 12, 2013. I still catch myself writing the wrong year sometimes. I guess grief, loss of brain cells with each pregnancy, and the hectic life we live will do that to a girl. That's my story anyway.

So, last week, Kelvin was in the gorgeous state of Colorado elk hunting. I was a single mom for 10 days, and I have to say, it stinks! Single parents, you have my greatest respect and honor. There will be big jewels in your crown...HUGE! Anyway, I made up a great menu and had every intention of cooking everything on it. Then, single parenting and broken down cars and  spur-of-the-moment celebrations and sheer exhaustion set in, and I only made about 3 of the seven planned dinners. Yay for 3! The chicken pot pie was SO SO SO gooood! I will never buy a can of cream of anything to put in my pot pies again. Sarah's Chicken pot pie recipe was the bomb.com! Like I suggested in my post last week, I skipped the individual pies, and made one big one with a pie crust on top and bottom. It was much simpler and less clean-up. I made the chicken pot pie on Saturday instead of Wednesday. On Wonton Taco night, I made them, but we went to Kelvin's cousin's victory celebration at a local Mexican food restaurant. He won the city council position for which he was running! Yay Chris! We ate the tacos for lunch the next day. Because I've been working on logos and other stuff for Emma's Bayou Bash, I didn't get to the store to buy what I needed for dinner Wednesday or Thursday. On Wednesday we stopped by the local pizza joint and picked up a couple of their yummy $5.99 pizzas (I think they really are good) and had a picnic in the car on the way to church. I was proud of myself for only eating two pieces. I've been known to go a little overboard on the whole pizza eating thing. I was so tired by the time Thursday rolled around, I don't think I even ate dinner. I bought Subway sandwiches for the kids. Friday was a free for all. Saturday the stars aligned, the heavens opened up, the angels sang, and Kelvin finally arrived back home! He had this bad boy with him...



That animal is humongous! Kelvin and the other guys with him had a successful hunt. His Facebook post said, "Elk Hunt 2013 in Western Colorado. Non-guided, four hunters and three elk. Good weather, good friends, good food and a good haul." I'm so glad.

So, Saturday I made the chicken pot pie and Sunday, I made steak out of the stew meat that was so good you wouldn't even believe it. Kelvin brought home some onions, potatoes, and apples, so I made a yummy salad with apples and feta cheese and an apple cider vinegar dressing, as well as an adaptation of this yummy Sausage, Apple, and Red Potato Skillet. I didn't have the red potatoes, so I used regular ones. I also cooked it in the skillet for a little bit then roasted it in the oven on about 420 degrees until the potatoes were soft, because Kelvin had a fire going, and I wanted to enjoy it.

This week, I plan on making some of the stuff I didn't get to last week. Here it is...

Monday
We had smother fried deer meat with rice. It was so good. It was really the first time I can remember making the meat that way. Here is what I did...Heat a little oil in a skillet. Salt and pepper and sprinkle both sides of tenderized round steak with garlic powder. Then dust both sides with a little flour. Fry in the pan for about three minutes on each side...not too long. Remove from the skillet and add about a tablespoon of butter. Add about 1/2 cup of flour (give or take) and stir around until it's all incorporated with the butter. Add chicken broth or water until it's the consistency you like your gravy. Add the steak back to the pan in the gravy and cook on low heat, covered for about 5 minutes. If your steaks are thick, you might want to cook longer. Serve over the rice. Man, it was good! It's definitely not an eat-every-day kind of meal, but it was good.

Tuesday
We're having stir fry. I'm trying to use what's left of the deer meat from last year that's still in the freezer, because y'all, that big 'ole elk is going to take up some space! I'm adapting this Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry recipe I found on Pinterest. We also have some zucchini and yellow squash that needs to be eaten, so, I'm slicing those babies and throwing them into the mix too!

Wednesday
That infamous stew I keep ranting about, will hopefully be simmering in the crockpot. We're supposed to have some cooler weather tomorrow, so stew sounds real good! Of course, I'll be using deer meat instead of beef. I bet you could even make it vegan with lentils or something! If you do, let me know how it turns out.

Thursday
Meatloaf muffins that I didn't get to last week. Maybe I can even use the meat grinder and ground some of the deer meat in the freezer to make the ground meat for the recipe! That would be sah-weet! I'll let you know.

Friday
Leftovers or something quick and easy. We're having family pictures made. We'll probably eat after pictures. The sun is setting sooner and sooner these days, so we can't be late since the photo shoot is outdoors.

Saturday
The Creamy Pasta with Veggies from last week. Luke has a playoff soccer game and maybe two, but I hope we get to make it out to a benefit for a local family whose wife and mama has brain cancer. I'm sure the BBQ will be great. Please say a prayer for Andria.



Sunday
We're hosting a our church small group for a party after church. We're going to have Game Day at the Dunnams, so pray for good weather. I want to set up the washer and corn hole boards and have a fire going in the pit for s'mores, and tables set up with dominoes and good food. Not exactly sure what we're making, but I bet it involves deer meat! ;) Maybe some baked potatoes with all kinds of toppings??

I would love to know what's on your table this week. Share in the comments below. :)

On the Table

It's Tuesday! Here's what's on our table this week...

Monday
Yesterday was a eat-on-the-go kind of day. I whipped into Kroger and picked up some Applegate Farms corndogs and Simple Truth (Kroger's organic brand) tater tots (because who can eat a corndog without tater tots?), picked up Carleigh from school, picked up Luke from UIL practice (he made the Number Sense Team!!), ran home to throw the tots and dogs in the oven, set the auto bake timer (coolest invention EVER), dropped him off at gymnastics, came back home, fed the girls and myself, boxed Luke's dinner to go, picked up Luke, and went to the ladies section rehearsal for our church choir Christmas pageant. Man, I'm thankful for corndogs and tater tots!

Tuesday
It's Taco Tuesday around here today. We're having Wonton Tacos. They are sooo good! Pop some wonton wrappers (I find them in the produce section near the tofu and other meatless products) in muffin tins. Brown some meat, add your favorite taco seasoning. Fill each wonton muffin with meat, top with cheese, and cook at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the wonton wrappers are brown and crisp. They are so, so, so good! Top with your favorite salsa or guacamole or both. Easy peasy and the kids LOVE them.

Wednesday
Chicken pot pie (bahk, bahk!) Don't you just love chicken pot pie? I do. This is a good recipe, but make it easy on yourself. Use rotisserie chicken and pie crusts. Lay one in a pie dish, fill it with chicken filling (I use about a cup or so of frozen mixed veggies), add another pie crust. Cut some slits in the crust to vent, then pop it in the oven. Of course, you can make your own pie crusts, which I'm sure is superior and full of awesomeness, OR just buy them at the store. I wish our local grocer carried Immaculate Baking Company's pie crust. They are yummilicous without all the gross stuff.

Thursday
Meatloaf muffins for Luke. He loves these things. I'll probably cook some green beans to go with them because that just sounds good...maybe some mashed potatoes too. We'll see. I haven't tried this recipe, but I'm sure it's good. I couldn't find the one I was looking for. I thought I saved it, but I guess I was wrong. That never happens. (bwahahaha)

Friday
Yoyo or pizza

Saturday
Creamy Pasta with Veggies this is a recipe of Bev's. If you've never read her food blog, go ahead, I'll wait. She is hilarious! I always go away smiling after reading one of her recipes. I thought this one would be a win...pasta for my pasta-loving kiddos, and veggies, because they need them.

Sunday
I'm making the dern stew I've been talking about for the past couple of weeks, dang it! :) I love Sarah. She seems so real. Hoping to get this baby cooking in the slow cooker on slow and low the night before so we can dig in after church.



So, tell me, what's on your table this week? I leave you with this, because she's so darn cute, I mean scary!

On the Table Tuesday

Hey there! Hope your week is off to a fabuloso start! Yesterday was quite busy around our house. We had a doctor's appointment (poor Luke has broken out with a rash all over his body), an unexpected trip to the junior high for an outfit change, some logo planning work for Emma's Bayou Bash (coming March 1), and Luke sang at the school board meeting. Whew! In between, I made the crockpot chicken and dumplings (pronounced dumplins with no "g") I meant to make Sunday but didn't. The house smelled SO good yesterday. The dumplings looked ggggreat when we left and I turned the crockpot to warm. Note to self, crockpot dumplings don't last in the crockpot for a very long time (I made the homemade dumplings, so maybe that is the difference??) We decided to go to Carinos for dinner after Luke sang, and when we got home, there were no dumplings. They vanished! It was CRAZY! I had a bowl of the chicken and no-dumplings for lunch today, and they were good...tasted like dumplings, there just wasn't anything to chew except for the chicken and veggies. Anyway, now I know, and aren't you glad you do too? I'll be adding some chicken stock and more dumplings to the pot this evening so we can have it for dinner.

So, down to business. The menu for the week is...

Monday
Carinos, as in Johnny Carinos Italian Restaurant. Did you know they have 1/2 off family platters on Monday nights? The platter comes with 4 salads or soup and of course, bread. Pretty good deal! We had the grilled chicken and veggies with angel hair pasta. It was good!

Tuesday
Chicken and dumplings yummy!

Wednesday
Sausage with potatoes and carrots. It doesn't get any easier than this, folks! The recipe doesn't call for carrots, but it sounds good, so I'm adding them.

Thursday
Hotdogs for Halloween! (The healthier hotdogs that don't have all the nitrites and nitrates and other yucky stuff...like Applegate Farms or the new healthy Kroger brand.) Carleigh has dance on Thursday, so we'll try to get some trick or treating in after dance class. I heard through the grapevine that it's actually supposed to rain, so maybe we'll just stop by the store and get our favorite candy bar and go home and eat it. We'll see.

Friday
Leftovers

Saturday
Sarah's 5-Ingredient Stew I didn't end up making this from last week either. It was just Cora and me last weekend, so I didn't bother.

Sunday
Pumpkin spice pancakes and bacon. I love pumpkin in the fall. I made a big 'o batch of pumpkin pie oatmeal the other day (which my kids didn't appreciate) and I've been eating on it every morning with some walnuts and a little real maple syrup or my mama's fig preserves on top. mmm mmm! Makes me feel all warm inside. {sigh} It was super awesome eating the warm oatmeal last week when there was a little chill in the air. Today, it was only half as awesome, because it felt like a warm spring day out. Oh well, I'm thankful for the few pretty fall days we had. Hopefully we'll have some more.

Well, that's it for me. So, what's on your table this week? Pretty please share in the comments. :) Hope you have a beautiful day.

What's on the Table Tuesday

It's Tuesday! Time to talk about what's on the table this week.

Monday
Frozen pizza (I know...not exactly the healthiest thing.)

Last night we barely had time to say dinner, much less eat it. I hardly had enough time to throw those babies in the oven. Luke had UIL practice after school. Carleigh had a choir concert last night. In between getting Luke and Carleigh's concert was supposed to be gymnastics, but Cora started feeling a little on the yucky side and was running a low grade temp, so we skipped it. Good thing, or we would not have eaten at all until we go home from the concert at 9 o' clock. It was cool seeing her on the stage.

There are eleventy million kids up there, and this is a terrible photo, but she's the pretty little thing with the ponytail. So proud!

We were sitting WAY in the back. I NEED a zoom lens in a real bad way.

Tuesday
Being Tuesday and all, we're supposed to do some sort of tacos, but I think I'll change it up a little a do Emeril's Tuna Melts instead. This is one of those awesome recipes you can add whatever you like really...eggs, onions, capers, celery...all of the above or none of the above is fine, and BAM! you have a good, quick dinner.

Wednesday
I'm making some Taco Soup. I love these kinds of soup...dump a can of this and a can of that, add a little of this and a little of that, and you have yourself a yummilicious dinner without much effort. I like to add tortilla chips to each bowl and top with cheese. mmmm, mmm goooood!

Thursday

Friday
Does anything say Fall quite like stew? I'm going to give Sarah's 5-Ingredient Stew a try. I LOVE stew...and my mama's roast...and good wine...and marshmallows. I digress.

Saturday
I might be on my own....like all.by.my.self. I'm thinking a pedicure sounds good. Who needs food when you can get your feet massaged? I might pick up a small California roll package at the grocery deli first, then hit the pedi chair. OOOH, I hope that works out like it just did in my mind!

Sunday
Chicken and Dumplins sound good, don't you think? I can't wait!

So, what's on your table?

On the Table Tuesday

Well, instead of Menu Monday, which is great and all, I'm going to do On the Table Tuesday, because, y'all, I just can't get it together on Monday! So, here's what's on our table this week...

Monday
Tomato Basil Soup and grilled cheese sandwiches--everybody is happy when I cook this. I just filled the house with the mouth-watering fragrance of the soup a few minutes ago heating up the leftovers for lunch. YUM-O!

Tuesday
It's supposed to be Taco Tuesday, but I'm changing it up a bit to make it Tostada Tuesday! Big change, I know. I'm making this awesome fish taco recipe and putting on top of a tostada shell. If the kids don't want it on the shell, they can eat the filling with a fork. Works for me.

Wednesday
It's Teriyaki Burger night at the Dunnams. We might have to scarf them down on the way to soccer and church, but that's ok. They're sooo good!  You should try them. Click over to Sasha's blog here. I just love her. Wish we lived closer so I could hug her neck. She's a doll.

Thursday
Chicken and pineapple quesadillas sound good to me! This blog is so cool! I love her motto...my stomach is full and my wallet is too. "That's the way, uh huh uh huh, I like it! uh huh uh huh!"

Friday
Steak and salad for my man and me...and possibly a friend from work?? We'll see how the schedule goes. The kids will be with Grammy and Papa having fun with the cousins. :) If you've never tried the Montreal Steak seasoning recipe, you need to. It's delicioso!

Saturday
Beef Bolognese I've never cooked this before. Hope it's good.

Sunday
We're doing brunch. Hopefully I can get by with feeding the family cereal before church, then I plan on making a variation of these yummy apple pancakes with cinnamon syrup and bacon...because bacon makes everything betta! Instead of pancakes, I'll probably do waffles, because I'm a waffle kinda girl.

So, what's on your table this week? Please share! Bon Appétit!

What's for dinner?

I totally planned on posting our menu for the week on Monday, but I ran out of steam time. Here it is, a couple of days late and a dollar short...story of my life.

Monday
Chicken Fried Rice
I chopped up the rest of the rotisserie chicken from last week's chicken tacos, made a big batch of rice, tossed it in the wok with a little sesame oil, stir fried some egg, threw in some green peas, and voilà dinner was served. Love those kinds of dinners. I HATE throwing out food. So glad to use every bit of that chicken. :)

Tuesday
Taco Tuesday Baby!
We had Cilantro and Lime Fish Tacos. Is there anything yummier?! If you don't like an ingredient or can't find it in your favorite store, use something else. For instance, I couldn't find (or didn't want to take the time to look for and certainly didn't have time to make) the tomatillo pico de gallo, so the regular pico in the produce section worked like a charm! I absolutely LOVE the cilantro lime crema. Don't skip that. It is soooo good. I have somewhat of a dairy intolerance, especially to cream cheese and sour cream, so I buy the Tofutti brand, non-dairy versions which I find in the refrigerated natural foods section. I'm sure a professional chef could tell the difference, but none of my brood can. I should have made a double batch of the fish tacos. We always devour them.

Wednesday
Naomi's Roast
My family loves to hunt. I've surely posted these pics before...

Cora is chomping at the bit to go hunting. She keeps saying when she's five she gets to go. We'll see...being still and not talking are not her strong suits. ;)

Anyway, back to Naomi's Roast. Naomi is a friend of mine whose family also enjoys hunting. Her son was telling Carleigh all about how wonderful his mama's roast was, and she came home relaying the info and telling me to get her recipe. So, I did. I've never had good luck with cooking a deer roast. I hope mine turns out as good as hers. It's in the crockpot now. The whole house smells deeeelicious!

Here is how she does it...

Sprinkle roast all over with flour and then brown the outside in butter or olive oil. Put celery,carrots, potatoes, and onion in the crock pot. Put the browned roast in the crock pot with the veggies. Add a can of cream of celery soup (or make your own..here is an easy recipe) and a package of dry French onion dip. Add salt, pepper, a little oregano, and rosemary. Let it cook ALL day the longer the better!!

Thursday

Slow Cooker Cream Cheese Chicken Chili

I made this one time for Kelvin and the kiddos when I went to play Bunco because I was Woman of the Year that day. When I got home, the entire crockpot was empty...licked clean! Kelvin said he might have had seconds or thirds. I would say it was a hit. I've made it several times since. The weather here has been pretty rainy, so I'm thinking it will make a good rainy day meal tomorrow.

Friday

YOYO

Whatever is in the fridge is fair game...sandwich, quesadilla, leftovers. Or maybe just popcorn and a movie. Sounds good to me.

Saturday

Chili Dogs

I'm hoping the weather clears up and cools off a little bit and we can make a fire in the firepit and roast some weinies and maybe a marshmallow or two. That's my favorite.

Sunday

Shrimp and Grits

I should have been born in the Carolinas as much as I love this stuff. We had it the first time at a restaurant in North Carolina, and I had to find a recipe so I could make it at home. The recipe I found is pretty long but not too complicated. I found a new recipe on Edie's October Menu post that I'm going to give a try this time. I'll probably add some mushrooms because I have them, and mushrooms make things better...kinda like bacon. I'm sure it will be good. Anything with shrimp and cheesy grit goodness has to be yummilicious!

Well, that's it this week. What for dinner at your house? One of these days, I'll figure out how to do the Linky thing, and we can all share our menus here. I'll put it on the list. Have a great week! Do you know what day it is? HUMP Daaay!



I still grin every time I watch this. 

Crash

You know how when you eat too much sugar and you're on a major high for a little while, but then you come crashing down when it wears off? That's what I feel like. Not sure if it's all due to the fact that I stayed up late into the night and woke early in the morning for more than a month preparing for Emma's Bayou Bash that has me completely worn out, or that some pretty rotten PMS is kicking my booty, or that I have been kinda down in the dumps missing my sweet girl, but all I really want to do is stay in bed...all day or all month would be great! I feel sort of like I'm in self-destruct mode by the way I'm eating and gaining weight. I'm hoping to be up early in the morning to get in some exercise before the day gets started. I think I'm ready to dive in and start taking better care of me and my household. I cooked a couple of times this week. I made some wonderful soup last night while the big kids and Kelvin carved some pumpkins. Our sweet friend, Dee, sent us the recipe...

Chicken Enchilada Soup



Brown 1 onion (finely chopped) and 1 bell pepper in olive oil
When onion is transparent, add 3 TBS minced garlic
DO NOT BURN THE GARLIC
Add 2 large cartons of chicken stock
2 cans of garbanzo beans
2 cans of zucchini or two large fresh zucchini chopped
1 large can of Glory brand seasoned green beans
1 large can of pinto beans (Ranch if you like or refried if u want a creamy soup) I added a can of black beans too!
2 cans of Rotel original
1 large can of white hominy
1 package of enchilada sauce mix
2 bags of Tyson grilled and cubed chicken breast (comes in freezer section precooked or you can use a rotisserie chicken)

Simmer and serve. You can top with grated cheese, sour cream and cilantro.

It was a huge hit! Hoping to make some more hits this week. I love fall...pumpkins, soup, cooler weather (well, sometimes. Forecast calls for 88 degrees tomorrow), football (Luke is playing flag football this fall), hayrides, smores, time by the firepit (if the burn ban ever lifts), and dreaming of leaves turning colors (because we don't have that here.)

Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate...

the first one said, "oh my it's getting late!"


*The second one said, "we don't care."

The third one said, "there are leaves in the air."

The fourth one said, "I'm ready for some fun!"

(Sorry it's so blurry. I still thinks it's cute!)



The fifth one said, "let's run and run and run!"

Then Whoooooosh... went the wind,
And out went the light!
And the five little pumpkins rolled out of sight.

*Yes, Luke is using crutches. He was chasing Cora and sprained his ankle. It's always something. :)