9/2/13

Menu Plan Week of Sept. 2 2013























This week marks the first week of September.  Where or where did summer go???  As I reflect upon the summer I now move into fall.  I absolutely love fall and can not wait for apple orchard and pumpkin patch time with my kids.  The crisp nights and mornings are a break to the hot days of summer and allow me to bask in the wonderful seasons we live in.  Although we have had a heat wave of 100 plus degrees over the past week.  Here is my menu full of grill worthy foods to celebrate the last week of summer.

Now onto the menu for the week:

Monday: Sirloin roast beef on the rotisserie. 

Tuesday: Stroganoff using the roast beef from Monday night.

Wednesday: Chicken tacos

Thursday: Grilled honey  Pork roast with Fajita pasta salad

Friday: Hamburgers

Saturday: Fried Chicken Drumsticks with buffalo sauce (Great for watching HUSKER football)

Sunday: Country club chicken

Watch for some of the recipes to come later this week ! 

8/8/13

Creamy Potato Salad

Pin It

This is my version of this Potato Salad Recipe.  I served this along with Blt's and corn on the cob this evening for dinner.  My family enjoyed this recipe and asked if I would make it again.  I would like to thank Mommy Hates Cooking for this great recipe.  I substituted mayonnaise for the Philadelphia cooking cream and it turned out wonderful. 
 
 
   Creamy Potato Salad 
Ingredients:
  • 2 Lbs Red Potatoes, Boiled
  • 4 Green Onions, Thinly Sliced
  • 1/4 Cup Chopped Celery
  • 1/4 Cup Chopped Fresh Dill
  • 2 Tbsp Sweet Relish
  • 2 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
  • 1/2 Cup Mayonnaise
  • Salt/Pepper Optional to Taste
Directions:
Once the potatoes have been boiled, cut them into small cubes for the salad.
Place them in a large bowl, then add in all remaining ingredients. Stir up the ingredients coating the potatoes.
Cover the bowl and let it chill in the fridge for 2-3 hours then serve.

8/4/13

Menu for the Week of August 4th 2013

Pin It



Here is my wonderful menu for the week!! I am trying to get back on a schedule for the school year since school starts a week from this coming Thursday.


Sunday:  Bacon lettuce and tomato sandwiches (Using tomatoes from my garden)
               Corn on the Cob 
                Potato Salad
                Peach Cobbler

Monday: Meatloaf
                Mashed Potatoes
                Green Beans

Tuesday: Chicken Ceasar Pasta Salad
                 Parmesan Knots

Wednesday: Crockpot Chicken Fajitas

Thursday: Grilled Pork Chops
                  Roasted Garlic Pasta Salad

Friday: Hamburgers
             Fries
             Corn on the cob

Saturday: Tuscan Pasta with Tomato Basil Cream sauce with chicken


8/1/13

Where did the Summer Go?

Pin It

Well, as I sit down to write this post, I am reflecting upon the fact that my kids go back to school in 2 weeks.  WHAT???  Yes, I said two weeks, it seems as if summer just began and now it is over. This was the first summer I have had free from college in the past three years.  I was so excited to spend time with the kids and I neglected my blog for most of the summer.  Oh well, Once school starts and we get back into our routine, I will be back.  Today I am going to share some of the frugal things we did this summer. 


We got a zoo membership and enjoyed ourselves at the Des Moines Zoo and the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha.

We drove over to Lincoln Nebraska and received a free tour of Memorial Stadium (Pardon my Husband he is the Nebraska Fan amongst us).  It was a great way to keep the kids busy and also to give them some motivation!! 

We visited many parks around town

We went to the pool almost every day thanks to the yearly passes we bought.  We only needed to go 4 times to have the passes pay for themselves. 

It has been a fun and stress free summer.  Now I am going to come back to blogging and return to our normal schedule of work and play. 

My goals for the next year on my blog are to cook my way through some of the many cookbooks I have on my shelves.  I figure this will be frugal because I am not buying anymore cookbooks and also a learning experience because many of the books I have are from other countries.  I plan to attempt to write my own cookbook later this year as a hobby. We will see where that leads to. 

I am also going to share all of our home improvements we have been working on this summer. New flooring somehow has led to a whole house renovation and I am very pleased so far.  The good news with this is my husband has been doing all the work himself and I have only had to pay for the supplies.  Example of this is I have saved over $6000 on new hardwood flooring. 

I hope you enjoy the beginning of another Frugal year. 

Thank you for reading and I am going to share a new recipe.

 

Back to School Cookies



Ingredients
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
2 Tablespoons butter
2 eggs
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup white chocolate chips
2 cups chopped mini Rees's Peanut Butter Cups

Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350*. In a medium saucepan combine the chocolate chips, unsweetened chocolate, and the butter. Cook and stir over low heat until melted. Remove from heat. Add the eggs, sugar, flour, vanilla, and baking powder. Stir with a spoon until combined. Stir in the white chocolate chips and the mini peanut butter cups.
  2. Drop dough by rounded teaspoons on baking sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes or until the edges are firm. Let cool on sheets for 2 minutes then remove to wax paper to cool all the way. Store at room temperature in an airtight container. Keep the layer separated with wax paper. Makes 36 cookies.
Adapted From Taste of Home Holiday Recipes 2012


5/27/13

Menu Plan Monday 5/27



This week I am hopeful the rain slows down.  I have been wanting to finish up my planting and each and every day I have had off has rained.  It now is too wet to plant..UgH

My menu this week is simple.  I have been cleaning my house and purging all my junk.. Man does it feel good.  I hope to get my basement done in the next week and then the WHOLE house will have been cleaned. 

Here is my simple menu plan for the week

Monday: Slow cooker pulled pork sandwiches, broccoli salad, and baked beans.  A indoor cookout meal :) 

Tuesday:  leftovers

Wednesday: Bratwurst, roasted potatoes and fruit salad

Thursday: Grilled chicken Asparagus, and tossed salad

Friday: Marinated grilled pork chops, corn on the cob, and broccoli

I will be linking up to www.orgjunkie.com