Menu Plan Monday for the week of May 18th

Sometimes I don't get to add my meme posts to Mr. Linky because I pre-post, but I like doing them anyway :-)

what we ate last week:
Sunday - Mother's Day; my mom came over & I made brunch - scrambled eggs, sausage, home fries, English muffins, waffles, Ambrosia
For dinner hubby had leftover pizza & I had leftover waffles.
Monday - whole roast chicken, cut up ( the breasts I'll make into chicken salad) green beans, baked potatoes
Tuesday - london broil, mashed potatoes, corn
Wednesday - pork chops, stuffing. peas
Thursday - we had a crazy day so I had cereal, hubby had fishsticks
Friday -Taco chicken, rice & beans
Saturday -
I make a big salad a couple of times a week so it's always ready to eat. I don't add dressing so it stays crisper.

To see more menus go to http://orgjunkie.com/

Buying food for your freezer

How long can you store stuff in your freezer?

• cooked chicken breast -4 months
• cooked meat dishes - 3 months
• uncooked poultry - 1 year
• uncooked beef (roasts & steaks) - 1 year
• uncooked pork (roasts & chops) - 6 months
• uncooked ground beef - 4 months
• frozen fruits & vegetables - 1 year
• bread & tortillas - 3 to 6 months
• butter - 6 months

-from Better Homes and Gardens January 2009

I try to buy family packs whenever I can & then re-package it into smaller portions.
Make sure you label your foods & rotate, like the butter, or else you'll waste money in the long run when you have to throw stuff out.

Menu Plan Monday for the week of May 13th

To see more menus go to http://orgjunkie.com/

I make a big salad a couple of times a week so it's always ready to eat. I don't add dressing so it stays crisper.

what we ate last week:
Sunday - chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans
Monday - kielbasa with baked beans & coleslaw
Tuesday - stir fried beef & broccoli, white rice
Wednesday - broiled pork chops, pierogies with sauteed onions, sauteed cabbage
Thursday - chicken alfredo with penne & broccoli
Friday - taco salad
Saturday -



I also made brownies & 2 loaves of bread; Sunday morning I made pancakes for breakfast.

Simply Delicious Sunday - Chicken Soup

Want to be a part of Simply Delicious Sundays? Drop by ~3 Sides of Crazy~

This is how I make chicken soup. I don't measure I just throw things in by eye and/or to taste.

5 - 8 pieces of chicken (I use legs & thighs)
3 0r 4 celery stalks, cut into bite sized pieces
carrots (I use whatever I have; if it's shredded or baby carrots I use half a bag & cut the babies in half, whole carrots is 3 or 4 cut into bite sized pieces)
1 medium onion, chopped
salt, pepper, onion powder, celery salt
chicken broth (I use the Swanson carton which I think is 4 cups)

Heat oil & a little bit of butter in a dutch oven over medium/medium high heat.
Season chicken with salt & pepper.
Brown chicken, remove from pan.
Heat more oil if needed.
Toss in vegetables, season with onion powder, celery salt.
Cook & stir for a few minutes til onions get colored.
Use some chicken broth, water or wine to deglaze if necessary.
Put chicken back in, add broth.
Just before it starts to boil (when a few bubbles start to pop up) cover & reduce heat to low.
Let it simmer for at least an hour or until chicken is done.

We like macaroni in ours so I usually boil up some small kind of pasta (like ditalini) in a separate pot so it stays firm. I store them separately too.

Menu Plan Monday for the week of April 27th

To see more menus go to http://orgjunkie.com/

what we ate last week:
Sunday - broiled steak with peppers & onions, mashed potatoes, creamed corn
Monday - spaghetti & meatballs. I also made bread today.
Tuesday - hot dogs, macaroni & cheese, baked beans
Wednesday - chicken, baked potatoes, green beans
Thursday - taco salad. Tonight I made a cake.
Friday - barbeque porkchops, stuffing, peas, salad
Saturday - stir fried chicken & vegetables, white rice

Simply Delicious Sunday - Banana Bread

Want to be a part of Simply Delicious Sundays? Drop by ~3 Sides of Crazy~

Banana Nut Bread

3 ripe bananas, mashed
2 eggs
2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup chopped walnuts


Preheat oven to 350 ° Grease loaf pan.
In a large bowl mix bananas & eggs together. Stir in flour, sugar, salt & baking soda. Add walnuts & blend. Pour batter into pan & bake for one hour. Remove from pan to rack. Serve warm or cool.

This is the basic recipe. I have tweaked it over the years so don't be afraid to make some slight changes.

Menu Plan Monday for the week of April 20th

To see more menus go to http://orgjunkie.com/

what we ate last week:
Sunday - Easter dinner was pretty simple since I hadn't done too much shopping; roast beef, mashed potaotes, sauteed onions, gravy, corn? I really don't remember the veggie LOL
Dessert was fruits & cupcakes.
I tried to make egg shaped cake pops on Saturday but 1. I couldn't get the egg shape right, 2. most of them fell off the stick, 3. hubby & I both thought the were too sweet so I just threw them out without decorating them.
Monday - baked ziti with meatballs
Tuesday - my day got a little crazy so we had leftovers
Wednesday - chicken, stuffing, peas & carrots
Thursday - breaded pork chops, butternut squash, coleslaw, sliced apples
Friday - shish kebobs, rice, kidney beans
Saturday - I made banana bread in the afternoon. Dinner was pizza

update for April 2nd's Thursday 13

feefifoto asked how my day went so here is the update:
13 things I'd like to do today:

1. Lower thermostats - done
   
2. wash & hang blankets (if it gets as nice as predicted) - done
   
3. feed & take out doggie - he's been out & is eating right now - done
   
4. make oatmeal cookies - done the following week
   
5. make & freeze some waffles (eat some too) - still not done
   
6. work on homemaking journal -did a few hand written pages, having trouble with my cd drive so I couldn't print any graphics, grrr
   
7. clean upstairs bathroom - done
   
8. mop upstairs bathroom - hands & knees sponge clean actually, it's been a while - done
   
9. same for kitchen - done the next day
   
10. start & hopefully finish last tax return - done
    
11. answer emails - done
12. spend time outside with dog & baby - dog was outside quite a bit, baby only a few minutes
    
13. take a nap - never happened LOL

jenn was going to search for an oatmeal cookie recipe. Luckily I found it online so I didn't have to type it all out!
I don't always add the nuts & sometimes I add chocolate chips for hubby.

Mrs Fields Oatmeal Raisin Chews
Yield: 40 servings

2 1/4 c Flour
1/2 tb Soda
1/4 tb Salt
1 c Quick oats (not instant)
1 c Dark brown sugar; packed
1/2 c Sugar
1 c Butter; softened
2 tb Honey
2 ts Vanilla extract
2 lg Eggs
1 1/2 c Raisins (8 oz)
1/2 c Walnuts (3 oz); chopped

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
In a medium bowl combine flour, soda, salt and oats. Mix well and set aside.
In a large bowl blend sugars with electric mixer set at medium speed. Add butter and mix to form a grainy paste.
Scrape down sides of bowl, then add honey, vanilla ext and eggs.
Mix at medium speed until light and fluffy.
Add the flour mixture, raisins and walnuts and blend at low speed just until combined.
Drop by rounded table-spoons onto ungreased cookie sheets, 1 1/2 inches apart.
Bake for 22-24 minutes or until cookies are light golden brown.
Immediately transfer cookies to a cool flat surface.

something else for April 13th's menu plan

for April 13th's menu plan - I think it was the night I made the pork chops, I also made cheese straws. I was watching Paula Deen earlier in the day & it looked like something we'd like.
Here's the recipe from The Food Network -

Cook Time 10 min
Yield 5 dozen

Ingredients
* 2 cups self rising flour
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
* 2 sticks butter, at room temperature
* 2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar, at room temperature

Directions
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
Sift the flour, salt and cayenne into a bowl and reserve. With an electric hand mixer cream together the butter and cheese. Add the flour mixture 1/2 cup at a time until the batter is smooth. Scrape the batter into a 1 gallon resealable plastic bag. Cut a corner from the plastic bag and on an ungreased sheet pan, pipe 2 rows each for every straw, about 5 inches long and 2 inches wide.
Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to racks to cool.

Thank goodness for books, computers, & movies (although lately my computer has been boring me too)...there is absolutely NOTHING on tv.
We got our first real snow yesterday, I measured today & it was just about 12 1/2 inches.Hubby was a little mad since he couldn't find the chains for the plow tires so clearing was quite a bit more difficult than usual. (even today he still can't find them & it's driving him crazy) The dog seems to like it, i should have taken some pictures but I thought about it too late. I don't know how much fun I'll be having this winter since my snowsuit is quite a bit tighter now that I'm sharing it with a baby. Maybe I can find myself a really cheap pair of snow pants just for this winter.
Hubby took me to the grocery store today since the days I had off this week I was unable to go & the roads were terrible today. I just picked up a few things since I'm doing my big shopping on tuesday.
A few weeks ago I made homemade french fries cause I didn't have any frozen ones. Tonight was the third time I made since then & hubby asked if I'd mind cutting, seasoning & freezing some so he can make them too. He also said he won't miss the frozen ones if I decide to stop buying them. Other things I made today - coleslaw, banana bread & fudge.

I've finally found the coding to make a 3 column blog, YAY!
I'm playing catch up again, I have just been so tired lately. Saturday night I was so tired I fell asleep on the living room floor while I was watching tv & it wasn't even 9 PM! (I don't always lay on the floor, I had been on the couch with hubby but was getting too hot so I decided to lay with the dog & use him as a pillow)
Thursday is too far away to remember. Friday I got home from work an hour an a half later than usual. It figures that it is also the night that hubby brings home some wood a ton of huge tree stumps. J had this huge oak tree partially fall so Friday night the guys went out to start cutting & then brought it here. If I wasn't so busy laying on the couch I'd go get my camera to post the pictures.
Yesterday we had off together so we did some weeding in the flower garden, wood cutting & stacking.
Today all I did was a load of laundry & it was so crappy this morning I just did it like an hour ago.
Recent dinners:
Thursday - baked ziti with sausage & Italian bread. I baked coconut squares for dessert.
Friday - with me getting home late & the guys going back & forth til after 8 I just threw some hot dogs under the broiler, heated up a can of beans & made some coleslaw.
Saturday we had leftovers.
Sunday - fried chicken, mashed potatoes, corn, gravy & biscuits.
I have pork chops out for tonight, I'll probably make some yellow rice with them, salad & I haven't decided on a veggie yet.
P.S. came back to add this - I saw a bear on the way to work Saturday, maybe 2 miles from home. It wasn't full grown but he wasn't a cub either. He ran across the road into the woods & then stopped to look at me while I stopped to look at him. Stupid me didn't take a picture because I thought I had left the camera on the kitchen table after taking pictures of my loggers the night before.

I've been too tired to blog lately but I'm here to catch up.

Sunday I was scheduled to work outside at the pool bar as usual. It was POURING so I decided I'd go shopping instead. I threw on a pair of sandals, capris & a button down shirt (so much easier for trying on clothes ya know) I stopped at my job for a few minutes cause I met a really cool couple that were checking out that day & we had planned to exchange emails & stuff before they left. Do I have to tell you how sunny it got? I went shopping anyway. After 4 hours & too many stores all I ended up with was 4 nail polishes, smellies (plug ins & stuff) candles, Advil, Aleve & Midol. Hubby picked up a book about ships & I FINALLY found a big rug for next to the kitchen sink to match my little rug by the door; I've been looking for over a year & had pretty much given up. That was in the last store & we only really went in there cause it was near the bathroom & hubby had to pee. This made my day worthwhile :-)

Monday was pretty interesting. It was just about 8 o'clock & we were getting ready to watch King Kong on tv; it was starting to rain so hubby ran the dog out. A minute later I hear him talking very loudly downstairs so I ask what's wrong. "I think he ate a frog" I grab a towel & a bowl of water remembering some frogs/toads have a liquid they emit in order to protect themselves. The poor dog is frothing at the mouth, we're trying to make him throw up & get the saliva off his skin & out of his mouth. He finally throws up & here's me digging through it to find what he ate, all I find is his dinner from 2 hours earlier. By now it's pouring, hubby goes outside to find whatever it was since we thought it could be a Cane toad (they are very toxic) Hubby found the poor thing; it could only move the top legs not the bottom. It was not visibly injured or mangled thankfully & he is now in semi hibernation in my freezer. Please do not criticize me, this is the humane way to kill it, I checked many websites. The dog has no other symptoms & he was thoroughly rinsed & washed inside & out so we think he just got a little taste. Needless to say our movie night never happened since by the time all of this was over it was close to 10 PM.

Yesterday was just a regular day.

Today I had off & did most of my cleaning. I got a new vacuum in February which I barely use because I don't really like it. I don't think it cleans good enough unless I use the brush or mini vac attachment while crawling through the house on my hands & knees. I was on the phone with K telling her how I really wanted to exchange it but figured it was too late, she said nah, they'll be able to tell you haven't used it, try & see what happens. I'm posting this because I am now going to copy & paste the email I sent her approximately an hour after we got off the phone.

After we hung up I started to vacuum. I did my steps first just like a have many times, I leave it at the top & do each step with the brush attachment which is the main reason I got one with such a long hose. I swear the vacuum heard me telling you I didn’t like it & wanted to get a different one cause 2 steps from the bottom & it comes banging down the stairs, attachments are popping off . All I’m thinking is if this thing breaks I’m really stuck with it. I’m holding the hose in my right hand as kind of a shield as I’m going up to stop the machine from coming down too many steps & I grab it with my left hand. For some reason I tuck the hose back on & carry it DOWN the stairs then I shut it off. I go pick up all the attachments. There’s this little mini vac one that I thought was broken but the cover had just come off & a wheel popped out. Phew, I can still return it. Yeah rite. I turn it back on to finish my last 2 steps, the friggin hose is practically decapitated down near the base. I figure I’ll put some duct tape on it, can I find any? No. Electrical tape? No, not even masking tape. Why would we have any of that in the house considering my husband is an electrician former contractor? I wrap my hand around the hole & barely finish. Then I lug it back up the steps. I wrapped Press n Seal around it then scotch tape so the plastic wrap wouldn’t fall off while I finish the rest of the rooms. It’s OK if you’re laughing trying to picture this cause it was kind of funny, I really don’t know how I didn’t fall down backwards or get hurt cause it came down pretty fast. I’m just pissed cause now I’m definitely stuck with it & have to spend money on it so I can keep using it.

Maybe I should send a copy of this email to Kenmore?

Hubby came home & I told him so he checked it out, we definitely need to buy a new hose. Oh yeah, & all that tape? It's in the garage, silly me!


Recent dinners -
Saturday - roast turkey breast, garlic mashed potatoes mixed with sour cream & chives, mixed veggies, cranberry sauce & carrot salad
Sunday - sirloin steak with sauteed mushrooms, onions & peppers, Zantarains (sp??) yellow rice, peas
Monday - lemon peppered pork chops, pierogies & green beans
Tuesday - roast chicken, stuffing, peas & carrots, salad (some from our garden)
today - meatloaf (I make it like salisbury steak & broil it), mashed potatoes, gravy & corn

I'm off to check comments & other blogs, good night!

I made another new drink yesterday. Someone was telling me about this rum punch that they drink in their local bar but I didn't have all the same flavors so here's what I came up with & we named it a Tanline Slammer (don't ask how this name to because I'll never tell)
1 part each Bacardi Coco, Orange & watermelon
pineapple & cranberry juice, a little more on the cran
splash of sour mix
Shake with ice, use an orange slice & a cherry for garnish

Recent dinners -
Wednesday I made (yes, I made) pork dumplings, beef & broccoli stir fry, fried rice
Thursday - barbecued pork riblets, corn on the cob, french fries & coleslaw
Tonight we had leftovers since there were a ton.

now I'm going to have a smoke break & then read some blogs since I've been slacking this week.

my weekend is ending :-(
Went to see a fireworks display Sunday night. Monday & today I did laundry, stripped & turned the bed, swept, Swiffered, cleaned the bathroom, wiped down my cabinets & drawers - inside too, went to the bank, CVS, bought groceries, planted the rosebushes that hubby picked up for me, blabbed on the phone, did my nails. I laid out for about an hour today, I really am behind on my tanning.
I tried something new with Monday's laundry. I didn't have any fabric softener & wasn't going to pick any up til today & I really wanted to get my linens washed & out on the line. I remembered reading on a homemaking blog that you could use 1/4 cup vinegar in place of softener. I didn't measure but I know I used a bit less cause I was chicken LOL I figured it was better to experiment with the sheets & towels than my work clothes in case they smelled & I had to rewash them. Well guess what? No stink, no static (it started to rain before verything was dry so I had to finish them in the dryer) & they feel nice too.

Dinners for the last few days -
Sun. - taco salad (chopped meat, rice, beans, tostitoes & tossed salad)
Mon. - bbq'd chicken (I made it in the slow cooker the way I make pulled pork) with green beans, carrot salad & hot crash potatoes (thank you Pioneer woman!)
Tues. - bratwurts with Bush's grillin beans, coleslaw, macaroni & cheese (I have to work on that it didn't taste cheesy enough to me)

So work was pretty busy today. We had a free bbq for lunch. Most of the people were nice. I had one cut the line & another yelling over the crowd for what he wanted. Sure, I'll just ignore the 5 people in front of you & get you guys your drinks right now - eye roll. Then there was the girl who stood on the opposite sde of where the line was because she didn't want anything to drink, she just wanted soda. I guess she was washing her hair with it?

Today's dinner was penne ala vodka with sausage.

Tomorrow is my Friday, my weekend is Monday & Tuesday. Tomorrow night we're going to check out a fireworks display. Hubby picked up 2 rose bushes for me when he went to Home Depot, one is white & one is pink, so I have to get those planted. I also have a ton of other stuff I want to do when I'm off but I'll probably only get half a ton done.

One of the reasons it's always been hard for me to stick with blogging - booor-rrring, that's me. I used to have such a wild life when I was younger, sigh.
Last night for dinner was sirloin steak with a garlic cream sauce that didn't thicken enough, grrr, mixed veggies & white rice with Sazon.
Tonight we ate roast turkey breast with stuffing, peas & carrots, salad. I had really wanted to make carrot salad but got home a little late from work & didn't think it would have enough time to set.
Met some cool people at work today. One is a former Navy SEAL, another is a field nurse who is being deployed soon. The other cool people were just regular people. I got 2 of them drinking new drinks (to them) & got them pretty drunk. For anyone planning to bitch me out, I work at a resort & we encourage people to use our shuttle bus around the property whether or not they've been drinking.

Hubby has off tomorrow so I get to sleep late, yay!!!

Why is it you get the most indecisive people as your last customers? I was closing the bar today (2/3 done) when I get 2 couples. I tell them I am almost closed but I can get them something quick if they order right now. Only 1 person knew what they wanted to drink. The first couple didn't even decide until after the second couple was already drinking. The 4 of them were nice at least but still...
Nothing exciting today. By the time I got home, fed the deer, fed the dog, made dinner, changed & then walked the dog it was already 8:30. It's now close to 10 & I am seriously ready to get in bed & read my book (reading The Lord of the Rings for like the hundredth time). For dinner tonight I made barbecue pork chops, tater tots & home made cole slaw.

Today was a semi-lazy day for me. This morning I went to the bank & then went grocery shopping. When I got home I did a load of laundry, it would have been nice if someone had told me he finished the fabric softener. Then I cleaned the upstairs bathroom & Swiffered the kitchen. I goofed around online for a bit & made some brownies. For dinner tonight I made chicken cutlets, mashed potatoes with chives from my garden (woohoo), mixed veggies & a mixed green salad (some of the lettuce was from my garden too!)