Must Make Buttermilk Cinnamon Rolls

I always wanted to try homemade cinnamon rolls. The Pioneer Woman's looked delicious, but rather intimidating. Then, I stumbled across this yummy, but easy looking recipe for Buttermilk Cinnamon Rolls from Kendra at My First Kitchen. She promised she made and ate the rolls in 1 hour. My baby doesn't let me have much time to cook, so I took advantage of a morning nap, and gave these a try. They were incredibly easy to make, and Ben loved them. The first time, I followed the recipe exactly. The next time I made them for our extended family, I skipped the glaze, and frosted them warm with this Easy Cream Cheese frosting from Jen at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam. It was a perfect combination!

This post is linked to Tasty Tuesday

Menu Plan Monday December 27, 2010

I feel like this should be titled the after Christmas, end of the month, getting through the week menu plan. I am working on winding up my down my monthly menu plan, tired from Christmas baking, and I need to use up the food I have before January rolls in. The meals won't be too fancy, but I suppose that is okay.

For Christmas, we had a tasty roast in the crockpot (I just cooked the roast without potatoes and veggies) with cheesy potatoes, peas, pears and pineapple, I'd made lemon cookies, applesauce bars with cream cheese frosting, and cheesecake squares. We indulged in my mother in law's homemade fudge, and also enjoyed tasty Moose Munch for snacks.

It was a wonderful day of skyping with other grandparents, and extended family in other states.

Here is the menu for the week:

Sunday: FFY
Monday: Sausage and Potatoes....I don't have a recipe. I think I am just going to pan fry some turkey kielbasa I need to use up with some diced potatoes. My roommate used to make tasty potatoes in the oven by dicing them up, dotting them with butter, sprinkling a bit of garlic salt and then cooking them at 375 until tender (maybe 1 hour). I may do that and then stir the kielbasa in.
Tuesday: Simple Taco Night? (Simple because we are out of sour cream, and don't have tomatoes. But we do have beans, leftover roast, olives, corn and cheese). I use homemade tortillas to give it a special touch.
Wednesday: Twice Baked Potatoes with Ham
Thursday: Sticky Chicken, served over rice (a new recipe)
Friday: New Years Eve. I thought it would be fun to try the Stromboli (didn't get to it last week) as well as banana splits or root beer floats! We probably won't stay up until Midnight, but maybe we can watch some of the events on TV after our daughter goes to bed.
Saturday: Leftovers? Not sure.

For more menus, visit Laura at I'm an Org Junkie

Menu Plan Monday December 12, 2010

Oh dear! It has been over three months since I posted a menu. I have had menus planned. Since the baby came, we have tightened down our budget and I am working very hard to make meals based on what we have in the kitchen, or if I buy a more expensive ingredient (like buttermilk) to use many meals around it so it does not go bad. Sometimes our budget means I have to forgo good loss leaders, but I made a point to pick up some Tillamook Cheese at the local QFC for only 2.99 (2lb block!). I also matched some coupons and a 3 dollar up reward to get a good deal on diapers at Rite Aid. I'm enjoying the challenge, and Ben gives me grace if I go slightly over budget.

In the past two months, I made a wonderful discovery! Before the move, we always shopped at a large grocery store where the prices were cheaper because you had to bag your own groceries. They also had an ample supply of bulk food. I loved shopping there, and missed it when we came up here. But, in October, I discovered a store not 12 miles away. 12 miles is too far to drive every week. However, it is perfect for stocking up on the big bulk items. In October, my daughter and I made the trek and I came away with over 60 dollars worth of food! But, I bought enough pasta, oatmeal, beans, flour, sugar, frozen veggies, and other sundry items to last us until December....at least! It was important though, to realize that not all items were cheaper. For example, bacon was 3.47/lb. I passed it up since it wasn't on sale. I saved my receipt to help me start a price book. That way I can compare the loss leader deals in my town to the typical prices there.

On to the menu for this week. To save money, I made a tentative list of what we'll eat for the month. I am balancing it around deals in the paper too. It seems to work well because I already have all the main ingredients and just have to pick up some produce or milk.

Here's the menu for this week.

Sunday: Potato Soup, homemade applesauce, bread
Monday: Quick Cassoulet (a new recipe)
Tuesday: Chicken Alfredo, courtesy of Finding Joy in My Kitchen. This is also a new recipe
Wednesday: Stromboli? I've wanted to make this for a long time, but never gotten around to it. I'll bet it would taste great with tomato soup. Perhaps I'll pick some up.
Thursday: Burgers and Fries
Friday: Leftovers (I never feel like cooking on Friday, so I've learned to plan something simple, or leftovers)
Saturday: Best Chicken Ever

Get more menus at Laura's I'm an Organizing Junkie Menu Plan Monday!