Menu Plan Tuesday! September 27, 2011

The very first recipe I made with my kitchen aid mixer was this french bread recipe. It turned out quite well and we really enjoy it. Unfortunately, I tried making it a few more times and it didn't turn out as well. The last time, when I went to cut slits in the bread, the bread deflated and was very thick and chewy. So, this week, I thought I'd try this french bread recipe at Amy's Finer Things. We already enjoy her hamburger buns and smothered burritos, so I figured it was worth a shot. I'm glad I did. It looked picture perfect and was delicious! It is now my new french bread recipe!

Sunday: French toast (with the leftover french bread!) Update: My bread was moldy :(, so we had pancakes instead.
Monday: Crispy Baked Chicken. (I wanted to make this last week, but we had a warm, hot fall day and I didn't want to turn on the oven. It promises to be quite rainy this week. I'll make it with mashed potatoes and I'm toying with the type of bread I'll serve with it. Perhaps corn bread?
Tuesday: Spaghetti night
Wednesday: Twice baked potatoes from the freezer with fruit, and veggies.
Thursday: Not sure. I'll look for inspiration from this week's menu plans....
Friday: Eating out!

For more menus visit Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie!

Little Finds

I already loved Nony's blog over at A Slob Comes Clean. Now she is featuring weekly decluttering webinars. They are informative and very entertaining!

These magnetic dress up dolls from A Heart for Home are a great gift idea!

Did you know there are less than 100 days until Christmas?

Mandi Ehman from Life Your Way has a new feed Christmas Your Way. She's offering, 101 tips, recipes, and DIY projects until Dec. 25.

Toni at Happy Housewife is offering 100 Days of Homemade Christmas Gifts.

And, I've bookmarked Andrea's Clutter-Free Holiday Countdown she created last year. Besides expired giveaways, the tips are still good!

Menu Plan Monday, September 5, 2011

It's still Monday, so the title still counts ;-) We had a wonderful day off today. My husband took my daughter out for the morning, so I was able to catch up on a lot of work. It feels good to have those things out of my mind. I still have plenty to do, but at least I'm not behind!

We're going to have warmer weather again this week, so I think I'm going to do more dinners on the grill. I will not be making kabobs. The other week, I posted about cooking chicken souvlaki on the grill. For convenience, I was going to grill it as a kabob. I defrosted the chicken, cut it into little cubes and marinaded them all day. Then, I went in search of my kabob sticks. And I searched and searched, but couldn't find them anywhere. I found my marshmallow roasters, I found plastic straws, but no sticks. I think I got rid of them when we moved. So, I placed the many cubes of chicken on the grill. It was very delicious, but it was too tedious to have to flip each little piece!

Here's what's on the menu this week:

Monday: We had hot dogs with chips and grapes. The baby had leftover pasta with nectarine.

Tuesday: Chicken on the grill. Both Ben and I liked this marinade, but he wanted less soy sauce. I'll try it with half the amount this time. I'll make cooked carrots with this and garlic bread.

Wednesday: Taco pinwheel. Ben really liked this the last time. I'm going to reduce the spices just a bit because it was a bit too hot for me, but he asked that I not reduce them too much.

Thursday: Chicken Sandwich....I was supposed to make this last week. I did make it, but I didn't have quite enough oil left and I burned the other side of the chicken instead of cooking it. So, this is take two. I need to make hamburger buns too.

Friday: I have the buns, might as well make burgers on the grill!

Saturday: I'm torn between this Lemon Ginger Chicken and this Lemon Chicken recipe. It probably depends on how hot it is.

For more menus, visit Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie.com.

Little Finds

Crystal at Money Saving Mom has been posting these great Busy Bag Ideas for toddlers. I want to put together a few of these for my daughter to play with.

These snickerdoodle cupcakes from Stephanie's Kitchen look so delicious. I have cream cheese frosting in the freezer, but I'm going to wait until I make a fresh batch of frosting with cinnamon!

JessieLeigh at Parenting Miracles shares great wisdom for communicating with her husband in this post "Tell Him About It."

I'm looking forward to trying this Traditional Chicken Divan recipe made with out mayo or cream of soup. I'll omit the broccoli for my husband's preference, so it won't be completely traditional, but it still looks tasty! (Hat tip, Grocery Cart Challenge)

Menu Plan Monday, August 29, 2011

Last week, it really helped to resume posting my menus. I felt some strange sense of accountability to what was written on the screen. This doesn't mean I stuck to the plan. I moved everything around. But, every night, when I just wanted to go to bed, I took the extra three minutes to stick something in the fridge to thaw!

Here's the menu for this week!

Monday: Chicken Sandwich. Ben loves this one!
Tuesday: Shepherd's Pie. (I wasn't going to buy more ground beef, but last week, it was on clearance at Safeway for under 2.00/lb. Couldn't pass it up!)
Wednesday: Grocery Shopping Trip day so I'm going to have chilli, from a can (although, someday I want to try this chilli) with our favorite cornbread recipe. I make it with extra corn.
Thursday: Taco Night! I'll make homemade tortillas and use crockpot refried beans.
Friday: Chicken Tetrazzini
Saturday: ? I'm going to check the sales.

For more great ideas, visit I'm An Organizing Junkie, Menu Plan Monday!

Menu Plan Monday, August 22, 2011

Haven't blogged in a while. I could say that I've still been menu planning, but I haven't been too consistent about it. I'm still doing okay pulling meals together so we're eating at home instead of eating out, but I've found that when I have a weekly menu plan (even if I move the meals around to different days), it is easier to look forward to making dinner. I'm even more motivated to prep more the night before and during the day. This week, it looks like we'll get to enjoy warm summer weather! Unlike the rest of the country, we've had a cooler overcast summer. I want to take advantage of the warmer days and use the grill for a couple of meals too.

Here's my menu for the week.

Monday: A few showers forecasted, so we're having Pizza Pretzel Surprise. (My husband's request). I'm running low on AP flour, so I'm going to try this with bread flour.

Tuesday: Grilled chicken with a new marinade. Last week, I found this marinade and we really enjoyed it. I'm going to find a new one this week.

Wednesday: Hashbrowns, eggs and bacon (I haven't bought bacon in a while because the prices have gone up so much. However, there is a sale at Freddys on our favorite Farmland bacon for 3.50/lb. It is an okay enough price that I am going to pick it up.

Thursday: Leftover Pizza Pretzel.

Friday: Chicken Souvlaki on the grill with grilled pita bread.

Saturday: Creamy Pasta with Peas from Everyday Food. (I'll add some ham.)

For more menus, visit Laura at I'm An Organizing Junkie!

Menu Plan Monday, April 11. 2011

As you noticed from yesterday's post, last week's big adventure/success was when I cut up and cooked my first whole chicken :-)

I also attempted to make a lemon meringue pie. I used the recipe from The Mixer Bible. I was very worried about getting the meringue right, so I read all about it. It never occurred to me that the filling wouldn't set and we'd get lemon meringue soup pudding pie :( Apparently, I didn't cook the filling long enough or I cooked it too long. I'm not quite sure. The meringue was excellent and the soupy pudding filling tasted pretty good although the lemon was stronger than we'd like, but Ben and I made the brave choice to just toss it out. I'll try it again someday, but maybe I'll use this recipe from food.com or this recipe from BHG.com instead. Both use less eggs and less lemon flavor. The only keeper was the crust. I used this pat in the pan crust from Sandy at Reluctant Entertainer. It was easy to make and very tasty. I may reduce the salt a bit next time, but that is it.

Last week, the weather was warm enough that Ben agreed to break out the grill and we had burgers for dinner. Delicious!

Here are my ideas for this week's menu:

Sunday: We've coined this one Pizza Pretzel Surprise. The surprise? Whether I can get it to look like a pretzel or not. I got the recipe from SnoWhite, but I use my pizza crust from my Better Homes and Garden Cookbook.

Monday: Baked Lemon Spaghetti with green salad and french bread. (Didn't get to this last week. I think I'll stir some leftover chicken into it).

Tuesday: Breakfast for Dinner....pancakes maybe?

Wednesday: Chicken Quesadillas. I also need to bring dinner to a new mama. I made Shepherd's Pie for that.

Thursday: Lasagna roll ups...don't have a recipe yet.

Friday: Pizza Pretzel (the dough makes two batches, so we always have leftovers).

Saturday: Either Enchiladas, if we are having company for dinner or maybe burgers? It depends if ground beef goes on sale this week. I'm trying to make do with the meat in our freezer.

Baby Food Update: My daughter loved mango. On to acorn squash!

Check out more menus at I'm An Organizing Junkie!

Because the Chicken Was on Sale

I feel like this story is akin to Giving a Mouse a Cookie, but it all started when our local QFC had whole Draper Valley chicken on sale for 69 cents/lb. Previously, my aunt gave me a great recipe from Uwajimaya for steaming a whole chicken. I purchased two with the intent to do just that, but then I found some recipes for cooking a cut up chicken and I thought it was time to cut up my first whole chicken. Prior to this, I didn't like touching raw whole chickens. I used tongs to get the neck out and a spoon to scoop out the gizzard. I rinsed it off and stuck it in the pot as fast as I could. But as I watched this how to video from Gourmet Magazine, and this one from Chow.com, and these other two I realized this was a very hands on procedure.

So, if you give a frugal minded homemaker the idea that it is cheaper to cut up a whole chicken instead of buying chicken parts, she's going to start thinking about it. Then, if you put chicken on sale, she won't be able to resist. With the idea of tackling a new project in her head and feeding her family for less, she'll roll up her sleeves and overcome her aversion to touching raw meat and cut up said chicken to feed her family.


I used the chicken to make this meal: Classic Baked Chicken by Simply Recipes. It was tasty. I'm going to shred the leftover meat and use it in casseroles and for chicken salad sandwiches.

After cutting up my first chicken, realized it wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be, but it looks a lot easier online. I don't think I got all the thigh meat and I had a tricky time getting the back out and cutting the breasts in half. I also realized I need sharper knives. But, when whole chickens go on sale again, I'll pick some up. If I don't feel like cutting one up, I can still steam and shred it.

Menu Plan Monday, April 4, 2011

Last week I didn't really have a menu. I got sick the prior Thursday, and was out of commission
for four days, and then taking it easy so I didn't relapse. My husband was able to get meals for himself, and I ate tasty chicken noodle soup that my neighbor brought me while I recovered. (It had tofu and seaweed! Yummy and nutritious.) Thankfully, I am doing much better and my menu planning is back on track.

We did have a great menu success: Batter Dipped Chicken Breasts from Jessie Leigh at Parenting the Tiniest of Miracles. We both really enjoyed this, but my husband absolutely loved it! It is really easy. I used one chicken breast pounded thin and cut in half. He asks for it all the time now and we actually had it again last Saturday.

I also made an apple pie. I hadn't made one in years. I tried when we first married, but either the crust was too tough, or the filling sunk but crust didn't, or something else went wrong and I decided the pies at the store were quite tasty, especially when they went on sale for 2.99. :-) Recently, I got the desire to try again. I was inspired when I made these Apple Cinnamon Fruit Bars from Eating Well. I didn't care for the crust, but loved the filling. So, I set out to find a tasty crust to go with the filling.


The result was pretty good. We both really liked the pie, but I will work on it some more to make it even better. I used a crumb topping from this Apple Pizza recipe and the Land O'Lakes Pie Crust. I need to find a better crust. It was tasty, but too thin. I liked the filling, but I used a combination of granny smith and braeburn and Ben felt it was too tart. I will try sweeter apples next time. I would love any tips on improving my pie making skills :-)

This week's menu is a bit tricky as I need to go grocery shopping, but I want to wait until the ads come out on Tuesday. I will also make our big grocery run, but I cannot get out until Thursday. So, we are using what is in the house.

Sunday: Spaghetti dinner
Monday: Lawnmower Tacos with leftover brown bag burritos
Tuesday: Leftovers: Spaghetti
Wednesday: Honey Pecan Chicken Breasts with mashed potatoes (out of potatoes so I'll use my stash of instant)
Thursday: Leftovers: Taco Stuff or Breakfast for dinner.
Friday: Chicken Souvlaki with Homemade Pita Bread. (Last time I made pita bread, it didn't really puff, plus the dough was rather wet and I had to keep adding flour. I'm going to try a different recipe this time.)
Saturday: ? Depends what I purchase at the store. I'd love to make a nicer meal such as this Baked Lemon Pasta with a green salad and homemade french bread.

This week, I'm also working on increasing our baby food storage for my daughter. Depending on the prices, I'm going to pick up some acorn squash, cauliflower, mango, maybe zucchini, whole milk yogurt, cottage cheese and cantaloupe. That should keep me busy!

For more menu's, visit Menu Plan Monday at I'm An Organizing Junkie!

Menu Plan Monday, March 21, 2011

I'm trying to stick to our grocery budget, but I made a couple purchases this weekend and later realized we went over by a couple of dollars. So, for the rest of the month I'm staying out of the stores and getting creative with the stock in our pantry and freezer!

Monday: Leftover Meatloaf, mashed potatoes and homemade applesauce. (I used to make my applesauce on the stove, but then I found this recipe from Jessica at Good Cheap Eats for the crockpot. It is to not have to babysit the pot on the stove. I add brown sugar and cinnamon to taste after cooking).

Tuesday: Ham and Garden Veggie Shells. We have diced ham in the freezer. I started brainstorming a spring pasta dish to use with it when I came across this recipe at Finding Joy in My Kitchen. It looks really tasty. I'll have to adapt it though as we don't have broccoli or mushrooms, or shells. :-) But, I do have corn, peas, and carrots and cheddar cheese. I'll probably use penne or egg noodles.

Wednesday: Battered Dipped Chicken Breasts. This is new recipe, but I'm very excited to try it.

Thursday: Brown Bagged Burritos. I made a bunch of these before our daughter was born, but we haven't had them since. I'm looking forward a tasty alternative to taco night.

Friday: Korean Roast Chicken Thighs. This is also a new recipe. I'll use chicken breasts and not cook it as long. I borrowed some sesame oil from my awesome neighbor! I'll serve it with rice.

Saturday: Leftovers or Burgers on the Foreman.

I'm also going to try my hand at apple pie. I tried making a couple when I was first married, but they never turned out. I think I'll use a crumb topping as it sounds a bit easier. I'll let you know if it turns out :-)

For more menus, visit Menu Plan Monday with Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Project Simplify: Tackling Paper Clutter

For one month, Tsh over at Simple Mom is hosting Project: Simplify. Each week, she announces a new hot spot for readers to tackle. Last week was the closet. This week the dreaded paper clutter. I didn't get to my closet last week. After moving last summer, I cleared out a lot of clothing, so it really isn't a hot spot. However, after seeing the work Tracy at Girls to Grow did on her closet, I realized that I could have made even more progress organizing the clothes I kept. I will work on that another day.

Paper clutter is definitely a hot spot for me. Earlier this month, I created a family finance goal list for us. I listed time lines for entering receipts, clearing files, etc. Hopefully, it will help me be more intentional about keeping our finances (and my many receipts) in order. Tsh's instructions were very thorough. I almost felt like if I couldn't get it all done, perhaps I shouldn't try to organize my paper at all. I didn't get to every item on her list, but this week's challenge was the incentive I needed to finally finish shredding my paper, and clean out my to-be-filed drawer. I also created "Monthly Receipt" and "long term receipt" folders. I still need more work organizing and I definitely need a go to place for daily receipts. However, these were tasks that have been on my to do list for a while. I suppose with these challenges I need to recognize that I may not get everything done in one week, but it helps to get part of it done.

Before: "To Be Filed" Drawer

Before: Shredded Pile

After: To Be Filed Drawer

After: Shredded Pile

I'm looking forward to seeing the progress others made on Project: Simplify.

Sandwich Bread Success!

One of my New Year's Resolutions this year was to learn how to make sandwich bread. My friend at Clearly Tasty recommended this recipe from the Joy of Cooking. I've made it several times and we really enjoy it. It is hearty, but not too dense. Ben said it is better than store bought. I make the whole wheat version using 3 cups bread flour and 2 cups whole wheat. Once, I even turned a loaf into cinnamon raisin bread. The bread got a hole in it, so it wasn't that great for toast, but we enjoyed a tasty french toast dinner! The recipe makes two loaves. Unlike store bought, this dries out faster, so we make sure to use it up fast. I've started freezing the second loaf so it lasts longer. Plus, I only have to make it every other week. Now, I just have to figure out how to cut the slices nice and straight. I'm getting better, but Ben had some funny looking sandwiches at first. He was a good sport about it.

This post is linked to Tasty Tuesday.

Menu Plan Monday, March 14, 2011

This week promises to be quite busy, but has already started with a couple menu successes. Yesterday, we hosted some friends for dinner. I made my best chicken ever, cheesy potato bake (tip, this tastes best if you use a shallow dish), and carrot cake from Bob's Red Mill with homemade frosting. (I've reduced the sugar in the cake to 1/4 cup brown and 2 T white. I also omit the nuts and add 1/4 cup raisins. It is moist and tasty!) They brought a tasty corn and green bean dish.

They have a son near our daughter's age. It was fun to watch our children play together. At one point, they were playing with some toys, and slowly and steadily, our daughter managed to take all the toys and put them next to her. Apparently, we will have to teach her about sharing someday in the near future! She has also started eating solids. So far, she likes pears, applesauce, banana, sweet potato, and avocado, and tolerates carrots and peas. It is more work than nursing, but kinda fun to have her join me for breakfast in the morning, and us for dinner in the evening.

I also came across a Crockpot March Madness Bracket. This looks like fun! Plus, I may get some good ideas.

This week's menu has a few new dishes and a few standbys:

Sunday: Tammy's Creamy Mac and Cheese. (I used half and half and topped it with breadcrumbs.) This is rather rich so I won't make it all the time, but it is delicious and creamy. I think I may try sharp cheddar next. My husband liked it. He said it was much better than the boxed stuff :-)

Monday: Cider Bacon Chicken (a new recipe). I plan on serving this with Honeyed Carrots and Oranges. I got this recipe from Real Simple. The first time I made it, the orange was not good, and it turned the whole dish rather bitter. I'm hoping that since the oranges are much sweeter now, it will improve the dish. I'll serve it with leftover applesauce.

Tuesday: Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and corn.

Wednesday: Leftover Mac and Cheese.

Thursday: Eating out! I'm also making this recipe for Baked Moroccan Chicken to take to a mama who just had a little baby girl. I did a test last week to see if I could make it in the morning and then reheat it in the evening, and it worked just fine.

Friday: Chicken Strips and Fries.
I tried making hamburger buns, but they didn't turn out at all. So, I learned how to make bread crumbs in my blender, and now I have a freezer full! I used to buy my breadcrumbs at the store, but I saw they contained High Fructose Corn Syrup. I'm trying to avoid it as much as possible, so I decided to learn how to make them instead. I'm looking forward to using fresh crumbs with this recipe.

Saturday: ? TBD I'm hoping to get some good ideas from more menus at Laura's Menu Plan Monday :-)

Finally Seeing Secretariat-A Finer Thing

When I was pregnant, my pastor shared that he no longer remembers a time without children. Two of his children are grown and one is a teenager. About two months after our daughter was born, he asked me after the service if I no longer remembered life without her. Still sleep deprived and cluster feeding, I pointedly admitted that although I didn't want to put her back, I definitely remembered life without her...sleeping when and for as long as I wanted, eating when I wanted, not being so emotional. The youth pastor, also a mom, was standing beside him. She just laughed knowingly. Interestingly, after 6 months, I can now say I don't really remember life without her.

The first few months, I missed going to the movies. Wistfully, I'd drive by the theater and wish for the freedom to see a movie...whenever I felt like it. And yet, every time I'd look at the marquee, I'd realize that nothing was playing that I'd even remotely want to see....much less pay 9 plus dollars for! That always put my desire back into perspective and I'd drive on. However, I really wanted to see the movie Secretariat. I kept hearing such good reviews that I finally told my husband when it came out on DVD, I was planning on renting it right away. I wasn't even going to wait the 6 plus months in line to reserve it at the library.

Last week, Ben surprised me by downloading the movie for an impromptu date night! It didn't disappoint. The story was family friendly, well told, and well acted. I cared about the characters and what happened to them. We both marveled at the difficulty of writing an engaging story for an event where you already know the outcome. And yet, I was still on my seat during many scenes. If you haven't seen it, I recommend it. I am going to add the book to my reading list for this year too.

Impromptu date nights, and patiently waiting for a fun treat are definitely Finer Things.

This post is linked up to Finer Things Friday at Amy's The Finer Things in Life

Homemade French Bread

I received a wonderful surprise gift from my husband for Christmas this year: a Kitchen Aid mixer! I've used it every week, either for beating egg whites, making whipped cream (the first thing I made with it), and making fresh bread. A week after I got the mixer, I looked for a French Bread recipe. I found this one on Food.com. "Old Reliable French Bread." I followed the recipe to a T, except I took advice from the reviewers and at the end brushed it with butter instead of egg white. Ben loved it! It was a little heartier than store bought french bread, but the crust was soft and dough wasn't too dry. It didn't make good garlic bread, but tasted best warm with some butter. It did go stale rather quickly, (after a week) but I used the rest to make croutons, which were also very tasty. Lesson learned, we just have to eat it faster next time!

This post is linked to Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam.

Menu Plan Monday January 24, 2011

We made a really tasty meal last week: Cinnamon Apple Porkchops. I kept seeing the recipe on Org Junkie's site, and finally got around to making it. Ben loved it. The chops tasted great with the apples. He asked that I make the apples for apple crisp or to top ice cream.

We also started a bit of solids for my daughter. So far, she has had banana, carrot and avocado. Avocado is her favorite. On tap for this week is more of the same while we see how she takes to the avocado and then I have a sweet potato I'll puree too.

I really don't know what to plan for this week, but here is an idea. I'll probably switch the days around depending on how busy I am for the day. I really need to use up food I have and not get more at the store, except for fruit, so this will be a pantry use up meal too. Although, if potatoes go on sale, I will pick up a bag as well.

23 Sunday: Leftovers (we need to use up Enchiladas and Mock Lasagna Casserole) with peach crisp
24 Monday: Chicken Souvlaki with lettuce and homemade pita bread
25 Tuesday: Burgers and Fries (I have buns I need to use up....or freeze, that is also an option)
26 Wednesday: Braised Pork Chops with corn
27 Thursday: Breakfast for dinner? Waffles? We have a lot of eggs.
28 Friday: Salsa Chicken (if we still have salsa to use up)
29 Saturday: Oatmeal for breakfast. Perhaps we'll have Chicken in Lemon Cream with Penne. I'm not sure I have all the ingredients, but I know I have some lemon juice in the freezer, and cream, and penne, so I think it is a go.

Kitchen tasks, make pizza sauce and freeze.

Well, we'll see how this lasts, I'm not too tied to the menu, but it is helpful to have something written down.

For more menus visit I'm An Organizing Junkie's Menu Plan Monday

Welcoming the New Year: Goals and Resolutions

Yesterday, I took the last of the Christmas decorations down. I still have a couple snowman/snow baby decorations up, but those are fun for the icy weather in January and February. I am always sad after Christmas. The week between Christmas and New Years is the worst. I love the fall. Even though the weather is getting colder, fall represents cozy nights, the return of stews, casseroles, and apple cake. Then fall merges right into Christmas with gift giving, celebrating Advent cookie making, decorations, and music. After Christmas, the weather is just cold and icy :(. This let down after Christmas is pretty common for many. This year, it seemed worse. I think it was because I couldn't put on my sweats and hibernate through the week. I still had to be "on" to be my daughter's mommy. I really wanted a break that I knew wouldn't come. Thankfully, as my routine has returned with Bible study and moms' groups, not to mention enjoying my beautiful daughter's smiles and laughter, I'm feeling better in the New Year. It also helps to see the New Year as a fresh start, find fun things to look forward to (traveling to see family, birthdays) and planning goals and resolutions.

With a little baby, I decided not to plan big goals, but instead, be more intentional about my time. Amy at The Finer Things was my inspiration and has a wonderful post about being intentional during the urgent.

This year, I want to enjoy my baby, and grow as being a mom, wife, friend and daughter.
I also want to be more intentional about staying in touch with others.
Last, I want to spend more time in Prayer and Bible Study.

Since I also find it fun to plan, I thought of a few simple goals for the year.
1. Learn how to use my camera (at least read through the instruction book)
2. Read one book at a time. I would love to read one book a month, but it is not realistic. Instead, I've decided to focus on just one book, instead of the five barely read books I have stacked around the house. I'm currently reading Bright from the Start by Jill Stamm PhD.
3. Learn how to make sandwich bread and buns. I think I have to add Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day to my reading list :)
4. Create a price book.
5. And, if I'm really ambitious, learn how to can fruit this summer. That one I can let go if I have to though.

I'm looking forward to enjoying 2011! For further reading, I enjoyed these wonderful articles on handling the post-holiday blues and being intentional in the New Year.

Holiday Hangover, by my friend Eric. Easter is coming!
Celebrating Christmas More Than Once a Year from a Thankful Heart (via The Finer Things)
2011: Intentional by Amy at The Finer Things
Building Good Habits in the New Year, by Kristy at Homemakers Cottage

Remove Gold When Handling Mercury

Last week, I was listening to the radio and a caller shared that if you handle mercury (like a broken fluorescent bulb, or old thermometer), you need to remove all jewelry, especially gold because mercury bonds to gold and is almost impossible to remove. Each time you wear the jewelry, you are exposed to the poisonous mercury. Intrigued, I googled the advice, and found this helpful article from the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality that affirmed this advice and gave more tips on handling mercury spills. This was good to learn. I don't know how often I'll be facing extreme Mercury spills, but we do have some of the bulbs in our house. This tip was new for me, how about you?

http://www.deq.state.ms.us/MDEQ.nsf/page/Recycling_Mercury?OpenDocument

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