Menu week 1

I create a weekly menu to make life easier on my husband and 2 adult sons when I work late. Having a planned menu each week makes dinner less stressful for my guys who really aren't into trying to figure out what to eat just eating. I love it too! When I get home dinner is cooked and ready!


Sunday

Speedy Stroganoff
(From the Gooseberry Patch Cookbooks, Dinner$ On A Dime)

1 lb ground beef
1 onion diced
2 t paprika
1 t salt
1/2 t pepper
10-3/4 oz can cream of mushroom soup
16 oz container of sour cream
cooked egg noodles ( we make enough for 6)

This recipe I make with 1.5 to 2 lbs of ground beef, 1 chopped green pepper, and 2 cans of the cream of mushroom soup to make it stretch for 3 adult guys, myself, a 7 yo, and a 5 yo.

I also mix up the rest of the recipe as follows:

Cook noodles. Fill a large pot with water on medium high until water boils. Add noodles (read directions to find out how many noodles to add). Cook for 10 minutes. Drain using a colander in the sink. Add a little bit of olive oil and mix w noodles to keep them from sticking to each other. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and mix.

In a large pot brown ground beef and drain (On medium). Add spices and mix them in.

In a separate pan cook onion and green pepper w a little olive oil to keep from sticking (On medium). I like mine slightly browned or caramelized. Add to pot of cooked hamburger.

Add both cans of cream of mushroom soup (can use 2 cans of cream of anything if needed) to the pot. Heat on medium until warm. Stir in sour cream. Serve over the cooked noodles.

Serve with salad and sliced fruit.

Monday

Hot Dog Day!

2 packages of hot dogs
package of hot dog buns
bowl of grated cheese
mustard, ketchup, mayo
diced onion

Instead of boiling my hot dogs I like to split them in half and warm them in a frying pan. They get a touch of brown on them that is slightly sweet that the kids love this way. Place hot dog on bun (or not on bun depending on kid). Add preferred toppings.

This is a cheat meal for us so we will often have it with fruit, carrots, and a handful of chips. You can even use the chips as a topping!

Tuesday

Taco Day

My family loves tacos but they something that is easy for them cook and quick for hungry tummies.

1 lb of hamburger (we use 2 lbs, if you are not sure that you will have enough meat you
 can easily mix in a can of black beans or cooked rice to stretch it out)

1 bottle of La Victoria Taco Sauce
1-2 boxes of taco shells
1 bowl of grated cheese, about 2 cups
dice 1/2 an onion
bag of salad or a head of lettuce that has been chopped up
sour cream

In a large pan brown hamburger and drain, cook over medium heat. Once drained add bottle of taco sauce and mix. Taco Meat is ready to serve. I usually grate my cheese and chop the lettuce while the hamburger browns.

Add meat and toppings to shells and serve. I will often pair this with rice that I have added salsa too for a quick almost Spanish type rice and fruit.

Wednesday

Chicken Nuggets (these make a great lunch too)

1 package of chicken breasts (4-6 breasts)
2 cup of flour
4 t pepper
2 t paprika
1 t salt
1 t of chili powder
1 t of sage!
2 eggs beaten in a bowl
1 cup of milk

Cut up chicken into nugget size pieces. I will often cut it up into strips.

In a large Ziploc bag mix dry ingredients together. In another bowl mix egg and milk together.

Add chicken a few pieces at a time to the ziplock bag and shake to coat. I coat all of the chicken at one time and place in a bowl. Dip into egg mixture and return to bag, shaking to coat again. Remove from bag and let chicken rest for 5 minutes.

Add enough oil to coat the bottom of a large frying pan and heat the pan on medium heat. Add chicken nuggets carefully to pan. I like to cook them 5 minutes on each side. Use a meat thermometer to make sure the internal temperature reaches 180 degrees!

I usually serve with corn or string beans. But when in a hurry I will pull out a bag of carrots and slice a block of cheese into a few slices to put on the side.

Thursday

Frozen Pizza Night
 Not my favorite dinner as I prefer to make a homemade pizza but on Thursday's my husband needs something that is a no brainer. Open box, place in oven, and serve.

Friday

Crock Pot Roast Beef

I always purchase the cheapest per pound beef for this. Whatever you choose make sure that it is well marbled with fat. This will make sure it becomes tender without that dry grainy feel to the meat once it has been cooked.
Enough potatoes that have been washed an cut into quarters to cover the bottom of the crock pot.
1 quartered onion
1 package dry Lipton onion soup mix
1 1b of baby carrots
Bottle of Worcestshire


Place potatoes, carrots, and onions in the bottom of the crock pot. Sprinkle with Worcestshire sauce
 Add roast to crock pot with and sprinkle package of lipton dry onion soup mix on the top. Turn on high making sure lid is on the crockpot. Cook 6 -8 hours.

This makes delicious sandwiches the next day!

Saturday

Foil Wrapped Fish

4-6 fish fillets (salmon works really well for this too)
1 sliced onion
1/4 c margarine stick that has been sliced
1 lemon sliced
salt and pepper
1 bag of frozen California vegies

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Place one fillet on top of foil that has been sprayed with non stick spray or brushed with olive oil. Salt and pepper fillet. Top with onion, lemon, and margarine slices. Fold foil over and tightly fold edges together.

Repeat for vegies using 1/2 cup of vegies per packet. Sprinkle vegies with salt and pepper, topped with a slice of margarine. Fold into packet.

Place packets on an ungreased baking sheet in the 375 degree oven. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Christmas in July with Rudolph

I have been thinking about Christmas ...a lot....lately. I hate having it sneak up on me and not have presents ready for my family and friends. I want to make everyone a cute Christmas decoration or a personalized stocking this year.

While I was waiting for two youngest to fall asleep tonight I searched online for Christmas projects. Look what I found!



Who wouldn't want to cuddle up with this guy on the couch? I am thinking about making one for each of my youngest as a Christmas Eve present for their beds to cuddle up with waiting for St. Nick. The back of the pillow would be easy to personalize with a different fabric for each family member or you could quickly embroider a name to the pillow. I think I may add a pocket for the boys
to store a reindeer snack that could disappear at night when Santa arrives.

The tutorial is easy to follow with lots of pictures and a complete list of items . She uses transfer paper but I wonder if you could print to freezer paper and use that instead? I think I may try both and let you know what happens.

I would like to point out the cute red pillow in the background with the adorable. Looking at it gives me that nice warm Christmas feeling.

Here is the link http://www.cottonandcurls.com/2012/12/rudolph-the-red-nosed-reindeer-pillow-tutorial/

Don't forget to check out the rest of her blog for amazing accessory and clothing ideas too.

Drop Danish using Bisquick!

I have been using this recipe for over 20 years! I am not sure if my Mom and I first found it in a magazine or on the side of the Bisquick box. It is one of my to go to recipes when my sweet tooth is getting the better of me and I want something that is quick and easy.

You will need:

2 cups of Bisquick or any other mix of this kind
1/4 cup of margarine or butter, softened
2 Tbsp of sugar (I use 1/4 cup, don't hate me!)
2/3 cup of milk
1/4 cup of preserves or jam


1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Lightly grease a cookie sheet or baking pan.

2. Mix Bisquick, sugar, margarine, and milk together until a dough forms. You do not want to make sure that all of the Bisquick is completely mixed, it is ok to have a few dry round pieces in the dough.

This is what mine looks like after I mix it together.

3. Using a spoon drop the dough onto your pre greased pan about 2 inches apart. I can usually get 6 on a pan. Using the back of a spoon form a well in the back. Make sure that it is not so deep that your Danish will break when you remove it from the pan. Place a spoon of your jam or preserves in the well.

4. Place in the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes.
(Sorry about the pictures my hard drive is going out, nothing is working quite including photo editing)

 

Glaze Ingredients

 

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1 Tbsp warm water

1/4 t vanilla

 

Mix together in a bowl until the mixture is smooth. Drizzle with a fork over each Danish after they are cool.

 

 

As you can tell they are a big hit in our house!

 

 

 

 

How to Organize!

http://www.noodle-head.com/2010/05/mail-organizer-tutorial.html

I have been going crazy trying to find ways to organize stuff in my house without paying a ton of money for it. I love this tutorial but I think I might change it up a bit to recycle some stuff I already have. I will try to post pictures as I go to let you know if using layers of cardboard will work for the back instead of a canvas. And  I would rather recycle some stuff that I do not wear anymore rather than spend more money on fabric. One of the reasons I love crafting is that I can find new ways to use things instead of purchasing more stuff!

Keep Your Cool Where it Belongs With This Jedi Trick

Fourth of July Eats

What says 4th of July fun more than food? I can't think of anything! Here are a few of my favorite online recipes for the 4th.


http://www.familyfreshmeals.com/2013/05/easy-taco-salad-flag.html



http://www.plainchicken.com/2013/06/patriotic-deviled-eggs.html



http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/ranch-style-coleslaw-bacon-111386.aspx



http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/loaded-baked-potato-salad-124714.aspx


 
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes-and-cooking/grilled-chicken-recipes/pictures/page-7.html?nl=FNW_070113_toprecipe2headline&sni_mid=86264&sni_rid=86264.501.437546&c32={78E046D9-47C9-4931-8356-7049D46797DB}




http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/smokn-barbecued-ribs-118555.aspx





http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/sonoran-style-hot-dog-119256.aspx



http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/star-spangled-stackermallow-treats-144612.aspx?cm_mmc=eml-_-rbe-_-20130701-_-1062&cm_lm=1FE7E724157E72407FE7089E5FCCEC71




http://www.justataste.com/2013/06/july-4-dessert-pinwheel-icebox-cookies/




http://what2cook.net/2013/06/25/red-white-n-blue-salad/



http://fancyfrugallife.com/4th-of-july-trifle-recipe/ This trifle gets gold stars because it is sooo easy!



http://www.babble.com/best-recipes/red-white-blue-jello-stars/




http://melaniescrafts.blogspot.com/2010/06/smores-on-stick.html Smores on a stick!


http://www.nestofposies-blog.com/2012/05/red-white-sweet-blue-ice-cream/


I also want to throw in this website for more ideas http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/holidays-and-entertaining/holidays/july-4th-recipes.aspx. No I have no affiliation with kraft at all I just love their holiday recipes! They feature some main course ideas too such as a whole barbecued chicken. MMMMmmmmm.

Make Your Own Statue of Liberty Crown and Torch!

I have been trying to explain the meaning of the Fourth of July to my two youngest. What  The Declaration of Independence is and why it was important for us as a country. But finding things that are hands on for someone who just turned 5 and 7 has been hard. I can usually come up with an idea but keep drawing a blank for this one. Turns out the kids do not know who John Hancock is and weren't very interested.

I was so excited to find this blog with an amazing idea while I sat down tonight after putting them to bed. This was something big (a very large statue with a crown) that the kids could recognize! Easy to put together from paper plates and cardboard tubes. On my day off this weekend I may organize my two and the neighborhood kids to spend an hour or less putting these together. I am not going to promise how long they will be Statue of Liberty pieces before they morph into superheros but it should be fun....

Here is the link:

http://buggyandbuddy.com/crafts-for-kids-make-a-statue-of-liberty-crown-and-torch/

Happy 4th of July