Foodie Friday (on a Saturday)

Coming up this week....

Sunday: brisket, beef ribs and hot dogs, coleslaw, baked beans (using a hodge-podge of canned pork-and-beans with some added bacon and caramelized onions this time...Millie I want to try yours that you shared sometime, do you think they'd work in the crock pot?), cantaloupe and black sapphire grapes

Monday: leftovers, and maybe salads or wraps. We've started buying lettuce in the ready-to-go plastic tubs, with other healthy greens like spinach mixed in. The ease of use not having to rib and cut the lettuce has us eating twice as many salads as we did before. 

Tuesday: black bean quesadillas, the kids love to stir sour cream and jarred salsa together for dipping. I love that this is a quick, easy meal that no one complains about.

Wednesday: Bourbon Street chicken (new recipe), brown basmati, roasted broccoli and cauliflower

Thursday: TBD, probably something involving salads or green peppers, or whatever else is lurking in the fridge at this point

Friday: shrimp tortellini and steamed cut green beans

Journal: late August

TODAY

Out my window: Wet deck, about 1/2 inch of rain overnight. It's been a wet and fairly moderate August, although soooooo huuuuuumid. I told Aaron if we lived in the Pacific NW I think I'd need to find  a new hairstyle because I really despise my hair when it's rainy. I digress. I've really been enjoying my potted flower garden on the deck this summer. Can't believe we're only 4-6 weeks out from pansies and mums! I'll miss my annuals. I learn something new about a variety of plants each year and it has been really fun to experiment with different plants and what works well and what I probably wouldn't repeat again. Already thinking about next summer, and hoping to find a few more spots in the yard for annuals as well. Aaron does most of the landscaping, but he said he'd be willing to make some room for some things for me, so we'll see!

Around the house: Not much. We switched bedrooms around pretty extensively this summer, which has helped us make much better use of our space. The boys each have their own room upstairs, and the girls are sharing the big basement bedroom. It gets better...if Maura wakes up during the night (most of the time she sleeps through the night), nine times out of ten Gemma gets up and resettles her. We still have the issue that the boys sleep upstairs but shower downstairs, and Gemma sleeps downstairs but showers/does hair etc. upstairs. Trying to figure out the best way to make that process a little less of a mess.

We also got a smart TV this summer, so we're planning to set the old one up in the basement family room for the kids to use with their Nintendo and a DVD player. Currently most of the time they spend watching/playing though is when the baby is sleeping (in the basement) so we're not in a huge hurry to get that set up for obvious reasons.

The kiddos: Back to school is treating us well. It always does. The routine is good for us. Gemma is playing volleyball this Fall, her first sport! She's only had one practice so far, but she's enthused about playing, and she is going to give basketball a try this winter. She also is back at her piano lessons after some time off over the summer. She's pretty disciplined with her practice, and seems to have a good amount of natural ability. I enjoy hearing her play. Kolbe  may do a baseball tournament this Fall and we're hoping to get him on a basketball team as well. We'll probably wait until baseball next summer for any sports for Clem. Three in basketball this winter sounds fun but a little cRaZy...

The baby: She is the happiest kid. Pure joy. That said, she seems to be battling a cold and teething this weekend, which is making her sleep a little less great than it usually is. Each thing on its own has never seemed to bother her, but I think the cold and that final molar combined are giving her a rough time. She's getting lots of words: mama, daddy, dinner (which she pronounces "da-DOON-duh") blueberry, Max (our dog), Jesus, cheese, pray.....she repeats a lot as well.

In the kitchen: Green salads with chicken tonight. Typically I make two big meals a week (Monday-Friday...weekends vary), a smaller/simpler meal on Friday, and then we supplement with leftovers/Aaron cooking/hot dogs/frozen pizza, etc. the rest of the week. Up this week are chicken tetrazzini (I typically add spinach, onion and garlic, and put some cheddar and a more substantial amount of white wine in the roux) and shepherd's pie (technically cottage pie since I use ground beef). Looking ahead at Friday...maybe another pan of chile rellenos? Hatch green chiles are in season and I have a recipe that's so much better with fresh chiles.

Reading: Finishing up Cardinal Sarah's God or Nothing. It has taken me absolutely forever to read, partially because I've read several other things while reading this, and partially because sometimes I'm just not motivated. But the end is amazing, especially his insights on prayer, and the beginning - about his childhood in Africa - was so interesting. Definitely a worthwhile read. Need to decide what to read next. I want this set for Christmas.

Watching: Not much. I crash within about seven minutes of hitting the couch most nights.

Bringing me joy: Maura. Being back to work. Kids back in school. Playing piano. Prayer. Good books. Coffee. Wine. Cooking. Life.

Thinking about: The Church.

Pictures to share: Clem got to bring home the traveling class pet and journal this week. Gemma took this picture on her camera. She takes some really good pictures!

Foodie Friday

Because, even though it's Sunday, "Foodie Friday" has a much nicer ring to it than "Foodie Sunday." Scrumptious Sunday? I dunno, that sounds too presumptuous. We'll stick with Foodie Friday, since the person who inspired me to dust off this blog is the one who I stole the whole "Foodie Friday" thing from in the first place....

I digress.

This week, as was last, is a bit tumultuous with inservice (I'm not sure why spell check always gets that word. Isn't it a word? That's certainly what I've been led to believe all these years, lol) and getting the kids back to school and all...but aside from my family, I also have four grown men at two different rectories counting on me to not starve, so I've got to stay at least somewhat on top of my game.

Today: pulled pork (thank you, hubby), coleslaw (ahem, thank you hubby again), pork and beans. canned. Because they are tasty and easy. Seriously. I've gone to the effort of doing my own beans on more than one occasion. The canned ones are better.

Monday: hot dog night. See above paragraph on tumultuousness.  We will have chips and fruit as sides. I'm not sure whether admitting that helps my cause or not but the kids will be happy and sometimes that's all that matters.

Tuesday: Yankee Enchiladas. This is a recipe I ate growing up, as did my mother. It involves ground beef mixed with tomato soup and a few spices, served on a bed of fritos, lettuce and shredded cheese. The kids love this dish, and it, too, is sooooo easy.

Wednesday: lasagna. There's nothing special about my lasagna, but I do put a bunch of veggies (namely spinach) in it, and always add some squash sauce and this time I got a jar of vodka sauce as well that looks promising. I have started making my own spaghetti sauce for spaghetti, but I still use jarred sauce for lasagna. I used to use cottage cheese but have recently switched to ricotta, with a blend of mozzarella (oh man, I'm losing my touch, after typing that like five times wrong, I had to look the spelling on that one up), Parmesan and some Monterrey Jack. California blend steamed veggies on the side, because Aldi is still out of the Prince Edward blend. I always feel like my sides are a little boring, but they are healthy and get the job done for a well-rounded meal.

Thursday: probably salads. We've eaten a ridiculous amount of salads around here this Summer. All the kids love them, and they're sooooo easy. My fave dressing recently has been a three cheese vinaigrette (I can proudly spell that one correctly the first time), also from Aldi.

Friday: vegetable tortellini. Still debating a more substantial protein to go along with it. Salmon patties?

Well, that's all folks. CHEERS to the NEW YEAR!!