Ding Dong The Husband Is Out f Town

Well DH is on the road as we speak to Northern Indiana to see his family. He will be home Tuesday afternoon, so that means I have 4 days of time to myself. I am actually looking forward to it. What are my plans for this time of solitude? Well I have some fun things planned like BOGO at Payless, watching girly movies and catching up on Gilmore Girls, going to my mother's God daughter's high school musical, creating recipes, and surfing the net. I also have som un-fun things to do like mop and clean the kitchem, vacuuming all carpeted surfaces, grocery shopping, cleaning all bathroom surfaces, and catching up on laundry. I have a feeling the time will fly by fast.

Things to Do Today

Laundry*
Vaccuum Living Room*
Vaccuum Guestroom
Mop Kitchen Floor*
Mop Bathroom Floors*
Mop Hallway*
Clean Toilets*
Clean Sinks*
Clean Tubs*
Vaccuum Master Bedroom
Make Grocery List*
Post Menus on Blog*
Make Breakfast Casserole for Church Tomorrow*
Clean out Fridge*
Run Dishwasher*
Buy Shoes*
Change Out Purses
Grocery Shop*
Get Hair Cut/Colored*
Make Rub for Lamb*
Prep Herbs for Veggies*
Make Mint Shallot Sauce*
Marinate Lamb Chops*
Make Red Cabbage Slaw for Easter Tomorrow Night

* = Completed

Ok I think I am going to have to do some of this tomorrow.

Menus for the week of April 7-April 13

We did really good this week and only ate out on Fridya night, which is our normal takeout/eat out night. We did have leftovers 2 days this week, so you will see one repeat on the menu from last week. Witht he exception of Easter lunch, we aren't trying any new entrees this week. Instead we are sticking with some old favorites. I am incorporating some new sides into the mix though.


Saturday
Leftovers


Sunday
Lunch: Grilled Lamb Chops served with sweet and savory carrots and sauteed spinach
For the carrots, I cook baby carrots in a light spring sauce made of orange juice and a combination of fresh basil, dill, and mint. The spinach is sauteed lightly in olive oil and wine.

Dinner: Easter at Mom’s


Monday
Jambasta (I have some left over in the freezer from the last time I made it ) served with a spinach salad


Tuesday
Tabbouleh with Chicken made with elements of this recipe as well
Grilled Cheese and veggie sandwiches


Wednesday
Chicken Piccata- I leave out the lima beans because that is just weird
Sauteed Green Beans with Pimento


Thursday
Salmon Cakes (I add chopped carrots, bean sprouts and peppers to this to add more color and veggies) served with Cucumber Salad with Oranges and Mint and Wilted Bok Choy (I leave out the cashews)


Friday
Takeout

Another week, another set of menus

Well I didn't do as well as I would have liked on my first week back in the cooking world. I cooked 3 days, we had take-out 2 days, and leftovers 2 days. I am going to try to be better this week and get that take-out to just once. You will see some duplicates from last week that didn't get cooked.

Spring is upon us, so I am trying to incorporate some warmer weather foods that showcase fresh seasonal produce (especially cucumbers this week) and herbs into our menus. Here is what's on tap for this week:


Saturday
Sauteed Leeks with Prosciutto and Goat Cheese over Rotini served with Spinach Salad


Sunday
Oven Baked Herb Crusted Chicken with Parsley Olive Oil Sauce served with asparagus in lemon oil and carrots in an orange-herb sauce


Monday
Broiled Shrimp Salad Sandwiches with Cucumber Salad and Green Bean Salad

I'm using canned shrimp instead of fresh this time and I will add basil and dill to it as well. I am going to serve the shrimp salad on sourdough rye bread and top with shredded provolone cheese and bibb lettuce and broil for a few minutes just until the cheese gets all melted and bubbly. For the green bean salad, I am leaving out the sour cream and tabasco sauce and adding basil and parsley. The cucumber salad is so reminscient of something my grandmother used to make that it needs no tweaking. I will actually folow this recipe completely literally.


Tuesday
Leftovers

We have to have a day in the middle of the week to use up all of the extra food.


Wednesday
Smoked Salmon Pizza

To make this lox and bagel-like dish I will take a refrigerated pizza crust and cook it for 18 minutes at 450. When it is done, I will spread cream cheese over it, cover it with snipped fresh chives and fresh chopped dill, then top it with diced red onions, capers, and smoked salmon.


Thursday
Cool Cucumber Soup and Chicken with Tabbouleh

For the Chicken and Tabbouleh, I am going to add elements of this recipe as well. I love tabblouleh. It is a middle eastern salad that is full of fiber and flavor too!

Friday
Leftovers

Menus for 3/24-3/31

Saturday
Crab Cakes with creamy mustard sauce, red cabbage slaw, roasted corn

I add chopped green onions, diced red peepers, chopped celery, and shredded carrots to my crab cake mixture to incorporate more veggies in the meal. The slaw is simply choppred red cabbacge, shredded carrots, chopped gala apples in a dressing made of red wine viegar, cider vinegar, honey mustard, sugar, and extra virgin olive oil. It is a light and tangy side dish. To roast the corn, I made a compund butter (I used margaine) with dried oregano, dried basil, onion powder, garlic powder, and seasoned salt. I removed the silk from the ears of corn and buttered them then pulled the husks back and roasted them for 40 minutes and 350 degrees.


Sunday
Chicken with Artichoke Pesto and Braised Kale with White Beans Beans and Ham served with sauteed peppers

I use white beans instead of pink, but everything else is pretty much the same. I use sweet peppers of different colors and lightly saute them in an oliveoil vegetable spray. I might add a bit of white whine just to intensify the flavor.


Monday
Poached Salmon with Lemon Mint Tzatziki served with broccoli and green beans

I serve my slamon warminstead of cold, and I usually make the tzatziki the night before. I let my yogurt drain for most of the day, not just 3 hours.

Tuesday
Leftovers


Wednesday
Blue Cheese-stuffed Turkey Burgers served with Carrot Ginger Salad
I will add, chooped onions, minced garlic, and diced red peppers to my turkey burger mixture. I will top the burgers with baby spinach. For hte carrot sald, I will add pineapple tidbits to the carrots.



Thursday
Sauteed Leeks with Prosciutto and Goat Cheese over Rotini served with Spinach Salad


Friday
Takeout


Saturday
Oven Baked Herb Crusted Chicken with Parsley Olive Oil Sauce served with asparagus and carrots

Well I am back.....sort of

After a 2 1/2 week post-op recovery, I am actaully starting to re-join the land of the living. Everyone told me that tonsillectomies are really hard on adults, but I don't think I realized just how hard they are. I wasn't really prepared for the physical illnesses and complications ( a pneumonia like cough, severe vomiting, dehydration, etc). My throat still has a dull ache and my energy level is just not rebounding as quickly as I would like, but I am doing better. I went back to work last Monday, and the first day just about killed me, but it is getting better each day. I am sure that my DH is glad to have me back in more of a full capacity, since most of the household responsibilities fell in his lap, although I still did laundry and cleaned the kitchen. i even cleaned my kitchen 4 hours after coming home from surgery! Last night was the first time I have cooked since March 6th, and it felt really weird. I am going to start postingmy weekly menus again because that really helps me stick to them. It feels good to be back witht he kinkies and our afffiliates.

Well apparently I was only kidding about the surgery.

It turns out I have an infection in my system, so it was postponed. The new date is March 7th.

The Big Day Is Tomorrow

Well guys, as much as I have tried to get out of it, my tonsillectomy is tomorrow. I really wish I could find a way to avoid this, but it is apparently the only way to make me feel better. I just wanted to post this to let you all know that I will be MA for a couple of days to a week. Wish me luck!

Weekly Menus Part 2

Well I have found that if I post my menus not only just on my refridgerator, but also on my blog for the world to see, I am more likey to actaully stick to them. So here is what will be served in my house this week. Oh and Kris, I know you will especially hate Wednesday's meal, but I wanted to do something kind of fancy for Valentine's Day. This week every entree comes from Food Network, so I am posting the links to them as well. All links are found under the menu plan for each day.

Sunday: Garlic Lime Chicken with Sundried Tomatoes served with Carrots and Broccoli
I substituted sundried tomatoes for olives


Monday: Jambasta
I use a green bell pepper instead of the poblano. I also use chicken apple sausage instead of andouille. We are not big spicy food conniseurs in our house.


Tuesday: Mini Meatball Soup and Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Let the comfort begin- You can use any cheese micture you want in the sandwiches


Wednesday: Jamaican Jerk Flank Steak served with Asparagus Bundles, Roasted Red Peppers with Balsamic and Basil, and Grilled Strawberries for dessert
Steak Asparagus Balsamic Basil Peppers


Thursday: Thai Chicken Pizza
No bean sprouts please!


Friday: Takeout


Saturday: Leftovers