Oct. 25, 2009 - ~IN MY KITCHEN THIS WEEK~
Happily, I spent lots of time in the kitchen this past week. My favorite place in the house.~~~lots of smiling~~~
These are just a few of the things that I made for our family meals, church potluck, the moms hospitality table at our local co-op, and our very own Boyscouts who went camping this weekend. <<< I rushed through typing this together, so if I missed some detail, just let me know.>>>
8 loaves Apple-Nut Bread- Started off with 4, they were so good that I made 4 more:) 3 types of apples and 2 kinds of nuts. Hello Autumn!
4 Apple Bundt Cakes- These cakes were a huge hit. I had a few ladies who said I should sell these cakes. yum.
22 LB Turkey- mashed potatos, fresh string beans-down home cookin-Really cheap to eat off of for a few days. I paid 19$ and we got 3-4 meals from it-even with my four boys, plus hubby.
Simple Turkey Soup- Large pot, filled to the rim with health and yumminess- 2lbs carrots, 3 large onions, one large head of celery, a tad of garlic, gobs or gobbles (pardon the pun) of picked turkey, and freshly chopped parsley. Lots of good crushed pepper and good kosher or sea salt. I serve mine with wide egg noodles placed first in the bowl or on top of the soup. This keeps the large pot of soup from getting filled up with noodles that get soft and squishy. If the noodles get all squishy then it's nasty the next day when you serve the leftovers. I also will make rice in place of the egg noodles. My family absolutely loves this.
CowMom Cookies- These are my own version of an oatmeal cookie. They contain multi-grain ( rye, barley, oats, wheat) pecans, walnuts, brown sugar, butter (what else?!), chocolate chips.) I will add this recipe later. My husband is a Boyscout leader. When all the boys head out for the weekend, it's tradition around here for me to load them up with homemade cookies for the ride. I hear that they usually eat them for breakfast. Sure enough, when hubby called to let me know they arrived safely, he mentioned that all 3 dozen cookies were gone. Now, with one day, one 18 yo, and 4 boys in the car. Do the math. That is alot of cookies per person. HA!..... At least they had.... nuts .....in......them.......?????~smile~
Spagetti Sauce with Bacon-This is cheaper than ground beef b/c you can use half the amount of meat that you might normally use. I saute the bacon, let it fall into pieces as it cooks, or cut it with kitchen sheers while it's raw, add a few onions and peppers towards the end. Careful to not overcook those veggies b/c they will stew more with the sauce. Then just add a ton of garlic, kosher or sea salt, and your any-kind-of sauce. Voila! It's just yummy for the guys. I do not eat spagetti sauce b/c it makes me queezy ever since I had my 3rd child 7 years ago. So, on spagetti nights, I eat salad. My favorite food anyway.~smile~
Finally, I made an appetizer for our final friday night small group- MARRIAGE ON THE ROCK-(( by Jimmy Evans- ))
That night we had appetizer theme night. I made my own mixed-up version of stuffed mushrooms. Sauteed spinach, feta, bleu cheese, garlic, fresh parsley, green onion, sauteed stems, freshly-made breadcrumbs with wheat bread. (not in the order of mixing)
They turned out pretty alright. Not bad for a midnight snack. I chose to not add meat in honor of our wonderful vegetarian friends. I did not want them to go hungry:)
Making cents$of it all....We had an off grocery week too. Meaning, I spent very little and just used what I had on hand. The mushrooms and cheeses were my "not planned" for the week "extras". I almost always use what I have on hand instead of running off the the store, even if it's a special event that needs a dish. It can be a challenge, but, I figure that if 4 times per month I add 20 bucks in 'extras', then that adds up to be another 100$ bucks for the month that maybe I could have avoided.. Make cents??
I am also using up all those apples from our anniversary trip. So far no one is sick of apples. More Laughing.
At least no one has mentioned anything. Maybe they are just being kind. hhmmmmmm
Joyfully in my kitchen,
Shannon
(((My thanks to Raspberry Road Designs for the above photo. ))))
Comments
Nov. 5, 2009 - Untitled Comment
Posted by LeslieN
Wow! You are a busy mama! Looks like a lot of great stuff you made.
Thank you so much for your encouraging words on my blog. I appreciate you taking the time to write them. I've been struggling with various things lately and it does my heart good to be encouraged by another sister! ((((Shannon)))) Sending you lots of hugs!
Blessings
Leslie
Nov. 6, 2009 - Untitled Comment
Posted by AnnieKate
It sounds as though you had a wonderful time in the kitchen. All those different foods sound so inspiring!
Annie Kate
