I'm planning to repaint our kitchen this week after the peanut gallery goes to bed, so I'm choosing an extremely simple menu for the week. 

Tonight, we're having Chicken and rice soup with salad or sandwiches on the side.

Tomorrow, we'll enjoy some Ranch Cheddar chicken with broccoli over rice.

Wednesday, we'll dine on Spaghetti with peas and carrots.

Thursday, we're eating up all the leftovers since we'll be out of town this weekend going to a wedding!

For breakfasts, we'll eat anything from scrambled eggs to oatmeal...probably oatmeal.  Lunches will be something in picnic fashion or a nice baked potato bar.  Super simple!

"Um, excuse me...but I am trying to eat my cinnamon toast!"

Have a great Monday!

Fall makes me want to spend hours and hours in the kitchen!  And if it weren't for my broken a/c, I might just do it!  I love the smells, the colors, the crispness in the air.  I love the sight of beautiful golden and crimson leaves peeking through the trees with the wind blowing just so.  Oh me oh my! 

My little Spartan warrior...we've been studying Ancient Greece.

Join me in the kitchen, y'all, as I drool over the selections for this week.  It's been a while since I've posted one of our menus, but as this is the first week of Fall, I couldn't help myself!

Tonight we'll feast on Chicken and Rice Soup with grilled pimento cheese sandwiches.

To celebrate the "official" first day of Fall, we're having Pumpkin Pecan Pancakes with chocolate gravy and fruit on the side!

Wednesday, with karate in the latter part of the afternoon, we'll have Crock Pot Chicken Cacciatore with pasta and a side salad.

Thursday, we're having herb roasted chicken, butternut squash souffle, and itty bitty peas.

Friday, we'll have Mexican casserole with corn on the side.

Saturday, we'll have Baked Spaghetti and a side salad.

Lovin' the fake little pouty face!

For breakfasts, we'll have oatmeal, probably.  We eat a lot of oatmeal.  Baked oatmeal, regular oatmeal, oatmeal muffins... you get the picture.  Lunches are always either leftovers, picnic-ish food, or homemade mini tortilla pizzas (thanks, Mom!)

Happy Eatin', Folks!

We're hosting a singing at our house Saturday night, and I've been planning the menu for quite a while.  I'm very anxious to get in the kitchen and get to work!  Thought you might like to drool over the menu plan!  We're doing finger foods, mostly. (Well, I kinda wanted to drool over it!  Every time I think about the food and the fellowship, I hear a Tim-Taylor-ish grunt erupting in my mind!  I can't wait.)

Main dish-type of items:

Teryaki chicken wings, sausage balls, salmon loaf, cheese dip and chips, upcountry dip- a different sort of cheese dip with crackers, a veggie and fruit tray (so we don't feel too bad with all the other "bad" food we'll be eating), and various pinwheel sandwiches.

Desserts:

Snickerdoodle cookies, chocolate chip cookies, chocolate chip cheeseball with graham crackers, pumpkin pie cheescake squares, and cranberry blondie bars with white chocolate chips. I may have sugar cookies prepared with icing on the side, so the children can decorate cookies...haven't decided on that account.

Beverages:

Water, Sweet tea, hot apple cider, hot cocoa, and coffee with fixin's.

**Don't think I'm doing all this.  Everyone's bringing something(s)!**

I'll probably have different "stations" for the kids. (Blocks and wedgits, cars and trains, animals and dinosaurs, girls' toys, and a coloring spot.)

Now, I need to get my house...uh...a little...uh...more presentable... So my motto:  Cook first and clean second.  I tend to make a mess in the kitchen, so I'll prepare everything that can be prepared in the kitchen ahead of time, and I'll clean after all that is done.

I can't wait!

So...uh...the grocery trip didn't happen last Friday, so we went shopping Saturday.  My Saturday recipes and ideas were pushed to the "backburner" for easier meals that I could put together in a hurry.

Friday's crockpot teryaki glazed chicken, stove top potatoes au gratin, peas, and carrots were a hit, and have continued to be a hit!  (a.k.a. We've eaten them as leftovers until they were gone!)

Saturday night, I fixed broccoli cheese soup.

Sunday, we enjoyed lunch at the Italian place with some of our church family, and Sunday night, we ate birthday cake for supper!  Deron went and bought me an ice cream cake!!

Monday, for lunch and supper, we ate leftovers.

Today, I made chicken pot pie for lunch, and we ate more leftovers for supper.

Tomorrow, we'll eat leftovers again, and I plan to prepare the taboulleh for pitas Thursday.

Thursday- Lunch- Taboulleh with pitas and feta cheese. Supper- Breakfast!

Friday- Supper- Loaded Baked Potato Soup with Pumpkin Cheesecake for dessert.

Saturday- For breakfast, we'll have scrambled eggs (for those who can eat the eggs) and glazed apples over pecan pancakes. We're going apple-picking and plan to pack a picnic lunch.  Supper- Lasagna with side salad and leftover cheesecake or cookies for dessert.

Sunday- We'll eat leftovers for lunch and supper.

That's my general plan.  We'll see what actually gets prepared!

I really have started to daydream about what I want to prepare in the kitchen.  This is such a big jump for me.  I prayed and asked the Lord to bless me to be able to enjoy cooking and baking better, and He has.  I'd gotten to the point that I didn't enjoy it because suppertime was always "the quickest thing I can get on the table," and it never seemed like anyone really wanted to sit for a good long while and enjoy the meal.

Then, I realized, "So what?"  Who cares how long they all sit still or how long it takes to prepare the food.  With four children now, one of whom must nurse frequently in the evening hours if there's any hope of her sleeping a decent amount through the night... Wait, I lost my train of thought...Oh, yeah... With four children, I still have to make something in a short amount of time, but I've found so many wonderful possibilities!  I'm anxious to get in my room, a.k.a. the kitchen, and fix up some tasty dishes!

I think I'll share my weekend menu with you...

Tonight- Crockpot teryaki glazed chicken, stove top potatoes au gratin, steamed peas and carrots, whole wheat rolls with a homemade cinnamon honey butter spread

Tomorrow- Breakfast- fresh crepes with stove top apple glaze (no sugar); Lunch- Fresh taboulleh sandwiches on homemade pitas with turkey, feta cheese, and sweet banana peppers; Supper- Broiled lemon, herbed salmon, brown rice with herbs, and steamed veggies (whatever is on sale when I get to the store today!)  I may practice making a pumpkin cheesecake...if I have time.

Sunday- Deron will probably fix breakfast.  He's so helpful to do that on Sunday mornings!  Lunch will probably be a spread of leftovers, and for supper, I'd like to have Italian.  More than likely, we'll order out and bring it home.  We have a local place that serves pasta dishes as well as pizza, and I've been wanting to give it a try. 

I'll come back Monday and share our weekly menu based on how some of these new recipes turn out!  I can't wait to get to the store...we're out of everything!

I haven't posted one of these in a while, but I've had one.  So here is this week's lovely assortment!

Monday: Spaghetti, salad, garlic bread

Tuesday: Herb-Baked Chicken, herbed brown rice, broccoli casserole, and cooked honey-sweetened carrots.

Wednesday: Chicken alfredo with linguini pasta, salad, peas and carrots.

Thursday: Leftovers or breakfast...just so there are no more leftovers in the fridge!

Friday: Away

Saturday:  My responsibilies are breakfast and lunch, so Baked oatmeal and yogurt with sausage on the side, and fish and chips for lunch (if they catch any!) with fresh fruit and veggies on the side. (I'll bring sanwich fixin's, just in case!)

Sunday: Soup and cornbread/pimento cheese sandwiches.