Menu Plan

Supper Menus
December 17th - 23rd

Saturday
jalapeno chicken enchiladas, refried beans, tortilla chips and salsa

Sunday
texas chili, cornbread, christmas cookies

Monday
toscana soup, garlic knots, olive garden salad

Tuesday
sliders, french fries

Wednesday
chicken spaghetti, garlic bread

Thursday
leftovers

Friday
hosting Christmas party

Menu Plan

Supper Menus
December 10th-16th

Saturday
leftovers

Sunday
breakfast for supper

Monday
kung pao chicken, rice

Tuesday
out for supper

Wednesday
saucy chicken sandwiches, potato chips

Thursday
leftovers

Friday
roasted vegetables, rosemary bread

Menu Plan

Supper Menus

December 3rd - 9th

Saturday

camping - hamburgers, potato chips, s'mores

Sunday

leftovers

Monday

breakfast for supper

Tuesday

chicken and dumplings

Wednesday

tomato and basil tortellini soup, garlic knots, ceasar salad

Thursday

shephard's pie, rustic bread, apple cobbler

Friday

out for supper

Menu Plan

Supper Menus

November 26th - December 2nd

Saturday

taco soup

Sunday

breakfast for supper

Monday

spicy romano chicken, caesar salad, garlic knots

Tuesday

supper with college students - soft tacos, pinto beans, spanish rice, chips and dip, sopapilla cheesecake, apple pie

Wednesday

leftovers

Thursday

grilled chicken, roasted vegetables, sautéed spinach, rustic bread

Friday

FFA dinner and auction 

Menu Plan

Supper Menus

November 12th -18th

Saturday

burgers, chips and dips 

Sunday

breakfast for supper

Monday

orange chicken

Tuesday

fried chicken tenders, come back sauce, french fries, texas toast 

Wednesday

sliders, potato chips

Thursday

french dip sandwiches, tomato soup  

Friday 

out for supper 

Menu Plan

Supper Menus

October 29th - November 4th

Saturday

hamburgers, chips and dips

Sunday

dinner - fried chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, dinner rolls

Monday

frito pie, roasted pumpkin seeds, caramel apples, slice and bake halloween cookies

Tuesday

pizza style chicken, italian macaroni, olive garden salad, focaccia bread

Wednesday

broccoli cheese soup, rustic bread 

Thursday

supper at art reception

Friday

leftovers or out for supper

Menu Plan

Supper Menus

October 22nd - 28th

Saturday

leftovers

Sunday

breakfast for supper

Monday

out of town

Tuesday

supper with college kids from congregation - texas chili, country cornbread muffins, biscuits, pioneer woman's apple dumplings, halloween cake mix cookies

Wednesday

leftovers

Thursday

take out pizza

Friday

out for supper

Really Good Broccoli Cheese Soup :-)

A cool breeze was blowing this afternoon and the weekend forecast is beautiful and clear.

It's finally starting to feel like fall in my part of Texas.

I had planned a new soup for tonight and I'm so glad the weather cooperated. 

I have decided to name it

"Really Good Broccoli Cheese Soup"

and my son said it should go in my cookbook one day. ;-)

You'll need -

5 tablespoons butter

1 small onion, diced

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 cup flour

2 cups chicken broth

2 cups half and half

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon paprika

pinch of cayenne

2 broccoli crowns, stems removed, chopped to bite size

4 ounces extra sharp cheddar cheese, grated

8 ounces velveeta cheese, grated 

Melt butter in a large pot.  

Saute onion and garlic until softened.

Whisk in flour.

Bring to a boil as you whisk in broth and half and half.  

Continue to whisk until thickened.

Add seasonings and cheeses; stir until cheese is melted.

Add broccoli and let soup simmer for 20-30 minutes.

Makes 6 servings.

Enjoy!

Menu Plan

Supper Menus
October 15th - 21st

Saturday
hamburgers, spicy potato wedges 

Sunday
baked ham and cheese rollups, potato chips

Monday
grilled chicken, cheesy potato gratin, cooked spinach, rustic bread 

Tuesday
homemade pizza

Wednesday
kung pao chicken, spicy green beans, rice

Thursday
broccoli cheese soup

Friday
out for supper

Menu Plan

Supper Menus

October 8th - 14th

Saturday

out for supper

Sunday

breakfast for supper

Monday

chili, country cornbread muffins

Tuesday

supper with college kids from congregation - zuppa toscana, pasta fagioli, chicken and gnocchi soup, italian mac and cheese, focaccia bread, olive garden salad, cheesecake, italian biscotti, tea, coffee 

Wednesday

leftovers

Thursday

grilled chicken, roasted vegetables, rustic bread 

Friday

leftovers

Menu Plan

Supper Menus

October 1st - 7th

Saturday

take out pizza

Sunday

soft tacos, pinto beans, spanish rice, chips and dips

Monday

leftovers 

Tuesday

supper with college kids from congregation - hamburgers, baked beans, chips, apple pie, ice cream, chocolate chip cookies

Wednesday

out for supper

Thursday

chicken alfredo rollups, garlic knots, caesar salad

Friday

leftovers

Chicken Gnocchi Soup

This hit the spot tonight!

A new soup to have on rotation this fall - copycat Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup.

You will need -

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons oil

1/2 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 stalks of celery, diced

1/4 cup flour

2 cups half and half

2 cups chicken broth

1 teaspoon thyme

salt and peper to taste

1 pound cooked chicken, chopped into bite sized pieces

handful of fresh spinach, chopped

1 package of gnocchi (potato pasta)

Heat butter and oil in a saucepan.

Saute onion, garlic and celery for several minutes.

Add flour and stir.

Add half and half and broth and bring to a boil.

Stir until mixture begins to thicken.

Add seasonings, chicken, spinach and gnocchi.

Lower heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

Serve with crusty bread and enjoy!

Chicken and Potatoes with Parmesan Garlic Cream Sauce

This was so delish!  Like, want to lick your plate delish. :-) 

I tweaked this recipe. 

you will need -

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in a half and pounded thin

1 teaspoon italian seasoning 

2 tablespoons butter

1 bag small red potatoes, quartered

parsley 

to make the sauce -

1/4 cup butter

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons flour

1 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup half and half

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon thyme

salt and pepper to taste

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in saucepan over high heat.  

Sprinkle seasoning over chicken, add to saucepan, and brown on both sides.

Remove chicken from pan and place in an 8 x 11 baking dish.

Add potatoes to dish.

In same saucepan, melt 1/4 cup butter.

Add garlic and sauté over medium-high heat.

Add flour and chicken broth.  

Whisk until smooth and thickened.  

Add half and half and cheese.

Whisk until smooth.

Add seasonings and then pour sauce into baking dish.

Sprinkle with parsley.

Bake, covered, at 400 degrees for 30-45 minutes, 

or until potatoes are tender and chicken is cooked through.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Butter

This is a super quick and easy recipe that is delicious on toast, waffles, and pancakes

 or added to oatmeal.

It also makes a nice gift paired with canned apple jelly.

You will need - 

1  can pumpkin puree

3/4 cup apple cider

1 cup sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 teaspoons ginger

1 teaspoon nutmeg

Combine ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.

Lower heat and simmer for about 30 minutes.

Makes 24 ounces.

Will keep in the fridge for about 3 weeks.

Mmmmm!  Fall in a jar!

Menu Plan

Supper Menus

September 24th - 30th

Saturday

macaroni and cheese, cream peas

Sunday

breakfast for supper

Monday

meatballs, mashed potatoes, green beans, dinner rolls

Tuesday

chicken and potatoes with parmesan garlic cream sauce, spinach, rustic bread

Wednesday

chicken gnocchi soup, caesar salad

Thursday

tba

Friday

leftovers

Menu Plan

Supper Menus

September 17th - 23rd

Saturday

take out pizza

Sunday

supper with friends

Monday

out for supper 

Tuesday

sub sandwiches

Wednesday

orange chicken

Thursday

roasted chicken and vegetables

Friday

leftovers

Menu Plan

Supper Menus

September 10th - 16th

Saturday

macaroni and cheese

Sunday

dinner - saucy chicken sandwiches, roasted red pepper tomato soup, potato chips

supper with youth group

Monday

tomato basil tortellini soup, focaccia bread, caesar salad 

Tuesday
out for supper

Wednesday

grilled chicken, roasted autumn vegetables, rustic bread

Thursday

old fashioned chicken and dumplings, apple pie with crumb topping and ice cream 

Friday

chicken pot pie

Fall Saturday Morning

Candles burning, coffee brewing, muffins baking...

Laundry drying, music playing, leaves falling...

and football waiting. :-) 

"Autumn is the season to find contentment at home,

by paying attention to what we already have." 

Menu Plan

Supper Menus

September 3rd - 9th

Saturday

take out pizza

Sunday

breakfast for supper 

Monday

grilled chicken, baked potatoes, salad

Tuesday

supper with college kids from congregation - soft tacos, charro beans, spanish rice, tortilla chips and dips, tres leches cake, sopapilla cheesecake bars

Wednesday

fettuccini alfredo, blackened chicken, caesar salad, garlic bread

Thursday

lemon butter chicken, roasted vegetables, rustic bread

Friday

leftovers

Menu Plan

Supper Menus

August 27th - September 2nd

Saturday

hamburgers, french fries

Sunday

breakfast for supper

Monday

lemon butter chicken, roasted vegetables, rustic bread

Tuesday

one pot pasta, caesar salad

Wednesday

soft tacos, spanish rice, refried beans, chips and salsa

Thursday

saucy chicken sandwiches, potato chips, roasted red pepper tomato soup, ice cream 

Friday

leftovers

Lemon Butter Chicken

You will need - 

4 chicken breasts

1/2 cup flour

2 teaspoons lemon pepper seasoning

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup butter

juice of 1 lemon

Trim and pound chicken breasts until 1 inch thick.

Combine flour and seasonings.

Melt butter in skillet over high heat.

Coat chicken in flour mixture and place in skillet.

Brown chicken well, about 3 minutes each side.

Sprinkle chicken with lemon juice.

Place lid on skillet, turn off heat, and continue to let chicken cook until done, about 10 minutes.

Enjoy!

Stuffed Bell Peppers

6 bell peppers

1 pound ground beef

1 onion, chopped

3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 small can tomato paste

1 can stewed tomatoes 

1 can corn

1 cup cooked rice

Slice tops off of peppers and remove seeds.  Place peppers upright in baking dish with some water in the bottom of the pan.  Microwave for 3 minutes and then leave peppers in the microwave as you prepare the filling.

Brown ground beef and onion.  Add Worcestershire sauce, seasonings, tomato paste, stewed tomatoes, corn and rice.  

Fill peppers with beef,  cover with foil, and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

Menu Plan

Supper Menus

August 6th - 12th

Saturday

stuffed bell peppers, cheese quick bread

Sunday dinner

invited to friend's house for supper

Monday

lemon chicken, roasted vegetables, rustic bread 

Tuesday

meatballs, mashed potatoes, green beans, dinner rolls

Wednesday

teriyaki chicken and noodles 

Thursday

mexican frito salad

Friday

out for supper 

Pinterest Epic Success!

 Ok, so I had in mind to get out our ice cream maker 

and make some homemade ice cream

when my family came to visit this summer. 

I was on Pinterest looking at ice cream recipes,

when I kept seeing "2 ingredient no churn" ice cream.

I had to try it!

This stuff was SO easy and SO good!

No ice cream maker needed.

Literally all you do is whip 16 ounces of cream.

Add in 1 can of sweetened condensed milk.

And freeze over night.

Took me 10 minutes to make two batches.

The first batch I dropped in some Nutella :-) and swirled it around.

The second batch I added some fresh peaches 

that I cooked in a little butter, cinnamon and sugar for a few minutes on the stove.

Both varieties were delicious! 

The possibilities for mix-ins are endless. :-)

I highly recommend trying this Pinterest idea!

Sunshine for the Laundry Room

Kind of like I wanna have a green thumb,

I also wanna be a seamstress. ;-)

I'm far from it, but I did get out my sewing machine last week 

and worked on some sunny yellow gingham curtains for my laundry room. 

I have to use my little instructional cd that came with my sewing machine every time I get it out.

Every. Time. 

I really had to laugh when I looked at my fabric!

July 11th 2014.

I had bought it two summers ago planning to make curtains for the laundry room. 

I thought a little curtain over my laundry supply shelf

would bring some sunshine into the room. 

I also replaced the brown curtain I had on the laundry room back door

with a matching yellow one.

They're certainly not perfect, but I like them! 

*Really* Simple Granola

I'm an oatmeal girl.  

95% of the time, my weekday breakfast consists of either 

hot oatmeal, overnight oats, or granola.

I have several good granola recipes -

Gingerbread Granola

Pumpkin Granola

Simple Granola

Summer Granola

But I was wanting to find a really simple granola recipe, 

even more simple than my simple granola. :-)

And this is it!

To make 8, 1/2 cup servings - 

combine 1/2 cup raw honey in 1/4 cup hot water

add a teaspoon of vanilla, a sprinkle of cinnamon, 4 cups of old fashioned oats and mix well

bake at 300 degrees for 40 minutes, stirring once halfway through baking time

That's all!  Enjoy!

Summertime Strawberry Jam

I love to make some strawberry jam in the summertime!

So quick and easy.  I use the Sure Jell recipe. 

Two pounds of strawberries for $3.

Seven jars of delicious strawberry jam.

Great on toast, biscuits, even ice cream! :-) 

Summertime in a jar!

Sandwich Bread

you will need - 

4 1/2 teaspoons yeast

3/4 cup warm water

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon salt

5 tablespoons butter, divided

2 2/3 additional cups warm water

9 1/2 cups flour

makes 3 loaves

Dissolve yeast in warm water with a teaspoon of the sugar.

Let sit 5 minutes.

Add the rest of the sugar, salt, 3 tablespoons of butter and additional warm water. 

Slowly mix in 5 cups of flour until smooth.

Gradually add remaining flour.

Knead on low speed for 10 minutes.

Place dough in a greased bowl and turn to coat.

Cover and let rise in a warm place for one hour. 

Punch dough down, divide into three loaves and place each in a lightly greased bread pan.

Cover and let rise in a warm place for one hour. 

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 

Place risen loaves in oven and bake 15 minutes.

Cover tops of loaves with foil to prevent excessive browning, and bake another fifteen minutes. 

Remove from oven and brush with melted butter.

Let cool before slicing. 

*Patriotic Berry Trifle*

Ingredients needed -

16 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 1/4 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups whipping cream

1 angel food cake, cubed

1 pint blueberries

1 pint strawberries

Whisk cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla until fully combined. 

Slowly add cream and continue to whisk until mixture is fluffy.

In a trifle dish, layer half the cake, half the cream, and half the fruit.

Repeat a second layer of cake, cream and fruit.

Keep refrigerated until serving.

Enjoy!

Copycat Kings Hawaiian Bread

ingredients needed - 

2 (.25 ounce) envelopes active dry yeast

1/2 cup warm water 

3 eggs

1 cup pineapple juice

1/2 cup water

3/4 cup white sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup butter, melted

6 cups flour

Sprinkle yeast over warm water in a mixing bowl.  Let sit 10 minutes.

Add eggs, juice, water, sugar, ginger, vanilla, and butter.  Mix well.

Gradually add flour until dough forms.  Let dough rise in a warm place for 1 hour.

Separate dough into three sections and form into round loaves.  Place in lightly greased cake pans and let rise again in a warm place for 30-45 minutes. 

Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.  Brush tops of loaves with butter if desired. 

Enjoy!

Quick Lunch from the Garden

I'm getting an abundant harvest right now from my cherry tomato plant.

So I decided to use some up at lunch today by scaling down my 

One Pot Pasta recipe into a single lunch portion. 

The original recipe calls for 12 oz. of linguine and 12 oz. of tomatoes.

I took that 1 to 1 ratio and used 1 cup of small pasta and 1 cup of tomatoes.

I scaled down the other ingredients, covered it all with water,

and boiled for ten minutes.

It was tasty!

Summer Morning in the Garden