Menu Plans

Supper Menus
September 9th-15th

Sunday 
out for dinner
Monday
old fashioned chicken and dumplings
Tuesday
fettuccine alfredo, casear salad, french bread
Wednesday
sliders, spicy potato wedges, baked beans
Thursday
texas chili, jalapeño cheese cornbread
Friday
homemade pizza
Saturday
out of town

Menu Plan Monday is Back!

The winds of change are blowing around here at Heritage Schoolhouse.  Next week my daughter will begin her sophomore year of high school, my son is going into junior high, I am starting back to work after staying home for fifteen years, and my son will begin playing on a competitive soccer team that will require travel most weekends.  Whew!   It is going to take awhile to adjust to our new routines.  I know one thing that I can do to make the transition smoother is for me to get back into the habit of routine menu planning.  When my children were little, and during the years we home schooled, I almost always menu planned, but after the kids started back to public school three years ago, I gradually stopped planning.  Mostly due to the fact that I had much less pressure to know what was for dinner each night.  I had the luxury of waiting until the last minute as well as the opportunity to stop by the store when I was in town after dropping the kids off at school or before I picked them up.  This year, after working all day and picking the kids up from school, stopping by the store around 5:00 pm will probably not be too high on my list of favorite activities!  I need to have a weekly plan and get my shopping done once a week. So, therefore, Menu Plan Monday is back!  I hope you get inspired to get your menus planned in advance, too, and if you have any favorite weeknight meals that your family loves, feel free to tell me about them in the comments.   

Menu Plan
August 19th-25th

Sunday

out to eat

Monday

fettuccine alfredo, lettuce and tomato salad, rosemary rolls    

Tuesday

hamburgers, spicy potato wedges, baked beans

Wednesday

mexican lasagna, chuy's jalapeño ranch dip, tortilla chips

Thursday

old fashioned chicken and dumplings, lettuce and tomato salad, brownies

Friday

poppyseed chicken, buttered corn, lettuce and tomato salad, dinner rolls

Saturday

out of town

August 10th - National S'mores Day!

Yummy!  Campfire s'mores 

and summertime just go together!

This year for S'mores Day I was stocked up.

Plenty of graham crackers, marshmallows and chocolate...

Plus we tried cool, refreshing s'mores parfaits.

Just layer chocolate pudding, graham crackers, 

marshmallow cream and top with marshmallows.

Want to start the day off right?

How 'bout s'mores for breakfast?

Why not?!

Try S'mores Muffins.

S'mores in a Jar

are fun, too!

Happy S'mores Day!

Can I have s'more? :-)

Teen Room ReDo! :-)

My teen daughter's room had gotten a little out of control since we moved into this house two years ago.  And when I say a little I am being nice. ;-)  Let's just say tidiness, cleanliness and organization are not as dear to her little heart as they are to mine and leave it at that.  

Did you know that one of the best ways to force ;-) reorganization and cleanliness is to paint??  Yep!  On Saturday afternoon, while my daughter was at the mall with a friend, I had had enough. I just flat out decided to stage an intervention. ;-) I knew she would never get her room looking good without a fresh start.  So...I took EV-ER-Y-THING out of her room and moved it into our living area.  And, I mean everything - off the walls, out of the closet, everything. Boy was she surprised when she got home!  On Sunday afternoon my husband painted her room "tree branch" brown - her choice.  It matches most of the rest of the house.  And I went shopping for some new bedding and curtains.  She requested white sheets and a white comforter and black curtains.   I got the t-shirt style sheets.  SO soft - she loves them.  (The curtains are the black-out kind that makes her room really dark and they will keep her room cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter as well.  This morning she had to wake up early to go to her babysitting job and she said it was so hard to get up because her room was black as night!  She also said that she had slept better last night than she has in a long time!)  She and I then spent ALL DAY yesterday wiping down her furniture, rearranging it as we put it back in her room, and going through everything before we put it back.  Nothing went back in her room that wasn't useful, beautiful or sentimental.  (We had several bags of trash and several bags to give away when we were done.)  I, of course, was in my element  sorting and purging.  My daughter not so much ;-) but she persevered.  She wanted to be finished!

I present to you, her new room.  We still have a few decorative items she'd like to get and we're searching pinterest for some cool things to do.  But, for now everything has a place and everything is in it's place.  Ahh!  Her "vision" for her room is for it to be peaceful and "earthy" so that's what we'll be looking to do.  I'm just glad it's clean and healthy again.  It was definitely worth a few days of work. :-)

This is all we have left.  A few bags of mementos, hair things, and jewelry that we have sorted and just need to decide how to display and/or store in her room.  She is enjoying her room so much already that I think even my messy girl might keep things a little more tidy!  I am hoping that we have set her up to be successful.  Here's to hoping. :-)

~Summer Evening Supper Pie~

Recipe from Smitten Kitchen.

Tomatoes, corn, cheddar cheese, a delicious pie crust

and a tangy sauce.

Yum-um and even better the next day.

DO NOT save time and use a can of corn!

Fresh all the way for this - you won't be sorry. :-)

Enjoy!

P.S. I mentioned to Mr. H. that maybe 

I'll throw a little bacon in next time I make this. 
He smiled.

The hens are two years old!

I really can't believe it's been two years since they arrived!

We celebrated their 2nd birthday today.

It was a low key affair. ;-)

Oats in the treat tin and a birthday picture.

A good time was had by all. :-)

I lost one hen this spring.  Little Emmy Lou.  

Not sure what happened to her.  

No signs of a snake or predator getting her.

She was always the lowest in the pecking order,

and maybe the other hens just didn't let her

get enough food and water. :-(

She was fine the day before, 

and then she was gone.  

Such is life on the farm.

But, I still do miss her.  

I also lost one of my girls I got from the feed store in April.

I learned a hard lesson that even if the temperature outside
is warm enough for a chick, a draft can still get them.  

Miranda was already over a month old, 

but she got wet from dumping the waterer over 

and then chilled outside in a draft. :-(

Thankfully Carrie is still doing well.

It's about time to let her in with the older hens.

I'm a bit worried since it was supposed to be 

two new ones to introduce to the flock.

She has been right next to the other hens

for several months now since I moved her outside,

but in a separate run. 

So we'll have to just see how it goes...

Chicken keeping is always an adventure. :-)

Linked to Barn Hop #72.

Fresh Peach Galette

Ingredients

for crust 

2/12 cups flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons sugar

1/4 cup shortening

12 tablespoons buter, cubed

1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

for filling

4 to 5 fresh peaches, pitted, peeled and sliced

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons butter, divided

To prepare crust, combine flour, salt and sugar.

Cut in shortening and butter

until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Slowly add water until dough comes together.

To prepare filling, toss peaches with sugar and vanilla.

Roll out dough to about twelve inches across.

Mound peaches in the center of the dough,

and then fold dough up and over, 

leaving some of the peaches showing

to form a rustic crust. 

Dot peaches with 1 tablespoon of butter.

Melt remaining butter and brush on dough.

Bake at 400 degrees for 30-35 minutes until golden brown.

Let cool 5 minutes and enjoy!

Linked to Barn Hop #72.

Hearty Breakfast Scones

Hearty Breakfast Scones
makes 1 dozen

3 cups flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup butter

1 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese

10 slices cooked bacon, cooled and chopped

1 tablespoon onion, finely minced

1 1/4 cups buttermilk

1 egg

2 teaspoons water

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Combine flour, baking powder, salt and pepper.  Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Add cheese, bacon and onion.  Mix until thoroughly combined.  While mixing slowly pour in buttermilk until dough pulls away from bowl.  Turn out dough onto a floured surface and pat into a flatted disk.  Cut dough into 12 wedges.  Place wedges onto parchment lined cookie sheets.  Whisk together egg and water. Brush egg wash onto scones.  Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.  Serve with juice, coffee or, as my son likes, a big glass of cold chocolate milk. Enjoy! :-)

These also freeze well for a quick breakfast on busy mornings. 

Soft Pretzels!

Are you a fan of those wonderful soft pretzels you can get at the mall?

If you are, you have to try making them yourself at home!

I promise you will think they are just as good as the ones you can buy,

but warm from your very own oven instead. :-)

The secret is lots of butter...

What you will need -

1 1/2 cups warm water

1 tablespoon sugar

4 teaspoons kosher salt, divided

2 1/4 teaspoons yeast

1 /2 cup butter, divided

4 1/2 cups flour

oil for greasing mixing bowl and cookie sheets

10 cups water

2/3 cup baking soda

1 egg yolk

To make eight pretzels -

Combine 1 1/2 cups warm water, sugar, and 2 teaspoons of the kosher salt in mixer bowl.

Sprinkle yeast over water and let sit 5 minutes.  

Meanwhile, melt 4 tablespoons of the butter,
and let cool slightly.

Add butter to water.

Add flour, one cup at a time.

After all flour is combined, attach dough hook to mixer 

and knead for about 5 minutes.

Remove dough, grease bowl, return dough to bowl, 

cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Line cookie sheets with parchment paper rubbed with just a bit of oil.

Bring 10 cups water and baking soda to a rolling boil.

Separate dough into eight pieces.

Roll each piece into an 18 inch rope.

Twist rope into a pretzel shape.

Drop each pretzel, one at a time, into boiling water for 30 seconds.

Place pretzels onto prepared cookie sheets.

Whisk egg yolk with 1 tablespoon of water and brush onto pretzels.

Soften the rest of the butter and rub half of it onto the pretzels.

Sprinkle with the rest of the kosher salt.

Bake pretzels for 15 minutes.

Halfway through baking time, rub remaining butter onto pretzels.

Let pretzels rest 5 minutes after removing from oven.

Serve warm with choice of dipping sauce and enjoy!

Linked to Barn Hop #72.

Pets

"The difference between friends and pets 

is that friends we allow into our company, 

pets we allow into our solitude."  

~Robert Brault

Moseying in the Mornings

One of my favorite things to do during the summertime

is to mosey around outside in the early morning

before it gets too hot.

Oftentimes, even before the rest of the house is awake,

Miss Daisy and I will head out to check on the gardens and the animals.
The little eggs I found last month have hatched
and the baby birds are a week old now.
I check on them every day and I love when I 
sometimes see the momma bird feeding them. 

The green bean plants are coming up that I planted last week

We put them in the garden where the onions were. 

I usually water my herbs first thing in the morning.

And again in the evening.

My basil is doing really well.

I use cilantro a lot in my cooking

and I've been picking it just as fast as it grows!

The fresh mint is so delicious in my ice tea.

I planted some sunflowers in my cutting garden

and they started to come up last week.

The garden is really doing well this year.

Our tomato plants are covered with all varieties of tomatoes.

We pick them at the first hint of pink and let them ripen

on the widow sill.  It only takes a day or two and they're perfect.

Linked to Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop #62. 

Strawberry Banana Muffins

~Strawberry Banana Muffins~

makes one dozen

2 very ripe bananas, mashed

3/4 cup brown sugar, plus extra for topping

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup butter, melted

2 1/4 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup fresh strawberries, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Melt butter; set aside.  Combine bananas, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla.  Add butter.  In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and baking soda.  Toss strawberries in flour mixture until well coated.  Add flour mixture to wet ingredients and mix just until combined.  Fill muffin tin and top muffins with a sprinkle of brown sugar.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until muffins test done and start to brown.  Enjoy!

I really liked these muffins.  
They smelled SO good baking and they were very tasty! :-)