Monday Menus and New England in Autumn.......

I have noticed that I do a lot better if I post a weekly menu. I don't always follow it perfectly, but I'm usually close. It really does help keep me on track so, Monday Menus are back. They also keep my husband from harassing....er, asking me "What's for dinner?" (just kidding honey, you really don't harass me...much)

Monday: Marinated pork chops, rice pilaf, green beans, beets (beets are for me as no one else in this house will touch them)

Tuesday: Chicken New England***, egg noodles, peas, carrots

Wednesday: Spaghetti with meat sauce, salad, garlic bread

Thursday: Pork roast, rice and gravy, corn, green beans

Friday: BBQ smoked sausage, mashed potatoes, spinach

***Chicken New England is my version of a chicken dish I had in Vermont (I think) during a New England vacation. My folks took me on this vacation when I was in my early 20's. We went during Autumn. It was beautiful, it was fun, and it was filled with good memories. If you have never seen the New England states in Autumn, GO!! There really are places that are breath-taking.

Basically the chicken dish is boneless chicken breast, wrapped in dried beef then baked in a very yummy sauce and served over egg noodles. If anyone just HAS to have the recipe, let me know and I will get it to you.

Ya'll have a good week and Happy Cooking!

Monday Menus and Random Thoughts.....

Howdy. Did you have a good weekend? We had a good one. Had a great time celebrating Dad's and husbands. My pops is an awesome dad and my hubs is a fantastic dad and spouse. If you really want to know how I feel about pops just check this out. If you wanna read more about my terrific hubs just click here. Go ahead. I'll wait.


After church, we went to mom and pops and had a wonderful meal....mom is a really good cook ya know. We then just enjoyed each other's company for a while, played a couple of games with the little man. The only problem with playing games with him is that the rules often change to suit him. I'm not gonna say he cheats but ya know, if the shoe fits.....


Why is it that after you do yard work, your body gets mad? Ok. My body gets mad. It's not like I NEVER do yard work, it's just that I don't do it as often as I should. When I do, apparently I use muscles that I normally don't use during regular everyday living. It's like a vicious cycle. I do yard work. I hurt. I swear never to do yard work again. I feel guilty cause the yard needs work and I can't expect hubs to do it all. SO, I do yard work. I hurt. I swear never to do yard work again.......you get the idea. OH! And why oh why is it that if there are biting ants within a 5 mile radius, I will step in them? I now have 47 ant bites on my feet......ok. I only have 6.... but they hurt!!! By the way, we did yard work Saturday. That's what brought on this little rant, in case you were wonderin.


I just love critters. What brought that on you ask? Just lookin at the kitty, lookin at the turtles, still after all this time tryin to figure out how to get in that darn glass box! Also, we have rabbits in our neck of the woods. There are a couple that spend quite a bit of time in our yard. One of them is pretty big and solid white. For a while, no one had seen him but me. My bff started calling him Harvey and accusing me of imagining him. Well, since then, a number of people have seen Harvey and I even got a picture of him. So there! HA!

Ain't he cute?

Ok. On to menus.

Monday: Rabbit stew.......HA just kiddin. I couldn't get rid of sweet Harvey.

Monday: Stromboli (that I didn't cook last Friday)

Tuesday: Pork roast, rice and gravy, corn and green beans.....yawn.

Wednesday: Clean out the fridge night since we have plans with the family on Friday.

Thursday: Dinner with my Aunt and other family

Friday: Dinner on the town with the family.

Hope ya'll have a great week! Chat with ya later....

Mass Confusion, Menus and Memes....

So. Whatcha been doin? Well, shortly after I made my last post, the plague ripped through the Smith household. Little man started it and middle guy finished it 7 days later with the rest of us falling like domino's in between. It wasn't that sweet little 24 hour bug either. It was that big- honkin -48 -hour -(or more) runnin -to -the -bathroom-body- aching-wishin -you -could -just -pass -on bug. The good thing was the little man got over it very quickly and was his normal happy self the next day. The bad thing was the little man was his normal happy self during the time that his father and I were having our near death experiences. Poor little guy would come and shake me into the here and now to ask for something to eat. I would reply, "just a minute baby" and a short time later I would hear him scooting a chair over to the counter to help himself to a banana or apple. Fortunately Gene started doing better a few hours after I fell victim, so the little man only had to fend for himself for a few hours. Well, we all lived to tell our harrowing experiences and are none the worse for wear. On the plus side, I did loose a couple of pounds. That's always a good thing, right?
That was the mass confusion part of the title. Now onto menus.....

Monday - Spaghetti with meat sauce
Tuesday - Roast beef, rice and gravy, green beans and maybe squash souffle'
Wednesday - Busy busy busy- grab your own dinner -thanks!
Thursday - Pork chops, onion soup potatoes, peas
Friday - Pepperoni and Canadian bacon Stromboli (with leftover sauce from Monday), salad.

Ok. Now for the meme. Mrs N. over at All That Naz has started a new one. 9 on the 9th. The object is to create a list of any 9 things on the 9th of each month. She promised a reminder for us and that's a good thing because I don't do well with remembering dates and stuff. For instance, I think little man's birthday is somewhere near the beginning of the year but I'm not sure. JUST KIDDIN! I know when his birthday is........I'm pretty sure......I think. Anyway, if she will stick to the reminder, probably I will stick with the meme.....most likely. Ok. I'll try.

So, drum roll please for the very first, soon to be monthly, 9 on the 9th meme.

9 things that make me smile.....

1. Little man's hugs and kisses, even when he is dirty/gooey/and or sweaty.
2. My husband's sense of humor.
3. Watching the middle guy squirm under the glare of my hairy eyeball when he has done something he shouldn't have, or not done something he should have.
4. When the cat beats up the dogs.
5. Scrap booking with my friends.
6. Singing and spending time with my cousins.
7. Flirting with my husband.
8. Playing cards/games with my whole family at my Aunt's house.
9. When kids mispronounce words.

There you have it. More information than you ever wanted!
Chat with ya later......

Monday menus and other business.....

Sorry about the week off. I hope no body was harmed because of me not posting a menu last week. I would hate to feel responsible for any family not being fed *insert silly grin here*.

We have been pretty busy here at the Smiff household. Lots of things going on but not much getting done! I sometimes feel as if I am trying to run in mud.....not that I really run all that much. I have a firm belief that one should only run if one is being chased by something very scary.....like a grizzly bear, or a mugger, or an angry mob, or a mutant swarm of bees.....well, you get the idea. I don't do running. Anyway, back to my feelings. I feel like I have been so very very busy but haven't accomplished a darn thing. Do you ever feel that way? I don't especially like it. I also feel as if I have been in somewhat of a fog. That isn't helping me accomplish much either. Oh well, I am pretty sure my family has had most of the required meals, I think...and they have clean clothes, most likely.......and they are all safe and happy.....ok, they aren't miserable....much.
I hope I recover from whatever it is that ails me soon so I can get back into enjoying life and accomplishing.......stuff! When you are saying your prayers, send one up for me if you don't mind. thanks.

On to menus:
Monday: Marinated pork chops, San Fran treat, green beans, corn
Tuesday: Cheddar sausages, baked beans, fruit salad
Wednesday: Baked chicken, baked red skin potatoes, carrots, spinach
Thursday: Ham, mac and cheese, green beans
Friday: Meatball stroganoff over noodles, peas, salad

There you have it.
You know what might be fun? How about, in honor of the upcoming Mom's day, let me know your favorite meal that your mom used to cook for you. Just post it in the comments section so we can all enjoy it! Thanks in advance for playing!!! I will let you know mine in my next post. OH the suspense...........

Monday menus, weddings and other stuff......

O.K. It's over. I think it was a success. The bride and groom seemed very pleased and that is what is most important to me. A lot of the guests also were complimenting the foodstuffs with crumbs falling out of their mouths while they talked.......I think that's a good sign.

Noah attended. This was his first wedding and he really did well. He was mostly quiet during the ceremony. He tends to get a little uncomfortable when things are very quiet so he loudly cleared his throat during an unusually quiet moment. I don't think it made a very big impact though since I didn't see any heads whipping around to see what in the world that noise was.

The wedding was beautiful! The pastor did a wonderful job and quite a few tears were shed. The bride and groom were beaming and so very joyful. There is no doubt in my mind that God was smiling as well. A success indeed!

This is what the cake looked like. The bottom layer was half chocolate and half vanilla. The middle was strawberry. That way the guests had their choice. (you didn't hear it from me, but some people asked for all three...gasp! ok. probably, I would have done the same thing but that's beside the point)

Needless to say, I'm sure the family is happy that this is over. I will still be cooking but it will be for them again!

Monday: Pork roast, rice and gravy, cabbage/green beans and corn (cabbage is for me*family will not touch cabbage*family says....yuchhhhh!)

Tuesday: Turkey stroganoff casserole, peas.(I put the leftover turkey from a few weeks ago in the freezer*can be made with chicken too*family LOVES this casserole*it gets gone really fast)

Wednesday: Teriyaki chicken tenders, ham fried rice, stir fry veggies.

Thursday: Pulled pork BBQ sandwiches (from Monday's leftover pork roast) baked beans, fruit salad.

Friday: Lasagna, garlic bread, salad.

Sound good? I does to me, especially after last week's sandwich festival!

Monday Menus, lite

I was sweetly reminded by Southern Girl Now Known As Mommy that I have yet to post my weekly menus. I am using the term sweetly loosely since she did kinda insinuate that without my menus her family would starve and it would be my fault. (see comment on previous post) As my six faithful readers might remember, last week I received a somewhat sarcastic comment from my husband and I called him a name. Well the name is going to be used on Southern Mommy too.......


Smarty Pants!

There. I said it. (for those of you that know her...you also know that she is one of the most precious human beings in the world and I love her much)

OK. I'm sure you are all on the edge of your proverbial seats wondering what in the world I meant by "lite" in the title. Well, I am catering a wedding this Saturday and I am trying to make everything at the last possible minute so I can have it all be as fresh as possible. I am also doing their wedding cake (it is a small wedding or I would not do both the cake and the catering) Anyway. I am also doing my monthly birthday cake for my BFF's office. I will be spending a lot of time in the kitchen, but to my family's dismay, it won't be cookin dinner......sorry.
So, hear goes Monday Menus, the lite edition.

Monday: Hot Dogs and whatever you can find to go with them
Tuesday: Grilled cheese and tomato soup
Wednesday: Ham sandwiches
Thursday: Tuna salad or whatever else I can find that is fast as lightning
Friday: For the love of PETE people, I am catering a wedding tomorrow........feed yourselves for crying out loud!!!

(I tend to get a little tense the night before......)

Monday Menus

One evening last week, Gene said "Honey, what's for dinner?" and I then told him. Nothing unusual about the question or the answer except he then said................"I wouldn't have to ask if the menu was on your blog".



Smarty pants.



Monday: Roast beef, taters and gravy, collards and beets.
Tuesday: Country fried steak, rice, green beans and corn
Wednesday:Baked fish, mac and cheese, fruit salad and green peas (I just KNOW Annie wants in on this meal..she loves green peas you know!)
Thursday: Teriyaki chicken tenders, fried rice, stir fry veggies
Friday: Philly cheese steak sandwiches, caramelized onions and salad. (I have to prepare extra onions for the little man......he LOVES them....weird huh.)

And by the way, a couple of you wanted to know if Noah will eat all this? Heck no! I just try to have leftovers of what he will eat or he gets a Pb&j! We just keep offering for him to try new things and hopefully, eventually, he will eat a wider variety. The items in green are things he will eat. Very strange....very strange!
Items in orange are things that no one in this house except me will touch.....not even with a ten foot pole.
I have a friend whose mother used to cook 2 or 3 complete meals for dinner so everyone in her house would be happy..........NOT THIS CHICK! I do try to have at least one or two ITEMS that everyone will eat, but, if not....there is always sandwich stuff in the fridge. Help yourself. Oh yeah, and there is always Pb&j!

Monday Menus and other stuff....

Well, I think dh and I are finally on the mend. My poor husband was mostly like the energizer rabbit guy. Bless his heart, he just kept going and going. I am glad he is finally feeling better!
My sneezing, coughing, sniffling, tinkling thing kind of morphed into a stomach, headache, general yucky thing. Yesterday, the stomach thing morphed into a back ache which for me involves bulging disks pressing onto nerves thing. I'm not whining really, just explaining my absence from bloggy land. I try to keep up with the following attitude......if I wake up breathing, I am blessed. If I can get out of the bed, I am twice blessed. If I have a spring in my step, I am three times blessed! There you have it!
On to the menu planning.....

Monday: We were honored to share a wonderful meal with the JOY group from our church. JOY stands for Just Older Youth....it is an exclusive club...you have to be 50 or older. If ya'll have not had the privilege of meeting these precious people, you can get to know them by helping out! Just email seniors@riverbluff.org. By the way, we got to share that meal because my dh hooked up with cBoz's main squeeze and entertained the masses. They did some foot stompin bluegrass and gospel music and a good time was had by all!

Now, back to the menu....sorry.
Tuesday: Fried chicken, the San Francisco treat, green beans, corn and rolls.
Wednesday: No cook day
Thursday: Roast beef, carrots, mashed pots and gravy, peas.
Friday: Baked pasta* and spinach.

*This is my own creation.....I use some kind of corkscrew pasta shape, mix it with spaghetti sauce(I try to make a double batch when I make spaghetti so I will have left over for this dish), pepperoni, Canadian bacon, onions, green pepper and mozzarella cheese. Toss it in a big ole baking dish, top with some more cheese and bake till bubbly. YUM!

On another note......the following conversation just happened in Smithville. If you have teenage boys, I'm sure it has happened to you in some variation. For those of you that do not have teenage boys yet, just take note and prepare.....it is coming.

Oldest boy: (holding a bag of microwave popcorn)How long do you cook this? Every time I do it, it burns....I follow the directions....
Me: Well, how long do the directions say to cook it?
Oldest boy: 1 minute to 1 minute and 30 seconds.....
Me: Well, how long do you cook it?
Oldest boy: I don't know, 2 minutes I guess.....
Me: WHY are you cooking it for 2 minutes when it says to only cook it for 1? THAT is why it is burning.....the longer you cook something, the more likely it is to OVERCOOK!!
Oldest boy: oh.

AHHHHHHHHHHRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!! If you need me, I will be repeatedly hitting my head against the wall.......pass the aspirin please.

Monday Menus

Update*** Because I was still feeling bad, my wonderful husband provided the dinner for Monday......he ordered pizza. I said he provided, not cooked. Remember, he is feelin poopie too. Anyway, the bottom line is, he took care of dinner so I didn't have to cook.....that deserves a big pat on the back. Thanks honey!

I have been trying to get sick since last Wednesday or so. I refused. My body didn't care that I was in denial so I finally had to give in.....I'm sick. So is Gene. We are doing the tag team thing.....he naps a while then I nap a while. So far it is working out well. I am actually feeling a little better today so I think I see light at the end of the tunnel. Gee, I hope I really am getting better and it's not THE light.....
Anyway, THANKFULLY, the boys are not sick. Please pray that the boys continue to stay well and that Gene and I get better soon. Thanks.
As far as the menu goes, nothin fancy this time!

Monday: breakfast - eggs, toast.....comfort food.
Tuesday: Marinated chicken tenders, green beans, fried rice
Wednesday: No cook day
Thursday: Spaghetti, salad, garlic bread
Friday: Pork chops, mashed pots and gravy, honeyed carrots, spinach

Ya'll have a good week! Hopefully I will be back soon......yawn....sniff, cough, sneeze, tinkle, oops.

Monday Menus

I decided that I would post the week's menu on my blog from now on. I usually do it on a piece of paper and sit it next to the fridge. By the end of the week, it has gotten schmootz on it and if the cat has spotted it, well, it will then have claw marks on it. I figured if I posted it on my blog, it wouldn't get messed up, shredded, or lost. You see, the thing is, I love to cook but I hate to plan what to cook so I figured this may make it a bit easier. Plus, if I can maybe talk the rest of you into doing it too, we could share menu ideas and make our lives much easier. Maybe we could even start doing some recipe sharing as well....who knows how big this thing could get. We could maybe even reach 10's of 20's of people!!! This could be HUGE!

ok. never mind about the HUGE thing....lets just share a few ideas between the six of us and see how that works.....

Monday: beef tacos with cheese, lettuce and tomatoes and maybe a smidgen of sour cream..., Spanish rice.

Tuesday: crock pot pork roast, collards, corn, mashed potatoes and pork gravy.

Wednesday: We are usually running around like crazy people so we grab something on the way to or from church...so, lets just call Wednesday's a no-cook day from now on.

Thursday: Baked BBQ chicken, mac and cheese, and green beans

Friday: Breaded baked fish, (I trust the Gorton's fisherman) and any leftover veggies and things from the days before. Let's dub Friday's "clean out the fridge" night.

Saturday: Small group night. We usually all eat together. This week we will be having soup, salad and fresh fruit.

Well, there you have it. Sounds pretty good to me. Bon Appetite!