Menu Monday: Stormy Weather Part II

Here we are on another Monday and I'm telling you it looks pretty much like last week's Meal Planning Day.  Heavy gray skies, heavy rumbly rain...We had rain yesterday, too.  I haven't checked the rain gauge recently but last week we had 8 inches.  Yes, 8!

We had the nicest possible weekend.  Saturday was a restful Shabat here at home.  I'd prepped food on Friday and had only to do minor things for cooking and clearing.  I deeply enjoy this day of rest now that I've grown accustomed to it.  I find I'm far more productive all the rest of the week when I've taken this day of rest.  It's like a booster shot to my week that day of rest.



We had a lovely day yesterday.  My youngest and his girl came down to spend the day with us.  I do mean day, too, lol.  I woke around 5:30 yesterday morning and thought out all I had to do for dinner prep and some instinct told me to plan breakfast, too.  When John came in from work around 7:30 I was busy mixing up pancakes, cooking turkey sausage and turkey bacon.  He asked me "When do we expect the boy to come in?"  I told him I had no clue but added, "...he's never been known to miss a meal and I just have this feeling..."  Ten minutes later, Maddie barked and I saw his car coming up the drive.  So Sam and Bess had breakfast and dinner with us.  Such a nice time visiting!  And what luxury to have a still Sabbath clean home so I didn't need to fret over what wasn't done.

 Oven Bbq'd Chicken, Corn on the Cob, Cumin dressed Cabbage Salad, Magic Cookie Bars
Samuel I played in the kitchen together and made the Bbq sauce.  We used orange marmalade and liquid smoke in the sauce.  Yummy!  The marmalade made the sauce have that stickiness that is so nice in sauce for chicken.
I was very near out of lettuce (1 large left!).  Samuel (and as it happens Bess) has never eaten mayonnaise.  He really really dislikes it.  I don't know how a woman who loved to eat Mayonnaise sandwiches growing up could have a son who dislikes it as much as he does, really I don't, lol.  So no lettuce, and mayo is taboo...what kind of salad could I serve.  I decided upon that cabbage salad I used to make often two summers ago: shredded raw cabbage (I used red then but only had green on hand), thinly sliced carrots.  I mixed up a vinaigrette with cumin and Montreal seasoning in for flavor and tossed the salad together about two hours before dinner.  I put it in the fridge to chill.    Samuel has never been a fan of raw cabbage either, by the way, and he looked dubious but gave it a try and told me "I can't believe how good this is!  Give me the recipe, please."  I like red peppers in the salad too, but I thought that was pushing him a bit too far, lol.  He's never cared over much for bell peppers of any sort.

Pigs In Blankets, Cinnamon baked beans, Pineapple Salad 
I had a special dessert today after this dinner: a phone call from my lovely newly 11 year old granddaughter Josie.  Her daddy posted a photo of her in her new sundress for me while we chatted.  Nothing sweeter than that to end a meal with.

John mentioned the other day how much he always liked Pigs in blankets.  We were on the same page because I'd just been thinking about how much I enjoyed them and we haven't had them in ages.  Partly due to the lack of sales in the good all beef franks that we enjoy prevented that.  I bought two packs on sale Memorial Day weekend and we grilled one for Mama's birthday dinner that week.
I just use biscuit dough (homemade) to wrap around my dogs, which I like far better than canned dough.  A can of vegetarian baked beans was made into 'homemade' to bake alongside the entree.  I drained and rinsed the beans and then added in chopped onion, ketchup, maple syrup, a pinch of dry ground mustard, and a good rounded 1/2 tsp of cinnamon.  This is another 'old' recipe I used for years and let drop that I decided was just too good not to keep in circulation.  The cinnamon adds such a nice rich flavor to the beans.  Enough beans and pigs to have dinner when we return from grocery shopping this week.

The pineapple salad was a fit use for that lone big lettuce leaf.  I tore it into two portions and built a salad each for John and I on that.  Can you tell how hard I'm working to keep waste to a new minimum in the kitchen these days?

Shish Kebab, Armenian Potatoes, Challah
I never got to this meal over the weekend as I'd intended, so I've moved it over to this week with different sides.  If this meal seems a bit low on vegetables it's not.  There will be squash, peppers and onion on the kebabs with the meat.  I'd normally do a salad, but...I'm out of options here.

I don't know about you but I have a short list of things I could use right now but I'm doing a grocery shop on Thursday and I really just hate to buy overpriced okayquality options locally when I can get really well priced,  good quality items on grocery day.  And I don't want to drive the same mileage twice in a week's time when one will suffice.  That's two pay periods now that I've run short on the fresh foods end.  I'm going to have to look carefully at the quantity I'm buying and increase it, I think.

Pastitio, 3 Bean Salad, Garlic Bread
I don't have much ground beef left at this point, but I hope to make it until next pay period before we make a trip to the meat market.  I think this is a good way to stretch it...If it's very warm (today is mild) I'll probably just serve spaghetti, since the base of this pasta dish is a meat sauce with a pasta and bechamel sauce over that.  I keep cans of 3 bean salad on the pantry shelf.

Leftover Pigs and Blankets, Baked Beans with store deli  Coleslaw or Potato Salad 
John will choose which salad he wants to go with the meal today.  My 'effort' will be reheating the food.

Chicken Pot Pies, Green Beans, Carrot Raisin Salad
I'm probably going to have purchased frozen pot pies.  Yes, I can make them myself, but this is one foodstuff that I've never found my homemade version half as good as the store bought one.  Just out of curiosity, I wonder if there's something you just like better as a purchased pre-made item better than you do the homemade versions you've tried?  Leave me a comment and tell me your favorites!

Wrap Sandwiches, Chips, Fresh Cherries
I'm not sure what luncheon meats we'll have.  There's a roast beef product we like to buy now and then at Aldi but haven't seen lately.  I also have some really good smoked turkey breast meat in the freezer that I can thaw.  I'll make the wrap sandwiches with flour tortillas, finely shredded lettuce, herbed cream cheese (homemade) spread, pepper jack, finely minced red peppers and shredded carrots.  Yes, these are vegetable packed rolls and they make for hearty sandwiches.  These are especially good if made ahead which I intend to do.

That's my plan for the week.  My mind has been working overtime this morning and I'm off to try to get my thoughts down for a few blog posts.  I jotted down the topic highlights earlier so I wouldn't 'lose' my creative train of thought.  No need of kidding myself that I'd remember, especially after that long conversation with my birthday girl.

Speaking of which June is the second heavy birthday month we have in our family.  I always wonder how on earth we'll make it through but this year I think I'll manage just fine. Josie's gift was ordered last week and arrived in plenty of time for her birthday.  Katie got an early present when she moved into her home (she wanted a vaccuum, lol.  My kids love appliances and such for their gifts!).  Two more to go...