Menu Plan Monday

We had a wonderful Father's Day weekend, spending it with our oldest son and the three youngest grandchildren.  John heard from all the kids and from all the rest of the grandchildren as well, so he was doubly blessed this Father's Day.  I am forever amused by the noise level in my two older children's homes.  Barking, screeching, yelling, crying, stomping feet, whimpers and whines, all over the chatter of adults and the noise of the television.  It's wild both in person and when experienced over the phone!  I always end up chuckling to myself.  It's a madhouse and I am deeply thankful to hear it but just as grateful for my quiet home.



Back to reality.  Meals this weekend were had away from home, but the kitchen here was back in business by midday today.  I don't mind cooking, but not so keen on it after a five hour drive!  Fortunately I had some homemade things that made a nice meal when put together.

Stuffed Bell Peppers, Coleslaw, Corn on the Cob, Corn Muffins
I was looking at Lena's blog  and came across her post about stuffed peppers.  John, who seldom pays any attention to what I'm looking at on the computer, glanced over and said, "I really like those...Why don't we have those?"  Well, as it happened I was in Aldi last week looking at the green peppers and thought "Oh I have blanced halves in the freezer, I should make stuffed peppers this week."  So great minds, right?  This was an encore presentation of leftovers I served him Friday.

Turkey Divan,  Salad with Strawberries and Candied Walnuts, Crescent Rolls
A couple of weeks ago when I cooked the turkey, I cooked some broccoli that we hadn't eaten and put in the bottom of a casserole dish, layered sliced turkey breast over the top and put the dish in the freezer.  I'll make my cheese sauce topping  for the dish and let it heat while I bake the homemade crescent rolls (and possibly a loaf of Challah, too.

I often use fruits and berries in our salads, just as a change from the usual.  I have plenty of strawberries on hand right now and will put some in the freezer for smoothies or strawberry lemonade but in the meantime they are super good in a salad.  I like a light fruity vinagrette dressing for summer berry salads.

My Day Out
John likes these summer days with me out of the house.  He gets to eat sandwiches for both meals which suits him greatly.

Cheese Omelet, Asparagus, Hash browns, Ruby Biscuits
I'm going to try to provide a meatless meal at least twice a week.  I'd like to do a cheese souffle, but I'll need to see how my day is going first and read over my old Tried and True Recipe.  I'd prefer to half it since the old recipe makes enough for six or eight (can't remember!).  However, if I'm lacking in ambition, a Cheese Omelet will do just fine.  We found Asparagus at Aldi and I can roast them quickly in the oven while the biscuits bake.  The biscuits are just dimpled with a bit of strawberry jelly in the dimple.  Not a big deal but looks fancy. I won't 'dimple' the whole batch of biscuits and I'll be sure to sugar the tops of at least two of them and bake for dessert over the weekend.

Leftover Divan tossed with Spaghetti, Green Salad, Homemade Bread
I know we'll have leftovers of this dish and I'm determined that nothing goes to waste these days.  I've got leftover spaghetti in the freezer that I'll thaw and heat.  I'll toss the leftover Divan with the pasta, adding a bit extra cheese sauce, if needed, to keep it moist.

 Cold Cuts, Potato Salad, Grape Tomatoes, Homemade bread, Fresh Peaches, Vanilla Ice cream
 An easy prepared Shabat meal.  I have turkey ham and smoked turkey breast in the freezer so we'll have our variety.  I'll probably cut some Swiss cheese slices into halves and roll, cut sticks of cheddar, too.  Just to 'fancy up' the meal for Shabat.

Sirloin Tip Roast, Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Creamed Fresh Peas, Strawberry Shortcakes
The roast will slice nicely, so I serve just a few pieces for our meal.  This meal won't have the heaviness that pot roast can have.  The peas are also from Aldi.  I really stocked up on the fresh produce this past week and have put in the freezer all that I could to preserve the flavors.  A friend of ours used to serve creamed peas to her family and they raved over them every time they came to table.  She used canned peas, but Granny told me Big Mama used to do the same with fresh ones.  I thought I'd try it myself.  I'll thaw frozen strawberry slices and sweeten them, split sugar topped biscuits (I'll make them mid-week and freeze to  keep them fresh too) and the fill with whipped cream.