For us, Christmas is pretty much over and done and I'm okay with that...but the day hasn't even arrived yet, and I really want to continue to enjoy this season. I find with each week that has passed since Thanksgiving that I've gotten pretty good at finding little things to enjoy, happy things to do that all bespeak Christmas in one way or another whether it's as simple as lighting the tree and mantle each grey dreary day or dark night or listening to that lovely "O Come O Come Emmanuel" by the Piano Guys.
Friday night, after a chilly wet day out, we had our Shabat and then ate hot soup and fresh baked bread by candlelight. John laughingly pointed out that we were eating yet again from that 15c turkey...I didn't mention that we had 4 cups more meat from that bird in the freezer, enough to make at least two big entrees (I'm thinking Turkey Pot Pie and Turkey Tettrazini) which will be four more meals for the two of us. But that won't be this week I don't think.
Let's go ahead and plan for the week ahead.
Work:
It's Harvest week. I did initial work on the bill box on Friday before our outing. I still need to write checks and address envelopes. We'll go down to pick up the check, make deposit and drop off bills in the mail.
Clean the fridge and note just what we have and what I need to use up or freeze to prevent loss.
Then there will be a grocery day. I'm not sure what grocery day is really going to look like this week because we don't need much for the two weeks ahead. Cheese perhaps but not milk, certainly not lettuce or mandarins but potatoes. I'm thinking I might do some stocking up: flour, olive oil, cooking oil.
So here's part two of shopping: I'll pre-plan for the cleaning supplies sale, the office supplies needed (envelopes is another thing that comes to mind), the personal items I must buy.
Continue with my deep cleaning. I didn't ever make it to the point of deep cleaning the guest bath, or guest room last week. The main living area and our bedroom still need to be deep vacuumed and the kitchen and laundry haven't been touched at this time but I'll keep doing what I can as I can and I should have it all done by end of the month.
Plant tulips if the weather cooperates aka stops raining. I paid good money for those bulbs and I really want to get them into a pot or in the ground so they can do what they need to do in order to bloom come spring. Also prune roses.
I really need to clear out my household clothes drawer and straighten it up once again. I don't know why I keep tumbling and tossing things about in that drawer! The napkin drawer is as big a mess in the buffet...So it sounds like a week to also check my dresser, buffet, and kitchen drawers and get them all in order!
Menus:
Roast Beef with Gravy, Mashed Potatoes, Cheesy Broccoli
Roast Beef with Gravy, Mashed Potato Pancakes, Broccoli
You are not seeing double...It's leftovers for Sunday dinner...
Chicken Parmesan, Spaghetti, Green Salad
I'll make a bit extra of this. I'd promised Katie a meal of it for her 'lying in' time but there was no room in her freezer nor mine. Well she's still dealing with a tiny baby and nights are interrupted by the need for middle of night and very early morning feedings. She won't complain over a meal she hasn't got to cook, I'll wager.
a meal out
It's both grocery day and pay week so the likelihood we'll eat out is high...
Black Beans and Mexican Rice, Tossed Salad, Chocolate Pudding
Mandy in the Making is one of only two cooking channels I watch on You tube. She did a Mexican rice this last week that sounds good. I'll use brown rice to make mine which will take a bit longer to cook but increase the nutritional value of the dish.
Kielbasa, Pierogi, Cabbage
The pierogi are best with some buttery onions over them, in my opinion, so I'll add that to this meal.
The sausage can steam with the cabbage and do double duty as seasoning for the veg.
Kale and Farro Soup, Crusty Bread
I priced kale the other day and bought spinach instead. I'm going to try to make just a half recipe so we don't have a ton of leftovers of this. We're eating soup a couple of times a week just now with the cooler weather and since this is also a meatless meal it's a double win.
6 comments:
Mandy in the Making is awesome.. I get good ideas from there but I never follow through.. mainly because I am cooking just for me and I dislike fiddling with recipes.. actually I dislike cooking period. LOL
Hot soup and fresh baked bread by candlelight sounds like the perfect winter's night meal to me. Made me feel cozy just reading the words. Coziness needed here in St Louis. We've got snow on the ground, and more coming today.
Thank you for mentioning Mandy in the Making You Tube cooking programs. That is the type of cooking that my husband likes and so do I. The video I saw with the chicken thighs and potatoes in the white sauce had my mouth watering.
Like Louise who commented earlier, I don't make very many recipes that are too "fiddly" (Louise used the perfect description) either, but I found Mandy's meals to be pretty simple. I don't brown chicken thighs in a skillet, but cook them in the microwave in a cooking bag and then finish them off in the regular oven to get the skin crisp. My knees don't like standing in front of the stove, skillet browning or frying anything these days. So I would just sort of adapt her recipes to my way of doing some of the steps.
I used to get a lot of good ideas from the TV show The Kitchen, but for the past year or so they started cooking things that are just too much for me. Either too many ingredients, too fiddly, too expensive, etc. Has anyone else noticed that the show changed from what it used to be? Maybe I am just getting too particular.
It's always interesting to see what you have on your menu for the week. So many times you have given me ideas of what to cook. I get in a rut sometimes with what I cook and often need inspiration to snap me out of it.
I've followed Mandy for quite some time now, and just finished watching her two newest videos a little while ago. We enjoy the Monterey chicken recipe she makes now and again.
Thanks for the link. Watched 1 show and I am hooked. Gramma D
I'm so happy you all are enjoying Mandy. I haven't tried any of her recipes yet but I know which ones I'd like to try.
Terri,
I can’t believe you can still plant tulips! Yes, get them in the ground as they are such a lovely, uplifting sight come spring. I got my 50 red tulips in my bird garden just before the early snows came in late October and I am so glad that I have a little present waiting under the frozen ground to welcome spring.
I think that making a meal for a new mother is just the best gift ever. I never lived near family when I have my babies and your daughter is so blessed to have you near!
I am busy catching up on housework and chocolate making and being under the weather for a few days. Not the best timing for that! We are firing up the the “chocolate factory” as it is called at our house again this evening. I hope to freeze balls of truffle mixture (mint and peanutbutter) so we can drop the truffles into melted chocolate. Next up is chocolate, caramel and pecan covered pretzels on Friday. All three of my younger sons have worked at a small Taqueria in our little village (the youngest still does) and the owner just loves my homemade chocolates. His young daughters are coming over to make chocolate Friday afternoon. We used to have a big chocolate party every year when the kids were younger. We would invite all of their friends and mothers for lunch and then chocolate making.
The other things I have to do this weekend besides finish all the chocolate making is to make gingerbread cookies. I love them to be extra spicy and they are a favorite, although not a quick bake cookie. I hope to make lip balm and body butter too, but we shall see as I have to deep clean the guest room. It’s all quite fun and I do so enjoy this time of year. Hopefully I will get a few walks in too as I have fallen off the wagon there! I feel so much better when I make time for this.
Well, off to catch up on the housework! I hope you have a lovely Thursday Terrif!
Post a Comment