Menu Musings

I'm thinking of my menu for this coming week. It's a holiday week and we have company coming and I have to work all the days except the holiday, so....  (not to mention the need to use up some food in the fridge before I lose it.)

Monday
Breakfast:  Smoothie with frozen bananas, yogurt, strawberries, honey
Lunch:  Farmer-Roast beef sandwiches, yogurt, grapes & chips.  Extra water for the heat.
Me:  Leftover Mac & Cheese, mixed veggies and grapes.  Water!
Supper:  Grilled Salmon, rice, grilled veggies or heated, canned. Ice cream

Tuesday
Breakfast: Homemade "Instant" Oatmeal with craisins & pecans.
Lunch: Salmon soup for me; purchased "better" turkey pot pie for Farmer.
Company supper:  Spaghetti, garlic bread, salad, cookies

Wednesday
Happy Independence Day!  We'll eat breakfast in town.  Lunch is on your own.
Supper:  Grilled burgers & hot dogs, baked beans, chips, fruit kabobs w/ yogurt dip or ice cream

Thursday
Breakfast: Pancake cups with fruit
Lunch:  They are on their own, I'll have a purchased pasta thing or soup.
Supper:  Homemade chicken nuggets, oven fries, frozen mixed veggies, 3-2-1 cakes & ice cream

Friday
Breakfast: Eggs and Toast and fruit  or Cereal & fruit
Lunch: Leftovers for them or Pizza Rolls; Salad in a jar for me.
Supper:  Tacos or Nachos with all the fixin's, ice cream

Saturday
Breakfast: If they are still here, Waffles & Bacon, Fruit
Lunch:  Leftovers
Supper:  Kebobs or steaks  on the grill, veggies, grilled bread, brownies.


My goal this week is to not lose ANY food to spoilage this week.  And to get up and walk each day before work & while it's cool.  Oh dear......  Pray for me.  I so despise exercising in the heat/humidity.

Have a wonderful week contemplating our Freedom and the ONE who gave it to us.
Hugs
Kay

** And I'm proud to be an American,
where at least I know I'm free.
And I won't forget the men who died,
who gave that right to me.
~Lee Greenwood

Menu April 4-10, 2011

It is time for a spring-time menu.  While we are having a blustery and cool day today, it is supposed to warm back up to the 60s by midweek.  I have some left over chili in the fridge that needs to be frozen for another cool day in the future.  I need to start making meals that can “hold” until the Blue-eyed Farmer gets done with his farm work after sundown.
And I’m still trying to be more low-carb, so you will see some dual meals below.

Monday:  Homemade cheese & veggie pizzas, salad.  I’m going to make the dough early in the day and let it rise slowly, hoping for a more complex favored crust.

Tuesday:  Individual breakfast casseroles: eggs, sausage, biscuits, gravy, vegetables, cheese.  Fruit. 
I plan to double this and make some in muffin cups to flash freeze for quick breakfasts.

Wednesday: Grilled hamburgers, chips, baked beans, cole slaw. Baked Kale Chips for me and grilled veggies.
I may switch Tuesday and Wednesday depending on the weather.  I can’t wait to get the grill fired up again!

Thursday:  Spaghetti with meat sauce, garlic bread, salad.  Spaghetti squash with asparagus, mushrooms and peppers, salad. (brought over from last week)
The forecast is for rain on Thursday, so a favorite comfort meal will warm us.  I want to try making the sauce in the crockpot.  Usually my sauce is made on the stove-top, but I’m looking for some slower cooking/less attention needed meals.  We get so busy in the afternoons and evenings this time of year.

Friday:  Date Night for a good Fish Dinner.
Lent is almost over and the fish fries and specials will soon be over for another year.  We are busy the next two Fridays so I hope we can go out this week to enjoy a typical fish fry.  If we end up staying home, I have shrimp and salmon in the freezer for grilling or broiling.

Saturday: Lunch- Chicken strips and french fries. Cobb salad for me.  
Dinner- Oven-roasted root vegetables, bread sticks, salad.  Oven-roasted low-carb veggies, whole-grain crackers, salad or sauteed spinach.
Farmer will probably be doing farm work all day and will need a heartier lunch and supper.

Sunday:  Lunch will be fast.  We have dress rehearsal for our church’s Easter drama and I’ll need to be back to church quickly to help with the costumes.  Supper is always “catch as you can” on Sunday evenings.


Are you wondering how my Pantry Challenge is going?  Last week, I tried to only purchase dairy and produce.  I stopped at my natural foods store yesterday to get some Farm Eggs and picked up some marked down bakery breads: Jewish Rye, French and Wheat Germ.  I’ll double wrap those today and get them in the freezer.  I’ll serve the French bread with the spaghetti meal and the Jewish Rye if I make our seafood meal at home.  The wheat germ loaf will be an everyday bread for Farmer when we finish the loaves we have now.

Looking over my menu,  I anticipate having to get only loss-leaders and a some produce at the end of the week along with my usual dairy (yogurt and half-n-half.)
I’ll be watching for sales on the good canned baked beans; bbq sauce and the good hot dogs/brats for upcoming spring and summer meals.   I'll be looking for some quick healthy snacks for Farmer.  He takes a few minutes between getting home from the factory and going out to do his farmwork and I like him to recharge by eating something healthy (cheese & crackers, apple, homemade cookies, etc…)

How does your menu change in April?  Have you made out your Easter menu yet?  Drop me a line and let me know what you are cooking these days.

Hugs~
Kay

**  “The day the Lord created hope was probably the same day he created Spring.”  ~Bern Williams

Menu March 28-April 3, 2011

Continuing on with the Pantry Challenge this week.  I foresee only needing to purchase some dairy (half-n-half, maybe milk) and produce.  Lots of produce.  I've found that this "woman of a certain age" just cannot eat as many simple carbs anymore.  I've felt rather sluggish and "too-round" lately and after doing some self-diagnosis, I've found I need to cut those foods from my diet.  I'm using the South Beach Diet book as a guide but I'm not going to follow it exactly.  There are too many "fake" foods in it.  Diet spread, low or no fat cheeses, artificial sweeteners..... ick!
I'll just follow their guidelines for cutting back on the carbs and will cut back on the real fats/dairy I eat.
Blue-eyed Farmer is Not joining me in this.  His metabolism is high enough.  We'll just continue to add  more fruits and veggies into his diet.


Monday:  Chili soup, cornbread.  Asparagus-red pepper Omelete.


Tuesday:  Oatmeal, toast, apples.  Broiled chicken on romaine.  Simple vegetable soup cup.


Wednesday:  Smoked pork chops, cole slaw, au gratin potatoes.  Same pork chop, same cole slaw, kale chips.


Thursday:  Spaghetti with meat sauce, salad, garlic bread.  Spaghetti squash with asparagus and mushrooms, salad.


Friday:  Broiled or pan-"sautéed" locally-raised Trout, french fries, cole slaw, rye bread.  Trout, leftover spaghetti squash, sautéed cabbage.


Saturday:  Oven-roasted potatoes, carrots and onions, corn bread, salad.  Oven-roasted asparagus, peppers, tomatoes and zucchini.  Salad.  Any sides leftover from my week or sautéed spinach and garlic.


Sunday:  Cook's day off.  I plan to have some kind of hearty salad when we eat out.


I realize to many ladies, making 2 different dinners every evening would be odious.  However, if you look closer, we have the same main dish or one that is very similar most nights.  The two meals that are totally different, both meals were easy to prepare. And in the case of Tuesday's, can be prepared earlier in the day while I am working around the kitchen.  I plan to make most of Thursday's meat sauce on Tuesday also and freeze most of it.  


I'm looking forward to feeling more energetic and hopefully lose a little of my "fluff."  I've made a start already and I'm ready to stop feeling so "full" all the time after eating any carb.  


Happy Eating this week!
Hugs
K~

** "The longer I live the less confidence I have in drugs and the greater is my confidence in the regulation and administration of diet and regimen." ~John Redman Coxe, 1800

Menu March 21-27, 2011

Hey!  I remembered!  I told you I would post my menus and I remembered.   (With my brain these days, I take any victory I can.  ;o) )


Without any further delay or silliness....


Monday - "First Warm day of Spring" Chef Salads made with Romain lettuce and various toppings (hard-cooked eggs, good turkey from the deli, good cheese, tomatoes, avocados, homemade dressing for the Farmer) with grilled Ciabata Rolls;


Tuesday - "First Spring Supper Served at 8:30 p.m. because the Farmer was out in the field"  Pancakes made with egg, oil, half dry milk and half creamer since the milk went bad on me; leftover sausages from Saturday's company meal, fresh strawberries & cream (if wanted.);


Wednesday - "What the *%@$^* happened to Spring?"  Bean, Onion & Cheese Enchiladas, Mexican Rice, Pickles Jalapenos, Tomatoes, Avocados, Lettuce and Tapioca Pudding for dessert;


Thursday - "Really??!!  60% chance of SNOW/Rain mixture?!"  Meatloaf, Baked Potatoes, Frozen Mixed Veggies, Biscuits or Butter Sticks (for him, I plan to use mine for a strawberry shortcake dessert);


Friday - "I'm not Catholic anymore but Fish was made for Fridays"  Pan-fried Nebraska Trout, French Fries or left-over Rice, Cole Slaw or Mennonite Fruit Salad; leftover biscuits or toasted Tuscan Boule, (if there's wine, then no dessert for me) Individual Rhubarb Cobblers;


Saturday - "If I have to spend the day in the pickup doing farm errands there had better be a dinner 'out' at the end of this road!"  Seriously, we plan to go to the town where my sister-in-law lives (the Blue-eyed One's sweet sister), so it's probable we'll take them out for dinner.  At the very least, there will be lunch somewhere on the way and then we'll make do with leftovers for supper;


Sunday - "Sorry, Cook's Day Off"  I rarely have to cook on Sundays, but if I do, I'll make something fast like hamburgers or grilled cheese sandwiches, chips, raw veggies and whatever sweet thing we can find for dessert (cookies, ice cream, pudding, fruit.)

Looking over my menu for the rest of the week, I can see I only need to buy milk, potatoes, cole slaw mix or cabbage.  I like that kind of small shopping list!


Is anyone else doing a Pantry Challenge Week/Month?   I'd love to read your menu.  
And Thanks to Mrs. Mac for the suggestion of making a big Caesar Salad with my bitter romaine with croutons from our extra bread.  I may have to substitute some of the veggies this week for this for me... Farmer-Dear isn't a fan.  Or maybe make myself a Trout Salad on Saturday/Sunday evening.  I had a wonderful one on Sunday at a local bistro, only made with grilled Salmon. 


Happy Pantry Shopping!


Hugs
K~
** "If you are not feeling well, if you have not slept, chocolate will revive you.  But you have no chocolate!  I think of that again and again!  My dear, how will you ever manage?"  ~Marquise de Sévigne

Menu: Feb. 14-19

If you’ve read PQ&K for a while you know one of my favorite ladies in Blog-dom is PennyAnn Poundwise.  (Blog-dom for we haven’t meet in real life...Yet!  I believe someday we will share a hug and a cuppa.)

She never fails to inspire me with her homemaking ways.  Today she posted about eating meatless meals.  She’s right up my alley as we have at least 1-2 meals per week that I consider meat-less or at least meat as a flavoring rather than the main part.  Plus my dear PennyAnn posts her weekly menus which always leave me hungry and wanting to hop the next stagecoach for Dixie, so I can dine at her table!
 
While I’m not nearly as consistent with my weekly menu planning as my friend, here is the menu I’ve come up with for this week. 
 
Monday,  Feb. 14:
Valentine’s Day and my Sweetie took me out to the Farm Store and then to Arby’s for dinner.  I didn’t have to cook! Arby roast beef for him and a turkey club for me.

Tuesday,  Feb. 15:
Waffles, Bacon and Fruit
Tuesday evenings are almost always Breakfast for Supper nights here on the Farm.  I vary the taste of our waffles by adding whole grain flours to the recipe. And we enjoyed the last of the bacon from the 2010 hog.  I love knowing exactly where our food comes from.

Wednesday,  Feb. 16:
Chef Salads 
Variety of greens, cheeses, hard-cooked eggs and individual chosen toppings (crackers, olives, etc.)
It has been unseasonably warm this week. The temperature has been in the 60s.  We attended a Celebration of Life service for a neighbor today and afterwards worked on individual projects. It was the kind of day that called for a lighter meal.

Thursday,  Feb. 17:
Ham balls in tangy tomato sauce, mashed potatoes or rice, sauted spinach (me) or roasted carrots (him)
I had purchased extra ham ball mixture at Christmas time for later.  It is one of Farmer-dear’s favorite meals, so Valentine’s week seemed the perfect time to make it.  I have several packages of instant mashed potatoes that should be used and we have stocked up on rice.  Either will be a nice foil for the tangy sauce.  I found this garlic-raisin-spinach saute that I absolutely love!  Farmer-dear, not so much.  He’ll enjoy the carrots that will roast in the same oven with the ham balls.

Friday,  Feb. 18: 
Baked trout filets, rice timbales, cole slaw (purchased) and garlic bread
I purchased Nebraska-raised trout recently and it is so good. The timbales are basically cooked rice and seasonings pressed into a small mold or custard cup and turned out, holding its shape.  Just a little fanciness.

Saturday,  Feb. 19:
Baked pork chops, stove-top stuffing, more spinach saute & roasted carrots, applesauce
Saturdays are busy days on the farm and more so as the weather improves.  Farmer-dear mentioned weaning calves that day and he’ll want a hearty meal after a long day of working cattle.

I guess if you count the trout, we will have had 4 meat meals, but I don’t count fish as a “meat.”  So that leaves 3.  The bacon on Tuesday was a side dish.  I realize our week is a bit pork-heavy.  I’m hording the last of our beef.   We took the beefers into the locker this week but it’ll be at least 2.5 weeks until the meat is ready.  We are picking up our pork tomorrow or Friday, so I wanted to use up the last few packages of that.

Please share some of your favorite meat-less menus.  I’m always looking for new ideas.

Hugs
K~

** There is no sight on earth more appealing than the sight of a woman making dinner for someone she loves.  ~Thomas Wolfe

Menu Monday and Harvest is beginning

Happy Monday Puffins!

It's a Menu Monday here at the Prairie Farmhouse and with Harvest breathing down my neck (HEY!  that tickles!),  I need to plan and be ready for whatever!  That means suppers that can wait (and wait and wait and WAIT!) or be rewarmed and food for lunches, hot and field and cold; as the Blue-eyed Farmer is planning to take time off from his "other" job and just get the grain out of the fields.  I think all the trouble some areas had getting crops harvested and then trouble finding elevators that would take their grain, has him a little anxious.

So lets start with breakfasts as he might want some.... or actually I think he needs to eat it, when he's working so hard and such long hours.

And he's a toast or cereal kind of guy.  Cold cereal even.  blech~  He also likes oats.  I can't call it oatmeal as it's barely cooked.  He boils water, dumps in the oats, stirs it for about a minute and it's "done" and this is NOT instant oatmeal!  Maybe he's part horse??

So as long as I have milk and bread and some fresh cereal on hand, we're good to go in the mornings. (Oatmeal is a staple in my pantry.)

Lunches:  Leftovers if I heat them up for him and if he's going to be around the place.  If it's a hot field meal, it has to be "quick eating" because he doesn't like to stop too long.  Nothing that requires a knife to cut up and preferable nothing "sloppy."  So we'll go with pizza, hot sandwiches (burgers, brats, hot ham & cheese, chicken bacon toasted subs) and the occasional meat loaf cups and mashed potatoes (small glass baking dish holds them nicely for traveling).  I'll make up some cookies, bars and puddings for desserts, get more fruit and that should get us through.  If he's taking a cooler, he'll be fine with either our dried beef or some summer sausage sandwiches (buns work best), some chips (get the more whole grain kind) carrot & celery sticks and those desserts and fruit mentioned above.  I like to make lunches a bit more substantial than when's non-harvest as he doesn't like to stop for "break" in the afternoon when everything is working.  Occasionally he'll get a soda from the coop and I do have candy bars here I could surprise him with for a treat.

Suppers:  Now it gets tricky.  I never quite know when he'll be coming in.  I have to plan a main dish that can be done around 7:30 ("Dark" these days) and yet still hold until upwards of 10 p.m.  If it's going well and he's on level ground, or if we need to bring everything home and shed it, it gets later.

We don't like to eat too heavy and yet it's been a long time since he ate lunch or a snack.  So I plan smaller pre-portioned meals.  Those mini-meat loaves for example.  It tricks your mind into thinking you are eating a big portion and even if you take a second one, it's still not alot.  Just use your muffin tins to bake a recipe of meat loaf.

Other ideas are Sloppy Joes, Single portions of Cheesey Pasta Bake, Soup and grilled cheese, leftover homemade pizza (don't try to time the dough getting done and then baking it on harvest evenings... it only creates anxiety for the cook!), frozen processed foods.  I know.. I know...  But when Popcorn Chicken or Pizza Rolls will cook in 15-20 mins, that is long enough for him to shower and read the mail and it doesn't get too late.  Other ideas are our usual Breakfast for Supper -- pancakes or eggs/bacon/toast or Frittata or Hashbrown Casserole; Tator Tot Casserole if it's going to be an earlier night (it's kinda rich for late night suppers); baked ham or sausage rings and scalloped potatoes (this can be a hot lunch if the ham is cubed up, but  NOT mixed in with the potatoes.... we don't like that at all!)

All of the supper meals will get some kind of veggie or salad addition.  Again, depends on how late it is and how heavy we want to eat.  Probably no desserts and little breads at that time of night.

I realize this is not my typical Menu listing, but I have to be flexible this time of year.  I can tell you that tonight will be some kind of pasta dish as I have ground beef, romaine lettuce for salads and garlic bread that all need to be used up, now!  Tomorrow's forecast is for rain, so I hope to get some baking done and cooking up some ground beef and chicken and it all frozen & ready. 

Speaking of chicken... just one more little tip I discovered this past week.  I picked up  my annual organic chicken order of 6 birds.  I know... that's not many but the Farmer still is not a fowl-eating fan.  And I still have 2 birds in the freezer from last year.  (Eek!  Gotta get those cooked up, pronto!) As I was saying, I had 6 fresh chickens to deal with.  One was left whole for roasting for maybe Christmas Day (with a ham).  The other 5 I cut up.  The drumsticks and wings all went together into a couple of bags for cooked chicken.  I'll do that sometime when I have a day to mess with it.  The "odds and ends" like backs, necks, etc. went into the "Stock" bag and again, I'll make stock on a cold raining day when I have time to monitor it.  The thighs and breasts are what we like best for eating as "fried chicken."  But I hate thawing out even one-chicken's worth of those pieces all stuck together.  Sometimes I want chicken and Mr. Farmer does not.  So this  year I decided after I de-boned the breasts and halved each one and removed the tenders; I would flash-freeze the pieces and then bag them up.  It worked GREAT!  I maybe, should have put parchment paper down on the baking sheets, but it didn't take too long to warm up the bottoms enough to unstick the pieces.  All the tenders went into one bag for possible Chicken Strips.  I bagged up the thighes and breast pieces seperately for if I just want dark meat or want to use the white.  I think this will be a better way for me to actually make chicken for us, no waiting for a chuck to thaw.  (Why does waiting for a "chunk" of beef or pork not bother me??)

So Puffins, do you cut up your own whole chickens?  Do you buy organic ones?  What are your go-to meals when life is C~r~a~z~y?  Comment below, cuz I can always use new ideas.  And stay tuned.  Plum Kuchen recipes soon.

Hugs!
Kay~

** "Farming looks mighty easy when your plow is a pencil and you're a thousand miles from the corn field." ~Dwight D. Eisenhower

Genius Grandgirlies and a Menu Monday

It was a very nice long holiday weekend here on the Prairie Farm.  Nothing too much out of the ordinary happened, except the Genius Grandgirlies have begun homeschooling with sweet Mommy as their teacher (hence it being called “home” school).  They called to tell us the 5 European bodies of water, count by twos and tell Pappo thank you for their pretty new dresses.  (Yes, he spoils them.)  And we now know Baby#3’s name and I C.A.N.N.O.T wait to meet that little darling!  I have a very pink and flowered quilt kit waiting to be sewn for said Babe. 
I worked on Bff’s anniversary quilt... it now is a quilt top, rather than just misc. blocks.  I put the first border on this afternoon and will get the second one on this week.

I was taking inventory of my pantry and freezers this weekend and keep finding ideas for meals.  It’s time to share some menus again, now that the weather has tempered and we’re eating more than just salads and watermelon.

Menu for September 6-11
Monday, (Labor Day)  We “labored” at home so today’s menu was pretty typical of that kind of day.
Lunch-Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, Chips, Avocado Salad (for me), Zucchini Brownies
Dinner-Grilled Hot Dogs, Baked Beans, Fruited Pasta Salad (also known as Frog-eye Salad).

Tuesday: Chicken Kabobs, Rice Pilaf, Spinach/Lettuce Salad, Brownie Sundaes.

Wednesday:  Chili Soup, Corn Muffins, Carrots

Thursday:  Breakfast Night- Sausage Biscuits, Hash browns, Fruit Salad

Friday:  Grilled Steaks, Baked Potatoes, Salad

Saturday:  C.O.R.N.  (Clean Out Refrigerator Night)  or Date Night.

Sunday:  As usual, it’s Cook’s day/night off.

Have a wonderful first week of September!

Hugs,
K~

**"It is good to have leisure, to walk in the September sun slowly, humming a small hum and picking a few wild dark-purple grapes."
~~Gladys Taber, Stillmeadow Seasons

Menu for the week

I'm home today and have tons to do, but thought I'd take few moments while eating my lunch (yes, at the computer. It's my computer and I'm an adult, so Hush! lol).

Sunday- Lunch at Famous Dave's with BFFs, we left stuffed so supper ended up being the candy/snackies we ate in the afternoon during our Wii tournament.

Monday- Homemade pizza with whole-wheat crust, our beef and some mini pepperonis we got as samples at the Wine & Food Expo. They added some flavor without being a big greasy piece of pepperoni. I still prefer turkey pepperoni.
And no vegetable or salad. We were tired and hungry after doing some cattle work outside. It was all I could do to get the pizza done.

Tuesday- our typical Breakfast for Supper night (B4S). French toast to use up the loaf of store bread on the counter; canned fruit or applesauce; and some of our new bacon, making enough for 2 more recipes. Our new bacon less salty than store bacon which is good because Blue-eyed Farmer just salts his French Toast. I know.... it's a genetic thing with him. His dad used to do that and his sister still does. I need to ask his aunt if she eats it that way. Too weird, but I still love him.

Wednesday- Broiled Salmon, broccoli-raisin-bacon salad (for me)/bag salad (for him), rice pilaf, rye bread (if needed) and individual apple crisps. It's suppose to be really cold on Wed. so I'll use my oven to heat the kitchen. I'll bake some potatoes for soup on Thursday & fried potatoes on Friday and bake some brownies or bars for dessert later in the week.

Thursday- Baked Potato Soup, baby carrots and brownie/bars for dessert.

Friday- Pan-roasted chicken, hash browns/fried potatoes, steamed broccoli (for me)/canned peas (for him), biscuits, bars or ice cream for dessert.

Saturday- Lunch: Chicken salad wraps, carrots, chips (for him), apple for dessert; Dinner: Tacos (either beef or chicken if there is alot of chicken left from Friday), Mexican rice (using leftover pilaf) and custard for dessert.

We are implimenting another month or so of Pantry Challenge menus, due to some upcoming bills and watching "Horders" on History Challenge.
OMStars!!! I believe in having a well-stocked pantry but I need to move some food out and replace it with new and cut down on the amounts. I'd like to have a firmer grasp on exactly what we eat in a 3-month time span.
I'm going to be culling out some kitchenware too. Who needs a small, medium and large food processor? (Granted the small is a handy chopper and the other 2, they were thrift store purchases but seriously.... 3?!)
It's time to go through the food magazines and cookbooks again. And I've gotten away from storing most leftovers in plasticware. I'll keep a few small bowls for lunch salads, but we use glass for anything that needs reheating. I do use tupperware for storage but am on the lookout for large glass jars.

Lunchtime is over and I need to go check on a mama cow in the north pen.
Anyone else planning menus today or planning another Pantry Challenge month?

Hugs!
Kay~

** "We should look for someone to eat and drink with before looking for something to eat and drink..."
~Epicurus


[Update: Found a recipe for Quiche HERE and it sounds soooo good. Zoomie's posts almost always make me hungry! lol I need something quick for breakfasts as I've been doing with a protein bar and a piece of cheese lately. So since Blue-eyed One will enjoy his French toast, I think I'll see what I can find to make individual quiches in muffin tins. I know I have some asparagus in the fridge, some garlic cheese curds and bacon. I don't need crust, unless I'd line the cups with some olive oil brushed tortillas? I'll let you know...]



[Update to the update: Ended up going into town with B-E Farmer, after we chored. He had a chiropractor appointment and then he stopped at W-m. I got bare essentials, like rye bread & crisp rice cereal for his treats. And then since I made some phone calls for him, he took me out for salads and bread sticks. The menu above will just be moved down a day.]

Making Excuses .... I mean, a Menu

Banking a Prairie Farm with Sod for the Winter in Dakota Territory, 1880s

Today it looks like this.

I know... I said I was taking a break from blogging and I am... but I've been procrastinating* ... catching up on favorite blogs while eating lunch.

Tammy, my fellow Neb. blogger, and my dear PennyAnne Poundwise, both posted their menus for the week.

(Gee thanks Tammy, for reminding me about the change in the weather. I think I'd rather dodge the stray tornado & hail stones if the temps would stay in the 60s-70s. I'm not liking this 40s and cloudy and cold and rain, snow in the forecast and lows in the 20s! [Hellooooo... we just moved back to our UNHEATED bedroom! I don't want to move back down to the HEATED basement guest room. My back just got used to the change in mattresses.])

Anyway.... they posted their menus and ok, I wanted to keep procrastinating *.... participate in menu-sharing too.

Here's my menu for the Week of March 23-28th

Monday: Sloppy Joes on whole wheat buns, Cole slaw, Chips, various found things for dessert - Farmer-Dear; Leftover Spicy Catfish fingers, Jalapeno Mac & Cheese, Corn muffin from Sunday's dinner at Famous Dave's®, no dessert - me.

Tuesday: Breakfast for Dinner (B4D) Night- Ham and Cheese or Tomato and Avocado Omelets, Hash browns, Whole wheat toast, Cinnamon Apples - both of us (and should be that way most of the rest of the week, unless "someone" decides He doesn't want what I'm having.)

Wednesday: ("warm" day of the week) Chef or Chopped Salad with variety of cheeses, smoked turkey breast &/or ham, Butter sticks (quick bread), Almond pound cake with berries

Thursday: Dining Alone Night** Eggplant Parmesan, chopped salad and pesto ww angel hair pasta for me; Schwan's battered Fish, fries and canned veggies for F-d

Friday: (We're babysitting in the evening for a super-cute little neighbor boy, so it'll be an easy,make-ahead supper.) Soup and sandwiches. Haven't decided on the soup yet. I've found some new recipes but F-d may want to stay with the TnT (chili, baked potato or tomato). Sandwiches will be either tuna, egg salad, grilled cheese or just corn bread.

Saturday: (I'd like a Date Night, but not sure of the weekend schedule yet.)
Individual meat loaves, Baked regular & sweet potatoes, Roasted broccoli for me & something canned for F-d (hey! He likes canned veggies.), Homemade dinner rolls, a yet-to-be-decided Cake or Dessert from scratch.
(PS Found my Cake recipe! Lemon Ricotta Cake with Strawberry Sauce ala Storybook Woods )

Sunday is Cook's Day Off, unless she wants to cook. Next week will be a little nutty with our church's Easter Pageant 4 days. I'll be eating at church this day (Sunday) I think, because of full dress rehearsal and then every day of the performances. So next week might be alot of "find what you can" meals for Farmer-dear. Good thing the Schawn truck comes this week.

I continued to procrastinate *... puttered in the kitchen and cleaned off my prep/coffee area. (I have a very small amount of countertop, so this corner does it all.) Slowly starting some Spring Cleaning.

While I was wiping down and de-crumbing (and killing awakening Lady Bugs Grrrrr!); I nuked what was left of the 99¢ package of turkey bacon and it is now jarred & in the freezer to use as Bakon Bits on salads.

I also processed 4 slices of Buffalo Jerky into "gravel." (it's not "dust" and too big for "crumbs", so "gravel" it is.) But what do I do with it? The flavor doesn't impress me. It's not a strong smoked or spicy jerky, just a bland-kind of beefiness. And obviously, being jerky, it will need to be used in something with moisture or cooked in liquid. Or not?? I'd appreciate any suggestions on uses for this. It's in a jar in the freezer too.


I hope to have photos of the newest calves soon. We had a new one, yesterday in the midst of the storms, but he and Mama are doing fine. We let the twins & their mama out of the barn. It was a bit of a muddle, all these new black babies and 2 black mamas. Plus the black/white face Aunties have "certain body parts" that look the same as Mom's to the calves. The Aunties were not amused at the extra attention. (giggle)

OK, I guess that's enough procrastinating *.... Blogging for now.

I'll be back when I as soon as I can.

Hugs!
Kay~

* I should be making a diaper cover for a goat right now. I'll let you mull on that one for a while. lol

** Click on the link for her blog. I have to cook & dine alone alot too. Farmer-dear is not very adventurous in the food area, as you know.