Menus on Monday

Last week I totally abandoned my menu and did whatever on most days. That's how it goes around here sometimes. But I still love to make the list just in case I'm at a loss when dinner time rolls around. Here's the plan for this week.

Monday: french toast

Tuesday: rice a roni with green beans

Wednesday: pesto pasta with pears and peaches

Thursday: tacos with corn

Friday: pizza

Saturday: stir fry vegetables with rice

Sunday: spaghetti with breadsticks and green beans

Fancy Fridays

Today I found a site that goes through table setting etiquette. That's the kind of thing I thought I'd learn about and share on our "fancy fridays". Okay, so it's not so fancy, but it's a start. You can find the site here. This is a little taste of what you can find there.

What goes where on the table

and which glasses go with what drinks

Real easy, the etiquette experts tell us. The general rule with utensils is to start from the outside of your place setting, and work your way toward the service plate (the main meal plate): soup spoon first, then fish knife and fork, then service knife and fork.

A	B	C	D	E
Serviette (napkin)	Service plate	Soup bowl on plate	Bread & butter plate with butter knife	Water glass
F	G	H	I	J
White wine	Red wine	Fish fork	Dinner Fork	Salad fork
K	L	M	N
Service knife	Fish knife	Soup spoon	Dessert spoon and cake fork
Note that it often is recommended that the salad fork (J) is placed to the left of the dinner fork (I). However, in this formal setting the dinner fork is placed to be used before the salad fork because it is suggested that the guest awaits the main meal before helping him/herself to the salad.

Thrifty Thursdays

I did a little cost analysis a few weeks ago after making a dozen bagels. I wondered if it was worth doing that regularly since my kids love bagels for breakfast. While I had the numbers in front of me I figured out how much it costs to make homemade breads from the recipes I use most. Here it goes:

Wheat Bread: $ .58/ loaf

Whole Wheat Bagels: $ .70/dozen

Whole Wheat Tortillas: $ .68/ dozen

Whole Wheat Pancakes: $ .60/ dozen

Granola: $ .38/cup

Oatmeal: $ .08/ serving (1/2 cup uncooked)

Breadsticks: $ .70/ batch (16 breadsticks)

Pizza dough: $ .45/ large

Hamburger buns: $ 1.10/ dozen

Puffy Pancake: $ .68/ pan (nine servings)

These numbers are calculated using the cost of dry milk, oats, and wheat from the church cannery. I grind my own wheat, so using store bought wheat flour would make the numbers different. I think some things are worth making at home and some are probably worth buying. Those hamburger buns are pretty close to store costs, but if I don't have them on hand, it's nice to know I can make them without lugging five kids to the store for a last minute trip. I am convinced that the bagels are a bargain. Seriously, they are $2 for a dozen plain bagels at Walmart. I think those and the granola are the best bargains.

Words for Wednesday

Today's "words" will just be more recipes because someone asked for them.

CHICKEN LICKIN’ CASSEROLE
(from Mrs. Cubbison's stuffing box/website)

Serves 6 to 8

1 package (10-oz.) Herb Seasoned Cube Stuffing
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
1/2 - 3/4 cup chicken broth, heated
2 lbs. skinless and boneless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 cans (10-3/4 oz ea.) condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 package (9-oz.) frozen cut green beans, thawed
8 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, grated

In a bowl, mix stuffing, butter and broth. Pour mixture into a greased 9x13x2-inch baking pan; spread evenly. In a bowl, mix chicken, soup and green beans. Spread mixture evenly over stuffing. Cover and bake mixture in a preheated moderate oven (350 degrees F.) for 1 hour. Remove from oven, uncover and sprinkle with cheese. Place back in oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes.

The roll recipe I use most is this one.

I often just wing it on the chicken noodle soup, but here's basically what I do.

1 lb. chicken, cooked and cubed

1 lb. baby carrots

2 stalks celery, chopped

6 oz. uncooked egg noodles

1 Tbsp. chicken base (you could substitute broth or bouillion cubes)

1 quart water

1 tsp. italian seasoning

salt and pepper to taste

You just throw it all together and let it simmer for at least 15 minutes (so the noodles cook) and as long as you want. It works well in a crock pot too.

The pasta casserole is also just thrown together, but it always tastes good to me.

Pasta casserole

8 oz. uncooked pasta, whatever shape you like

8 oz. shredded mozerella cheese

1/2-1 lb. ground beef or turkey, or italian sausage

1 jar spaghetti sauce, or homemade if you like it that way

Cook pasta according to package directions. While that's boiling, brown meat and then drain. Return to pan and add spaghetti sauce. Heat until warm.

In greased casserole dish (8x8), pour just enough sauce to cover bottom. Then layer 1/2 of pasta, 1/3 cheese, and 1/2 sauce. Then repeat layers again. Top with last 1/3 cheese. Cover and heat in 350 oven 30 minutes or until heated through.

treats on Tuesday

Sure, go ahead and believe that we only have treats on Tuesdays at our house.

Today's post is rich, delicious, and pretty easy. I can usually eat an endless amount of treats, no matter how rich, but I can only get through two or three of these before I am way done. They are so good though. If you like peanut butter these are worth a try. The title sometimes makes me think of pb&j cookies, which don't sound super appetizing to me, but these are really just like peanut butter oreos. Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies

from Taste of Home

1 cup butter or margarine

1 cup peanut butter, creamy or crunchy

1 cup sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

Filling:

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

3 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

5-6 Tbsp milk

1. In large mixing bowl, cream butter or margarine, peanut butter, and sugars. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt; add to creamed mixture and mix well.

2. Shape into 1 inch balls and place 2 inches apart on baking sheets. (It says not to grease them, but I usually do anyway.) Flatten with fork. Bake at 375 for 7-8 minutes or until golden. Coll on wire racks.

3. For filling, beat peanut butter, powdered sugar, vanilla and three tablespoons of miilk in large mixing bowl. Add more milk one tablespoon at a time and continue to beat until spreading consistency. Spread on half of the cookies and top each frosted cookie with another.

Menus on Monday

This week's menu at our house will include:

Monday: taco salad

Tuesday: spinach lasagna

Wednesday: chili and cornbread

Thursday: homemade chicken noodle soup and rolls

Friday: homemade pizza

Saturday: pasta casserole

Sunday: chicken stuffing casserole, Sunday carrots, and rolls

So, if there is anything on here you want to know more about, leave a comment and I'll post a recipe.

the plan

I've been thinking. I'm going to try this schedule out for a couple weeks:

Menus on Monday

Treats on Tuesday

Words for Wednesday

Thrifty Thursday

Fancy Friday

We'll see how it goes...