Monday, June 28, 2010

Menu Plan for the Week of 6/28


MONDAY

If baseball is not rained out: sandwiches, chips, watermelon
If baseball is rained out: hot wings, tabbouleh salad

TUESDAY

Just like Monday

WEDNESDAY

out

THURSDAY

sausage, veggies and rice
(A made up skillet meal. Did you know, I am queen of the skillet?)

FRIDAY

spaghetti and meatballs
(We have been trying to eat this for weeks now. It's going to happen today.)

SATURDAY

party

SUNDAY

burgers, homemade fries, corn on the cob

Sunday, June 27, 2010

If you build it...



Ah. Little League. You either love it or hate it. Me, I love it. What a fine excuse to sit outside in the fresh air with some friends and family. We eat sunflower seeds all day. We pay too much for Gatorade. We get to see our kids make new friends, and watch their playing improve.

Yes, it is a lot of work to get there day after day. It requires meal planning. I have a special "baseball bag" full of action figures, sunblock, and hand sanitizer. I have to lug our giant blanket and 2 camp chairs from the car to the field. Sometimes we have to bring the cooler.

But it's so worth it. We like to seek out some shade (though it's hard to find) and settle in for a few hours. The Little League games are in a stadium, so my younger kids can run around with all the neighborhood kids, and I can see them from where we sit. I have been known to sigh and say, "What a wonderful evening for baseball."

Here, Funny stares down the pitch.

There are things I don't like, to be certain. I don't like the upper field, where the sun beats down on us so hard that I have thought it would just be easier to die than sit there. I don't like the extra planning that goes into coordinating it all. I don't like having to miss church because of an ill-timed game. And don't get me started on T-ball. But I have seen my kids grow and improve. I have seen them gain confidence. I have taught my younger kids that we always support each other. That when one of us does something, we are all in it.

Scrappy watches Funny's game. Yes, he is sitting on an old-school score board.

There is something about kids playing baseball that is just so...suburban. So domestic. It's like there are no other problems in the world. It's just the batter and the pitcher. One of them wins, and one of them loses. Even better, whoever loses today could win tomorrow.

Goofy is delighted with his trophy.

"Man may penetrate the outer reaches of the universe, he may solve the very secret of eternity itself but for me, the ultimate human experience is to witness the flawless execution of the hit-and-run." -Branch Rickey



Sunday, June 20, 2010

Menu Plan for the Week of 6/21


Well....
Last week's menu plan really just fell apart. I don't know what happened, exactly. It was like I planned out all the meals, but then didn't know what I was supposed to make until like 5:00 every night. I sure hope this week goes a little better.

The stress level around here is kind of insane. I don't really want to go into it all, but I can sum it up by saying that I have not had this many zits since I was 14 years old.

It is VBS week. So I suspect I will get more and more exhausted as the week progresses.



MONDAY

(Except I am going to use eggs, and I don't have mushrooms. I'll work it out. Yes, this is a CSA-inspired meal. Must eat those veggies!)

TUESDAY

taco salad
chocolate beet cake
(The cake recipe is from this book. I've never made it, but now that I have beets, I am going to try it.)

WEDNESDAY

spaghetti and meatballs (with spinach!)

THURSDAY

sandwiches, chips & fruit
(It's baseball night. I am going to let myself off the hook and just make a no-cook, portable dinner.)

FRIDAY

local carnival with the grandparents
(That is code for deep-fried Oreos--just one.)

SATURDAY

graduation party

SUNDAY

steaks
salad

Monday, June 14, 2010

Menu Plan for the Week of 6/14



MONDAY

pasta with sausage, beans & spinach
salad

TUESDAY

mixed berry pancakes
bacon

WEDNESDAY

steaks
salad

THURSDAY

hamburgers
broccoli

FRIDAY

pork chops
(either made into a stir fry or over a salad,
depending on CSA veggies)

SATURDAY

dinner with friends

SUNDAY

Father's Day

Monday, June 7, 2010

Menu Plan for the Week of 6/7



I am making a few new things this week, which always makes me happy. I really think I have food ADD. I don't know if that's a real affliction, but it is to me. I get so bored eating the same things over and over again.

MONDAY
honeyed pork chops
salad
spanakorizo (spinach-tomato rice)

TUESDAY
penne, spinach & bacon

WEDNESDAY
spaghetti and meatballs

THURSDAY
take out

FRIDAY
meatloaf
mac & cheese
green beans

SATURDAY
party

SUNDAY
Mom's


Here's one of the recipes I'm trying this week. Let me know if you make it!

Honeyed Pork Chops

2 tbsp. oil
6 boneless pork chops (I am going to use 8 regular chops)
3 tbsp. honey
1/2 c. water
1/4 c. soy sauce
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/8 tsp. pepper

Heat oven to 325. Brown chops in oil on stovetop about 5 minutes on each side. Place into a casserole dish. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over top of chops. Bake for one hour.

Friday, June 4, 2010

Ah, rhubarb



Hello, rhubarb! I want to eat you.


I got my first CSA delivery today. I am so excited. Amongst the many greens that are ready at this time of year, I found some rhubarb. Oh joy! I looked at rhubarb at my local grocery store earlier in the spring. But the price horrified me. I am always willing to pay more for good quality food, but I was pretty sure that it had been trucked in from who-knows-where, and wasn't very good. So I held out. And I'm glad I did.


As soon as I got home, I started rooting around for what I would do with my excess of strawberries (we picked them on Wednesday, and they came in the CSA) and that tasty, tasty rhubarb. Here's what I came up with:


I based this on a Country magazine recipe for a strawberry-rhubarb pie with crumb topping.


Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp

Gather:
stick of butter
flour
oats
rhubarb
strawberries
sugar
brown sugar
1 egg
vanilla

Butter a 13x9 pan/dish.

Filling:
Chop 3-4 stalks of rhubarb into 1/2" pieces (about 3 cups or so, based on your tastes). Cut strawberries in half, maybe about 4-5 cups. The thing about rhubarb and strawberries is they will both cook down. So err on the side of excess. Make as much filling as your family will eat! Set fruit aside.

In a bowl, mix together about 1 c. white sugar, 3 tbsp. flour, 1 tsp. vanilla and 1 egg. Then gently mix in the fruit.


This is the filling. If you need to make more to fill your pan, it's easy enough. I added a bit more sugar, another stalk of rhubarb, and another cup of strawberries to fill my dish up to where I wanted it. Pour the filling into the buttered dish.


Topping:
1/2 c. brown sugar
stick butter
1/2 c. oats
1 c. flour

Combine the dry ingredients. Cut in the butter with pastry blender. I always end up using the pastry blender at the beginning, but end up using my hands to break up the bits of butter.


Sprinkle the topping over the filling.

Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes.

Funny enjoys her dessert.


A few notes:
I was out of brown sugar, so I just used white sugar and added a tbsp. or so of molasses. Yum.

If you are a rhubarb newbie, you should know that sugar is the key with rhubarb. It is super, super sour! Be generous with the sugar. It's okay this one time. Would I lie to you?