Menu Plan Monday

Edwin and I had such a great weekend in Dallas! My grandpa's 87th birthday party was a huge hit; and surprise! We enjoyed seeing some family and friends we haven't seen in a while. Edwin also had a job interview that went really well, and made some contacts for another possible job interview. You can pray he lands a job and we sell our house!

Here's what we have cooking for this week! 

Monday- Homemade Chicken and dumplings

Tuesday- Crispy Ranch Chicken and creamy perline pasta 

Wednesday-Crockpot taco soup

Thursday- Kid's night; If you can find it, eat it!

Friday- Stuffed shells with sausage, garlic bread 

Stuffed Shells with Sausage

1 pkg jumbo pasta shells

1 jr. spaghetti sauce

36 frozen cooked Italian meatballs; thawed

2 cups skim mozzerella cheese

Cook pasta according to package. Drain and rinse with cold water. Place ½ cup sauce in a greased baking pan. Place a meatball in each shell; transfer to baking dish. Top with remaining sauce and sprinkle with cheese. Cover and bake at 350 for 35 minutes. Uncover and bake 5-10 minutes more; until cheese is melted and bubbly. 

Crock pot Taco Soup

1 small onion, chopped

1 can chili beans

1 can black beans

1 can creamed corn

1 can chicken broth

1 can diced tomatoes

1 pkg (1.25 oz) taco seasoning

1 pound beef

1/2 C uncooked rice (optional)

Put onion, beans, corn, broth, and tomatoes in crockpot. Stir to combine, then mix in taco seasoning. Place whole (raw) chicken breasts into soup, making sure they are completely covered by the liquid. Cook about 4 hours on low. Take chicken out, cool, and chop. Put it back into the crockpot. Add rice. Stir. Cook until dinner time, at least 2 more hours.

Dessert

Rainbow cake with a meringue icing (recipe and pictures will be posted on Tuesday!)

This post is linked to Menu Plan Monday

Pink Velvet Cupcakes

These Pink Velvet cupcakes are so yummy! I made them yesterday and ate a lot of the batter! I made a few mistakes, and therefore; will not be posting pictures of cooking them, or the end result. I over cooked them and filled the tin too full! The kids all LOVED them and said they were the best ever though! 

Here's the recipe:

1 C. butter, softened

1 ¼ cups sugar

1/8 tsp. pink food coloring

3 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

2 ½ cups four

1 ½ tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. baking soda

¼ tsp salt

1 cup. Buttermilk

White chocolate icing

2 cups vanilla or white chips

1 tbl butter

½ c. heavy whipping cream

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter, sugar and food coloring. Add eggs one at a time, beating well. Add vanilla. In another bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add to creamed mixture, alternating with buttermilk.

Fill paper lining 2/3rds full. Bake at 350 for 23-27 minutes. (I baked mine for 25 minutes and they were over cooked! Try 23 and watch them!

Meanwhile, in a heavy saucepan, melt chips and butter with cream over low heat; stir until smooth. Transfer to large mixing bowl. Chill for 30 minutes, stirring once.  Beat 2-3 minutes until icing is fluffy and full. Then ice cupcakes. Swirl for designs. 

This is what Better Homes and Garden says they're supposed to look like. Aren't they pretty?!

This post has been linked to Tempt my Tummy Tuesday, and Tasty Tuesdays Check them out for more recipes!

Menu Plan Monday

I'm so thankful that things are finally "normal" around our house again! Sunday, we spent the entire day cleaning out our garage and getting everything put back in its place! Although now, our garage door is broken, and I"m working on painting all the baseboards and trim in our house. It's never ending...

This Thursday, Edwin and I are flying to Dallas for a job interview and my grandpa's 87th birthday party! It will be a quick weekend (and the kids are staying in Houston), but great! Here's what I'm cooking...

Monday-Potato Chip Crusted Chicken, creamy bow tie pasta (STILL have not made this; maybe I should give up!)

Tuesday-Lantham Stew (didn't make this last week)

Wednesday- Italian Chicken Casserole, garlic bread

Thursday- Breakfast for dinner; eggs, sausage, biscuits

For dessert, I'm making flower shaped, pink velvet cupcakes with a white chocolate icing. I'll post the recipe and pictures when I make them. I"m very excited (and so is Keira!)

Baseball Cookies

I made these cookies yesterday for a party in Kai's kindergarten class today. All the kids loved them and kept hugging Kai. It was so cute! 

Here is the recipe! I got inspiration from here. And for more Tasty Tuesday recipes, click here to check some out! 

Baseball sugar cookies

¾ sugar 

½ melted shortening

2 eggs, beaten

1 ts. Vanilla

2 cups flour

2 ts. Baking powder

½ ts. Salt

Blend sugar with shortening. Stir in eggs and vanilla. Sift together in another bowl; flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to the eggs and shortening mixture. Mix well and chill until its easy to handle. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface. 

Roll to 1/8 inch thick and cut with cookie cutter or shape circles with a knife. 

Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes.  

I had a great homemade icing I wanted to use, but just didnt have enough time (and didn't have one of the ingredients!) I used store bought icing and melted it in a bowl for about 30 seconds. 

Once cookies are cooled, ice the cookies. 

Use a cup or something, to create baseball lines for the stitching. 

Use gel paste and follow the cup lines, to guide you. 

Place the cookies in the refrigerator for about 25 minutes, to allow the icing to set. 

Place them on your favorite platter, and you're good to go!

Menu Plan Monday

It's been a crazy weekend, and the craziness continues! Hopefully Monday is our last day to have our floors installed! I'm not going to post any more pictures, until everything is completely finished! At one point, they had both toilets out of our bathrooms and I was home with the kids. Yeah; we need a working toilet! So, this week we're eating some repeats from last week, that we didnt get to. I only cooked half the week, since our oven and refrigerator were in our family room! 

Both the boys have baseball games on the same nights (Monday night and Thursday night), so this is our "tentative" plan! 

Look at Orgjunkie for more menus and recipes!

Monday- Mini Meat loaves, peas, creamy bow tie pasta (see recipe from previous menu plan post)

Tuesday-Lantham Stew

Wednesday-Messy tacos

Thursday- Bacon wrapped teriyaki chicken Skewers, and corn on the cob

Friday-Kid's night; If you can find it; eat it! 

I made some baseball cookies for a party Kai has in his kindergarten class today. I'll post pictures later! For now, I have a doctor's appointment, going to the grocery store, and going to Kai's party! Until the next time..

Homemade Cream Corn

So I"m still trying to meet new foodie blogs, and I just found Tasty Tuesday's at this blog.

I'm going to share a homemade cream corn recipe: Gulliver's Cream Corn. It's the best, super sweet and creamy! 

Serves 4-6 (I usually double the recipe)

What you'll need

16oz Bag Frozen Corn

2 Tablespoons Butter

2 Tablespoons Flour

1 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream

2 Tablespoons Sugar

1/2 - 1 teaspoon Salt

Melt butter slowly, on medium, and then once its melted slowly add flour, stirring until it makes a paste. Slowly add heavy whipping cream stirring constantly. Bring mixture ALMOST to a boil. Add sugar, salt and corn and heat till bubbly. The mixture will smoothen out and not be as thick, as the corn thaws and cooks. This burns easily so don't use the highest temperature. Continue to stir occasionally, until the corn has heated through! 

YUM

Menu Plan Monday

I hope everyone had a great Easter! For pictures of our kiddos, go to my other blog .We found out that its quite difficult to cook a bunch of food, when you only have one oven and on a time crunch! We ended up scratching some of the food I was going to make, and making more things on the stove top. It also ended up raining, so we had our Easter egg hunt inside! Everything worked out great though, and the kids had fun! Here's our menu for the week. Don't forget to check out Orgjunkie for more menus and recipes! 

*Crockpot chicken baked rigatoni (didn't make this last week. Using rigatoni instead of fettucini. Recipe can be found on last weeks menu post)

*Grillin out; Cheeseburgers, baked beans, corn on the cob

*Mini Meatloaves, peas, creamy bow tie pasta (still haven't made this; recipe found on previous menu post)

*Kids night- If you can find it, eat it. 

*Messy Tacos

Mini Meat-loaves

2 lbs. ground beef

1 small onion- finely chopped 

2 packets instant oatmeal

2 large eggs 

3/4 Cup ketchup

1/2 cup low fat milk

2 TBS Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. salt

Glaze-1/3 C. ketchup and  3 Tbl light brown sugar

Heat oven to 375. In a large bowl, mix meat, onion, instant oatmeal, eggs, ketchup, milk, worchestershire sauce and salt. Divide meat mixture into 8 servings and shape into individual loaves. Pleace meat loaves in 9x13 baking pan.

Glaze- in a small bowl, blend ketcheup and brown sugar. Brush top and sides of meat loaves. Bake 35-40 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes.

Messy Tacos-

Crush tortilla chips on the bottom of each serving plate. Top with browned meat, lettuce, refried beans, queso (or shredded cheese), and any other taco trimmings you like!

Easter Menu

southern living

Things are about to get even crazier at our house, so I thought I would post our Easter menu now! Im going to post pictures and recipes once I cook. Our kitchen is being painted on Saturday and everything is currently in the garage, so I'm hoping Easter is actually going to happen! We're going to have 7 adults and 5 kiddos (plus 1 newborn!) What are you cooking on sunday?!

Brisket

Creamed Corn

Maple Baked beans

Green Bean casserole 

Sweet potato casserole

Fruit salad 

Cheesy garlic biscuits 

Sweet tea 

Desserts-Birds Nest (BHG), lemonade icebox pie (mother in law is making!), homemade pound cake (mother in law is making!)

Peppermint Cookies

In the midst of a crazy house today (plumber came earlier, painters working on every room in the house), I thought I would make some peppermint cookies!

Preheat your oven for 375. Crush 1/2 cup of peppermints 

Mix 1/2 C sugar with peppermints (set aside)

Mix together; 1/2 C shortening, 1/2 C soft butter, 1 C powdered sugar, 1 egg, 1 1/2 tsp. almond extract, and 1 tsp. vanilla. Sift in another bowl, 2 1/2 C flour and 1/2 tsp. salt. Slowly add and mix with butter mixture. 

Add red food coloring

Let dough sit for about 10 minutes. Roll into small balls, and bake 9-11 minutes and sprinkle with peppermints as soon as they come out of the oven!

(Press the peppermints down into the middle of the cookie) 

Wah Lah!

Menu Plan Monday

 Check Orgjunkie for more ideas and menus!

Monday- Frenchy's crunchy onion chicken with creamy bow tie pasta (see recipes from previous Menu plan post). I did not make this last week

Tuesday-Roast, carrots, mashed potatoes (for the roast; I brown all edges in a skillet before putting in the crock pot. I add water to fill half the crock pot, and 1 pck lipton onion soup mix)

Wednesday- Kid's night

Thursday- Crock pot Chicken Fettucini 

Friday- Breakfast for dinner; eggs, crescent rolls, bacon 

Crockpot Chicken Fettucini

-6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

½ ts. Garlic powder

½ ts. Black pepper

1 red bell pepper, chopped

2 ribs celery, chopped

1 can cream of celery soup

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 pck (8oz) velvetta cheese (cubed)

1 jar diced pimentos

1 pck fettuccini (16 oz)

Place chicken in slow cooker. Sprinkle with garlic powder, black pepper, bell pepper and celery. Top with soups. Cover and cook on HIGH for 4-6 hours. Stir in cheese  and pimentos. Cover and cook until cheese melts. Cook fettuccini according to package and drain. Place fettuccini in serving bowl and spoon chicken over fettuccini. Sprinkle parmessian. Serve hot. 

We have a crazy week! Our house is being scraped, retextured, and repainted (due to Ike); every room in the house. Today, the boys room and Keira's room are being done. We had to completely clear out EVERYTHING by today, and all their stuff is in our family room and my bedroom! We're not sure where the kids are going to sleep the next couple of days, but Keira will probably be in our room, and we may have the boys sleep in our loft/game room! crazy (i'm going to post pictures of the mess over at Little Moments; check later)

PS. (who writes a ps. on a blog?!) I'll post my Easter menu later! I"m really excited about hosting our families Easter lunch at our house (even though our house is in shambles right now!) I'll probably take pictures as I"m cooking; before, during, and after. What fun!

Verdict on Lemon Honey Chicken

I made the Lemon Honey Chicken last night, and it was just okay. It was more honey than lemon! I couldn't taste any lemon. I had to add more than the recipe called for, since I was using 6 chicken breasts, and the glaze wasn't enough. I probably won't make it again, although it wasn't that bad. I just don't think everyone liked it enough, for it to become a regular! If you make it and ya'll like it, let me know! I just have some picky eaters! 

 One thumb up and one thumb down!

 If you need any April fools ideas, hop over to my other blog for some ideas I've posted!