Menu Plan Monday–New Years!

Although New Years is coming up, there is definitely less of a holiday feel now and it’s back to business with our menus and back on track with our diets (as in what we eat, not how we lose weight). I seem to have collected a million bananas in my freezer and they’re taking up valuable space. I’ll be using those up this week. I’ve also committed to making one recipe from my Gourmet subscription each week. I love, love, love reading the magazine and so many recipes look good to my, but I rarely follow through and make any. Which seems like a waste of a subscription!

Monday: Leftover Vegetarian Chile from Sunday

Tuesday: Southeast Asian Squash Curry, Rice

TO DO: Make a double batch of rice. Make Banana Bread and Jerry Garcia Cookies for New Year’s Party (both use bananas)

Wednesday: Out at Party

Thursday: Spicy Bean and Rice Cakes, Red Cabbage Slaw, and Roasted Sweet Potatoes.

TO DO: Set aside some of rice and bean mix for Zucchini Boats, bake bread

Friday: Zucchini Boats

Saturday: Goat Cheese Quiche with Hash Brown Crust (I will make my own hash browns).

Sunday: Out at Wedding!

For more menu plans, check out OrgJunkie!

Holiday Decor

I did not have a lot of holiday mojo this year and kept our decorating to a bare minimum. That meant no tree and very few knick-knacks. In fact, I only put up two decorations.

Folk Nativity

Sorry about the blurry photo. This nativity was our wedding gift from my aunt and uncle. I think it is so beautiful and I love that they supported a local craftsperson. I have not found a website for the artist who made this nativity, but I did see that he also has some angels in the same style. Eventually I would like to add one to this set. Some close ups…

Tree and Shepherd

The tree can be arranged for a 3-D look like I have here, or the individual pieces can be separated and arranged to look like a pine forest. I love the little sheep!

Manger scene

The barn telescopes in a manner similar to the trees, except these components do not come apart. Isn’t the star cool?

Wise Men and Camel

I did have this tree separated but they would fall over any time someone sat down at the table. That would create a domino effect and well, I only needed to pick up the whole scene a couple of times before that lost it’s appeal.

The other decoration I had up was this Santa Claus that my father cut out and painted. He gave one to my mom and each of my sisters. I think it is wonderful!

Patchy Santa

We had a choice between the last two and Michael especially liked this patchy fellow as opposed to the more traditional version.

Next year I hope to have more holiday spirit and maybe even put up a real tree. But for this year, these two special decorations helped get us and the apartment in sync with the season and served as a nice reminder of what we celebrate.

What We Ate

Vegetarian Shepherds Pie

I’m hoping that by posting what we actually ate from our previous week’s meal plan, I’ll have a better handle on how much we eat and how often I really need to cook…This week I did stick mostly to the plan when I cooked, but I definitely deviated in when the meals were made and how many.

On Monday, we had the Pasta with Chickpeas and Hominy as planned. This is soooo good and such an easy meal for after work. I used a mixture of pasta shapes to use up some opened boxes, so this was an even less photogenic meal than usual (all of the components are a light tan, except the balsamic vinegar, which is deep brown–it all combines to make a lovely beige meal).

Tuesday we had leftovers and I pushed the Cheesey Egg Bake to Wednesday. Actually, what I ended up making was more of a strata, but it did use up the various items languishing in our fridge and cupboards–the last half of a whole wheat loaf, half a chunk of cheddar that I’d almost forgotten about, half a pound of mushrooms leftover from the previous week, and about 6 oz of sour cream that had been opened but pushed to the back of the shelf. It ended up being very good–Michael really loved it. What I did: saute mushrooms, garlic and half an onion (leftover from previous meal as well). Added 1 14 oz can of diced tomatoes, oregano and thyme. Simmered for a while to let the tomatoes reduce (if I make this again, I will drain the tomatoes and use the juice for another recipe). Meanwhile, buttered a medium casserole and layered about 5 slices of bread to totally cover the bottom. Poured half of mushroom/tomato saute over bread, topped with half the grated cheddar, more bread, more saute. Whisked together 4 eggs, 2 c. milk and sour cream. Poured slowly over bread and vegetables. Even so, I ended up with a good deal of the custard left over. Spread the rest of the cheese over the top and refrigerated a few hours until the egg custard had really soaked in. Baked at 350 for 45 minutes or so. Like lasagna, this will cut better if it sits for 10 minutes or so once it is out of the oven. Michael liked his with hot sauce over top.

I never did make those molasses cookies–we ended up receiving so many food gifts from coworkers that we really didn’t need anything to add to the pile!

Thursday morning I used the leftover custard to make cinnamon pancakes for our breakfast rather than sticky buns. The shepherds pie pictured above was our Christmas dinner. It ended up being a one-dish meal, so there is cabbage in the fridge that really needs to be used!

Friday was leftovers and Saturday we ate out at the Cracker Barrel. Not in the plan, but a nice treat nonetheless.

Today I finally made the Vegetarian Chili. It is so good! I also made corn sticks for the first time and they were also quite good. Unfortunately they stuck to the pan. Also, I kind of lost my mind for a minute there and forgot to add the egg to the cornbread/stick batter. Brilliant. Actually, that ended up working well for the corn sticks–they ended up crispy and dense and kind of smoky. The rest of the batter was baked as regular cornbread and the lack of egg was a little more noticeable. Not terrible, but hello, what was I thinking. Here is a picture of yummy chili with mangled corn sticks.

Three Bean Chili

Overall, I didn’t deviate from the plan too awful much!

Merry Christmas!

Best wishes to you this holiday season! I hope you are enjoying these next few days with the ones you love.

Menu Plan Monday

Happy Holidays!

I should really start doing the retroactive menu plans that some folks post. It would be more accurate–planning before hand helps me be aware of what I’ve got in the fridge & pantry, what needs to be used up and generally what I can do with said food. I’m not really committed to sticking to the plan, although I feel a little more together when I do. I’m hoping that the end of the year crud that has had my staff out sick, my customers tetchy and the building jinxed is on it’s way out with 2008, though! Maybe then I can stick to normal working hours and come home happy & free (ha).

This week Laura requested family favorites. We won’t be making many family favorites for Christmas dinner since it will be just the two of us again for the holiday. I do hope to get those molasses cookies made this week, and will try to post that recipe later on. Today I’m posting my made up version of Vegetarian Shepherds Pie–Michael’s request for our Christmas Dinner. I suppose that counts as a family favorite, even if it hasn’t been around for very long! It’s very good, although slightly involved.

Monday: Pasta Shells with Chick Peas and Hominy

Tuesday: Cheesey Egg Bake, Salad

Wednesday: Butternut Squash Soup

TO DO: Make mashed potatoes, molasses cookies, and start cinnamon roll dough.

Thursday: (Christmas Breakfast) Homemade Sticky Buns and Orange Wedges

(Christmas Dinner) Vegetarian Shepherds Pie, Apple Cider Braised Cabbage, Broccoli

Friday: Cabbage & Potato Cakes, Honeyed Carrots

Saturday: Leftovers

Sunday: Best Vegetarian Chile (carried over from last week), Corn Sticks

Here is the recipe for the shepherds pie. I thought I had a photo of it, but apparently not…

Laura’s Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie

Mashed Potato Topping

2 large Idaho potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks

¼ c. milk

1 tbsp. butter or margarine

salt

pepper

1/3 c. grated cheddar cheese

Boil potatoes until tender, drain and mash with milk and butter (you may need more or less of these ingredients depending on the size of your potatoes). Stir in salt and pepper to taste, then fold in cheese. Set aside.

Vegetable Filling

2 small onions, chopped

3 stalks celery, chopped

3 carrots, chopped

1.5 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. dried basil

½ tsp. onion powder

½ tsp. garlic powder

¼ c. white wine (or water)

1 tsp. Better than Bouillon Vegetable Base

1 12 oz. package white or button mushrooms, sliced

12-16 oz. bag of Veggie Crumbles (whichever brand you prefer)

1-2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

1-2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce (vegetarian)

1 c. water

1 tbsp. cornstarch

Preheat oven to 350° and brush a large casserole with oil.

Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium high heat. Add onions, celery, and carrots until onions are translucent and beginning to brown a bit. Add herbs and sauté for one more minute. Stir in wine and Better than Bouillon. Add mushrooms and sauté 8-10 minutes, until tender and fragrant.

When mushrooms are ready, add veggie crumbles. Allow to cook 2-3 minutes to combine flavors and completely thaw. Add in balsamic vinegar and Worcestershire sauce to taste. Continue cooking 2-3 minutes, taste and add more seasoning as necessary.

Make a slurry with the cornstarch and water. Add ½ c. to mixture in pan and allow to thicken. Add more or less as needed (I like it to be somewhat wet and gravy-ish, like a pot pie). When mushroom and crumble mixture has thickened to your taste, remove from heat and pour into bottom of a large casserole dish. Spread reserved mashed potatoes over top and bake for 25-30 minutes, until filling is bubbling and potato topping has browned. Serve hot!

Menu Plan Monday

So…apparently I am only blogging my menu plan these days. How exciting for you all! Actually, I’ve been busy working on some Christmas gifts and also trying to coordinate a move next month (ugh…I am the world’s worst mover). So, hopefully I’ll have some photos to share of my crafty capers soon…although I’d like to be sure they’ve reached their intended recipients before posting them here. I don’t think anybody is really reading this blog, but just my luck to share what I made for my sister on the day she drops by!

Anyway, back to the food. I’m always a little too ambitious. The two of us just don’t eat enough food to warrant me cooking every single night or even five nights. I’m always tweaking that part of the plan.  This week will be busy, anyway, with preparing food gifts for co-workers and friends. I like to make things like caramel corn and granola and cookie dough–not really stuff that can be made too far ahead (well, in the case of the cookie dough, I suppose it could be made ahead and then frozen). My menu will reflect that and maybe not so many regular menus. I’m going to try to link to as many of these food gifts as possible, in case you too are looking for something thoughtful but not likely to break the bank or sit in a corner somewhere, sad and alone.

Monday: work late and at a meeting, Michael is on his own

TO DO: Bake brownies for meeting

Tuesday: Broiled Salmon, Mashed Sweet Potatoes, Mixed Green Salad

TO DO:  Make and package Caramel Corn (my recipe is from my aunt and very similar–she calls it Cracker Jack–we usually leave out the nuts for broader appeal). Mix up Cardamom Squares and shape into logs.

Wednesday: Large green salad with balsamic vinaigrette, ricotta salata and various accompaniments.

TO DO: Make a big batch of Christmas Granola (I will post this recipe–it’s amazing but I can’t find it online). Bake one batch of cardamom squares. Mix up Pinwheel Cookie Dough, shape into logs.

Thursday: Colcannon

TO DO: Wrap cookie dough logs in freezer paper and tie ends with pretty ribbon. Pack up granola and caramel corn in bags, attach pretty labels.

Friday: Chick Pea Curry, Rice

TO DO: Prepare Sand Tart dough (my recipe is from an old family friend, but this is the closest I could find. I use butter instead of the shortening. These are definitely NOT fluffy cookies with powdered sugar icing!!).

Saturday: Leftovers. Cookie Swap Party!!

TO DO: Bake second batch of cardamom squares and one of sand tarts.

Sunday: Best Vegetarian Chili EVER!!! (In my opinion)

TO DO: RELAX!!!!

Other great food gifts I’ve made:

• This Chocolate Sauce rocks. I will be strong and not keep it all for myself!
• Rosemary Roasted Cashews would be an excellent food gift.
• Red Wine Plum Jam
• Fig and Plum Jam (I didn’t follow a recipe, exactly, but this site is good for making preserves.)
• Strawberry Freezer Jam (in years past–didn’t get any strawberries this year)
• Grandma’s Molasses Cookies (I should post this recipe too!)
• Black Bottoms–one of my most favorite cookies ever–my mom always makes these as miniature cupcakes–they’re so rich, not sure if it would be possible to eat one big cupcake!
• Chex Mix (+ Cheerios in equal amounts to Chex)
• Muddy Buddies (kind of low rent, but everyone likes these, I’ve found– Actually, I first knew this as Trash and I’ve also seen it called Puppy Chow.)

AND, I bet there are a ton of ideas that I’m missing! What is your favorite food gift to make and give?

Menu Plan Monday

Sigh. Last week was not a success as far as menu planning is concerned. I know why this happened–I was late pulling together a plan and just threw meal ideas down on paper instead of paying attention to what needed to be used or eaten in my fridge and pantry. Or to my schedule last week, which I knew would be busy but didn’t anticipate how wiped out I would truly feel by the end of the day. This tends to happen to me during the holiday season, which is busy even when I try to avoid overly committing to events, activities and projects. So…back to the drawing board and acknowledging reality and what is on hand before I pull recipes out of my head. I’m working harder to add links here, too! I know that I really appreciate being able to link to recipes that sound yummy on others’ meal plans.

BREAKFASTS: Bagels and Cream Cheese, Leftover Pumpkin Pancakes*, Oatmeal w/ Apples and Raisins, Grapefruit and Peanut Butter Toast

Monday: Honey Glazed Tofu, Sweet & Savory Rice Pilaf, Steamed Broccoli

TO DO: Prepare sticky buns for Tues. mtg, prepare whole wheat bread dough, saute mushrooms

Tuesday: Simple Fried Rice, Mixed Veggies

TO DO: Bake sticky buns and bread in AM prior to work

Wednesday: Mushroom & Cheese Omelet, Braised Red Cabbage, Carrot Coins

TO DO: soak red beans, barley

Thursday: Red Bean and Barley Stew

Friday: Leftover buffet

Saturday: @ Birthday Party

TO DO: Cook chick peas, freeze.

Sunday: Thai Day–Michael & I are trying some traditional Thai recipes–final list TBD

TO DO: Cook black beans in crock pot, freeze.

*I use whole wheat flour instead of all purpose–pretty much in all pancake recipes, actually. They are much lighter and airy than you might expect (particularly if you have ever made whole wheat bread that turned out to resemble a brick).

Menu Plan Monday

Quick and dirty. I’m down two staff members this week, which means busy, long days and a probable lack of desire to spend too much time fussing over dinner. So this week is easy, fast, and familiar.

Monday: Final round of Thanksgiving leftovers

TO DO: Make sponge for wheat bread

Tuesday: Baked sweet potatoes, sugar snap peas

TO DO: Bake bread, soak black beans

Wednesday: Pumpkin and Black Bean Soup, Celery Slaw

Thursday: Cream of Tomato Soup, Grilled Cheese

Friday: Ricotta Omelet, Cumin Carrot Coins

Saturday (breakfast): Whole Wheat French Toast

Saturday: Homemade Pizza, Broccoli Salad

Sunday: Vegetarian Baked Burritos

THE END.

WT—Week 2 Piles

A little behind, but here goes:

Breath: PILE Your Tops

• Torture Devices–Nothing in this pile. I did donate a few shirts that might have fallen into this category as part of my week one prep. Usually I run into the problem of shirts that have become too narrow in the shoulders (button downs especially) but fit else where. I have very broad man-shoulders.
• Velveteen Rabbits & Stalwart Staples

The red sweater on the left is a very good color for me, but is pilling and going rabbity. Annoying because it isn’t quite a year old. My own fault–bought cheaply at a cheap store. The striped sweater is one in colors I don’t usually buy anymore but it is flattering. That scoop neck is very good for me. The boat neck on the blue sweater is ok. The color is very good, but not all true in this photo. The blue sweater is just a touch heavier than I need generally down here.

Three new sweaters bought this weekend (not Friday–I can’t handle all those people). Good shape, nice weight, pink and blue are especially good colors, white/ivory is a good neutral staple. I’m hoping that the pink and blue sweaters turn into superstars once I’ve had the opportunity to really wear them.

Blurry photo of slightly boring, neutral staples. The black and white tees are J.Crew, this style, and have a very flattering for me neckline. The black shirts are a couple of years old and beginning to turn into rabbits.

Mostly flattering, good colors. Red shirt at bottom is pilling and going rabbity and actually a shade of red that is less flattering on me than others. So it may have over-extended it’s stay.

Button Down Shirts. These are brighter in real life–the flash really washed everything out. The solid white shirt is a velveteen rabbit; it’s getting harder to keep it bright and there is a faint stain on the hem (generally tucked in). The navy button down (looks black in this photo) is the closest here to a superstar. Nice cuffs and some great pin-tucks on the front.

Not pictured: Two cardigans, one black long-sleeve and one navy short-sleeve. There is nothing special to say about them, but they are good to have. One bright green, ribbed sweater that is in the wash. Two more J.Crew tees in bright colors. Assorted pile of camis and very lightweight tees that can be worn under the scoop neck sweaters.

Superstars

This is one of the Banana Republic sweaters I mentioned in my first WT post. The other (bright teal) is currently at the cleaners. I never thought this color would be good on me, but it is REALLY good!! There is nothing that special about the sweater itself, it just feels really great, is flattering in both cut and color and pretty versatile. I’d not have thought an orange sweater could be versatile, but there you go.

Same Time, Next Year

Not pictured, but I have a pile of about 4 heavy sweaters for any winter trips up north. This pile was just recently culled–when I moved to Florida most of my sweaters fell into this category and I had hardly any lightweight sweaters. It’s taken me about this three years to feel like I’ve gotten at least a little bit of a handle on the weather situation.

Mysteries of the Lost Shopping Trip

While I was going through my closet, I finally got rid of two brocade shells that I’ve had for about 5 years. Nice for an 83 year old grand dame, but not for a 24 year old nanny, which I was at the time. I have absolutely NO IDEA why I bought them!

Sentimental Journeys

Finally pulled these out of my drawers and acknowledged that I never wear them and am only keeping them because they remind me of good times or good people. Mostly t-shirts–I have plans to use these in a t-shirt memory quilt. We’ll see. I’m a little annoyed with the crafty gods today, so that might get put on the back burner.