Pot Roast Rerun

Check me out over at At Work, At Play or At Home All Day talking about girlie stuff:-)

Here, I am doing more menu planning with I'm an Organizing Junkie and finding more deals at Pick N Save for $5 Dinners .

All the planning and work is finally going to pay off this week. My baby is going to Kindergarten! Getting back into the swing of things so, good thing Pick N Save had Chuck Roasts on sale this week. That way, I can make my beautiful pot roast to start off the new fall season.

Here is what I am serving:

Monday: Spaghetti

Tuesday: Classic Pot Roast (First Day of School!!)

Wednesday: Leftovers

Thursday: Eat Out (Dinner with relatives)

Friday: Eat Out

Let the games begin:-)

Friday Foto Fun with A Look Back

It's time for Carrie's Friday Foto Fun:-) Hey, I just realized that this post also qualifies for my good bloggie friend Alicia's weekly Friday Photo Flashback at More Than Words .

I love Facebook! The only problem is getting pictures off of it to blog about.

I have been able to catch up with lots of friends from the past and one of them is my good friend Alicia (another Alicia) from grade school. Recently, she sent me this little number:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/photo.php?pid=2396748&op=1&o=global&view=global&subj=822037877&id=645848586

Go ahead...click on it! It is worth a laugh!

or...if you can make it out:

Bon Voyage

Check out more stuff at Wordless Wednesday at 5 Minutes for Mom or Wordful Wednesday on SevEn cLoWn CirCus:-) And, I have added Mostly Wordless Wednesday over at Ordinary and Awesome to my list too!! Go check them all out:-)

Since my oldest was headed for Spain, I honored the occasion with the Spanish flag in cake:


She couldn't have gone to Japan...where the flag is white with a big red dot...No...she had to pick a country with details like this:

I think I pulled it off ok...don't you think?

Tackling My Heart

It's time for Tackle It Tuesday with 5 Minutes for Mom .

Today, I am taking my oldest daughter to the Chicago O'Hare airport so she can fly off to Spain for three months. My heart is breaking for me but soaring for her.

Grape Jam

Check me out over at At Work, At Play or At Home All Day talking about girlie stuff:-)

Here, I am doing more menu planning with I'm an Organizing Junkie and finding more deals at Pick N Save for $5 Dinners .

Well, I survived last week only to get hit again this week. My older daughter is flying off to Spain for a semester so, the first half of the week is devoted to her. My younger daughter is starting kindergarden next week so, the second half of this week is dedicated to her. Not to mention, my mom has appointments and my grapes are coming in!!

Thank goodness Pick N Save had canning stuff on sale this week. I picked some up to make my grape jam. I use the SURE.JELL® Concord Grape Jam recipe from their site. So, I don't have a recipe this week. However, if you are wondering what the difference is between jelly and jams and everything else, I have a breakdown for you at the bottom of this post.

Here is what I am serving this week:

Sunday: Paella (Older Daughter's Going Away Party)

Monday: Eat Out (Older Daughter's Last Night here)

Tuesday: Eat Out (Take Older Daughter to Chicago)

Wednesday: Leftovers (Mom's Doctor Appt.)

Thursday: Chicken and Pasta (Younger Daughter's Dentist Appt. and Haircut)

Friday: Fish and Fries (Younger Daughter's Meet and Greet at School and Mom's Dr. Appt.)

What is the difference between jelly and jam?
Here it is from smoothest to chunkiest:-)

Jelly is made from fruit juice and is smooth.

Jam is made from a puree of fruit but it does not have fruit chunks.

Marmalade is made with the flesh and the rind of the fruit (usually citrus) but it remains smooth like jelly.

Preserves is made by cooking down the fruit so that it is chunky and not smooth like jelly.

Chutney is made from fruit or vegetables and has the consistency of a relish and not a spread.

Happy Canning:-)

Friday Foto Fun with Movies

It's time for Carrie's Friday Foto Fun:-) My older daughter treated me to this earlier this week:

It's about cooking and blogging. Right up both my alleys:-)

It was a feel good movie. If you are looking for something entertaining and light, this is a great flick.

A Ladies Garden Lunch

Even though it was raining outside, we still had a great garden party. I served my Grilled Chicken Oriental Salad , watermelon and raspberry white iced tea. Yummo:-)

Look What I Did With My Pears

Check out more stuff at Wordless Wednesday at 5 Minutes for Mom or Wordful Wednesday on SevEn cLoWn CirCus:-) And, I have added Mostly Wordless Wednesday over at Ordinary and Awesome to my list too!! Go check them all out:-)

Tackling Summer Fruit Cupcakes

It's time for Tackle It Tuesday with 5 Minutes for Mom and another Iron Cupcake: Milwaukee Challenge. This month, the theme is summer fruit. What says summer to me more anything? Lemonade, of course. And that is what I made: Lemonade Cupcakes:

These are yellow cupcakes with lemon curd filling and lemon poured fondant in the shape of lemons inside jello to look like lemonade.

Wait...what? A cupcake in jello?

That's right! A cupcake in jello to look like a lemon in a glass of lemonade. I think it was pretty cool! Who puts cupcakes in jello? Uh...me:-)


And, I am totally a media-whore! Wisconsin Foodie was here this weekend filming me for an upcoming fall episode about this very challenge. They were they filming at the challenge too!! Totally, fun (which by the way, if you find yourself in a similar situation...don't say fun like 50 thousand times...you will just sound dumb.)

Sausage Stars

Check me out over at At Work, At Play or At Home All Day talking about girlie stuff:-)

Here, I am doing more menu planning with I'm an Organizing Junkie and finding more deals at Pick N Save for $5 Dinners .

I have no idea when things will calm down for me. This week, I have Iron Cupcake, my mom starts cardiac rehab and we have a party for my older daughter (her birthday is Monday and she is leaving for Spain on the 25th). Eventually, I will have to plan for my baby's first day of kindergarten too. By the end of the week, you will have to scrape me off the floor:-)

Pick N Save has Italian Sausage on sale this week. I picked some up to make Sausage Star appetizers for the party this week. Check out the recipe below:-)

Here is what I am serving:

Monday: Spaghetti (Iron Cupcake)

Tuesday: Chicken and Pasta

Wednesday: Leftovers (Cardiac rehab)

Thursday: Pizza and Sausage Stars for Party for Older Daughter (See recipe below)

Friday: Eat Out (Collapse)

Sausage Stars
Ingredients:
1 lb cooked crumbled (2 cups cooked) *I use fresh bulk pizza sausage from pic
1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1 1/2 cups monterey jack cheese
1 cup hidden valley original ranch salad dressing
1 (2 1/4 ounce) can sliced black olives
1/2 cup chopped sweet red pepper
1 (60 count) package wonton wrappers
vegetable oil

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Brown sausage in a sauté pan.

2. Combine drained cooked sausage meat with the cheeses, salad dressing, olives and red pepper.

3. Lightly oil mini muffin tins and press a wrap in each tine so there are 4 wings sticking out. Brush with oil. Bake 5 minutes until golden,

4. Remove wraps from pan, Place on a baking sheet. Fill wraps with the sausage, cheese mixture. Bake for 5 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly& brown.

Servings: 60

Cooking Times
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

Nutrition Facts
Serving size: 1/60 of a recipe (2 ounces).
Percent daily values based on the Reference Daily Intake (RDI) for a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition information calculated from recipe ingredients.

Amount Per Serving
Calories 180.73
Calories From Fat (43%) 78.18
% Daily Value
Total Fat 8.73g 13%
Saturated Fat 2.68g 13%
Cholesterol 16.44mg 5%
Sodium 346.45mg 14%
Potassium 56.6mg 2%
Total Carbohydrates 19.28g 6%
Fiber 0.71g 3%
Sugar 0.23g
Protein 5.7g 11%

Recipe Type: Appetizer

Tips
***You can make the wraps the day before and store them in a sealed container

***I also mix everything together the night before

Recipe Cost: $15.06
Serving Cost: $0.25

Friday Foto Fun with the MiLship

It's time for Carrie's Friday Foto Fun:-) We had relatives visiting from Kansas yesterday so, my MiL through a party. She is the woman who taught me everything I know about pie making. And so, may I present the fruits from the MiLship:

That's her Cherry Pie, Peach Pie and Pineapple Upside-Down Cake:-)

Now you know where I got some skillz:-)

Pears

Check out the fruits of my pear tree!! Yummo:-)

Farmer and Sunshine at the Fair

Check out more stuff at Wordless Wednesday at 5 Minutes for Mom or Wordful Wednesday on SevEn cLoWn CirCus:-) And, I have added Mostly Wordless Wednesday over at Ordinary and Awesome to my list too!! Go check them all out:-)

My favorite farmer and sunshine:-)

Tackling the State Fair

It's time for Tackle It Tuesday with 5 Minutes for Mom . This week we tackled the Wisconsin State Fair.

When I think about this event I always think about the food! Sure, we heard bands, saw animals, smelled gorgeous flowers and beheld blue ribbons pies. Heck we even saw the pig races! But for me, the food was KING!!

There are traditions, must-haves and must-trys. For me one of the must-haves are Saz's sour cream and chive fries! They are "shut up" good! For the must-trys, may I present the following:

Chocolate-Covered Bacon

It was not good:-(

Fried PB&J

It was not good:-(

And lastly, there is one tradition that can not be missed:

CREAM PUFFS!!

These were VERY, VERY, VERY GOOD!!

Grilled Chicken Oriental Salad

Check me out over at At Work, At Play or At Home All Day talking about girlie stuff:-)

Here, I am doing more menu planning with I'm an Organizing Junkie and finding more deals at Pick N Save for $5 Dinners .

Another busy week is upon us. The Wisconsin State Fair is in town and we will be partaking in all the yummy fair goodness (ahhhhh....cream puffs....yum...). We also have a bunch of doctor appointments to follow up on Mom's hospital stay and dinner relatives. So, I am going to be exhausted!

It's a good thing that Pick N Save had chicken on sale this week (normally $4.79/lb on sale for 1.97/lb.). I picked up a bunch and included it in my Grill Chicken Oriental Salad. Check out the recipe below:-)

Here is what I am serving:

Monday: Eat Out (State Fair)

Tuesday: Grilled Chicken Oriental Salad (See Recipe Below)

Wednesday: Taco Night (Dr. Appt.)

Thursday: Leftovers (Dr. Appt.)

Friday: Eat Out (Dinner w/ Relatives)

Grilled Chicken Oriental Salad
Ingredients:
2 lb. chicken
3 Tbs olive oil, divided
Salt and pepper to taste
1 inch fresh ginger peeled and minced
3 cloves garlic
1 Tbs rice wine vinegar
2 Tbs soy sauce
2 cups Lettuce leaves
1 carrot, shredded
1/2 cucumber, halved lengthwise, seeded, and sliced
1 packet ramen noodles

Directions:
1. Pound the chicken into a thin cutlet. Rub with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on a screaming hot grill and cook on both sides.

2. Meanwhile, prepare the sauce/dressing. Put ginger, garlic, vinegar, soy sauce in a blender and process. Stream in the remaining olive oil slowly until it thickens into a sauce/dressing.

3. Take 1/2 cup of the sauce/dressing and baste the chicken. Reserve the remaining to dress the salad.

4. Remove chicken from grill and let it cool enough to handle it. Cut into strips.

5. Toss lettuce, carrots and cucumbers together. Top with chicken. Drizzle on the dressing and garnish with ramen noodles and serve.

Servings: 4

Cooking Times
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

Nutrition Facts
Serving size: 1/4 of a recipe (12.2 ounces).
Percent daily values based on the Reference Daily Intake (RDI) for a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition information calculated from recipe ingredients. One of the recipe's ingredients was not linked. This ingredient is not included in the recipe nutrition data.

Amount Per Serving
Calories 520.58
Calories From Fat (26%) 134.05
% Daily Value
Total Fat 15.27g 23%
Saturated Fat 3g 15%
Cholesterol 131.54mg 44%
Sodium 603.67mg 25%
Potassium 1087.92mg 31%
Total Carbohydrates 37.55g 13%
Fiber 2.79g 11%
Sugar 2.45g
Protein 59.36g 119%

Recipe Type: Chicken, Chinese, Main Course, Salad

Source
Author: Susan Ewing

Recipe Cost: $12.71 ($7.07 on sale)
Serving Cost: $3.18 ($1.77 on sale)

Friday Foto Fun with Swim Lessons

It's time for Carrie's Friday Foto Fun:-)

Remember this girl who was so ready to swim at the beginning of the season? Well, this is how she did:

This is her swimming report card from Level 1 which she passed on the first try! Everyone she encounters says that she is the "most enthusiastic (fill in the blank) that they have ever seen":-) I love that about her.

And this is Level 2. She didn't pass but she only missed 2 things so next time should be a breeze. I think it is neat that each instructor decorated the sheets for the kids. I am just so pleased with the program they have at our aquatic center. They really make learning fun.

These are going straight to the memory book:-)

Soon There Will Be Jam

Look What My Friend Brought Me

Check out more stuff at Wordless Wednesday at 5 Minutes for Mom or Wordful Wednesday on SevEn cLoWn CirCus:-) And, I have added Mostly Wordless Wednesday over at Ordinary and Awesome to my list too!! Go check them all out:-)

Cake Porn:-)

Tackling Friends

It's time for Tackle It Tuesday with 5 Minutes for Mom . I tackled some time with friends.

I had a very troubling week with my mom being in the hospital however, last week ended very pleasantly. I saw one friend on Friday for a playdate with our girls. And another one came over for dinner with her husband on Saturday. It was awesome:-)

Now, I don't know if these visits were due to me being at the top of the "concern list" because of my mom. My friends are like that. If one of us is in trouble or turmoil, the others rally around. Or maybe they just both missed me at the same time.

Either way, I am glad they both called because it was exactly what I needed:-) There is nothing better than some girlfriend time when you are feeling spent.

Summer Pasta Salad

Check me out over at At Work, At Play or At Home All Day talking about girlie stuff:-)

Here, I am doing more menu planning with I'm an Organizing Junkie and finding more deals at Pick N Save for $5 Dinners .

My mom is home from the hospital and things are starting to get back to normal. So, there is going to be a little bit more cooking this week and we are porking out:-) Pick N Save had Baby Back Ribs on sale so, I picked some up. Since I already have an awesome rib recipe, I decided to post the side dish to go along with it. This pasta salad is my "go to" for summer pot lucks. Check out the recipe below:-)

Here is what I am serving:

Monday: BBQ Baby Back Ribs and Summer Pasta Salad (see recipe below)

Tuesday: Grilled Brats (Swim Class)

Wednesday: Ham and Potatoes

Thursday: Leftovers (Swim Class)

Friday: Eat Out

Summer Pasta Salad
Ingredients:
1 box Suddenly Salad, Bacon Ranch Flavor
1 cup frozen green peas
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 cucumber, halved lengthwise, seeded, and sliced
1 tomatoes, seeded and diced
3 strips bacon, chopped
1/2 cup cheddar cheese shredded

Directions:
1. Prepare Suddenly Salad per the package directions. In the last minute of boiling, add the frozen peas. Drain and rinse with cold water.

2. Finish the package directions using the mayo.

3. Toss with the cucumbers, tomato, bacon and cheese.

4. Chill and enjoy:-)

Servings: 10

Cooking Times
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes
Inactive Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

Nutrition Facts
Serving size: 1/10 of a recipe (3.7 ounces).
Percent daily values based on the Reference Daily Intake (RDI) for a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition information calculated from recipe ingredients.

Amount Per Serving
Calories 181.44
Calories From Fat (56%) 101.92
% Daily Value
Total Fat 11.24g 17%
Saturated Fat 3.5g 18%
Cholesterol 16.74mg 6%
Sodium 277.21mg 12%
Potassium 121.87mg 3%
Total Carbohydrates 10.31g 3%
Fiber 1.09g 4%
Sugar 2.8g
Protein 4.62g 9%

Recipe Type: Pasta, Salad, Side Dish

Source
Author: Susan Ewing

Recipe Cost: $8.91
Serving Cost: $0.89