Sunday, November 24, 2013

2013 Week 48

I'm thankful that's just a photo of a polar bear! 
It's Thanksgiving week!  
You can check out our menu here, we are all getting excited for the big meal.
We have Scott's parents coming in this week and the kids cannot wait for
Grandma and Grandpa to get here.
Honestly, everyday they ask if this is the day they arrive!

Dinners this week:
Sunday - Let's go Broncos, game day food.  Burgers, soup and sweet potato fries, all homemade.
Monday - Quesadillas and burritos, with all of the toppings.
Tuesday - My in-laws arrive around dinner time.  I'm thinking of making my butternut squash stuffed shells with and a big salad.
Wednesday - We don't really have any traditional "day before thanksgiving dinner" recipes or plans, but we need some!  Seems like many people do pizza or Chinese food.  I'm not sure which route we will do yet.
Thursday - Woohoo! It's Turkey day!
Friday - Leftovers, of course!
Saturday - Dinner out with Scott's parents, kids are having pizza with a baby sitter.

Friday, November 22, 2013

2013 Thanksgiving Dinner Menu

Gobble Gobble

This year Thanksgiving will be a little different around here.  I'm about 2 or 3 weeks away from having baby #3 and I'm just not that into cooking a big Thanksgiving dinner. So Scott and his mom and my mom and taking over.  I've planned our dishes, and Scott already has his turkey plan, but that's about as much as I'm going to do.  I'm hoping to just spend the day on the couch "overseeing" what happens in the kitchen!

Here is what our Thanksgiving dinner will be this year:

Appetizers
Honey, Brie, and Apple Bruschetta 
Nuts and Olives
Veggie plate with homemade ranch

Main Dishes
Turkey - I think Scott's grilling the big bird again this year
Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Turkey gravy & Mushroom gravy
Chopped brussels sprout salad - this was a big hit last year, so good
Delicata squash roasted with gouda - I love delicata squash and what's NOT good about gouda??
Shiitake mushroom stuffing
Crescent Rolls
Cranberry Sauce

Dessert
Maple Pumpkin Pie with Salted Pecan Brittle 
Chocolate turkey cupcakes (for the kids, or the kids at heart)

Drinks
Cranberry Slush for the kids and me - yummy!
Wine, Beer

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Also, I'm going to make these delicious looking fresh cranberry scones
ahead of time for breakfast that morning.  

Sunday, November 17, 2013

2013 Week 47

L's family portrait
Bad news: I made the mistake of buying a box of cereal with a toy inside this week.
Now the kids know that such a thing is possible, toys in food. 
Good news: The toy was a Chewbacca pen and L drew this for me.  
I love everything about it.  I love the way he spelled mommy and daddy, 
I love the way he drew the dog, I love the sun with a smiley face.  
Honestly, the whole thing kills me.

Dinners this week:
Sunday - Let's go Broncos!  Game day food is on the menu.  Yummy, grilled quesadillas with lots of toppings and lots of fillings.  Peppers and onions, grilled chicken, cheese, and beans.
Monday - Veggie and tofu stir fry with rice.
Tuesday - Easy noodle dish, maybe crockpot spaghetti, or baked penne.  I might try this recipe with a few more added veggies.
Wednesday - Tostadas, I guess that's pretty similar to Sunday's dinner, but I love a crispy tostada!  Thinking black bean and sweet potato combo.
Thursday - Scott's birthday!  It's all his favorites with grilled steak, mashed potatoes and a green veggie.  I'll throw a portobello mushroom on the grill for me.  All this is followed by cheesecake.  Still looking for a great recipe.  I can't get the birthday guy to settle on a flavored cheesecake or traditional one.
Friday - Some sort of shrimp recipe.  Not sure what yet, but the kids and Scott all love shrimp and we never cook it at home!  Any suggestions?
Saturday - Dinner out or grilling with friends.

Sunday, November 10, 2013

2013 Week 46

We're in that season where L has a birthday party to attend just about every weekend.
At the one yesterday, the kids all got to scamper up the climbing wall at our rec center.
It was only L's second time on the wall, but he loved it.

In cooking related news, Scott has been making the yummiest pizzas lately.  
We always dig into them before I can take a picture, 
but the best combo is roasted butternut squash, caramelized onions, 
cremini mushrooms with ricotta and mozzarella.
So, so delicious.  We've had it twice in one week!
Here's the pizza dough recipe we're currently loving.

Dinners this week:
Sunday - Chili with cornbread.
Monday - Stirfry with noodles and tofu.
Tuesday - Leftovers.
Wednesday - Butternut squash and black bean enchiladas with cilantro lime rice, yum!
Thursday - Homemade mac and cheese with a green veggie.
Friday - Grilled chicken, veggies, and rice.
Saturday - Dinner out or something easy at the house.

Have a great week!

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Roasted Butternut Squash Stuffed Shells

A culmination of leftovers resulted in the yummiest of dinners last night;
Roasted Butternut Squash Stuffed Shells
Roasted squash
I had some leftover stuffed shells stuffing thawed out to use for the night.
On a whim I decided to add in some cubes of roasted butternut squash 
we had left from the night before.
Then, I realized we didn't have enough tomato sauce to bake the shells in,
so I made a quick bechamel sauce.

So, picture this:
warm, chunky tomato sauce on the bottom
al dente large shell pasta stuffed with a mixture of ricotta, spinach, egg, spices and roasted squash
creamy, homemade bechamel sauce and a light sprinkling of mozzarella cheese on top.
Then, you have yourself a seriously delicious dinner!

Here are the recipes I used:
Stuffed shells - usually some take on this
Tomato sauce - this
Bechamel sauce - pop a couple of tablespoons of butter in a pot on medium heat, when melted add the same amount of flour and wisk a few minutes.  Then add about 1.5 cups of warm milk and continue to wisk as mixture thickens.  
Roasted squash - easy, just cube squash, toss with olive oil and salt and pepper and roast covered with foil for 25 min and then uncovered for 20 min at 425ยบ.

Sunday, November 3, 2013

2013 Week 45

Happy Halloween from Lego Darth Vader and Rapunzel 
Halloween was busy and so fun.
The kids loved dressing up and the costumes were a hit. 
The mummy dogs and jack o'lantern pizzas were loved by the kids
and overall the day was a success.

Dinners this week:
Sunday - Homemade pizzas.  Cheese and pepperoni for the kiddos and a yummy veggie combo for the adults.
Monday - Creamy Mushroom Fettuccine from this month's Cooking Light mag.  
Tuesday - It's supposed to snow, so slow cooker minestrone soup and fresh, homemade bread are on the menu.
Wednesday - Fish with couscous and a steamed green veggie.
Thursday - Stuffed shells and a big green salad.
Friday - Breakfast for dinner again, waffles and eggs were such a hit/treat last week!
Saturday - Dinner out with friends