From now on (or as often as I remember) Monday postings will be about musings and menus. The musing category will be any little odd things I saw or did the prior week along with 5 positive things that happened during the week. The menu? From now on I am going to be more like Sam and use the menu as a suggestion. I might or might not stay on track, and am not going to beat myself up if things change or I feel totally uninspired to make what is on the menu. But, I will not be posting the changes I make or the meals we eat. I experimented and found I can mostly stick to a menu but I really get a little testy about feeling obligated to follow it. I am also going to continue with my food storage meals for a couple of weeks. I still have a lot of food in the freezer that needs to be eaten before I begin my holiday season cooking,
Musings:
This past week we attended 2 events at night and took a friend of Son3's out to dinner after one of them.
Alabama won their football game, Roll Tide!
Began the hunt for a new dishwasher. My rack is currently held together with zip ties and the mesh from an orange bag. I think I have had this dishwasher about 15 years so I am not terribly upset.
Positives:
1. I found a great deal on pineapples which means pineapple infused vodka for some holiday gifts.
2. I used a $20 off $20 purchase Wrapsody birthday coupon to buy My Beloved Sister a Christmas gift.
3.The weather has cooled ever so slightly.
4. Mom had her quarterly eye shots and is free and clear until January.
5. Found a pair of earrings I thought were lost
Last week's menu plan:
1. Chicken koobeidah, rice, broiled tomatoes
2, Tater tot casserole, (yes it sounds awful) marinated onion, cukes, and tomatoes
3 Peas, fried okra, cornbread
4Bbq chicken, cole slaw, mashed potatoes
5.Bottega for dinner
6. Chicken scallopini, salad, grilled asparagus
7.Leftovers
8. Black and blue salad, dinner rolls
What happened and why:
Monday: Early in the day I had planned for the tater tot casserole. I had a bag of tots living in the freezer and had taken out my last bag of browned ground chuck to thaw. About 2 in the afternoon TheHub called and asked if we could have something not quite as heavy. I was bound to the ground chuck, so I ditched the plan, sautéed some onions, mushrooms and bell peppers, heated up the ground chuck, added some herbs and spices and served it as an open faced sandwich. Since it had about a 1 1/2 times veggie to beef ratio I didn't bother with any sides.
Used: 3/4 cups ground chuck, spices, 1 1/2 onions, 1 carton mushrooms, 1 gigantic bell pepper, 2 hot dog buns, 2 beers
Tuesday: Another late dinner! They are tiresome because it means the kitchen has to be cleaned well after 9. This was one a pretty basic meals. We had crowder peans, fried okra and cornbread. TheHub drank wine and I had water. I am sorry but wine just does not go with peas and okra. According to my plan I should have also sliced some tomatoes but I forgot about them. Oh well!
Used: 1 pack frozen crowder pean, okra, corn meal, oil, egg, kefir, salt and baking powder
Wednesday: We went to a local watering hole to have a couple of drinks and hear TheHub's cousin preform with a group she belongs to. Brenda has a beautiful voice and we try to catch them whenever they are in town. This meant another late night dinner, but this time I used the crock pot so we could walk in the house to an almost done dinner. I bought some farm stand bbq sauce that we did not like and will never use just as a sauce. I added some vinegar and some additional spices and pepper (yes I had to get the heat level up) I poured it over chicken and started cooking it on low then made a bowl of cole slaw and stuck it in the fridge. When we got home all I had to do was make (term used loosely) some instant mashed potatoes. Don't judge. I keep them for nights like this!
Used: Chicken thighs from the freezer, 1/2 jar bbq sauce 1/2 head cabbage 2 carrots 2 scallions 1/2 c (maybe) instant potato flakes.
Thursday: We went to hear Joey Alexander, and took the bass player out to eat after the concert. He was a school friend of Son3 and is currently touring with Joey. So we heard great music and took Dan to eat a very traditional southern meal: bbq ribs, fried okra, mac and cheese, baked beans, coleslaw and banana pudding. It was the best the south on a single plate. In case any of you want to taste the same, you can order them here; yes right here! Just be ready to drop some coins!
Used: Money only and time well spent.
Friday: Had a wonderful day with Mom. I was with her from 1-4:30 for a doctor's appointment and called back to her house twice for "emergencies". Any dinner plans flew out the window so I grabbed us a couple of spinach pies and we ate them between mother needs. Does anyone else have a parent who is a worse patient than a 2 year old child? When she gets her next shot for macular degeneration I am hiring someone to sit with her for 24 hours. I know she will pitch a hissy fit but it is the price she will have to pay to remain in her own house. And yes I know I am a horrible daughter, but I am not going to go to her house, watch her moan and groan, but when asked what I can do to help her, get "Nothing" or "I don't know". Then when I do something like get ice packs or try and put artificial tears in her eyes (both Dr. recommended) she screams that I am doing everything the wrong way.
Used: Every ounce of patience I possess and bandages for the tongue I was biting.
Saturday: Just me for dinner, as expected, so I ate leftover spaghetti and bolognese. I also had some celery and cucumbers (and some potato chips because they were there)
Used: Leftovers and too many additional calories (thanks chips)
Sunday: We were in a quandary about what to have for dinner. Black and Blue salad or chicken. Neither of us really wanted to fire up the grill so I tried a new to us recipe. Chicken Koobiedah, jasmine rice, broiled tomato. cucumber slices. Technically I should have cooked this on the grill but I decided to try it in the oven since that was simpler. This was a seriously tasty way to eat chicken! I will make this again, soon.
Used: 1 pound ground chicken from freezer, 1 onion, assorted seasonings, 1 cup rice, tomato, cucumber
This week's meal possibilities:
1. Pasta salad
2. Ham with cheese ravioli, mixed greens
3. Chicken croquettes, green beans, tossed salad
4. BLT Pizza
5. Out to eat
6. Tater tot casserole, broccoli
7 Black and Blue salad
8. Peas, squash, sliced tomatoes with cornbread.
Since TheHub and I decided we need to cut back on our sugar consumption the only thing I am planning on making is some sugar free pudding. It is a fine enough dessert (I guess) plus I have a lot of milk that needs to be used. It might bepossible probable that some chocolate chip cookies will be baked this weekend, after all it's game day.
Music curtesy of The Joey Alexander Trio. That is the very talented Dan Chmieilinski on bass. If you get a chance, go see Joey. He is a 14 year old phenomenon! Talented well past his years both as a pianist, composer and arranger. The bassist and drummer aren't anything to sneeze at either!
Musings:
This past week we attended 2 events at night and took a friend of Son3's out to dinner after one of them.
Alabama won their football game, Roll Tide!
Began the hunt for a new dishwasher. My rack is currently held together with zip ties and the mesh from an orange bag. I think I have had this dishwasher about 15 years so I am not terribly upset.
Positives:
1. I found a great deal on pineapples which means pineapple infused vodka for some holiday gifts.
2. I used a $20 off $20 purchase Wrapsody birthday coupon to buy My Beloved Sister a Christmas gift.
3.The weather has cooled ever so slightly.
4. Mom had her quarterly eye shots and is free and clear until January.
5. Found a pair of earrings I thought were lost
Last week's menu plan:
1.
2, Tater tot casserole, (yes it sounds awful) marinated onion, cukes, and tomatoes
3
4
5.
6. Chicken scallopini, salad, grilled asparagus
7.
8. Black and blue salad, dinner rolls
What happened and why:
Monday: Early in the day I had planned for the tater tot casserole. I had a bag of tots living in the freezer and had taken out my last bag of browned ground chuck to thaw. About 2 in the afternoon TheHub called and asked if we could have something not quite as heavy. I was bound to the ground chuck, so I ditched the plan, sautéed some onions, mushrooms and bell peppers, heated up the ground chuck, added some herbs and spices and served it as an open faced sandwich. Since it had about a 1 1/2 times veggie to beef ratio I didn't bother with any sides.
Used: 3/4 cups ground chuck, spices, 1 1/2 onions, 1 carton mushrooms, 1 gigantic bell pepper, 2 hot dog buns, 2 beers
Tuesday: Another late dinner! They are tiresome because it means the kitchen has to be cleaned well after 9. This was one a pretty basic meals. We had crowder peans, fried okra and cornbread. TheHub drank wine and I had water. I am sorry but wine just does not go with peas and okra. According to my plan I should have also sliced some tomatoes but I forgot about them. Oh well!
Used: 1 pack frozen crowder pean, okra, corn meal, oil, egg, kefir, salt and baking powder
Wednesday: We went to a local watering hole to have a couple of drinks and hear TheHub's cousin preform with a group she belongs to. Brenda has a beautiful voice and we try to catch them whenever they are in town. This meant another late night dinner, but this time I used the crock pot so we could walk in the house to an almost done dinner. I bought some farm stand bbq sauce that we did not like and will never use just as a sauce. I added some vinegar and some additional spices and pepper (yes I had to get the heat level up) I poured it over chicken and started cooking it on low then made a bowl of cole slaw and stuck it in the fridge. When we got home all I had to do was make (term used loosely) some instant mashed potatoes. Don't judge. I keep them for nights like this!
Used: Chicken thighs from the freezer, 1/2 jar bbq sauce 1/2 head cabbage 2 carrots 2 scallions 1/2 c (maybe) instant potato flakes.
Thursday: We went to hear Joey Alexander, and took the bass player out to eat after the concert. He was a school friend of Son3 and is currently touring with Joey. So we heard great music and took Dan to eat a very traditional southern meal: bbq ribs, fried okra, mac and cheese, baked beans, coleslaw and banana pudding. It was the best the south on a single plate. In case any of you want to taste the same, you can order them here; yes right here! Just be ready to drop some coins!
Used: Money only and time well spent.
Friday: Had a wonderful day with Mom. I was with her from 1-4:30 for a doctor's appointment and called back to her house twice for "emergencies". Any dinner plans flew out the window so I grabbed us a couple of spinach pies and we ate them between mother needs. Does anyone else have a parent who is a worse patient than a 2 year old child? When she gets her next shot for macular degeneration I am hiring someone to sit with her for 24 hours. I know she will pitch a hissy fit but it is the price she will have to pay to remain in her own house. And yes I know I am a horrible daughter, but I am not going to go to her house, watch her moan and groan, but when asked what I can do to help her, get "Nothing" or "I don't know". Then when I do something like get ice packs or try and put artificial tears in her eyes (both Dr. recommended) she screams that I am doing everything the wrong way.
Used: Every ounce of patience I possess and bandages for the tongue I was biting.
Saturday: Just me for dinner, as expected, so I ate leftover spaghetti and bolognese. I also had some celery and cucumbers (and some potato chips because they were there)
Used: Leftovers and too many additional calories (thanks chips)
Sunday: We were in a quandary about what to have for dinner. Black and Blue salad or chicken. Neither of us really wanted to fire up the grill so I tried a new to us recipe. Chicken Koobiedah, jasmine rice, broiled tomato. cucumber slices. Technically I should have cooked this on the grill but I decided to try it in the oven since that was simpler. This was a seriously tasty way to eat chicken! I will make this again, soon.
Used: 1 pound ground chicken from freezer, 1 onion, assorted seasonings, 1 cup rice, tomato, cucumber
This week's meal possibilities:
1. Pasta salad
2. Ham with cheese ravioli, mixed greens
3. Chicken croquettes, green beans, tossed salad
4. BLT Pizza
5. Out to eat
6. Tater tot casserole, broccoli
7 Black and Blue salad
8. Peas, squash, sliced tomatoes with cornbread.
Since TheHub and I decided we need to cut back on our sugar consumption the only thing I am planning on making is some sugar free pudding. It is a fine enough dessert (I guess) plus I have a lot of milk that needs to be used. It might be
Music curtesy of The Joey Alexander Trio. That is the very talented Dan Chmieilinski on bass. If you get a chance, go see Joey. He is a 14 year old phenomenon! Talented well past his years both as a pianist, composer and arranger. The bassist and drummer aren't anything to sneeze at either!
I think I could handle menu planning if I did it like you do--no guilt. No, I don't think you are a bad daughter for hiring someone to sit with her for 24 hours. Remind her this is how she gets to stay in her home. The moaning and groaning I could handle, but telling you that you are doing it all wrong would bother me. joey is great.
ReplyDeleteJoey is an amazing talent, and plays by ear. He is not trained but it is an innate part of his being.
DeleteNOT a bad daughter. You knew that she would moan. You knew that whatever you did would be wrong/not enough. And you went anyway.
ReplyDeleteHiring someone for the 24 hours next time sounds like a great idea. I expect that you will receive lots of calls though.
I am sure it will not be well received but My Beloved Sister and I need a shield who is paid to be there.
DeleteAlways eat the potato chips when they are there. Always!
ReplyDeleteI came, I saw, I crunched!
DeleteI like the "meal possibilities" way of meal planning, because, very often, that's what I do, too. I'll think to myself, I have X and Y in the freezer and Z in the cabinets and I can make this or that or the other to see me through the week. No specific meal on a given day, but an idea of what is possible.
ReplyDeleteYou are not a bad daughter; your mom obviously wanted someone to be there with her, not to help her feel better, but just someone to complain to and sympathize with her about all what she is going through. Telling you that you were doing things all wrong was uncalled for, though. Hiring someone to be there with her is probably a good idea.
The meal possibilities works so much better. If I were still trying to be true to it i would have already derailed. As a possibility I merely altered. It is silly but it makes me feel much better.
DeleteMom has been a horrible patient all her life. Now it is just exacerbated.
As far as Joey is concerned--can you say prodigy? And the bass players is impressive, too. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteHe is a true prodigy.
ReplyDeleteWell at least she didn't get up and throw herself into the furniture requiring a trip to the emergency room and glue to close up a nasty head wound. Sorry I am laughing a little.
ReplyDeleteYou are right! It could be much worse and now I am the good daughter again because I took care of all of her business and banking, plus I went to her house as summoned to flip her mattress. (evidently mattress flipping is an emergency now)
DeleteI can't rigidly stick to a meal plan either yet it's good to have meal "suggestions" in your head for the times you're in a hurry or whatever. My strategy these days is to make a couple things each week that I can get more than one meal out of because I never know if Kazi is going to make it home or not and if she is coming home for dinner she just might be bringing her boyfriend as well.
ReplyDeleteI am enjoying having suggestions instead of trying to adhere to a plan. I guess I just don't like rules.
DeleteIt is silly but it makes me feel much better.
ReplyDeleteเกย์ไทย