menu plan monday ~ march 16, 2009

DD#3 has her last volleyball games of the season this week, and our second daughter is home for spring break, so the menu reflects both. Some quick meals and some of DD’s favorites.

Monday
ham / turkey sandwiches on homemade rolls
celery / carrots

Tuesday
potato / sausage soup

Wednesday
enchiladas
grapes
tortilla chips

Thursday
chicken and noodles

Friday
tilapia
stir-fried sugar snap peas with cherry tomatoes
corn
Caesar salad

Saturday
fridge food

Sunday [Didn’t get this in last week.]
beef tips in the crock pot
rice
peas
corn on the cob
spinach salad

You will find more menu plan ideas at Menu Plan Monday.

~~Rhonda

grilled asparagus

This recipe for grilled asparagus worked well under the broiler. We enjoyed this a few weeks ago when it was way too cold for grilling out.

  • 1 pound asparagus, tough ends removed

Marinade ingredients:

  • 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
  • 1/8 teaspoon black pepper

grilled asparagus

Pour the marinade ingredients into a zippered plastic storage bag. I folded the bag over the edge of a mug to hold the bag up while I measured the ingredients.

grilled asparagus

Add the asparagus to the zippered bag and marinade for 30 minutes.

grilled asparagus

I put the asparagus on a cookie sheet lined with foil and set it under the broiler for about 8 minutes, turning the asparagus once.

grilled asparagus

Delicious. Great flavor. I think it would be even better with toasted sesame seeds on it. Next time.

grilled asparagus

Supper was baked salmon with dill, steamed red potatoes, broiled asparagus and freshly baked multi grain bread.

grilled asparagus for supper

When asked, DH said yes, definitely make the asparagus again. 🙂 Next time, I think I’ll cut the asparagus into bite size pieces before marinading. Easier to eat. And when warmer weather finally shows up, we’ll try it on the grill. For grilling, I think I’d slide the whole asparagus onto two skewers, ladder fashion. They would be easier to flip on the grill.

~~Rhonda

the fun is in the details

I enjoy taking macro photos of every day objects because of the detail those pics reveal. Here are a few of my favorites from the past weeks.

An old ring found in my MIL’s button collection.

sterling

Frozen blueberries.

on blueberry hill

Tub of “butter” spread. The ridges are caused by the knife I use.

pretend butter

A ladybug on the kitchen counter. I can’t decide if it looks like she wants to talk to me, or if it looks like she’s trying to push my finger out her way.

the only visitor I had today

Kosher salt.

when it rains...

Plastic spoons.

ripples

An old blue canning jar.

canning jar

This week, the theme of 7 Days of Shooting is jewelry, hence the first photo in this post. Today’s take on the jewelry theme is “Textured Tuesday.” I’m still thinking about that one…

~~Rhonda

menu plan monday ~ march 9, 2009

DD#1 is home for spring break, so the menu reflects her food preferences. She will return to school on Saturday and DD#2 will come home Thursday or Friday to stay for a week. It’s too bad their spring breaks didn’t overlap more than that, but we are glad they both are able to come home for a visit! Their little sister is happy, too.

sister time

Monday
shake and bake chicken
mashed potatoes
green beans
corn on the cob
cole slaw with peanuts and raisins

Tuesday
enchiladas
cornbread
tortilla chips
red grapes

Wednesday
eat out

Thursday
tacos

Friday
ham
macaroni and cheese
homemade rolls
lima beans
corn
crock pot apples

Saturday
chicken and noodles
green salad

Sunday
beef tips in the crock pot
rice
biscuits
corn
asparagus

You will find many more menu ideas and recipe links at Menu Plan Monday.

~~Rhonda

sunny saturday

Yesterday was the first really lovely foretaste of spring. DH and I spent the afternoon working in the yard. Picking up sticks and branches. Picking up winter trash. Enjoying the flowers. Planting a few things in the garden.

The little 6″ ‘Tete-a-Tete’ daffodils were the first to bloom last year (on March 17) and the first to bloom this year on March 7. Ten days earlier this year. Does that mean everything else will be earlier, too??

'Tete a Tete"

The tiny blue flowers of Persian Speedwell are all over the yard.

Persian speedwell

The crocus are scattered just outside the back door.

crocus

We found a few snowdrops under the apple tree. Didn’t know we had any. I want to plant more this fall. I love these little flowers that are often the first to bloom each year. We had some where we lived prior to this home and they often bloomed the first week of February.

snowdrop

Zak enjoyed the warm sunlight, too.

Zak

We planted spinach, chard, radishes, and mustard in the raised garden bed.

planting spinach

Several bunnies were spotted in the yard.

Peter rabbit

I am so ready for full-blown spring.

~~Rhonda

crocus

The big picture in the back yard still looks a little bleak.

big oak tree

But if you look down and look close…

white crocus

purple crocus

creamy yellow crocus

yellow crocus

The daffodils are pushing aside the leaf litter and will be blooming soon.

daffodils

Can’t hold back spring now.

~~Rhonda

my grands

We are planning a trip to visit DS#1 and his family soon. Until then, here are a couple of pictures of the grandtwins.

Sleepy girl

03-02-09-a1

Sweet face

03-02-09-b

I love this picture taken at the playground, with mommy in the background.

03-02-09-c

~~Rhonda

chickpea snacks

Today I tried making toasted chickpeas (garbanzo beans) for the first time. I’ll say up front that I am the kind of person who likes to eat the old maids when we make popcorn…you know those unpopped and partly popped kernels of corn? I save all the old maids and repop them. Second time around they are crunchy good. Love ’em. So it’s no surprise I liked these chickpeas. They remind me a little of those old maid kernels.

I used:

1 16-oz. can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 T. olive oil
garlic powder
ground red pepper
paprika
freshly ground sea salt

After draining and rinsing the chickpeas, put them in a bowl lined with a paper towel and swirl them around to dry them a bit more.

After discarding the paper towel, drizzle the chickpeas with olive oil, then sprinkle them with the spices, mixing to coat the chickpeas well. The amount of spice depends on personal taste. I used a light hand, as I’ve never had these before. Next time, I may up the spice a bit.

spicy chickpeas

Spread them in a single layer on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

before

Bake at 350* for an hour, shaking the pan every 15 minutes to stir the chickpeas. The last 15 minutes, check them every 5 minutes. I’ve read they turn quickly from perfect to burned.

after

Mine turned out great.

spicy crunchy chickpeas

They are delicious, crunchy and spicy. I’ll make them again, but may cook dry chickpeas to use next time. Starting with a bag of dried beans would be cheaper and may be tastier than canned.

~~Rhonda

menu plan monday ~ march 2, 2009

I’m trying a few new recipes this week. I’ve never cooked lamb before, so am looking forward to that. I’ve never made chicken piccata, either. I’ll let you know how it goes. 🙂 You will find more recipes and menu ideas at Menu Monday. ~~Rhonda

Monday
crock pot leg of lamb with prunes
sauteed mushrooms
steamed broccoli with cheese sauce
Cannelloni beans (seasoned with extra virgin olive oil, onion, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper)

Tuesday
turkey sandwiches on homemade buns

Wednesday
chicken piccata
mashed potatoes
Brussels sprouts
corn
Caesar salad

Thursday
crock pot chicken
rice
carrots and peas
corn

Friday
pork chops in the crock pot
homemade rolls
baby baked potatoes
steamed asparagus
stir-fried cabbage

Saturday
fridge food

Sunday
Italian Shrimp over Linguine
corn
steamed green beans
spinach salad
rosemary bread

pippin’s gone

Pippin

Last night, Pippin passed away. He was an old cat. An outdoor cat. A stray that adopted us in September of 2006. He became DD#1’s cat. When he came to us he looked terrible. His hair was falling out, he was very thin and weak, he had a bad limp. As time went by, his health improved a great deal. During cold weather, his limp would return, but overall he was doing well. He could always be found on the back porch. Usually on the railing, looking through the back door, hoping someone would come out. The past few weeks he didn’t seem to be himself. He lost weight, was lethargic, his hair was coming off in tufts. I told DD I thought he was dying. She wanted to put him in the basement a few nights ago because he looked worse and it was chilly out. She made a bed for him and went down to visit him. Last night she and DH went down and she said goodbye. She petted him and he purred. DH said Pippin didn’t seem to be in any pain. They buried him this morning, down by the willow tree.