School starts for us tomorrow. I have a daughter going into high school, and another starting kindergarten. It’s a big year for us, and we are looking forward to it. After a summer of sandwiches and pancakes for dinner, my husband asked recently if I was going to start cooking again now that school was starting! After looking at him somewhat incredulously, I realized he had a point. He also mentioned that now that we aren’t hanging out together all day, it’s more important that we connect at the dinner table. That thought moved me to go back to planning our meals a week at a time. I always appreciate knowing what others are making for their families, so I thought I’d share what we are up to – meals wise. It also helps me when I get in a cooking funk, to remember what I’ve made in the past, and to help in planning for the future. I’ll link to recipes I’ve tried on-line, and share some favorite family recipes too. None of it is fancy – but it works for us!
Here are last week’s meals:
Monday – Shrimp Lo Mein: This was really yummy! It was my first time making it, but I’ve had it pinned for awhile. The thing that made me nervous about it was preparing the shrimp. That bag of frozen, shelled, veined shrimp seemed to mock me every time I opened the freezer. The thinking about it was the worst part. Once I got in there, it was still kind of gross, but not too bad. It was definitely worth the effort, because the meal was delicious.
Tuesday – Casserole Ole: This is one of my favorite throw together meals. We make it a lot. Recipe is at the end of this post.
Wednesday – Greek Chicken Pita Folds: This recipe is from LDS Living. It was good and easy – but instead of eating with store-bought pita bread, I want to make homemade naan next time. That would make this meal fantastic. I might also like to add french fries to the mix, because it reminds me of how we ate them overseas.
Thursday – leftovers. I love leftover night. Take it easy and clean out the fridge.
Friday – Corn Dog Muffins and watermelon. We went to a potluck for dinner, so I brought these corn dog muffins. I made mine in regular-sized muffin pans, and cut the hot dogs in thirds before laying them in the batter. They were great, and everyone enjoyed them.
Saturday – Pancakes for dinner. Okay – so I still plan on making breakfast for dinner as often as I can get away with it. We all love it!
Sunday – Pulled Pork Sandwiches – just throw pork roast and barbecue sauce in a crock pot before church. Shred and put on rolls for dinner! Perfect Sunday no-fuss meal. I also made a peach meringue torte for dessert. This is one of my favorite treats, and I look forward to ripe peaches every year just for this!
Casserole Ole!
- 10 oz bow tie noodles
- 1 med onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 lb ground beef
- 17 oz can cream style corn
- 1 can sliced black olives (optional)
- 1 TBSP Chili powder
- 1/2 TBSP cumin
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 8 oz. can tomato sauce
- 1 c water
- 1-1/2 c grated cheddar cheese
- salt and pepper
Cook noodles until almost done. Brown together beef with onion and garlic. Add remaining ingredients. Combine sauce with cooked noodles. Turn into a 9 X 13 casserole and top with additional cheese. Bake at 325 degrees for 30-45 minutes. Freezes well.
Peach Meringue Torte
- 1 c egg white (must be cold)
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
- 2 c sugar
Whip egg whites, vinegar and cream of tartar until very stiff peaks form. Slowly add sugar. Butter 2 pyrex pie dishes. Build mixture up on sides and a little concave in the middle, so it forms a crust. Bake at 300 for 10 minutes. Turn oven to 250 and cook for another 30 minutes. Turn oven off and let crusts cool in oven. When cool, remove top layer of crust and reserve for later. Fill crust with peaches or other fresh fruit, and the following whipped cream mixture:
- 1 pint whipping cream
- 2 TBSP powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
Decorate top with reserved crust.
