Weekly Menu Plan 12-3 to 12-9, 2023

 

It's time to get those lists sent in, kids!  I'm working on mine - not writing one, filling some!  Santa needs all the help he can get these days.  And in between sewing and cooking, I am one of the....

Big shoes to fill, I know.  😉

I hope you all had a good week last week.  The weeks are just flying by, I could use a few days of nothing to do and nowhere to go.  But then, at my age, I better be careful what I wish for!

This whole month is filling up with activities faster than I can say Jingle Bells.  Weekly menus are going to get quick and easy after this week.  I already am struggling to get everything I want to get done each day.  I'm sure you're all in the same boat, too!  But then, I think we all need to sit down and unwind with a good meal and some conversation.  It's so important to not let this month slide by in a blur.  I'm going to prep some meals for my daughter for the rest of the month, too, so it cuts down on her load.  I remember what it's like to come home every day from work, and then have to cook and clean up.  And grade papers.  And do lesson plans.  And make phone calls.  And do laundry, and......the list goes on and on, doesn't it?  Sometimes I wonder how I did it, and how all you working moms do it!

Anyway.  Back to the menu plan.  Here it is for the week, and as usual, notes and recipe links are below.  

Sunday:

Baked Caramel Apple Oatmeal is from Kitchen and Kids - I love baked oatmeal in the winter months!  If you're gluten free, make sure you use gluten free oats and caramel syrup

Gluten Free Chocolate Eclair Cake is from Gluten Free on a Shoestring

Monday:

Christmas Eggs are from Finding Joy In My Kitchen

Gluten Free Tuna Casserole is from Gluten Free Palate

Gluten Free Banana Cream Pie is from Kiss Gluten Good-Bye

Tuesday:

One-Pot Red Beans and Rice is from Southern Bite

Wednesday:

Gluten Free Cinnamon Roll Muffins are from Ms. Modify

Gluten Free Chicken Parmesan is from Mama Gourmand - I am using a jar of spaghetti sauce in place of her homemade marinara sauce

Gluten Free Italian Love Cake is from The Seasoned Mom - I am using a gluten free chocolate cake mix in place of the regular one.  No other changes are needed.

Thursday:

Gluten Free Gingerbread Donuts are from Gluten Free Palate - these are new to me and I can't wait to try them!

Friday:

Gluten Free Waffles are from Mama Knows Gluten Free

Egg Roll In A Bowl is from Once Upon A Chef

Gluten Free White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies are from Strength and Sunshine

Saturday:

Gluten Free Cinnamon Bun Coffee Cake is from Stillwood Kitchen

Gluten Free Chicken Noodle Soup is from Mama Knows Gluten Free - so good!

Gluten Free Honey Oat Quick Bread is from Dish By Dish

Gluten Free Pumpkin Pie Snickerdoodle Crumb Bars are from The Gluten Free Gathering

That's it for the week!  Don't forget to be a blessing to others, and have a wonderful week!

22 days and counting.....

Crockpot Western Omelet

 

It's me again, just popping in for a minute.

This morning I made the Crockpot Western Omelet from this week's menu plan, and I changed something about the recipe I thought you might want to know, if you decide to make it!

After a long talk with my sister last night about getting up at 5AM to turn on the crockpot, she convinced me to do it differently.  She said she would NEVER get up to do that, and thought it was a dumb idea.  She suggested I just assemble it in the morning and bake it.  She also suggested that we just go out to breakfast.  🤣🤣   Did I mention that she's a GENIUS??  Why did I never think of that?  Sometimes I wonder how I figure out how to get dressed in the morning.

So, this morning, I got up at my usual time.  I assembled the casserole by just layering the ingredients.  I didn't even thaw the hash browns.  I put frozen hash browns on the bottom, just half a bag, then cubed ham, then a chopped onion and green pepper, then cheese, sprinkled it with salt and pepper, then poured the egg mixture over it all.  I baked it at 375 degrees for 45 minutes, and I have to tell you - it was better than in the crockpot!  Really good!  Nothing was mushy, it was all perfectly cooked and my husband agreed it was better this way.

Here's what it looked like:

Is that not the worst picture ever taken of food for a blog?  I'm kind of in a hurry.  I just wanted to let you see how it turned out.  Of course, we ate the first part of it already.  I think that making it this way, so that it's more spread out, helped it get done evenly.  It's not nearly as thick as it is in the crockpot, but that's a good thing.  No mushy parts, everything was done just right.

So there's my update!  You might want to try making it this way, although the crockpot is good too.  We just like it this way better!

Now go have a great day, and see you in a bit!

Weekly Menu Plan 11-26 to 12-2, 2023

 

Here we go again!  Jumping feet first into the holiday season!  

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  We did, and I can't believe how this weekend flew by.  We got the Christmas tree up, but I haven't put any ornaments on it yet.  My Christmas village has 50 or 60 some houses now, and that's my husband's job.  We'll see if he gets them all up and running.  I have my doubts!  :)  He brought the ladder down from the attic that many of the houses are placed on.  He made the ladder from a Pinterest post, and it's really quite cute.  He places shelves over the steps, covers them with snow, and gets them all hooked together so they light up and do all their little animations.  But the houses now overflow onto the hearth of the fireplace, and then some.  It's a lot to do!

Since I didn't cook for Thanksgiving, we didn't have leftovers.  So I'm back to cooking.  I don't know how she makes her turkey, but it turns out so moist and flavorful!  Every year it just gets better and better!

This week, I am going to try and get some Christmas sewing and baking done.  I have a couple projects cut out, I just need to get busy on them.  It's rainy and dark today, and I am not one bit motivated to do anything but sit and watch TV!

Here's this week's menu plan.  It was hard to plan this week, because I still feel full from Thanksgiving!  I'm hoping this week is fairly uneventful so I can get some things done.  I started Christmas shopping, and have a little bit done, but I need to do lots more!

As usual, recipe notes and links are below:

Sunday

Gluten Free Chicken Broccoli Alfredo is from Dishing Delish

Gluten Free Orange Dream Pie is from Taste of Home - I am using a gluten free graham cracker crust that I buy at Wal Mart.  The rest of the recipe is gluten free.

Monday

Crockpot Western Omelet is from Taste of Home - I usually prep this in the evening in the crockpot, and then I turn the crockpot on about 5:00 AM.  I just get up, run downstairs and turn the crockpot on low, and then go back to bed for a couple hours.  It's usually ready by 10:00, so we eat a late breakfast and then usually just skip lunch.

Baked Cod is from Yes to Yolks - this is the BEST recipe for baked fish I have ever eaten!  I'm not a huge fan of fish, but this is really good.  I use gluten free panko bread crumbs that I buy from Wal Mart.

Texas Roadhouse Seasoned Rice is from Food Lovin' Family - just be sure to use gluten free soy sauce if you're making it gluten free

Tuesday

Gluten Free Cranberry Apple Crisp is from A Fork's Tale - this is not written as a gluten free recipe.  So I substitute with gluten free flour and gluten free oats.  Then just follow the recipe, no other changes needed.

Crockpot Chicken Parmesan is from My Recipe Reviews

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Blossoms are from Mama Knows Gluten Free - I love these!

Wednesday

Big Mac Salad is from Wholesome Yum - we love this salad!

Thursday

Jalapeno Popper Turkey Chili is from Fantastical Sharing of Recipes - this is a new one for me, but it sounds really good!  Gotta try it!

Cranberry Christmas Cake is from Barefeet in the Kitchen - this is one of those recipes I make every Christmas season.  It is one of my all-time favorites!  It turns out so well gluten free.  I just sub the regular flour with King Arthur Gluten Free Flour.  The batter is super thick.  But it turns out great every time!  My daughter and I could eat this one all by ourselves!

Friday

Gluten Free Breakfast Burritos are from Mommy Hates Cooking - we love these!  I make the sausage and the hash browns the day before, then just reheat and add the rest of the ingredients.

Saturday

Gluten Free Eggs Benedict Casserole is from Mama Knows Gluten Free - anything from this site is delicious!  I love Audrey Roberts!

Loaded BBQ Chicken Nachos are from 365 Days of Baking and More - I made extra chicken on Sunday for the Alfredo, shredded it, and stuck it in the freezer for these nachos.

Cherry Kuchen Bars are from Easy Weeknight Recipes - again, I am subbing King Arthur Gluten Free Flour for the regular flour.  If it seems too dry, I add an extra egg.  But I usually don't change a thing, other than the gluten free flour.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but that takes us into DECEMBER!  Where did 2023 go???  When time flies this fast, I know I am REALLY GETTING OLD!  

Have a wonderful week, everyone!  I hope you find a meal idea or two here that you can use!  Take care, and I will see you next week!

Weekly Menu Plan 11-19 to 11-25, 2023

 

Happy Thanksgiving week, friends!  I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family and friends!  It's such a heartwarming time of year, isn't it?  Every year, I look around the table and see all these people I love so much, sharing such great times together, and it always makes me get all misty-eyed.

This year, as in quite a few past years, we are going to my daughter's home for Thanksgiving.  It's not much of a trip - she lives about 5 minutes down the street!  :)  I see them almost every day!  But it's still special!  She makes most of the dinner, but I always bring some side dishes and desserts.  Yes, to them, it wouldn't be a holiday if Grandma didn't bring 2 or 3 or 4 extra desserts. #myfavoritepartof themeal  #no surprisetoanyone

So what am I making?  Just in case you want to know, here are the links to what I'm making (does anyone use cookbooks anymore?  And why do I still have over 100 cookbooks on shelves in the den?)

Sweet Potato Crunch - I just use gf flour in the topping

Apple Butterscotch Fluff Salad - One of my grandgirls loves creamy fruity salad

Cauliflower Salad - a family favorite - I put the bacon in right before serving it so it stays crisp

Crustless Pumpkin Pie - make it just like a regular pumpkin pie (I use the recipe on the back of the can of Libby's Pumpkin), but don't use a crust.  Just pour it in the pie pan and bake it.  It's gluten free and yummy - you won't miss the crust!

Caramel Apple Trifle - yummy but NOT gluten free

Morello Cherry Pie - I'm using a gluten free pie crust and gluten free flour in the crumb topping

Caramel Apple Poke Cake - this one is optional, I may not make it if I'm tired!  But my family loves poke cakes, so I always feel obligated to make one.

So that will take care of Thursday.  On my menu plan, I just skipped over Thursday, because I'm not cooking that day!  Breakfast is cold cereal, because nobody needs to fill up at breakfast. Nibble on something until dinner, that's what we usually do.

That takes me to the rest of the week.  Here's my plan for the rest of the week.  We usually go back to my daughter's house on Friday for dinner for leftovers, so that's what's in my plan.  We will definitely do that this year, because I have an MRI scheduled for that Friday night at 9:30.  Yes, they stay open until 10:30 or 11:00.  I guess I have a slipping disc or something in my back, and it's pinching a nerve and sending some very unpleasant messages down my leg.  After the MRI results, my doctor is sending me to a spine specialist.  So 2024 is shaping up to look very interesting!  Stay tuned!  It's always something! :)

As always, notes and recipe links are below.

Monday:

Chicken Burrito Bowls are from Number 2 Pencil

Gluten Free Cranberry Bliss Bars are from Gluten Free On A Shoestring - I can't wait to try these!

Tuesday:

Juicy Lucy Burgers are from The Kitchn

Wednesday:

Gluten Free Pancakes are from Gluten Free Baking

Vegetable Beef Noodle Soup is from Together As Family I'm using gluten free egg noodles from Jovial Pasta

Gluten Free Eggnog Cake is from The Roasted Root

Thursday:

Saturday:

Monterey Sausage Pie is from Tasty Kitchen - I'll use gluten free Bisquick

Crockpot BBQ Pork Chops are from Eating On A Dime

Gluten Free Sweet Potato Casserole is from Amee's Savory Dish - this is a different recipe than the one I'm taking on Thanksgiving.  I LOVE the one for Thanksgiving, it's my favorite, but this one I haven't tried yet.  I thought I'd try this one and compare the two.

That's probably enough food for the week, right?  Then, next weekend, we'll be hauling out the Christmas tree again and decorating for Christmas!  I've got to get my fall decorations packed away this week, and get the rooms clean and ready for the holidays!  Lots to do!  I'm hoping my leg holds up, or my husband is going to be one busy guy!  :)

I'm wishing you all a loving, blessed Thanksgiving, and I'll see you next week!  Take care!

The Turkey Trot Blog Hop - My Turn!

 

Welcome to my first Turkey Trot Blog Hop entry!

I can't believe this day is here already!  As if you can't tell, this is my first time sharing at this, or for that matter ANY, blog hop, and I am just a bit nervous and excited.  

I have been a long time admirer of both Joan's and Carol's blogs, and their amazing quilting skills. I've loved looking at all the beautiful work of past blog hop participants, wishing I had the nerve and the skills to make something like any of the projects I was looking at.

I have no idea what motivated me to email Joan last month and ask if I could participate in this month's hop.  I was just clicking through her blog, looking at all the wonderful things there, and on a whim decided to try it out.  She was gracious enough to let me join in, and so here I am!  An old lady who is a newbie at this!

I love to quilt, but I like smaller projects rather than big quilts, probably because I not a fast quilter.  An entire quilt would take me a year or more! I like to see a finished project, so I love making things like table runners, bags, placemats, and mug rugs.  And pincushions!

As I began planning my project for this turkey challenge, I was worried I wouldn't have enough fall or Thanksgiving fabric to choose from.  But I had more than I thought!  I love seasonal fabric and decorating for each season and holiday.  My husband will testify that I love buying fabric no matter what the season!  :)

I was debating between making a pillow or a bag, and decided on the bag! I'm sorry if you were expecting a quilt!  I didn't really have a plan, I just decided to wing it (no pun intended). 😁  I found a cute turkey to make as a focus for the front of the bag, so I fussy cut it out.  Then, I just proceeded to add fabric around it that I liked and fit the theme.  I'm not very complicated!

I just kept adding more pieces until I liked the size of it!

I added a bottom piece that matches the back, and decided it was big enough to start quilting. In the photo below,  the front of the bag is lying on top of the back of the bag.  I left the back of the bag just one solid piece of fabric.  It is brown, with little silvery leaves that have a bit of shine to them.  I'm sorry you can't really see that from the picture - it's just gorgeous in real life!

The photo above shows after I quilted it, and I had trimmed it up a bit.  I used a cross-hatch quilting stitch, because I love the wrinkly kind of look it gives, and it makes it feel soft and squishy.  

Then I sewed it together, using the pattern Anyone Can Make This Bag, by Laura at Sweet Cinnamon Roses.  I've made several of these bags before, and I just love them.  It's a basic tote, but oh, so sweet!  And you can make the fronts and backs as cute as you want to!  It's a very adaptable pattern, and allows me to improvise easily!

Here it is, all finished!

The back of the bag

Now, I'm not a great quilter, nor a great photographer, but I'm a happy one!  I love making things, and I just have so much fun doing it!  I had a ball going through all my fall fabric for this project, and piecing it all together.  I usually forget to take any pictures at all, so I was quite proud of myself for remembering to photograph a few of the stages!

Thank you so much for taking a look at my project, and for letting me participate in your blog hop this month!  I hope you enjoyed your visit here!  Please feel free to look around the rest of my blog, which is mostly my Weekly Menu Plans.  But this may just motivate me to share more of what I make!

If you'd like to see more projects from some amazingly talented quilters, you can find the list of participating bloggers here:

  The Turkey Trot Blog Hop

Take care, enjoy all the wonderful projects being shared, and I hope to see you again real soon!

Weekly Menu Plan for 11-12 to 11-18, 2023

 

It sure looks like November outside, but it feels more like October here!  We're still running temps in the 60's all week, and I'm not complaining.  It could stay this way all year and I'd be happy!

I hope you all had a great week last week!  The weeks are just flying by now, and I can't believe Thanksgiving is literally right around the corner.  We have a full schedule right up to the end of the year, there is so much going on with the grandkids and family.  It's such a blessing to be able to participate in all these events!  There are concerts, and more concerts, sports events, shopping, holiday traditions like The Nutcracker, and lots and lots of cooking and baking.  

So let's take a look at this week's menu.  I amped up my breakfasts this week, because honestly, I was getting bored with the same old same old.  I needed something new!  So I'm trying several new recipes in the mornings this week - I hope they keep me energized for these busy days!  I'm trying to use my crockpot more, so that frees up my afternoon time in the kitchen.  I've got a huge amount of sewing to get done, and I need some time away from cooking this week!

Here's the plan for this week.  Recipe links and notes are below.  I sure hope you find something yummy here - I am looking forward to some yummy meals this week!

Sunday:

Gluten Free Macaroni and Cheese is from Feast and Farm

Gluten Free Apple Dapple Bundt Cake is from Mama Knows Gluten Free - this is so good!

Monday:

Gluten Free Breakfast Burritos are from Mommy Hates Cooking 

Gluten Free Slow Cooker Meatloaf is from Small Farm Big Life

Gluten Free Cranberry Shortbread Bars are from Fearless Dining

Tuesday:

Gluten Free 7 Up Biscuits are from A Virtuous Woman

Gluten Free Shrimp Fried Rice is from Flavor The Moments

Gluten Free Pineapple Upside Down Cake is from Meaningful Eats

Wednesday:

Gluten Free Sausage Gravy is from Self Proclaimed Foodie - served over leftover biscuits from Tuesday

Gluten Free Crockpot Pot Roast is from Taste of Home 

Gluten Free Dinner Rolls are from Gluten Free on a Shoestring - I'm making these again for Thanksgiving

Thursday:

Gluten Free Creamy Garlic Chicken is from Delicious Little Bites

Gluten Free Rice-A-Roni is from Gluten Free on a Shoestring

Friday:

Gluten Free Slow Cooker Pork Chops are from Brooklyn Farm Girl

Easy Baked Beans are from Taste of Home

Gluten Free Pumpkin Snickerdoodles are from Wheat By The Wayside

Saturday:

Gluten Free Cinnamon Bread is from Flavor Walk

Gluten Free Taco Pasta Skillet is from Good For You Gluten Free

Gluten Free Oreo Pie is from A Dash of Megnut

And that will take us through this week!  Whew!  That's a lot of baking this week!  But I have so many gluten free friends now that love to get my leftovers!  This past month, quite a few of my friends have had to go gluten free for a variety of reasons, and being new to gluten free is hard.  I'm happy to share some yummy recipes with them to keep them on their gluten free paths!  Especially with the holidays coming!  

Y'all take care this week, and I hope you have so many meals with friends and family that are fun and make good memories for all of you!  Have a great week!  Sending hugs!

Weekly Menu Plan 11-5 to 11-11, 2023

 

Happy November!

Blink once, and it will be Thanksgiving.  Blink twice, and you'll be seeing Santa's feet coming down the chimney.  It's hard to believe it's November, but it's twice as hard to believe that the holidays will be here in a couple weeks.  It's time to get full-on ready for the holidays!

I spend way too much time looking like the girl in the picture.  But I love to curl up on the couch and just watch the weather outside!  It's actually been a beautiful fall here, just a couple cold days.  The rest of the days have been sunny, in the 60's, and very breezy.  Watching the leaves fall is just mesmerizing!  

I'm still in a comfort food state of mind.  Fall weather just seems to bring that feeling out in everyone - just cozy suppers and jammies and TV after that.  Now that our clocks have been turned back, it will really be cozy in the evenings!

Here is what I came up with for this week.  Recipe links and notes are below.

Recipe Links and Notes:

Sunday:

Polish Sausage and Sauerkraut is from Momsdish - simple but so good over mashed potatoes!

Gluten Free Bread Pudding is from Gluten Free Easily - the first time I made this, my husband and son ate half the pan before I even served it for dessert!  

Monday:

Gluten Free Waffles are from Maple and Thyme

Fried Apples are from Taste of Southern

Gluten Free Italian Cream Cake is from Caramel and Cashews - I can't wait to make this!  I've made lots of regular Italian Cream Cakes for my family, and I'm excited to be able to try it!

Tuesday:

Amish Baked Oatmeal is from All Recipes - I love Amish recipes, and this one is a keeper

Wednesday:

Gluten Free Chicken and Dumplings is from Mama Knows Gluten Free - love love love this!

Gluten Free Cherry Pie is from Gluten Free Palate - I use a premade gluten free crust

Thursday:

Gluten Free Breakfast Bake is from Betty Crocker

Gluten Free Snickers Cake is from Caked by Katie - I'm just making this a regular 2 layer cake. It really is not complicated to make!

Friday:

Baked Cod is from Yes To Yolks - this is my new favorite recipe!  I made it a week or two ago, and it was SO GOOD!  I use gluten free panko bread crumbs.

Gluten Free Spinach Souffle is from Eat Gluten Free - This is a new one for me.  I used to love the Stouffers frozen Spinach Souffle, so we'll see if this is a good substitute!

Saturday:

Gluten Free Apple Cider Donuts are from Cupcakes and Kale Chips

Gluten Free Potsticker Noodle Bowls are from Iowa Girl Eats

And that should do it for this week!  I think I overdid it on the desserts, but I have lots of people I can share with.  ;)  I hope you all have a FANTASTIC week, and I wish you many cozy, happy meals with your family and friends!  Take care!