4 hours late

Tonight we were going to have brown rice for dinner . . . which I usually bake in the oven. But we weren't going to be home from 1:15 until 5:30, so I started baking it at noon. It was supposed to come out of the oven at 1:00pm . . .

but I didn't remember to take it out until 5pm . . .
when we were at the swimming pool and I was talking to my sister on the phone about what she was making for dinner. 

Nathan was home so he rescued the "browner" rice and quickly threw white rice into the rice cooker. Dinner saved. House not burned down. Crisis averted.

You win some and lose some.

We had this for FHE dessert and it is a keeper.

A little planning goes a long way

Last week I didn't meal plan and it was horrible. I went through all of my "emergency" meals and stressed out about dinner every day.

This week I forced myself to plan the meals for the week on Sunday. It's only Tuesday, but it's going so much better. How come I have to learn things the hard way? I still have one night without a plan, but I am sure I can fill it. Perhaps I should plan weeks at a time so I can just grab a weeks' worth on Sunday and go with it. Hmmm..... will have to consider it.

This was dinner last night, and everyone loved it. It's tricky to find a vegetable to go well with it, but it does have pumpkin in it . . . . we had carrot sticks. We served it with whipped cream, no need for syrup here. I am really into food that you can prep early these days, because I am out running kids around most afternoons between 4 and 6. If you have someone who can take a pan out of the oven for you, (while you are gone driving) this one works. And, if you want to try Pumpkin Egg Nog, this is a great excuse to buy some.

Monday we tried this new salad dressing. Easy to cut this recipe in half. It caught my eye because it uses onion powder instead of cutting an onion. I love any recipe that makes that substitution. Worth it in my book, especially for a small amount of onion.

My favorite food storage meal lately? Mac & Cheese with Rotel Tomatoes & Black beans. We cut the butter in half but make everything else like normal, and add one can black beans & one can Rotel. Served with shredded lettuce on the side . . . so good.

(Hoping the Red Sox win the World Series tonight so we the final won't interrupt trick or treating). How can it be almost November?

Our kitchen tonight

Had this for dinner.
I loved it and my husband, who did most of the work, said, "We could have this again."
Which means: "Let's have this again!"
I think this would be OK with rotisserie chicken as they mention, but tonight it was perfection b/c of the homemade grilled chicken we had it with.
My favorite part of grilled chicken is the outer surface--browned & a little bit drier. This time the chef sliced each chicken breasts in two pieces lengthwise--

This is not my photo . . .found it on google images

To make more surface area for the grill. Best way ever.
Fresh basil is an important addition--adds to the freshness & depth of flavor.

The under 12 crowd for the most part did not appreciate the red pepper sauce or basil, but it's easy to make theirs without. And the red pepper sauce is the reason I wanted to try it. It did not disappoint. It was so good I think you would not miss the cheese if you left it out.

A certain 11 year old saw that someone was discarding her fresh basil, however, and asked if she could have it. So there is hope.

Today was our neighborhood garage sale. We didn't make a ton of $$$, but enough. My neighbor was selling a copy of this:

After I told her I loved it, she gave it to me. Can't wait to try some of these, the first up on my list is Spinach and Feta Frittata. If you are a young mom wondering how on earth you are ever going to feed your family, this is a fantastic resource. Highly recommend.

Tomorrow we are going to try this.
Some night soon . . . . this, but we will have it with spinach, because it's better.

Spring food

I love spring food--it is so fresh.
If I were you, I would try this, Mixed Greens with Fresh-strawberry-herb-dressing
SOON.

This morning for breakfast I had wilted spinach with scrambled eggs and homemade bread. Heaven in my kitchen.