My Menu Plan.

Back at it again this week. Planning for meals makes my life so much easier. Grocery shopping cheaper. If you can believe it! Actually, I make my meal plan out, head to the store and purchase just what I need. Plus some other necessities. Such as, milk, bread, cereal, juice..that type of stuff. Beats the heck out of walking around trying to plan meals while shopping.

This weeks menu:

Monday: Canned beef and noodles with green bean casserole.

Tuesday: Baked herb chicken, rice with a veggie.

Wednesday: Scalloped potatoes w/ham salad and rolls

Thursday: Goulash, fried potatoes w/veggies (didn't end up having this last week)

Friday: Pizza

Saturday: Left overs

Sunday: Potato burgers, shredded hash browns, green beans and rolls

The following recipe is a new one. I haven't even tried it yet. I found it in a magazine and thought it sounded really good.



Baked Herb Chicken:

8 skinless drumsticks
Juice of large lemon
2 cloves garlic (minced)
2 T rosemary
2 T thyme
2 tsp olive oil
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes

Preheat oven to 425. Spray large rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray. Place drumsticks on baking sheet. Mix juice from lemon, garlic, rosemary, thyme, oil, mustard, salt and pepper in small bowl; pour over drumsticks and toss to coat. Add tomatoes. Cook about 40 minutes, until drumsticks are cooked through & tomatoes are tender. Be sure to turn drumsticks halfway through roasting time.

My Menu Plan.

Now that the holiday's are behind us...maybe, just maybe, I can get back at it with my menu plans. We'll see :o)

Monday: Chicken pockets, roasted potatoes

Tuesday: Potato soup, salad & rolls

Wednesday: Ham & provolone panini's & coleslaw

Thursday: Chili & corn cake casserole

Friday: Pizza Night!!

Saturday: Hamburgers & french fries

Sunday: Crock pot spare ribs, mashed potatoes & broccoli w/cheese sauce



Chicken Pockets:

Tin foil
Boneless skinless chicken breasts
Sliced onion*
Sliced Carrots*
Sliced Celery*
Sliced Zucchini*
Season with Lawry's season salt
1/4 tsp of margarine (per pocket)
(*optional)
Use tin foil for each breast. You'll want it large enough to fold into a pocket. Place 1 breast per each foil pocket. Add veggies ~ really you can do what ever veggies you would like. I've even diced up potatoes) Sprinkle desired amount of seasoning. Add 1/4tsp of margarine to each pocket. Fold tin foil into the form of a tent..sort of...be sure all edges are sealed up tightly. Place each foil pocket on a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Simple and good!

Note: I've made these with just BBQ sauce and the chicken. Yum!

Busy, busy, busy!

So much going on these last few days. I've been busy shopping and wrapping Christmas gifts. I'm nearly done! WOO WHOO!! Paul and I are meeting at the mall after he gets out of work today. My hopes are to get DONE! Honestly, I don't have much left to buy. I have our kids done. Which is a huge accomplishment for me. I even have all their gifts wrapped already. Another HUGE accomplishment for me. My goal is to get everything bought and wrapped this week. Then, next week, when Carly is off for Christmas break, we can bake and make cookies.

I will likely be absent from blogging over the next several days. We have so much going on. Not just finishing up with all the shopping. I have Carly's Christmas party at school on Friday. Saturday we are heading to Kalamazoo, bright and early. Ashleigh graduates from WMU at noon! Then we're all heading out to eat and celebrate. Which reminds me...I need to get her a graduation gift. Sure hope I can find a Congratulations to the Graduate card this time of year.

The following recipes are a couple that Carly and I will be making next week.

Golden Caramels

1/2 lb butter (2 cups)
1 lb sugar (2 cups)
1 C light corn syrup
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 C broken/chopped nuts

Melt butter and add rest of ingredients. Stir constantly. Using a candy thermometer, allow temp to reach 240. Remove from heat and add nuts and vanilla. Pour mixture into buttered pan and cut into squares. Wrap each square in wax paper.



Turtles

2 pecan halves on un-greased pan. Place a caramel (store bought, not the above caramels). Place in oven at 325 for 5 minutes. Pull out of oven and press down on the caramel with the backside of a buttered spoon. Work quickly. Then place a Hershey kiss on top!

Frosted Pecan Bites

These are Paul's most favorite snacks during Christmas.

1 pound pecan halves
1/2 C butter
1 C sugar
2 egg whites, stiffly beaten
1 pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 275. Toast pecans for 10 - 15 minutes or until lightly toasted. Set aside to cool.
Fold sugar, salt and pecans into egg whites. Increase your oven temp to 325. Melt butter on a sheet pan. Spread the nut mixture over the pan and bake for 30 minutes. Be sure to stir every 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Enjoy!

Carmel Corn Recipe

This is another HUGE hit around here.. I make this a couple of times a year. But seem to make it every Christmas. It's a recipe that I got many years ago. Way back when I was in High School taking Home Economics Class.

Oven Carmel Corn:

3 & 3/4 C pop corn (15 cups popped)
1 C brown sugar
1/2 C margarine (or butter)
1/4 C light corn syrup
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 200. Place popped corn on large cookie sheet. (I use 2, 9x13 cake pans). Heat sugar, margarine, corn syrup & salt. Stirring occasionally, until bubbly around the edges. Continue cooking over medium heat for 5 minutes. Remove from heat add baking soda and stir until foamy. Pour mixture over top of popped corn. (I stir it up a bit to make sure popcorn is coated nicely). Place in heated oven and bake for 1 hour. Stirring every 15 minutes. When done, let popcorn cool a bit and then place it in a large bowl and enjoy!

Christmas candy

Today, I'm sharing with you another family favorite. My kids (the oldest two) have loved these since they were little. This recipe came from my grandmother. She passed away 6 years ago. She had so many recipes. She was always baking and making candies. When I got married, my grandma started giving us a candy dish full to the brim with homemade chocolate covered peanuts each year for Christmas. They were so darn good! Many times she would include this delicious treat too.

Church Windows
Melt together 1 stick of margarine (or butter) and 1 - 12oz pkg., of chocolate chips. Remove from heat and let cool for 1/2hr to 1hr. Once cooled add 1 pkg., of mini colored marshmallows. Stir them until all are covered nicely. Divided the mixture in half. Just eye ball it! Place each mixture on 2 pieces of wax paper. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Form each half to look like a loaf or log by using your hands. Roll up in the waxed paper and store in fridge until chilled. They are then, ready to eat. Slice and enjoy these very yummy treats. And pretty too!

** helpful hint ~ I roll into the log shape and then sprinkle on the powered sugar**

Christmas candy

During the month of December, I thought I would share a few family favorites. Favorites meaning, recipes for candies and cookies and all kinds of yummy treats. Time seems to really fly from the first of December right up till Christmas Day. Everyone scurrying around looking for all those great deals. Families trying to squeeze in a 'baking day'. Making sure homes are decorated. Kids in front of the TV watching all those holiday shows. Ah...Christmas, a wonderfully crazy time of year.

Since it is a crazy time of year and I too am very busy trying to get things done. I thought I would share some of our family favorites. In terms of yummy candy, cookies and treats. Today I'm sharing a recipe that I got several years ago from my cousin. I call it Heath Bar candy, but the recipe says it's Toffee. Which ever you call it, it's sure to be a big hit around your home. Plus, it's simple!

1 C sugar
1 C water
1 C butter (real butter not margarine)
1 C finely chopped nuts (optional)
1 package semi sweet chocolate chips
1 large cookie sheet (I use a sheet cake pan)
Tin foil

Add sugar, water & butter into heavy pot. Using a candy thermometer, let mixture reach 300 degrees. Make sure to continue to stir often. Once the temp reaches 300, pour in finely chopped nuts and stir till blended. Pour entire mixture onto a tin foil lined cookie sheet. You will want to make sure that you fold all four sides of the tin foil up, forming an edge all the way around. Immediately cover with your package of chocolate chips. Once the chips begin to melt, spread carefully over the top. Let sit until cool. Break into pieces and enjoy!

**helpful hint~I spray my tin foil with butter flavored cooking spray.**

Show Us Your Life Desserts

Hop over to Kellys blog and find some yummy recipes. This is a very simple, yet very yummy pie recipe.

Peanut Butter Pie



8 oz Cool whip
1 pie shell (baked)
3/4 C peanut butter (I use crunchy)
3/4 C powdered sugar
1 small box instant vanilla pudding
1 2/3 C milk

Crumble the peanut butter and powdered sugar together in a small mixing bowl.
Mix pudding and milk in a separate mixing bowl.
Sprinkle the peanut butter/pwd sugar mixture on the bottom of the pie shell. Use about 1/3 of the mixture. Then pour the pudding mixture over the top. Sprinkle another 1/3 of the peanut butter/pwd sugar mixture on top of the pudding.
Top with cool whip and sprinkle the remaining peanut butter/pwd sugar mixture on top. I don't always do this step. Sometimes I just split the peanut butter/pwd sugar mixture in 1/2. Sometimes I shave up a chocolate bar to place on the top.
Chill for at least 1 hour and then serve.

It's very yummy and quite easy too!

Dinner Recipes.

Over at Kelly's Korner is Show Us Your Life Dinner Recipes. Head over and check out some of the many yummy recipes. Thought I'd join in today with a couple of our favorites.

Glazed Salmon

8 oz of Salmon fillets
lemon pepper
2 tsp olive oil
1 Tb soy sauce
2 tsp Splenda

Place salmon in well greased baking dish, sprinkle with lemon pepper cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake 40 minutes @350 degrees. Uncover and baste on the sauce and broil till browned.

** I line my pan with the foil and then seal all edges. Makes clean up much easier.
** I double and even have tripled my sauce. I also baste it several times until browned.

5 Hour Stew

2 lbs meat - cut into bite size pieces
2-3 potatoes " "
2-3 carrots " "
2-3 onions " "
2 celery stalks also cut into bite sized pieces (if you have celery)
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp instant tapioca
salt and pepper to taste
1 8oz can of tomato sauce

Place ingredients into 2qt baking dish in above order. Drizzle the tomato sauce over the top. This makes it's own gravy. Bake covered for 5 hours @250 degrees

** I normally make a bit extra of the brown sugar, tapioca and tomato sauce because we like ours with extra sauce/gravy.