Thankful Week.

Isn't Thanksgiving great? Don't you love how this time of year practically forces you to think about all that you have? It's such a great feeling to realize that no matter how difficult our circumstances, we have A LOT. Just being able to live on this earth is an incredibly special gift. I'll be spending my Thanksgiving day with my parents (Burke is working all day :( ) and children. As for the rest of the week, today is day #1 of potty training. We'll see if I end up getting dinner on the table each night...

*Monday: Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas (thanks to my sister)
*Tuesday: We didn't end up having Lasagna last Sunday, so tonight we'll have Butternut Squash Lasagna...YUM!

*Wednesday: Leftovers & baking pies! I'll be making Apple Pie with THIS crust (with apple cider vinegar??!! Can't wait to try!) & Coconut Cream Pie

*Thursday: The Big Day! My menu today was sort of inspired by an episode of "Throwdown" that I happened to watch. Bobby Flay battled Ree Drummond (Pioneer Woman), and SHE won! The food all looked amazing, so we'll see how it tastes. We'll be eating:

-Simple Turkey (I don't even do anything to mine. Maybe a little salt & pepper. I've had brined/seasoned/plain turkeys before, and they all taste equally as yummy to me! So I'm sticking with simple this year)
-Stuffing-I'll use a classic recipe similar to THIS one.
-Mashed Potatoes & gravy (I just make this up with the turkey drippings, flour, salt & pepper)
-Sweet Potatoes (simple again. I roast mine in the oven with a little butter & brown sugar until they are soft & golden)
-Brussels Sprouts (I have to have something green! And we don't do green bean casserole around here...)
-Cornbread Pudding
-Rolls
-2 pies (see yesterday's post)
-Pumpkin Bread Pudding (I know it's crazy, we're not having pumpkin pie. But this looks DELICIOUS, and I'm using the excuse that when I do my big turkey dinner on Christmas Eve, I'll make pumpkin pie then.)

*Friday: Are you kidding? Leftovers for the rest of the weekend..... ;)

Pumpkin Muffins & a Thankful Tree...

If you can't tell, I am so in love with this time of year. We finally got our "thankful tree" going, I made some delicious Pumpkin Muffins, and I've started planning our Thanksgiving feast. I am one happy girl. And by the way, those muffins really were amazing. I used part white flour/part wheat flour/part flax and applesauce instead of oil to healthify them a little. And they were still scrumptious. The children loved going on a walk one day to find sticks for our Thankful Tree. I added some yarn to a few of the branches, printed out "I am Thankful For ______" tags, and I love the things that have already been added. My favorite is Ryder's "being in this earth". ;) With Burke gone a lot these days, I'm not feeling super motivated to make elaborate dinners, so here is our simple menu for the week:

*Monday: Grilled Cheese & "Red Soup" (we like the store bought low sodium Red Pepper & Tomato Soup cartons. You can usually find them near the health foods, if not in the soup aisle.)

*Tuesday: Chicken Pot Pie

*Wednesday: Squash Pot Stickers & fried rice (my kids usually love pot stickers, and they LOVE dipping things. We'll see how the squash goes over. For the rice, I use sticky white rice, mix whatever veggies I have in--usually peas, chopped carrots, chopped red peppers, scallions, etc. I fry this in a tiny bit of sesame oil with salt, pepper & soy sauce. At the end I add 1 egg to my mixture, and stir until the egg is cooked. Sometimes I add chicken or chopped ham for a heartier rice.)

*Thursday: Baked Potato Soup + Cheddar/Jalapeno Biscuits (see recipe below--from HERE)
*Friday: Leftovers

*Saturday: Down Town Chicago Date. I'm super excited to ride the train, sans kids, meet my husband downtown and eat in peace & quiet. Believe me, I'll be savoring each & every bite.

*Sunday: Easy One Pot Lasagna & Salad

Sour Cream and Cheddar Biscuits

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
1/4 pound sharp Cheddar cheese, coarsely grated (about 1 1/2 cups)
Drained and chopped pickled jalapeños, to taste (I used about 2 tablespoons)
1 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 425°F. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Either cut the butter pieces into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or rub them in with your fingertips until well-combined. Stir in the cheddar, jalapeños and sour cream until the mixture forms a sticky dough. Pat it out to a 1/2-inch thickness on a very well-floured counter and use a 3 1/2-inch biscuit cutter to cut six rounds. Bake on an ungreased (or parchment-lined, if your baking sheets are as “weathered” as mine are) for 15 to 17 minutes, until golden on top.

I'm back!

Sorry for the absence of a menu last week. I was out of town, eating delish dishes...but not cooking myself. :) And I have to brag about my dinner last night. We walked in the door after being gone for a week to a clean house that smelled AMAZING! Burke had cooked us an entire Brazilian meal of authentic beans and rice and stroganoff (made with filet mignon). It was so tasty...and so nice for him to cook for us! Maybe I need to get him to post those recipes on here...But as far as this week goes, we will be eating:

*Monday: Leftover Brazilian dinner

*Tuesday: Butternut Squash Soup with cooked swiss chard and roasted garlic bread (Burke had this meal at the Noorda's the other day, and thought we should give it a try...)

*Wednesday: Crispy Apricot Pork Chops with Broccoli and Waffle Fries (from Whole Foods)

*Thursday: Chicken Salad with green beans, dried cherries & almonds

*Friday: Date Night!

*Saturday: Leftovers

*Sunday: Potato and Onion Frittata and Cinnamon Rolls for breakfast and Easter dinner at a Friends' house!

Have a great week and a Happy Easter!