Take a look...

...at our menu this week. It's going to be tasty!

*Monday: Orzo with Roasted Vegetables (didn't get to this last week...and I really want to try it!)

*Tuesday: Thanks to Pinterest, tonight we're having Baked Penne with Spinach, Bacon & Roasted Red Peppers

*Wednesday: Panini night. My Mom was talking about Panini's the other day and had me craving one. We'll use yummy bread, and top with any meats/veggies/sauces we have, then cook in our George Forman (no panini press around here :( )

*Thursday: Spicy Spaghetti Squash with Black Beans. Every now and then I wander through the incredible Whole Foods. I love browsing their recipe cards, and picked this one up because of the picture. Can't wait to try it...

*Friday: Leftovers

*Saturday: Downtown--we have a looooooooong list of restaurants to try.

*Sunday: Easy Crockpot Pot Roast

And finally, a weekly menu:

...and some pie. You want a good Peanut Butter pie? This is the one.

I've been cooking away, without telling you what I'm cooking, and feeling the need to share. Here is what we had last week/are having this week:

*Monday: Hogi night. We passed a Subway the other day and Ryder really wanted to go there. He listed all the ingredients he would want on a Subway sandwich, and was quite amazed when I told him we had all those things at home! So tonight we're eating his favorite--"Subway bread" (store-bought sandwich buns), turkey, bacon, pickles, cucumbers, cheese and mustard. ;) I'm adding lots of other veggies like, tomatoes, lettuce, avocados, sprouts, etc. to mine. We also have lots of veggies for a veggie/dip plate & apples with caramel dip.

*Tuesday: Parmesan Squash Wedges & Wild Rice (from Trader Joe's)

*Wednesday: I've never made Pumpkin Soup, and decided now is as good a time as any. Doesn't it sound so cozy and delicious to be eating warm Pumpkin soup for dinner on a chilly night in October?

*Thursday: Leftovers

*Friday: Tonight is the Trunk-or-Treat! I'll be contributing Chili, Cornbread muffins (To be honest, I LOVE the 39 cent Jiffy mix. For sake of time, I'll probably use a few of those), cupcakes (for the cake walk) and THIS pie (If this pie doesn't win, the judges are crazy...)

*Saturday: Burke day! Burke is on an incredibly busy rotation right now. In fact, he's only had 4 days off the entire month. And the days he works, he works ALL DAY LONG. Today we're having our family fall celebration. We'll be carving pumpkins, making doughnuts and decorating caramel apples.

*Sunday: Simple Salmon (broil for 5-10 mins. with a little salt & Pepper) and Loaded Sweet-Potato Skins

I also made some Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies, White Chicken Chili, "Pizza Pockets", Homemade Macaroni & Cheese and Pretzel m&m Cookies last week while entertaining guests.

Welcome, Fall.

I'm not trying to hurt the other seasons' feelings, but I just want to wish Fall a happy welcome. We all know it won't last long enough, so let's treat it kindly while it's here. ;)

*Tuesday: Homemade Macaroni & Cheese (see recipe below)--unfortunately my 2 year old learned about Mac & Cheese. For some reason she's starting to request it more and more (why is it cute when she asks for Hummus, but not as cute when it's "mac & cheese!"?). So I'm going to make us both happy. I think I may even experiment and throw some roasted Sweet Potatoes in the casserole. We all love them around here, and it seems like it would add a nice extra flavor to the pasta & cheese. I love finding recipes that don't require meat (I'm not a vegetarian--but we try to eat meat sparingly), but easily fill my family up. This would be one of them.

*Wednesday: Glazed Salmon with Parmesan Squash wedges

*Thursday: Leftovers

*Friday: Panera Bread--I'm feeling extra lucky these days in the coupon department. We got a flyer in the mail the other day that offered 3 free kids meals at Panera Bread. This happens to be one of my kids' FAVORITE places ever. And since Burke will be working late tonight, I'm making our dinner easy and taking the kids out!

*Saturday: Our friends--the Wilkinson's--are coming from Michigan for the weekend. Pretty sure they've never tried Chicago Style Pizza, which means Giordano's is in order...

*Sunday: General Conference Breakfast: THESE Cinnamon Rolls and Baked Eggs (the recipe Burke prides himself in being able to make perfectly every time--see recipe below) General Conference Dinner: Chicken Enchiladas with Black Beans, Lime Rice & Guacamole

HOMEMADE MACARONI & CHEESE

-2 c. uncooked elbow macaroni
-2 TBSP finely diced onion
-1 tsp. salt
-1/4 tsp. pepper
-3 c. shredded cheddar cheese
-1 large sweet potato, diced into small cubes
-2 c. thin white sauce*

Heat oven to 375*. Cook macaroni as directed on package; till tender. Place sweet potatoes on baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Add salt and pepper. Roast in the oven until tender, about 30 minutes, stirring once. Place half the cooked macaroni in ungreased 2 qt. casserole dish. Sprinkle with half of the onion, sweet potatoes, salt, pepper and cheese; repeat layers. Pour white sauce over all. Cover; bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 minutes longer.

*White Sauce
-1 TBSP butter
-1 TBSP flour
-1/4 tsp. salt
-1/8 tsp. pepper
-1 c. milk

Melt butter in saucepan over low heat. Blend in flour, salt & pepper. Cook over low heat, stirring until mixture is smooth and bubbly. Remove from heat. Stir in milk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir for 1 minute.


BAKED EGGS

-1/4 c. butter
-18 eggs (beaten)
-1 c. sour cream
-1 c. milk
-2 tsp salt
-1/4 c. green onions, chopped
-1 c. chopped ham (or bacon, sausage, etc.)
-1 c. cheese, grated
-1/4 c. green pepper, chopped

Preheat oven to 350*. Melt butter in the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Mix all remaining ingredients together in a large bowl. Pour into prepared pan, and bake for 45 minutes.