Posted on 10/30/07 at 9:28 am to October, Make ahead Meals
I have joined a wonderful group called Friends Country Nook or FCN. It is run by a wonderful group of ladies. It was founded by Mary, and is maintained by Shannon, Laurie, and Lynn and Mary. It is a fun place to chat and meet new friends and learn from one another. I have enjoyed every day with them. They have games and contests each month, and I am excited to be a part of the games committee, where we post a new game 2-3 times a month. Mine will be December 15th. I wont tell you yet what it will be, so you will have to stay tuned…lol.
If you would like to join this group, click this link: Friends Country Nook
I came across a website that features a new menu each week for those of us who cant seem to figure out what to cook tonight, and I love it! It is filled with normal every day meals that are easy and fast to prepare and the family just love them! So, I thought I would post it for you along with my other meal ideas each week. So, now you can have a variety! Here is the first weeks menu:
Monday
- Kielbasa Skillet Stew
- Simple Salad
- Cornbread
Tuesday
- Swedish Meatballs
- Egg Noodles
- Buttered Lima Beans
- Sliced Peaches
Wednesday
- Chicken Taco Bake
- Corn
- Black Bean Salad
Thursday
- Baked Salmon
- Sauteed Greens
- Wild Rice
Friday
- Pea Soup
- Ham Slices
- Dinner Rolls
Monday Recipes
Notes for Monday:
Kielbasa Skillet Stew
- 5 bacon strips, cooked
- 1 onion, sauteed (from freezer)
- olive oil
- 1 to 1-1/2 lbs. smoked kielbasa (fully cooked), thinly sliced
- 2 - 15.5 oz. cans great northern beans, undrained
- 2 - 8 oz. cans tomato sauce
- 1 can chopped green chiles
- 2 medium carrots, thinly sliced
- 1/2 green pepper, chopped
- 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
- 1/8 tsp. pepper
In a large skillet, cook sausage in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Add remaining ingredients except bacon and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Crumble bacon. Serve hot with bacon on top.
Cornbread
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 1 cup flour
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 3 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 cup milk
- 1 egg
- 1 can corn, drained
Preheat oven to 425°F. Put half of the olive oil in a 9×9x2 cast iron skillet and preheat in oven without burning oil. Mix all remaining ingredients in a bowl. Pour batter into preheated cast iron skillet and bake for 20-25 minutes or until done.
Simple Salad
- 2 Cups Leaf Lettuce, Chopped
- 1/2 Cup Cheddar Cheese, Shredded
- 1 Cup Tomato, Chopped
- 1/2 Cup Croutons
- 5 Baby Carrots, Chopped
- Salad Dressing To Taste
Wash, chop and slice all vegetables. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Serve with your choice of salad dressing.
Tuesday Recipes
Notes for Tuesday:
- Tonight we are using the meatballs from the freezer. If you don’t have frozen meatballs, make some using this recipe. Be sure to add ground beef to your grocery list if you need to make the meatballs. Feel free to make extras to freeze.
Swedish Meatballs
- 1 (12 oz.) bag of egg noodles
- meatballs (from freezer)
- vegetable oil for frying
- 2 tbsp. butter
- 2 tbsp. flour
- 1 c. beef broth
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- Dash cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 1 c. (1/2 pt.) dairy sour cream, room temperature
Start noodles cooking according to package directions. If using cooked meatballs, reheat in oil for a few minutes or fry uncooked meatballs until done. Drain on paper towels. Combine remaining ingredients for sour cream sauce. Fold meatballs into sour cream sauce. Drain noodles when cooked and serve meatballs on cooked noodles.
Buttered Lima Beans
- 1 (16 oz.) package frozen lima beans
- 1 tbsp butter
Cook Lima Beans according to package directions. Drain. Add butter to taste.
Sliced Peaches (3 fresh)
Wednesday Recipes
Notes for Wednesday: none
Chicken Taco Bake
- 4 - 8″ tortillas
- 1 pkg. taco seasoning
- 1 lb. cooked chicken, shredded (from freezer)
- 1 cup water
- 1 jar queso (cheese) dip
- salsa
- sour cream
In a skillet, cook together shredded chicken, seasoning packet, and water for 10 minutes or until meat is well-seasoned. Add 1/2 jar of queso dip and stir occasionally until melted. If mixture appears to be drying out, add more water. In a greased 9″ pie dish, layer tortilla and 1/4 of meat mixture, repeating 4 times, ending with meat mixture on top. Top with 1/4 jar of queso sauce and bake at 350° for 15 minutes or until heated through and queso is melted. Serve with sour cream and salsa.
Corn
- 1 16 oz. pkg. frozen corn
- 1 tbsp butter
Cook corn according to package directions. Drain and add butter, salt and pepper to taste.
Black Bean Salad
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 tsp. lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 tsp. sugar
- 2 cups black beans (from freezer, thawed & rinsed, or 1 can*, rinsed)
- 1 cup cut corn, drained (from your frozen corn bag)
- 1 cup chopped red bell pepper
- 2 Tbsp. dried parsley
Combine vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and sugar. Mix well and combine with remaining ingredients. Toss before serving.
Thursday Recipes
Notes for Thursday: none
Baked Salmon
- 4-6 salmon fillets, boned
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) melted butter
- 1/8 cup chopped fresh basil* (or 1-1/2 tsp. dried)
- 1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
- 1/2 tsp. Adobo
- 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
- seasoned bread crumbs* or finely crumbled stuffing mix
Preheat oven to 450°F. Cover a baking pan with heavy duty foil to make cleanup easier. Spray with non-stick cooking spray.
Combine all ingredients except salmon and mix well. Dip each fillet into butter mixture and place skin-side down on foil-covered pan. Pour any extra butter mixture on top of fillets. Sprinkle 2 tsp. of bread crumbs on each fillet. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until fish is flaky and cooked through.
Wild Rice
Sautéed Greens of Your Choice
Wash 3 cups greens and sauté in butter with salt. You may add chopped onions for extra flavor.
Friday Recipes
Notes for Friday:
- My family finds this Pea Soup recipe to be filling all by itself, but if your family thinks a meal without meat isn’t complete, serve it with the ham slices listed. Sometimes I add shredded ham from the freezer to the soup for extra flavor.
Pea Soup
- 2 cans chicken broth
- 1 (12oz.) package frozen peas*, thawed (or one bag dried peas, cooked according to directions)
- 1 t. tarragon
- 1 t. salt
- 1 t. pepper
- 1 T. butter
- 1 T. flour
- 2 T. lemon juice
- 1/4 cup milk
Blend broth, peas, and spices in blender. In a large pan, melt butter and stir in flour to make a paste. Add blender contents and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add milk and lemon juice. Stir well and serve.
Adapted from Mom’s Best Pea Soup by Jonni McCoy in Miserly Moms.
Ham Slices
The easiest way to make ham slices is to buy either honey ham or country ham already sliced and fry it on the stovetop according to the directions. My very favorite is the thin-sliced country ham slices fried in butter.
Dinner Rolls
Written by Laurie Artcliff - Visit WebsiteGrammy Laurie
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Posted on 10/29/07 at 11:17 am to October
Hello everyone! Boy, things sure have been busy in our household! I would however like to start by giving thanks to my God for all his many blessings in our lives and for being there for us no matter what happens or comes against us!
Saturday around midnight my son Matthew came and got me and needed me to look at our cat Gizmo, he was breathing very raspy and not wanting to get up and walk or eat, which for the last month, he has not been himself and not wanting eat much or run. He is 15 years old, so he is an old cat, but we never expected this since he has always been an active cat..always running and jumping on everything. At any rate, we called our vet and she met us at the hospital. She examined him and worked on him for a while then came out and said Gizzy was in congenital heart failure. They would be able to medicate him but he was so far along that they didnt expect him to make it for very long, so we had to put him down, which broke our hearts so very much. We will miss him very much, he was such a cuddler!
My little grandsons, William and Jacob are sick. William has broncitis and Jacob has croup, so they are very sick little boys. Lots of prayers for them would sure be appreciated!
I recieved an email from my sister Fay regarding my cousin Lila. She was stricken with Marfane syndrom at an early age, which her father, my uncle died of. She is now in a wheelchair and suffering everyday. When she was in the hospital this last time, her husband couldnt keep up on the house payments, and they lost their home…which was built especially for her needs in a wheelchair. They were devastated and now Lila and Tim live in a very small apartment, with no room for her wheelchair, so she is bedridden now and it is very hard on her and her family to see her in this condition, when she shouldnt have to be. Our grandfather has a small house on a couple acres, and as the house is in a state that is not liveable, the land is being given to her to build on, so we are asking that everyone that reads this goes to this website: http://www.homeforlila.com and votes for her to be accepted on Extreme Home Makeover Home Edition! If accepted, this would give her a home once again and the ability to leave a reasonable life with her children and grandchildren. Please take a moment and say a prayer as you vote and know that you will be blessed in doing this! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts, Grammy Laurie
Written by Laurie Artcliff - Visit WebsiteGrammy Laurie
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Posted on 10/26/07 at 10:29 am to Weight Loss, October
I am going to start dieting again, and I will post every day that I can what I eat and how much weight I am loosing, I seem like a broken record sometimes, always starting again, but I guess as long as I keep trying, and restarting, I am at least making an effort right? Well, thats my philosophy…lol. I am going to try a new approach also. I figure if I cut out all the junk food, and the candy, and cut back on the amount of coffee I drink and the portion sizes, this just might work this time. If you have any suggestions for me….any at all….I would really appreciate the help! Any menu ideas, or any recipies or ideas that have worked for you, let me know, I will try anything…LOL!
So for starters, my beginning weight is: (covering my eyes for fear of seeing your bulging eyes..lol) 175 lbs! And my goal weight is: 125 lbs.
For breakfast at 10:30 am:
1 egg fried with no butter,
2 slices of bacon,
a small mound of hashbrowns,
1 cup of coffee with cream.
Written by Laurie Artcliff - Visit WebsiteGrammy Laurie
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Posted on 10/25/07 at 10:20 am to October
Hello everyone, I hope you are enjoying this beautiful fall day! I
know here in kentucky we are doing just that! I am still trying to
get used to the new schedule I am on. I started working full time
again on second shift, which is 3-11 pm, and I watch my little 19 month old grandson during the day…hmmm….when to find time for myself and to chat…that is my dilemma. I think I am going to need some time and prayers to get through this and get things reorganized again. I will try to leave a comment each day, but some days are going to be hectic if I have any running to do. We are chilly today in Kentucky, the temps are only going to reach a chilly 59 degrees for a high they say. After so many 90+ days this summer, I am looking forward to it.
Well, have a wonderful day and I hope your day is full of wonderful
blessings! Grammy Laurie
Grammy Laurie
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Posted on 10/21/07 at 7:28 am to October
I was sitting here having my coffee this morning and trying to be inspired to write, and it occured to me, that sometimes we have to close our eyes to open them to what actually inspires us on a day to day basis. I leaned back in the chair and just listened…birds, windchimes, cars going by, mmm…coffee brewing, toast popping…the early morning sounds that I love before everyone else rises. Being able to hear the air conditioning kick on…it is so quiet in the house that my typing sounds so loud to my ears, and I worry if it will wake someone…lol. And so, I think what inspires me most is home….sounds of my home….all those things and the sound of family…my daughter waking just a few minutes early to brush her teeth before Jacob wakes up…Pete rolling over in bed and stretching, Matt coming up the stairs to clean the cat’s dish, and Jacob’s little feet scuffling across the carpet in footy jammies and giggling when he sees his cars…who couldnt be inspired! I love my home and my family…no matter where we are at the time or what life has thrown at us this time….if I can close my eyes and hear these familiar sounds and smell the fresh coffee brewing, I am home and I am content! What inspires you? Close your eyes and take a moment to really “see” whats around you! Leave me a message and let me know what inspires you most!
Hugs, Grammy Laurie
Written by Laurie Artcliff - Visit WebsiteGrammy Laurie
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Posted on 10/19/07 at 9:42 am to October
I woke up this morning to the sounds of my grandson playing with his toys and babbling in some indiscernible language that only he knows and laughing at whatever it was he said…lol. Music to my ears! He is such a funny baby! He loves to grab fingers now and pull you to where-ever he needs you to be. I think alot of it is a power thing he has discovered…hmmm…if I pull them they follow…this is fun! LOL. I got up and had my coffee and some breakfast which my wonderful husband cooked and just played around on the computer until there is nothing else I want to do on here…bliss! I love my mornings when I don’t have to run out and do anything. Some days I could stay in my jammies until noon!
I thought I would post a recipe again today, so here it is, hope you enjoy it!
Friday Feast
Chicken Alfredo
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 pound fettuccini pasta
- 1 1/2 cups butter, divided
- 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into cubes
- 2 (16 ounce) containers whole milk ricotta cheese
- 1 pint heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add fettuccini and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
- Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute chicken until no longer pink and juices run clear.
- In a large saucepan combine ricotta cheese, cream, salt, Parmesan cheese and remaining butter. Cook over medium heat until well combined, about 10 minutes. Stir in cooked fettuccini and chicken; cook until heated through.
Have a wonderful day! Grammy Laurie
Written by Laurie Artcliff - Visit WebsiteGrammy Laurie
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Posted on 10/16/07 at 5:07 am to October
Today Showers this morning then scattered thunderstorms developing during the afternoon hours. High 71F.
Have you ever gone blogrolling(what I call reading other peoples blogs)? I have spent a good hour this morning going from one blog to another reading and looking into the lives of people I have never met and probable never will. It is interesting how similar lives can be from one region to the next. I have read blogs from different states across the United States to blogs from Canada and surrounding areas, to blogs from France and Berlin and Germany. The English speaking ones anyone..lol. I found that mothers and grandmothers across the world go through similar situations with kids and teens and grandchildren as I do. God is amazing in that way, as he gives us all a different life to do as we will, but we all have to deal with the same situations, just in our own ways. A mother from France who’s daughter is also living with her and has a baby says that each day brings a new challenge to have another woman, albeit her daughter living under the same roof and the challenges they face to try to live in harmony and the struggles that insue trying. I find that the same with my life. I love my young daughter with all my heart, but boy oh boy can she be a handful at times. She is a very good mother to her son and is doing a good job of keeping a job and doing the best she can but when it comes down to her and I trying to run a household together, I find she falls back to the child she is to me and subconsious or not she leaves messes that she knows I will pick up…lol. I laugh because my friend from Quebec was stymied by the same problem. Our adult children I have found, when they come home (or as is the case with my daughter…still home) revert back to 5 year olds for some reason when they all get together. After Pete’s accident, Stacey stayed the weekend with us and Andrew came over, so all 4 of my kids were under one roof for the whole weekend, and it felt like I was in a time warp or something. The first day they are great and everyone has a real good time, then the second day…little fits break out over silly stuff…then by the third day, bickering begins and I swear I heard one of them say…”his feet stinks…when are we going to be there…what time is it….he hit me….I need more room…he took my ball….” ugh!!! What is going on??? I had to leave the house to just to get my sanity back. God knew what he was doing when he said you shall leave parents and cleave to your spouse…cause mama and daddy just cant take no more!!! LOL!
Well that being said, I do love my children and I am glad they only get together once in a while cause whew…lol. The next one will be for Thanksgiving and I am going to dig out those earplugs again.
But I have digressed on my children…I was talking about blogrolling and got lost somewhere…lol. At any rate, if you have a chance…look for some blogs from other mothers in other countries and take a read…it is interesting and fun to see how other parents and grandparents handle the day to day. You just might feel blessed, relieved, inspired and enlightened. Have a wonderful day yall! Grammy Laurie
Written by Laurie Artcliff - Visit WebsiteGrammy Laurie
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Posted on 10/15/07 at 5:37 am to October
I had a busy but good weekend! Stacey and the baby stayed with us, which proved to be trying and fun at the same time. William is such a delight to watch and play with. He is getting so big and loves to smile. I couldnt get enough of him, because I knew it wasnt going to last too long. They live 3 hours away and I only get to see him maybe once a month.
Stacey and Amanda and I took the babies to the zoo for the halloween party. The kids get to dress up then they walk though the zoo and get candy along the way from different disney characters and people dressed in other costumes. It was so much fun and I took a hundred pictures. The boys had fun and didnt fuss once. There were so many kids to look at, I think it kept there attention.
Well, it is off to work for Grammy this morning, I hope you all have a wonderful week and I will post some more this evening!
Hugs, Grammy Laurie
Written by Laurie Artcliff - Visit WebsiteGrammy Laurie
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Posted on 10/13/07 at 7:21 am to October
Aren’t Saturdays one of the happiest days of the week? I think so! Especially now that I am working full time again. This has been a very busy week! So much went on…where to begin?
Well, work was great…I really like working at the hotel! It is fairly easy….lots of down time in between clients coming in, or calling. And the staff have been very nice about switching their schedules to train me. I will train one more week then be on my own.
On Wednesday about 4:30 pm I got a call on my cell phone at work from a police officer saying that my husband had been in a motorcycle accident and that they were working on him. It was the worst phone call I had ever recieved, next to my sister dieing. It felt like I was in a tunnel through the whole conversation, and when I hung up with absolutly no information about where they were taking him or what condition he was in, I thought I was going to faint. I got Eric, the guy who was training me and told him that I had to leave, then called my son to come pick me up because I was too upset to drive. I then proceeded to try to find out where he was. My friend Lisa started calling all the hospitals around while Matthew and I went and picked up all the kids and headed toward Louisville. Pete called me shortly after we left from the ambulance and said he was ok and not to worry. He sounded alright, but I knew it was worse than he was making it out to be so I wouldnt worry, but him calling me was a good sign.
We made it to the hopital about an hour after we left and Pete was still tied down to a backboard with his helmet on and no one had checked him yet. I was so beyond angry, but the emergency room was packed and they were doubling up the rooms, so there was another guy in the room with him, but he left about an hour later. Finally they got around to checking him and when they took off the helmet and we saw the damage that had been done to it, we thought the worst. It had completely destroyed and cracked that helmet, which is unusual to have a helmet completley crack like that. They did a cat scan and ultra sound and xrays and then we waited and waited, as you usually do at hospitals. After about 4 hours of asking, they finally gave him pain medicine. He had done fairly well up to this point but then he came out of shock or something and the pain really started hitting him.
The test results came back that he had a mild concussion and strained muscles….but not a scratch on his body!! God had laid him off that bike and saved his life. The bike was totaled and so was the helmet, but my husband, by the grace of God was saved that day. And he decided that he would not get another bike. Not that he is afraid to get on another one, but he told God that if the insurance guy told us the bike was totaled that he would take it as a sign that he should not be on one. So, he is still limping around as his hip and his side and ribs are very sore, but he is alive and I thank God every day for that! Miracles still do happen!
Hugs, Grammy Laurie
Grammy Laurie
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Posted on 10/10/07 at 5:19 am to October
Every year about this time, I start checking Weather.Com for average highs/lows in my area of the country. (I do the same thing in February at the end of Winter.) It doesn’t make it feel any cooler in August but it shows me there is hope. This year, it is October before our average temperatures start dipping lower. There is hope in my houseonce again of wonderful meals on the table each evening rather than the current blank stare when asked if there is anything to eat in the house, as we don’t do alot of cooking in the summer.
I have begun to come out of my Summer slumber, as we enter my favorite time of the year. I pull out my apron and begin baking again, stews are put together and simmered, the aroma of bread fills the house, pumpkin shows up in everything (including lattes!), cinnamon is the spice of the day, the Autumn teas are purchased and life is good.
The Farmer’s Market lulls me back on Saturday mornings with the abundance of apples, cider, winter squash and the “honey man” selling honey by the gallon. Mums are purchased as is the Apple Cider. The Autumn decorations are removed from their place in the basement, unused since last year when they were put away and the Christmas decorations pulled out the weekend after Thanksgiving.
I once again enjoy my front porch and my backyard. The walk to the mailbox is a joy. The trees begin their show which to me, competes with the best art museum in the world.
The trials are still present, the news continues to be difficult to watch, I still struggle to balance the checkbook…but for a little while the world is beautiful. I try to hold on to each day because it goes by so quickly. Perhaps it is because the season is so brief that makes it special. I’ll ponder that later. I need to turn the air conditioner down a bit more now.
We had 53 days this summer of above 90 degrees!! Todays high…70!! There is hope for a fall this year! Then too soon the snow flakes will begin to fly, but until then, I will enjoy every site and smell that Autumn has to offer for me!
Hugs,
Grammy Laurie
Written by Laurie Artcliff - Visit WebsiteGrammy Laurie
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