Paint and a cow is not a combination you expect to see when it comes to a menu plan, but this week, that's what I've got. First, I picked up my 1/4 of a cow last night, with the "help" and company of my Little SC. Then my oldest helped me count out the various packages as I put them into the freezer.
I think it is safe to say I won't run out of ground beef any time soon - not with 54 lbs of it!
No roasts in my freezer, though, just 'summer cuts' in steaks and braising ribs. That's fine, we'll live with that.
Now the connection to paint....
We've lived in this house for almost a year now and living with the decorating choices of the former owner has been pulling me down. Budget wise, however, I had to. That and the total repaint of our old home before we sold it had my hands cramping up every time I even thought about picking up a roller.
I finally could not stand it anymore, the gold glazed wall in my kitchen, with the sponge painted underside of bulkheads above my cabinets. And, more importantly, my hubby 'volunteered' to paint! Goodbye gold, glazed sponge paint!
So my kitchen has not exactly been functioning the last few days, which means the plan of sausages with tomatoes and mashed potatoes from last night is likely to happen tonight, and last night became pick up pizza on the way home night.
And my kitchen is so much lighter and brighter, so that was well worth a few pizzas!
Sunday: Left overs (I had a work meeting and ate there.)
Monday: Pizza from the local bar, pretty good.
Tuesday: Sausages with tomatoes and mashed potatoes (or sausages on a bun with chips.)
Wednesday: Rib eye steaks with salad.
Thursday: Homemade hamburgers
Friday: I'm out of town with my little one, so my two "big boys" get to fend for themselves.
Saturday: They are still on their own, I think they can handle it fine.
And that's my plan for the week, which I will be adding in to the plans from hundreds of others on Menu Plan Monday.
Pictures of my newly painted kitchen next week. Or after I find curtains for it.
Menu Plan Monday: More cow and some paint
We interupt this menu plan to purchase a cow
Yes, I said a cow.
Not a full cow. A quarter of a cow.
(And in answer to the Little Sous Chef's question, no, not a live cow.)
Turns out that someone I was working with at Saunders Farm during October has a working farm, and they just happened to have 1/4 of a cow available for purchase at a very good price.
In one shot I get to support a local farmer, support a new friend, and get a freezer full of fresh, local beef.
SOLD!
No menu plan until I've picked up my 1/4 of a cow (probably tomorrow), and see what exactly I have in the way of cuts of beef. Afterall, I don't want to plan for steaks and then find I only have roasts. Or vice versa.
I can tell you that I plan to make sausages in tomatoes with mashed potatoes for dinner tomorrow. Yummy!
Right after that, though, I'm going to go get my cow.
"Guest" Post: Chef Joey's Cupcake Creation
A little while ago I was contacted by Brenda Tuttle, author and creator of Chef Joey's Cupcake Creation and asked if I would be interested in doing a review. While I wasn't, my Little Sous Chef was very interested and could not wait to get the book and start baking.
My Little Sous Chef is 7 years old, and while he can read quite well and has been a helper in the kitchen over the years, he is still 7.
Hi, I'm the Little Sous Chef and I want to tell you about a book called Chef Joey's Cupcake Creations. I liked this book and the cupcakes were so good. You could even put peanut butter in the icing. And that's what I did for two of them.
My mom is going to ask me some questions about the book and here are my answers:
Was the book easy to read? Yes, it was easy to read.
Did you like the pictures? Not really cause they were a bit babyish.
What made the pictures babyish? Cause there is a baby in it and then it skips until he is a grown up, there is no "years later" showing he growed up.
Did you need anything special to make the cupcakes? Yes I needed cake mix.
Could you make the cupcakes without my help? Not yet but later, when I'm older.
Why couldn't you make them without help? Because I can't measure things and I can't put things in the oven. And I didn't understand the numbers.
What numbers? The numbers of the measuring, like 1/3.
What else do you want to tell me about the book? I didn't use orchids (what's an orchid?). I had Lightening McQueen paper cups and I put little silver and gold balls on the cupcakes.
How many cupcakes did you eat? By now I've aten about 8. Me and my brother have had all of them.
Did your Dad and I get any? Well ya, you both had 1.
Would tell other people about this book? Yup! I will.
Who will you tell? I don't know.
Will you share this book? Yes, I will share it with my friends.
Do you have anything else you want to tell me? Nope. Hope you like the book!
Menu Plan Monday: When delayed posting doesn't work
Delayed posting is a wonderful thing - when it works. It doesn't work when you put in the wrong date and time. Human error.
Oh well, at least the intention was there.
With Halloween done, I won't be at Saunders Farm every weekend, so there will hopefully be more time for baking and planning. Sunday was the 1st of November and also my first "day off" in awhile, so I took advantage of that time and made Lemon Yogurt Bread, with cranberries in it. Going to have a piece in my lunch today.
On to Menu Plan Monday!
Sunday: Roast beef with roasted potatoes, cauliflower and carrots, with gravy.
Monday: Chicken wings, wedge fries and salad. Last minute pick up when my initial plan was missing items.
Tuesday: Spareribs with Hawaiian sauce, rice and green beans.
Wednesday: Penne with tomatoes and garlic, with garlic bread.
Thursday: Chicken Tikka Masala with rice and naan bread.
Friday: French toast. Maybe with bacon.
Have a nice week!
Tyler Florence Friday: Its been fun Tyler!
Its that time. The last Tyler Florence Friday.
What fun it has been, exploring a new chef and his recipes, meeting so many new bloggers.
Rather than end with a bang, I thought I would end with something simple and worth keeping in your repetoire: Tyler's basic crepe recipe.
Crepes are such a worth while item to learn how to make. They are a blank canvas for just about anything you want to fill them with. Smear them with a bit of jam and sprinkle them with icing sugar, and they look impressive. Or saute them in butter sauce and flame them for major wow. Skip the sugar and fill them with chicken and spinach for a fancy main course.
Really, you can do anything you want with them!
I threw these together one Saturday morning, a quick whirl in the blender, then cutting some fruit while the crepe batter rested. My filling of choice that day was sauted peaches in a creamy caramel sauce (brown sugar and butter with a touch of cream), and a drizzle of cinnamon honey yogurt.
The husband had thirds.
Thanks for all the new recipes Tyler! And big hugs and thanks to the lovely ladies who host Tyler Florence Fridays each week, for their hard work and inspiration!
Menu Plan Monday: I'm a day late posting, but still here
I had my plan ready yesterday, I just "forgot" to put it up here and link it to Menu Plan Monday.
Alright, to be totally honest, I had no time in the morning and was so tired last night I went to bed about the same time as my oldest child and conked out. Then I missed swimming this morning because there was no way I was going to be able to get up at 4:40am. I had a hard time getting up at 7:30 am!
I think this multi job thing is catching up with me and my body is objecting. No worries, though, I can sleep in on Sunday (and will!)
Sunday: Dinner at the in-laws, tasty ham and yummy potatoes. And no dishes afterwards!
Monday: Chili with tortillas.
Tuesday: Crispy chicken drumsticks, veggies.
Wednesday: Spinach and cheese stuffed cannelloni with bread.
Thursday: Oops I forgot to write this down and now can't remember what it was! Oh wait, I remember now: spare ribs, drippy with sauce, warm cinnamon apples and baked potatoes.
Friday: I'm back at the Farm so hubby is in charge of himself and the kids. Personally I think I might try for a pulled pork on a Beavertail.
Have a nice week everyone!
Tyler Florence Fridays: I think I need to make this again
In my "spare time" this month, we managed to get apple picking with the children and our friends. As I mentioned before, we tried a new orchards, and while it was pretty, I think next year we will go back to our usual orchard, which has more ladders, a corn maze, and more importantly, apple cider donuts.
Warm, tiny, apple cider donuts, sprinkled with cinnamon sugar.
Are you wondering what this has to do with my Tyler Florence Fridays choice for this week? There is a connection, really, there is. No, there are not any donuts in this week's choice, but there is apples and apple juice.
The donuts would be a nice addition though, wouldn't they?
You can find the recipe for Thick Pork Chops with Spiced Apples and Raisins online, or on pages 58 and 59 of Tyler's Real Kitchen (a book I must return to the library, three renewals is the maximum allowed.) I did not use bone in pork chops, I had pork loin chops, but it seemed to work and was quite tasty. And used up some of the apples I have not had the time to make into apple crumble.
I think this is the second last Friday for Tyler Florence Fridays. I'm still trying to decide if I want to try cooking Nigella for my next chef, again, in all my spare time.
Have a nice day and eat an apple - I have plenty left if you need one!
