Menu Plan Monday - April 9, 2012

Whew!  It's been a great weekend, and now we're heading into a busy spring break week.  The grandparents are keeping the kids today, however, so I'm using this day to get lots done and meals prepped for the week.  Some of these things will be eaten this week, and others will be popped into the freezer for later.  Might as well make enough for later while I'm at it!

Here's our plan:

Breakfasts:

- doughnut muffins with chocolate topping

- peanut butter waffles (recipe coming soon)

- Applesauce Muffins (recipe coming on Saturday)

- Hearty Breakfast Casserole

Lunches will be leftovers or sandwiches this week.  I think we'll have plenty of both.

Dinners:

- Easter Leftovers - Ham, potatoes, green beans, roasted carrots, Resurrection rolls, Bunny Cake

- Pizza Out

- Crock Pot Ham, green beans, and potatoes (using leftover Easter ham)

- Chicken Barbecue, Italian S'Mashed Potatoes, steamed broccoli

- Family Dinner Out

- Dinner with friends - meal plan undecided

- Grab it and Growl - clean out the fridge night

What will you be eating this week?


**Check out my post here for fun ways to use your leftover Easter ham!

For more Menu Plan Mondays, visit OrgJunkie.

He is Risen!

I don't think I've ever been this excited for Easter Sunday.  After attending church all each night this week and tracing Jesus' steps during his last days on Earth, His sacrifice seems real in ways that it hasn't in a long time, and I'm excited to celebrate His great love for us this morning.

One of my favorite things about Easter is the sheer JOY with which everyone sings, so here are a few Easter songs - in different styles - in case you need a boost of Easter joy.

Happy Easter!  He is Risen!

Crazy Cooking Challenge: Better-than-the-Bakery Blueberry Streusel Muffins

"These muffins are better than those you'd buy at a fancy bakery."

That's what a friend told me after I asked if she'd like to try one of the muffins I made for this month's blueberry muffin cooking challenge.  I decided to do something a little different and asked a few people to try them and give me their opinions.  The general consensus:  if you like real blueberries, these muffins are for you.

I found this recipe over at A Cook's Quest.  I'll definitely be checkout out her other recipes.

So if you want a bakery-made blueberry muffin with a great texture without the high price. head for your kitchen and make a batch of these.

To make your own better-than-the-bakery muffins at home, you'll need:


Muffin batter:

• 2 cups fresh blueberries
• 1 c. + 1 t. sugar
• 1 T. water
• 2 1/2 c. white-wheat flour
• 2 1/2 t. baking powder
• 1 t. salt
• 2 eggs
• 5 T butter
• 1 c. buttermilk
• 2 t. vanilla

Streusel:

• 3 T. sugar
• 3 T. brown sugar
• 1/3 c. flour
• 5 T. melted butter

To make these muffins most efficiently, be sure to follow these steps in order!

1. In a small saucepan, bring 1 c. berries, 1 t. sugar, and water to a simmer.  Cook and mash with a potato masher until reduced by half.  Cool while you mix batter.
2. Melt butter for batter and allow to cool a bit.
3. Stir together flour, baking powder, and salt in large bowl.
4. Stir together eggs and sugar in a medium bowl.  Slowly stir in butter.
5. To the wet ingredients, add buttermilk and vanilla.
6. Fold wet ingredients and blueberries into dry ingredients.
7. Place a heaping spoonful of batter into prepared muffin tins (I used paper liners).  Batter should completely fill muffin cups.
8. Place a small spoonful of cooked blueberries into the center of the batter in each cup and swirl slightly.
9. Preheat oven to 350.  
10. To make streusel topping, mix all ingredients together.  (I needed to add extra flour and brown sugar to get a good crumbly consistency.)
11. Sprinkle streusel over the top of each muffin.  
12. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes or until firm.
13. Serve warm.  Enjoy!

Thanks for the fabulous muffins, A Cook's Quest!

Working in Secret

For years we've been sharing the treats and goodies that we make with others, partly so that we don't indulge in all of that sugary goodness by ourselves, and partly in the hopes of blessing those around us.


Our children soon learned, however, that taking a beautiful platter of yumminess to someone meant that they would be fawned over; they would be asked if they helped to make it, and if they nodded, given hugs and praise.


While rewarding hard work is important and accepting thanks graciously is polite, we didn't want to teach them that the reason for sharing was to receive something in return.That's when this Bible verse popped into my head:

 But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.  Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.  ~ Matthew 6:3-4

I must admit, the second part of verse 4 doesn't concern me too much - I'm not looking for a reward, just to teach the kids properly, but the thought of doing good in secret intrigued me, and I thought it might them, too.


So the next time we baked something, we wrapped up portions in plastic wrap, tied it with pretty ribbon, and talked about the above passage.  Then, with children giggling, holding a flashlight, we tiptoed out into the night.  


They held hands and laughed and shushed each other as we snuck up to a neighbor's house.  Knowing they go to bed early and their lights were already out, we placed their treats in the mailbox and raised the flag, sure they would find it on the way to the gym early the next morning.


Another neighbor works late, so we left her package on a table in the carport.  With bright pink ribbons, her headlights were sure to illuminate it upon her return.


Sometimes someone asks me if we were the ones who left the treats the night before, but for the most part, it isn't talked about, and the kids no longer care.  They are too excited about doing something good for Jesus in secret.


As they get older, we're beginning to expand our reach.  We've left holiday treats on porches far outside of our neighborhood now, and as the kids notice other needs, we try to address them.  


Today, in preparation for a trip to a city with lots of homeless people on street corners, we're making "Blessing Bags."  We're putting granola bars, sample sizes of tissues, shampoo, lotion, and chapstick in Ziploc bags, as well as small gift cards to places like McDonald's.  The kids have been very concerned about these people in the past and we've shared whatever food we had on hand, so we're excited about having these bags in the car and ready to share when the need arises.


How do you seek to bless others away from home?

Hearty Breakfast Casserole

I love serving lots of delicate, light things for breakfast, but sometimes you need something heartier, something heavier, something that's easy to prepare, tastes fabulous, and will stay hot while serving a crowd.

This simple casserole fits the bill.

It's a wonderful brunch item.  I've served it for Christmas brunch, en masse at church breakfasts, and for all sorts of company.  You can even prepare most of it the night before, which is a great advantage to this morning-challenged girl.

The flavors are easily adjusted, making it possible to appear to be a completely different dish with no fuss, so you can tailor it to your family's personal preferences or to whatever you happen to have on hand.

Here's how to make your own Hearty Breakfast Casserole:

Ingredients:

• 32 oz. frozen shredded potatoes (Southwest for a spicy version, plain for a milder one)
• 1 lb. of your favorite breakfast meat, sausage, ham, or bacon
• 1 onion and 1 bell pepper, chopped (optional)
• 12 eggs
• about 1/2 c. milk
• 1-2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Prepping this dish is easy:

1. Prepare your dish(es).  You can make this dish in either a 9x13" pan or two smaller casserole dishes.  Choose your style and then spray with non-stick spray for easy clean-up.
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, brown the potatoes.  You may need to add a small amount of olive oil or butter to prevent sticking.
3. When potatoes are cooked through and beginning to get crispy, remove from heat and spread them evenly into the bottom of your dish(es).
4. Return the pan to the stovetop and add your meat (if necessary).  If using sausage or bacon, cook and crumble that now.  When cooked through, drain off grease and sprinkle on top of potatoes.
5. If using veggies, add those to the pan and cook now.  Spread those atop the meat.
6. If preparing the night before, you can cover the dish and fridge it now to be finished in the morning.
7. Crack eggs (6 for two smaller dishes, all 12 for a 13x9" pan.  Whisk together and add milk as you would to make scrambled eggs.  
8. Pour egg mixture gently over potato/meat mixture in your baking dish.
9. Top with shredded cheddar. 
10. Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes or until edges are beginning to brown and the middle is set.
11. Let stand for 3-4 minutes before cutting.

*This is great served with fruit and muffins!

What's your favorite company/holiday breakfast dish?

GratiTuesday - An Unexpected Guest

I don't have any pictures to show you this week, but that's a good thing, I think.

Last week while having school time and preparing for story hour at the library, My Little Man suddenly spoke up from his writing.  "Mommy, there's a black bug over there."

Looking up from the bag I was packing full of books, I expected to see a beetle or some other equally yucky but harmless creature scurrying across a corner of the playroom.  The playroom door does lead outside and has a small crack under it if we leave the inner door open, which we had because it was a beautifully warm, sunshine-y spring day.

I didn't see a beetle, though.


Instead, there was a smallish, fuzzy black mouse meandering past the TV and headed for the door into the kitchen.

I screamed, and so then my son screamed, too, confused about what was happening.


We took turns standing on chairs and screaming, watching the confused rodent wander around the far end of the playroom.

When it moved away from the kitchen doorway, I bolted for the kitchen and the phones that were inside.

Upon reaching a human at my husband's office, I was informed that he was with a client.  As I tried to leave a message, the mouse scurried past the doorway again, and I screamed right into someone's ear.


I really am sorry about that.  Give me a bear or cow anyday, but skip the small things that leave irritating messes and get into everything, please.


It must've worked, though, because my husband has never returned a call so fast - ever.  He came home immediately, too, and scooted the mouse out the back door, where said mouse received a death sentence.

It took a few days to be fully convinced that the mouse was gone and that there weren't any more - but there aren't.  Phew.


So today, I'm REALLY HAPPY for unexpected guests that leave quickly.  That are clueless and don't know how to find the hidey holes that their older, more experienced relatives find.  That my husband left work so quickly and 'took care' of that mouse without delay.  That the mouse had no friends and we are, once again, rodent free.

A ten-minute visit from this furry visitor reminded me of just how happy I am to live without rodents.  Please, let me never need to be reminded again.


For more GratiTuesday, visit Heavenly Homemakers.

Menu Plan Monday - April 2, 2012

Whoo-hoo!  Easter is almost here!  Holy Week is upon us, and with church services every night, we'll be having foods that are quick and easy to prepare.  Fortunately, we have lots of leftovers from our Johnsonville House Party this past Saturday.

So here's our plan for the week:

Breakfasts:

- Fruit Salad with Yogurt Honey Dressing and Cinnamon Almond Granola
- Baked Doughnut Muffins

- Perfectly Pumpkin Pancakes
- Resurrection Rolls, fruit

Lunches will be leftover pizza from our party and sandwiches with cheese or yogurt and sliced fruits or veggies.

Dinners:

- Lasagna with green beans and applesauce
- Hamburgers, roasted carrots, Italian baked beans, chips

- Rigatoni with Easy Bolognese Sauce, lima beans, applesauce

- Pizza, salad
- Fish sandwiches, carrot sticks, ice cream
- Lunch at church for an Easter egg event

- Easter Dinner!  Sliced ham, S'mashed Italian Potatoes, Guilty Good Green Beans, Baked Corn, Bunny Cake

So what are YOU eating this week?


For more Menu Plan Mondays, visit OrgJunkie.