Monday, March 17, 2008

WHATCHA GOT COOKIN'???

The Brownstone Family has not done a good job of dining IN the past few months. Dining out? We've perfected it to a fine art. And quite frankly...we are all tired of it! While we do realize that dining out is definitely a part of our week, we are making a concentrated effort to eat at home.

Before my forced blogging hiatus, I was a regular contributor to Menu Plan Monday. Though a large part of my fall away from the kitchen was unavoidable, I must admit that another part of it was that I stopped planning ahead for the week. It was easier to just pick up something, or run to the nearest restaurant. But...too much of a good thing is not always a good thing!

With encouragement from Rachel Anne at Home Sanctuary, I am jumping back into Menu Plan Monday with both feet. Rachel Anne's challenge for today is to plan out a five day menu. She reminds us that 1) cooking does not have to be elaborate to count; and that 2) some days are just destined to be days for takeout, or a restaurant...and that's OK! (This week, I am thankful for point #2 because even though we are officially back on the "eat-at-home" band wagon, we do have some dining out planned for special circumstances!)

Here's what's cooking in the Brownstone kitchen!

MONDAY - We will have a delicious meal of roast turkey breast tenderloin, rice, and steamed broccoli! This tenderloin is so easy to make. You literally take it from the package, put it in a dish, and bake it for an hour and a half. There is no hassle and no mess!

TUESDAY - For the month of "March Madness", we are in a "Tuesday Night Supper Club" with some friends. Weather permitting, we will be dining outside on $6 pizza, while the kids enjoy a free meal per paying adult. Now $12 might sound like a high price for pizza for two adults, but when you factor in that it feeds both of us for dinner, as well as lunch the next day, and it includes as many toppings as we want, as well as the free kids' meals...well, I call that a pretty great deal!

WEDNESDAY - We are having Slow Cooker Tortilla Soup. It will be something easy that I can throw into the crock pot the night before and then start simmering on Wednesday morning.

THURSDAY -
We have a special family celebration, so we will be dining out that night!

FRIDAY -
We are having Taco Soup! Two words ~ Yum. Yum. (See the recipe for Taco Soup below!)

SATURDAY -
Tornado and Twister have been BEG-GING for homemade spaghetti sauce! We will have that with spaghetti noodles, of course, along with tossed salad, and Texas Toast.

SUNDAY -
Easter Sunday is always a time spent with family, and there is always a ham or a brisket, potato casserole, hot rolls, green beans, and some form of yummy dessert. We haven't received our assignment yet, but the meal will be awesome, and the time with family ~ even better!


From my mom's recipe box:

Taco Soup

2 pounds ground chuck or turkey
1 onion, chopped
1 can Hormel chili
2 cans pinto beans, undrained
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 can Ro-tel tomatoes (your flavor choice!)
1 pound Kraft Velveeta Mexican cheese, cubed
1 16-ounce carton sour cream
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon pepper

Brown the first two ingredients. Drain, and then place in a large pot. Add the remaining ingredients, and heat until cheese melts. Serve over Fritos Original Corn Chips.

Enjoy!!!

To see more recipes from the Brownstone kitchen, click here!

As always, thanks to
Laura at I'm An Organizing Junkie
for hosting
each and every week!

And thanks as well to
Rachel Anne at Home Sanctuary
for hosting
on Monday through Friday each week
and helping me (and a whole lot of other people) to make
"a little bit of progress every day"
in creating a wonderful home!

5 comments:

Laura said...

Way to go! Well done, it looks like a great week ahead. Happy Easter!

Jenn said...

Hey girl...are you home?? It's been fun playing phone tag, but now I'm ready to talk to someone other than your machine!!! he he he!!
I think our Tuesday night outing may be cancelled, what do you think?? :)

Anonymous said...

The taco soup sounds yummy! Thanks for sharing.

On your next entry - four square and kickball were my games of choice in the playground days. I ROCKED at four square!

Stephanie said...

Hello there! I put those recipes up on my blog you requested. Your blog is cute and yes my DH has a 360. He just got it for Christmas so has not gone to Xbox live yet - I am afraid very afraid of the time that could involve. Have a blessed week!

Scribbit said...

Yes, dining out can grow very fast. Whenever my husband has business trips that's one of the things he complains about--having to eat out all the time.