October Menu Planning

How is it nearly October already?

Yikes.

After two complete months of menu planning, I think I've finally "honed" my technique. I've realized that I really only need to fix about 10 different meals, and we can eat leftovers the rest of the time.

We've tried some new recipes decided to keep them in the permanent rotation, and we've also found some that we will never make again.

Another thing to note is that we've started a once-a-month Bible study at our house, so I have the food from that night to factor into my monthly plan.

So, here is my meal list for October. With what I had on hand already, the grocery bill was just over $100 (and that included some baby food, stuff for lunches, and water bottles!). One thing that we saved money on this month was switching from already-frozen chicken breasts to fresh chicken breasts in a club pack. (Not only is it cheaper per pound, but I found a few that were marked down too). All I have to do is prepare them for the freezer myself, and we will literally eat the savings!!

October Meal List
Click here for the Monthly Meal List
Click here for the Full Recipes with Instructions

Main Dishes:

Poppy Seed Chicken

Mexican Chicken

Crockpot Lasagna

Mexican Stuffed Shells

Mini Taco Pizzas

Homemade Pizzas

Venison Steaks

Hamburger Soup

Macaroni & Cheese (with tiny shell pasta)

Chicken & Vegetable Stir-fry

Sides & Desserts

Apple Crisp

Cinnamon Sugar Quick bread

Pumpkin Bread

Parmesan Knots

Parmesan Pull-Aparts

Homemade French Bread

Green Bean Casserole

Fresh Salads

White Rice

Frozen Corn

Once-A-Month Bible Study:

Chicken & Vegetable Chowder

Homemade French Bread

Chocolate Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies

I want to leave you all with an image to help keep things in perspective as the holiday season approaches, and our lives get slightly crazier and busier... 

Get out your glue gun - it's time for a craft!

I don't know about you, but I'm getting tired of posting about food. Don't get me wrong, I love a fabulous new recipe. But I also love a good craft project. So here goes.

I've recently started saving nearly every kind of container - formula cans, coffee cans, cereal puff containers, baby food jars/tubs, etc. Some of them I save because they can be re-purposed, but others I save just because the Munchkin likes to play with them. All of you moms out there know that an empty water jug or formula can is way more entertaining to a 10 month old than an expensive toy!

So this evening, instead of sitting around and watching episodes of My Fair Wedding on Netflix, I decided to sit down and turn some of these containers (that are slowly taking over my store room) into something fabulous. Well, I crafted while I watched My Fair Wedding. :)

I haven't decided for sure where I want to use these, but I'm in the process of redecorating our bathroom, so I went with an overall color scheme that would work for what I have in mind.

DIY Crafty Canisters 

(If you can think up a more concise, clever name, please share!)

Supplies:

Empty containers (labels removed, wiped clean)

1 sheet of graph paper

Scissors

Pen/pencil

Fabric (or scrapbook paper, your choice)

Ribbon (or other embellishments)

Glue gun & glue sticks

Clear nail polish

1. Remove the labels from your containers and wipe them clean with a damp cloth.

 

2. Use the graph paper to make a template to cover the container. Make sure to make the top and bottom exact so it hits right on the top and bottom of the container. Allow some overhang on the ends to lap edges over each other.

3. Lay your template over your fabric (or scrapbook paper), and cut it out. 

4. Heat up your glue gun!

5. Glue the fabric (or paper) onto the container! Do a little bit at a time, since hot glue dries fast. Make sure to keep fabric smooth to ensure a fabulous finished product. When you get to the end of the piece, overlap the edges to completely cover the container. If desired, gently brush some clear nail polish over the fabric edge to prevent excess fraying. 

6. Measure and cut ribbons, and glue as desired on you container. You could also embellish with a piece of twine (tied in a bow).

Voila! 

*****UPDATE*****

So I ended up using my crafty canisters in the bathroom. They all sit nice and pretty atop our over-the-toilet cabinet. The tiny one holds cotton swabs, the middle one holds cotton pads, and the largest one holds... other stuff. :)

If any of you have been to our house, you'll know that the bathroom is TEENY tiny. The ceiling is low, the window is about 10-inches square, and the tub is peach-colored. And not a pretty peach. More like, "thank goodness this tub is brown because our hard water makes nasty rust-stains" peach.

When I started playing around with decorating the bathroom and asked the Hubby if I could buy us a new shower curtain, he said "Anything you can do to make it prettier!" So I tried. Here are the results...

This is the cabinet over the toilet. I added scrapbook paper to the clear panes so that you can't see the stuff inside. It makes it look more uniform and much cleaner.

Close-up of the canisters holding their goodies.

Teeny tiny window. I've tried to disguise it with a scarf (that my sister bought in France!) and some candles. It sort of works...

And here is our extra "storage" in the bathroom. I've wanted to use the whole scrapbook-paper-on-plastic-drawers for a while, but didn't get around to it until recently. I went the quick route and just taped the paper onto the drawer from the inside. Not the most durable method, but it's prettier than it was, and I can change it later on.

Comfort Food at Its Best: Chicken & Dumplings in the Crock Pot

My maternal grandmother is one of those dainty Southern ladies that can cook up a storm without breaking a sweat -- all while wearing nothing but dresses. Such a classy lady.

ANYway...

Growing up, one of my favorite things that she would fix was Chicken & Dumplings.

Even now, I can remember sitting down to a full table in my grandparent's dining room, with steaming bowls of Chicken & Dumplings, fried okra, corn off the cob, and plates of sliced tomatoes. Are you hungry yet?

She's also one of those ladies who doesn't follow a written recipe, so even though I have several of her recipes written down, they never EVER turn out exactly the same.

This is why I've never bothered to try and make her Chicken & Dumplings recipe. I just order it every time we eat out at Cracker Barrel, and constantly remind myself with each bite that it comes awful close, but ultimately cannot hold a candle to Grandmama's recipe.

Now that we live out in the Sticks, the closest Cracker Barrel is an hour away and I need to put my big girl pants on and make Chicken & Dumplings myself.

I found a recipe in the Fix It & Forget It cookbook for Chicken & Dumplings made in the crock pot. I was skeptical, but it sounded easy enough.

I ended up tweaking the recipe enough that I'm claiming it as my own. Just ask the Hubby -- I complained so much while making this that we were both pleasantly surprised when it turned out so delicious. So, without further ado, here it is.

Chicken & Dumplings

Time: 7 hours

Servings: 8+

Chicken & Broth:

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 - 32 oz. container chicken broth

2 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp poultry seasoning*

1 cup chopped celery (1" pieces)

1 cup chopped carrots (1" pieces)

1 cup water

2 cups milk

Dumplings:

2 cups biscuit mix

3/4 cup milk

1 tsp parsley

1. Place chicken in slow cooker**. Pour broth and water over chicken.

2. Combine spices in small bowl, and sprinkle over chicken.

3. Spread carrots and celery over top.

4. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.

5. Remove lid and "shred" chicken breasts with a spoon. 

6. Turn slow cooker on high. Add milk, and stir. Let sit for 30 minutes. 

7. Combine biscuit ingredients and drop by spoonfuls over chicken.

8. Cover. Cook on high 35 minutes. (DO NOT remove cover while dumplings are cooking!)

9. Remove cover. Dough will have formed a thick layer over top of chicken. Break it up gently with a spoon, and stir to moisten all of the dumplings. Serve immediately. Makes 8 servings.

*I used a homemade poultry seasoning recipe, found here.

**I used a 5Qt. cooker. Make sure to use one that is big enough to add the additional liquids and the dumplings after the chicken is cooked.

Starting off September with Strawberry Pie

The end of August was a whirlwind for us, so I apologize for taking so long to post anything new! 

We had a fabulous Labor Day picnic with family to start off the month of September. Does it get any better than good food, good friends and family, and good weather?

How about all those things plus a delicious strawberry pie.

I made two of these for the picnic, and we only brought home a couple of slices. Which were devoured within 24 hours. In fact, I had to make two so the Hubby would agree to share the pie with others. 

This pie is easy, delicious, and a nice cool treat for those last days of summer.

I'm a strawberry pie snob.

I'll order it for dessert if a restaurant has it, but with each bite I am comparing it to my mom's homemade strawberry pie.

My mom made this when I was growing up. I was a SUPER picky eater, and really didn't eat any kind of pie at all. 

I loved this pie. 

The glaze gels up really nice, so if you make it right the slices hold their shape. I know you can buy tubs of glaze at the store, but this is so much better. Trust me.

Please excuse my messy homemade pie crust. I need to learn how to make it pretty. If anyone has tips or tricks, please share!

Strawberry Pie

1 c. water

1 c. sugar

3 T. cornstarch

1 pinch of salt

4 T. strawberry jello

2 cups whole strawberries

Baked pie crust (8-9 in.)

Mix sugar, cornstarch, and salt in small saucepan. Add water and stir well, eliminating all clumps.

Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. 

Reduce heat and cook until mixture thickens and looks clear (about 4-5 minutes).

Remove from heat. Add strawberry jello, stirring until it is fully dissolved.

Arrange strawberries in pie crust.

Pour glaze over the strawberries. Make sure that each berry gets coated in glaze.

Chill 4-5 hours (or overnight) before serving. Serve alone or with whipped cream.