Menu Plan Monday 11/26

Menu Plan Monday is hosted by Organizing Junkie.

I am still finding it a struggle to work fish into our diets 2-3 times a week. If anyone has suggestions, I would be interested.

Monday: Dinner out with the Millers at Sirloin Stockade. The best part is that we won the dinner!

Tuesday: Ham and Pea Soup (recipe below)

Wednesday: Chicken Pot Pie

Thursday: Pine Nut Crusted Tilapia

Friday: Tuna Potato Supper

Saturday: Sweet ‘n’ Spicy Pork Chops*

Sunday: Salmon Casserole

Ham and Pea Soup

2 onions, chopped

1 c. celery, chopped

1 c. green pepper, chopped

1 chicken bouillon cube

4 c. potatoes, diced

3 T. Flour

1 t. Zesty Salt-free Seasoning

1/8 t. white pepper

1/2 t. black pepper

2 c. milk

1 c. chopped ham

1 c. frozen peas

In a Dutch oven, add water, bouillon, onion, celery and pepper. Cook 5 minutes. Add potatoes, cook twenty minutes more. Stir in flour, salt and peppers. Slowly add milk, half a cup at a time. Stir constantly. Heat through. Add ham and frozen peas. Heat ten minutes and serve.

*The Sweet ‘n’ Spicy Pork Chops recipe is from the Fall 2007 issue of Taste of Home’s Cooking for 2.

Oh, the Holiday Memories!

The daughter and I were talking about Thanksgiving today. She is bringing pies, which is a good thing since the pie-making gene skipped me altogether.

The daughter likes to bake with her cousin, and she and I talked about an old Mirro Cookie Press (like the one shown here) that was my mother’s. I think my older sister took it home with her when Mom died. Anyway, as I said, the girls like to bake, so I told the daughter she should see if Lillie could find the cookie press and make some butter cookies like Mom made when I was growing up.

“Mom,” the daughter said. “I can buy you a cookie press. They’re ten dollars at Michael’s.”

“That’s not the point, ” I said.

“What?”

“The point, “I said, “is not that I need to eat butter cookies. Heaven knows I really don’t. The point is that I would get pleasure from eating some that you made with my mother’s cookie press.”

Why is it that Mom is near me more at the holidays?

In that vein, I thought I would share one of my mother’s Christmas cookie recipes. It’s not for cookie press cookies, but these were still pretty good.

CANDY CANE COOKIES

1 c. shortening (half butter)

1egg

1 t. vanilla

1 c. sifted powdered sugar

1 ½ t. almond flavoring

1 t. salt

½ t. red food coloring

2 ½ c. flour

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Mix shortening, sugar, egg and flavorings well. Mix flour and salt and stir them in.

Divide the dough in half. Blend the red food coloring in one half.

Roll 1 t. each color dough on lightly floured board into a strip about 4” long. (Maybe that should be a T; I don’t know if a t. would make a 4” strip.)

Place strips side by side, press them lightly together and twist them like a rope.

Put on ungreased baking sheet (or parchment paper). Curve the top down for the handle of the cane.

Bake about 9 minutes or until lightly browned.

Remove while still warm. Sprinkle with a mixture of ½ c. crushed peppermint stick candy and ½ c. sugar.

Things to Share

…from YouTube. I didn’t find them myself. One came from Chrysalis and one came from Wind Scraps. My thanks to them both.

This one features music and lyrics by Stuart Townsend with scenes from The Passion of the Christ.

This one is a conversation between a thirteen-year-old Nebraska farm boy and Pastor Mike, who hosts a radio program on Sky Angel.

Things at School That Touched My Heart This Week

Thing One

The Problem Child, a senior, sat through a whole unit entitled “So I Have to Be a Grownup” and did…nothing. He knew I was frustrated. Yesterday, I walked in a room where he was sitting, and he said, “I didn’t do it!”

“Glad to hear it,” I replied.

His response was, “I’m a good kid. Really.”

That broke my heart. I do like the kid. His “special” teacher shared with me this morning that his male role model is his older brother, who is 25, dropped out of high school, has never held a job and still lives with mom. So if Problem Child graduates, he’ll be ahead. Changes it when you look at it that way.

Know how I know he cares? He found me third period to work on an assignment that is due tomorrow. That’s a LOT of effort for him.

Thing Two

The DECA chapter in our little school is overseeing the assembly of “WE CARE” boxes for the holidays. There are over 260 families in our little rural community who are in need of them.

When the project was explained in the senior class where I work, the kids really stepped up. They divided up the items in a box and began volunteering to bring them. A food box costs $80; a hygiene box $45. Many of these kids are working to help their parents pay the bills. They don’t have a lot of extra cash, but they are willing to share what they have. I wish the general public could see that.

Thing Three

There is an upperclassman in one of my classes who has faced some problems because he claims to be homosexual. He doesn’t have a lot of friends, and I don’t think his home life is very good. Today the kids had to recite part of a speech from Patrick Henry, the one that ends,”Give me liberty or give me death!” This boy, even though he is in choir was frightened. He asked me to stand in the back of the room so that, if he got scared he could look at me.

He doesn’t even know me, really. Nor do I know him. What have things come to that such a simple act can speak to a student?

Menu Plan Monday

 

Menu Plan Monday is hosted by Laura.

 

I decided to list my menus through Thanksgiving weekend. I know I will be busy, so I thought I would work ahead.

Sunday: 11/11: Chili

Monday: Tuna Potato Supper

Tuesday: Tamale Pie*

Wednesday: Bacon-Salisbury Steak*accompanied by Rutabagas with Dill Dressing.* I have never had rutabagas before as far as I know. The recipe calls for White Wine Vinegar. I’ll let you know how it turns out.

Thursday: Thanksgiving dinner at church

Friday: Meatball Stew*

Saturday: Baked Salmon with herbs

Sunday: Chi-Chi’s Chicken Tortilla Soup ( recipe at end of post)

Monday: Sweet ‘n’ Spicy Pork Chops*

Tuesday: Gideon meeting at Sirloin Stockade

Wednesday: Grilled Cheese Sandwiches with an appropriate veggie or leftovers, depending on how much I need to get out of the fridge.

Thursday: Happy Thanksgiving! Our meal will be turkey with my mom’s stuffing(recipe at end of post), my mom’s rolls, my sister’s veggie tray and dip, green bean casserole made with the home-canned beans the daughter and I put up, and various pies and potatoes, depending on who brings what. I may even add the rutabagas to the menu if they turn out well this week. There may be as many as seventeen of us, so I am sure there will be plenty of variety.

I am thankful that the younger women can make pies as that is a talent that seems to have bypassed me. (I’m grateful for Pillsbury pie crusts).

Friday: Leftovers in some form, I am sure

Saturday: Pine Nut Crusted Tilapia

Sunday: Whatever leftovers I need cleaned out of the fridge

Recipes marked with an asterisk are in this month’s Cooking for Two and available to subscribers only. However, if you e-mail me, I’d be happy to share. What are friends for?

Chi-Chi’s Chicken Tortilla Soup

 

½ c. chopped onion

1 t. minced fresh garlic

3 10 1/2 oz. cans low sodium chicken broth

1 16 oz. jar Chi-Chi’s Picante Sauce

2c. cooked, shredded chicken breast

½ c. coarsely chopped red pepper

¼ t. ground pepper

2 bay leaves

*serve with tortilla strips, sour cream and cheddar cheese if desired.

 

 

In Dutch oven, cook onion and garlic in butter over medium

heat, stirring occasionally until onion is tender. Add chicken

broth, picante sauce, shredded chicken, bell pepper and bay

leaves. Bring to a boil. Cover; reduce hear to low. Simmer,

stirring occasionally, 20 minutes. Remove bay leaves. Ladle

soup over tortilla strips. Top with shredded cheese and sour

cream if desired.

My Mom’s Stuffing Recipe

I always think I am going to try something new, but I miss Mom the most on holidays, and using her recipes helps.

I do microwave the onion and celery to try and cut the fat. And I found a recipe for salt-free poultry seasoning that I thought I might try since the hubby is supposed to limit his salt, but it’s only once or twice a year, you know? And it is my mom’s recipe. Oh…and I use unseasoned bread crumbs instead of making my own. There was the year when I started the oven while the bread was in there drying…

2/3 c. shortening

1/2 tsp. black pepper

3/4 c. finely chopped onion

1 T. poultry seasoning

1 C. diced celery

1 1/3 T. chopped parsley

2 T. salt

1/2 C. hot water

16-18 slices bread

Melt shortening. Add onion and celery. Saute over low heat for 15 minutes. Pour mixture over bread cubes that have been mixed with other seasonings. Add hot water and mix thoroughly. I always have to add more than half a cup.

Stuff poultry just to fill cavity since stuffing expands during baking.

 

 

Veteran’s Day

A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America

Throughout our history, America has been protected by patriots who cherished liberty and made great sacrifices to advance the cause of freedom. The brave members of the United States Armed Forces have answered the call to serve our Nation, ready to give all for their country. On Veterans Day, we honor these extraordinary Americans for their service and sacrifice, and we pay tribute to the legacy of freedom and peace that they have given our great Nation.

 

–Opening Paragraph of President Bush’s Veteran’s Day Proclamation

I am sure I never even began to understand the sacrifices that military families make until I was the mother of a Marine. It is for this reason that I wish to thank my son and the others of my family who have served in the Armed Forces for their sacrifice.

–Both my father and my father-in-law served in the Navy during WWII. My father-in-law was on the U.S.S. Enterprise and was, at one point, considered lost at sea.

–Grandpa Tom, my husband’s step-grandfather, served with the Marines during the Korean War.

–My brother served in the Air Force in the mid-sixties.

–My husband’s older brother served with the Marines during the Viet Nam War and did three tours in Nam during that time.

–My cousin Buddy died in the Viet Nam War.

–My husband’s younger brother served with the Coast Guard.

–And finally my son served with the Marines from 2001-2005.

Thank you all for sacrificing to make this country a better, safer place.

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60-90 Days

It is getting more and more common to hear about competent young people being let go from their jobs right at the end of their probationary periods.  There’s been no warning in the cases I have heard about, no way to know that the job they were doing was inadequate.

I read in Proverbs, I think, that we aren’t supposed to yearn for the old days, but sometimes I miss the days when employers looked at employees as people, even family, instead of ways to increase their bottom line.

November Indiana-style

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Menu Plan Monday 11/5

It seems that I don’t always stick to a plan, but I am sure it helps the hubby and I to have one. And the price of things continues to amaze me. Is anyone else’s grocery bill creeping up?

Monday: Too many things to do. Leftover chicken from our trek to Ponderosa last week, accompanied by Zippy Green Beans and Rice Pilaf.

Tuesday: Since I made homemade no-salt chicken broth and we have leftover chicken, we are going to try Chicken and Rice Stuffed Peppers. Besides–green peppers are only $.69/lb at the local grocery, a bargain around here! I am planning on making the whole recipe and freezing half.

Wednesday: Ham and Cauliflower Casserole

Thursday: Leftover Beef Stroganoff the daughter made for us, over rice or rolls. I haven’t decided.

Friday: It’s payday! We will be at La Charreada for their house specialty, Charra Salad and of course, their wonderful salsa! (And maybe some Queso Fundido, if we can’t help ourselves).

Saturday: Macadamia-nut Crusted Salmon We did have salmon last week. We just didn’t manage to make this recipe.

Menu Plan Monday is hosted by Laura.

 

 

 

Time to Fall Back

Did you remember to reset your clocks?  Daylight savings time starts today.