Weekly Menu Aug 20-26

Monday:
grilled chicken
rice
tortillas
cucumbers and tomatoes

Tuesday:
leftover Mexican

Wednesday:
Eric and Ashley here
ribeyes
potatoes on grill
fresh cucumbers

Thursday:
chicken cordon bleu
rice w/broccoli

Friday:
TBD

Saturday:
hamburgers
french fries

Sunday:
party for Grandma's 75th birthday

Weekly Menu - 8/5-8/12

Sunday:
broiled teriyaki shrimp
rice
cucumbers

Monday:
tri-tip roast
roasted potatoes
corn on the cob

Tuesday:
pasta w/meat sauce
cucumbers
italian herb bread

Wednesday:
grilled chicken
rice
beet salad with goat cheese

Thursday:
chicken enchiladas
mexican rice w/corn

Friday:
pizza night!

Fresh from the garden

Can you tell from our weekly menus that our cucumber plants have been very prolific lately? It seems that we have at least two new ones each day, and the tomatoes are just coming into season. Sunday night's sauce was made with 5 tomatoes from our garden. . This was the first time I've made sauce out of fresh tomatoes, and it was easier than I expected. Plus it made two containers for the freezer to pull out some other time.

Last night's chicken marinade contained some cayenne peppers from the garden, also.

The corn is starting to grow ears, and the onions look like they'll start to be ready to harvest soon. The pepper plants seem slower on the uptake this year, but I am anxious for them to come into their prime as Ree over at The Pioneer Woman Cooks! has posted a fabulous recipe that I am eager to try.

It gives such a sense of satisfaction to be able to prepare and eat food that we grew ourselves. Somehow I never really understood that growing up when we were sent out to weed every Saturday morning.

Weekly menus - July 22-28

Sunday -

pasta w/homemade meat sauce, garlic naan, cucumbers and dressing

Monday -

some kind of hari-kari chicken (Brian's recipe), macaroni and cheese, cucumbers and dressing

Tuesday -

lite kielbasa, chimichurri rice

Wednesday -

pork chops w/red wine sauce, rice, cucumbers and dressing

Thursday -

quesadillas, mexican rice w/black beans and corn

Friday -

TBD

Saturday -

Dinner with friends?

Weekly Menus - July 8-14

Sunday:
who knows? we wound up ordering pizza

Monday:
hamburgers, french fries, cucumber from the garden

Tuesday:
chicken tacos w/black beans and corn in whole wheat tortillas

Wednesday:
pasta w/meat sauce, bread, salad

Thursday:
mandarin orange chicken, stir fried veggies in orange sauce, brown rice

Friday:
filets, roasted potatoes, green beans

Saturday:
I have no idea

Weekly Menus 6/17-6/23

Sunday: Father's Day
out for dinner and ice cream

Monday:
baked buffalo chicken tenders
green salad

Tuesday:
out with friends

Wednesday:
grilled pork tenderloin
grilled sliced potatoes w/cheese

Thursday:
Thai Style Ground Beef
jasmine rice
Thai Style gingered carrots

Friday:
kielbasa
black beans and rice

Saturday:
neighborhood BBQ

Green Beans and Bacon

Step 1: Send husband and daughter to garden to pick fresh green beans. Or, if you must, buy them at the grocery store.

Step 2: Clean and trim the green beans.

Step 3: Chop several slices of bacon (we used four because Brian and Claire LOVE bacon) into pieces approximately 1-inch in length.

Step 4: Cook bacon in frying pan until crisp. Remove bacon to paper towels to drain. Reserve bacon grease.

Step 5: Steam green beans (I did it in the microwave, quick and easy.) until they are a nice bright green, and still a little crisp.

Step 6: Dump all but 1 tablespoon of bacon drippings. Toss steamed green beans in the drippings until coated evenly. Add bacon pieces. Add salt and pepper to taste.

The verdict? Brian, Claire, and I thought they were great. Claire even ate all of the ones Ben left on his try. Ben was upset that we tried to trick him into eating a vegetable by coating it in meat flavor, but we couldn't get one by him. He ate the bacon pieces, and only allowed one green bean to come in contact with his lips for approximately 3 seconds.