dawn
i played in the ginormous corn field near my house. the corn was about 10 feet tall. i kept waiting for the baseball players to come out, but they never did. and this farmer was smart enough in this economy not to put a baseball diamond in the middle of it either. i didn't realize that corn has thick, claw-like roots that look like creepy feet.
i also didn't realize that corn could be both blonde and red headed. tell me why that is so farm girl tracy? is it because the silk dries at different rates? or are they different varieties of corn?
This Week's Monday Menu Musings
Tracy
I'm using the word "musings" here because I'm fairly new to weekly meal planning. Also, "musings" seems to fit my track record so far. I may see a recipe online or in a magazine and think "I'm definitely trying that Thursday." What I mean by "try," you see, is that I'm going to paint my nails, drink a Coke Zero or two and think about it. Hard. And then, if I can actually remember the recipe's basic ingredients when I'm at the store I might buy them and haul them home and let them live in my pantry until one day I'm staring at a box of Hot Hungarian Paprika wondering how on earth it got there.
I know, I know, with two kids and a husband having a plan should be old hat by now. But hubs has had a whacky work schedule for years and it seems the kids just got around to consistently eating "grown-up" meals. When they were toddlers and my husband worked past dinner almost every weeknight, the kids and I were all content with quick staples like pasta and bottled sauce, grilled cheese , baked potatoes or omlets, usually with cut-up fruit or veggies on the side. If I knew my husband was going to be home at mealtime, I would do more traditional fare, with a main course, side dish and salad, but on nights when it was just me and two people whose entire meal consisted of two or three tablespoon-size servings, it hardly seemed worth the effort.
But these days "Daddy's home" almost every night for dinner, so we're treated to sitting down together at least a few times a week. The kidlets have also evolved from being crumb-crunchers to wanting an actual protein (!) once in awhile and I've realized that variety keeps them open to trying new foods. A plan is now a must, and so are meals that can do double-duty so I can get more bang for my food buck.
So, here's what I'm thinking about for this week, and this time I actually made my shopping list according to the meals I've got planned. I am so impressed with myself.
Monday: Meatloaf ( my MIL's awesome recipe, which is pretty basic but topped with a glaze mixture of ketchup, brown sugar and mustard), mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli
*Bonus meal* Meatloaf sandwich in Tuesday's lunchbox
Tuesday: Broccoli and cheese quiche, fruit salad
* (leftover quiche can pull lunch duty Wednesday too)
Wednesday: Italian potroast (from http://pbseverydayfood.com/), brown rice, steamed snow peas
Thursday: Grilled brats, baked beans, coleslaw
Friday: Leftover Italian potroast on hoagie rolls with melted provolone, baked Alexia fries, veggies and dip.
Oh, and the "dip" isn't just any ol' dip. It's tzatziki cucumber dip from our local market---you SO didn't get the last container of it, Dawn! Nyah-nyah-nyah!
Looking over the menu, it seems beef-heavy, but I'm building on what I already have in the freezer this week. I tried to incorporate at least one meatless night, and doing something breakfast-y like quiche is quick, comforting and easy on the budget too.
So, there it is---my kinda-sorta-solid plan for the week. I'll post updates about successes and letdowns.
Oh, and Dawn---I checked with my dad and he said the corn with the "redheaded" silks probably "ain't good and dry yet" (meaning "ripe" in Eastern N.C. -speak). He said it's not uncommon for corn to mature at varying stages when you have long dry spells with sporadic storms here and there. Got anymore burning corn questions? Bring 'em on, sistah!
No comments:
Post a Comment