How NOT to Waste Your Food

Check this out:
http://planetgreen.discovery.com/home-garden/ways-avoid-waste-food.html

What's For Dinner This Week

Monday:Chicken Divan
Tuesday:leftovers
Wednesday:Seafood Pasta
Thursday:Picnic Fried Chicken
Friday:leftover tri tip from twins birthday (maybe a salad w/ chunks of blue cheese?)

Here's Mally's Famous Picnic Chicken Recipe
Good warm but better cold.

8 chicken drumsticks or any piece of chicken meat with the skin left on

buttermilk

1 stick butter

garlic

sage

paprika

minced parsley

parmesan \flour

Marinate the chicken in buttermilk overnight.

Grease your pan and set it by you

Melt butter in a shallow dish with some crushed garlic. Add a pinch of sage, paprika and parsley.

In another shallow dish, place equal parts of shredded parmesan (finely shredded works better than the store bought shred) and flour.

Set up your assembly line: chicken, butter, flour, pan

Pat chicken w/ a paper towel to remove excess buttermilk.

Dip or brush with melted butter and crushed garlic. Keep the leftover butter.

Roll in flour mixture.

Place in greased pan.

Bake at 375 for about 1 hr or until crisp.

Use a pastry brush to flick melted butter on the chicken every 20 min. if you want it to get browner and crispier.

Eat luke warm or chilled from the fridge.

Great w/ slices of cold watermelon. Kids like this recipe.

A Boushell and a Peck: Twins Birthday

A Boushell and a Peck: Twins Birthday

Twins Birthday

Our twins turn 2 on Monday!
We'll be having Italian Coconut Cake and chocolate cupcakes to celebrate.

Italian Coconut Cake

Cream together:

2 cups sugar

5 egg yolks

1 stick margarine

½ cup Crisco shortening

Add:

 2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 cup buttermilk

2 cups coconut

½ cup pecans

1 tsp. vanilla

In a separate bowl:

Beat 5 egg whites until stiff

Fold into mixture.

Pour into:

3 8 in. pie pans that you have greased and floured.

Bake 350 for 30-35 minutes.

Don't worry if it sticks to the pan. There's plenty of  frosting to cover up your mistakes.

Icing

Cream well:

16oz. cream cheese

1 stick margarine

2 box powdered sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

Put coconut between layers and on top.

My So-Called Meal Plan for 9/26-10/2

Who wants to cook? This was our plan until it turned out to be the bloodiest hot week of the year! We've bbqd the past two days but here's what was on the plan:

Sunday
bbq chicken
rice pilaf
ramen salad

Monday
chicken divan
broccoli

Tuesday
meatloaf
potatoes
glazed carrots

Wednesday
leftovahs

Thursday (Book Club)
crockpot potroast
carrots
potatoes

Friday (soccer practice)
taco salad w/pot roast meat
beans
guacamole

Meal Plan for September 19

Sunday
pizza
salad

Monday
Indian nite
Chicken w/ masala and korma sauces
rice
naan
curried lentils

Tuesday
tacos
beans
rice
salad

Wednesday
turkey burgers
sweet potato fries
tomatoes

Thursday
Back-to-School Night
fish sticks
cucumbers
honey carrots

Friday
Soccer Prectice
chili dogs salad

Meal Plan September 5th

Meal planning works so well for our family BUT I absolutely hate having to sit down and do it every week. I'm going to keep the list on here so I can go back and repeat a week if I want- no it didn't just dawn on me to do it, I've just decided that it's time to take the time to type it out and stop whining about it! How almost 40 of me!

Sunday

bbq baby back ribs

ramen salad

corn on the cob

Monday

chicken taquitos

black beans

brown rice

ramen salad

Tuesday

chicken gouda sausage

salad

quinoa

smashed potatoes

Wednesday

crock pot chicken thighs w/ teriyaki marinade

pineapple rice

salad

Thursday

sole w/ breadcrumbs and lemon

cole slaw

reheat leftover smashed potatoes

Twins-elbow mac 'n red sauce

The black bean recipe is on here. Now we're just taking canned beans and throwing in onion and cilantro to make it super easy. The big recipe really is the best though.

We make the pineapple rice with 1/2 water and 1/2 pineapple juice, then throw in the cut up pineapple when it's done.

The quinoa tastes really good made with chicken stock instead of water. Try the chicken stock packets from Trader Joes. They make 1 cup of stock. We add feta, basil, kalamata olives and tomato w/ some olive oil to brighten it up on Day 2 for lunch or a side.

That was too much cabbage in one week!

Coleslaw Crunch Salad

Serves 12

1-    1lb bag coleslaw mix

2-   2.8oz. pkgs. Ramen Soup

1 cup toasted sunflower seeds

1 cup toasted slivered almonds

1 bunch green onions, chopped

3/4 cup vegetable oil

½ cup sugar

1/3 cup white vinegar (you can use part rice vinegar if you like the flavor)

In large bowl combine coleslaw, noodles from ramen (preserve the seasoning packets), sunflower seeds, almonds and green onions.

In small bowl combine oil, sugar, vinegar and seasoning packets. Stir until sugar is dissolved.

Pour dressing over salad and toss.

You can also add golden raisins, mandarin oranges and chopped up raw broccoli.

Alternative to the seasoning packet:

(can't find the recipe, but there is one out there in cyber space somewhere!)