I wish the weekends would stop flying by so quickly. We had a nice one, full of soccer games, playing frisbee in the back yard and watching “Doctor Who.” (And crying at the end of “Doctor Who,” because I am a sap.) I also spent some time going through the pantry and freezer, and I found enough to make most all of our meals this week. Three cheers for this week’s small grocery bill!
Monday Velveeta Helper
Again! I know! I think I may be developing a problem.
Tuesday: BBQ chicken sandwiches
I found a bucket of Lloyd’s chicken barbecue in the back of the freezer. Now doesn’t that sound like the start to a delicious meal?
Wednesday: Baked rigatoni
I used the Food Network’s mix-and-match baked pasta recipe many, many times when I first found it, and then I lost it. But I found it again this weekend, so we’ll be having pepperoni rigatoni! It has a delightful ring to it, doesn’t it?
This was the first weekend in awhile that we haven’t been out of town for one reason or another. It was so nice just to spend some time at home! Last night we welcomed Fall with an apple pork roast. It was the first Pioneer Woman recipe I’ve made, and oh my I guess now I can see what all the fuss is about. The pork was tender and flavorful, and even Poppy enjoyed it!
For our menu plan this week I tried to shop the pantry as much as possible, even if it didn’t make for a terribly exciting week in dinner.
Except for Velveeta night, of course. Velveeta night is party night.
This is a great ’50s throwback recipe. I always feel like I should wear a flirty apron and meet Rockford at the door with his house slippers and a cocktail when we have sweet & sour meatballs.
Tuesday: Velveeta Helper
This week we’re trying the cheeseburger version, and it would be the last box of Velveeta Helper in the house if I hadn’t found more at the cheap grocery on Saturday. And so there will be more Velveeta in my future. Oh yes there will.
Wednesday: Baked chicken strips and mac ‘n’ cheese
This was also the kids’ choice meal last week, and we ended up doing something else instead. Luckily the kids were happy to choose it again this week.
Thursday: Sweet potato risotto
I love risotto. It isn’t terribly tough to make, either, but I tend to forget about it when it’s menu-making time. I found a bag of arborio rice when I cleaned the pantry out on Saturday, so risotto it is!
Friday: Pizza
The good people at Big Green Egg still haven’t surprised me with a brand new grill, so we’ll probably be dining with Papa John again on Friday.
What does Wilco have to do with my meal plan? Stick with me. We’ll get there.
I never thought I’d be the kind of girl who’d cash in all of her husband’s frequent flier miles to go half way across country for a musician. Turns out I was wrong about that.
Rockford and I were both psyched (yes: psyched) when we saw that my very favorite group, Wilco, was going to be playing an outdoor show in Columbia, Missouri, this year. We lived in Columbia for five years, and we made a lot of great memories there. Not the least of which were the four Wilco shows we saw there. So we bought tickets, booked flights and on Sunday we got up before 6am and were in CoMo by lunchtime. Which was lovely timing, because it meant we got to have lunch at Shakespeare’s Pizza with our friends B and Rachel. After lunch we went back to our hotel — also paid for with loyalty points! — for a nap before going downtown to wander.
I’d decided that as a responsible grown-up, I would be just fine if we weren’t directly in front of the state at this show. The front of the stage is for hip youngsters, not stodgy homeschooling moms. I would be fine near the back, where it’s less crowded and your ears don’t ring quiet as much after the show. And then we got downtown, and Wilco was doing their soundcheck, and we watched it from directly in front of the stage, and it washed away all of that responsible-grown-up business. As soon as the soundcheck ended I joined the other 10-or-so people who lined up at the gate to get a shot at the front row.
This was our 15th Wilco concert, and I’d rank it in my Top Five Favorite Concerts. It was worth the flight, all the points and sitting on the sidewalk for an hour.
However: All that jetsetting does not put dinner on the table. Nor does it plan dinner, which is why Tuesday morning found me still puzzling over just what we’d be eating this week. I’m afraid nothing on our menu this week is even a little bit rock ‘n’ roll, though.
I’m still dreaming of the day I get a grill that’s up to the task of cooking a pizza. I stopped making my own pizzas because I got tired of setting off the smoke alarm every Friday night.
I wish the weekends would stop flying by so quickly. We had a nice one, full of soccer games, playing frisbee in the back yard and watching “Doctor Who.” (And crying at the end of “Doctor Who,” because I am a sap.) I also spent some time going through the pantry and freezer, and I found enough to make most all of our meals this week. Three cheers for this week’s small grocery bill!
