Candy Cane Cookies...A Little Early Maybe (unless you freeze for later)

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup milk
1teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
1 egg
3.5 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon red food color
2 Tablespoons finely crushed peppermint candies
2 Tablespoons sugar

Directions:
Stir together 1 cup sugar, butter, milk, vanilla, peppermint extract and egg in large bowl. Stir in flour, baking powder, and salt. Divide dough in half, stirring food color into one half. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours.  Heat oven to 375*F.  Stir together peppermint candy and 2 Tbsp sugar; set aside.  For each candy cane, shape 1 rounded teaspoon dough from each half into 4-inch rope by rolling back and forth on floured surface. Place 1 red and white rope side by side; press together lightly and twist. Place on ungreased cookie sheet; curve top of cookie down to form handle of candy cane.  Bake 9 to 12 minutes or until set and very light brown. Immediately sprinkle candy mixture over cookies. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack and let cool.

Menu Plan 10/7 Thru 10/13

I've made a change and decided that though I will try to plan my meals for two weeks out, I will only post a week's at a time. This way, I can also participate in Menu Plan Mondays...(click the link above to see what that's all about...) That and with the baby coming soon, who knows how long I'll actually follow the plan. We had so many leftovers last go around that I didn't make about 1/4 of the meals I had planned. So here goes again. I expect to get better at this, very soon. :)

Wed 10/7

Breakfast: Cereal

Lunch: School lunch/ Sandwich

Dinner: Slow Cooker BBQ Beef Sandwiches (ingred. from last menu plan)

Thurs 10/8

Breakfast: Pancakes

Lunch: School lunch/ Mac N Cheese
Dinner: Spaghetti w/ Italian Sausage, Garlic Bread

Fri 10/9
Breakfast: Oatmeal
Lunch: School lunch/ Hot Pockets
Dinner: Leftovers

Sat 10/10
Breakfast: Cereal
Lunch: Hot Pockets/ Burritos
Dinner: Meatloaf, Roasted Potatoes, Squash

Sun 10/11
Breakfast: Waffles
Lunch: Hot Pockets/ Burritos
Dinner: Leftovers

Mon 10/12
Breakfast: Oatmeal
Lunch: School lunch/ Sandwiches
Dinner: Chicken Enchiladas

Tues 10/13
Breakfast: Cereal
Lunch: School lunch
Dinner: Leftovers

Autumn Musings

Autumn has officially arrived, according to the calendar.  Actually, it arrived a couple days ago and I missed it.  How could I miss something like that?  Well, where I live, it's actually pretty easy to do.  We don't have much of an Autumn, or much of a Spring either, for that matter.  I live in Central California, and here on the valley floor, we're still experiencing temperatures hovering around 100 degrees.  I don't much care for triple digit temperatures.  I don't much care for anything below about 55-60 degrees either.  Unfortunately, temperatures that fall in the range that I do like are very few, and don't last for long around here.

Regardless of the temperature, I have been doing whatever I can to usher in Autumn.  While outside it may not look like Autumn, or feel like it, in my home, I'm baking and doing a little decorating.  I very stubbornly changed the tablecloth on my table to one that has Autumn colors and I've been baking goodies and trying to make cold weather food for my family, every chance I get.  To try to delude myself even more about the weather, today I thought I would list a few things that I love about Autumn.  Here is my list:

• Cooler weather
• Bible study in the mornings with the windows open
• Lower electric bills
• Decorating
• Making blankets and scarves
• Cuddling up to my husband when I'm cold
• Wearing socks all day AND all night
• Wearing sweaters and sweatshirts
• Making Soups and Baking
• Thanksgiving Dinner
• Family together earlier because darkness falls sooner

These are just a few of the things I love about Autumn; and I'm hoping that as I continue to do some of these, very soon, Autumn temperatures may just decide to actually make an appearance.  What are some of your favorite things about Autumn?

Photo courtesy of wstryder.  Thanks!

I Daydream About Cleaning

I'm not a clean freak, not really.  Though my house is pretty clean, for as many people live here.  We don't have alot of clutter, except in the kids' bedrooms.   Which is why I'm still daydreaming about cleaning and organizing their rooms.  This summer, at the beginning of my pregnancy, I changed everyone's sleeping arrangements, to make room for the new baby.  Thus, the organizing began...but, alas, it quickly stalled.  I got one room completely emptied of all toys and clothes, painted, bunk beds assembled, and another room readied for paint; and the 3rd room filled with all the items moved from room 1, additional bunks assembled there, and then I lost all energy and ability to do more.

Now, the younger girls' room (the one that did get painted) looks like a cyclone hit it- since there always seems to be toys and clothes on the floor (they choose their clothes some mornings, and when I tell them to change, the clothes end up on the floor.)  The other one also looks like a cyclone hit it, because it is occupied by two messy teenagers.  Clothes everywhere, papers from school, books, CDs, etc.  Anything a teenager might have, is probably on their floor, or stuffed on the floor of the closet.  I'm still holding out hope that my dear hubby will be able to find the time to paint and assemble the furniture in the baby's room, since I'm not allowed to do it, now.

My point in saying all of that, is to say that I am so happy to learn that I am not alone!!!  That my otherwise helpful and cleaning skilled children, are not abnormal in their messy bedroom habits.  I came across this blog today (and how she does it, I don't know!!!) and she had a great idea for "helping" the children learn to clean their rooms while teaching them the value of their belongings at the same time.  I admit that I have tried a variation of this, but my problem is that I never seem to get around to getting rid of the boxes that I have filled with things to get rid of.  They sit out in the garage, making a new mess (that the kids inevitably open and remove stuff from) so now I need to find a way to stop that problem as well.  I guess my children aren't the only ones that can't seem to finish cleaning something, huh?  Happy cleaning and God bless!

Menu Plan 09/23/09- 10/06/09

This is my second posting of a menu plan, here on this blog. I realized as I was getting ready to make up my menu plan, that I failed to mention something that could later cause some confusion, or at the very least cause readers to think I keep feeding my family the same things. So here is what I failed to mention: I don't always follow my menu plan strictly. I know, GASP!! The problem is, that I'm human. I don't always feel like cooking, or something comes up, or even more likely, I've cooked too much of something, so the leftovers last longer than I had planned, and need to be eaten. I learned with my last menu that sometimes I get really lucky and my family finds a new favorite, and wants it for leftovers, rather than letting me freeze it for later consumption. So, for the sake of simplicity, I'm just going to post my menu plan, and if I still have ingredients for a dinner I didn't make from the previous plan, it'll show up on the next menu plan. (The grocery list for this menu plan will be posted in a separate entry after shopping.)  Now onto my menu plan...

Wednesday 09/23
Breakfast: Cereal
Lunch: School Lunch/ Quesadilla
Dinner: Pork Chops, Au Gratin Potatoes, Corn

Thursday 09/24
Breakfast: Waffles
Lunch: School Lunch/ Sandwich
Dinner: Leftovers (Make Blueberry Muffins for Saturday)

Friday 09/25
Breakfast: Oatmeal
Lunch: School Lunch/ Sandwich
Dinner: Tacos, Refried Beans, Spanish Rice

Saturday 09/26
Breakfast: Blueberry Muffins
Lunch: Sandwiches
Dinner: Basil Tomato Soup

Sunday 09/27
Breakfast: Blueberry Muffins
Lunch: Sandwiches
Dinner: Leftover Tacos

Monday 09/28
Breakfast: Cold Cereal
Lunch: School Lunch/ Mac N Cheese
Dinner: Stove Top and Roasted Turkey (Just like Thanksgiving!)

Tuesday 09/29
Breakfast: Waffles
Lunch: School Lunch/ Sandwich
Dinner: Leftovers (freeze any remaining Turkey)

Wednesday 09/30
Breakfast: Oatmeal
Lunch: School Lunch/ Sandwich
Dinner: Italian Meatball Sandwiches (cooked in Crock Pot instead)

Thursday 10/01
Breakfast: Cold Cereal
Lunch: School Lunch/ Sandwich
Dinner: Leftovers

Friday 10/02
Breakfast: Waffles
Lunch: School Lunch/ Sandwich
Dinner: Chicken Enchiladas (using prev frozen leftover ingredients)

Saturday 10/03 (Baby Shower Today)
Breakfast: Apple Raisin Pancakes
Lunch: Frozen Burritos
Dinner: Leftovers

Sunday 10/04
Breakfast: Oatmeal
Lunch: Sandwich
Dinner: Chili Mac/ Freezer Meal

Monday 10/05
Breakfast: Waffles
Lunch: School Lunch
Dinner: Slow Cooker BBQ Beef Sandwiches

Tuesday 10/06
Breakfast: Cold Cereal
Lunch: School Lunch/ Sandwich
Dinner: Leftovers

Bi-Weekly Menu Planning and Grocery Shopping

Today is preparation day.  Preparation for this week's shopping and menu planning.  I don't always do it this far in advance (2 days) but I'm trying to find ways to lower our grocery budget without spending all day at it.  (I have better things to do, and I'm thinking that most other parents do to.)  I was looking for coupons to use this week at Winco Foods, because I was informed by some wonderful ladies at church last week that Winco Foods is cheaper, even, than where I have been shopping.  They had some great free coupons in last week's circular, but I didn't make it to the store, since it was my off-week.  I'm hoping to find some good deals in this weeks circular.

Here's the deal.  I generally shop every two weeks, but more often than not, end up back at the store on  my off weeks for things like milk and bread.  I want to try to remedy that.  For my bi-weekly shopping trip, I usually spend $250-$300 for a family of 6.  I don't really know if that's good or bad, but it's what I spend, and it seems pretty good to me, since I used to budget $1000 for groceries every month.  This means I've managed to figure out how to save $400-$500 per month.  Not too shabby!!  So while my menu list and grocery list are not yet made, I wanted to share some of the sites I came across that do not require any kind of membership fee, though you may have to sign up for the site itself.  I recommend having an email account just for this sort of thing.

First off is a site that not only lists the ad prices for all stores, but she also participates in $5 dollar dinners.  I browsed a few of the menu plans, and they looked promising.  The site is Northwest Coupon Lady and while the site is best for those of us that live on the West Coast and even better for those that live in the Northwest, I'm sure there are some links and information that can be used my everyone.  I also found a page linking to money saving sites for every store you can think of, so if you have a particular store you like to shop at, and would like to see the deals available there, here's the page with a list of links: BeCentsAble, LLC.

Since I'm still new to this, and don't want to go crazy just giving you a bunch of links, I'll stop at those for today.  Hope they help you in your efforts to budget and meal plan!  Be blessed and happy shopping!

Menu Plan 09/09 thru 09/22

Tomorrow is grocery shopping day, so I needed to plan my meals for the next two weeks.  I have found that this is the most economical means of planning my shopping, so that I can stay within budget.  I have included the links to recipes that are not my own, and I hope to start posting my own recipes, as I have time, for those that don't come from a cookbook.  When I do have time to post my own recipes, I will remind you that I cook in VERY large portions, so unless you have a large family, you will want to have room in your freezer or someone to share your bounty with.  :)  Happy Cooking!

Wednesday 09/09

Breakfast- Oatmeal

Lunch- Sandwich/ School lunch

Dinner- Mexican Lasagna

Thursday 09/10

Breakfast- Cereal

Lunch- School lunch/ Sandwich

Dinner- Leftovers

Friday 09/11
Breakfast- Waffles
Lunch- School lunch/ Sandwich
Dinner- Black Bean and Salsa Soup, or Spicy Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup, Cornbread/ Tortillas (freezing leftovers)

Saturday 09/12 (Faithful Feet and Swim Party today)
Breakfast- Cereal
Lunch- lunch at swim party
Dinner- Slow Cooker Pot Roast (with some adaptations to suit my family)

Sunday 09/13
Breakfast- Oatmeal
Lunch- Sandwiches/ Eat Out
Dinner- Leftovers

Monday 09/14
Breakfast- Waffles
Lunch- School Lunch/ Sandwich
Dinner- Spaghetti, Garlic Bread (made early for BSF)

Tuesday 09/15
Breakfast- Cereal
Lunch- School Lunch/ Sandwich
Dinner- Leftovers

Wednesday 09/16
Breakfast- Oatmeal
Lunch- School Lunch/ Sandwich
Dinner- Roast Chicken, Au Gratin Potatoes, Fresh Veggies

Thursday 09/17
Breakfast- Waffles
Lunch- School lunch
Dinner- Leftovers

Friday 09/18
Breakfast- Cereal
Lunch- School lunch
Dinner- Pork Chops, Mashed Potatoes, Veggies

Saturday 09/19
Breakfast- Oatmeal
Lunch- Hot Pockets/ Mac N Cheese/ Sandwiches
Dinner- Leftovers
(Prepare Chicken Enchiladas from prev frozen ingredients for Sunday dinner.)

Sunday 09/20
Breakfast- Waffles
Lunch- Sandwiches/ Hot Pockets
Dinner- Chicken Enchiladas

Monday 09/21
Breakfast- Cereal
Lunch- School lunch/ Sandwich
Dinner- Leftovers (served early for BSF)

Tuesday 09/22
Breakfast- Oatmeal
Lunch- School lunch
Dinner- Grab What You Can Day