Some Like It Hot!

I arrived home from work today with pasta on my mind and discovered no jarred sauce in the pantry. Quickly surveying what was available I whipped up a quick marinara. The aroma was unbelievable and we could not wait to dig in. The first taste led me to rethink the ingredients (it was spicy and not just a little bit). I used two cans of petite diced tomatoes with green chiles. Now I've used these before and never had the HEAT issue I encountered tonight. So beware, those substitutions may yield something decidedly different than what you expect. We've decided spicy spaghetti is definitely something we'll try again, but I'll be in control of the spices!

Menu Plan Monday - December 22

Monday - Chili (freezer meal from Angie, not yet consumed), salad, cornbread






Tuesday - My sweet baby sister's birthday and I always host her birthday dinner at her house: Spaghetti with homemade sauce, salad, garlic bread and her fave Sister's Sour Cream Coconut Cake for dessert.


Wednesday - I'll host friends after our church service and serve a smorgasbord of good eats! Cold cuts & cheeses with rolls, veggies and dip, glazed meatballs, roasted pecans, spinach dip with assorted crackers, cheese ball, Christmas cupcakes for the kiddos and Barb's Fabulous Red Velvet Cake for the grownups. Most of this can be made ahead and leaves me time to be with my friends!


Thursday - Family will arrive for this Christmas Brunch! Sausage pinwheels, Mrs. A's Brown Sugar Ham, baked cheese grits, sliced oranges & grapefruit, scrambled eggs, muffins, biscuits, jams & jellies, juice, milk and coffee.


Friday - Leftover day as I hit the after Christmas sales


Saturday - Traveling to Florida for my older sister's birthday celebration.


Sunday - Soup and sandwiches for lunch. A belated holiday meal with the Knights in the evening. I'll be taking this dessert.

Merry Christmas to all of you! This will be a busy week, so there may be no menu plan next week. If not, I wish you all the Happiest New Year ever! Many thanks to Laura for hosting MPM. Just go on over to OrgJunkie for more delicious menu plans.....

Menu Plan Monday - December 15, 2008

We seem to have fewer obligations during the holidays this year, but that suits me. Here's what we are eating this week.

Monday - Crockpot Fajitas, Guacamole Salad, Spanish Rice (from a mix)

Tuesday - Bubble Pizza, Salad

Wednesday - FPSW - Roast Beef, Mashed Potatoes, Green Peas, Salad & Dessert

Thursday - Spinach & Bacon Quiche from Cardine's Month of Bacon, Salad

Friday - Possibly our supper club group will meet, if not it will be Vegetable Beef Soup, Cornbread

Saturday - I'll be doing some baking for my co-workers' gifts. Christmas get-together with the Smiths this evening. I'll be taking this for dessert.

Sunday - Grilled Cheese Sandwiches & Tomato Soup

I appreciate you stopping by to check out my meals. Stop by OrgJunkie for lots more!

Menu Plan Monday - December 8

I cannot believe we are smack dab in the middle of the Christmas season. Here's how our week looks:

Sunday - crockpot BBQ sandwiches, tossed salad, oven roasted potatoes

Monday - pinto beans, steamed cabbage, cornbread

Tuesday - hamburgers, chips, baked beans (using leftover pinto beans)

Wednesday - Front Porch Sittin' Wednesday (beef stroganoff, green beans, salad & dessert)

Thursday - grilled chicken, rice, salad

Friday - chicken & dumplin's, green beans, corn muffins

Saturday - chili (freezer meal prepared by my friend, Angie), sour cream, cheese, chili crackers

As always, thanks for checking out my menus. Don't forget there are lots more meal plans at OrgJunkie!

Menu Plan Monday - December 1, 2008

To be perfectly honest, I should not need to eat for several weeks. However, I'm sure the guys will, so here's the plan:

Monday - Turkey Pot Pie - I'll be making one for a potluck dinner and one for the guys using the last of my Thanksgiving turkey.

Tuesday - Baked Spaghetti (thanks, Angie for this freezer meal), steamed broccoli and rolls

Wednesday - Front Porch Sittin' Wednesday at church - Soup, Salad and dessert

Thursday - Shanghai Shrimp, steamed rice and egg drop soup

Friday - Breakfast for dinner - Ham & eggs, grits, orange slices

Saturday - I'm not sure what we'll have.......

As always, I thank you for stopping by and look for tons of other great meal plans at OrgJunkie.

Lemonade Awards

Today, I was the recipient of this great award from Simply Sweet Home, which honors blogs that represent great attitude and/or gratitude. This is my first award for any of my blogs and it came on my birthday! Wow, I'm blown away......Thanks, Jerri!

As part of the tradition of this award it must be passed on to other deserving blogs (10). Since I'm fairly new to blogging, I'm choosing 5 of my favorites. So here goes, in no particular order:

Tiffany@ But I Had a Tiara - Great menus and gratitude for all things in life.

Stephanie @ A Year of Crockpotting - I'll be hating to see the year end. I bow to the crockpot queen!

Lisha @ Apprehensive Aliment Artisan - One of the most giving, loving individuals I've ever known, I'm proud to call her my friend. She's overcome her fear of cooking (to please her crew) and has a hubby who is masterful in the kitchen.

Amanda @ The Rural Bohemian - Found this blog through my friend and I love everything about it!

Brenda @ Meal Planning Magic - Always something interesting on this blog. Freezer meals are her specialty. Who wouldn't love a girl who can make turkey cupcakes.

Here are the rules:
1. Put the logo on your blog or post.
2. Nominate at least 10 blogs (I only had 5, sorry) which show great Attitude and/or Gratitude!
3. Link to your nominees within your post.
4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
5. Share the love and link to this post and to the person from whom you received your award.

Menu Plan Monday - November 24, 2008

I'll be hosting about 25 family members on Thursday, so my plan is simple leading up to that day. I encountered a homeless family in my job this week and my interaction with them leads me to say: I am so thankful for a God who loves me, family, church family, friends, my job, a warm home, food to eat and enough of the things I need. Many in our great nation are not as fortunate. I am blessed. May you be as well. Happy Thanksgiving!

Monday - Chicken casserole (provided by my friend, Angie), salad, corn

Tuesday - Grilled ham & cheese sandwiches, tomato soup

Wednesday - My birthday (dinner here, I hope)

Thursday (Thanksgiving Day - US) - Fried turkey, spiral ham, dressing & gravy, green bean casserole, macaroni & cheese, Joe potatoes, corn salad, broccoli salad, buttermilk salad, veggie tray & ranch dip, relish tray (featuring Wickles), cranberry sauce (yes, my family prefers the kind out of a can), rolls, sweet potato & pecan pies, carrot cake (for my birthday)

Friday - I'll be shopping, we'll be eating leftovers.

Saturday - The Game (Alabama & Auburn) - glazed meatballs, cheese dip, chips, veggies & dip

Sunday - Finish off the leftovers!

Thank you for visiting my blog. There are lots of other great meal ideas at Org.Junkie!