Menu 2020: October 25- November 28

Summer is over and fall is upon us. Fall has always been my favorite time of year. We got married in the fall and most of our family pictures have been taken in the fall. This fall is a little different for us with all the COVID-19 considerations and restrictions. Our favorite fall field trip locations have gone virtual. Athletic tournaments are being canceled. Sometimes it is hard to look on the bright side. BUT, I was reminded the other day of a couple of things: 1. God is sufficient for everything, and 2. God's mercies are new every morning, great is His faithfulness. Through these crazy times we're living in, I constantly feel like I am inadequate, which is true. I am not enough for anything, but my God is so much more than enough and His grace will be sufficient in my weakness. 💕

Since I am a month behind, let's get back to the menu...

Menu 2020: August 23-September 27

It hasn't been a normal summer by any means, but it has been busy. We went on vacation in July and then on to camping in the middle of August. The kids have started conditioning practice for fall sports and school starts in a week. I am looking forward to having a few days a week to myself so I can get to some of more cleaning and organizing done around the house. I also picked up some bridal alterations and a curtain project that I start on this week. 

We're trying to get to some much-needed work done around the yard. We spent the weekend "grubbing out" a bunch of trees and such that the previous owner let take over the backyard. We took out about 20% of the stuff it already looks better.  

August 23-29

• Omelets and roasted baby reds
• Pizza and salad
• Chicken alfredo with roasted cauliflower and carrots
• Salmon filets (gotta love a Piggly Wiggly sale), smashed red potatoes, and a side salad
• Taco Salad

August 30-September 5

• Pizza, salad, and chips
• Tater Tot Casserole
• Chicken pot pie
• Spaghetti, steamed veggies, salad, and French bread 
• Subs, fresh fruit, and chips

September 6-12

• Happy Labor Day - pulled pork, beef brisket, and a few other things on the smoker :D
• Breakfast for dinner - venison chops, fried eggs, and hashbrowns
• Chicken quesadillas and black beans
• Chili
• Cobb Salad

September 13-19

• Tacos 
• Subs and popcorn 
• Carbonara and a side salad
• Pancakes, scrambled eggs, and bacon 
• Smoked ribs, mashed potatoes, and veggies

September 20-26

• Pulled pork and fries 
• Potato soup and dinner rolls
• Lasagna roll-ups, steamed veggies, and a side salad
• Eggplant parmesan over spaghetti with a side salad
• Burgers, veggie tray, fruit salad, and fries 

Menu 2020: July 19-August 22

I wish that I could say we are getting closer to being back to life as "usual". It is nice to be able to take the kids out and about to different places. We have always been a family of "people people" so not being able to have much interaction with people was really hard on us, but especially on our kids. 💗 

I'm starting to get back to a normal work schedule between my secretarial job and my alterations business. The kids are working summer jobs doing yard work, picking berries, cleaning for people, etc. My hubby found a pellet smoker for a great price back at the end of May and we've had lots of fun coming up with things to cook in it. Here's what we're making... 

S'mores [Layer] Cake

My youngest two girls and I decided we wanted to try something new for dessert on Father's day this year so we came up with this recipe. I made it into a layer cake on the test run, but I would probably go with a simple 9x13, one layer version next time to save time. I may also come up with some other options to make it look a bit prettier in the future.
After making this, I searched online to see if I could put the whole cake under the broiler to give it that toasted look of a roasted marshmallow. I found that you need a cooking torch, but I also saw a s'mores cake recipe that used a graham cracker cake and added whipped chocolate ganache between the layers. I may have to come up with a recipe for graham cracker cake now... 😁

Peaches'n'Cream Tart

We made spinach, ham, turkey, egg, and cheese hand pies for brunch as a family yesterday. Since we're all "stuck" at home together with the "Safer at Home" order in place I figured that we might as well sleep in and then make brunch together. Jared made the filling because he's fantastic at making eggs. Each of the kids took turns helping fill, seal, and brush the pies with egg wash. Then we ate them together with the leftover filling.
Sorry for the rabbit trail. :D
While we were working on brunch, Miss E (my almost 12 yr old) decided that we needed a fruit version. I didn't have enough pie dough ready to make a bunch more hand pies so we decided to make a tart instead. Here's what we did.

Menu 2020: March 29-May 2

March was an interesting month to say the least! I am hopeful that April will be less crazy, or it will at least stay consistently warm enough to be outside more often than it was in March. This "Safer at Home" order is causing a bit of the (stir)crazies at our house. I am thankful that we have more square footage during this time than we did a couple of years ago or things would be much less manageable. :) How has the "quarantine" affected your family?

I didn't follow my menu plan very well after we returned from our mission trip with the kids as things were just starting to get crazy, so I will be using some of last month's ideas this month.

Menu 2020: February 1-March 28

February marks the end of the basketball season for our kids. It's been fun to see them learn a new sport and participate on a team, but I am definitely ready for a more open schedule! This month we are taking our oldest two kids on their first mission trip and my FIL is coming to stay with the youngest two. All four of the kids are incredibly excited about each of their adventures. I am including the menus for both February and March.