Menu 2014: June 2-29

School is almost done for the year and I CANNOT wait!!! I've got a wedding gown and two bridesmaids dresses going out in June and I also get to start sewing lessons with Miss E now that she can read. :) Our neighbors are helping us with a garden this year so that we can both deal with the upkeep and also reap the benefits at harvest. I am really looking forward to fresh veggies. Since things are bound to get busy, I need to keep the menu simple. Here's a printable copy.

[Crockpot] Tex-Mex Rice Bowl

I thoroughly enjoy a good crockpot meal on Sundays (or any day that I'm at the office).
You know, the kind that's simple, quick, and ready to eat as soon as I get home from church. Well, this is that kind of dish. It takes about 15-20 minutes of prep time and 4 or more hours in the crockpot. Our family loves Tex-Mex food so it's also one of those meals that I don't have to "force" the kids to eat. Bonus!

Milwaukee Brewers Tickets for $6.20 on 6/2/2014

The hubby and I really enjoy tailgating at a game. It doesn't matter if it's football or baseball, it's just an all around fun activity for us. Last year we were given free tickets for the whole family to go to a game and we had a blast. So, naturally, when my hubby sent me a text at 6:26am that you could get tickets for $6.20 each to the Monday, June 2nd, Brewer game I jumped at the chance!

Menu 2014: April 28-June 1

Oh, wow! Time has just flown yet again. I hardly know if I'm coming or going most days, which explains (but does not excuse) my delay in posting the May menu. I am hoping that the weather here gets nice enough to eat out on the deck sooner than later. Since it is now wedding season and I am busy with alterations, I'm really trying to keep things simple this month with a menu plan of: crockpot, grilling, salad, spicy, and misc. Here's a printable list if you're interested.

[Allergy Friendly] Coconut Minis

Bite-sized Coconut Cookies

With so many of my favorite (non-familial) people being gluten free, I've been looking for some new recipes to have on hand in case of company. I am a big fan of coconut, which made my choice of flour an easy decision. I've done a little experimenting with coconut flour and it is a very absorbent flour. You need to bring a ton of "moisturizers" to the party or the coconut makes it really dry. I did some peeking around and found a cookie recipe that sounded interesting so I decided to give it a try. I did make a few adjustments since I just can't leave well enough alone. :)

[No sugar added] Tropical Yorbet

The other day I was cleaning the kitchen and came to the realization that my pineapple and two
mangoes were getting dangerously close to overripe. I didn't want a smoothie because I prefer my smoothies with banana in them and I was out of bananas. A fruit salad wasn't sounding terribly appealing to me either. I decided to grab my blender and ice cream machine from the cupboard and play. I tossed in the mangoes, half the pineapple (I let the kids munch on the rest), a cup or so of coconut milk, and 16 oz. of plain Greek yogurt (although vanilla would go nicely as well).

Foodie Wedding Favor Idea

Spice Blend Wedding Favor

I love weddings - planning, sewing, decorating, attending, singing, playing piano, etc. - so I was really excited to attend the 1920's themed wedding of some friends. They had fabulously simple and elegant decorations, which makes me wish I would have remembered to bring my camera. The dresses worked perfectly with the theme as well as complementing every body type (yes, the seamstress in me comes out hardcore when I attend weddings). But the things that I loved most were the little expressions of who the bride and groom are. The groom is a chef so the favors were little packets of a spice blend that the he'd put together. They are simple, unique, and inexpensive. All you need to create these are:

• jewelry sized ziptop baggies
• printable labels and a computer to design them on
• spice blend of your choosing/creation

They had these in little baskets all around the reception for guests to take home. Since we're total foodies, my hubby and I loved it!

Menu 2014: March 31-April 27

Is it time for a new menu already?!?!? Wow! Time has just been flying by lately and my brain can't seem to keep up. If it wasn't for my calendar and reminders on my phone, I don't know if I'd remember anything. Anyway, the weather has begun to warm up and most of the snow/ice is gone. Yippee!!!! I am looking forward to being able to eat out on the deck and at the picnic table since the house (all 850 sq. ft of it) gets a little claustrophobic during the winter months.

Killing Two Birds with One Stone: Deli-style Turkey Breast and Homemade Stock

The finished product, YUMMY!

We love deli sandwiches and wraps here, but deli meat is so expensive and often leaves much to desired in the flavor department. Since attempting deli roast beef last year, I have wanted to try my hand at other deli meats, namely turkey. So after stopping by the deli only to find that turkey was a whopping $4.48/lb on sale, I decided to pick up a couple of turkey breasts while I was at the store, which I got for $1.99/lb. I know that some of the weight is the carcass (ribs, wings, and such) so I knew I'd probably only get about half the weight in actual meat but decided that having some homemade stock on hand would be a good thing. I will admit that the process takes a few days to complete but it's fairly easy to do and taste A-MAZING. So here goes...

Chocolate Lovers' Cake

This is by far my favorite chocolate cake recipe. I use it for birthday parties all the time. It's moist,

flavorful, and so much better than store bought without taking a ton of time to make. It also uses ingredients that most people have in their pantry.