Pork Schnitzel à la Holstein

A few years ago, my hubby and I tried a new restaurant out for Valentine's Day. The restaurant was fantastic, but then, I've come to expect nothing less than that from a Bartolotta restaurant. My hubby had pork schnitzel with arugula, shaved mushrooms, a fried egg, and Foenegreek gouda for his entree and it was delicious. So delicious, in fact, that I had to work at recreating it so we could have it at home with the kids. Here is my version of the Rumpus Room's pork schnitzel.

Texas Caviar Casserole

Tex-Mex is a favorite cuisine in our family. Rice, beans, cumin, chili powder, garlic, cilantro, cheese, etc., it's all good. I love how this recipe combines all those flavors into one big dish. This dish is inexpensive, versatile, full of flavor, and contains a variety of textures. It can be used as a main dish by adding meat to it, a side with or without meat, an appetizer with tortilla chips, breakfast (leftovers topped with eggs and hot sauce), or maybe even a bedtime snack. The vinaigrette can also be used as a marinade or salad dressing for other dishes. It easily feeds 6-8 people.

Menu 2017: January 2-29

Happy New Year to everyone! We are working to get everything back to normal after the holidays, which means doing a better job of planning out meals ahead of time and sticking to grocery lists. I find that I spend less on groceries when I have a set menu in place. Life also seems a little less chaotic when I know ahead of time what we're having for supper. I also shop better when I can easily see what groceries I need to pick up each week. With that in mind, I am making a 4 week menu plan.

Menu 2016: December 26-January 1

WOW! Has 2016 really come and gone this fast?!?!
This year has just flown by for us. I know menus were a real hit or miss for me so I plan to do better next year. Here is my last menu post for 2016.

Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Soup

My husband and I spent 10 days in Israel and Jordan with a group from our church at the end of September. While we were away, two of our kids stayed with my parents and the other two stayed with my oldest sister. The two that stayed with my sister came back with raving reviews of her broccoli soup and begged for me to get the recipe. I finally got the recipe and attempted it tonight with leftover turkey from our Christmas dinner. It was a hit and incredibly easy to throw together!

Menu 2016: October 31-November 20

October was a very busy (and interesting) month. My husband and I were still struggling with jet lag, and the kids were adjusting to being back home and on a regular schedule. We finished our first quarter of school so there are only three more to go till summer break. Can you tell I'm excited about that?! We are looking forward to November and the fun things it brings - my husband's birthday, deer hunting weekend spent at a water park with my husband's brother's family, and Thanksgiving spent with my side of the family. Do you have any special traditions for your family in November?

Menu 2016: October 10-30

Our first week back to school was really rough. I spent the first two days going through each of the kids work to see if they had kept up with their schoolwork as they should. Then I spent the rest of the week trying to get them back into routine. I knew this week would be rough but hadn't expected it to be quite as bad as it was. Sigh. Some days I really struggle with homeschooling, but I know it's our best option right now so I make myself another pot of coffee and bake up something chocolate and just keep going.

Menu 2016: October 3-9

School started again last month so I am back to the grind of lesson plans, homework, and other such craziness. We are trying a few new things this year in hopes that school will go a little smoother than last year.
Then my husband and I went on a tour of the Holy Lands (Jordan and Israel) and were gone from September 17-28. My parents took the middle two girls and one of my sisters took our son and youngest daughter. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves but are glad to be home. I will be attempting a few of the foods that we ate over the next few weeks.

Menu 2016: July 11-31

It has been good for me to have a written menu plan again. I am always amazed at home much "easier" my day is when I start out knowing exactly what I'm going to make for supper. It's such a small decision but it has a big impact. I also spend less on groceries when I have a menu in place for the week as I know what to buy at the store and make fewer trips, and so I make fewer impulse buys. Have any of you noticed a difference both mentally and financially when you have a menu plan vs. when you don't have one?

Menu 2016: June 20-July 10

School is done for the year and we all survived.
We ventured out on our very first family vacation and didn't lose anyone. Audiobooks kepts the "driving boredom" to a minimum, picnic lunches kept us budget, and visiting friends was a blast (more to come on that).
I am beginning to develop a summer routine complete with regular visits to the library, playtime outside, games inside, dress up, and reading. I'm also trying to get back to a planned weekly menu.