The Menu

Both of my sisters were in town this weekend, so we had an early Thanksgiving meal of sorts.  Of course, it was anything but traditional as we ate in shifts while the guys helped move Grandma into a house right across the street from Mom and Dad.  The move in itself is a reason for giving thanks. Having Grandma that much closer to Mom will make things easier for everyone, and her new house is really nice.  All of the cousins enjoyed spending time with one another, and we were able to swap kids clothes, too!   Anyway, I made a really easy and yummy dessert to share with everyone, and I thought I'd include the recipe here.

The menu plan is week is shortened for the holiday:

Monday--leftovers
Tuesday--Sloppy Chicken  (crockpot)
Wednesday--Soup and Sandwiches
Thursday--for my part of the Thanksgiving meal, I'm thinking fruit, Caramel Apple Cheesecake Pie, and possibly bacon wrapped feta-almond stuffed dates  (yes,  I have a stockpile of dates left from the Daniel Fast:)

The rest of the weekend we'll be hanging out with the Blocks!

Happy Thanksgiving!  May your holiday be filled with many opportunities for gratitude!


Black and Tan Chocolate -Pumpkin Trifle  (From Rachael Ray)

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
4 cups heavy cream
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup pumpkin puree
One 7.5 ounce jar marshmallow cream
Six 1.4 ounce Heath bars, chopped
One and a half 9 ounce boxes chocolate wafer cookies  (such as Nabisco Famous)

1.  In a small saucepan, melt the chocolate with 1/2 cup cream over med.-low heat, stirring until smooth.  Let cool
2.  Meanwhile, using an electric mixer with an whisk attachment, whip 2 cups cream with 1 teaspoon vanilla until stiff but not dry.
3.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the pumpkin and marshmallow cream. Fold in the whipped cream in 2 parts; refrigerate.  Add the remaining 1 1/2 cups heavy cream to the mixer bowl and whip until thickened.  With the machine on, slowly add the chocolate mixture and the remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla and beat until stiff but not dry.
4.  Spread one-third of the chocolate cream in a 4 quart clear glass trifle bowl.  Layer with one-third of the toffee bars.  Stand 8 cookies on their edges around the perimeter of the bowl.  Make 1 stack of 4 more cookies sandwiched with some pumpkin cream, topping with more cream.  Repeat with the remaining cookies and more pumpkin cream to make a total of 14 cookie stacks.  Place 7 stacks in the trifle bowl.  Top with the remaining pumpkin cream and half of the chocolate cream.  Sprinkle with another third of the toffee bars.  Top with the remaining 7 cookie stacks and chocolate cream.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours and up to 24 hours.  To serve, sprinkle with the remaining toffee.

Menu Planning Monday

This weekend I was able to spend some time in the kitchen with my mom and grandma making some meals to stick in the freezer.  I love the feeling of having some easy meals ready to go!  Here's the menu for this week:

Monday--Burritos
Tuesday-- Pizza Casserole
Wednesday--Cranberry Chicken with Rice
Thursday--out to eat
Friday--Tortellini Pesto Soup
Saturday--family dinner

Have a great week!

On the Menu

For better or worse, here it is: this week's menu.  The strata was actually on the menu last week, but we didn't get around to eating it, so I made it and stuck it in the freezer for a quick and easy meal this week.

Monday--Leftovers of Spicy Soup and Sandwiches
Tuesday--Burritos
Wednesday--Spinach/Mushroom Cheese Strata--I added the mushrooms to the linked recipe.
Thursday--Pumpkin Ravioli  (This is a new recipe--I'll let you know how it turns out.)
Friday--Orange/Pine Nut Chicken
Saturday--Dinner with friends

I've been on a pumpkin kick lately, and one of my favorite breakfast treats right now is to add some pumpkin puree in with my oatmeal, top with some brown sugar and cinnamon, maybe some pecans or raisins.  Yummy!!  I tried it on the kids, but somehow they just don't love the pumpkin flavor like Joel and I do.  Hopefully, they'll grow into it!!

Menu Planning Monday

I haven't done this in a while, but I'm trying to get back into the swing of planning, and eventually freezing, meals more than a day or two in advance, so here goes:

Monday--White Chicken Chili
Tuesday--Bourbon Chicken
Wednesday--Fish
Thursday--Spinach and Cheese Strata
Friday--Baked Ziti
Saturday--Eating out
Sunday--pancakes/leftovers

Have a great week!