I’ve been yearning for fall weather — just like I always do this time of year — so over the weekend I tried to conjure up some cooler weather by making Mrs. Happy Homemaker’s Beef Stew for dinner. It purports to be the Best Beef Stew Ever, and it is pretty terrific. It has a nice flavor and the beef was really tender, but I felt like the potatoes were working overtime to make up the bulk of the dish. Next time I’ll add a few more carrots and maybe also some red wine in place of some of the water.
I started the stew in the slow cooker around 10:30am and didn’t have to touch it again until dinnertime. I need to remember to put the slow cooker to use more frequently on the weekends. It helped us have a super-relaxed Sunday.
- Monday: Chicken and dumplings
- Yesterday’s beef stew was tasty, but it didn’t quite convince fall to make an appearance. Maybe Rachael Ray’s chicken and dumplings will do the trick.
- Tuesday: Breakfast for dinner
- Breakfast for dinner is generally a very basic affair. This week, though, I’m going to make a hashbrown casserole a la Cracker Barrel.
- Wednesday: Spaghetti
- I’m going to let you in on a secret: I already don’t want spaghetti for dinner on Wednesday. But I had pasta and sauce in the pantry, so we’re going to use it. By golly.
- Thursday: Poppyseed chicken casserole
- I used to make a lot of recipes that called for cream-of-something soups. I’ve mostly stopped making them, but there will never be a day when Poppyseed Chicken isn’t in my recipe box.
- Friday: Pizza
What’s your favorite slow cooker recipe?
Want more menus? Check out Menu Plan Monday at OrgJunkie.com.
We finished talking about Napoleon and the Louisiana Purchase this week. Malaria in St. Domingue (now Haiti) played a role in making Napoleon decide he’d had enough of trying to extend his empire into North America, so our project today was supposed to be trying out some old-timey malaria remedies, like slathering mustard on our persons. Poppy and Pete weren’t keen to do that, though, so they subjected a PlayMobil guy to an ice bath, wrapped him in a blanket and covered him with “hot” bricks to make him sweat his fever away and applied a mustard poultice to his little plastic chest. I am pleased to report that he recovered.
and told her to work her way through them. This morning she made Peanut Butter Kiss cookies all by herself, and they are delicious. Now I just need to teach her about the Cleaning Up After Yourself portion of the craft.
Waaaaay back in May, I told you that we were going to be having Family Movie Nights at ButterscotchSundae headquarters. I shared with you a list of 
.
as I present to you: A selection of my favorite family films from that most glorious age of cinema, 1990s.
Is “Home Alone” a great movie about child abandonment and endangerment, or is it the greatest movie about child abandonment and endangerment? That’s hard to say, but it certainly has to be the slapstickiest. Twelve-year-old me found this one to be a laugh-a-minute riot. 
“Hook” is a weird twist on “Peter Pan,” in which Peter grows up to be a total square, Jimmy Buffett is a pirate, Violet Crawley is Wendy and someone has named their child Rufio and he responds by going all “Beyond Thunderdome” meets a troll doll. 
Macauley Culkin was the boy king of the early ’90s, wasn’t he? I remember this movie as a delightful romp that suddenly shocked the tears right out of my ducts. I was 13, though, so I probably stuck the popcorn bucket over my head to hide my tears.
As much as I loved “Mrs. Doubtfire” when I was a kid, I was a little hesitant to include it in my list. It’s kind of a creepy story, and it would probably be a viral sensation if it happened in real life. Regardless, it’s Robin Williams and he’s equal parts manic and charming, so it made the list despite being pretty darn weird.
I’m a sucker for a sentimental tale of human-animal friendship, so of course “Free Willy” is on the list. My brother was a jaded, world-weary 10-year-old the first time we saw it, and I remember hearing him gasp at that final leap to freedom. 
” is available as a digital rental or purchase from Amazon.
Speaking of animal-kid buddy movies…
” is available for free streaming via Prime and as a digital rental or purchase and Amazon.
This adaptation stays true to Roald Dahl’s dark and sometimes-scary humor. Be warned that, as with pretty much every Dahl story I’ve read, a lot of the adults in this story are truly despicable. In the end, though, kindness and gentle hearts win the day and the rotten folks get their comeuppance.
” is available as a digital purchase as Amazon.