Category Archives: Eating

Chomp it up.

Rockford performed Young MC’s “Principal’s Office” in the sixth-grade talent show.

My sister-in-law and her husband wanted to spend a night on their own for their anniversary — which was actually in February, but this was the first weekend we could make it work — so we had a number of kids in the house. By which I mean:

  • One 15-year-old boy.
  • One 13-year-old girl.
  • One 11-year-old boy.
  • One 7-year-old girl.
  • One 5-year-old girl.
  • And one 5-year-old boy.

    The cats did not enjoy the extra activity, but the rest of us did. Rockford and the 11-year-old did some long-overdue landscaping, and the 13-year-old spent most of her time entertaining the seven and the fives. Meanwhile, the 15-year-old and I spent some quality time together, which may have involved sitting on couches in the living room with our books.

    It was a surprisingly relaxed weekend.

    This week the kids are going to be performing in our homeschool co-op’s talent show, which promises to be entertaining. I’m not sure what any of the other children plan to do, but Poppy is going to recite a few things and Pete will be doing an interpretive dance to the “Ghostbusters” theme song. In other words, it’ll be a must-see event.

    And … the menu plan! Here it is!

    Monday: Sesame noodles

    I used to make sesame noodles pretty frequently, and then they kind of fell off my radar. The Pioneer Woman’s Simple Sesame Noodles recipe is pretty similar to the way I make mine. I like to add shredded carrots, too. I put the carrots in the colander and drain the noodles over top of them to cook them just a little. These are great cold, too, so I like to make enough to have leftovers for lunch the next day.

    Tuesday: Baked ravioli

    I’m not generally a brand-loyalist, but our usually grocery store only has a few brands of frozen ravioli. I didn’t go to our usual grocery store this week, though, so I’m using generic ravioli. I don’t think it’ll make much of a difference.

    Wednesday: ???

    Wednesday is talent show night, and I’m not sure what we’ll be doing for dinner. It’ll either be something out or something very simple. Like cereal.

    Thursday: Honey Dinner!

    The National Honey Board was one of the sponsors of the Blissdom Conference, and they were giving out recipe booklets. So I figured why try one honey-based recipe when we can have four or five?

    Friday: Pizza

    We tried a new, local pizza place last week, and the people there were so friendly that it might just be our new go-to for pizza night.
  • Mommy’s hitting the road

    I’m going to the Blissdom Conference this weekend, so I’ve only planned meals the first few days of the week. Rockford is on his own after that!

    Monday: Breakfast for dinner

    I bought an electric griddle on clearance at Target, so now I can fry a dozen eggs at one time. Not that I necessarily would fry a dozen eggs at one time, but I could.

    Tuesday: Grilled cheese

    Guess what else I can make on the electric griddle? A whole bunch of grilled cheeses.

    Wednesday: Cheeseburgers

    It’s Pete’s week to pick the Kids’ Choice meal. Therefore, ergo, we’re having cheeseburgers.

    I’ve been to a couple of social media conferences before, but Blissdom will be the biggest one I’ve attended. There’s been talk of glitter and fabulousness, and frankly I’m a little nervous about it. But I’m a little nervous before pretty much everything, and I’m sure it’ll be just fine. I hope.

    Of course we’re celebrating Pi Day!

    I first made this Coconut Cream Pie recipe more than a decade ago, I think. I’m pretty sure it was for a party at Chris & Sinead’s house. It’s a delicious pie, and it’s so simple even a T-rex could make it.

    Coconut Cream Pie
    Recipe Type: Dessert
    Author: Southern Living
    Ingredients
    • 1 9-inch graham cracker crust
    • 8oz cream cheese, softened
    • 3.4oz package cheesecake-flavored instant pudding
    • 6oz frozen, sweetened flaked coconut (thawed)
    • 8oz whipped topping
    • 1 cup cream of coconut
    • 1 cup whipping cream
    Instructions
    1. Beat cream cheese and cream of coconut until smooth. Add pudding mix; beat until well-blended. Stir in coconut. Fold in whipped topping. Spread mixture into graham cracker crust. Cover and chill 2 hours or until set. Beat whipping cream until soft peaks form. Spread evenly over top of pie and garnish with toasted coconut, if desired.

     

    Here are a few other tasty pie options if coconut isn’t your cup o’ tea: