Meal Plan Monday Week of 11/23

We are out of school all week for the Thanksgiving Holiday and it feels like such a gift! Since we will be at my mother-in-law's house for Thanksgiving, I have very little responsibility and I plan on making the most of my free time, a little Christmas shopping, blogging and cooking some great food.

Monday - French Dip Sandwiches (recipe below), chips and dip, fruit, Kentucky Sugar Cookies (recipe later this week)
Tuesday - Cheesy Chicken Vermicelli, Peas and Fried Apples
Wednesday - Broccoli Cheese Soup with Beer Bread (recipe for bread later this week)
Thursday - Thanksgiving - I am bringing - Sausage Balls, Cranberry Salsa over cream cheese with crackers, Broccoli Casserole and Pumpkin Chiffon Pie with fresh whipped cream
Friday - Beef Tips with Gravy, mashed potatoes and lima beans
Saturday - Annual All Day Football Appetizer Buffet! Hanky Panks, Stuffed Mushrooms, Little Smokies with Mustard, Fruit, Veggie and Cheese tray, one of my many cheeseball recipes, and of course Football Dip (recipe below)

French Dip
1 3 lb chuck roast
2 T yellow mustard
1/2 pkg. Lipton Onion Soup Mix

Place roast in crock pot. Top with mustard and soup mix. Cook on low for 8 - 10 hours or high 5 - 6. Serve on buns or rolls with sauce on side for dipping.

We like ours topped with provolone cheese. YUM!

Football Dip
1 - 8 oz. cream cheese
1 can Hormel chili with beans
8 oz. shredded cheddar cheese

Soften cream cheese and spread in bottom of an oven safe serving dish. Top with chili. Sprinkle cheese on top. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until bubbly and cheese has melted. Serve with tortilla chips or Fritos Scoops.

Meal Plan Monday Week of 11/16

I don't think I will ever get a Meal Plan posted on Monday! Here is our plan for the week.

Monday - Taco Night at our local taco restaurant
Tuesday - Weeknight Ravioli Bake, Steamed Asparaus, Cheese Bread
Wednesday - Chili (recipe below), Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, Fruit
Thursday - Leftovers
Friday - Dinner at a dear friends house - I will be taking Pumpkin Crisp
Saturday - eating with dh at our restaurant as he has to work
Sunday - not sure yet, but I know I will be cooking after 2 nights off!

My dh swears this the best chili he has ever had, not sure why, there is really nothing spectacular about it. But, if you don't have a good chili recipe, this is an easy and good one.

Jenny's Chili
1 pound ground beef ( I brown mine with onions and garlic and keep it in the freezer)
1 16 oz. can diced tomatoes with garlic, onions and peppers
1 16 oz. can tomato sauce (this makes a chunky, drier chili, if you like a thinner chili, uses 2 cans)
1 pkg. McCormick mild chili seasoing
2 sliced jalapeno peppers
1 16 oz. can light red kidney beans

Brown ground beef. Put all ingredients in Crock Pot, stir well. Cook on LOW 8 -10 hours or on HIGH for 4 -5. Serve with cheddar cheese, sour cream, more jalapenos and crackers.

Weeknight Ravioli Bake

I found this recipe in the latest edition of the Kraft's Food and Family magazine and is it good!

Weeknight Ravioli Bake
1 jar (26 oz) spaghetti sauce
1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
1/2 c water
2 pkgs. (1 pound each) frozen cheese ravioli
1 pkg. (7 oz) mozzarella or Italian blend shredded cheese
2 T grated Parmesan cheese


Heat oven to 400*.

Mix spaghetti sauce, tomatoes and water; spoon 1 cup on to bottom of a 13 x 9 baking dish.

Layer half ravioli and 1 cup shredded cheese over sauce mixture. Top with remaining ravioli and sauce mixture. Sprinkle with remaining shredded cheese; cover with aluminum foil.

Bake 30 minutes; uncover. Bake 15 minutes or until ravioli is tender and heated through. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.



I had to bake it about 10 minutes longer than what the recipe stated to get the ravioli as tender as we like it. This was a HUGE success with my family and is being added to our

Holiday Food Fest - Thanksgiving and Fall Recipes

No holiday or special occasion table at our house is complete without broccoli casserole. This is one of the very first recipes I ever made for hy husband when we were dating. A self-professed broccoli hater, this turned him around. This is from an OLD Baptist Church Cookbook. My clarification and changes are in the parentheses.

Broccoli Casserole

Cook 1 cup of rice according to package directions (I have used minute and long grain rice as well as white and brown rice). Add 1/2 stick butter, 8 oz Velveeta cheese (cubed) and one package of chopped broccoli (cooked). Mix one can cream of chicken soup (mushroom and celery are just as good), 1 egg and 1/2 t salt. Add to rice mixture. Put in a 2 qt baking dish and bake at 350* for 40 minutes.

*** original recipe called for 1 c chopped celery and 1 c chopped onions. I have never used celery and only occasionally use a small amount of onion, if I have chopped it for something else.

Meal Plan Monday Week of 11/9

Well, it's not quite Monday, but this is our meal plan for the week.

Sunday - Beef Tenderloin, Mashed Potatoes, Broccoli Casserole, Rolls, Brownies with Vanilla Ice Cream

Monday - Chick-fil-A - I was very under the weather and dh took both kids to basketball practice and then to dinner. Bless him!

Tuesday - Cube Steak with Gravy, Mashed Potatoes, leftover Broccoli Casserole and Green Beans

Wednesday - Corn Chowder, Roast Chicken and Cheese Sandwiches, Fruit Salad

Thursday - Lemon Garlic Pork Tenderloin, Couscous (using my first attempt at homemade chicken broth!!!), Peas

Friday - I will be at the National Council for Social Studies Conference in the ATL - dh and kids are on their own

Saturday - I will be just me and Boo Boo tonight - it will be something really girly I am sure.

Pumpkin Crisp

I am linking up with Hoosier Homemade today as part of the Holiday Food Fest. This week's topic is Fall Desserts.


My very favorite fall desert is Pumpkin Crisp. I could make it a million times during the fall season. The problem is, I am the only person in my house with an addiction to pumpkin. If I make this, I am certain to be the only one to eat it. That being said, sometimes it is worth the extra 15 pounds!


The my original recipe came from a fall issue of Southern Living Magazine about 3 - 4 years ago, but I have seen similar recipes around the web, most often called Pumpkin Dump Cake. My changes are in parentheses). Like any true southern cook, I believe this is best served warm with fresh whipped cream on top.




Pumpkin Crisp - from Southern Living Magazine


1 - 15 oz can pumpkin
1 c evaporated milk
1 c sugar
1 t vanilla
1/2 t cinnamon (I add cloves and nutmeg, about 1/4 t each)
1 package butter flavored yellow cake mix ( I only use 1/2 a package - too much topping for me)
1 c chopped pecans ( I leave these out)
1 cup butter, melted (I only use 1/2 c)


Stir together first 5 ingredients. Pour into a lightly greased 13x9 baking dish. Sprinkle cake mix evenly over pumpkin mixture; sprinkle pecans. Drizzle butter evenly over pecans.


Bake at 350* for 1 hour or until golden brown. Remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature with whipped cream.


For more yummy fall desserts, especially if you love pumpkin, head over to Hoosier Homemade!

Works for Me Wednesday - Holiday Tip Edition

My Holiday Tip is using a Holiday Notebook. This notebook has saved me over the last 7 years I have used it. My notebook has 3 sections - Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. In each section I have all the information I need to make each holiday success with out all the usual stress. I start carrying my notebook around with me on October 1st and I retire it to storage on January 1st.

My notebook includes things like -

• Halloween Hayride information - past invitaiton wording and guestlists, decoration lists, what I need to buy for this year's party


• Reminders on when is the best time to go to the Pumpkin Patch as well as the best week to get an appointment to see Santa


• Menus for our Halloween Hayride, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Years for the past 7 years


• Christmas shopping lists, Christmas cards lists, Baking lists, Gifts to make.....


• Freezer and Pantry Inventories

I cannot take credit for this idea. I discovered it years ago at Organized Christmas. Over the years, I have made it work for me.

Meal Plan Monday Week of 11/2

Monday - Parmesan Chicken with Angel Hair Pasta, Tossed Salad and Garlic Bread

Tuesday - Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes, Asparagus

Wednesday - Soup (kid's choice), Grilled Cheese Sandwiches and Fruit

Thursday - Crockpot Baked Potates

Friday - Tortellini Soup, Cheddar Bread

Saturday - at a wedding