31 Days of Fall - Day 1 Apple Picking

Welcome to 31 Days of Fall (more on 31 days hosted by Nester at The Nesting Place).  I plan to fill the next 31 days with a variety of fall activities, memories and recipes.   Fall is my favorite season and I plan on sharing with you some of the very best of this wonderful season.  Scroll to the bottom of this post to find links to all 31 posts.

One of our favorite fall excursions has always been a trip to Hillcrest Orchards in Ellijay.  When the kids were little, it was all about the tractor rides and the petting zoo.  Now we go to enjoy a family filled Sunday afternoon and to enjoy the beautiful North Georgia fall weather.  Instead of milking the cow, we spend time picking apples and planning delicious ways to eat them.  Some of our favorites?  Pumpkin Apple Muffins, Crockpot Applesauce, and Apple Dumplings.    

 Here is our apple haul this year -- one peck of apples -- Mutsu, Granny Smith and Arkasas Black.  Can't wait to start cooking!

Day 2 - Apple Crisp
Day 3 - Football
Day 4- French Dip Sandwiches
Day 5 - The End of the Garden
Day 6 - Hurricane Vases
Day 7 - Crockpot Applesauce
Day 8 - Apple Struedel Bread
Day 9 - Purse Knit Scarf
Day 10 - Caramel Puff Corn
Day 11- Pumpkin Topiary
Day 12 -  Applesauce Cookies with Caramel Frosting
Day 13 - Chicken Noodle Soup
Day 14 - Corn Maze
Day 15 - Pumpkin Granola
Day 16 - Fall Recipe Inspiration from Pinterest
Day 17 -  Tailgate Recipes
Day 18 - Pumpkin Patch
Day 19 - Chili with Homemade Seasoning
Day 20 - Fall Snack Mix
Day 21 -  Pear Muffins
Day 22 - Soft Almond Sugar Cookies
Day 23 - Halloween Hayride
Day 24 - Fall Lacrosse
Day 25 -  Cheer Bowl
Day 26 -  Knit Dishcloths
Day 27 -  Italian White Bean Soup
Day 28 - Chocolate Pecan Pie
Day 29 -  Apricot Pecan Bread
Day 30 -  Turkey on the Grill
Day 31 - Happy Thanksgiving

Part of 31 Days of Blogging 2012 at Nesting Place.

Meal Plan Monday - September 24

Happy Birthday to my sweet BooBoo today. Can't believe she is 9 years old!

Last week's menu was a mixture of old favorites and a couple of new ones.  Our favorite new recipe was Mexican Rice.  I subbed a can of Rotel for the tomato sauce and green chilis and I added a small can of corn and some taco seasoned beef.  Everyone cleaned their bowl.  I added the recipe to my menu rotation.  It is a great pantry meal that can be whipped up in about 40 minutes with very little attention.

Sunday - Chicken Fingers, Mac and Cheese, Salad, Rice Krispy Treats
Monday - Manicotti, Salad, Garlic Bread, Birthday Cookie Cake for Boo Boo
Tuesday - Chicken Finger Salads
Wednesday - Leftovers
Thursday - Caprese Chicken, green beans, fruit
Friday - Subway - Nanny's treat
Saturday - some thing new!!!

For more great menu ideas, visit I'm An Organized Junkie.

Nachos - 2 Ways

The buzz at Good Cheap Eats is all about meals you can cook when there's "nothing to eat".  The challenge is to come up with a list of 12 meals/recipes you can pull together with basic items in your pantry/fridge.  I'm still working on my list, but this "recipe" for nachos is at the top. 

Nachos are a great quick lunch or dinner item.  I usually have all the fixins on hand and even my kids can pull these together when they are hungry.   I usually make these when I've got an opened bag of tortilla chips to be used before going stale.

Chicken Nachos

Nachos

cooked ground beef or shredded chicken (cooked with taco seasoning is best)

refried beans, black beans, kidney beans, or corn

shredded cheese (cheddar or colby jack)

tortilla chips

lettuce, tomatoes, jalapenos

sour cream, salsa or guacamole

Layer chips, beans, beef/chicken and cheese in a 13/x 9 oven safe pan.  Bake at 350 until cheese melted and chip tips are extra crispy  -- about 10 minutes.

Serve nachos on plates and top with veggies and toppings of your choice.



Beef Nachos - Naked (how my kids eat them)



Meal Plan Monday - September 17th

I tried two new recipes last week and both were a big hit.  I made Chicken Taquitos for the first time as part of my summer freezer cooking session in July.  We cooked the first ones Tuesday night.  I served them with Avocado Ranch Dressing for dipping and they were wonderful.  I am adding these to my freezer cookbook and we will be having them often.

The second success was the Thanksgiving Casserole.  I used leftover Roasted Lemon Rosemary Garlic Chicken from Sunday, so I used rosemary instead of sage in the stuffing layer.  It was good and I had enough leftovers for 2 lunches. 

On the menus this week -

Sunday -  Grilled Hamburgers, Baked Potato Casserole, Peas
Monday -  Chicken Pot Pie, Creamed Corn
Tuesday - My Favorite Mexican Rice adding corn and black beans, Layered Salad
Wednesday - Hot Ham and Cheese Croissants, Fruit
Thursday - Leftovers
Friday - Subway - Nanny's Treat

For more menu ideas visit I'm An Organized Junkie.

Recipes to Try

I don't know about you, but I'm forever pinning recipes or printing them out with the intention of making them ....someday.  Well, I've decided someday is coming pretty soon for some of these recipes.  I will be making the following within the next couple of weeks.   

My Favorite Mexican Rice from Allrecipes

Apple Cake with Vanilla Bourbon Sauce from Mandy's Recipe Box (I'm adding the bourbon)

Thanksgiving Casserole from Taste of Home

Mexican Chicken from Linda's Low Carb Recipes

Dr. Oz Tangerine Weight-Orade from Tumblr

I'm hoping to add some new recipes to our family favorites.

What are some of the recipes in your "to make someday" file?

Meal Plan Monday - September 10

Sunday - Roasted Lemon Rosemary Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, Asparagus, Cookies
Monday -  Pizza Pasta Casserole, Salad
Tuesday - Chicken Taquitos with Avocado Ranch Sauce, Salad
Wednesday - Thanksgiving Casserole (using left over chicken), Peas
Thursday - Leftovers
Friday -  Out for Mexican for my dad's birthday, Apple Cake with Vanilla Bourbon Caramel Sauce
Saturday - Supper Club - I'm taking appetizers

For more great meun ideas, visit I'm An Organized Junkie.

Meal Plan Monday - Sept. 3rd

It was a busy, long, wonderful weekend.  We spend lots of time with family and friends, hosted lots of parties and enjoyed some great food.  I'm exhausted!  Our menu plan this week will be simple.

Sunday - Fish Fry - Fried Grouper and Shrimp, Hush Puppies, Cole Slaw, Baked Beans, Potato Salad, Pound Cake
Monday - Fish Sandwiches (with left over fried grouper), Roasted Red Potatoes, Pound Cake
Tuesday - Zaxby's Chicken Fingers and Fries after High School Honors Night
Wednesday - Meatball Subs, chips, veggies and ranch, cantalope
Thursday - Ham Steak, Mashed Potatoes, Peas, Biscuits
Friday - Subway - Nanny's Treat

For more great menu ideas visit I'm An Organized Junkie