Insomnimusing: Allons-y!

By request, tonight's dinner was my  Super Simple Chicken and Noodles (recipe here) . It's a pretty quick repeat, but I'm not complaining since it's "super simple" and I had no plan made out ahead of time. It's Thursday, which means I get to not feel all stressed out because I don't have work in the morning. I work Friday evenings every week now. I get the kids off to school then I get to go back to sleep. It's nice that they're now old enough that they can spend a Friday evening at home alone (when I don't have to be sure to be there hovering over Munch to get her homework done.) I called our stringer at work today to ask her about the bichon frise - it's her parents' dog. I asked if they might be willing to wait a couple of weeks for a positive answer on whether or not we want to take him. I have to find out if I'm going to be priced out of my apartment now that I'm about to be under new ownership. If we're sta...

I had no time to post Monday's dinner (see previous post), but this is the second time I've made mini meatloaves since I started my little food adventure, so I wanted to get the recipe up. Mini Meatloaves 1 pound lean ground beef 1 egg 15 crushed Ritz crackers (can you tell yet that these are my preferred "filler"?) 1 T. Weber roasted garlic and herb seasoning 1 T. worcestershire sauce 1 t. soy sauce 1 T. chopped dried onion 1/3 c. ketchup 1/2 t. salt 1/2 t. fresh ground black pepper glaze: 1/3 c. ketchup 1 T. brown sugar 1/2 T. soy sauce 1/2 t. ground ginger Heat oven to 400F. Mix meatloaf ingredients thoroughly with hands. Divide into four even portions and shape each into a small loaf shape. Place on baking sheet covered with foil and sprayed lightly with olive oil. Mix glaze ingredients in a small bowl and brush evenly over meatloaves to desired thickness. (I like a lot on mine.) Bake 30-40 minutes or until glaze is nicely browned and lo...

Colleen the kitten was spayed on Monday, so she was a world-class grump for that evening and the next. Being a kitten, though, she bounces back quickly, and though she still tires out quickly and isn't quite up to full speed yet, she can't seem to resist playing.  Oh, and it appears her mama might be pregnant again. I'll be taking her to the shelter soon. It's time to get her out of the baby-making business. I got a call Monday afternoon from my landlord saying my apartment building has been sold (four townhouse units). He said the bank appraiser and his brother would be by Tuesday to take pics, so the rest of Monday was naturally spent in cleaning. Monday evening, I made mini meatloaves with roasted potatoes for dinner. Tuesday was paninis. (I'll post recipes separately). Tonight, Munch decided she wanted to use up the rest of the meat and bread and have another panini, so Gin and I each just had a baked potato after wandering around the kitchen going, ...

After arriving home at 2 a.m. from work last night/this morning, I tried to start up my computer, only to have it tell me that it couldn't start. I tried to run the startup repair upon prompting. Fail. Try again? Sure. Fail again. Try something else? Ok, how about a system restore? Fail. Again? Fail again. Third try? Finally, I was able to get it started. In the meantime, I'm reading an ebook, and by the time it finally starts up, it's 5 a.m. and I forget why I cared to get on in the first place. All I could think was, "Don't let my computer be dead!" Whew! Thank goodness it survived. But I had to set my alarm for 8 a.m. My plan was to drive into Sidney at 8:30 so I could be at the animal shelter by 9 to do the paperwork to get our kitten in to the low-cost spay and neuter clinic Monday. $60 - not so low, really, but better than full price. When my alarm went off, I was able to do some quick mental figuring. Isn't it funny how that happens? I figur...

I have been sick all week, and it's not been fun. I'd already had Monday afternoon scheduled off work because it was the opening match of the season for my beloved Manchester United, but I was feeling awful by then already. I ended up leaving work Tuesday and Wednesday because I still felt terrible. I'm a bit better today. Anyway, the menu got a little wonky because of it. (I also have now missed two weeks of spin classes. When I get back to the gym, it'll be like starting over. Ugh.) After making the stuffed meatballs, I said we'd have to find a use for the leftover sub buns. No problem. Last night was pizza subs, made with jarred pizza sauce and whatever toppings we wanted, topped with shredded mozzerella and popped under a low broiler. Tonight, it's a family favorite: tuna casserole. I don't know how something so simple tastes so good, but tuna casserole night is never a disappointment. Here's my version: Tuna casserole 1/2 of a 16 oz....

I was far too sick Monday to cook, but I managed to pull myself together enough to make dinner on Tuesday. Monday's plan was stuffed meatballs, so that became Tuesday's dinner instead. Stuffed Meatballs 1 lb. lean ground beef 10 Ritz crackers, crushed 1/4 c. milk 1 egg 2 t. Italian seasoning 2 t. dried chopped onion 1/2 t. garlic powder 1/4 c. Parmesan cheese 4 sticks string cheese (mozzarella), cut into 8 pieces each 20 oz. tomato sauce (this was left over from Sunday's stuffed cabbage, but you can use a whole 28 oz. can) 1 T. sugar 2 t. Italian seasoning 1/2 t. garlic powder 1/2 t. onion powder Combine beef, crackers, milk, egg, 2 t. Italian seasoning, chopped onion, 1/2 t. garlic powder and Parmesan cheese until well mixed. Take about a tablespoon of meat mixture and wrap around a piece of the string cheese, then roll into a small ball. You can make the meatballs larger if you like them that way. Place on a baking sheet lightly s...

So, last weekend at my mother's house, mom, the girls and I got onto the subject of food - naturally - and Gin mentioned that she would like more things with cooked cabbage. ... Yeah, I know, right? But I mentioned that really the only way I like cooked cabbage - other than in the form of saurkraut over some bratwurst - is the cabbage rolls my mom makes. She dug out the recipe, so that had to go on the menu. This particular recipe I don't claim as my own, or even my mother's. She found it years ago somewhere, touted as the recipe for cabbage rolls that Garth Brooks said his mother made for him. I looked it up online and saw it appear in a few forums, but I didn't see an "original" anywhere, so I thought I'd go ahead and list it here, too. If objections happen to come down the pike at some point, I'll be more than willing to take it down, if there are copyright issues or something. I'd love to credit the original source, but I don't know wha...

My one-day weekend left my schedule messed up, so Monday had to be my shopping day. Since that's also Gin's cheer practice day, it meant running to the store at 6:30 p.m. for the week's food. By the time we got home, dinner was frozen pizza. I also didn't have the week's menu prepared, so we kind of had to do that on the fly. Tonight, super simple chicken and noodles with a side of asparagus. Believe me, this meal ALMOST couldn't be any easier. Super Simple Chicken and Noodles 1/2 a 16-ounce bag of extra wide egg noodles (these were left from a previous week, so don't look for a future recipe to finish the bag this week, as I'd usually do) 1 can chicken breast (I used the small can, but you can use a big one, if you like more chicken) One can condensed cream of chicken soup (if you can find the cream of chicken with herbs, it's even better!) Half a can of milk Cook egg noodles in boiling water per instructions on the bag. Drain....

I get a one day weekend this week, and probably next, thanks to a coworker vacationing and another on maternity leave. I wish I'd known last weekend, since I felt like I wasted at least one whole day of that one too, and I was looking forward to a real one this week. Oh well. Cramming it all into one day started with getting up to take Gin to her strength-training class, which is required for her to use the Wellness Center at the Y as a teen. I'd rather sleep in after working Friday night, but at least I finished work early and was able to get home at the relatively decent hour of midnight. (We spent the next hour sprinkling the house with diatomaceous earth to eradicate the flea infestation the cats have brought home.) While Gin was at the Y, Munch and I went down to the farmers' market (I'm never in town when it's open, it seems.) We made a good haul: watermelon, bell pepper, onion, half a dozen ears of corn, peaches, some candy apple jelly and a loaf of b...

This post brought to you by Famous Footwear . All opinions are 100% mine. I've already got one kid out of the house, but I've still got a 14 and an 11-year-old girl at home, so this time of year means ... back-to-school shopping. It's time-consuming. It's expensive. It's DULL. But wait... it's also NEW SHOES!  With three girls in the house (I'm counting me), we do love shoe shopping. And Famous Footwear is making it even better for us. They've got all the current styles even my oh-so-fashion-conscious 14-year-old (she takes after me!)  and the cute stuff my 11-year-old still wants. And right now for back-to-school, they've got an even-better-than-BOGO deal! (BOGO = buy one, get one) It's BOGO plus 15% off! Just print the coupon and redeem it at your favorite Famous Footwear store to get 15% off plus buy one pair, get one pair half off through Aug. 18. Don't miss out! BOGO + 15% off Famous Footwea...

I had to work Tuesday night, so I didn't have anything on the menu. The girls stayed at my mother's enjoying a fine pot roast while I got to spend the evening at the Board of Elections office covering what turned out to be a rather dramatic special election. It should have been dull. There were only two issues on the ballot. Here's one of them: My story Anyway, since we all got a break from Mexican for a night, it was OK to use up those leftovers with tonight's dinner: Upside-Down Nachos Leftover 1/2 pound cooked and seasoned ground beef from Monday Leftover 1/2 can seasoned refried beans from Monday Taco sauce 1 c. shredded cheese Another 1/4 of that onion from Monday, chopped finely Shredded lettuce Sour cream Jalapeno slices Tortilla chips (baked ones make for a healthier meal) I'm cooking for three, so I divided the beef, beans and cheese into three microwave-safe bowls. Add a tablespoon or two of taco sauce to each. Stir well. Microwave each on ...

My hectic summer schedule (which shows no signs of slowing for autumn) has prompted me to start making up dinner menus for the week. We've been at this for a few weeks now, and it's been going well. The advantages are: 1) having a clear grocery list that eliminates random shopping and buying extraneous stuff - keeps the grocery bill down; 2) organizing the evening so I know what I'm making as soon as I finally get home every day; 3) home cooking more meals and avoiding having so many "convenience meals," although we still throw some of those in there, because we actually like them; 4) bringing more variety to dinner. Since it's working out so well, I thought I'd share a few success stories and recipes, because who doesn't like recipes and easy, kid-friendly meal ideas, right? This week began with a Mexican Pizza, a variation of an earlier one I'd had on the menu that was a huge success with the kids (and me, too!) I didn't take a picture,...