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Kathy,
I'm dying to know, what do the smiley and frowney faces at the bottom of the recipe denote? In all seriousness though, it sounds like a great recipe, the yogurt addition sounds good!  Although, our November is becoming a little like July at your house.  We are caked-out and here comes Christmas...oh boy.

I hope you are able to post some pictures of the birthday bash that we missed Jennifer (and am still guilted and bummed about doing so!)  What a great Thanksgiving it was, and thank you for hosting all of us!  We seem to avoid day-time vomiting, Kathy, but trade it for night-time vomiting from Joey's coughing episodes.  While we initially doubted our decision to head home early, being able to address the issue with a washing machine close-by was a good thing.  Hope we made it out with all of our germs.  

I tried to absorb some tips from your mom on Adobo making, Jennifer.  I think I've got the prep down, but am guessing there are some important secrets in the cooking process as well.  Tried to emulate her salmon, but used Parsley instead.  She would probably find some humor in my Americanized attempts!  :-) You have great folks and we enjoyed visiting with them again.

Hope your weeks go well, ladies.  Can it be 3 weeks until Christmas?  Ah!

Love,
Ann Marie

**I sent Steve on a run to the produce stand.  So, I'll ad-lib a vegetable each day from what he brings home.

Saturday: Broiled Salmon with ginger and (substitute parsley for cilantro), pesto pasta, sauteed pea pods with ginger and garlic, salad

Sun: Fajitas, salad, veggie

Mon: Grilled tri-tip, salad, veggie, baked beans, corn bread

Tues: take-out night due to CCD

Wed: Beef and white bean stew with kale, rosemary dinner rolls, salad

Thurs: Steve's work Christmas party, pizza or leftovers for the kids

Friday: Hamburgers, homemade buns, salad, veggie

Cake recipes for Monica :)

I highly recommend the above cake.  Its simple and good . . . and you can make lots of fluffy and delicious whipped cream frosting with very little sugar.  Whipped cream frosting all over the face makes for great First Birthday photo ops . . . you know, for the baby book!  :)

As a matter of fact, a new favorite frosting that I stumbled upon doesn't even have sugar . . . just a little maple syrup.  It would be awesome on this cake!  Here's the recipe:

With an electric mixer, (starting on low and gradually increasing the speed to avoid splatters) whip the following ingredients for several minutes, until thick and creamy:
2 cups heavy cream
One 8-ounce package of cream cheese, at room temp (room temp is very important, trust me)  :)
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

I love this frosting!

GOOD LUCK!!
Love,
Kathy

P.S.  In the cake recipe, I never used "superfine sugar", just plain white sugar, and it worked fine.  I also usually use grapeseed oil as the oil . . . I think I used olive oil once and it did change the flavor a bit.  

Eating humble pie, yum yum

It has been a rough month.  This is not an excuse for completely refusing to acknowledge any of the November birthdays.  I really really hope that your birthday was wonderful Jennifer (and Ann Marie, if she reads this!).  Who else did I overlook?

I am very jealous of your Thanksgiving week!  I hope everyone is healthy (I heard poor Monica has been through the ringer!!) and you have a wonderful celebration.  I can't wait to see the blog post about all the fun!

We are suffering through the world's worst flu bug.  I am not even sure we are going to be able to attend Mom's big Thanksgiving dinner.  Luke, Sean, and Liam had it last week . . . Luke threw up every day for the entire week.  Now Katie has it.  I am afraid I might have to bring her in for IV fluids today.  She's been vomiting since Sunday afternoon and can't keep any fluid down.  She also had a high fever all day yesterday.  She's just miserable.  The fact that Grace hasn't had it yet makes me very wary about bringing her to a house full of people who have to travel home.  This is NOT the flu to share!! 

We also had some bad news about Sean . . . turns out he is pretty severely allergic to, well, pretty much everything airborne.  Dust, mold, pollen, trees, grass, pet dander, etc etc.  He still has welts on his back from the allergy testing last Friday.  He's on steroid drugs to try to clear out his nose, ("I don't think he has been able to breath through his mouth his entire life" was the lovely "Mom-guilt-inducing" quote from the doctor) and we have been instructed to rip out every shred of carpet, wash all the curtains weekly, mop the floors and dust daily, etc.  Yea, that's likely.  Oh, and install a very expensive house-wide air filter, never open the windows, etc.  Good times.    

Anyway, we'll keep plugging along and see what the rest of the week shall bring.  

(Well, it appears I am using the menu-planning blog to vent about the last couple weeks. Ooops!  Sorry to dump it here, but now I feel better.  :)  Without further ado, here is the highly exciting meal plan for the week . . . last week's was modified a bit due to the aforementioned flu.  Luke vomited all over my beautifully roasted garden brussels sprouts, for example.  We had PB&J that night . . .)

Monday:  broiled salmon, roasted new potatoes, sauteed mushrooms and pea pods, citrus salad
Tuesday: waffles and fruit
Wednesday:  spaghetti and meatballs (never had it last week)
Thursday: hopefully Thanksgiving feast at mom's!  I am contributing a derby pie.  :)
Friday: Grilled ham and cheese, corn (Pat and Dave's 50th anniversary dinner out.  My babysitter had to cancel, so I am going . . . Liam will take the kids to the local tree-lighting festivities.  I am sorry to miss it!)
Saturday:  homemade pizza
Sunday:  oven fried chicken, roasted sweet potatoes, broccoli, sauteed kale

I hope you all have a wonderful celebration this week!!

Love,
Kathy

Post-celebration week menu

We did a bunch of eating out last week since we made a 4 day weekend out of Veteran's Day (Belated THANKS Liam, Kathy, Mark, Steve, Ann Marie, Tom, Mom & Dad ... did I forget anyone? ... oh an their supportive families-- now that is all inclusive!) and had a birthday celebration that lasted well into the weekend.  We ate well and schemed a few recipes.

I did a bulk cookout Sunday afternoon so we'd have meals to heat up during this week.

The Tschanzgiving West 2014 menu is brewing.  I'll post that once finalized!

Love,
Jennifer


SUNDAY
Steak, boiled brocolli & cauliflower, and baked eggplant with ricotta & tomato sauce (casserole from my colleague).

MONDAY
Broiled salmon, bok choy with garlic in siracha sauce, and rice

TUESDAY
Modified chicken divan -- we added parmesan and some carrots and cauliflower

WEDNESDAY
White bean, sausage and kale soup

THURSDAY
Leftovers

FRIDAY
We had this meal at the restaurant that catered our wedding last week.  I'll let you know if it tastes as well.  They made their tomato sauce from Marzano tomatoes they had grown over the summer so there was a nice sweetness to the sauce.
Quinoa meatball (falafal and quinoa mixed) with zucchini pasta (going to borrow my coworker's gizmo that will slice the veggie into spirals) in tomato sauce with a drizzle of some funky olive oil.
If it doesn't work out, we'll order out!

SATURDAY
Pizza

Brrrrrr . . .

OK, so winter has arrived.  I just got back from a run . . . 10 degrees, windchill -3.  This is not fun.  So as I am working on my menu plan, I am full into "winter comfort food" mode.  Bring on Mom's chicken and noodles!!  :)

Mon: Salmon, stuffed squash (recipe below!), steamed broccoli, salad
Tues: Roasted veggie pasta (Brussels sprouts and red onion from the garden!) with shrimp
Wed:  breakfast for dinner
Thurs:  Chicken and noodles, peas, salad
Fri:  Ham and bean soup, Irish brown bread, salad
Sat:  Rump roast with potatoes, carrots, and onions; salad
Sun:  Spaghetti, garlic/cheese rolls, salad

Have a great week!

Love,
Kathy

Another one to try . . . :)

Stuffed Carnival Squash with Wild Rice, Cheddar, and Apples

• 1 large carnival squash (or acorn squash), cut in half horizontally and seeds scooped out
• 1 cup cooked wild rice
• 1 apple, chopped
• 6 oz cheddar cheese, cut into 1/8" cubes
• 1/3 cup whipping cream
• salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Season cut side of squash liberally with salt and pepper. Put in a baking dish, cut sides down. Roast for 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine rice, chopped apples, cheddar, and whipping cream in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Scoop the filling into the center of the par baked squash, piling it up a bit if necessary.

Return to the oven, and bake for another 30-40 minutes, or until the top is golden and the cheese is bubbling up. Let the squash sit for 5 minutes before serving.

To serve, you can either quarter each half and serve it that way, or scoop out the filling along with some of the flesh of the squash.

Jennifer . . . maybe? (from 100 Days of Real Food)

Spaghetti Squash + Roasted Tomato Sauce

Serves: 4 to 6

Ingredients

• 1 large spaghetti squash (about 4 pounds)
• 3-4 pounds of roma tomatoes, sliced in quarters
• 1 large onion, peeled and sliced
• Olive oil, salt and pepper for roasting vegetables
• 1 tsp oregano
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 garlic clove finely diced
• Parmesan cheese, grated (optional topping)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and line two baking sheets with aluminum foil. Add the onions and tomatoes to one pan, lightly drizzle with the olive oil, and sprinkle with salt & pepper. Stick them in the oven for 30 minutes while you start to work on the squash.
2. Wash the squash well, dry it, and then poke a few holes with a fork to allow air to escape. Place it in the microwave for 4 to 5 minutes on high heat. This will soften the skin enough so that you can easily slice a knife through it.
3. After the squash cools for a few minutes, slice it in half length-wise, scoop out the seeds, and discard them. Place it skin side down on the other baking sheet.
4. Meanwhile, check on the other veggies. Remove the onions when the edges are slightly blackened. Then put the tomatoes back in the oven along with the squash and cook them both for another 30 minutes. The edges of the squash will start to brown and the "noodles" should be easy to shred when ready. The tomatoes may need to go an extra 10 or 15 minutes. If they start to brown on the edges a bit; this is ok - it gives the sauce a wonderful flavor.
5. Add roasted tomatoes, onions, garlic, oregano and salt to high-speed blender. Pulse two to three times, being careful to not over-blend and puree too much - some chunks in the sauce are good!
6. Once the squash has cooled enough to handle, shred with a fork by scraping away from the skin. Plate the "noodles" and top with the sauce and Parmesan cheese, if desired. Serve warm and enjoy!

We can taste again!

We have mostly recovered from the colds that knocked us out for 2 weekends.  During that time we lived on casseroles and chicken broth or miso soup.  So far the making a bunch of things ahead of time to reheat during the week has been helpful.  We are also transitioning Monica to eating table food so some of our meals have veggies that are soft!

Last week, my colleague and I swapped a casserole.  She is Lebanese and we swapped a lasagna for kefta kabob.

Sunday:  Tuscan white bean soup with kale and sausage ... and challah

Monday:  More Tuscan white bean soup with kale and sausage ... and challah, and steamed brocolli.

Tuesday:  Lasagna with asparagus

Wednesday:  Leftovers

Thursday:  Kefta kabobs
-- It looks/smells like she made beef patties with oregano, thyme, parsley, mint and all spice and placed them atop thinly sliced tomatoes and onions.  Add a can of tomato sauce and some water so the pan is halfway filled.  Popped it in the oven at 350 for 30-45 minutes until the potatoes are soft.

Friday:  Crock pot chicken-- debating BBQ or lemon

Saturday:  Looks like Steve and Ann Marie will be here ... so who knows?! Maybe some chicken adobo!  As for the adobo photo recipe-- it's coming.  We realized the photos are spread on different cameras (one of which is my dad's) so I hope to combine them when I have some free time ... ha!


-->  I also have a pumpkin, spaghetti squash and kabocha squash sitting on the counter that need to be transformed into something other than a play toy for Monica

Yee Haw

Monday: Poached salmon steaks, hashbrowns, steamed broccoli, roasted cauliflower, salad
Tuesday: TACO TUESDAY!
Wednesday: breakfast for dinner
Thursday: Ribs in the crock, grits 'n greens, carrot sticks
Friday: Spaghetti, garlic rolls, salad
Saturday: Roast chicken, brown rice and gravy, roasted butternut squash, salad
Sunday: Pesto pasta with shrimp