Menu Plan Monday 5/23

Another Monday and another plan! As always you can find more amazing menus at organizing junkie. This week is busier than ever because DH and I are getting ready to set up at the flea market this weekend. There is much to do. There is more stuff to take to the storage unit, pricing, packing, and setting up the whole thing initially. Phew...makes me tired just thinking about it. Hoping for a good sale and a good Memorial Day weekend. I am worried and I know I shouldn't worry. If you know anything about me, I tend to be a worry wart. The flea market is set up outside. With all the rain and thunderstorms we have been experiencing and devastating tornadoes in some states, Please, Please, pray for good weather. Financially we are depending on this sale. Since this is an extremely busier week than usual I will have to think easy and quick. I don't want to be tempted to eat out. This can be costly for sure and will eat up our profits from the sale. We are both going to be tired at the end of the day. Making some things ahead of time will be helpful when we get tempted to eat out. I will pack snacks, sandwiches drinks and so forth for our lunches there. For our dinners in the evening, well, this is what I have planned for this week.

MONDAY
Brats on the grill
chips
baked beans
cantaloupe

TUESDAY

The best whole chicken in a crock pot

tossed salad

brown rice pilaf

WEDNESDAY

pan fried bluegill

sweet potato fries

pea salad

THURSDAY

we will be eating out this night

FRIDAY

southwest chicken wraps

southwest layer dip w/ nacho chips

frozen strawberry lemonade

SATURDAY

chef salads

strawberry/banana smoothies

SUNDAY

on our own???

Return of the Hummers

Hummingbirds are indeed back! It's great to have the hummingbirds back. I get alot of them at my feeder each summer and all summer long I have the best time watching my little hummers at my feeder. It starts out every year around the same time sometime the beginning of May I set out humming bird feeders. Do you have your feeder out yet? Don't worry it's not too late. However the folks who put out their feeders early seem to have the best luck attracting hummers. So ,if you haven't already, get out your feeder soon. Everyone seems to enjoy the humming birds. I marvel at the tiny size, at their flying skills, and the fact they are able to fly thousands of miles, and yet locate exactly the same feeder they ate from a whole year ago. Amazing! It's ironic that the birds can find our feeders when many of us can't. Did you know that while most birds mate for life or at least have a rock solid bond during mating season that this is not the case with hummingbirds? Yep, They hate all that mushy stuff. In fact they hate each other. Female hummers are extremely resourceful, independent and almost no use for males. When most female birds arrive on their breeding grounds they immediately begin to look for a mate. Not Ms. Hummer. Mating is the last thing on her mind. The first thing she does upon arrival is build a nest, and she does it alone. She doesn't need a mate telling her where and how to build it. Once her nest is completed, she takes a quick trip over to a males territory, does what she has to do, and is done with him. (Sounds like my kinda girl) As you can imagine, hummers nests are small built about ten to twenty feet above the ground, but it may be low. Most nests are located just below a layer of foliage. The foliage not only hides the nest from predators, but it also provides protection from rain and the heat of the summer sun. I have never seen a nest. I have tried numerous times to find one. Finding an active hummingbird nest is not an easy thing to do. Remember the female hummers are single moms. There is no male friendly neighbor or mother-in-law to watch her kids while she is off gathering food. Foliage is all she has to protect her babies when she is not there. The female rarely flies directly back to her nest.; she often makes several false stops along the way. I guess I could try to locate the nest in the fall, when the leaves are off the trees. I will have to put that on my list of things to accomplish this year. A few more thoughts: The formula for making hummingbird food is four parts water to one part sugar. Red food coloring is not required and not recommended. However, changing the food and cleaning your feeder twice a week is important. Why? If Ms. Hummer visits your feeder and it's not fresh, she may not return. She'll simply cast you aside like she's done to all of the males she's met over the years. You don't want to end up like them.

Menu Plan Monday 5/16

I hope to take today to rest. Yes, after an all weekend adventure with the granddaughters it feels so good to have a quiet Monday with just my lonesome self again. There was just too much going on the past few days and with two little girls, the youngest then getting sick Friday night and Saturday, Papa and I found it to be draining on us not to say the least. We took the girls as a favor to my daughter. She has new hours and training over the weekend for her job and finding a babysitter for those hours would be hard. The rest of this week and next DH and I have to get with the ball game and speed things up a bit. Memorial day weekend is approaching fast. Hmmmm......Where has the month of May gone? There is so much to do yet to set up for the flea market that weekend. As for my menu this week, this is my plan. Look for menu plan Monday at organizing junkie for more delicious menus.

MONDAY
pot roast w/potatoes and carrots
rhubarb pudding cake
TUESDAY
hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill
Michigan baked beans
fruit smoothies
WEDNESDAY
beef and noodles ( beef from leftover roast Monday)
green beans
THURSDAY
out
FRIDAY
nothing to it chicken
Michigan baked beans (leftover from Tuesday)
homestyle cole slaw
SATURDAY
grilled pork chops ( from last week that never made it out of the freezer)
brown/wild rice pilaf
steamed asparagus
SUNDAY
on our own!

Wordless Wednesday

I just love the innocence of this picture of our grand kids taken at Disney world on their vacation this past couple of weeks. It kinda reminds me of a Disney Ad.

Menu Plan Monday 5/8

Welcome to Menu Plan Monday! We had an amazing day yesterday weather wise and myself also. Hope all of you had the same. Even though it was Mothers Day, I chose to plant many of my plants and herbs DH gave me for Mothers Day. ( two flats). It was just a perfect day indeed! I worked so hard outside, I was too tired to eat my supper and I went to bed early ( it was still light outside) and I slept like a baby all night! We have another exceptional day on tap again today and I hope I can get more garden veggies and flowers planted. There is much to do yet for sure. While DH has many piers to install I have the house and garden to take care of. Spring has always been a busy time of year for us. This week will be know exception. My menu has to be easy and quick. This is what we will be having. Oh! and don't forget to check out organizing junkie for more menus!

MONDAY
sloppyjoe sandwiches
sweet potato fries
fresh rhubarb pie
TUESDAY
pan fried bluegill
pierogies
green beans
WEDNESDAY
pancakes
sausage
fruit smoothies
THURSDAY
out!
FRIDAY
beef and bean burritos
Spanish rice
SATURDAY
grilled pork chops
pea salad
brown/wild rice pilaf
SUNDAY
On our own!

Eating dandelion flower tops?

Dandelions....most gardeners detest this weed, But, did you know you can not only eat the greens but, the flower head is edible as well? Yep! Dandelions are in the perennial family. They are often referred to as weeds. Each dandelion has a bright yellow flower head that grows on a long skinny, hollow stem. The flower head can change from bright yellow to white seeds overnight. Now, never have eaten dandelion flower heads before I was a bit skeptical on serving fried dandelions flowers for my dinner table however, my niece and sister was telling me how yummy and good these were dipped in egg, dredged in flour and then fried in butter. My Dad said they tasted like mushrooms. We haven't found any of these wonderful fungi yet....I do see lots of yellow dandelion flower heads though. That did it! I would try these flower heads and serve them with my meal tonight. My sister and I picked a bunch today. I took them home. I first soaked them in salt water for 15 to 20 minutes.
I then rinsed them well. dipped in egg,
rolled in flour
and then fried them in butter until golden brown.
I wasn't sure how DH was going to take eating these flower heads and as I expected, he wasn't the least thrilled about this. He did eat 4 of them and said that was enough for him. I ate about the same. They were edible but to tell you the truth they did not taste like mushrooms. A little disappointment but hey, we tried. Fried dandelion flower heads on our dinner table again? Well, not unless we were totally starving. If I want mushroom taste i will eat real mushrooms! Okay maybe not. But, hey, go ahead appreciate them for what they are worth. Harvest them then fry them up for yourself you may be surprised. Word of caution though, Do not eat dandelions from lawns that have been chemically treated. My sister and I picked these in a field by my Dads house.

Resist that gardening urge

Where I live here in Northern Indiana, we have received rain, rain and more rain plus the colder temperatures this spring. Does this sound like where you live? You may be wondering if you ever will be able to get to your garden ( and fields) to plant. Hopefully, the weather will soon cooperate so we can get to planting! I have been trying so hard to resist this gardening urge. It seems my garden starts to dry out a bit and then comes some more rain. I was very lucky a few weeks back to get my turnips, onions, lettuce, carrots, spinach and radishes planted and then worried myself sick when it never stopped raining. I was thinking I thought I probably planted for nothing as the seeds probably all washed away. The little seeds are sprouting now. This sure is a load off my mind now. Many gardeners are getting that itch to get out that tiller and work up there garden soil who wasn't as lucky as me to get that tilling done early before all this rain. Many areas are still soggy from snow melt and rain, making soils too wet to work. Here is a little bit of info on reasons to wait for the soil to dry out before planting in your garden. My dad who was a farmer and is an avid gardener once told me whether you use a tiller or just a garden spade, working wet soil can badly compact soil, and will have negative effects lasting for many years. Working wet soil will pack soil particles tightly leaving less room for water and air to penetrate. Compacted soil also makes it more difficult for plant roots and gardening equipment to move through the soil. The compression forms tight clumps of soil that become hard as rocks upon drying and are difficult to break up. This is especially true for those with clay like soil. Compacted soil soils also tend to drain more slowly, in turn delaying the ability to work the soil after the next rainfall. Once compacted, it will take many years to rebuild a healthy soil structure, requiring annual applications of organic matter, such as animal wastes or perhaps growing a green manure crop, such as annual rye or winter wheat. The best course of action is to prevent compaction in the first place. To determine if your garden's soil is dry enough to work, dig a trowel full of soil and squeeze it in your hand. Soil that crumbles through your fingers when squeezed is ready to garden. I have seen my dad do this numerous times when growing up. If however, the soil forms a muddy ball, give the soil another few days to dry and sample again later. In the meantime, you can soothe that gardening itch by sketching garden plans, making a shopping list for your local garden center and browsing online. I have most all my plants bought now including my seeds. I will be ready for action when the soil does dry enough to work.

Menu Plan Monday 5/2

One of the best ways to save is by creating a simple weekly menu. To tell you the truth, I 'm not perfect and every now and then I slip upon my planning however, if I didn't do a menu each week or at least some kind of a guideline I would spend more at the grocery store and more tempted to eat out more and I would be more tempted to eat more convience foods in general. Making a menu every week has become rather important to me for just this factor. Stumped?? Organizing junkie has many more amazing menu ideas and recipes. Be sure to check her out. This is what is on our menu this week.









MONDAY




chicken and noodles




dandelion greens* ( my mom used to make this alot; every spring; when I was a little girl) Tastes like spinach




blueberry snack cake









TUESDAY




ham and beans




corn bread









WEDNESDAY




almond chicken




brown/wild rice pilaf




nonfat frozen yogurt









THURSDAY




out!









FRIDAY




Salisbury steak




mashed potatoes




steamed broccoli









SATURDAY




spaghetti




tossed green salad




garlic/cheese bread









SUNDAY




on our own!









Dandelion greens*









You want to pick dandelion greens before it flowers as is best then. Wash greens really well making sure you have all dirt out. Soak greens in water and salt for awhile. Drain, rinse well. Heat greens until hot and wilted. In a skillet melt a little bit of oleo or bacon fat. ( I like oleo as it's healthier than the latter) Put greens in, Beat egg, a little mustard,( about 1/4 tsp) 1 Tbls. vinegar and salt and pepper. cook altogether with greens. Cook until hot.