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I recently had to throw away my electric sauce pan. My mother in law gave it to me for Christmas quite a few years ago. I didn’t use it very much at first. Then I discovered how great it is. We use it at least once a week to make macaroni and cheese in for lunch. The recipe I use has you put the macaroni and water in, then you cook it until the water is absorbed. No draining! Perfect, since the kids usually make it. Even though they are teenagers, I still worry about them burning themselves while pouring a big pot of boiling water into the colander. I also use it for big family meals. It’s perfect for keeping gravy or vegetables are the right temperature.
So I ordered a new one. It’s really called a Kitchen Kettle Multi-Cooker/Steamer (affiliate link). It was delivered last week, and my 13 year old son promptly put it together. Guess he was in a hurry for macaroni and cheese. Poor things hadn’t had it for lunch for a couple of weeks. So now they are happy. lol
We had the first cook out of the season last Thursday. So fun to finally able to cook out again. Of course, my allergies were horrible afterwards, but it was worth it. Here’s some of the family sitting around the picnic table. Hannah 18, Zach 13, Abby 15, My mother (age undisclosed), and my husband, (age undisclosed). Calen 19, ran from the camera. lol
We usually use reusable picnic dishes and cups for our cook outs. For the first one of the year, I decided to take it easy and use disposable plates and cups. Something I only do if we are having a large crowd. It was nice to not have a ton of dishes to wash that night. 🙂
We cook out over the fire pit in our yard. We have a Coleman Tripod Grill (affiliate link) that hangs over the fire for cooking that we love.
Of course, what’s a cook out with out S’mores! Yummy! You can see a marshmallow being roasted above, and the finished product below.
We’re looking forward to many more cook outs this summer!
Now…. to answer the question that I get asked about a hundred times a day……….What’s For Dinner? See my menu below!
In the Kitchen with Linda – Dinner Menu:
Saturday – Sabbath- Make ahead meals- Leftover smorgasbord
Sunday – soup & sandwich day – Egg salad & Tuna sandwiches for lunch, and salmon, slow cooker scalloped potatoes, asparagus, and corn for dinner
Monday – chicken – Chicken, onions, and potatoes in the slow cooker, carrots
Tuesday – pizza/pasta – Spaghetti with homemade meat sauce, peas
Wednesday – beef – Beef & Bean soup in the slow cooker, homemade bread
Thursday – chicken – Slow Cooker Sweet & Sour Chicken, rice, green beans
Friday – Sabbath Dinner – Cookout over the fire pit – Hamburgers with lettuce & tomatoes, potato salad,
For more ideas, visit Menu Plan Monday
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