My middle daughter had her 20th birthday last Thursday. I made her our favorite chocolate cake.

 

If you want the best chocolate cake ever, get a can of Hershey’s Cocoa and follow the recipe on the back of the can. Honest. You will not believe how awesome this cake is. Flavorful and always so moist. Make sure you use the frosting recipe on the can, too!

 

 
That was Thursday night. Then things went down hill after that. I spent 12 hours in the ER with my mother on Friday. Then traveling back and forth to the hospital, which is about 2 hours from our house, to see her on Saturday and Sunday. In fact, I’m traveling there again now as I type this.

The kids have managed to carry on with meals while I am away. Thanks to my menu and having a few emergency convenience foods in the pantry, they are still eating good. Remember, my kids are older and all able to work in the kitchen without burning my house down.

Today, for example, I pulled some already cooked Lemon Pepper Chicken out of the freezer for my daughter to warm in the oven. She is going to throw some potatoes in to bake, put the chicken in later, and open a can of corn. An easy, nutritious meal for them. I don’t usually use canned vegetables, except for beets. I prefer frozen vegetables, but with canned they just have to heat it. You know teenagers. If it’s not quick and easy there is no chance of them eating the vegetables.
 

 

 

 

In my quest to get healthy, I started using Plexus products. I have to say I have put them to the test the last few stressful days. There is no way I would have had the strength or energy to stay at the hospital so long. But thanks to Plexus I have been able to be there for my mother and be abke to take care if my family when I am home. It truly is amazing stuff!

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the Kitchen with Linda & Dinner Menu

 

Now…. to answer the question that I get asked about a hundred times a day……….What’s For Dinner?

Saturday – quick & easy- Macaroni with jarred spaghetti sauce

Sunday – soup & sandwich day – Leftovers

Monday – chicken or turkey – Lemon Pepper Baked Chicken, baked potatoes, corn

Tuesday – pizza/pasta – pizza, carrot sticks

Wednesday – Taco Night- Venison Guisado (tacos) with all the fixings

Thursday – pork or beef – Beef roast with potatoes, onions  carrots

Friday – venison –  Christmas dinner – turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans, corn, stuffing, pies

 

 

For more ideas, visit Menu Plan Monday

 

 

We had a good Thanksgiving. And quite the feast! Here is my long counter filled with Thanksgiving dinner. I didn’t get a picture of the buffet before everyone went through.  That’s why some of the dishes are empty.

 

 

That’s not counting the dinner rolls, cornbread, 4 different kinds of pie, and the drinks. They didn’t fit on the counter! You can see everything that was on the menu in my Getting Ready for Thanksgiving post.

 

We ate dinner at 6. In an effort to keep everyone out of the kitchen, I served some snacks at 3.  Carrots, celery, green peppers, ranch dip. 4 different kinds of cheese with 2 different kinds of crackers. And some nuts. It worked to keep the traffic down in the kitchen so those cooking had more room to work.

 

 

This is my dinner plate. Yes, I used paper products for Thanksgiving dinner. It was the first time ever. And I loved it! I did use real utensils, though. The cup contains grape juice that I made this summer from our own grapes that we harvested from our own grapevines. It was so good!

 

 

As I mentioned, we had 4 different kinds of pies. I made the pumpkin, with the help of my daughter that made the crust. She was making the cherry pie, so it was easy for her to make one more crust. My oldest, married daughter made the apple pie. And my 15 year old son made the chocolate pie! He did a great job, too!

 

 

My daughter, that made the cherry pie, decided to have a piece of each kind. Along with the homemade whipped cream that she made. She even whips it by hand, no mixer for her!  She didn’t eat it all for dessert, she had to save some of it for latter in the evening. I do think she figured out how to make sure the kind of pie she wanted didn’t run out. lol

 

 

Our Thanksgiving was filled with family and great food.

 

Now onto this weeks menu!

 

 

In the Kitchen with Linda & Dinner Menu

 

Now…. to answer the question that I get asked about a hundred times a day……….What’s For Dinner?

Saturday – quick & easy- Thanksgiving leftovers

Sunday – soup & sandwich day – soup & grilled cheddar cheese sandwiches

Monday – chicken – Turkey Alfredo, green beans

Tuesday – pizza/pasta – pizza, carrot sticks

Wednesday – Taco Night- Venison Tacos, made in the slow cooker,  with all the fixin’s

Thursday – pork or beef – BBQ Pork chops in slow cooker, rice, green beans

Friday – venison –  Venison roast, potatoes, carrots, and onions in the slow cooker

 

 

For more ideas, visit Menu Plan Monday

 

 

I’m swamped in Thanksgiving preparations right now. I wanted to take a minute (or 20 lol) and share what I am doing.

 

I do know that we are having at least 12 people. I do not know how many extras will show up. That’s ok, everyone is welcome. I just need to make sure I have enough food!

 

Here’s my Thanksgiving Menu:

turkey (L)
ham (g)
mashed potatoes (d)
stuffing (L)
mac & cheese (g)
creamed onions (L)
green beans (a)
corn (a)
cranberry sauce (a)
homemade gravy (L)
homemade dinner rolls (h)
cornbread (k)

chocolate pie (z)
apple pie (m)
pumpkin pie (h crust) (L filling)
cherry pie (h)
homemade whipped cream (h)

Grape Juice (home canned using our own grapes)
Apple Cider
Sprite
Water

 

As you can tell by the letters after each dish, I am not doing this alone. I am doing the dishes marked with L. I put my husband in charge of the mashed potatoes. My mother, who everyone calls Granny is bringing the ham and macaroni & cheese. My married daughter is bringing the apple pie.

 

My daughter Abby is doing the vegetables and cranberry sauce. My daughter Hannah is making the homemade dinner rolls, cherry pie, the crust for the pumpkin and the homemade whipped cream. My oldest son is making cornbread. My 15 year old son, Zach, is making the chocolate pie.

 

My mother in law always made chocolate pie and the kids loved it. So we are making it the way she did. Store bought crust and boxed pudding mix. So it will be easy for Zach to make with just a little guidance from me. Hannah and I like to make it with a homemade crust and homemade pudding. Zach’s not ready for that, though!

 

We are eating at 6, so I have some snacks planned for earlier in the afternoon.

carrots
celery
green pepper slices
ranch dip (store bought)

4 different cheeses and 2 kinds of crackers – I picked up a tray of already sliced cheese in the deli to make it easier.

I am assigning Abby to get all of this ready, and plated.

 

I will be serving dinner buffet style. I will make sure to have all the food ready early, and put it in slow cookers to stay warm.

 

By far, the most important part of our Thanksgiving meal this year is…..

 

 

And you know what? I don’t feel the least bit guilty for using disposable products this year. For one, I don’t have enough real plates for a large crowd. And since I don’t know for sure the final guest count, disposable will work best. It’s a toss up whether we will be using disposable utensils or real forks. I’m actually leaning towards real. My husband can only take so much change. A plastic fork might just put him over the edge. lol

 

You’ll notice that we will have a complete meal, even if the guests aren’t able to make it with their contributions. I planned it this way on purpose. I learned my lesson after hosting numerous holiday meals where guests either don’t bring what they said or drop canned foods off in the kitchen right before it’s time to eat. In the case of one memorable Easter meal, someone delivered a bag of potatoes to me in the kitchen right before it was time to eat, instead of prepared mashed potatoes. I learned the hard way to make sure I had a complete meal to serve regardless of what anyone else brought, or didn’t bring. It’s more work for me, but it is also so much less stressful for me!

 

The menu is planned, food prep will begin tonight. All that is left is to clean the house. The worst part about hosting! lol