whats for dinner

i have been inspired by this blog... i already make a menu up for the week and print out all the recipes. why not keep them all in one place for all of us to enjoy. unlike carrie, i will not be making 6 meals a week ( even though i would love to) first of all it's to much money, second of all james gets home from work at 8:45, and third of all now that my granny lives here we all take turns making dinner. also- my menus aren't set in stone as to what day we eat what. enjoy! and remember i am pregnant so these recipes might seen odd. here is my meal plan for the week- {monday} bean quesadillas with pickled onions ( but we prefer black beans) spicy pickled carrots ( we had these in california, i honestly was so full by the time dinner came because i gorged myself on them... heartburn is only a minor side effect) strawberries spicy pickled carrots INGREDIENTS: · 2 lbs large carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/4 inch thick pieces · 5 cloves garlic peeled and diced · 1 1/2 cups vinegar · 1 1/2 cups water · 10 bay leaves, whole · 8 peppercorns · 1 teaspoon salt · 6 oz. pickled jalapenos PREPARATION: Heat oil in a large saucepan and saute the garlic. Add in carrots and saute for 2-3 minutes. Carefully add in vinegar, peppercorns, salt, and and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer for 5 minutes and then add water and jalapenos and bring to a simmer again for another 10 minutes. Let it cool completely and then transfer the carrots and cooking liquid into a covered container and refrigerate overnight. Store the carrots in the liquid and use a slotted spoon to serve them. You may leave the bay leaves in the liquid to add to the flavor, but do not eat them. Always remove the bay leaves before you eat the carrots {tuesday} grannies meal- costco lasagna, salad and garlic bread grannies yummy garlic bread- *french bread *butter *garlic juice ( yes i said garlic juice, it is a- maz- ing!) *parmesan *whatever else you want slice garlic bread. melt butter and add garlic juice and whatever else strikes you as delicious. dip bread sliced into melted goodness. bake at 400 until desired doneness. {wednsday} marv and joes, organic roasted red pepper soup ( costco but with added ingredients to taste like paradise bakeries tomato soup) pineapple marv and joes- *unsliced or very thick sliced wheat bread *homemade garlic butter *fresh sliced tomatoes *provolone cheese *parmesan cheese *olive oil and red wine vinegar * salt and pepper slice bread into thick slices. butter with garlic butter and parmesan and place in oven at 400 until toasty. add tomatoes, oil and lots of vinegar. top with provolone and more vinegar, salt and pepper. place back into oven and broil until cheesy is melted. {thursday} aunt vickies meal? {friday} salmon, asparagus, zesty lemon potatoes or game night. simple baked salmon- *salmon fillets *butter *lemon slices *dill wrap salmon in foil, place slices of lemons and pats of butter, sprinkle with dill, season to taste with salt and pepper. wrap tightly and bake at 400 for 20 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. {saturday}nothing... out to eat or leftovers {sunday}??? my dinner for the family, yet to be decided but for sure will include peach ice cream made in my new ice cream maker. that i got $100 off at sur la table, in case you were wondering. {extras... breakfast, lunch, treats} pioneer lady's favorite salad-made it last week... it is so good! it needs nuts though. she suggests cashews but i'm thinking almonds. will be enjoying it at the zoo with good friends. jessica seinfields butternut squash mac and cheese- so so good and the kids love it as much as we do!

The best potatoe soup ever...

image via allrecipes.com

My grannie and i have much in common. we both love to cook and find new recipes. last week grannie sent me this recipe for cheesy corn and potato chowder from allrecipes. i must admit that at first i was skeptical, i thought this can't be that good ( even though it had rave reviews on allrecipes.com) oh how wrong i was... granny and grandpa made it and had the whole family over for dinner. it was yummy and filling. we had it in bread bowls and topped it with bacon and green onions. yummy, now go make some for dinner.

Cheesy potato and corn chowder

INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped onion
2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
3 cups peeled and cubed potatoes
1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn
1 (4 ounce) can diced green chiles
1 (2.5 ounce) package country style gravy mix
2 cups milk
1 cup shredded Mexican-style velveeta

DIRECTIONS
In large saucepan, melt margarine over medium high heat. Add celery and onion; cook and stir until tender, about 5 minutes.
Add chicken broth; bring to a boil. Add potatoes; cook over low heat for 20 to 25 minutes or until potatoes are soft, stirring occasionally.
Stir in corn and chiles; return to boiling. Dissolve gravy mix in milk; stir into boiling mixture. Add cheese; cook and stir over low heat until cheese is melted.

cowboy quilt for my lil cowpoke

i made this cowboy quilt for my littlest guys birthday. one side is mostly micheal miller's lil cowpoke fabric with a strip of yellow and white polka dots. the other side is cream material with a strip of pieced lil' cowpoke and polka dot material. the top was quilted with brown thread every inch. the bottom was quilted in yellow thread by tracing various sizes of bowls onto the fabric. the binding was just leftover from another project but i thought i matched nicely. i think it needs an applique or embroidery of some sort. i love the look of this little blanket/quilt. one thing that i did this time was to wait to wash the fabric until the quilt was complete. i think it gave it a yummy old fashioned look. this was my first time doing the hand sewn binding and it is a little rough, i think i might have to redo it but i'll see how it looks after i wash it again. hope you like it baby boy!