Menu Monday: 9/10-9/14

Menu Monday

Monday:  Buffalo Wild Wing Knock-off Spicy Garlic Chicken Salad (Happy Birthday to our friend Melanie!)

Tuesday:  Farmer's Market Spaghetti Squash with meat sauce and Broccoli

Wednesday: Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Pork

Thursday: Gazpacho

Friday: TBD

Saturday: L.O. Smoked Chicken, Potatoes, Veggies

This weekend was not the weekend we made salsa, but I did pick quite a few to include in our Fall Beef Stew tonight. Combined with veggies from Saturday's market, it was perfect. So yummy on a cool fall night. It looks like Tuesday is going to be another warm day, 90°, but otherwise the fall weather looks like it's here to stay. Bring it on!

Geocaching last weekend at Woodland Trials! We found Silver Australian dollars!

Enjoying the golf carts. This was a pretty spot to take a picture on the 10+ miles of trails to explore.

We were birders for the day! Finches, Nuthatches, and other birds loved  the giant feeders!

Fall Beef Stew 

From: Greg's Mom Cathy with some additions by us!

Ingredients you need:

1 pound beef (cut into small pieces)
Maggi
Salt/Pepper
Worcestershire Sauce

5+ chopped tomatoes (whatever kind you have)
2 onions (whatever kind you have)
2 hot peppers
2 T Minced Garlic

Carrots ( 2+ cups)
Potatoes (4+ cups, we use mostly yukon and 1 sweet)
Water
1 can condensed tomato soup
1 bottle dark beer
1 T corn starch + 1 T flour + 1/4 C water (mix up)
Chopped Parsley (1/2C-1C)

Directions:
1) Season beef with Maggi, Salt/Pepper, Worcestershire Sauce then brown in large pot
2) Add tomatoes, onions, hot peppers and garlic. 
Simmer this until it reduces down. Maybe 10-15 minutes

Next Add....
Potatoes,Carrots, tomato soup
Then.... 
Cover with water and leave to simmer! 

When potatoes are soft.....
Add Corn Starch/Flour mixture and beer

Lastly...
Mix in parsley

EAT! ENJOY! BE MERRY!

TGIF: Dream Weekend

Do you ever have a week that feels like a month? I think most teachers would say that they feel this way after their first week back at school. Summer is really over.  It's how I feel now. Since this isn't my first year teaching, at least I know that this feeling doesn't last too long. 

In other news, our credit card information was somehow taken last week. Luckily the person who got a hold of our info just wanted to spend a few nights in hostels. Our $20 has already been refunded and I was totally impressed by MasterCard's customer service. Greg and I haven't spent much time in hostels, a few guesthouses I think. If I could go to any hostel this weekend it would be this one...

Hostel-Inn  in Iguazu Falls, Argentina

At least this weekend is supposed to bring in more cool weather. I think we may start using our hot peppers (the only thing really striving in our garden) to make some salsa (everything else from the Farmer's Market). TGIF and Happy Weekend!

Monday Menu: 9/3-9/7

Menu Monday

Last day of Summer:Monday: Avocado Mandarin Orange Salad (Yes,

we eat this every week right now!)

My First Day of School:Tuesday:  Strawberry Spinach Salad with

Poppy Seed Dressing
 

Wednesday: Grilled Chicken Salad

 

My Big Bro's Birthday:Thursday: Shrimp Red Thai Curry 

TGI Friday: Who knows!?


I bet I'll hear this and you'll hear this all week, but... I can't believe it's September! Where has summer gone? Greg and I noticed the trees are a changin and fall is coming quickly! One thing we are super stoked for is college football. More specifically Hawkeye Football. Go Hawks!



*Source

This week is the week of salads. One reason is that our freezer is filled with left-overs and that means we don't have containers available to hold left overs of meals that create left overs. Make sense? The other reason is that after spending a 3 nights at the B & B and not exercising too much we feel the need to eat salads. These three are our go to salads. Easy and delicious. By Thursday we'll spice things up a bit with Shrimp Red Curry. Aroy mak! (Very delicious). My goal is to post how I make curry, so stayed tune! Happy Week!