Planned: One Week of Meals

It has been a while, but I am so thrilled with this week's menu plan that I had to share.  We have been trying to cut back on groceries this month... after a month of vacations and company visits.

Using what we have on hand, this is the grocery list for this week's meals:
- mushrooms
- goat cheese
- sharp cheddar
- instant yeast
- one red onion
- fresh ginger
- 2 red bell peppers
- zucchini & yellow squash
- salad greens

I will also be asking my mother to donate a few:

- dried cranberries

- pecans

This weeks plan:

Saturday: Homemade Pizza topped with mushrooms, goat cheese, and red onions

Sunday: Pork Chops Marsala w/ Orzo and Steamed Broccoli

Monday: Stir-Fry Honey Chicken & Red Peppers 

Tuesday: Burritos w/ Squash & Goat Cheese

Wednesday: Homemade Chili & Cornbread

Thursday: Leftover Chili

Friday: Mixed Greens & Pear Salad

Once more, I am happy that I enjoy keeping my pantry and freezer full of usable ingredients!

Yogurt from the Heart

My sweet little girl's love of yogurt and a post by a favorite blog I follow has given me that last little push I needed to try my hand at making my own yogurt. I just love trying new things and making stuff in general, especially when it turns out to be this easy!

After reading the blogpost about yogurt making, I did a little more research to fill in the gaps (like-do I cover the jar while it rests??? she didn't say...). I found this recipe that really helped with the details of yogurt making.

I combined the two recipes - used the double boiler method for heating, and the oven light for warming. It amazed how quickly the milk heated, and how SLOWLY it cooled. The hardest part was the waiting... and the waking up a 5:30am to finish the process.

I stored the yogurt in small canning jars instead of one large jar so that hopefully the unopened ones will stay fresh longer... not being taken in and out of the fridge and opened every day. Though, the recipes suggest that it should remain good for up to 3 weeks or so - plenty of time for us to polish it off!

If you've been thinking about making your own yogurt, you should try it! I have always thought that the more things we know how to do for ourselves the better, so why not give it a try!

Dinner - Three Nights

This week I felt the slight pull to try new recipes.

Monday night was a new pasta dish. Pasta with asparagus, bacon, toasted pine nuts, and a lemon olive oil glaze. Yummy. You can find the recipe here.

Tuesday night was a new soup fresh off the pages of the April Everyday Food Magazine. Caramelized Onion & Lentil Soup. The photo doesn't quite do it justice, but the soup was wonderful and the caramelized onions gave it a really nice flavor. A dollop of whole milk plain yogurt topped it off to add a nice cream. The only thing missing was a nice loaf of crusty bread to dip in it!

Wednesday night was leftover night. I sauteed up the leftover asparagus from Monday, and I mixed the leftover lentil soup into some prepared orzo. This is actually a really nice way to use up a cup or two of leftover soup. I also sauteed some sliced mushrooms to mix in. Served with chicken, this didn't feel like leftovers!