We started week #19 with a Meatless Monday. Zucchini meatballs that is. Actually the ‘Ole Buckeye refuses to call this dish meatballs. I have had this recipe on the docket, but over the past few weeks it has gotten bumped. Tonight it was reinstated, and since I have been talking about this meatball recipe for awhile now, (maybe threatening would be a better word), it has become a bit of a joke. A meatless meatball. But you know what…it was good. What a surprise. I will admit that this will most likely not be an entree on a frequent rotation, but it could also serve as a side. We really enjoyed what the ‘Ole Buckeye has renamed “zucchini balls”. A Hit! A great recipe to have with the summer zucchini season coming up.
Zucchini Meatballs via Skinny Taste.
Tuesday Night was Family Night. I had to modify my dinner plans. It became necessary to cook the entire dinner ahead and do a quick reheat because we had a 4th Grade Concert to attend that began at 6 PM. The crock pot Chuck Roast recipe is a favorite of the ‘Ole Buckeye, but I had never made it for the family. It was perfect to keep warm for later eating. I made the vegetable casserole recipe from a few weeks ago, because I knew it would reheat very quickly. I used the original recipe, but also added some fresh green beans to the potato layer. A hit once again and it took only minutes to reheat.
Tomato Vegetable Casserole via Giada at Food Network.
I have two recipes for mashed cauliflower. One from Paula Dean which I use often, and this one with cream cheese. This was the pick for tonight. I made it ahead and popped it into the microwave for a quick reheat.
Mashed Cauliflower via Just a Taste.
Crock Pot Chuck Roast via Berge Central.
The entire family has crowned this salad as one of their favorites. Tonight I added a small package of pea pods and it was perfect. I also put the mixture of roasted noodles and nuts on the side, so that each of us could add them to the salad ourselves. This was perfect. It kept the excellent crunch which is so enjoyable and the leftovers would not get soggy….funniest thing, there were no leftovers!
Crunchy Asian Ramen Noodle Salad | Gimme Some Oven
I made a few modern updates to this Crunchy Asian Ramen Noodle Salad. It’s still the same easy and crunchy salad that everyone loves, but made with natural sweetener and some tasty fresh ingredients! Alright, show of hands. Who else grew up eating ramen noodle salad?!?
The girl’s have come to expect a dessert on family night. I made this crisp in the late afternoon shortly before we deposited the 10 year old at school. Since I had delivered the rest of the meal to my son’s for the late dinner I elected to leave the crisp on the floor of my car. After dinner the ‘Ole Buckeye fetched the dessert, and just as I had hoped, it was still warm.
Peach Pecan Crisp via Sally’s Baking Addiction.
All in All we had a great late dinner and
the 10 year old had a successful concert that we all enjoyed.
Wednesday proved to be more eventful than we had originally planned. The 12 year old was inducted into the National Junior Honor Society and we spent the afternoon at the ceremony.
We are so proud of her. Since we had an extremely late lunch, the ‘Ole Buckeye had a sail race (placing 1st) and grabbed a late light dinner with the crew. I had a snack.
Thursday…Repeat. We had the Stuffed Pepper meal once again (since I doubled the recipe). Dessert…Strawberry Shortcakes (easy breezy with Bisquick), ice cream and fresh strawberries.
Friday…I made an introduction to mid morning since I am not a breakfast fan. I know, I know…bad,bad,bad. I have my coffee and seldom want anything until 10 or 11. Instead of an unhealthy snack I am experimenting with smoothies. My favorite at this point…Green Smoothie. via Buzz Feed.
Later in the day we were invited to join my son’s family and friends for Happy Hour and Burgers. The ‘Ole Buckeye volunteered a salad and guac. I have made it a goal to eliminate grocery shopping except for the one planned day, normally Tuesday. Luckily, I had enough on hand to make a Greek Salad, but knowing how much the girls would eat, I knew I wouldn’t be able to make enough to feed 8. Instead of a grocery run, I decided to stretch the Greek Salad by making my newly created recipe for a Greek Pasta Salad.
I also wanted to get some feed back on the recipe. Thumbs up from the girls.
Our son created a special stuffed burger for the evening. Delish.
Saturday the “Ole Buckeye had a father/son day. It was beautiful and they took advantage of the day and went flying, stopping along the way for lunch together. I spent the afternoon cleaning up the courtyard for our meal together on Father’s Day.
Everything is blooming right now in our courtyard…loverly. Dinner was a repeat of our family dinner earlier in the week. We had the beef chuck roast, mashed cauliflower, and vegetable casserole. We ate outdoors. The meal was better than Tuesday.
Sunday, Father’s Day. I started the day early by making the ‘Ole Buckeye’s favorite scones.
This recipe is tried and true. The only change that I make is adding dried cranberries and chopped walnuts. Nothing better than warm scones right out of the oven on Sunday morning.
And then what happened?
I had planned the perfect dinner for the ‘Ole Buckeye…just what he wanted (Burgers, Italian Sausage, Baked Beans and Potato Salad). I spent part of the afternoon prepping. I axed the burgers since we had them on Friday, but the rest of the meal was set.
We invited the family over for Happy Hour and I decided to make a new recipe.
Parmesan Monkey Bread via Food Network Geoffrey Zakarian
Huge Hit!
I made a cheese tray which included our combined Mother and Father’s Day gift from our daughter.
Our daughter in law brought a vegetable dip and crackers. We retreated to the courtyard where I enjoyed my red wine, the girls had a cranberry favorite from our Derby Party (minus the vodka),
Grey Goose Oaks Lily (Serves 1)
1 oz. Grey Goose vodka
1 oz. Sweet and sour mix
3 oz. Cranberry juice
Splash of triple sec
and the rest enjoyed the drink of the day…a Dark ‘N Stormy.
We ate and drank and relaxed.
And
We ate and drank and relaxed.
The family left and we were so full and “happy” that it ended up that we didn’t have dinner. Father’s Day Dinner was postponed until Monday!
And that’s the week that was…
