Today...

...I am going to drink more water and less Diet Coke. I say that everyday, but today I am especially motivated after hearing Jennifer Aniston drinks 100 ounces of smartwater a day. I might even work out and go to bed earlier….although doing one may mean not doing the other. Unless I "squeeze in" my workout while drying my hair.  This of course assumes I wash and dry my hair today which, let’s face it, is typically an every other day occurrence. Do you think co-workers would find it odd to see me doing this by the printer? Maybe it’s more appropriate in the comforts of your home...I’m sure you’ll get the same benefit in the kitchen, watching your child have dinner, glass of wine in hand…


Also hope to find recipes to go with this week’s VIC Specials which include:

• Smithfield Pork Baby Back Ribs - $2.99/lb.
• Perdue Fit & Easy Chicken Breast - $3.99/lb.
• Center Cut Bone In Pork Chops - $2.99/lb.
• Chicken Leg Quarters - $0.49/lb.

*image and "squeeze it in workout" found in September 2010 Southern Living

Monday Funday

It’s been a rainy Monday, and despite my best efforts, I’m pretty sure I didn’t look like this

as I ventured out to brave the weather and begin the work week.  I did, however, manage to leave without an umbrella or raincoat.  It’s always fun to run across the parking lot in the pouring rain with the laptop in tow...good thing I’m so coordinated J  


*image courtesy of Anthropologie

TGI (almost) F

I love Thursdays, but this one especially. I’m not working tomorrow, so my weekend started precisely 3 hours and 28 minutes ago, Grey’s returns tonight, and so does The Office, I have a new hair cut, it’s the first day of Fall and I’m leaving tomorrow for a weekend mini-break in the mountains! My house, however, is a complete wreck, and I have to do two loads of laundry, unload the dishwasher, clean up from supper and pack (one bag for me and at least three for Colin #2). But I’ll focus on the positive…and really, really enjoy my wine (that was super discounted at the Teet tonight).

New Specials for the week and featured highlights: http://flyer.harristeeter.com/HT_eVIC/ThisWeek/index.jsp?ID6734

• 93% Lean Ground Turkey – buy one, get one
• Barilla Pasta Sauce – buy one, get one
• Boneless Chicken Breast (HT Brand, frozen) – buy one, get one
• Smithfield Whole Pork Tenderloin – buy one, get one
• Top Round London, Broil – buy one, get one
• Kraft Dressing – buy one, get one

Hurray for Buy One, Get One’s…My freezer, pantry and refrigerator are looking pretty sparse.
.

Monday – Italian Meatloaf
This meatloaf calls for 1 pound lean ground beef, but you can substitute the VIC special lean ground turkey if you’d prefer. The turkey and spinach lasagna I posted in March would also be a good to do this week with both turkey and pasta sauce on special. I have never made meatloaf, so this was a first. It is Liz Pollet’s recipe via Make it Easy. I recommend reading the recipe all the way through before you begin. When I made it, I first put it in a loaf pan and then realized it needed to be in a casserole dish. At least it was already in the loaf shape…

• 1 pound lean ground beef (or turkey)
• 1 onion
• 2 T olive oil
• 2 gloves garlic, minced
• 1 c. Parmesan cheese
• 1 jar 4-cheese spaghetti sauce – Barilla brand is buy one, get one, but they don’t make a 4-cheese, so I got Roasted Garlic
• 1 egg
• 1 ½ c. Italian bread crumbs
• Pam spray

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Dice onion and sauté in olive oil for 10 minutes or until soft. Add garlic and sauté for 2-3 minutes until cooked through. Remove from heat.
In large bowl, combine ground beef, Parmesan, egg, breadcrumbs and cooked onion/garlic. Stir to combine and then add about 1 c spaghetti sauce – OOPS another reason you should pay special attention to the directions…I just realized I didn’t do this step when I made it…it was very tasty regardless, but could have been that much better. Stir until sauce is thoroughly distributed.

Coat glass or ceramic roasting pan with Pam. Form meat mixture into a loaf shape with hands. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, then pour spaghetti sauce over the top of the loaf to cover completely (I poured the entire jar).

Continue baking for another 20 minutes or until cooked through. Internal temp. should be about 160 degrees.

Tuesday – Marinated Pork Tenderloin
I love this marinade – Thanks Liz Grasty and Make it Easy! It is so very easy. You must, however, be sure the Ziploc bag is zipped while mixing the ingredients…it’s not fun to clean soy sauce and sugar off hardwoods.

• 1 pork tenderloin (1 ½ pounds) – buy one, get one!
• ½ c. soy sauce
• ¼ c. sugar
• ½ t. garlic powder
• Sesame seeds – I omitted, because I didn’t have any when I was making

Place pork tenderloin in casserole dish or plastic Ziploc bag.
Mix first 5 ingredients in a bowl and cover pork. Refrigerate overnight.
Preheat oven to 350. Toast sesame seeds and set aside. Remove pork tenderloin and save the marinade.
Place tenderloin on roasting rack (or in casserole dish) and bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Turn once while baking.  During the last 10 minutes of cooking the tenderloin, add the sesame seeds to marinade and warm over medium/high heat. Take tenderloin out of oven, slice thinly at an angle, pour warmed marinade over tenderloin and serve.
Note – this recipe goes well with asparagus, a salad or a starch!

Wednesday – Grilled London Broil
The marinade for this comes from, Take the Tour for a Taste of Colonial Edenton, cookbook You can use chicken (the frozen packs are on sale), flank steak or london broil.

• 1 (16 ounce) jar Kraft Italian dressing
• ½ c. honey
• ½ c. soy sauce
• 1 t. ginger
• 3 t. minced garlic

Mix all ingredients well and marinate steak or chicken all day or overnight. Grill to your liking.

Thursday - Open Faced Meatloaf or leftover London Broil or Pork Tenderloin Sandwiches

Stay out of the kitchen and enjoy leftovers!

In case you were wondering....

Substituting the chicken for the ground beef was not a complete disaster! It was actually pretty good. Although some sides would have been nice. Maybe some black beans or rice??? One can only eat so much cilantro and sour cream.

Save the Drama for the Llamas

image taken from my son's copy of llama llama red pajama, by Anna Dewdney

Why is it that I find myself relating to the Llama Mama in Anna Dewdney’s Llama Llama Red Pajama each night at bedtime? Why can’t I relate to someone more glamorous and carefree like Serena Van Der Woodsen? I’ve become a very busy mama, but this week I’m trying to eliminate some of the craziness with meals I can prepare ahead of time. I hope to also revamp the blog. I don’t know if there’s a way to make grocery shopping glamorous and exciting, but I’m going to try!

VIC Specials of interest…. http://flyer.harristeeter.com/HT_eVIC/ThisWeek/index.jsp?ID8525

Whole fryer chickens - $0.59/pound
HT Shredded Cheeses - $1.77 each and if you are an e-VIC member you get one pack at $0.97.
HT Cream Soups – 4 for $3
HT Canned Broths – 3 for $2

I’m also buying rotisserie chickens on Sunday (always $4.99 on Sunday).

Monday – Mexican Lasagna
This recipe comes from Jennifer Brock via Make it Easy. I haven’t made it before, but I’ve been looking for recipes I can make ahead and this one looks fun and different. I can also put half in a separate casserole to freeze for later. I think I’ll substitute shredded rotisserie chicken for the lean ground beef.

-1 pound lean ground beef (I’m using shredded chicken from one rotisserie chicken)
-1 packet taco seasoning – Old El Paso is buy one, get one
-1 small can mexi-corn (I’ve said before I’ve become a corn snob, but HT’s “border blend corn” is on special for only $0.77 a can)
-An 8 oz can of tomato sauce
-8 oz. cream cheese
-3 c. Mexican cheese blend, divided – HT brand on VIC special
-9 – 12 no boil lasagna noodles (if only everything were as easy as no boil lasagna noodles)
-5 -6 c. salsa – HT brand is on sale for $1.97 each for a 24 oz. jar
Garnish with fresh cilantro, sour cream and chopped tomatoes

Brown meat over medium-high heat until it crumbles (I get to skip this step with the chicken). Stir in taco seasoning, corn, and tomato sauce. Cook 5 – 10 minutes or until well mixed and thickened – can add ¼ c. water if needed).

Remove from heat and immediately stir in cream cheese and 1 ½ c. shredded cheese until melted.

Spread 1 c. salsa in greased 9 x 13 baking pan. Layer 3 noodles, 2 c. beef mixture, 1 c. salsa. Repeat layers 1 – 2 more times. Top with remaining 3 noodles and 2 c. salsa. Sprinkle with remaining 1 ½ c. cheese.

Cover with non-stick aluminum foil. Bake, covered at 375 for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 more minutes or until bubbly and lightly browned. Let stand 10 minutes before serving and garnish as desired.

Tuesday – Ma and Nancy’s Baked Chicken
This is one of my mother-in-law’s contributions to Make it Easy. Only recently tried this and after doing so, do not know why I haven’t done it before. Maybe it was the cleaning of the chicken that intimidated me. Removing the neck, liver and gizzards takes some getting used to. After you get past that, it is an easy, delicious meal. I think I’ll clean the chicken and prepare the veggies a day ahead. Then all I’ll have to do on Tuesday is dress the chicken with the oil and spices and throw in the veggies.

· 1 large baking chicken – VIC Special
· Olive oil
· Seasoned salt
· Fresh ground pepper
· 1 T chopped rosemary (I think I used a lot more, but forgot to chop it)
· Lemon juice
· 3 onions, quartered
· Carrots
· Fresh mushrooms – on special 2 packs for $4

Wash chicken with water and pat dry. Sprinkle chicken liberally with first 5 ingredients and place in roasting pan or deep baking dish.

Broil both sides in oven to crisp skin – I probably did this for about 4 minutes on each side, but could have done it a little longer. I got scared when I saw rosemary popping and didn’t want it to burn.

Place chicken breast side up and surround with veggies. Put a few tablespoons of water (or chicken broth) in bottom of pan, cover well with foil and bake for at least an hour to an hour and a half at 350. (I put water and white wine in my pan and probably did several tablespoons, rather than a few.)

Serve with rice or pasta and pan juices.

Jaquelin notes other veggies can be used, including leeks, potatoes turnips and peppers.

Wednesday – Chicken Tetrazzini with Proscuitto and Peas
This recipe begins with my very favorite tetrazzini recipe found in the January 2009 issue of Southern Living.  I’ll try and make this on Sunday too while the chicken is really fresh and easy to shred. I’ve posted the original before, but here it is again.  As Southern Living suggests, the prosciutto and peas will add a little more (good) drama and excitement to one of our weekday staples. You can easily divide into two casseroles and freeze one for later.

-1 – 7oz package vermicelli
-3 c chopped chicken – I’ll use chicken from one of the rotisserie chickens
-1 can cream of mushroom – on VIC special
-1 can sliced mushrooms, drained – I always skip
-½ c chicken broth – on VIC special
-¼ c dry white wine
-¼ t freshly ground pepper
-½ c slivered almonds – I substitute bread crumbs for the almonds. Just more likely to have bread crumbs in the pantry.
-3 oz. finely chopped prosciutto sautéed in 2 T. hot oil 2 -3 minutes, until crisp
-1 c. frozen peas, thawed


Preheat oven to 350. Prepare pasta according to directions. Meanwhile combine chicken, ½ c parmesan, soup, alfredo sauce, mushrooms, chicken broth, wine and pepper. Stir in pasta, peas and proscuitto. Spoon into casserole dish and top with remaining parmesan and almonds/breadcrumbs. Bake for 30 minutes or until bubbly.

Thursday – Leftovers!!!

Intensive Purposes

Summer, for all intensive purposes is over….Ok so my more refined/educated counterparts know the correct saying is “intents and purposes,” but “intensive purposes” sounds much cooler. Who cares that the phrase “intensive purposes,” doesn’t make sense? I only realized I’d been saying it incorrectly a few months ago. My husband’s very good friend took great pleasure in correcting his wife and me. I guess it’s kind of like “chest of drawers,” (I say, “chester drawers”) or “nip it in the bud,” (I say “butt”-- don’t know if I was envisioning a cigarette butt or an actual kick in the butt). I am wrong in both cases, but blame it on my Eastern North Carolina upbringing. Anyhoo – Summer is over, and although I can’t say good riddance, I am looking forward to Fall, the cooler temps, corduroys, boots and football games – well let’s be honest…maybe not the actual game, rather the tailgating, pimento cheese, ham biscuits and bloody marys. With the onset of Fall, I will return to VIC special shopping, blogging and weekly meal planning. My shopping habits – at Harris Teeter and elsewhere – have surely taken a turn for the worse. But beginning this weekend I’m back…So long Summer and my excuse not to cook! In the meantime, here’s a recap of our past few months...


making cupcakes...

eating them...

spending some time at the beach...
relaxing and reflecting... and enjoying the view...