It's actually sort of silly that I am even bothering to post this...we are packing up to go to HomeTown this week, so it's a really short week.  But because I know you all won't be able to sleep unless I post this....

Sunday-Turkey burgers, green salad with homemade ranch dressing

Monday-Pizza with homemade crust and homemade sauce and green salad

Tuesday-Saturday-Off to HomeTown!  Yay!


For other great full week menu plans, visit the Organizing Junkie.

Just a few more days and we will be packing up for a glorious full week in HomeTown. So excited to be finally be going home....but it's bittersweet too, as this means our little Peanut is going to be a full two years old.

By full two years old, I mean we can now officially say she is two.  When out and about, people ask how old she is and for a few months we've been saying "she's almost two" instead of 21 months or 22 months because people just give us this look like you're going to make me do math to figure out how old she is?--it was became easier to say "she's almost two."   But, I fully admit, I was the same way before children.  :)

All that to say....wow, that means that she's really not a baby at all anymore--she's a full fledged toddler.  That also means that I've been a mom for two years now and that I quit my job two years ago.  It's just crazy how time will fly by without even realizing it.

But as I began this post saying, fall is definitely in the air....

Our trips to the park in the early evening mean it's a lot darker than it used to be at that same time just six weeks ago.

































And it means that there aren't many of these trips to the park left....

It means that it's actually getting below 60 degrees in the wee hours in the morning and that I put on a sweatshirt when I get up because it's just a tad bit chilly.

It means that the Hubby will stop studying and stressing and contemplating and agonizing because the Fantasy Football Draft will soon be over.  But who am I kidding?  All that really means is that the draft is over and the studying and stressing and contemplating and agonizing will continue each and every week to determine which players to play. 

It means that the apple crops are coming on and we were blessed with some free apples from our gracious landlord.  Remember the cherries?  She purposefully picked a "baby apple for the baby" and gave it to  Peanut.  Now, I have never given her a full apple before....she's had them sliced, but not a whole apple.  Didn't take her long to figure it out....she was in her car seat munching on it before I had my seat buckled for the drive home.  Chuckle, chuckle. 


































And in other non-fall related news....I have never been so glad to have brown hair in all my life.  But first, let me back up.  During my youth and teenage years, my hair was always a dark blond...very much the color of Peanut's.  As I got older, it started to get darker. Combine that with the fact that prior to the Peanut being born, I had been having my hair weaved/highlighted for nearly six years or so and it had gotten a lot darker than I ever realized.  I had never come to accept the fact that I was no longer a blond.

Fast forward to the Peanut being born and my quitting my job....dropping $110 on a cut and color every couple of months was just not happening any more.  During Peanut's first year, Hubby's cousin graciously colored my hair for free and that allowed me to continue my "habit"....but this past year living in SmallTown doesn't allow me that opportunity any longer. 

So I tried to do it myself.  To "save" money, but also allow myself to indulge in some vanity.  Not a weave of course, because I have no where near enough talent to pull that off.  Just an overall "highlight."

You can see were this is going.

It didn't go well.  I did just what the gal at Sally's told me to do...or at least I thought I did. 

















And you know, this picture doesn't do it justice....but neither could I bear to post a full picture with red nose and puffy eyes from all the crying. 


It was just bad.  Really, really, bad. 

So in all my vanity in wanting the blond hair that I wasn't blessed with and an effort to save money was all in vain.  No pun intended.   I went to a professional to get it fixed and now my hair is mousy brown once again.  You may be wondering why I went back to brown instead of getting the blond like I originally intended.  Because this was an effort to save money....and clearly me coloring/highlighting my hair was a disaster.  I clearly am not able to do it myself and I certainly can't afford to maintain it at a salon, so mousy brown it is....and I just have to accept the fact that I am no longer a blond.





























The "after."


But hey, at least the grays are covered now too, right? 

See?  There is always a silver lining....or in this case, or brown lining.

We have had an abundance of fresh basil around here.  Could be because we planted so much.

Anyhow, I prefer to just cut it as I need it, but sometimes I get a little over zealous and I cut too much at once.  My hubby told me a great little tip that they do at their restaurant in order to store fresh basil in the fridge.  They fill a tall container with an inch or two of water and place the cut end in the water....it helps keep in fresh much longer and it doesn't get all flimsy nearly as fast.



































So I did it and it really works!  Isn't that a nifty little trick?  For other great tips, visit We Are THAT Family. 

I realized I have been making these pork chops for a while and have never shared them before. They are really good and they come together really easy, which when you have a hungry Peanut, makes dinner time much, much smoother. (She is so impatient when she is hungry....I have no clue where that comes from. None.)  The recipe comes from Rachael Ray, but she also serves them with an apple coleslaw, which I have never done--although, it sounds delicious, so I really don't know why I've never done it that way.

And I personally wouldn't call it a "gravy," and although very good, even letting it reduce for quite a bit longer than directed, the sauce wasn't gravy-like.  It was, well, saucy.  But the saucy-goodness was just that--good, good, good.  The Peanut even had seconds of both the broccoli and pork. 






















(and I apologize for the less than stellar picture....apparently the pink plate did no service for the pork chops, which I assure you is cooked through...despite the "pink" tinge)

Pork Chops with Honey Mustard Gravy -- adapted from Rachael Ray

Boneless pork loin chops (I used bone-in--they work just as well)
Grill seasoning (such as Montreal's)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1/2 to 1 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup grainy mustard
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons cider vinegar or white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
Salt and pepper

Sprinkle chops with grill seasoning on each side.  Heat EVOO in a skillet over medium high skillet and grill pork chops.  Brown each side for about eight minutes, or until pork is cooked through.  Remove chops from pan.

De-glaze the pan with chicken stock (if you want it thicker, I wouldn't use a full cup) and then add in mustard, honey, vinegar, and thyme.  Season with salt and pepper to taste and let reduce for several minutes.  Drizzle the sauce over pork chops. I served it with mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli, and homemade biscuits. 


This recipe is linked to:

Beauty and Bedlam's Tasty Tuesday
Blessed With Grace Tempt My Tummy Tuesday
Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap
Two For Tuesdays Recipe Swap

We finally, finally, finally got our grass fed beef this week!  Yay for us!  So you will see more beef meals listed on my menus in the future.  Of course, as always, there are a few roll overs because I didn't get to everything last week like I thought I would.   Here's what's on the menu for this week. 

Sunday-Pork chops with Honey Mustard Gravy, Potatoes, Steamed Veggies

Monday-Bacon, Leek and Tomato Spaghetti, Green Salad with homemade ranch dressing

Tuesday-Lasagna (using this tip), green salad, crusty bread

Wednesday-Beef Enchiladas with homemade sauce, black beans, green salad

Thursday-Nacho's with taco meat, black beans, cheese, sour cream, and salsa

Friday-SpanakoPizza (Greek Style Pizza)
















Saturday-Leftovers

We went out of town earlier this week.  Hubs had a company picnic east of SmallTown and on the way home, we were able to stop and see his uncle and aunt that live just a short distance from where the picnic was held.

The picnic was fun...Peanut enjoyed being able to run free...and when I say "run free," run free she did.  Like, she didn't stop.  Except for the food and ice cream.  And that was only for a moment.

I chose to get the vanilla ice cream, much to the caterer's irritation, as he had to rinse the scoop after a long line of small children wanting the bright blue bubble gum ice cream.  Yes, I have to be a pain like that.  And I know the vanilla choice supposedly indicates my bland personality, but I truly chose it because it had less artificial coloring and flavors.

At least I hope it did--you know, that "real foods" thing again.

But Hubs lives on the edge and he chose to get the bubble gum and as you can see, the Peanut loved it.
























It even received a round of applause.






















She also got her second skinned knee.  And I didn't even sanitize it.  I know, I was extremely carefree that day. 






















Of course, it was hardly that bad, but you know.

Hubs uncle and aunt and cousins showed us a great time that evening out on the town.  Peanut got to have her first carousel ride, which she thought was grand fun.























































Peanut was also enthralled with this goat sculpture at the park.  When you hit this button, it sucks up small pieces of trash in it's mouth.  Our little animated girl is so funny.   She could have done it all night if we let her.























































His uncle also was gracious enough to take some wonderful family pictures...these had quite the backdrop,  don't you think? 

































The park also had the biggest Radio Flyer in the world....























The pully thing on the wagon (what is that thing called?) was a slide and once again, Peanut had no problems going down by herself.  Fearless, I tell you.  Fearless.
























And on the way home from his uncle and aunt's, we stopped to get our beef.  Yay!  We are all stocked up!
































Now, truthfully, I did some research on grass fed beef after we made our initial deposit for our portion.  Isn't that smart?  So of course, then I became very hesitant about the taste of grass fed beef.  Many of the things I came across online said grass fed beef was "gross,"  or that "it tasted 'gamey'," or "it was different," etc, etc.

Well, I made our first chuck roast last night and after reading all that, Hubs and I were pleasantly surprised.  It didn't taste any different than what we are used to--it tasted like beef to us! Imagine that.  Perhaps a difference would be noticed in a side by side "taste test," but we both loved it!  In addition, just as I came across many times in my online research, the meat was much leaner.  There wasn't that marbled fattiness to the roast as there typically is with the more "inexpensive" cuts.  All in all, we are so happy with it and I am so glad that we did it!

We are blessed!

Have a great weekend y'all! 

Last week, when we went to our landlord's for swimming and dinner, she made this wonderful bruschetta.  I didn't get the official recipe from her, however I went off what she told me was in it and this is what I came up with.  And just so you all know, I made it the following night because it was so amazing.  In fact, I might even make it again tonight.  It's that good.  

First, I made some french bread baguettes using Lucy's Crusty French Bread recipe (I shaped mine into three skinny baguette sized loafs).  Sourdough bread would probably be even better, but that requires starter and when you are craving bruschetta, you don't want to wait that long.

I sliced the baguettes into slices and then toasted them under a low broiler for about five minutes.  Watch it close though, as they will go from nicely toasted to charred in no time flat.  Don't ask me how I know....

And now, without further ado, the star of the show....
























Tomato and Olive Tapenade Bruschetta

1/2 cup black olives, finely chopped
1/2 cup green olives, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 large tomatoes, chopped (garden fresh would be best, if not, store bought work too--that's what I used)
1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

Fresh basil, chiffonade
Parmesan Cheese, grated

In a mixing bowl, gently toss black and green olives, garlic, and tomatoes.  Add olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.

Spoon generous amounts of olive and tomato mixture on toasted baguette slices.  Sprinkle liberally with fresh basil and Parmesan cheese.  Enjoy! 

This recipe is linked to:

Beauty and Bedlam's Tasty Tuesday
Blessed With Grace Tempt My Tummy Tuesday
Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap
Two For Tuesdays Recipe Swap 

We are finally getting our beef for sure this Wednesday!  Yay!  Now I just hope that we like the taste of grass fed beef, because hey, we don't have a choice now.  I am excited to say the least.  I also made some impromptu items last week for dinner, so there are a couple of roll overs from last week. 

Sunday-Mac and Cheese with Broccoli, green salad with homemade ranch dressing

Monday-Pizza with homemade crust and sauce, green salad
















source


Tuesday-Out of town for hub's company picnic

Wednesday-Nacho's with ground beef, black beans, cheese, sour cream and salsa

Thursday-Roast, mashed potatoes, horseradish carrots

Friday-Baked Potato bar with chili, sour cream, cheese, broccoli, green onions, and bacon

Saturday-Leftovers

Someone got up about three hours earlier than normal...






















...and didn't even make it through lunch. 

We spent the afternoon and evening at our landlord's home today.  She invited us to come over and go swimming and also served us a wonderful steak dinner.  It was a perfect day to do it--it was around 102 degrees, or at least that's what the thermometer read-that was in the shade.  And we rarely enjoy steak, so that was a treat as well.  Our landlord was a wonderful hostess, much like my Mom and her husband is of the same political persuasion as my Dad...made me miss my parents all the more.  We had a wonderful time, to say the least.
































My sister used to swim competitively all through her youth and well into her teen years.  Let's just say we don't share that love of the water gene.  My sister has webbed feet and apparently that same gene that bypassed me has been passed on to my daughter.  Which is good, except when she tries to get in the pool on her own.  Have I mentioned she is fearless?  Don't worry, Mom, absolutely no harm came of it.  But let's just say she kept us on our toes. 
























Speaking of toes, Daddy's  were prunes (bless his heart) by the time dinner was served.  She not only loved the water, but she loved getting in and out and in and out and in and o--you get the idea.  So Daddy just stayed in the pool and and I stayed out and we passed her back and forth no less than six or seven times. 

And being the paranoid mama I am, Peanut did not have one bit of sunburn at the end of the afternoon.  Perhaps that was because we might have just as well dipped her in a gallon of sunscreen. 

But I was thrilled nonetheless.  I even gave myself a pat on the back.