Menu Plan Monday: March 1-7, 2010 and A Thought About MPM

I'll tell you up front that this post is going to be way too long. It has four parts. I creatively labeled them Part One, Two, Three and Four. That way, if you are only here to use me for my delicious menu, and have no interest in my really well written review of last week's menu or my informative preview to this week's menu, including some provocative thoughts I have on Menu Plan Monday, you can scroll down to Part Four to see my menu with lots of links (without which, I personally find MPM to be useful only for the writer of a menu).

PART ONE: Thoughts on MPM, Part One (Part One suspensefully hints that I may have other thoughts on MPM and may share them at some later date)

I love menu planning for my own sake. As I have said before, it gets me started on the right foot to be organized for the new week. And I am always hopelessly striving to be more organized. So I encourage all of my friends to do it, whether you do it on a blog, or on your own computer, or on a scrap of paper on the fridge.

I participate in Menu Plan Monday. MPM is the brilliant idea of Laura at

Orgjunkie. com, where bloggers can post their menu plans for the upcoming week, then link their blog post so other people, bloggers or not, can see what other people are making and get good ideas for their own menu planning.

There are literally hundreds of links (last week 479 people linked) and I can never get to them all. Time is money. Well, in my case, not really, because I am not paid in money. But still. My time is valuable. So most weeks I come up with a way to choose like "every 12th link", or "Blog Names That Sound Cute". Then I start clicking. And I pray that the blog I am headed to has at least one recipe or link posted and not just a stranger's menu plan for the week with the names of what they are making.

I understand why people post their menus, but I don't really understand why they link their post if they only provide a list of menu items and do not include links or recipes. Because I don't know them and this does not help me.

Just thought I'd mention.

PART TWO: Last week's menu

~At the suggestion of Laura from Orgjunkie, I made Chicken Spaghetti, which she found at Pioneer Woman. I think PW (or someone) adapted it from this recipe, and I made a few changes of my own, which I will note at the bottom of this post. Simple to make and my whole family loved it.

~1 Dish Taco Bake was also a hit. I doubled the recipe and cooked it in this little beauty (12" Le Creuset Skillet) rather than in two pie plates. This was a mistake. And I knew it as soon as I had all of the ingredients layered in it. Because the recipe uses quick rising yeast, and the food was already at the top of the skillet. So I placed a cookie sheet under the skillet in the oven and waited for the majik, which soon followed. Next time I will double the recipe, put half or two-thirds in the skillet and the rest on a small pie plate. Because there is something so cozy about serving supper out of a genu-wine cast iron skillet.

Part Three: About this week's menu
Last week I explained about why our "Valentine's Dinner" was late. Well, now it is later still. Because we planned to share it with friends, one of whom has a somewhat fragile immune system, and we still have coughers around here, especially my oldest and my youngest (one of my aunts thinks we should go on Juice Plus. I have heard good things and have considered it for years but just haven't spent the money. Do any of you have any thoughts about JP?). Now that it is so far past February 14th, I have decided I am calling that particular menu simply Who Needs February 14th Traditional and Special Show My Love For My Family Menu. You will see it tentatively planned for Wednesday.

The rest of the week you will see me using that wonderful invention called a crockpot and also trying to force myself to make pork or beef, which are not my favorites but my family enjoys.

Part Four: The Menu WITH Links

Monday: Sloppy Joes on Homemade Buns

Tuesday: Honey-Pecan Pork Chops

Wednesday: Nacho Spuds (Or last Wednesday's meal which I have explained above).

Thursday: Taco Soup (crockpot, from my Older and Wiser Sis)

Friday: Salsa Chicken over Rice (crockpot!)

Saturday: Leftovers

Sunday: Eat Out

Have a genu-winely wonderful week!

My take on Chicken Spaghetti


Cut Up Cooked Chicken (instead of PW's whole chicken I used pieces)
Dry cappellini pasta (angel hair), broken into little pieces
2 cans Cream Of Mushroom Soup
2 cups Costco Grated Mixed Cheese
Olive Oil
½ diced red pepper
½ diced yellow pepper
¼ cups diced onion (I sauteed all of my veggies)
1 jar (4 Ounce) diced pimentos
2 cups Reserved Chicken Broth From Pot
Lawry's Seasoned Salt, to taste
Cayenne Pepper, to taste
Salt And Pepper, to taste
Additional Grated Cheese

Instructions
Cook desired chicken in about 6 cups of water. I used 2 bone in breasts and 2 boneless thighs.

Remove chicken and 2 cups broth from pan, use to cook cappellini until al dente (I used 1.5 pounds and it made a ton). Do not overcook.

Debone chicken and cut meat into small pieces.

Saute peppers and onion in olive oil until tender.

When spaghetti is cooked, combine with all ingredients except the additional cheese, including the 2 cups of broth (start out using less to desired consistency but I used it all).

Place mixture in casserole pan and top with remaining sharp cheddar.

Cover and freeze up to six months, cover and refrigerate up to two days, or bake immediately: 350 degrees for 45 minutes until bubbly. (If the cheese on top starts to get too cooked, cover with foil).

Menu Plan Monday: February 22-28, 2010

(For tons more menu and recipe ideas, go to OrgJunkie.com)

Since I have such a wide variety of ages of children we are often not all at home for dinner. As a result, this week is the week we will finally be having our Valentine's Day dinner. I am not attached to that day, but I am attached to establishing and maintaining traditions and memories for my family. Wednesday is the day I will make our traditional love dinner. We will also be having company for dinner this year so I am even more excited.

I like to try one new recipe at least every couple of weeks. This week, upon the suggestion of OrgJunkie, I am trying Chicken Spaghetti from Pioneer Woman. I'll let you know how it goes.

I am also trying Buttermilk Pot Roast. My friend who is studying Judaism informed me last week it is not Kosher to cook meat and dairy at once. So if I ever decide to try to be Kosher, well, this recipe is out. But I really want to try it because I don't like chewy meat and I know that milk tenderizes meat.

Enough already. I gotta get this posted or I am going to be number 436 on the link up and no one will look at my menu.

Have a great week!

Monday: Chicken Spaghetti

Tuesday: Buttermilk Pot Roast

Wednesday: Brass Horn Chicken Pasta, Cranberry and Sugared Walnut Salad with Feta, Fresh Bread with real butter, Heart's Delight Eclair, Shirley Temples, Sparkling Cider

Thursday: 1 Dish Taco Bake

Friday: Spud Nachos

Saturday: Leftovers

Sunday: Eat Out

You're Late! You're Late!

This morning I watched a piece on T.V. about why people are late. For my church-going friends, I thought this morning would be great timing to write about it because, no matter how well you think you have prepared, there's always that rush to get out the door on a Sunday morning!

There were many reasons they presented for why people are late including procrastination and people thinking they need to squeeze out every last minute of busy-ness. I was informed there are counselors specifically for helping people figure out why they are always late. It sort of amused me. I wonder how long it takes, if the counselor schedules them for an exact time and, if they do, if they tell the counselee a time that is 15 minutes earlier than what they write in their appointment book?

Like the weather, time always seems to be an issue and a topic of conversation:"Better late than never" contradicts "Better an hour too soon than a minute too late". "Do you know what time it is?" is a well known pick-up line. "I just haven't had time" is a commonly heard excuse phrase. The official trailer of the new movie "Alice In Wonderland" even includes a line about being late (I know there is a famous line in that book, but this is slightly different).

I was always taught that people who are perpetually late think their time is more important than everyone else's. I think there is some truth to this, even just in perception, but I don't think it is the answer.

I have friends who are perpetually late. And I have friends who hate being late. I can't think of a friend I have about whom I would say they would never be late. Some people don't even notice when you are late. Some people are really bothered by it. And some people never forget. Based on me being late about twice or three times in over 25 years, one of my friends has indicated several times that I am "always late".

I would definitely not say I am "always late". But it isn't unheard of, that's for sure. I don't like being late, but there is also a difference between being late for, say, a wedding, vs. a casual appointment with a friend. With a friend, it is usually something like "Let's meet around 10" or, "I'll probably be there around 10", rather than "It starts at 10".

If one of my friends is 5 minutes late, give or take a couple of minutes, I don't really consider it as late. Probably because, living in the country myself, it takes longer to get everywhere and I understand that it is difficult to anticipate traffic and road construction.



It's all about that pesky clock that just keep ticking. If I am late, it is usually because I have overestimated time -- either how much time has passed or how long a certain activity will take and how much I can fit in. Sometimes I just lose track of time then suddenly it dawns on me. I look at my watch and start that scramble we all know all too well. Time just gets away from me!





Are you a late person? How do you feel when others are late to a meeting with you? If you are late, why would you usually say that is?


Have a punctual week,

Never Too Late
It is never too late to be happy;
It is never too late to smile;
It is never too late to extend a hand
With a cheering word once in a while.
For there's never a sorrow or worry
In all this green-covered earth
But is followed soon by a gladsome joy
And a generous measure of mirth.
~ Jeanette H. Carey