Menu Plan Monday on Wednesday: Easter Edition

Okay, so I had a busy weekend and I've had a weird week. Thus, no menu plan. Oopsie.

I did switch food around in fridges and freezers because I found a good deal on craigslist for a fridge. So there was some stuff to use up.

I had an activity last night with one of my kids, so we had Papa Murphys. Note to self: I do not like their pizza sauce.

 

I asked friends on my Facebook what they are eating this Easter and got some fun responses including eating out or ordering in from Cracker Barrel, Marie Callendars and La Provance. One of my friends listed out almost exactly my menu, sans the Stained Glass Cake. She is going to serve Key Lime Pie for dessert instead.

One friend is going greek (should I capitalize that?) so I imagine she is making lamb. Several friends are making lamb actually. But I can't stand lamb so I did not add it. When I said as much, that same friend, who knows I'd never, ever eat it, suggested rabbit. Of course then we joked about hossenfeffer (sp?).

No can do Mr. Elmer Fudd.

My Menu:(underlined titles are clickable links which will take you to the recipe) 

Tri-Tip Roasts made on Traeger Grill. I am using a delicious and simple recipe from a friend. It’s top secret so I can’t give you the recipe. But do imagine something mouth watering. Because even I love it and I am not a meat lover). We are having company so I will make 2 of these.

Spiral Ham (My family loves leftovers and there will be no tri-tip leftover)

Avocado Strawberry Salad
I got the basic recipe from Frontier Foods and adjusted it with my own preferences and also to include spinach (see very end of post for recipe).

Dilly Rolls with real organic butter (if anyone asks me why organic is important for butter I will post about it later). I have served these for years. I usually make at least a triple batch as my family loves using them to make ham sandwiches with leftover ham. If I am running short on time I will substitute with Costco's Potato Rolls.

Potato Casserole
SHORTCUT: Buy frozen cubed, usually called O'Brien, potatoes at the store rather than peeling and dicing or slicing my own. I add sour cream, cream cheese, ranch dressing mix and cheddar and bake in a casserole dish. For holidays I often buy the disposable aluminum pans for quicker clean up and more enjoyment of the day.

Gravy (because I like to use the juice from the ham and my family loves gravy leftovers)

Tangerine Grilled Asparagus 

I have tried an asparagus and melon dish before. I hate melon but thought it might be good. It tasted like melon. I did not like it. I have also tried a soy and sesame one and I liked it. But I wanted to try something new and this sounded interesting and yummy. We'll see how it goes.

Stained Glass Cake, a family tradition since my big kids were little

Maybe:
Blackberry Jam Cake With Caramel Icing My friend K'lyn suggested this one. She found her recipe via Rachael Ray. But I could not locate that one so my link is one I found by using good ole Google. If I make it, I will use this recipe. It sounds awfully moist and delicious.

Costco Cookies (I love dipping things in my coffee or milk like a raccoon. Prefer homemade but will be at church all morning and don't want to rush around too much the day before)

Other things I considered:

Kouign Aman My friend K'lyn told me about this also. It's one of the things she's thinking about making. I didn't choose it for this time only because it sounds like something I want to practice before I make it for company. But it sure sounds yummy. I hope K makes it so she can tell me how it turns out.

Trifle of some kind. It looks so pretty in the trifle dish. I have made several kinds. I love using fresh berries in summer. But would probably make a chocolate coffee one I made once before. Now that I'm thinking about it I am kinda sad I am not making it.

Do any of you have a special food tradition or something interesting and new you are trying? What are you doing for Holy Day? I love new ideas for recipes and for traditions.

Well, there's lots more I'd like to say about Easter and Passover and my thoughts on them this year. Hopefully I will get to at least one more post this week.

In the meantime, I am hoping each of you has a blessed Holy Day,

STRAWBERRY AVOCADO SALAD:

2 Avocadoes and 2 Oranges, both peeled and cut into bite sized chunks.

2 Cups Strawberries, sliced

2/3 cups Pecans, Toasted

Toss with about 1/3 of dressing (below) or to desired amount

Fill Salad bowl with spinach leaves

Arrange fruit mixture on top of spinach.

Sprinkle with pecans just before serving to keep them crisp

Drizzle with a little more dressing

Serve additional dressing on the side

DRESSING:
1 Cup Plain Yogurt
3 Tablespoons Honey
1/4 plus 1/8 teaspoon cardamom seed powder
1/4 plus 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon powder
3/4 teaspooon dried peppermint leaf, more if fresh

Shakin’ Things Up for St. Patty’s Day

HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY!

My husband’s family comes from Irish-Catholic roots, so we don’t like to let this holiday of Irish-Catholic heritage pass by without at least a nod.

I actually changed my menu plan up a bit because I was able to find some corned beef with no unnatural nitrates added for a *fairly* reasonable price at Trader Joe’s. Another reason to love me some Trader Joe’s. It’ll be a-boilin’ along with some cabbage and potatoes here shortly.

In the meantime, we rustled up that Green Smoothie I was talking about on Menu Plan Monday.

Now, I know we often tell our kids not to play with their food, but that’s because we don’t want them to waste it. And we don’t want to clean up ketchup packet squirts on the ceiling or spaghetti dried on the walls. Because that sort of thing has happened around here a time or two. Not that I’d know, but I can imagine.

But, kids like to be involved in making what they eat. And, as I began laying out the ingredients for the GREEN smoothie, my Mimmy Moo started placing the fruits and veggies into the happy face above. Despite his rather sizeable nose, I think her artistic rendering of St. Patty turned out pretty cute.

You can see that St. Patty is comprised of kale, parsley and mint hair, a pear nose, lime eyes, and a kiwi smile. But wait – there’s even more green around here…

We also added a green apple, at least a cup of spinach and some wheat grass to our tray. And ice. Because we like it cold. GREEN and cold.

Then Mimmy added about a cup of water.

Then she just started right in putting the green stuff in the Vita-Mix.

It usually works best to put the more wet items toward the bottom. And, since we do have a heavy duty, tough as nails machine, I don’t do anything more than cut the hard stuff in quarters. I don’t remove the cores or the peels of most, though I did peel the kiwi.

Yes, sweet girl, ALL of that spinach.

If you are just learning about greeeen smoothies, the trick is to find out how many greens you can add without the veggie taste overpowering the sweet taste of the fruits.

Pile it in there. Stick it upside down and sideways. Squish it in.

Really! Have fun, cuz it just doesn’t matter, as long as those hard working blades can get to them. Now, you can create a log jam of sorts if you cram it in too tightly, you don’t layer, or if you have a standard blender. If you don’t have a mean, green-splitting machine, you will want to cut things into smaller pieces and maybe blend between every few additions. But it’s still easy-peasy and well worth it.

Squirt the juice of about one half of a lime (or to taste). Make sure you don’t get it in your eye.

Notice the log jam I created when I was too lazy forgot to cut the apples and pears into quarters (also known as fourths for the rest of you third graders who are learning about fractions like Mimmy is). I left them in halves and let her pile them in top of each other instead of layering them. It worked out okay, but took longer and created some warmth I usually only want for soup.

More ice please.

Turn that baby on and turn her up as fast as you can. We have to use the tamper that came with our machine.

Then you lick your lips in anticipation.

I TOLD YA --- it is GREEN!

Give it the ole taste test… You can add a little more mint, or a little honey or stevia to sweeten. A banana works well for sweetener too, but banana is strong and likes to take over (which can be a good thing if your kids don’t like the other tastes yet).

… goof around with your brother a little, if you have one of those around. If you don’t, a sister -- or even a parent or grandparent will do. Not as nicely.

But it will work.

CHEERS!

"The Blessing"

(Click on above to hear beautiful song)
In the morning when you rise
I bless the sun, I bless the skies
I bless your lips, I bless your eyes
My blessing goes with you
In the nighttime when you sleep
Oh I bless you while a watch I keep
As you lie in slumber deep
My blessing goes with you
This is my prayer for you
There for you, ever true
Each, every day for you
In everything you do
And when you come to me
And hold me close to you
I bless you
And you bless me, too
When your weary heart is tired
If the world would leave you uninspired
When nothing more of love's desired
My blessing goes with you
When the storms of life are strong
When you're wounded, when you don't belong
When you no longer hear my song
My blessing goes with you
This is my prayer for you
There for you, ever true
Each, every day for you
In everything you do
And when you come to me
And hold me close to you
I bless you
And you bless me, too
I bless you
And you bless me, too

Infinite Forgiveness

Galatians 2:20 "I am crucified with Christ: neverthless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."

This Easter weekend I am mulling this over in light of the death and resurrection of Jesus. That verse to me speaks so clearly of death and resurrection, and also of the symbolic and obedient act of baptism.

The darkness of the crucifixion is not His death. It is the sin and shame He took upon Himself for all of us. It is symbolized also by the cave in which He was buried. Sometimes I forget His benefits, and I lay claim to my sin and my ugliness. I retreat into my cave of unworthiness, of isolation, and of shame. And yet, why? He already took it from me.

And when the Light comes, boy, does it ever come! The dead body is gone -- Jesus is alive and well. He is walking and talking to His friends. Is he still saddled with the sin and the shame? NO!

The sin and shame and all of the ugliness He took upon Himself is simply gone. It's not just that He took it. It's that He took it and it was forgiven. He put it as far as the east is from the west.

I read a Bible study on this once (get ready -- I looove this!). If He would have said as far as the north is from the south He would have been describing a finite distance. You can only travel so far north before you start back up and are traveling south! But you can head east or head west forever!

Infinite forgiveness. Ours because we are called out of darkness and into His glorious light!

I John 1:5b "God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all."

Darkness= sin and shame, death
Light= infinite forgiveness, LIFE!

May you have a blessed, light-filled Easter!