Menu Plan Monday - Menu Planning Week #30

7.25.11 - Chick-fil-A Church Bulletin Night

7.26.11 - Grilling TBD

7.27.11 - Dream Dinners Slow Cooked BBQ Pork Loin Strips & Baked Potatoes

7.28.11 - Dream Dinners All American Beef Kabobs, Salad & Rice

7.29.11 - Dinner with Gray & Leigh... pretty pumped about trying Leigh's Guacamole Bacon Burgers, we're bringing over corn on the cob and black beans

7.30.11 - Monthly Dinner Club at Meredith & Scott's, We're in charge of the appetizer... not sure yet what I'm making

7.31.11 - Chicken & Pasta Salad

What are you eating this week???

a breeze

I normally love summer.  Even the heat that comes along with a South Carolina summer.  BUT, yesterday was the 6th day in a row of sweltering heat, so I spent most of my Saturday inside.  (Well, if you don't count the 7.43 mile run completed before 8am).    I originally had all these plans of spending the afternoon out shopping, but the heat this week completely wiped me out.

This guy is wiped, too.

We actually did venture out to lunch and to the new Mast General Store in town, and scored two $10 off coupons which I used to buy some Columbia tank tops for running.  After our lunch, however, I alternated between my couch and my bed, drinking up lots of ice cold water.

This morning, when I woke up, it was already hot, and the dog was going a little stir-crazy from being inside most of the day yesterday.  I decided to take him out back and toss the tennis ball around and when I opened the door, I felt the most glorious BREEZE!  The actual movement of air!    Just when I had started to lose all hope of it ever cooling off again!

I'm looking forward to a slightly more productive day today.  It's the little things, like a breeze, that can really turn your day around.  Any good ideas for hot weather activities?

Menu Plan Monday - Menu Planning Week #29

Here's what we're chowing on this week... I'm in a little bit of a cooking slump, something about being in the kitchen when it is a sweltering 100 degrees outside just doesn't appeal to me! It is just so much easier for me to thaw something from the freezer that doesn't require a lot of prep time and energy this time of year.   Anyone got any "cool" hot-weather recipes to inspire me to get back in the kitchen?  

7.18.11 - Chick-Fil-A Free Sandwiches with Sunday Church Bulletin

7.19.11 - Grilling burgers & corn-on-the-cob

7.20.11 - Lorraine's "Undone" Stuffed Pepper Casserole

7.21.11 - Dream Dinners Bruschetta Chicken & Salad

7.22.11 - REAL Mexico - our newly determined Friday-Night-Date Spot

7.23.11 - Sandwiches/Salads/Leftovers

7.24.11 - Grilling out

Way Late Wednesday - Menu Plan Week 28

Whoopsie... got to spend some time with a friend Monday night having some yummy cupcakes and catching up on life, so forgot to post our menu plan for the week.  I'll blame it on vacation brain... I'm still working on getting back to real life after a long break at the beach :)

 

7.11.11 Monday - Dream Dinner Creamy Bacon Tortellini

7.12.11 Tuesday - Ryan boys night... me... TBA

7.13.11 Wednesday - Crockpot Beef Tacos

7.14.11 Thursday - Dream Dinner Calzones

7.15.11 Friday - Leftovers

7.16.11 Saturday - Grilling Out

7.17.11 Sunday - TBA

Menu Plan Monday - Week #27

No plan this week... we're at the beach :) That means the fridge is stocked with lots of good stuff to cook and we decide in the mornings what to make that night.  We hit the local store about once-a-day to pick up the necessities.  We spend HOURS on the beach everyday and maybe once in a while hit the outlets (if we're too sunburned or weather is bad).  Mostly, lots of R&R is on order. 

For the 4th, we're celebrating with BBQ Ribs and Peach Cobbler.  YUM.

Seeya next week when vacation is over!

Menu Plan Monday - Menu Planning Week #26

Well, we made it!  Halfway through 2011 and we're still menu planning!  This week we are getting ready for next week's vacation, so we're trying to save some money and clean out the fridge.  Also, this is the first time I've ordered "Dream Dinners" (DD), which are pre-made frozen meals that you pick up at Piggly Wiggly and all you have to do is throw them in the pan or the oven, no prep required.  I'm trying them out because they give 30% back to my fundraising for TNT, plus, you it is a pretty good deal to get an entire meal that feeds 3 for $10.  (And, there are only 2 of us).  I only ordered a few this time because I wanted to check them out, but if they are a success, then I might be trying even more next month!

6.27.11 - Leftovers & Carolina Baseball in CWS Finals!
6.28.11 - Diablo Chicken & Rice (DD) and homemade guacamole, Carolina Baseball in CWS Finals!
6.29.11 - Creamy Bacon Tortellini (DD) and another baseball game if it goes to 3.
6.30.11 - Girls Night for me, Softball for Ryan
7.1.11 - Meal TBA...but, it's my nephew's FIRST BIRTHDAY!!! (And the first anniversary of Gamecock National Championship Day)
7.2.11 - Cooper's Birthday Party in the afternoon, then it's off to the BEACH!
7.3.11 - BEACH!!

Have a great week y'all!

Fruit Trifle Recipe

My summer go-to dessert is the fruit trifle.  Usually, I make it with just strawberries, but for our luncheon at work this week, I decided to change it up a bit and add blueberries, too!  Very "American" themed, huh?  This is the 3rd or 4th time I've whipped up this recipe in the last few months and lots of people have asked me to write it down so they could make it, so here it is!

"USA" Theme Trifle

Ingredients:

Vanilla Jello Instant Pudding Mix + Milk to prepare

Cool Whip

Angel Food Cake (torn into lots of pieces)

Fresh Fruit

Directions:

On the night before your event, slice up your fruit and top with sugar.  Allow to sit in fridge overnight to get good and yummy.  Go ahead and put your cool whip in the fridge to thaw, too!

When you're ready to put it all together, use a glass bowl or trifle dish (this makes for a pretty presentation, but it would definitely be just as tasty in any other dish), tear your angel food cake into lots of little pieces, then get ready to layer:

angel food cake - fruit- pudding - cool whip - angel food cake - fruit - pudding - cool whip

You always want to end with cool whip, then use a little bit of fresh fruit to decorate the top!  

side view to show the yummy layers

I've made it with both vanilla and cheese cake flavored puddings.  I think it would be GREAT with peaches, and can't wait to try that later this summer.  If you're wanting something light & cool, this is your dish!  You can change up the size by using more fruit, larger boxes of jello mix and a larger container of cool whip.

I've gotten lots of compliments on this recipe, especially on hot summer days.  Trust me, you won't ever have leftovers!