I love to cook. I grew up baking holiday cookies, family birthday cakes, etc. Then in middle & high school, my mom had me start cooking dinner once a week for the whole family (6 of us!). I’m pretty sure I hated it then, but I LOVE it now! On the weekends, I plan out the following week’s dinners then go to the grocery store and buy everything I’ll need for that week. I learned my grocery shopping habits from my father who did all the grocery shopping for the family growing up. This means that I scour the ads, use coupons and buy extra of stuff when it’s on sale. Take chicken (boneless, skinless only!) for example…when it’s on sales for $1.99/pound or less, I buy at least 10 pounds of it then freeze it in 2-packs. I used to make fun of my dad for his frugality, but now I can’t wait to get my receipt to see how much I’ve saved. It’s almost like a mini-orgasm when I save more than I spend (too graphic?). For weeknight dinners, I try and make things as easy and fast as possible. Nothing fancy, sometimes even hotdogs. And no, not even the all turkey good better for you kind. I’m talking the BarS .70 per pack, chicken, pork, maybe beef combo hotdogs! I love ’em.
Anyway, I digress…since I do things so simply on weeknights, I typically try and pull out all the stops on weekends and holidays…especially holidays. I hosted Easter for our families this year. There were 12 of us, including Monster. I told everyone that dinner was at 2:00 and…(drumroll please)…we sat down to eat at 2:05 PM! Dinner was fantastic and everyone had a good time. I wish we would have taken photos of the final dinner product because it was just that good. I am in no way taking all the credit for this entire from scratch dinner, my sis was a HUGE help, my mom brought the rolls and my MIL brought some homemade mac-n-cheese.
Our Appitizer Menu:
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Bacon and Cheese Quiche
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Mushroom Tart
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Tomato Tart
Dinner Menu:
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Champagne Ham
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Mashed Red Potatoes
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Deviled Eggs
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Broiled Asparagus
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Rolls
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Green Salad
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Mac-n-cheese
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Jello salad
Dessert: Homemade strawberry shortcake with fresh whipped cream!
This one of Andy seriously cracks me up. Mostly because his “are you freaking kidding me?” face genuinely shows how he feels about all the pictures my sisters and I take!
Yum!! Good job Kat! At first I thought it was your sister Kristen in that picture…you two look so much alike sometimes!I'm impressed with your planning for the week. I've sometimes wondered how I would do it if I had to work 'til 5:00 and then come home and cook dinner. Seems like quick would be the route to go. Do you like to use the crockpot? I try to use mine once a week maybe. Here is a cool site/blog if you do: http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/
Gaby–thinks for the heads up on the slow-cooker blog. I don't like to use mine that often because it cooks like it's on sterroids…even on low. Plus, most recipes call for 6-8 hours and I would have to cook them for almost 12. I use it on the weekends though and I am always looking for new recipes to try!!