Week of October 25th

Monday - Cheddar sausages, french fries, green beans

Tuesday - Shrimp Alfredo, peas, garlic toast

Wednesday - Pork BBQ sandwiches, baked beans, corn (To make the pork BBQ, I am putting a pork loin in the Crock pot after I rub it with brown sugar, paprika, salt, and pepper. I will cook it with a little water and then add bottled BBQ sauce to it for the last 30 minutes.)

Thursday - Steak (for daddy and A-baby), sweet potatoes, lima beans

Friday - we will be at a Halloween party at A-baby's school, so I'm sure we will snack there. If we are hungry, left over Pork BBQ.

Saturday - Fish sticks, noodles, beets

Sunday - I'm looking at ideas for a spooky meal. I can't make up my mind!

Menu Plan Monday

It's just me and A-baby this week, so I'm going for easy, healthy, and stuff Daddy doesn't like.

Monday
Butternut Squash and Vegetable soup with buttered rolls

Tuesday
Leftover beef vegetable soup thickened with a rue served over mashed potatoes

Wednesday
Teriyaki chicken, rice, peas

Thursday
Leftover Butternut Squash soup (depending on how it turns out)

Friday
Pigs in a blanket and corn

Saturday
Eat dinner out since we have to go to the airport

Sunday
Something nice for Daddy's return. Perhaps a pot roast, veggies, and potatoes.

Butternut Squash and vegetable soup

This soup is a work in progress as it's on the stove when I'm typing this.

Update: The soup is done and eaten. The changes I've made are in green.

Ingredients

• 5 tablespoons of unsalted butter
• 1/2 large Vidalia or sweet onion, cubed
• 1 celery stalk, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced Next time I will use 4 or 5.
• 1 medium potato, skin on, cubed Next time I will peel them.
• 3 carrots, diced
• 2 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed
• salt
• pepper
• cinnamon
• ginger
• 48 oz chicken stock, divided
• Fresh chopped parsley

Directions

1. Melt butter in a large soup pot.
2. Add diced onion and celery, sprinkle with salt and pepper, saute 1 minute.
3. Add garlic, saute 1 minute.
4. Add potato and carrot, sprinkle with salt and pepper, saute 5 minutes (or while you cut up the squash).
5. Add butternut squash, sprinkle with salt, pepper, cinnamon, and ginger, saute 5 minutes.
6. Cover with chicken stock (Don't use all 48 oz of it, you might need some more for later. Also remember that the veggies will releases some juices, too.)
7. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 40 minutes.
8. Strain liquid and reserve.
9. Blend until smooth, adding reserved liquid as needed.
10. Return to hot stove, add more spices, salt, and pepper to taste.
11. Stir in fresh parsley
12. Serve piping hot with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Tonight's dinner

Tonight's dinner is brought to you by my imagination. I hope it's good or we will be eating leftover homemade beef vegetable soup and grilled cheese again.

I don't know where the idea came from except from the fact that the "ethnic" aisle and the pasta aisle are one over from each other at the local grocery store. Or maybe I've had too many glasses of wine Reese's cups. So I'm making a taco lasagna.

**I've made some edits since we've eaten this.**

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground meat (I used turkey that already had taco seasoning added)
• If your meat isn't pre-taco-seasoned you will need a packet of taco seasoning. (Typically found in the spice aisle)
• Some onion, diced.
• 1/2 can corn, drained
• 1/2 can refried beans
• 1-2 cups of cheese
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 8 soft tortillas, cut in half down the middle

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 9x9 baking dish with cooking spray or oil.
2. Brown meat with onion until cooked through.
3. Place 4 tortilla halves in greased dish with flat sides against the side of the dish.
4. Spread 1/2 of the refried beans onto tortillas.
5. Layer 1/2 of the meat, 1/2 of the corn, and 1/3 of the cheese on top of the beans.
6. Dollop 1/2 of sour cream on top.
7. Top with 4 more tortilla halves and repeat layering and dolloping.
8. Put remaining tortilla halves on top to fully cover.
9. Top with desired amount of cheese. (I also sprinkled some Wahoo! Chili seasoning on mine.)
10. Cover with foil. Place into 350 degree F oven and bake for 10 minutes.
11. Remove foil and bake for 5 more minutes.
12. Let stand for a few moments before cutting and serving.

Some variation ideas:

• Add black beans.
• Add cooked rice.
• Add diced tomato or Corn, Black Bean Salsa.
• Top with broken up tortilla chips.

Don't throw away your remaining corn or refried beans. Make some Spanish rice with corn added and serve up with refried beans with cheese on top.