Week 49 Menu

Greetings from babyland...my in-laws have been here all week and leave tomorrow...I think we're all going to be in a little shock this week without doting, helpful grandparents around! Needless to say I'm feeling a bit apprehensive about the transition to real life, so my friends are stepping up to make sure I survive by bringing dinner all week. THANK YOU!!!!!!!!! So, no plan yet again this week! But next week I'm going to have to come up with a menu...no more vacation from weekly planning.


This picture is proof of just how gourmet I am lately. Globs of frosting, ugly paper plates. Lovely. Actually, my mother-in-law and I couldn't wait for the cream cheese frosting to get soft, so we decided aesthetics are overrated. Martha would be so disappointed.

PLEASE SHARE YOUR MENUS!!!!! You need to inspire one another...the cupcakes are a pretty good indication of just how UN-inspiring I am lately. :)

A Happy Christmas!

Today was magical...one little girl so enthralled with her gifts she refused to eat (or even open more presents!) and one little girl so innocent and new, sleeping the day away.


Happy Holidays! I hope your season is filled with chocolate, toys and love!

Week 48 Menu...and a Whole New Life!

Anna Maynard is here! Everything went very smoothly and she is proving to be a great baby! We are all super happy and big sister Cate seems to be adjusting very well...phew. It's been a happy and wonderful week around here!


As I'm sure you've surmised, I'm still not cooking much...I am going to make some Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding tonight. Mmmmmm. And I made omelettes for Nate and my mom yesterday (the picture below represents about all the cooking I've done in weeks). I figured it was the least I could do after all the help they've given me this week. But I am still not planning a real menu this week, or the next, and maybe the next?!?! :)


MONDAY:
- Christmas Eve dinner...which at the Maynards means "Order Chinese". We'll be ordering from Pei Wei...I can't wait! (Next year when I'm not busy having a baby, I promise I'll talk more about Christmas cooking...and maybe even attempt a Swedish Christmas Eve dinner, which is my family's tradition. Those posts next year are gonna be AWESOME. :) )

TUESDAY:
- Grazing and leftovers. I'm going to try to pull together some cinnamon rolls...using Rhodes frozen bread dough of course.

WEDNESDAY:
- My mom leaves Monday, and Nate's parents don't get here until Wednesday night. I think we might just go hungry this night.

THURSDAY - MONDAY:
- Hey Pat, what's cookin? (Pat's my mother-in-law)

Share your menus!

Week 47 Menu...and Baby Day!

In less than 5 hours I will be in the hospital...and for the next few days I finally get my menu wish: hospital food! Woo-hoo! Obviously I'm not bothering with a menu this week, but maybe my mom can post what she's planning on. :) Cate's birthday is on Monday and my mom is the best birthday cake mom ever, so we'll definitely post a picture of that!

Even though I'm otherwise occupied tomorrow, I'm sure you all still have wonderful menus to share this week, so please do!

Thanks to everyone who has passed on kind words and wishes for Baby Girl #2's arrival - I really appreciate it!!

Winter = Hot Chocolate (even in San Diego!)

I know you're all going to laugh at me (I would, too, if I lived somewhere else right now), but it has been quite chilly here in San Diego lately. I swear! :) Anyway, it's been good hot chocolate weather...so thought I would share my two most favorite hot chocolates with you.


First, Williams-Sonoma has the best hot chocolate. You'll see in the picture that right now I have the peppermint, which is good, but I think the plain is even better. Why is this stuff better? Because it's hot CHOCOLATE, not COCOA. The only way to go is to actually have chocolate shavings melted in your milk, not powdery cocoa stuff. SO GOOD.

Second, Mexican hot chocolate. Right now I have Ibarra, but Abuelita is great as well. This hot chocolate comes in blocks that you melt in the milk (again, so much better than cocoa)...and the flavor can't be beat!


Today Cate had her first hot chocolate. She was SO excited and loved every drop. It was really fun sitting there drinking it with her. Today was the last day of just "Mom & Cate"...my mom gets here tomorrow AND...it's official, we go to the hospital Saturday night to have the baby! That's right, even with crazy amounts of contractions for 10 days now, no dilation and no baby arrival in sight. Unbelievable. Anyway, Cate and I had a great day together, topped off with hot chocolate and reading books. Life is good.

Food on a food blog? No way!

I know I've been a miserable food blogger lately, and I'm certainly grateful for your continued support! Believe it or not I actually cooked something last night! I really wanted a good, yummy dessert. Nate remembered that we have about 500 gallons worth of different kinds of hot chocolate in the pantry...which sounded good, but I still wanted something to nibble on as well.


Shortbread sounded like it would hit the spot - a perfect companion for the hot chocolate. So I got mixing and Nate got melting. It ended up being just what I needed.

I found the shortbread recipe on AllRecipes. It came out great, and it was EASY. Just what I needed in my contracting state. Interesting b/c it calls for brown sugar, which surprised me, but the reviewers said you HAD to do brown sugar, so I trusted them - it worked great.

Definitely a good holiday giveaway cookie. You can see I didn't spend much time trying to make them look good, but that's because I knew they wouldn't last long out in the real world anyway.

Week 46 Menu & Imminent Eviction Notice

Today I am 39 weeks pregnant. With Cate I was induced at 41 weeks, having experienced NO contractions or anything of the sort up to that point. This time around, however, my body has decided contractions are loads of fun...so they started up a week ago!!! Unfortunately they're not getting anything done...needless to say I'm a bit tired. If this baby girl doesn't come soon, I'll be forced to send her an eviction notice. "This space is no longer for rent." I actually don't mind if she comes on time or late, but this contractions-all-the-time- for-no-reason thing ain't so fun. Ah, the joy. Mostly, we are just getting so excited to meet this little person! :)


One nice thing about having babies at Christmastime is that our house is decorated and cozy. It's actually fun being stuck inside all the time.

The amount of cooking (and blogging and cleaning and working) has decreased significantly, surprise surprise. You guys REALLY need to come through and share your menus now!!!!

Okay, here's my menu for the week...

MONDAY:
- Never thought I'd say this, but hopefully hospital food!

TUESDAY:
- Hospital food? What, not yet?

WEDNESDAY:
- Okay, for sure it's hospital food now...

THURSDAY:
- I'm still not eating hospital food?!?! This baby is grounded.

FRIDAY:
- My mom arrives! What's on the menu, mom? :)

Picture note: It's a good thing I'm wearing red today...my huge Santa Claus-size reflection on the bell is at least in the right Christmasy color scheme.

Christmas Treats!

We are very lucky because we happen to be friends with a girl named Nikki who is crazy when it comes to Christmas cookies...every year she spends HOURS and HOURS and HOURS making treats for friends and family. Not only does everything taste good but her presentation is impeccable. She's as worried about the packaging as she is about the food...in fact this year she almost didn't make her box o' treats because she didn't have the right box! Thankfully a box stepped up...everything looked AWESOME and tasted even better!


Believe it or not she scaled back this year - just cookies and pretzels. But just look at those puppies...I can't believe they're homemade. Scaled back? I think not! So cute, so well done.

Thank you, Nikki, for another year for wonderfulness! (Quick note to my local friends out there: while Nikki's work is certainly inspirational, I can guarantee you will never get anything close to as cool as this from me. :) )

Oh My Darlin'...Clementine!

Nate always says that eating Clementines makes it feel like Christmas...I have to agree.

Week 45 Menu

Every Saturday Cate and Nate go on a date to the bagel shop...it's so cute. Cate loves it. Yesterday they bought extras so we had them for breakfast this morning. I just wish we could have bagels for EVERY meal...it was so easy and the LAST thing I want to do right now is cook dinner (or any meal for that matter!). Less than 2 weeks until my mom is here. I CAN'T WAIT.


Here's an attempt at a menu...I'm trying to do things that are easy and generate lots of leftovers. Last week was so awesome. Thanksgiving leftovers galore = little cooking. I wish every week was the week after Thanksgiving! Well, maybe not, but it sure was a nice week. Anyway, my menu may not be so robust, but you ARE getting two new recipes this week...Tostada Goop & Easy Crock Pot Chicken. See, I'm not ALL bad in these last weeks of being prego...

MONDAY:
- Baked French Toast (this recipe rules)

TUESDAY:
- Debbie's Easy Crock Pot Chicken

WEDNESDAY:
- Leftovers

THURSDAY:
- Book Club...have to figure something out for Nate & Cate

FRIDAY:
- Going to December Nights at Balboa Park, where we'll sample all kinds of great food! If you live in San Diego and have never been to this event, GO!

SATURDAY:
- Christmas party...no cooking!

SUNDAY:
- Chicken Tostadas (see recipe for Tostada Goop)

Please share your menus! Anything goes...hot dogs, shrimp scampi, WHATEVER!

The Goods: Trader Joe's Hawaiian Potato Chips

With the due date just over 2 weeks away, my desire to cook has decreased dramatically. The desire to eat, however, is as normal as ever. :) I haven't really had a lot of cravings (if any)...but I can't get enough of these potato chips from Trader Joe's. Seriously, I eat sandwiches for lunch every day just so I have a reason to eat the chips (I've been able to resist eating them straight out of the bag, amazingly). ANYWAY...just thought I'd let you know these are GOOD. The weirdest part is I couldn't STAND these chips the first trimester. Go figure.


On a pregnancy-related note...I AM craving the smell of ink. You know, really "yummy" ink that smells so good in some paperbacks, newspapers and coupons (like the value pack coupons)? I just finished a paperback that I honestly would have rather just smelled than read. Don't get me wrong, it was a great book, but it just smelled soooo good. Sniff sniff. Baby better come quick before I get too crazy.

Featured Recipe: Pumpkin Cheesecake

I know Thanksgiving is over, but as I was eating a slice of the pumpkin cheesecake I made last week, I thought I better tell you just how good the recipe is.


My friend Adrianne sent the recipe to me and it is AWESOME. A great cheesecake and super easy to make. You don't even have to do a waterbath when you bake it, which earns lots of extra points with me.

One quick note: make sure you don't overcook it...I took mine out a LITTLE late and the crust was a bit overcooked in the corners. I did a little research and found that you take a cheesecake out of the oven when the center 3-inches of the cake is still jiggly. Mine was firm, so I could have taken it out earlier and had better crust. Regardless, the cheesecake was great!

Week 44 Menu

Phew! What a week! Thanksgiving was great, and we have TONS of leftovers to tide us over for a while. Thanks to my sister who was a big help! Amazingly, my feet didn't swell up to the size of watermelons like they did 3 years ago. I only took one picture of all my Thanksgiving food...and this is it: smushing up the cranberries for the slush, which was as yummy as ever.


Seeing as how I'm a mere 3 weeks from my due date, not sure how much cooking I'll be doing the next little while. Guess we'll see! I'll plan menus anyhow...can't hurt to have a plan!

MONDAY:
- Turkey a la King (just going to use my Chicken a la King recipe)
- Rice
- Veggie

TUESDAY:
- More leftovers. Ugh.

WEDNESDAY:
- Spaghetti

THURSDAY:
- Chicken Cordon Bleu (from the freezer section)
- Wild & Long Grain Rice
- Veggie

FRIDAY:
- Eat out

SATURDAY:
- ???

SUNDAY:
- ???

PLEASE SHARE YOUR MENUS!!!!!!! As you can see I'm not very inspiring for all of you this week. We definitely need as many menus as we can get!

Happy Black Friday!

Hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving!! I will be back on Sunday with a weekly menu...until then, please post your favorite Thanksgiving recipes & traditions (click to link). Those ideas will certainly come in handy for Christmas!

If you're brave/crazy enough to go shopping today...try not to get killed or anything.

Thanksgiving Prep: The Best of the Best!

Nate said I should have done a Thanksgiving post where everyone shares their best recipes & food traditions. Gotta admit, that's a great idea...so now's your chance!


My favorite Thanksgiving recipe that I make every year is Cranberry Slush. This is a Thanksgiving tradition from my mom's family. It was my great-grandmother's recipe and it is DELICIOUS. You'll love it, unless, of course, you're my sister and are CRAZY and don't like it. She's the only one I've met who doesn't, but let's keep in mind she actually said the following words last night: "I don't really like chocolate." Told you she's crazy.

Please share your Thanksgiving Bests!

Thanksgiving Prep: Timing

Timing is everything, right? That couldn't be truer than when you are cooking Thanksgiving dinner. ESPECIALLY if you only have 1 oven. It is tricky. I thought I'd share my schedule - hopefully it's helpful to some of you out there.

Quick Jane tip - once the turkey goes in the oven and I know approximate times for everything (based on schedule below), I write the schedule with specific times on post-it notes and stick that to the wall above the oven, That way I don't forget when to do things. It helps so much!

A few days prior:
- Get that frozen turkey in the fridge! You need 1 day for every 4 pounds to defrost in the fridge, and trust me, it's much better to defrost this way rather than in water in your sink (that's the fast way, but truly not as effective...think, partially frozen turkey Thanksgiving morning).

Tuesday:
- Cut up bread for stuffing - leave out on cookie sheet until stale. I'm doing this Tuesday so I'm sure it will be ready for Thursday.

Wednesday:
- Make the desserts (I've decided to go with Pumpkin Cheesecake).
- Make any casseroles that can sit in the fridge overnight (in my case the Broccoli Casserole, minus the Ritz cracker topping. Will put the topping on on Thursday).
- Cranberry Slush - the first half of the recipe. It needs to be frozen overnight.
- Cook squash. I'm making squash rolls (on Thursday) and we're eating squash as a side dish. Since I can cook the squash ahead of time, I'm going to.

Thanksgiving Day:
- Make the stuffing. (Whatever stuffing doesn't fit in the turkey, refrigerate until later.)
- Prep & stuff turkey in the morning and get in the oven. Butterball has an awesome online guide, which includes a calculator to determine how long you need to cook your turkey. My 13 pound stuffed turkey will take 3 3/4 - 4 1/2 hours at 325 degrees.
- Prepare corn souffle & top broccoli casserole - keep in fridge until later.
- ~2 hours before turkey is done, start making the squash rolls.
- ~1 hour before turkey is done - prepare & cook mashed potatoes. Keep in pan with lid on until dinner.
- When turkey is done, take out and cover with foil until later. Casseroles & Stuffing into the oven (make sure stuffing doesn't burn - probably won't cook as long). When casseroles are done, put rolls in the oven.
- Mix and heat up butternut squash that's already been cooked (will just heat in the microwave)
- Make gravy while casseroles are cooking.
- Make husband carve the turkey. :)
- Mix cranberry slush at the VERY END as your about to eat.

Just writing this up is making me tired. Glad I have my sister here as sous-chef. :) Even though it's a lot of work, it is totally worth it - I can't wait to eat it all!

Thanksgiving Prep: Dessert!

Time to talk dessert. I have no idea what I'm going to do this year for dessert, so I can't really give you my plan yet. I love dessert, but I always get so worn out from making the dinner that I tend to cheat a bit when it comes to the sweets. Hence, no real dessert insight here on the blog.

I WILL provide you with an amazing (and easy) French Silk Pie recipe from my sis-in-law Cora's family (see below). And as far as pumpkin pie goes, I always just follow the directions on the can of pumpkin and it comes out just fine (and yes, I buy pre-made crust). See, I am certainly no Thanksgiving dessert expert. Today I'm counting on YOU to share your best Thanksgiving dessert recipes! Please post!!!

French Silk Pie
- 3. oz unsweetened chocolate squares (melted and cooled)
- 1/2 C butter
- 1 C sugar
- 1 T vanilla
- 4 Eggs

Melt and cool chocolate. Cream butter - add sugar and vanilla and mix. Add chocolate. Add 2 eggs and beat on high 5 mins. Add 2 more eggs beat on high 5 minutes. I use a pre-made graham cracker crust. Top with whipped cream. Keep refrigerated.

Thanksgiving Prep: The Menu

I can't wait to eat all the food we have planned for Thursday! My little sister is coming to town and I'm going to work her hard on Thursday. It will be really fun cooking with her and having all those yummy leftovers afterwards!


And now, ladies & gentlemen...the Menu. Click on the bold titles to see recipes!

- Turkey
- Gravy
- Mashed Potatoes: I make with warm cream (milk if I don't have cream), melted butter, salt & pepper, and a splash of soy sauce
- Stuffing
- Corn Souffle
- Broccoli Casserole
- Butternut Squash: Just going to cook it, mash it, add butter salt & pepper
- Cranberry sauce: This year we're going canned whole sauce, but click through for a yummy recipe for Cranberry Orange Relish that I normally make, when I'm not about to have a baby.
- Cranberry Slush: This is one of my family's traditions, going back to my great-grandmother. It is amazing. I have friends who have been known to spike it for extra kick - Great Grandma's rollin' in her grave! :)
- Squash Rolls

I'm also going to make some Rhodes rolls on Friday to use for leftovers - good for making little turkey sandwiches. Again, I normally make Butterhorn Rolls from the Better Homes & Gardnes cookbook, but I need to take it easy this year.

Hope the menu is helpful and that the recipes come in handy! They are all excellent. Tomorrow we're talking dessert - get ready to share your favorite recipes! Tuesday will be scheduling the cooking - the least fun but most essential part of a successful Thanksgiving dinner.

Week 43 Menu

Short menu this week since it's all about Thanksgiving. :)

MONDAY:
- Leftover beef stew and chicken piccata from last week

TUESDAY:
- Spaghetti
- Salad
- Garlic bread

WEDNESDAY:
- Eat out

THURSDAY:
- THANKSGIVING!

FRIDAY:
- Leftovers

SATURDAY:
- Leftovers

SUNDAY:
- Dinner at a friend's home

Thanksgiving Prep: Stuffing

Below is my mom's stuffing recipe. This is what I make every year - it's not fancy, but it is so good. There are TONS of fancier recipes out there that I'm sure are delicious, but I like my stuffing simple & straightforward. As with all my mom's recipes, there are no measurements. So sorry!!! Also, there's lots of good info in the comments on the Gravy post, so make sure you read them!

Quick note on more Thanksgiving Prep posts to come: Tomorrow I will share my entire menu for Thanksgiving, including recipes. Monday is all about dessert - so get your favorite recipes to share ready! Tuesday is about timing the meal prep - this is probably the trickiest part of cooking on Thanksgiving. Wednesday...we may be done, we shall see! The coutdown begins!

CLASSIC STUFFING
From Phyllis Wallin, my mom
- Bag cubed bread loaf
- 1 medium onion
- diced celery
- grated carrots
- salt
- pepper
- sage
- 1 stick butter melted
- chicken stock if needed
- 1 egg well beaten

I (Jane) buy a loaf of cheap white bread, cut into cubes and let dry out for a day before making the stuffing. I use less than a whole onion (nate doesn't like onion that much) and then a few carrots & celery. Sautee the onion and celery in the butter. Mix all the ingredients together. I don't think I've ever needed to add chicken stock. As I mentioned in the Turkey post, I put as much stuffing in the turkey as I can (don't forget you can stuff the neck too!) and then I put the rest in a casserole dish, cover with foil and bake until it's hot all the way through - then when turkey is done, mix all the stuffing together. Enjoy!

Thanksgiving Prep: Good Gravy!

Let's talk gravy. Thanksgiving wouldn't be Thanksgiving without good gravy. And it's not that hard to make! I'll walk through how I do it - keep in mind this not a very exact recipe, but hopefully enough info to be useful.

1) Reserve your juices from the turkey. Skim the fat off the top, if you can. I have to admit I don't usually do this because there isn't always that much, and my gravy always comes out fine. There are techniques for separating the fat - but I don't remember them. Sorry! (Maybe some of you out there can share your tricks of the trade.)

2) Thickening - you can go two ways:

SLURRY: For good gravy. Simply whisk together some water & flour (kinda thick, but thin enough you can pour it). Add to your simmering meat juices to thicken. You may need to use a sieve at the end to take out lumps.

ROUX: For fantastic, smooth-as-silk gravy. Yummier and truly not any harder. Here's what you do: Cook equal parts butter & flour in a saucepan on low heat, whisking constantly. 3-5 mins to make a white roux. You can cook a few minutes longer for a nuttier flavor, but the longer you cook roux the less it will thicken your gravy.
You can refrigerate or freeze unused roux for later. Like the slurry, add in small parts to your meat juices to desired thickness (and remember, your gravy will thicken over time and once it cools). How much roux? Well, I'm going to make 4 T butter/4 T flour next week. If it's too much, I'll save for later. If not enough, easy to make more!

3) Getting the right amount of gravy is usually a challenge, especially at Thanksgiving with many guests. You want a lot, but there aren't THAT many juices from your turkey. You can add some chicken broth to your juices, but I think that's sad - detracts from your delicious turkey flavor. Last year I used a turkey gravy base from Williams-Sonoma to increase the amount of gravy. It tasted great. This year I noticed in the Trader Joe's Thanksgiving flyer that they have a jarred turkey gravy - haven't tried it, but I think I will as I'm CERTAIN it will be less espensive than good ole Williams-Sonoma. Just make sure you use these products as supplements to your homemade gravy - it will taste much better than just using these handy gravy products alone!

Another way to get more volume...I simmer the neck and giblets that come with the turkey - enough water to cover. I use that broth as well as the pan drippings and that helps make lots more gravy without having to resort to using chicken broth.

4) Seasoning is simple - salt and pepper.

It's not hard to make good gravy. I promise! If you haven't done it before, give it a try. If you are a gravy expert, please share your tips!

Thansgiving Prep: THE TURKEY

Today is all about the turkey. To those of you out there who will be doing this for the first time this year, have no fear - it's not that hard. You'll do great!

Jane's Turkey Confession: I always buy a Butterball (which is already brined, etc) and just follow the directions on the package. Done and done. I've never had one come out badly - always juicy and yummy. If you buy a frozen turkey, make sure you read the thawing instructions and give yourself time to let it thaw!!!

I DO put my stuffing in the bird...actually only about half of the stuffing I make fits into the turkey, so I bake the rest of it. When the turkey is done, I combine the two stuffings together - that way you get the juicy turkey stuffing, but you'll still have enough for everyone. I'll share my stuffing recipe with later...

Here are two great tips from some friends!

Tip #1 (from friend's hubby Aaron): Cook the turkey upside down (breast down). It won't be pretty when you're done, but most of us carve the turkey before dinner is served anyway. I haven't done this but have heard that it makes for VERY moist and yummy meat. Aaron also said he cooks the turkey at a lower temperature for a much longer time.

Tip #2 (from my Boston friend Dottie): A tip for great turkeys without losing precious sleep from a friend we both know.
1) Stuff your turkey and do whatever else you do to make it tasty
2) Place the turkey in a brown paper grocery bag on the roasting pan. If the bag's not big enough, put another paper grocery bag at the uncovered end, and hopefully over the other bag.
3) Staple the bag closed.
4) Cover entire bag with cooking oil. I usually don't get the underside that's actually hitting the pan.
5) Bake at 425 degrees F.

A 22 lb. stuffed turkey is done in 3 hours. (adjust time accordingly for the size of your turkey). I (Dottie) have been doing this for over 10 years and the results are always fantastic. The skin is crisp, the meat is always moist. If I've overcooked the turkey, the meat is still moist, the skin perfect but the meat is falling off the bones.

Thanks for the tips, Aaron & Dottie! Now, if you have any questions, comments, suggestions, recipes, anything - please share!

Thanksgiving Prep: Great Guides!

Today I'd like to share a few helpful Thanksgiving planning guides I've found recently. I usually end up sticking to my own recipes, but once in a while one of these guides will tempt me enough to try something new - and I'm usually happy with the result. :)


First, Real Simple magazine has a nice Thanksgiving menu plan in their November issue. The article is called "Back to Basics Thanksgiving" and it pretty much is just that - good traditional dishes with a little modern twist. And each recipe has variations to tailor to your taste. There was also a super cute decorating idea in the magazine - cut the tops out of mini-pumpkins and use as candlestick holders. They look so cute! Their website is also full of great Thanksgiving tips.

The Real Simple Menu: Classic Roast Turkey, Gravy, Garlicky Green Beans & Pinenuts, Warm Apricot-Cranberry Sauce, Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Sweet Potato Wedges, Herb Stuffing, Apple Crumb Pie.

Trader Joe's just sent out a mailer that is GREAT. Normally their mailers don't really get me to go buy new things, but this one is geared just towards Thanksgiving and there are a few items I'm definitely going to get. If you have a TJs nearby, try to track down this mailer to see what items will be helpful to you! Trader Joe's always has great products that make it easy to cheat, which is my kind of cooking! :)

Lastly, my friend Meagan sent me a PDF from Williams-Sonoma with a Thanksgiving plan. This plan also looks quite delicious, albeit a bit more gourmet than Real Simple. But I'm sure some of you out there are a bit more gourmet, so this guide is for you! One quick note - some of the recipes call for WS-specific products, which tend to be pricey, but they are always good.

If you've come across any other helpful Thanksgiving guides this year, please share!

Week 42 Menu

Thanksgiving is less than 2 weeks away! This week will be Thanksgiving Prep Week on TWFD...get ready for tips and recipes, and please plan on sharing your own!


I can't believe the number of comments on the Ice Milk post...you people were seriously cracking me up. I'll try to get controversial more often!

Here's the menu for this week. Please share you menus - they're usually better than mine! :)

MONDAY:
The following meal is one that Cate loves...she'll eat it all, which happens so rarely these days!
- Baked Stuffing-Coated Chicken (so easy, click for recipe)
- Wild & Long Grain Rice
- Carrots

TUESDAY:
- Beef Stew

WEDNESDAY:
- Mac & Cheese
- Salad
- Bread

THURSDAY:
- Leftovers

FRIDAY:
- Pizza (I've been making this a lot lately with the TJs pizza crust...it's just so easy and fast. But I'm going to try to think of something else for Friday, but this is a filler just in case)

SATURDAY:
- Eat out

SUNDAY:
- Chicken Piccata
- Mashed potatoes
- Veggie

Milk on the Rocks

If you read my blog, that means you probably have some level of trust in the things I tell you. Today I'm asking you to tap into that trust and give me a chance, because I'm CERTAIN that some of you out there are going to think I'm crazy!


Last night I was eating a cookie and with some milk. Not just any old milk. Ice milk. That's right folks, ice IN the glass of milk. "What?!?! That's WEIRD! Ice doesn't belong in milk! Gross!" Just a sampling of comments I've received from friends over the years, and maybe even what you're thinking right now. Trust me - it's awesome. The picture above is really an equation that will allow you to reach milk nirvana. If you're having a hard time drinking this down (ha ha), keep in mind milk is mostly water anyway, so really it's not a big deal if the ice melts a bit. In fact, I don't even really LIKE drinking milk that much. I've gotta have it on the rocks or not at all.

As I was drinking my icy milk last night it hit me - I have a food blog that bunches of people read - and none of those bunches can talk back! (Well, I guess you CAN comment, but you know what I mean.) Remember, you trust me. I know what I'm talking about. TRY IT. What's the worst that can happen?

Kitchen Tips: Soft Brown Sugar

The other night I was thinking it's been a while since I did a "Kitchen Tips" post...then later that evening a friend stopped by to borrow some brown sugar and was excited about the piece of bread inside my brown sugar container. Tah-dah! A post!


Want soft brown sugar? Just throw a piece of bread in the container. That's it. Simple, easy, cheap. I change it out, oh, I don't know...hardly ever. I use white bread so no funny little grains fall into the sugar. The bread never gets moldy and the brown sugar always remains the perfect consistency. Just a little something I learned from my mama at a young age.

My friend Adrianne's scienctist husband tried to explain why it works to us...he said the explanation really wasn't complicated, but I think Adrianne and I only caught a couple words...like "the bread won't go moldy" and "there's a scientific reason it works" - good enough for us cooks. :)

Week 41 Menu

Sorry today's menu is late and without a picture - it's been a BUSY day. I'll try to beef this post up later...just want you to have a place to post your menus. By the way - last week was awesome! So many menus...I love it! Keep sharing!

Thanksgiving is less than 3 weeks away!!! AAAHH!!! (Just part of my "uh-oh-I've-only-got-6-weeks-until-baby" panic.) For those of you who will be facing the daunting task of making Thanksgiving dinner, I will share all my tried and true recipes with you. I've done Thanksgiving oodles of times, so I feel like I've got it under control. 3 years ago I was as pregnant as I am now and my feet were MUCH more swollen, so this year will be a cinch...hopefully!

MONDAY:
- I have book club...need to come up with something for Nate & Cate

TUESDAY:
- Bistro Chicken (carry-over from last week)
- Potatoes
- Veggie

WEDNESDAY:
- Lentil Soup (by the way, this recipe rules)
- Crusty bread

THURSDAY:
- Leftovers

FRIDAY:
- Let me think about it...I'll get back to you. :)

SATURDAY:
- Eat out

SUNDAY:
- Chicken Cordon Bleu (from the freezer section)
- Rice
- Veggie

The Goods: Cheese Crumb Cake...mmmm...

The beginning of my pregnancy was a doozy - so so sick - just thinking about it makes me feel not so good. And sadly during that time I never wanted sweets or desserts, which is SO unlike me. The last few months, however, my love of "treats" (side note: Nate thinks it's so funny when I say "treat" and now Cate says it too) is back. Maybe not such a good thing...


It definitely wasn't a good thing at the grocery store last night. Despite the fact our house is full of Halloween cookies and candy, I just couldn't resist this box of Entenmann's Cheese Filled Crumb Coffee Cake (say that three times fast). Oh so bad, but oh so good. I'm pretty picky about my treats, but this prepackaged goodness makes the cut. And hey, I'm pregnant and need to pack a few more pounds on before baby comes in six weeks (wait, SIX?!?! I'm not ready!).

Happy Halloween Cookies!

BOO! Did I scare you? Happy Halloween, everyone! Don't you just love Halloween? I do - always have. Goes back to the whole I like being scared thing. But I gotta say, Halloween with a kid who finally is old enough to understand what's going on is ten times better! Cate and I made 7 dozen Halloween cookies this week as part of our celebrations. It was a lot of fun. Cate's favorite part by FAR was playing with the dough and making her 'cookies.' It was seriously the cutest thing ever.


We used a recipe from my mom, Sour Cream Sugar Cookies (click for recipe). They came out great! If you make this recipe, roll them out pretty thin as they rise when they cook. I think I could have gone even thinner than I did, but they still tasted good.


I also decided to go the homemade route with the frosting. I was tempted to buy frosting, but decided it was worth the extra effort to make it from scratch. I was right - SO GOOD.


Have a safe and happy Halloween!

Go Sox!

The Red Sox won the World Series! WOO-HOO!!!!!!!!!!!! Maybe tonight we should eat hot dogs to celebrate!


In case you weren't aware, I AM the reason they swept the World Series yet again. 3 years ago when they performed that wonderful feat, I was pregnant with baby girl Cate. This time, pregnant with another baby girl. 2 for 2. Me and my prego belly are totally the Red Sox good luck charm.

Week 40 Menu

Happy Halloween!! It's not even Halloween yet and Cate has more Halloween candy than any 2-year-old has business possessing. She is VERY good at sharing however - it's super cute. We've been reading Harriet's Halloween Candyand Cate prides herself on the fact that, unlike Harriet, she knows how to share her candy. Lucky for me!

This week is surprisingly un-busy schedule-wise, so that means I have to plan a full menu for the week. I'm glad I had all your menus to peruse - it helped so much! Please keep your menus coming - let's see if we can set a record this week! Remember - it doesn't matter WHAT your eating, just tell us what it is. :)

MONDAY:
- Bistro Chicken
- Potatoes
- Veggie

TUESDAY:
- Chicken Masala (TJs) w/chickpeas
- Rice
- Veggie

WEDNESDAY:
- Margherita Pizza
- Salad
- Trick or Treating!

THURSDAY:
- Leftovers

FRIDAY:
- Quiche
- Baguette & cheese
- Fruit

SATURDAY:
- Eat out

SUNDAY:
- Chili
- Corn Cake Toppers

Halloween Brownies

We have a Halloween party tonight...actually, it's the only thing we had on the calendar this week that didn't get canceled due to the fires. It sure will be nice to get out and do something fun. (Quick update - our part of San Diego is totally in the clear now, but the fires continue to rage. Keep those thoughts and prayers directed at Southern California!)


A Halloween party means Cate gets to dress up as a ballerina (and wear make-up, her FAVORITE part) and I get to make a dessert to share. I just couldn't bring myself to do anything very complicated, so I made my easiest brownie recipe (i.e. Norma's brownies, nice and gooey) and threw some butterscotch chips on top to make them look "halloweeny" - I think it worked... :)

Just Peachy Baby Giveaway Winner!

Wow! What a giveaway - the biggest yet! Thank you all for entering and for all your positive comments! And the winner is...

Stella, who wrote: "Ooohh a new shopping cart cover would be EXCELLENT! My son DESTROYED our first cover, now our little peanut has nothing to use...." Congrats, Stella! Be sure to send an email to weeklydinners@gmail.com to claim your prize.

Don't forget, everyone can use the special promotional code TWFD on the Just Peachy Baby website for a 10% discount + free shipping! Time to go shopping! And if you need a little more impetus, read this article at MSNBC, The 12 Germiest Places in Your Life. A very special thanks to Just Peachy Baby for such a great giveaway!

Reminder: Just Peachy Baby Giveaway!

Today is the last day to enter the Just Peachy Baby grocery cart cover giveaway! Simply post a comment on the giveaway post (click to link) by Midnight, PT. Good Luck!

Apples & Horses

The fires are still going. What a week. Our neighborhood remains just outside the evacuation area, so we're still home. But the 513,000 people who have been evacuated are still not home. Keep sending prayers to San Diego! (The Hostess with the Mostess, a fellow San Diego blogger, had to evacuate twice yesterday! She wrote a good post about the fires yesterday if you are interested in reading more.)


Today we discovered there are some "refugee" horses staying on a grassy area near our apartment. Nate picked up some delicious NY Honey Crisp apples yesterday at Trader Joe's, so we decided to share the 'deliciousness.' Cate and I just came back from visiting and feeding the horses (nice to get out of the house for a minute, even if the air is disgusting). They were beautiful and gentle animals. Hopefully they can go home soon!


It's been amazing to see this week how calm and supportive the community has been. The evacuation locations are organized, clean and literally flooded with donations from other San Diego citizens. It is refreshing to see people come together in such a positive way at such a difficult time.

Thoughts & Prayers...

Yesterday I mentioned how we visited a great farm in Ramona, CA to pick pumpkins. A matter of hours after we left the farm, two wildfires started in San Diego county, one of them in Ramona (the farm is in the fire's perimeter). Since then, the entire city of Ramona has been evacuated as well as MANY other areas in the county, making it the largest evacuation area ever (the fire count is up to seven). The situation is very serious here in San Diego, they think the worst fires ever.

I feel I need to recognize what is happening in our city and send my thoughts and prayers to any of you who are being affected. The situation is not good - please keep all these people in your prayers. Right now my little family is safe - we are close to the evacuation area, but not the fires. My heart goes out to everyone affected by these fires.

Week 39 Menu

Don't you just LOVE autumn? It is, without a doubt, my favorite season. Which means it is the also the time of year I am most homesick for the Northeast. Oh, you beautiful leaves - how I miss you! (How's that for dramatic?) There IS a great farm in Ramona, CA that we go to every year to "pick" pumpkins. We took Cate this weekend and she had a blast! It's so fun as your children grow older and start to "get" things.


On to this week's menu...hmmmm...again, feeling very lazy (pregnant). Thank goodness you guys have been AWESOME at posting menus so there's some inspiration happening here. Please keep them coming - and remember, I love to see all kinds of menus! :)

Don't forget to enter the giveaway if you haven't already!

MONDAY:
- Roasted Chicken (from Costco!)
- Potatoes
- Veggie

TUESDAY:
- Kitchen Sink Quesadillas
- Chips & Guacamole

WEDNESDAY:
- Chicken Parmesan
- Pasta
- Salad

THURSDAY:
- Neighborhood party

FRIDAY:
- Halloween party

SATURDAY:
- Eat out

SUNDAY:
- Breakfast for dinner...probably waffles

Free Giveaway! Just Peachy Baby

Happy Friday - we have a Free Giveaway!!! Just Peachy Baby is giving away a beautiful shopping cart cover to one lucky TWFD reader! The winner can select their favorite cover from eight modern prints - from gender-neutral funky dots and stripes, hip girl florals or cool boy patterns!


To enter the giveaway, submit any comment on THIS POST before Midnight PT, Thursday, 10/25. The winner will be announced next Friday, 10/26! No anonymous comments...we need to know who the winner is! :) Thank you, Just Peachy Baby!

This is perfect for you moms-of-babies out there. And if you don't have a baby, it's the perfect shower gift! Good luck!

Image courtesy of Just Peachy Baby

The Goods (or The Not-So-Goods?): Mexican Vanilla

Aren't you lucky? Two posts from me today! Both are "The Goods" - I must be in a shopping mood.

I've been planning my Mexican Vanilla post for ages. Today when I sat down to do a little research and write up the post, my enthusiasm was quicky squelched. Here's the background - you can get huge bottles of pure vanilla in Mexico for cheap. It's yummy, lasts forever, and 500 mL costs less than $6! I've been using it for years (given our close proximity to the border) and have always been happy...which is why I planned the post. But today, after a little research, I've discovered that gringo Jane has mostly likely been duped.

Here's the deal. Vanilla is native to Mexico and you CAN get great vanilla from Mexico. Unfortunately, there are many knock-offs (from Mexico & the Caribbean) that aren't pure vanilla. Here's how to tell if you've got "The Goods" instead of "The Not-So-Goods": it should have at least 35% alcohol content, it should be translucent and amber colored (NOT clear or dark/murky), it should NOT have coumarin (a vanilla taste-alike that is banned by the FDA and may cause liver damage), and it should NOT be ridiculously cheap.

How did my bottle of vanilla match up to the "rules"? Color: it's pretty dark. Price: wicked cheap. Uh-oh...not looking so good. Alcohol content: 5%. OH GEEZ. I'm done. My vanilla is a fraud! I've got one good thing going for me...I knew coumarin was bad, and the label says "coumarin free." Although, I just read that while there are labeling laws in Mexico, they aren't always enforced. So hopefully my chocolate chip cookies aren't damaging my liver.

Am I going to throw it away? Nope. I'm using it til it's gone. It tastes good, is supposedly coumarin-free...we'll survive. But I think this is my last bottle. At least the picture is pretty.

The Goods: Just Peachy Baby

Just Peachy Baby is a great new company founded by a stay-at-home mom that I'd love to share with you! Just Peachy Baby provides designer, high-quality grocery cart & restaurant high chair covers that you will want to be seen with. :) Not only will your baby be comfy, cozy and clean, but you'll feel cool pushing the cart around with such hip fabrics - and isn't that what grocery shopping is all about, being cool? Shop now to take advantage of a 10% discount + free shipping! Just enter the promotional code TWFD - that's right, a special for my readers!

You may be thinking, "Do I really need a shopping cart cover? The carts can't be THAT dirty." Think again: check out these facts about just how yucky shopping carts really are. Those of you without babies may want to get one just to protect YOUR hands when you shop! :)

Since grocery shopping is such a big part of weekly meal planning, thought this was a fun item to share with you, something a little different. And if you don't have a baby, it's definitely a great gift idea!

Image courtesy of Just Peachy Baby

Real Live Carrot Sticks

I like baby carrots as much as the next guy, but REAL carrots taste so much better. Usually I'm too lazy to drag out the cutting board, peeler & knife (sad, I know). But once in a while I do and it is SO WORTH THE EFFORT. Regular, grown-up, non-baby carrots just taste great, raw or cooked. Since I was lazy with the main course last night (thank you Mr. Manwich), I decided I could take the time to cut up a few carrot sticks. The result: yum, especially with that oh so healthy ranch dip.

Nesting...

There is definitely some nesting going on in pregnant Jane's world. The latest endeavor: renting a Rug Doctor & cleaning our couch and arm chair (pregnant people ARE crazy, huh?). They don't LOOK that different, but it sure is nice to know they're CLEAN. And, just so you know, the Rug Doctor worked great for this task.


I have to brag a LITTLE...when I pulled up the couch cushions (something that, sadly, had NOT been done in ages), this is all I found! Pretty good, eh? (We won't get into how dark the water was that came out of the "Doc" after clean-up.) While I'm glad I only found writing utensils, a few twenty dollar bills would have been nice. I need richer friends.

Week 38 Menu

I am feeling SO uninspired about this week's menu. Nothing sounds good and I definitely don't feel like cooking. Can you believe I'm already 31 weeks prego?!?! It is flying by so fast...I think the speed of this pregnancy is what's making me tired! I definitely need a personal chef, and while we're at it can you throw in a cleaning person, a stylist, a nanny...


I made this Martha Stewart Mac & Cheese recipe tonight since several of you recommended it. Delish! It made enough to feed my entire apartment complex, so half went in the freezer. Hopefully it freezes well. We shall see!

Please share your menus. And for those of you new to TWFD, I don't care WHAT is on your menu - please share what you're eating for dinner! Fancy, boring, easy, hard, WHATEVER. :)

MONDAY:
- Tortellini w/sausage & tomato sauce
- Yummy bread
- Salad

TUESDAY:
- Sloppy Joe (yes, straight out of the Manwich can...Nate's not gonna be happy - sad, huh?)
- Carrots & dip
- Chips

WEDNESDAY:
- Margherita Pizza
- Salad

THURSDAY:
- Mac & Cheese
- Yummy bread
- Salad

FRIDAY:
- Friend Ellie's 2nd Birthday Party!

SATURDAY:
- Leftovers

SUNDAY:
- Something Sundayish...I'll decide later this week. My brain AND my belly are too tired right now.

Fab Faves: simply breakfast & simply photo

Today I have a little eye candy for you (not the Brad Pitt kind, the food kind). Visit simply breakfast. Photographer Jennifer Causey of Brooklyn 'simply' takes a picture of her breakfast each morning. Love it! Be sure to visit her other blog simply photo as well. Happy Friday!

Featured Recipe: The Perfect Cookie

The recipe I'm sharing with you today is amazing, if I do say so myself. In fact, it's one of those recipes that I'm hesitant to even share with others...you know, kind of like that crazy new psycho character on Desperate who won't share the lemon meringue pie recipe? That's a little how I feel...these cookies make me look GOOD, and if others can make them, I lose my magic. At the same time, I think people who don't share recipes are, well, a little shallow and mean. So, the real question is do I want friends or do I want to have that secret cookie recipe that people are willing to break into my house for? Believe it or not, this was a tough decision, but I've decided I like being popular more, so you get the recipe.


Seriously, these cookies are perfect. I guess the official name is "Chocolate Oatmeal Coconut Cookie" but that is so boring and doesn't really fall off the tongue so easily, so let's just call it The Perfect Cookie. Where did I get the recipe from? The name on my original recipe card says Barbara Boczany. I have no idea who Barbara Boczany is. But she makes a damn good cookie. I have adjusted the recipe, so let's just say it's mine. Yeah, that sounds good. Click here for the secret (and no, not THAT secret, but the yummy cookie secret, which is WAY better).