Dinner ...This Week

Well, its been somewhat of a hit-and-miss game.

Monday night: 
Short Ribs with Sweet Tomato Sauce
Made in the crock pot. Took a Pioneer Woman recipe and made it about 10 times easier. Was it as delish as hers? Probably not. But it was still pretty good. And Mondays I am gone until 7:30 at night, so this was about as good as it was gonna get. 

Tuesday night:
Ate dinner at my sister-in-laws house. I brought a measly green salad. Ha! She served steaks, mashed potatoes, brown sugar carrots and chocolate pudding cake. Thanks Cami! 

Life on the Ranch

I have never blogged about our lifestyle. Our meaning Husband and I. We both grew up on ranches. Both in the same extra teeny tiny community. Ironic, I know. Our families both raise cattle. The husband's family also has some sheep.

Ranching cattle is in my blood. And it will definitely be in my children's blood. My dad's family has been ranching cattle in our extra teeny tiny community for over a hundred years. Pretty awesome, if you ask me! I love cows.

I love everything about cows. I love new baby calves in the spring. I love going riding during the summer to move the cows to new feed. I love gathering all the cows and calves up in the fall. And I even love eating beef :)

Dinner Tonight: Beef Enchiladas & Homemade Crustos

Yesterday my mother-in-law was telling me about a new recipe she's going to try: Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas. Mmm! Sounds enticing! So after hearing about her fun new recipe, the only thing I can think of all day is enchiladas, enchiladas, enchiladas... This is definitely not a go-to-meal in my kitchen, but something I love all the same. I'm out of chicken at the moment and I am a bigger fan of beef anyway, so beef is what's for dinner! Plus a fun, spur-of-the-moment Taco Time knock-off treat!

Easy Beef Enchiladas 

This recipe is a combination of my mom's version, a version from allrecipes.com, and my own adaptations. Its very very very basic. I am a little apprehensive about some enchiladas, so this one is completely tummy-safe!

1 onion, chopped
1/2 lb ground beef
1 can (store bought) enchilada sauce, because its easier that way
1 can olives, sliced
~1 c shredded cheese
4 flour tortillas

Dinner Tonight: BLT

It has been a fairly busy day and tonight Husband and I are leaving for home. Thus, dinner is low on the priority list. I was busy making a salad for tomorrow (ever tried broccoli salad?) and was smart enough to cook a few extra slices of bacon.

Have I ever mentioned my undying love for bacon?? Oh how I love that greasy goodness...

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Where was I? .... Oh! Dinner.... I am taking Easy Street and we are having BLTs. Mine will be in the form of a salad; Flint's will be a sandwich.

Side note: Have you ever considered what an oxymoron a BLT is? I have an idea! Lets take bacon, pretty much the worst food for our hearts, and eat it with tomatoes and lettuce, so that we don't have to feel so guilty about eating it :) But don't worry, I've never felt guilty about eating bacon, even without the LT added!

...I always love an excuse to take it easy - especially when it involves bacon :)

Garden Gone

Saturday we pulled the final tomato plants from the ground and officially called the garden 'quits' for the year. It was definitely a sad day. This garden has brought me so much joy. I don't exaggerate when I say that it was the best part of my summer.

My top five six favorite aspects of the garden (in no particular order) :
- The adorable chicken proof fence
- Deliciously sweet cobs of corn for dinner
- Digging potatoes - can you say treasure hunt?!
- Watering my little plants each day - aka personal mediation time
- Freakin' amazing tomato plants that out-produced my wildest dreams
- Turning a dirty, leave-collecting, abandoned plot into something green, productive and beautiful 

So long, dear garden, til next year!

Dinner Tonight: Stuffed Peppers

Weekends don't count, so technically I'm not behind yet.

Tonight is an oldie but a goody.

Stuffed Peppers

Yum. I'm hungry already!

What's For Dinner Tonight

Its Friday night.
Start of the weekend.
I didn't think about dinner until 6 p.m.

So what did I come up with?
The easiest dinner know to man:
spaghetti

Shantel's Suggestions

One of my college friends, Shantel, gave me some great suggestions to help with the question of "What's for dinner?". She gave me these ideas several months ago and I never shared...

Let me preface by saying that Shantel is pretty much amazing at everything she does. Really! She is a Family and Consumer Sciences teacher, owns her own wedding invitation business and still makes her husband dinner at night! Way to go Shantel!!!

Suggestion #1: Make a ten day meal plan. She does this on Saturdays and it is supposed to last from Monday through the next Wednesday. (Then she has a head start in case she doesn't get her next plan done in time!)

What's For Dinner Tonight

I love today.

Why?

I got a phone call from my dad. He's in town. And taking me us to dinner!

Celebrate Good Times! Come On!

:)

What's for Dinner Tonight

A new daily segment. Let's see how long I keep up for - ha!

Baked Sweet Potatoes
Have I ever mentioned how much I love sweet potatoes? Yum Yum Yum! So moist, sweet and delicious. If you are not a fan yet, give these wonderful tubers another try!

• Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour. Serve with butter, salt and pepper. Truly delish!

BBQ Stew Meat
Another Mom favorite. Stew meat must be boiled in order to get tender. But once boiled... Oh baby oh. I'm talking fork tender and mouth watering.

Corn, Tomatoes, and Furniture?

A few things that never got blogged about (in no particular order...)

I've taken up re-finishing furniture. Does this have anything to do with gardening? Nope. Cooking? Nope. But its fun! (PS: I'm thinking of selling some of the stuff I've been working on and doing commission. But this isn't an advertisement or anything. Cough Cough Cough.)

be-hind

 

1.at or toward the rear of

2.not keeping up with, later than

3.in the state of making less progress than

4.on the farther side of; beyond

5.originating, supporting, or promoting

 

 

 

Well, its true. I'm behind. That's what happens when you don't have the internet at your house for 30 days. Yep, 30 big ones. I survived. 

 

But this little blog didn't.

 

So, without boring you to tears, let me just say this: My summer garden project, although now over and done with, was the absolute BEST part of my summer.

 

Am I doing it again next year? 

YES!

 

I promise it won't be 3 months before I post again, so stay tuned ;)