Exhausted

I was going to do a proper post tonight, but, as you can see, I changed my layout. That proved to be far more exhausting than I imagined. I'll shoot for a "real" post tomorrow.

Okay, I lied. After I got Darren to sleep (please tell me that someday--soon--he'll start putting himself to sleep; I'm having visions of rocking him when he's 15), I decided I better figure out a menu for this week. I'd like to be a fly-by-the-seat of my pants sort of girl, but without a menu, chaos ensues.

Well, that, and I really wanted to participate in....

Monday: Brats and Sauerkraut
No one was more surprised that I was to discover that Darren likes sauerkraut. He has issues with the stringy-ness of it, but once he gets it in his mouth, he gobbles it down. I picked this out of desperation: I hadn't planned anything else. I opened the freezer this morning and thought, "Huh. That would be easy." Also, money is a bit slim until Thursday, so I'm trying to use up what we have here, rather than buying a much of groceries. (Ryan just started a new job a few weeks back, and as a result has been in that awkward "waiting for pay day to include me" waiting period...I think you know what I'm talking about, I'm not wording it very well.)

Tuesday: CrockPot Cabbage Casserole
I'll have to share the recipe tomorrow; I got it off of one my Yahoo groups.

Wednesday: CrockPot Margarita Chicken and Rice
Any time I can incorporate alcohol into my cooking, it's a good thing. (Okay, so there's not really any alcohol in this; just margarita mix. But the thought of alcohol is there, which is good enough for me. Besides, I have to get the Margarita mix off of the top shelf, and it just happens to set next to the tequila...who's to say I won't make a pre-dinner cocktail?)

Thursday: CrockPot Potato Chowder and Grilled Cheese
Yes, I know it's July. I'm desperately hoping it's not 90 degrees this day.

Friday: Beer BBQ Chicken and Corn on the Cob
It just seemed wrong to not have this on the 4th. Maybe I'll make up some potato salad, too. (Plus, notice the alcohol, hehe.)

Saturday: Kitchen Sink Quesadillas and Refried Beans
We're going to Ryan's uncle's house Saturday afternoon for some sort of "First Annual * " family shin-dig, so I wanted something easy for Saturday night. (If you're looking for the Quesadilla recipe, it's just over half-way down the page.)

Sunday: Breaded Baked Mushroom Pork Chops and Mashed Potatoes
The pork chops call for two cans of cream of mushroom soup. I'm going to try out this substitute. Report to follow.


Can you tell that RecipeZaar is my new best friend? I love how you can search for recipes within it, and, of course, I love the reviews. I need to remember to post reviews of my own on, as well.

*Anything that's advertised as "First Annual" annoys me. It's not "annual" until the second year. Until then, it's just "the first". Because let's face it: if your party sucks and no one shows up, you're not going to do it again next year.