Tuna Noodle Casserole

Just to let you know, the casserole went over like hot lunch. As in, kids pasting food to the underside of cafeteria tables. Not that mine even got to the point of touching it. They both opted for a spartan slice of bread and called it dinner.

I had seconds, but I put the left-overs in the freezer knowing it would take an extreme circumstance to actually thaw it someday.

I decided to try the recipe because it had horseradish which I thought might bring an interesting flavor. I also thought it must be something special because the person said it was a "family favorite." I wonder what family favorites we have that would go over like a ton o' bricks at other houses? Pasta Puttanesca? Chip plates? Goulash? Grandma Barb's Spaghetti? It's what you get used to, clearly.

Week 48—Pesto, Peas, Puff Pastry

Mon – Creamy Pesto Chicken & Bowties (Taste of Home)
Tues – Brats & beans
Weds – Ham & Swiss Puff Pastry Quiche (Epicurious)
Thurs – Falafels
Fri – Tuna & Pea Casserole (Taste of Home)
Extras – chip plate; dirty rice
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I am wiped out. The good kind of wiped out that comes from spending time outdoors hiking, riding bikes and scooters, listening to chirping birds, and smelling moist earth. Oh yeah, and chasing after your 2- and 4-year-old through the day kissing hurt knees, mediating property rights of toy frogs, and cleaning anything and everything in their wake. By 8 at night, that will pretty much leave any parent flat-lined for the duration of what would have been the start of a fun/productive evening not so many years ago.

With more than a slight sense of time-warp, I type in a recipe this week for tuna casserole that has even me wondering. I think about how we once sat down to dinner at this hour before getting ready to go out for the night. Parties that started at a time I now crawl into bed. My first baby shower that ended after 1 AM with guests still arriving as late as 11 toting wine to share. You know that past-life I'm talking about. The details may vary, but that line in the sandbox is there. Happy cooking.

Change in Perspective

Three significant things have changed in my plan-cook-clean lifestyle since starting this blog last spring.

First, I remember being stunned to learn that many of you do both the cooking AND the cleaning for the nightly meal. Now? I too do both the cooking and the dish-washing at least a couple nights a week. It affords my husband more time with the kids (and a respite for me), and, doing dishes has become significantly less onerous to me. All because of the addition of a dishwasher. HUGE change in my perspective that I never would have imagined when we first lugged that lumpy appliance into our home. So, maybe this is part of the reason why I couldn't relate to how so many of you seemed relatively at peace with the whole cook-clean routine. I get it now, at least a little bit.

The second major change has been with menu-planning. Although I menu-planned prior to starting the blog, this year has provided a lot of practice. I initially took 30-45 min to plan and write a list for the week. Now I'm easily down to 10 minutes. Someday I might even understand how people like my mom are able to get a perfectly reasonable dinner on the table with hardly any thought at all. For now, though, I still need the plan. That leads me to number three.

Last week I never got around to writing the menu on our chalkboard. It existed online, but each morning or afternoon as I stood in the kitchen pondering dinner, I'd scramble a bit to remember what the options were for that week. It took just a bit more concentration on my part to remember the menus instead of just glancing at the list. It drove me crazy. So, while the chalkboard has only been around for a bit longer than the blog, it's already a staple in my kitchen.

Speaking of which, some day far, far from now we'll be remodeling our kitchen. As housing values drop, our plans become more humble by the day. However, if anyone wants to comment on their favorite things about their kitchen, please share! I'd appreciate hearing what features make your kitchen work well for you. More on this topic later.

Week 47--Let's just eat out all week

Mon – steak & potatoes, broccoli
Tues – beef stir-fry
Weds – left-over BBQ pork sandwiches and salad
Thurs – Barb's spaghetti OR fast option of canned sauce w/my own added sausage
Fri – soup supper or fish-fry out?
Extras – pizza; breakfast
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The title sums up my mood this week. So, here I stand pondering in my kitchen this Monday afternoon thinking I'll toss together this menu with what's on hand in the kitchen. Let's see how this goes. First step, inventory. Hmmmm...beef (ground and steak), ground sausage, sweet peas, misc pasta fixin's.

Ok. We'll just need to get some milk and buns with this menu. Love it. Thanks for helping me sort that out. Happy cooking.

Spring Fever

It topped 60 degrees here today, marking this as the first day of spring in my mind. We uncovered the sand box and have the first (dreaded) piles of sand on the floor in the house. Green shoots are inching up outside and the kids have tested out bare feet on the soggy, still-cold ground. Bliss.

I no longer feel like cooking. Bring on the brat and burger picnics!