Such a Housewife, So Much Food

I work a late shift. I love it, love what I do, love working outside the home, but having graduate in Family Life, I am uneasy that because of working during dinnertime, we don't have dinner together. We do what we can. We'll make food and I'll bring it with me to work or Steve will go home and make dinner then bring it to work to eat with me. However, this does take time away from what he should be doing (schoolwork being the biggest). 
 This week we decided to do some things differently. Steve made some hamburger patties, we made a roast from which we froze some but also made beef stew and beef stroganoff from it. These four meals we also froze. Then, we cooked some pinto beans and made bean burritos and, you guessed it, froze those too. To finish it off, we made some bread dough and split it into three things: balls to freeze to make rolls out of later, cinnamon rolls, and fried bread to eat with hot chocolate tonight. I also made a double batch of no bake cookies and froze those but we have already eaten two bags of those... they may not last us too long. As a side note, we also froze uncooked hamburger to use in other things (Chili, meatloaf, spaghetti, meatballs...).
 Basically, I am really excited to just grab a frozen meal and go to work, for Steve to be able to take a burrito to work with him instead of eating from vending machines, AND for the vegetables we bought to not go bad before we use them. 
 We also have sausage to make biscuits and gravy and for Italian Skillet. For this two week period, we haven't actually planned any chicken meals but we do have some frozen in case we get a hankering for a chicken meal. At the moment though, I just can't think of what chicken meal I would want to eat. Got any ideas?

Various Artwork

 crayon on newspaper.

 11"x14". Permanent marker.

 11"x14". Acrylic paint.

Frog. 11"x14". Permanent marker.

 Halloween Spooks. 11"x14". Permanent marker.

Family. 11"x14". Permanent marker.

 Otter. 11"x14". Permanent marker.

Chevron Bunnies. 11"x14". Permanent marker, cotton balls.

Argyle Reindeer

11"x14" canvas. Permanent marker.

Six Minute Caramels

SOURCE: Melody Murray

Ingredients
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup light Karo syrup
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
Directions:

1 Combine all ingredients.
2 Cook 6 minutes on a medium high heat, stirring every minute.
3 Stir and pour into lightly greased dish.
4 Let cool.
5 Cut, wrap in wax paper & store in an air tight container

Parmesan Fondue

This recipe was given to me by my friend Ellie Ordway when we got married. I actually have yet to try it.

1 1/2 Cup Milk
2 Cream Cheese, cubed
1 1/2 Cup Parmesan Cheese
1/2 tsp garlic salt

In large pan combine milk and cream cheese. Cook over low heat, stirring often, until cream cheese is melted and mixture is smooth. Add parmesan cheese, garlic salt, and continue stirring.

Egg-Free Pancakes

Recipe taken from about.com

I have made these twice now and love them because I can have pancakes and scrambled eggs without feeling like I'm overdoing protein. Odd thing to worry about, right?

• 1 cup flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
• 2 Tablespoons canola oil
• 1 cup milk (or milk substitute such as soy or coconut milk)

Mix the dry ingredients first. I add the canola oil to the milk then pour the mixture into the dry ingredients. Let is sit for 3-5 minutes while the griddle heats. A good size is 1/4 C batter. 

Helpful Website

http://www.home-ec101.com/homemade-substitute-for-condensed-cream-of-something-soup-recipe/

Freezer meals I want to try

http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2009/09/crispy-southwest-chicken-wraps.html
http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2011/01/chicken-cordon-bleu-bread-bowls.html
http://onceamonthmom.com/family-approved-skillet-mac-cheese/
http://onceamonthmom.com/papa-eddies-crepes/
http://onceamonthmom.com/spinach-bacon-feta-frittata/
http://iowagirleats.com/2012/10/09/harvest-chicken-quinoa-soup/
http://www.flippindelicious.com/2012/10/chipotle-pork-tenderloin.html

19 Prepared Menus :)

Here is an excellent source for menu ideas (19 of them to be precise). http://www.home-ec101.com/tag/menu-plan/

Sausage Bow Tie Salad

This recipe was taken from http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Sausage-Bow-Tie-Salad. It is another recipe I want to try.

Ingredients

• 1 pound fully cooked reduced-fat kielbasa or Polish sausage, cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1-1/2 teaspoons minced garlic, divided
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 to 3 teaspoons fennel seed, crushed
• 5 cups cooked bow tie pasta
• 7 plum tomatoes, diced
• 1/4 cup minced fresh basil or 4 teaspoons dried basil
• 1 cup (4 ounces) crumbled feta cheese

Directions

• In a large nonstick skillet, cook the sausage, onion, water and 3/4 teaspoon garlic over medium heat for 10 minutes. Add the vinegar and fennel seed. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.
• Stir in pasta until coated. Add the tomatoes, basil and remaining garlic; stir gently. Cover and refrigerate until serving. Sprinkle with feta cheese