SWEET & SOUR BRISKET

This is a savory, aromatic, and yet sweet as well as tangy sour slowly cooked (for hours and hours) brisket based on traditional Ashkenazi Jewish recipes. It’s always a crowd pleaser!

Brisket is one of the tougher cuts of meat that many Jewish recipes have tamed into a tasty cut by slow cooking a well marbled cut of meat with a decent fat cap. DO NOT TRIM OFF THE FAT. The fat is necessary to help break down the toughness as it roasts turning it into a piece of meat that easily flakes apart into tender pieces that just melts in your mouth. This cut also tastes even better a day or two after it’s prepared. I searched through many recipes to come up with one of my own that appeased all my picky eaters.

This is traditionally the cut of meat that is pickled and made into Pastrami or Corned Beef brought to the U.S. by immigrants and is a traditional staple for many Jewish families for special holidays and special occasions.

SWEET & SOUR BRISKET
5-7 pound brisket, DO NOT trim fat – especially if it’s grass fed

1/4 cup avocado oil, divided
2 large yellow onions, peeled and sliced
1 1/2 pounds carrots, peeled and sliced
1/2 pound celery, peeled and sliced thin
one 14 ounce can tomatoes – whole, diced, or crushed OR two 8 ounce cans of crushed pineapple – see notes
5-6 peeled whole garlic cloves
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup Apple Cider vinegar
2 cups beef bone broth
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper

  • Preheat oven to 300.
  • Rinse the brisket and pat dry.
  • Rub both sides of the meat with FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper.
  • Heat a large skillet over a medium heat.
  • Drizzle 2 tablespoons of avocado oil into the pan.
  • Brown the brisket 5 minutes on each side. Depending on the size of your brisket you it may need to be browned in parts or stages to get the whole thing browned.
  • While the brisket is browning, add the tomatoes, garlic, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, and 1 ½ cups broth into a blender or food processor. If using the crushed pineapple you can just whisk it all together.
  • Add 2 teaspoons of salt and ¼ teaspoon of black pepper. Pulse till garlic is chopped small and all ingredients are well combined.
  • Remove the browned brisket from the skillet.
  • Drizzle 2 tablespoons more avocado oil in the pan and add the sliced onions, sautéing them over medium high for a few minutes until they begin to soften and shrink in size.
  • Add the carrot and celery slices, sauteing 5-6 minutes until the onions are soft and browning and the vegetables are fragrant.
  • Transfer the vegetables out of the skillet and onto a plate, set aside.
  • Add 1/2 cup beef stock into the skillet and let it heat up.
  • Use a spatula to gently scrape up any brown bits and pan juices that are clinging to the skillet. Turn off heat.
  • Pour half of the tomato mixture into a large roasting pan, ceramic if you have one that large.
  • Place brisket on top of sauce, fat cap facing up.
  • Pour the sauteed vegetables across the top of the brisket, along with the broth and brown bits.
  • Pour the remaining tomato sauce over the top of the vegetables and brisket.
  • Cover the roasting pan tightly with a strong layer of parchment paper followed by a layer of foil. The parchment forms a protective layer between the meat and sauce (which is acidic) and the foil. If you have a ceramic roaster with a glass lid you can skip the parchment and foil step.
  • Place brisket in the oven and roast COMPLETELY undisturbed for 5 to 7 hours. It will take about 1 hour per pound of meat (leaner cuts, especially grass fed may take longer—test for desired doneness). Brisket is ready when it flakes tenderly when pierced with a fork. You can let it cook even longer for a soft, shredded texture if that’s what you prefer. When fully cooked, the brisket will have shrunk considerably in size.
Remove brisket from the pan and let it rest on the cutting board fat-side up for 20-30 minutes.
  • Pour the sauce and vegetables from the roasting pan into a smaller saucepan.
  • Skim fat from the surface of the cooking sauce, then SLOWLY simmer the sauce until hot DO NOT BOIL.
  • 
Cut fat cap off the brisket, then cut the brisket in thin slices against the grain.
  • Serve topped with the warmed sauce and veggies.

This is delicious immediately, but I highly recommend making this recipe a couple days in advance because the brisket just gets so much more flavorful as it sits.

DIRECTIONS FOR MAKING AHEAD

  • When brisket comes out of the oven, open the foil to vent and let the brisket slowly return to room temperature.
  • Switch the brisket and sauce to a ceramic or glass dish (metal from the roasting pan can react with the acid in the sauce, which can cause an off taste if left to sit).
  • Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator.
  • Let the brisket chill overnight, or up to two days. You can also freeze the brisket if you prefer.
  • 1-2 hours before serving, remove the brisket from the refrigerator and preheat your oven to 350°.
  • The fat in the sauce will have risen to the top, turned white, and solidified. Use a spoon to scoop the fat bits out of the sauce and discard.
  • Take the brisket out of the dish and brush any excess sauce back into the dish.
  • Place brisket on a cutting board, fat-side up.
  • Cut the fat cap off the brisket and then cut the brisket into thin slices against the grain.
  • Return the sliced meat to the dish and spoon sauce over it, making sure to spoon a little sauce between each slice.
  • Cover the dish with a layer of parchment paper, then with foil or better yet a glass lid, and place it in the oven.
  • Let the brisket roast for 45-60 minutes until heated through.

NOTE:

  • It can also be reheated in a slow cooker on high heat for 1 hour.
  • Tomatoes are more savory, pineapple is sweeter, but they both contribute to the sweet & sour name.

CHEESY SNACKS

The perfect chewy and cheesy snack, appetizer or soup crouton dippers!

CHEESY SNACKS
2 cups (8 ounce bag) shredded Parmesan cheese
2 cups (8 ounce bag) shredded Mozzarella cheese
1 LARGE egg
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder

  • Preheat oven to 350°.
  • In a large mixing bowl whisk together the egg, garlic powder and onion powder until mixed well.
  • Fold in shredded cheeses until well blended.
  • Spread in an even layer on parchment paper.
  • Bake 15-20 minutes. Edges will start to crisp and
  • Cool slightly and cut into pieces.

NOTES:

  • I used a Mozzarella and provolone mix instead of plain Mozzarella and a Parmesan Roman Asiago mix instead of plain Parmesan and it adds just a little extra flavor.
  • Add some minced red onion and minced pepperoni chunks to call it CHEESY PIZZA SNACKS!

JALAPENO POPPER WONTON CUPS

Wonton Cups full of yummy bacon, jalapeños (or green chiles if you’re a wimp), cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and sour cream make the perfect party or game day appetizer!

JALAPENO POPPER WONTON CUPS Yield: 12

12 wonton wrappers, (you’ll find them in the produce section for some weird reason)
4 ounces softened cream cheese
1/2 cup sour cream, plus more for serving
3/4 pound bacon, cooked & crumbled, reserve 2 tablespoons
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, reserve 2 tablespoons
3-4 jalapeños, seeded and chopped (for more spice, do not remove all the seeds and for wimps substitute green chiles – I used HOT green chiles for a middle of the road)
diced green onion for serving

  • Preheat oven to 350°.
  • Spray muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray.
  • Place one wonton wrapper in each muffin cup; bake 10 minutes or until lightly browned.
  • Remove from oven and cool slightly.
  • In a medium-sized mixing bowl, stir together the cream cheese and sour cream until smooth.
  • Stir in bacon pieces, cheddar cheese, and chopped jalapeños or green chiles.
  • Spoon filling into wonton cups, then sprinkle with reserved bacon and cheese.
  • Return to oven and bake for an additional 8-10 minutes, until wontons are golden brown and the cheese is melted.
  • Serve with a dollop of sour cream and sprinkle of diced green onion.

VARIATIONS ON THIS RECIPE:

  • Bacon can be replaced with ground beef, crumbled sausage or small diced ham
  • Add crumbled blue cheese, Gorgonzola or flavor of choice
  • Substitute a flavored cream cheese for the plain cream cheese
  • Use a Mexican Sour Cream instead of plain
  • Add chopped red peppers
  • Add chopped onions

RUM RAISIN CARROT CAKE with CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

This has been a family favorite for many years and is the first dessert I taught my niece, Amber how to bake with so it has some seriously “sweet” memories 😀

RUM RAISIN CARROT CAKE with CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
CAKE
2 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 cup packed golden brown sugar
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup butter, softened
3 JUMBO eggs
2 teaspoons PURE vanilla extract
1/4 cup golden rum** SEE NOTE
3 cups grated carrots
8 ounce can crushed pineapple, drained well
1 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

  • Pour rum over raisins and set aside for at least an hour.
  • Preheat oven to 350°.
  • Grease and flour 2-9 inch cake pans or line cupcake tins.
  • In a large bowl sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and sugars.
  • In another bowl cream together the butter, brown sugar, vanilla and 1 egg.
  • Add additional eggs and beat until well creamed.
  • Add dry ingredients gradually until well blended.
  • Add carrots, pineapple and walnuts until well blended.
  • Drain raisins and fold in last.
  • Pour batter into prepared pans.
  • Bake 1 hour or until toothpick comes out clean.
  • Cool 10 minutes.
  • Invert cakes onto rack and cool completely.

**NOTES:

  • As an option you could soak the raisins in orange juice instead of the rum and then substitute 1 teaspoon maple flavoring for the rum.
  • This recipe also makes scrumptious cupcakes.

FROSTING
16 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
Juice of 1 LARGE lemon
2 teaspoons PURE vanilla extract
3 cups powdered sugar

  • In a medium bowl beat cream cheese and butter until smooth.
  • Add lemon juice and vanilla, beating.
  • Add powdered sugar gradually until well blended and smooth.
  • Ice first layer and then add 2nd cake top and ice again including sides of cake.
  • Refrigerate 1 hour to set icing before serving.

Save Room for dessert new badgeOriginally posted 7-26-2010 for OURkRazZykitchen a food blog a friend and I hosted 😀
Update posted 7-26-2022

HAPPY HOMEMAKER MONDAY week 30 of 2022 with MENU PLANS & RECIPE LINKS

Doing Happy Homemaker Monday so extensively helps keep me on track as it summarizes the past week and lays out a fairly concise plan for this week. Be sure to join us for Happy Homemaker Monday and link up with our host, Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

Well the heat wave has finally reached the Pacific North West. Fortunately for me I’m from south east Texas and grew up in the desert of southern California so while the heat is going to be hotter than normal for here, it’s not going to be humid AND something I can deal with pretty easily 😀

We’ll be in triple digits all week so I’ll be doing more indoor activities, only watering early in the morning and after the sun sets. At least the nighttime lows will be in the 60’s cooling it down for some nice mornings.

Bare feet and flip flops are my friends this summer! I’m wearing my favorite capris and a lightweight blouse.

Oh and today is the 25th, so you know what that means? It’s time to weigh in on the countdown to Christmas with a public service announcement. I took advantage of PRIME DAY to source out a couple gifts and stocking stuffers. Please don’t hate me 😀

My friend found me a yogurt for me that it my new favorite! It’s Chobani’s Raspberry Lemonade. It actually makes breakfast a little less boring with so few options. It’s almost like having a dessert the flavor is

They also have a strawberry cheesecake that is quite good 😀

THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS & APPOINTMENTS
  • LAUNDRY & CLEANING Completely done, or at least good for now since it’s a never ending process 😀
  • GROCERIES & ERRANDS Not much going on this week at all except picking up what I need for the 3 dozen Apple Pie Cupcakes I’m making for the Eagles Friday night dinner.
  • PAPERWORK, PHONE CALLS & PROJECTS Still working on the same pile and issues :SIGH: Seems like for every one thing handled two more take its place.
  • RECIPE RESEARCH & MENU PLANNING I had the menu planned out through August and then a few snags came up and I just got through re-working it. I am in charge of 2 Friday night dinners (the first and the last Friday) at the Eagles in August. The first one will be BLT Chicken Pasta Salad with Honey Beer Bread and Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Pudding. The last one is Tex Mex Bacon Cheeseburger Bake with Broccoli Coleslaw and Lemon Drop Cake.

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV
  • NETFLIX We watched the Gray Man with Ryan Gosling which was far fetched, but okay.
  • AMAZON PRIME We watched the movie Ice Soldiers and started the series Star Trek Strange New Worlds
  • PARAMOUNT + OLD NewsRadio reruns, though we never saw it the first time through 😀 OLD Hot in Cleaveland reruns – just LOVE Betty White, OLD 3rd Rock From the Sun reruns which are just goofy, but fun.
  • CABLE On Saturday nights hubby and I watch really old SVENGOOLIE movies – even have a bowl of popcorn.This week was BRIDES OF DRACULA. FUN/DOCUMENTARY American Pickers, Mysteries of the Abandoned NASCAR, COOKING SHOWS – BBQ USA with Michael Symon, Beat Bobby Flay, Guy’s Grocery Games, Masterchef 

I’m between reads since I finished the Charlotte Dean series that I REALLY enjoyed. I certainly hope there are more to come from that author. I have a pre-order that will arrive tomorrow on Kindle for Heather Webber’s In The Middle of Hickory Lane so am trying to hold off on starting anything new for now.

The kittens are getting so BIG and have become great little mousers, a much desired trait since we live on the edge of the highway. Mom is starting to look more like herself again too! She likes to eye the hummingbirds, but leaves them alone fortunately. I’ve never had so many hummingbirds that actually perch and sit still – so cute!

MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
DINNER
HOT HONEY PORK CHOPS & GRILLED POTATO CORN SALAD
GREEK CHICKEN & SALAD
C.O.R.N. CLEAN OUT REFRIGERATOR NIGHT
COLA GLAZED PORK LOIN, PEROGIES & SALAD
CHICKEN & DRESSING BAKE with MUSHY PEAS
CHICKEN with TOMATO CREAM SAUCE, MASHED POTATOES & SNOW PEA SALAD
SONORAN CLAM CHOWDER & CHEESY SNACKS
DESSERT
CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY BUNDT CAKE

SMOKEY WHISKEY WINGS

SMOKEY WHISKEY WINGS Serves 4

Sweet, savory AND a bit of a kick.

WINGS
2 pounds chicken wing sections
3 tablespoons salt
3 tablespoons sugar
2 quarts cold water
2 tablespoons canola oil
FRESH ground salt and black pepper
2-4 tablespoons cornstarch

  • Combine the 3 tablespoons salt, sugar, and water in a large bowl.
  • Add the wings and set in the fridge for 30 minutes.
  • Remove wings from brine and pat dry.
  • Toss wings in a bowl with the FRESH ground salt and black pepper and cornstarch until coated evenly.
  • Preheat oven to 350°.
  • Arrange wings in a single layer on a foil lined baking sheet.
  • Bake 30-45 minutes until cooked through and crispy.

SAUCE
3 tablespoons butter
1 garlic clove, FINELY minced
½ cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons water
1/4 cup whiskey
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 cup Tabasco OR Frank’s Original hot sauce (optional)
FRESH ground sea salt & black pepper
1 teaspoon liquid smoke (flavor of choice)

  • Melt butter in a saucepan.
  • Whisk in the brown sugar, whiskey, hot sauce, liquid smoke, garlic, ginger, salt and pepper.
  • Stir occasionally 10-15 minutes.
  • In a large heatproof bowl, toss together the wings and sauce, coating them well.
  • Serve with celery sticks and blue cheese or ranch dressing.

SKILLET PASTA with VODKA SAUCE

SKILLET PASTA with VODKA SAUCE
1 bunch green onions or 1 large shallot, thinly sliced
1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 pound sweet Italian sausage
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups vodka pasta sauce, homemade or jarred – your choice
3 cups homemade beef stock
12 ounces penne pasta
1/4 cup chopped marinated sun-dried tomato pieces
1/2-3/4 cup quartered marinated mozzarella balls
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

  • Coat 12 inch non-stick skillet with non-stick cooking spray. I like to use my heavy enameled cast iron crock pot skillet.
  • Heat over medium-high heat.
  • Add beef, sweet Italian sausage, most of the green onions (save some for garnish), FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper to taste, cooking 8-10 minutes and breaking up the meat into small crumbles until meat is cooked through.
  • Add garlic and stir 30 seconds until fragrant.
  • Drain the meat and discard the grease.
  • Add 1/2 cup of the sauce and water to skillet. Bring to boil.
  • Add pasta and red pepper flakes.
  • Cover 10-12 minutes and cook JUST until tender.
  • Stir in meat and remaining sauce, cooking a couple minutes to heat through.
  • Gently fold in Mozzarella ball pieces.
  • Top with scallions and serve immediately.

SHEET PAN PANCAKES

Hubs LOVES pancakes, but they’re not something I can tolerate much anymore so this is a simple recipe that keeps well for reheating too. It’s also simple enough to reduce for a small size.

SHEET PAN PANCAKES
2 1/2 cups WHOLE milk or half & half
2 EXTRA LARGE eggs
1 tablespoon PURE vanilla
2 3/4 cups flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick salted butter, melted
2 cups WILD blueberries
butter & syrup, for serving

  • Preheat oven to 425°.
  • Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Set aside.
  • Whisk together the milk, eggs and vanilla, blending well. Using a blender or hand mixer works well also.
  • Add the flour mixture gradually, blending until smooth.
  • Add half of the melted butter, blending well.
  • Spread half the remaining butter on a sheet pan, swirling to coat the bottom and sides.
  • Pour pancake batter over the butter evenly.
  • Sprinkle with most of the blueberries, reserving a few for garnish.
  • Bake 20 minutes until golden.
  • Brush entire pancake with remaining butter, cut into squares and serve with syrup or powdered sugar.

CHICKEN PARMESAN SPINACH ARTICHOKE BAKE

Turn your favorite party dip into a hearty casserole meal that will satisfy EVERYONE!

CHICKEN PARMESAN SPINACH ARTICHOKE BAKE serves 8

3 cups chicken rotisserie chicken **
2 shallots, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound fusilli pasta, uncooked
1 jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained well and diced

12 ounce container spinach artichoke dip
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
16 ounces frozen baby spinach, THAWED & SQUEEZED DRY
3 cups homemade chicken stock
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

  • Preheat oven to 350°.
  • Spray 13×9 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
  • Mix together the artichoke dip, artichoke pieces, onions, garlic, spinach, chicken pieces and 1/2 cup of the cheese until well blended.
  • Add chicken stock and blend well.
  • Fold in pasta.
  • Cover with foil and bake 35-45 minutes, stirring a time or two.
  • Remove foil and sprinkle evenly with remaining mozzarella cheese and the Parmesan.
  • Bake 5-10 minutes more until cheese is melted and pasta is tender.
  • Let sit 5 minutes before serving.

NOTES:

  • You can make this more of a side dish by deleting the chicken pieces.
  • Another alternative is to season and grill the chicken first and then shred it. It adds another depth of flavor.

PAPRIKA RUBBED CHICKEN

PAPRIKA RUBBED CHICKEN
3-4 pounds picnic chicken (thighs and legs)
1/2 cup red wine
16 ounce jar RAGU Roasted Garlic Parmesan Sauce (white)
8 ounce tomato sauce
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup FRESH chopped parsley, optional
1 teaspoon lemon zest

  • Preheat oven to 400.
  • Combine paprika, garlic, FRESH ground sea salt and pepper in a small bowl. Set aside.
  • In a mixing bowl whisk together the wine, tomato sauce and RAGU sauce until well blended.
  • Wash and dry chicken pieces.
  • Rub the chicken pieces all over with the spice rub.
  • Add 1 cup of the pasta sauce mixture to a 4 quart baking dish.
  • Add chicken pieces in a single layer if possible.
  • Brush chicken piece tops with remaining sauce.
  • Bake 45-50 minutes until chicken is cooked through.
  • Arrange chicken on platter and top with sauce.
  • Garnish with chopped parsley and lemon zest.

NO CHURN VANILLA ICE CREAM ala A KID from KID’S BAKING CHAMPIONSHIP or NO CHURN COOKIES & CREAM ICE CREAM

July 17th was National Ice Cream Day. So I made ice cream of course 😀

Hot where you are? What better way to beat the heat than to make some homemade ice cream? The best part about this recipe is that it’s a completely no churn, soft serve recipe.  It’s so good!! It disappears pretty quickly, so why not make a double batch. It is also great to change up in flavor by using flavored Oreos, freeze dried fruit flavors or a FRESH berries coulee! This one is plain with a hint of color and chocolate sauce.

NO CHURN ICE CREAM ALA Duff Goldman serves 6

One 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract **See NOTES
Pinch kosher salt
2 cups heavy cream
Your favorite toppings, such as sprinkles, caramel syrup, etc. for serving

  • In a large bowl, whisk together the sweetened condensed milk, vanilla and salt.
    In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream to stiff peaks, about 3 minutes.
  • Gently mix a scoop of the whipped cream into the condensed milk mixture. Fold in the rest of the whipped cream very gently. Be careful not to overmix and deflate the mixture.
  • Transfer to a freezer container or a loaf pan, smooth the top, then press a piece of wax paper against the surface. This will prevent ice crystals from forming.
  • Freeze until the ice cream is frozen and scoopable, 6 hours to overnight.
  • Scoop the ice cream into bowls and serve with your favorite toppings or with a pie or cobbler. Enjoy!

NOTE: A great alternative is using 1/2 vanilla extract and 1/2 mint. And if you are using mint, why not add some mini chocolate chips too?

OR

NO CHURN COOKIE & CREAM ICE CREAM serves 6

2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 tablespoon PURE vanilla extract
HALF of a 3 ounce package of vanilla pudding mix (or your flavor of choice)
1/2 normal package of Oreos, crushed (flavor of choice)

  • In a bowl, whip the heavy whipping cream and whip until stiff peaks begin to form.
  • In a separate bowl, pour in 1 can sweetened condensed milk.
  • Add the vanilla and the vanilla pudding.  Mix well.
  • Add in half of the crushed Oreo cookies and mix.  
  • Pour this mix into the whipped cream, and fold it in gently.
  • In a metal loaf pan, pour about half of the mixture.
  • Add a layer of crushed Oreos, and then top with the remaining ice cream mixture.
  • Sprinkle the top with the remaining crushed Oreos.
  • Cover with press and seal or plastic wrap and freeze for 24 hours.

NOTE: Make this any flavor you want by using flavored oreos.

HAPPY HOMEMAKER MONDAY week 29 of 2022 with RECIPE LINKS & MENU PLANS

Doing Happy Homemaker Monday so extensively helps keep me on track as it summarizes the past week and lays out a fairly concise plan for this week.

Be sure to join us for Happy Homemaker Monday and link up with our host, Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

It was a really productive weekend here. I got a surprise call late Friday morning and the sprinkler guy who was supposed to be calling me to schedule an appointment was able to show up a couple weeks early and same day! He was here for several hours and was able to fix one part of a 2 or 3 part problem and while we still have a problem he was able to rule out several other potential issues.

It’s been toasty here, but only for a few hours a day. We’ve been cooling off really well at night so I have no real complaints. 😀

I know I’m tired of feeling this way, so you’re tired of hearing it, but I’m constantly worried about everything going on in the world 🙁 I just pray and pray for things to turn around and soon. Breakfast is a never changing palette for me so guess what I’m having this morning? You got it, Hot water and yogurt 😀

THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS & APPOINTMENTS
  • LAUNDRY & CLEANING Completely up to date – can’t say that often! I even did a major clean on the oven.
  • GROCERIES & ERRANDS Hubby and I need to make a run to the transfer station to get rid of some junk. We each have appointments this week so I will get the few errands done when we are in town for those. We are laying low the next couple weeks. COVID cases are on the rise here (AGAIN), people are back to mask wearing with the threat of it being mandatory soon AND with the World Athletic Championships just up the road a ways from us there are a lot of unknowns in town so we’re playing the BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY card and avoiding ALL unknowns.
  • PAPERWORK, PHONE CALLS & PROJECTS Still whittling down my pile, BUT LOL it seems like 2 things replace every one I get finished!
  • RECIPE RESEARCH & MENU PLANNING Still working on August and am now also providing 2 meals and a dessert for the Eagles next month. Each of those are for 40 people. So, I made a few samples (Tex Mex bacon cheeseburger bake, chicken BLT pasta salad, snap pea coleslaw, honey beer bread, apple pie cupcakes, chocolate chip banana bread pudding and chocolate macaroons) this past weekend for a friend who will be helping me to sample.

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV
  • PRIME WHITE SKY, JURASSIC PARK FALLEN – getting ready to see WORLD DOMINION
  • PARAMOUNT+ STAR TREK DISCOVERY, NEWS RADIO, HOT IN CLEVELAND, THE NANNY, 3RD ROCK FROM THE SUN
  • CABLE NASCAR, COOKING SHOWS – FOOD TRUCK RACE, BEACH BRAWL, GUY’S GROCERY GAMES, SUPERMARKET STAKE OUT and BEAT BOBBY FLAY and a few CHRISTMAS in JULY HALLMARK MOVIES

I didn’t get much reading accomplished last week and am still reading books 3 & 4 of Phillipa Nefri Clark’s Charlotte Dean mystery series.

The momma cat and kittens haven’t been around much, but made an appearance yesterday for a few hours. 😀 I could only get a few pictures though.

MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
DINNER
We were going to have some SMOKEY WINGS but then we received a better offer for wine and BBQ on the neighbor’s deck 😀
SMOKEY WHISKEY WINGS, COLESLAW & DOWN HOME BAKED BEANS
C.O.R.N. CLEAN OUT REFRIGERATOR NIGHT
 STUFFED BBQ CHICKEN THIGHS & RANCH SLAW
C.O.R.N. CLEAN OUT REFRIGERATOR NIGHT
HOT HONEY PORK CHOPS & GRILLED POTATO CORN SALAD
CHICKEN with TOMATO CREAM SAUCE, MASHED POTATOES & SALAD
DESSERT
LEMON DROP CAKE