Menu Plan November 27-December 3

Can you believe Christmas is in four weeks? Four!!! Where has this year gone?

We had a lovely Thanksgiving with friends then spent the remainder of the weekend decorating the house for the holidays. It was 70 degrees, though, so it didn't feel much like Christmas. Unbelievably, there IS snow in the forecast for Monday night/Tuesday morning. In November. In Alabama. Unbelievable! LOL

Whether it snows or not, the holidays are quickly approaching, and I need to get my plans in motion. I usually bake a variety of treats and hand out goodie trays to friends. I'll keep you updated on that.

For now, this week's menu:


Sunday
Crockpot turkey and rice soup, bread

Monday
Honey mustard chicken, rice, green beans

Tuesday
Pizza Soup

Wednesday
Sausage veggie calzones, fries

Thursday
Meatloaf, mashed potatoes

Friday
Wisconsin Cheddar Soup in bread bowls

Saturday
West Virginia Pepperoni Rolls

If you want more meal planning inspiration, visit Organizing Junkie's Menu Plan Monday. You'll find tons of ideas from other cooks just like you!

The Great Stuffing/Dressing Debate Part Two

Yesterday I posted my first stuffing recipe using onions and sausage as a flavorful base. It was handed down to me by my husband's grandmother, a native of Michigan. Today I'm going to post a Southern recipe, chicken and cornbread dressing. It can be served as a main dish or a side dish.

Here's what you need:

2 cups cooked shredded chicken (check out my tip for easily shredding chicken)
Jiffy Mix corn muffin mix, baked according to the package directions
1 1/2 teas poultry seasoning (feel free to use less, we like ours really savory)
1 teas salt
1 teas onion powder
1/2 teas black pepper
1 egg, beaten
2-3 cups chicken broth

Start by breaking up the baked cornbread into crumbs. Combine with the shredded chicken in a large bowl. Add seasonings.


Stir in the beaten egg. Then add 2 cups chicken broth. Make sure all of the cornbread crumbs and chicken are moist. Allow to sit for 10 minutes so the crumbs can soak up all the lovely moisture. Now if you like a really moist dressing, add a little more broth until you reach the consistency you like.


Spread the mixture into a greased 8x8 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes until golden brown.

Cut into squares and serve. Around here most people make chicken gravy to pour over the top, but we prefer ours plain.


If you're cooking for a crowd, simply double the recipe and use a 9x13 pan. Your cooking time will increase slightly, too.

So, where do you stand in the Great Stuffing/Dressing Debate? Do you make stuffing or dressing? Cornbread or plain bread? Sweet or savory?

I've shared this recipe over at Blessed with Grace's Tempt My Tummy Tuesday. Head over there to check out some more yummy recipes.

The Great Stuffing/Dressing Debate Part One

At this time of year, people everywhere are discussing whether they're serving stuffing or dressing with their Thanksgiving dinner. I know, this is one of those life-altering debates that could change how you view the world! Not!

But do you call the dish stuffing if you don't actually stuff the turkey with it? Should it actually be called dressing? Am I the only one who thinks about such silly things?

Growing up, my knowledge of stuffing was limited to Stove Top in a box. No one that I knew made their own from scratch. Then I moved South and found out it's a tradition to make homemade stuffing.

And that in itself is cause for debate. Some people swear that cornbread stuffing is the only way to go. Then you have people who moved here from the North bringing all kinds of weird combinations like oysters and cranberries. I've even seen people put pineapple in their stuffing! No kidding!

To sum it up, I've found that no two stuffing recipes are exactly alike. And you know what, I'm good with that. I love being able to take a basic idea and add my own flavorful twists to it.

So today I'll share with you a recipe handed down to me from my husband's grandmother who was raised in Michigan. It's a savory sausage combination that makes my mouth water! Tomorrow I'll share a traditional Southern chicken and cornbread recipe given to me by a member of my church who is renowned for his Southern cooking.

Savory Sausage Stuffing - this needs to sit overnight, so plan ahead

1 loaf of white sandwich bread, cubed
1 lb. bulk sausage
4-5 large onions, chopped
1 teas rubbed sage
1 egg, beaten
1 quart milk

Place the bread cubes on baking sheets and brown in the oven until toasted. I heat my oven to 400 degrees, so it takes 10-15 minutes. Check often and stir so all the bread gets evenly toasted.


While the bread is toasting, cook the sausage in a large skillet until no longer pink. Remove the sausage from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the chopped onions and cook in the sausage drippings until translucent and starting to brown. Sprinkle with sage as the onions cook.


In a large bowl, combine the bread cubes, sausage and onions. Pour the beaten egg and 2 cups of milk over all. With a large spoon, stir to mix well. I usually just dig my hands in there and get everything mixed together. The stuffing should be very moist. Add more milk if needed. I usually add another cup or so because we like moist stuffing.


If you plan to stuff your turkey with this, set aside as much as you need. Then pat the rest of the stuffing into a greased 9x13 pan. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

About 90 minutes before serving, take the pan out of the fridge and allow to sit for 30 minutes. Check to see if the stuffing has dried out too much. If so, pour a little more milk over the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes until browned.

Menu Plan November 20-26

Thanksgiving Week is here! Yay!

This year we're hosting our dear friends again since all of our family is out of state. Everyone pitches in and makes several dishes, so the burden of the whole meal doesn't fall on one person. We're going to brine and roast the turkey like we've done in the past, too. I've already got the turkey thawing and plan to stick it in the brine on Tuesday. Here's my post on brining a turkey.

Charles took this week off from work so we could do some fun things together as a family before the hectic holiday season starts. We're all very excited about the entire week, not just Thanksgiving Day.

Now on to the menu plan:

Sunday
Easy Crockpot Potato Soup, homemade bread

Monday
Chicken cornbread dressing, fried potatoes

Tuesday
Pasta and garlic bread

Wednesday
BBQ Chicken in the crockpot

Thursday
Thanksgiving Dinner!

Friday
Leftovers - we love to make sandwiches with the leftover turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing and gravy!

Saturday
Turkey and brown rice soup in the crockpot

For more meal planning inspiration, visit Organizing Junkie's Menu Plan Monday.

Easy Blender Salsa

I love homemade salsa. The jarred stuff just tastes...well, jarred. I have a fresh salsa recipe that I love. And if you like something a little different from traditional tomato and pepper salsa, this cucumber salsa is the way to go.

But lately tomatoes have been crazy expensive around here. So I found an alternative to using fresh tomatoes. Instead I used canned fire-roasted tomatoes. And the results are just wonderful!

One of the things I love about making my own salsa is that I control the spiciness. And since my family doesn't like spicy, we skip the jalapenos and use green bell pepper instead. You, however, can use whatever level of spicy pepper you like.

Here's what you need:

2 cans fire-roasted diced tomatoes (15 oz each)
1 small can pickled jalapenos, drained (I substitute a small green pepper, chopped)
2 TBSP dried minced onion
1 teas garlic powder
1/2 teas cumin
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
lime juice to taste
salt to taste (I usually don't add salt because the chips I eat with the salsa are salty enough)

Toss all the ingredients into a blender. Pulse until the salsa has reached the desired consistency. This will probably only take a few seconds. While I adore chunky salsa, this recipe is better when it's pureed, like the kind of salsa you'd get at a Mexican restaurant

Now, a word of caution. This salsa does get watery the longer it sits. The solution to that is to eat it quickly. And that most likely won't be a problem, considering how yummy it is. Enjoy!

Let the Holy Spirit do His work

Letting the Holy Spirit do His work is a topic I've been pondering for a long, long time. As a mom, I want to be sure my children follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. But if I never give them the chance to experience His leading, how can they learn to follow?

Let me explain. I know parents who micromanaged every detail of their children's lives, down to the color of the clothing they wore. As the children grew, the parents continued to keep very tight control over every aspect of their lives, in the name of protecting them from the evils of this world. The children were accustomed to having someone else make decisions for them - simple ones like what clothes to wear today and difficult ones like which college to attend.

When they finally became adults and branched out on their own, they had no one telling them exactly what do to. So guess what they did....they dove headfirst into every kind of sin imaginable! Was it rebellion in their hearts all along that caused them to go down those paths? Possibly. But it very well could have been that they'd never been given the opportunity to rely on the guidance of the Holy Spirit themselves. They'd never listened to that still, small voice because Mom and Dad drowned Him out with their own leading.

How can we expect our kids to exercise discernment if we discern everything for them? Sure, we need to set guidelines for them as they grow. We need to teach them to obey and respect us. But we also need to let them develop a reliance on God's guidance so when they're away from us, they make wise choices.

I know it's hard to relinquish control. But I have to let the Holy Spirit do His work in their lives. He alone can convict and lead. I can advise, pray, and set a good example. It's quite possible that they might make different choices than I would. But if they're sincerely following after God, I have to trust that His Spirit will lead them to where they need to be.

But man, it's not easy. Help me too, Lord!

Menu Plan November 13-19

'Tis the week before Thanksgiving, so meals this week will be frugal. Not much going on - a follow up with my family doctor from my chest pain experience three weeks ago. Charles was supposed to be traveling for work this week, but the project was delayed. I'm very glad he's home this week.

Now on to the menu plan:

Sunday
Indian butter chicken (I made it in the crockpot - delicious!), rice

Monday
Baked spaghetti, bread sticks

Tuesday
Baked egg rolls

Wednesday
Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green beans

Thursday
Black bean chili, sweet buttermilk cornbread

Friday
Burritos, chips and salsa

Saturday
Crockpot Potato Soup

For more meal-planning inspiration, visit Organizing Junkie's Menu Plan Monday.