I wanted a perfect braised chicken recipe for a chilly fall afternoon, so I turned to epicurious.com. The recipe I made seemed quite familiar, but I haven’t mentioned it on this site, so here it is.

I had to simmer it longer than 20 minutes — it was not cooked through yet at that point.Otherwise, I followed the recipe pretty closely. I normally use boneless/skinless, but I went with bone-in skin on thighs and it made it quite tender and moist. Altogether, an easy and taste meal but nothing spectacular.

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Saturday [Ate at ward party; I took my decorated cake]

Sunday Potato and leek soup, fresh bread

Monday [ate with family]

Tuesday Stuffed pasta (Ravioli) with pesto; frozen veggies

Wednesday Chicken nuggets, wedge potatoes, frozen veggies

Thursday [Leftovers, again, since husband was out of town AGAIN]

Friday Chicken and rice stir fry with broccoli

It has taken me a week to post this, but never fear: here is my pumpkin cake.

I have never decorated a cake before, so this was quite the undertaking. But actually, it was quite simple. I made two cake mixes and baked them in three rounds. When they were cool, I sliced off the top of two of them and stacked the three together, with frosting in between the layers.

Then I carved the sides off, so it was rounded a bit like a pumpkin. I frosted the sides and top. I used some of the extra cake (from the carving) to insert a little stem. After it sat in the fridge overnight, I frosted another layer so it would be smoother. I think it turned out well! It is a little lopsided, yes, but what pumpkin is ever completely rounded? Besides, it was my first attempt.

Is this to be a Halloween tradition?

I should note that I didn’t eat it. I took it to my ward Halloween party; it was a prize for the pumpkin carving contest. No worries, I had tons of leftover cake from the carving to eat at home!

My husband is beginning to travel again, so my menus are going to have “leftovers” on them more frequently. That said, having a few “alternatives” for the weekly menu makes it easier to cook dinner. I know there are a number of things I could easily cook.

Saturday [Ate at restaurant]

Sunday Sauteed pork chops with berry-mustard sauce and mashed potatoes; Parmesan zucchini

Monday Lentil sausage soup

Tuesday Leftovers (restaurant cafe!)

Wednesday Sarma and polenta

Thursday Spaghetti with Italian sausage

Friday Breaded chicken and angel hair pasta with lemon caper sauce

My husband is out of town for a two nights, the first time he’s travelled in a long time, and as he left in the afternoon, as dinner came around I was feeling a bit down. This was not fun! Trying to cook for two (and Raisin often does not like what I cook) does not feel worthwhile. Plus, we had leftovers in the fridge, so I decided the lazy side won out and went for those.

Then I had a brilliant idea. Raisin loves going to a restaurant, and he always orders Mac and Cheese. As soon as I say “restaurant,”  he yells out “I want Mac and Cheese!” So I told my son we were going to a restaurant for dinner. I welcomed him to the restaurant, sat him at the table, handed him a “menu” (really a piece of junk mail that was sitting on the counter) and asked him what he wanted: Mac and Cheese (left over from the other night when we did go to a restaurant) or Chicken Nuggets (other leftovers I had in the freezer for just such a night). He had a big smile as he pretended to read, then said, “Mac and Cheese!” I gave him two crackers to eat while he waited and a cup of milk with a straw, and he happily waited.

Then, out of the blue, Raisin said, “Mommy, it’s a train restaurant!” A few months ago (a year ago?!) we went to a restaurant that did have trains. We sat around a counter and a train “delivered” the food to us. He loved it. So I agreed it was a train restaurant, and got some GeoTrax from the basement. Soon, we had a small, circle track for our battery-operated train. But I wouldn’t turn it on until he took a bit of food!  Repeat for each bite.

I had mentioned that maybe after he ate we could have dessert. After a little while, he asked me for the “menu” again, and then he said, “I want some blueberry yogurt for dessert, please.” I hadn’t even suggested it, and I had been thinking of ice cream, but it was fun to know that for him it was a treat to have yogurt.

I noticed a lot of interesting things about this. I was treating him as if I were a waiter (“Hello, young man. What can I get you today?”) and acting all polite. As a result, instead of demanding as he usually does (“MILK! NOW!”), he mellowed out. “Can I please have some more milk please?” Was it the fact that we were in a restaurant (where he normally is more well behaved since it’s in public) or the fact that I was treating him nicer than I normally do?

At any rate, it made for a fun dinner and it got him to eat more than he would have eaten if I was grouchy as I had been when I was feeling sad that my husband was gone!

I’ve made this twice in the past two weeks, so I thought I”d better mention it for future reference! Since my son had a field trip at an Apple Orchard, we came away with a lot of apples! What a better use for them but some of these yummy “desert” muffins. I love cinnamon sugar and the apple chunks inside are just a wonderful surprise in every bite.

Get the recipe from All Recipes >>>

Planning ahead is going well. I had to change some things last minute because I didn’t have as many potatoes as I thought I did but I was able to change the plan without having to go to the store again. I just need to know what I’m cooking before 4 p.m. every day.

Last Saturday [Ate out]

Sunday Tomato soup with cheese sandwiches

Monday Baked pasta and tomatoes (Penne Ponza)

Tuesday Gnocchi with pesto sauce; mozzarella-stuffed sausage balls and pesto sauce; broccoli

Wednesday Grilled chicken, wedge potatoes, broccoli

Thursday Parmesan risotto and peas

Friday Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo and peas

I made this buttercream recipe for my son’s pumpkin sugar cookie decorating party. The toddlers loved it. And oh my, it is so good. I’m never buying canned frosting again.

The person who emailed it to me said it was from Betty Crocker but I cannot find it online — the Betty Crocker recipe for buttercream I find online is completely different. (ETA: From Trish‘s 1970s Betty Crocker cookbook.) Since I refuse to purchase shortening, I plan on using this pure butter option in the future. Here it is for my future reference.

Get the recipe »

In an effort to plan ahead and refer to the past, I’m going to try to keep track of my week’s eating. I find that if I plan ahead, I spend less at the store. Buying three gallons of milk also helps — I don’t have to make a second trip to the store for that last gallon, so I spend less overall.

Last Saturday Sauteed pork, potato wedges, peas

Sunday Lemon rosemary chicken, potatoes, frozen vegetables

Monday Grilled chicken quesadillas with tomatoes and guacamole

Tuesday Kraft Mac and Cheese dinner

Wednesday Chicken pot pie stew with rolls

Thursday Pizza (pesto base, mozzarella)

Friday Pancakes

I liked Ina Garten’s Lentil Sausage Soup, and my husband loved it. I want to make sure I make it again, for his sake! The sausage was my favorite part of it.

I pretty much followed the recipe but I used brown lentils instead of the “French green” lentils, which I couldn’t find. I also used a bit less chicken stock, but I didn’t measure so I’m not sure how much I used.

Get the Recipe from the Barefoot Contessa >>>>>