Small Success: Get Cooking!

Small Success dark blue outline 800x800Thursdays at CatholicMom.com begin with a look at the past week’s Small Successes!

Here’s what’s been going on around here last week:

  • I survived that meeting I was all nervous about on Saturday. Turns out there wasn’t anything to worry about, but worrying is what I do best. The only glitch we encountered was courtesy of the fluorescent light in the meeting room that decided to flicker, then died a slow and smelly death. That put an end to the meeting very quickly and led me to call the parish business manager at home so she could get a maintenance worker to check it out (turns out, it was a ballast in the fixture and when those things go bad, they fill the room with stinky smoke). So we didn’t burn down the building.
  • My chicken chili was a hit (that was lunch at the meeting), and I got the recipe up at my poor, neglected cooking blog. chicken chili blanco (3) c T
  • I also put up some new photos for the 2 things I baked this week: sesame tahini cookies (which I turned into a slice-and-bake recipe) and apple coffee cake. I’ve been working hard on getting better-quality photos for the blog and on labeling those photos with titles and my foodie Twitter handle.

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  • And I listened to some podcasts while cooking and cleaning. That’s the kind of multitasking I can get behind.

Share your Small Successes at CatholicMom.com by joining the linkup in the bottom of today’s post. No blog? List yours in the comments box!

What’s for Supper? September 4-10

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I’m linking up at Simcha Fisher’s Patheos Catholic blog, where she’s got a great weekly “What’s for Supper?” feature going on. Here’s what we had for dinner this week.

I’m curious: do you say “dinner” or “supper?” It was always “supper” growing up–“dinner” was reserved for holidays, when we ate with the extended family, used the dining room and had tablecloths and fancy dishes. But when I went to college, the cafeteria called it “dinner.”

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FRIDAY 4: Shrimp Scampi with pasta, which was such a hastily-put-together dinner that I wound up having to call my neighbor for a box of spaghetti.

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SATURDAY 5: Spicy Orange Chicken with brown rice and Sesame Green Beans.

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SUNDAY 6: Baked Salmon using the Catholic Foodie’s recipe, Rustic Peas and Parsley Potatoes.

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MONDAY 7: we hosted a Labor Day picnic. I made baked beans, grilled hot dogs, salad and sausage and peppers–a giant batch, in the roaster oven.

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TUESDAY 8: Chicken Caesar Sandwiches (we had a lot of leftover rolls after Monday’s picnic, so this was a way to use them up!)

WEDNESDAY 9: Spaghetti and meatballs.

THURSDAY 10: Fend for yourself! Big Brother took me to Center City Philly for my (belated) birthday dinner. We enjoyed Asian food served tapas style at Sampan.

Monday Recap: September 7, 2015

Monday Recap-What I've been writing

At CatholicMom.com:

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You’re invited to the very first CatholicMom.com Virtual Progressive Dinner!

You’re invited to our very first Virtual Progressive Dinner here at CatholicMom.com! Find out how you can share your favorite recipe and join the fun.

Book Notes: Two Novels with a Side of Angels

Novels are always a pleasure to read, but they don’t have to be a “guilty pleasure.” I reviewed two novels you’ll want to share with the teens in your life–but don’t miss the chance to read them for yourself.

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Meatless Friday: Rainbow Stir Fry with Shrimp

Here’s a quick-cooking shrimp stir-fry with plenty of colorful vegetables for your next Meatless Friday meal.

 

 

What’s for Supper? August 30-September 3

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I’m linking up with Simcha Fisher for her “What’s for Supper?” feature. I’ve only got 5 days here, because last week I was late, and I haven’t actually decided what we’re eating tonight. Even though it’s 5:15 PM right now.

cucumber tomato salad (1)c TITLESUNDAY 30: Hamburgers, hot dogs, tomato-cucumber-onion salad, baked beans (my secret recipe for baked beans: for every 15 ounces of canned baked beans, add 3 TBL ketchup and 1 TBL yellow mustard. Stir. Bake 20 minutes at 350.)

MONDAY 31: TheKid was visiting friends, so Hubs and I went to the diner for omelets.

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TUESDAY 1: Chicken Breasts in Mushroom Sauce based on this recipe from author Jeanne Grunert. I still need to write up how I made it (note “based on” above) and include the nutrition information. This was a big hit.

WEDNESDAY 2: Spaghetti and meatballs. This is our Wednesday-supper tradition because I have folk-group practice on Wednesday evenings, and this dinner is easy to make and to clean up.

Chicken Thighs BBQ rub baked beans c titleTHURSDAY 3: Chicken thighs with barbecue rub, tater tots, salad, baked beans. Next time I’m putting those on sandwiches with a little cole slaw.

rainbow stirfry c title FIAs for tonight, I could make my Meatless-Friday recipe that’s up at CatholicMom.com today…I have everything here to make that happen. We’ll see.

What’s for Supper? August 23-29, 2015

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I’m a huge fan of meal-planning linkups, so I was all aboard when Simcha Fisher announced she’d be hosting a “What’s for Supper?” linkup each week. The best part about this linkup is that you don’t do your week-ahead meal plan, but actually your week-before plan. So you get the real thing here. Or as much of the real thing as we remember.

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SUNDAY 23: Steak fajitas and macaroni salad

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MONDAY 24: Chicken piccata bites, steamed spinach, rice

big batch savvy spaghetti and meatballs RHTUESDAY 25: Spaghetti. I made a big batch on Tuesday, so now I have enough in the freezer for 10 more dinners (the containers keep getting smaller as the number of people eating dinner in this house shrinks. We’re down to 3 now…)

BYO Strawberry shortcakeWEDNESDAY 26: Happy Birthday to TheDad! Big Brother came home for dinner and grilled New York strip steaks (seasoned just with salt and garlic pepper). I baked sweet potatoes and made corn on the cob. For dessert, we had “build your own strawberry shortcake” with pound cake, fresh whipped cream and sliced strawberries (and mini chocolate chips).

Hawaiian Chicken c titleTHURSDAY 27: Hawaiian chicken over rice with broccoli/cauliflower vegetable blend.

FRIDAY 28: We visited my parents. They made grilled salmon with honey mustard, corn on the cob, broccoli & cauliflower, raw carrots and celery and Caesar salad.

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SATURDAY 29: Barbecued chicken, salad, and Trinity Rice (to use up the leftover rice from earlier in the week).

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Hop on over to Simcha’s linkup and get some great ideas for your family dinners!

Monday Recap: August 10, 2015

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This was show week for The Kid’s theatre camp, which meant several extra trips (20 minutes each way) and working the concession stand for 2 shows and a cast party AND auditions for the next production. There hasn’t been much writing OR cooking this week.

But there was a little “stress baking” yesterday between that cast party and audition.

At Cook and Count:

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Cookie Time: Spicy Pecan Ranger Cookies

At CatholicMom.com:

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Meatless Friday: Shrimp Fajitas with Cool Corn Salad

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Book Review: Around the Table with the Catholic Foodie: Middle Eastern Cuisine

Monday Recap: August 3, 2015

Monday Recap-What I've been writing

 

At CatholicMom.com:

menu planReview: Catholic Sistas Planner. I review this printable planner that contains sections for your calendar, homeschool, homemaking and blogging purposes. Don’t miss my giveaway right here, ending Friday!

 

 

 

Via Seinfeld Daily on Tumblr.
Via Seinfeld Daily on Tumblr.

Stumbling Blocks on the Road to Sanctity. Taking a cue from Seinfeld, I examine my tendency toward road rage and how it’s keeping me from becoming a saint.

 

 

 

Farmer's MarketMeatless Friday: Farmer’s Market Roundup. I’ve gathered up a baker’s dozen recipes from the Meatless Friday archives that feature fresh produce–because now’s the time to get it and enjoy it at its best!

At Cook and Count:

rosemary chicken thighs (2)c labelBlueprint Recipe: Rosemary Chicken Thighs. Worth turning on the oven on a hot day, with a spice-rack option in case you don’t have any fresh herbs.

At Room Two Productions:

I gave the home page a fresh new look and added plenty of photos from Room Two’s vast library of video archives.

 

 

Monday Recap: July 20, 2015

Monday Recap-What I've been writingGood thing I took the “morning” out of Monday Recap! It’s been a busy day.

CWCO_live_smI’ve done a little cooking this week. And a lot of working ahead; tomorrow I’m off to attend the Catholic Writers Guild conference, where I’ll meet a bunch of CatholicMom.com contributors and a few old friends–and hone my selfie skillz with Erin’s contest. That means I had a lot of work to do for CatholicMom.com in advance of this conference, but I got a few articles done here and at Cook and Count as well.

Last week at Cook and Count:

Diabetic algebra

Algebra for Diabetics (and the people who feed them): how we work out the daily Word Problem of how many carbs are in a particular meal.

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Mexi-Melts: who needs Taco Hell when you can make something even more delicious at home!

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Italian Pork Chops with Fennel: tastes like sausage but much healthier–and on the table in 15 minutes.

 

Monday Recap: July 13, 2015

Monday Recap-What I've been writing

At CatholicMom.com:

wunderlist logoTech Talk: Checking Things Off My Wunderlist. Tired of writing lists in your planner and on Post-It notes and scraps of paper that get lost or aren’t with you when you need them? Here’s my review of the Wunderlist app, which lets you go paperless with all your lists.

Meatless Friday Radio Feature with the Catholic Foodie. Our weekly Meatless Friday feature here at CatholicMom.com got a shoutout this week on contributor Jeff Young’s show on Real Life Radio, Around the Table with the Catholic Foodie. Listen in!

There’s been a lot of cooking this week over at Cook and Count!

Monday recap collage for cook and count 07132015From left to right:

Jersey Fresh Cool Corn Salad

Shrimp Fajitas

Slow Cooking: Sausage & Pepper Sandwiches

CMP (chocolate, marshmallow, peanut) Brownies

Asian Marinated Steak

 

Monday Recap: July 6, 2015

Monday Recap-What I've been writingIt was a holiday week but a busy week for writing!

I have 4 new recipes up at Cook and Count:

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Techniques: working out carbs for foods with barbecue sauce: an important thing to know in the summertime!

Chicken Stir-Fry with Bok Choy

One-Pot Beef and Noodles with Mushrooms

UB’s Dijon-Onion Tilapia

At CatholicMom.com:

Book Notes: Variations on a Theme–a two-for-one book review with a novel and nonfiction book on the same topic.

Meatless Friday: Dijon-Onion Tilapia

At RealHousekeeping.com:

Babies-Delivering-Dinner-to-New-Moms-FBWinner, Winner, New Mom Dinners! We’re talking new babies over at RealHousekeeping, and I’m covering things to consider when you bring dinner to a family with a new baby (these also apply when bringing a meal to friends who are sick, recovering from surgery or experiencing a loss). Don’t miss a family-favorite recipe that travels well and is a definite crowd-pleaser.