Menu For the Week

Friday: Chicken pies

Saturday: Yorkshire Beef Pie, mixed vegetables (Mine is more tasty-looking than the photo on the link, but my recipe is so old, I don't know where it came from originally. This recipe seems to be the same as mine, however.)

Sunday: Sausage-Wild Rice Casserole, lima beans, homemade rolls, something or other for dessert, plus Blue Bell ice cream. A Sunday without Blue Bell is like a Sunday without sunshine!

Monday: Lemon Chicken Soup ( I will post this recipe soon.)

Tuesday: Hamburgers, roast potatoes, baked beans

Wednesday: Roast, potatoes, carrots with gravy

Thursday: Chili

Organizing Recipes

I love to collect recipes! I have some recipe books, but what I really enjoy is collecting recipes from magazines. Used to, I would just throw them into the bottom of the Hoosier cabinet, along with the books. Then when I wanted one, I spent a good deal of time looking for it.


I've tried several different methods of organizing all this paper. At one time, I had untried recipes glued into an album. But if I tried one and we didn't like it, it was forever glued in beside recipes we did like. Nixed that idea.

I've tried recipe cards, but I don't want to spend the time writing down recipes we haven't tried yet and besides, sometimes I want to see the photo of the dish while I'm making it for the first time. Not a usable idea.

I tried a Rolodex system for awhile. I liked having the cards, but I wanted to be able to remove the individual card when I was making the recipe and after awhile, the cards became too bent to stay on the wheel. Nope.

I think I've hit on something that finally works for me.


I've taken my Rolodex cards and put them into a recipe box by category. On the cards, I have copied recipes that 1) we know and love and 2) are fairly short and able to fit onto one or possibly 2 cards and 3) I am not interested in keeping special directions or photos of the finished dish.

What to do with all those ripped-out magazine pages and recipes printed from the internet???

For a while I had them in big envelopes, but the envelopes eventually tore up. Nada.

My hubby, who loves these envelopes, gave me a pile for my own use. So for awhile, I had a couple or three of these stuffed with recipes I had tried and those I hadn't tried yet. But when I wanted a particular one, I had to hunt it before I could commence cooking. Frustration.

I have some bright file folders, which I had bought to use for lapbooks.

I remembered those and got out a few. I divided my tried-and-true recipes into categories and labeled the folders: breads, main dishes, desserts, breakfast, miscellaneous. Then I placed the folders into the plastic envelope.


I did the same thing with my new recipes: divided them by categories into file folders and into another plastic envelope.

Viola! Now I can pull out only the folder I need. If I want to try a couple of new recipes for lunches this week, I can pull out the main dish folder and quickly look through it. If I need a particular quick bread recipe, I can pull out the bread folder and find the one we want.


I love it!

Simple Woman's Daybook (February 1, 2010)

Outside my window....
it's a little hazy, but not nearly as cold.

I am thinking...
I haven't made a daybook in months. It's a good thing to do because it helps me put my week into perspective.

I am thankful for...
my husband. He's a good man and takes good care of us.

I am wearing...
socks and clogs. Khaki jeans and a hot pink long-sleeve t-shirt.

I am reading....
nothing at the moment, but I'll probably find something new to start later this evening.

I am going....
to church on Wednesday night and to get groceries and run errands on Thursday and probably to Thomas' basketball game on Saturday. That's pretty much it. It's winter and I like to stay home!

Around the house....
I have a piece of cloth to make an apron, so I may get started on it this week. I'm going to plan a Purim party for the kids at church and I need to get the crowns ordered. Thomas' birthday is next month and Carrie and I should start thinking it about it so I can begin buying things we'll need for his cake. And we're having company next week, so it's time to get things together for her (we're so excited!).

In the kitchen....
soup, soup, and more soup! And there's a chocolate cupcake left from yesterday still lurking over there on the counter!

One of my favorite things....
hmmm...I have lots of favorite things....I'll choose food scented lotion from Bath and Body Works, like coconut lime verbena. mmmm.

A picture I'm sharing....
the sweetest baby in the world, our new granddaughter.

How to Make A Cherry Pie, Billy Boy, Billy Boy

While I was gone to Thomas' basketball game, Katie and Abby made a cherry pie (and a caramel pecan pie) to go with our unit study, How to Make a Cherry Pie and See the USA. Can't wait until tomorrow to eat it for Sunday lunch!

Daily Meditation

James 1:12-14
12Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

¹³When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; ¹⁴but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. (NIV)

These are the verses I've been reading and thinking about this week.

I've felt convicted lately of falling into the temptation of staying in the warm bed in the mornings when I should be reading my Bible and praying. My relationship with God has suffered this winter!

I've also felt convicted of reading too many novels and staying on the internet too long instead of using my time to seek God or do something more worthwhile. (Confession is good for the soul!)

Temptation doesn't have to involve something blatantly evil. Temptation can be something small like being lazy on a cold winter morning!

²⁴ And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Galations 5:24 (NKJV)

I pray that God will give me grace to crucify my flesh.

Menu For The Week

Thursday morning is for groceries and errands. The kids say that I run through Walmart, hit my local grocery store for bargains, go by 2 libraries, and the cleaners and any other errands on the list. I guess I do run - I'm not crazy about shopping, unless it involves Joe Muggs or Starbucks or time with my hubby or the girls or my friend, Shelley, who is kind enough not to tell you about all the stuff I ate at Panera Bread when we met last week.

Friday: Crab Soup. Katie and I are going to be gone, so I'm making soup with milk in it for everyone else.

Saturday: Beef Stew. Busy day and I need a crockpot meal.

Sunday: Jalapeno Chicken Casserole, a family favorite, and cherry pie. I have a big hen in the freezer and I'll have enough chicken for Monday's meal, as well.

Monday: Chicken Minestrone Soup and homemade bread.

Tuesday: Hamburgers, roasted potatoes, baked beans.

Wednesday: Roast, cooked in the crockpot, with undetermined side dishes.

Thursday: Beans and rice with tortillas, salsa, and cheese.

Tamale Pie!

Earlier this week, I made a new recipe from Paula Deen, Iron Skillet Tamale Pie. It was a big hit! Here's a link for the recipe, with a photo.


As always, I changed the recipe a bit. I needed more servings, so I made 1 1/2 recipes of the cornbread. I used rice milk instead of regular milk. And I doubled most of the ingredients for the filling, except the cheese. I used about 1/3 of the batter and about 1/4 of the filling to make an almost-milkless casserole in a smaller skillet. Then I used the rest with the cheese in my big chicken-frying skillet. 'Most everyone said it would be good with black olives in it, so I will probably try that next time. It's so good, your tongue will slap your brains!