weekly musings and meals for the week 9.17.12 to 9.23.12

it hit me that this is the last "week" of summer, at least as far as the calendar/earth's revolution says...  that's really hard for me to believe....  i can't say that i'm sad, though...i LOVE the fall...the crisp air, the colors, pumpkins, holidays....it's a wonderful time of year... :) 

Bugs helping with some mum planting :)

of course, fall means that our meals change a little, too...  i could live off of soup, i think :)  and fall means lots of soups for us... :) 
i'm a little sad, however, to say goodbye to our summer...  that little princess pool leaning against our maple tree in the front yard needs to be cleaned a bit and then put away for the cooler weather...and the princess swimmy rings....  the water table...  my kids have really enjoyed playing with water (well, Bugs has taken a little longer to appreciate the wet stuff)....  summer will be here before we know it again...so i will be thankful for the change of seasons :)

 Lil Sis listening to "The Shy Kitten" :) Big Sis is totally

ad-libbing the whole story, which was sprinkled with LOTS of

princess movie innuendo :)

 

our meals will be a bit simple this week... :)  and, as the "head cook," i'm fine with that :)  and i'm liking the "fallish" touch, too... :) 

Monday: lots of a little bit of leftovers - meatballs, salad, mac n cheese, etc. (basically, empty the fridge of leftovers!)
Tuesday: open face pork tenderloin sandwiches, mashed potatoes, gravy, veggie
Wednesday:  church supper :)  (pork BBQ and the fixins)
Thursday:  Outback potato soup (new recipe :))
Friday: raviolis
Saturday: grill out
Sunday: tacos

hope you a FABULOUS week! :)  enjoy yourselves and cherish moments...especially the little ones :) 

Love the sister love :) makes my heart smile...a lot

banana bread brownies

i'm an admitted pintereset surfer...  and i love it.  while it can be addicting, i find so many neat and creative ideas that i can use with my kids, decorating, crafts, and yes, cooking :) 

we tend to have a few overripe bananas left each week...  for some reason, the girls will not eat "squishy" and very ripe bananas...and well, they're not my absolute favorite either... 
i saw this recipe on pinterest a few weeks ago...and i dreamed of making it...  i don't even know why they're called "brownies" because there is nothing "brownie-ish" about them...except that they're in a brownie-like pan...  but, basically, this is a hearty banana bread with an AMAZING icing...
and honestly, it's not the most "healthy" recipe... 2 sticks of butter... :)  but it's worth it... :) 
they're "heavy," too (haha, no pun)...very filling in small amounts.  while i could have eaten a lot more than i did, it's a great little treat to share with a neighbor or a friend.... :)  it will brighten their day...just like it will brighten yours :) 
(recipe and photo are from Life's Simple Measures and i notice she calls them "bars" on her site, not brownies, but on Pinterest, they're brownies :))

Ingredients:

Banana Bread Bars:

1-1/2 c. sugar

1 c. sour cream (i used light)

1/2 c. butter, softened

2 eggs

1-3/4 (3 or 4) ripe bananas, mashed

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 c. all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

3/4 tsp. salt

1/2 c. chopped walnuts (optional)

Brown Butter Frosting:

1/2 c. butter

4 c. powdered sugar

1-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

3 tbsp. milk

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375F. Grease and flour 15x10-inch jelly roll pan. For the bars, in a large bowl, beat together sugar, sour cream, butter, and eggs until creamy. Blend in bananas and vanilla extract. Add flour, baking soda, salt, and blend for 1 minute. Stir in walnuts.

2. Spread batter evenly into pan. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.

3. Meanwhile, for frosting, heat butter in a large saucepan over medium heat until boiling. Let the butter turn a delicate brown and remove from heat immediately. (watch this carefully...it happens quickly!)

4. Add powdered sugar, vanilla extract and milk. Whisk together until smooth (it should be thicker than a glaze but thinner than frosting). Using a spatula, spread the brown butter frosting over the warm bars (the frosting will be easier to spread while the bars are still warm).

 

Yield: 2 dozen large bars

Beef Macaroni Soup

i found this recipe on Taste of Home's website...  i think i will probably tweak it a bit, but it looks like it's a good soup...and fast to make, too! :) 
if i remember, i will let you know how it is when i meal plan next week :)  
give it a try, if you'd like :)


Ingredients

1 pound ground beef
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) beef broth
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup uncooked elbow macaroni


Directions
In a large saucepan, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in the mixed vegetables, tomatoes, broth and pepper. Bring to a boil; add macaroni. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 8-10 minutes or until macaroni and vegetables are tender. Yield: 5 servings.