Manor Minis and More

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Menu Plan Monday!

I actually have been cooking even if I am not posting menus. Let’s face it. Sometimes menus are functional, but boring. This week, though, the weather was not quite so hot and I felt inspired to put in a little more effort than just boiling pasta.

My meals this week:

Pasta Fagioli
Polenta (homemade) with Tomato Pesto
Herb Stuffing with Quorn Tenders
Spinach Souffle
Bonus: Some Brownies

Everything was made today and is sitting in the fridge. I really enjoy getting most of the food for the week done.

And, okay, the Pasta Fagioli was pretty easy. I really do love HamBeens soup mixes!

My husband and I have been continuing the outdoor work on our Victorian (1:1 scale). We have tilled and edged garden areas. Painted the front porch railings, cleaned up the yard generally, started to roof the porch, and started to make a paver path from front yard to back. Sadly, a bit of trama drama occurred last Saturday when my sweetie was cutting a leveler for the paver sand. Table Saw 1 My Husband minus 1 (finger tip that is). Yikes!

Still not doing anything in the way of minis. My poor Contemporary Ranch has essentially become a catch-all of late. Oh my!

Sandra

P. S. If you come just to read the blog, I have a lot of back to school activities on Bry-Back Manor. Check it out!

Menu Plan Monday!

Last week was simple food. I put a little more effort into meals this week.

On our menus:

Split Pea Soup

Rustic Soy “Beef” Pot Pie

Kasha Varnishkes

Homemade Pizza with Tomatoes and Basil

We had a warmer than usual Winter this year and I was tickled that the basil I brought inside last Fall actually survived and thrived. I have plenty for all sorts of good things already and I planted more for this summer and pesto in the fall. Yum!

I was pleased as punch late last week when Elizabeth from Elf Miniatures contacted me. She wanted to put the picture of my kitchen on the Elf site.

Pretty Cool!

Sandra

P.S. If you just come to read the blog, I want to let you know that I have all sort of free activity pages and more for young children on my main site: Bry-Back Manor. Check it out!

Menu Plan Monday!

We have a busy week ahead AND it’s going to be hot. So our eating this week is simple and not too heavy.

On the menu:

Veggie Burgers and Fries

Veggie Sloppy Joes and Potato Salad

Sesame Salad and Tofu with Home Grown Cilantro

Veggie Chick’n Patties in a salad with honey mustard dressing

Wow, that is an easy week of cooking!

On a different note: I think we have a new cat!

This lady was hanging around the yard (I think there’s a sign in the woods that points to my house and says “good eats thataway”.) No one has claimed her so I guess she’s ours.

Miniaturists alert: I have some more goodies on eBay

Some circa 1982 Swallowhill Dolls made from kits.

And a mixed lot of odds and ends.

That’s all for today. What’s on your menu?

Sandra

Menu Plan Monday!

Last week I tried the bowl method and the reviews (all two) were mixed. I love being able to go in the fridge and mix and match. My husband, on the other hand, didn’t like having so many choices, especially at the end of the day. Sigh.

So this week we go back to more put together already stuff. On the menu:

Cauliflower Curry/Tofu/Rice
Red Beans and Rice
Taco Casserole
Pasta/Tomato Sauce
Broccoli Salad

For any miniature fans out there, I have two announcements:

First, I have a Jean Yingling Pitcher and Bowl and Chamber Pot on eBay.

It’s a gorgeous set, but I don’t seem to have a place for it and I am hoping it finds a new home.

Second, Mini Mod Pod has a great giveaway! Check it out!

Sandra

Menu Plan Monday!

A little bit back, Scrumptious had a post over at In My Box about her Bowl System. The system involves making up a lot of goodies that can be mixed and matched throughout the week for meals. I thought that this was a great idea that fit in really well with my marathon cooking style.

So this week, I am doing my own variation on the Bowl System which should pretty much feed us for the week.

I’ll be making:

Vegetable Soup
Steamed Broccoli
Steamed Asparagus (just a little from what was left in my garden)
Pickled Beets
Hard Boiled Eggs
Sauteed Potatoes
Plain Cous Cous
Hummus
Baba Ganoush

Cheese Sauce
Curry Sauce

I may add some Baked Tofu for a little extra protein.

This sounds like enough food. We will see how it goes!

Sandra

Before I started my minis blog, I blogged about cooking and participated in Menu Plan Monday.

Being an empty nester (if you don’t include the 8 cats, the 2 dogs, and my husband), I find I don’t necessarily need to cook every day, but I am still cooking. Now, I tend to have cook-a-thons, mostly on Mondays. So, I thought, why not go back to Menu Plan Mondays.

My original personal chef post:

Even though I like to cook, I have always enjoyed Peg Bracken’s I Hate To Cook Book.

She knew how to keep it simple – a boon for busy moms that have to cook almost every day. Her book also contained many recipes (okay, not so many vegetarian ones) that could be done ahead in the event one woke up full of energy and wanted to get the cooking for the day done with the rest of the daily chores.

When I wake up full of energy and the stars are aligned right and I know full well that I will be occupied with tasks that are not kitchen related, I like to go a step further than Peg Bracken recommends. I become my own personal chef.

I take my menu in hand (assuming I have one!) and make two or three dinners at a time.

There are a number of advantages to getting multiple dinners done in advance.

I don’t have to worry about cooking after a long day doing something else.

I stick to my menu plan.

I am forced to clean out the mystery containers in the fridge to make room for the new meals.

I take advantage of the kitchen day to do things like make croutons or applesauce or a pot of vegetable soup (keeping with the cleaning the fridge theme).

The time it takes to make multiple dinners is usually less than making the same dinners separately.

Ditto with the clean up time.

Altogether, my personal chef cook dates are quite satisfying. I hope Peg Bracken would have agreed.

End of original post.

On my menu this week (and already made and in the fridge):

“Beef” Chow Mein
Brown Rice
Lentil Soup
Focaccia Bread
Egg Salad (for lunches)
Shells and Cheese with Peas

With some last minute Tofu Dogs and Vegetarian Baked Beans or Pizza, this should feed us for the week. 🙂

What’s on your menu?

To see all those old menu plans, go here.