Join Me for Supper........

I m working late tonight and thought I would take a moment to surf the web a bit and eat some supper.  Care to Join me???

Some Cool Webiste to Share....

Ok remember I said I would not "buy" any more books until I have made a respectable dent into my TBR shelf???   This is a free book....who can pass that up!!  Head over to Everyday I Write the Book Blog and participate in the EDIWTB Book club and Harper Perennial has generously agreed to send copies of the book to EDIWTB readers who would like to participate.   The book for the month is The Septembers of Shiraz, a book I have wanted to read!   Get your free copy and join in the discussion!   I know I am going to.   I just love when I stumble into great treasures like a free book! 

Looking for a Good Book to Read??  Check out Entertainment Weekly's list of the *New Classics. The 100 best reads from 1983 to 2008.   Of the 100 books on this list, I have read only 14 and have 10 of them on my shelf to read.   Wow, I have missed alot of good books I think!  

Another great place to sample books you might want to read is Dear Reader.com   When you sign up for Dear Reader you will be emailed a 5-minute portion of a book. You’ll receive a different book each week and you can sample two to three chapters ofeach book.  If you love the book you can hike to your local library and reserve it!! 

Do you have a Garden???  This site is for you.  Learn the basics of freezing and canning your excess fruit and veggies. 

Like to fill your Freezer with meals to cook later?   Check out the blog Fill My Freezer for get freezer cooking ideas and recipes. 

My supper break is over.  Thanks for joining me.   I hate to eat alone!  I am back to work, hope you have a wonderful evening!

Jen C

Jen's Summer Get Away

Sorry I have not been blogging much.   My time is spent outside on the deck enjoying the evening and a good book.   It is all I can do to just keep up with laundry and dishes.  I am sure I will blog more once I am on vacation!   Hope you are well.  I do try and stop by and keep up with my regulars. 

Our second book discussion will be starting on my online book group "All Booked Up" soon.   We will be discussing Stone Diaries by Carol Shields.  Stop by and join us!

Jen C

We had a lovely relaxing weekend.  Well at least it was to me!  Friday was a relaxing evening.  We had hamburgers and just relaxed.   After supper I spent the evening out on the deck reading.  

Saturday -

We went to run errands and on the way we say our church was having their annual parking lot sale!!  We stopped by and I found some clothes for Tommy and Erik.   Since Tommy wears uniforms for school I really only pick up garage sale clothes for at home.   Hubby also found a number of XBOX games for us to play.   Then it was off to errands.  We went to the library and came home to turn off the sprinklers.   Then we went to Walmart - we had a few things to buy and hubby wanted to get some shrubs for the side of the house.  They were on sale so we bought 6 shrubs for the side of the house. 

Josh went to visit with his Dad so we had a quiet evening with Tommy at home.  I had put a pork loin in the crockpot so we had pulled pork sandwiches for supper.  My evening was spent reading.   I was determined to get my book done by the end of the weekend. 

Sunday...I was up early and spent the morning reading and doing laundry.   Hubby wanted to plant the shrubs as well.   Tommy had 3 friends over for most of the day.   Josh went to the MN Science Museum to see the Star Wars exhibit.  After planting the shrubs and trimming the shrubs out front, hubby wanted to buy some mulch to add to the side of the house.  We bought 15 bags, but will need a few more.  

After making supper I spent the evening reading my book and have finished it.  I have book group on Thursday and will discuss it then.    I almost have all my laundry done!!!  I can't believe it!  I just need clean up the kitchen a bit and wash the dishes before heading to bed. 

FINISHED READING:

The Bastard of Istanbul - Elif Shafak - (4.5/5)

I really liked this book.  I knew little about the Amrenian and Turkish culture so it was a very interesting read.  I also knew little about the Armenian Genocide of 1915. When this book was published in Turkey, the author was accused by nationalist lawyers of insulting Turkish identity.  The charges were later dropped.  This is a very bold and powerful story.  The author develops the characters very well!    You will just love the characters!!  

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress - Dai Sijie - (4/5)

 

Lots going on, but little time to post.  It is finally nice so I end up spending alot of time outside.  Also this week we helped Josh to purchase a new vehicle.  He loves it.  It has a few problems to be worked out, but in the end he got himself a nice truck at a fair price.  Less than the price on the internet!!  Yeah!

Josh's New Truck....

Hope all is well with you and your family!  Hope to post more this weekend!  Summer is in full swing and we are needing to get out and enjoy it!

I am trying to stretch our food budget as far as possible to make up for the extra money needed for gas each week.  Most times I try to stretch my two week menu to last three weeks.  I am also needing to make lunched for Tommy to take to daycare and also have food available for lunch for Erik and his PCA. 

June 15th - Grocery Shopping Day

Aldi  - 131.06
Cub Foods - 115.69

Total Spent - 246.75 -

This most likely will be close to my total for the month.  I don't plan on buying Groceries again until July.  I will need to buy alot of processed food then as I am going to be out of town from July 3rd until the 16th and hubby will be with the older two boys and preparing meals.

 

Month of May Grocery Totals-  In May I bought groceries twice during the month.

5/10/08 - 188.39

5/24.08 - 183.34

Total for May - 371.73. 

Blog to Check out....

http://glimpseofsonshine.blogspot.com/

Snack Ideas - http://glimpseofsonshine.blogspot.com/2007/10/monthly-snack-options.html

Great Ideas - Home made Pudding Cups - http://glimpseofsonshine.blogspot.com/2007/11/lunch-box-dessert.html

Chocolate Chip Cake http://glimpseofsonshine.blogspot.com/2008/01/easy-chocolate-chip-cake_16.html

Menu Planning.....what a easy thing to do to save money and make your life easier.  I never come home from work and wonder what is for supper.  I plan two weeks at a time as I find that I spend less money if I only shop every two to three weeks.  Many times I can stretch my two week menu to feed us for nearly 3 weeks with leftover nights as needed. 

In a runt on what to cook???  Head over to Laura's site I'm an Organizing Junkie and see what the many participates on Menu Plan Monday are having this week!!

WHAT WE ARE EATING THIS WEEK.....

Menu Plan For
June 15th - June 29th

 

Sun - 15th - Father's Day - Steak - Potatoes - Veggie

Mon - 16th -  Baked Teriyaki Chicken, Josh's Fav - Pot Salad, -  Veggie

Tues - 17th - Grilled Chicken Salad -Garlic Pull Aparts 

---

Herbed Croutons

Preheat oven to 325°F. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in heavy medium skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, thyme and rosemary; saute
 until fragrant, about 1 minute. Remove from heat. Add bread cubes to skillet with garlic-herb oil and toss to coat. Spread out bread cubes on rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake just until croutons are golden, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.

Or

Italian Salad Croutons

---

Wed - 18th - BBQ Pork Steaks - BLT Mac Salad (my site)

Thurs - 19th - Chicken Burritos

20th - Fri - Dressed Up Bacon Burgers (mine)  -  Garbanzo Bean Salad (TOFH)

21st - Sat- Pulled Pork Sandwiches (TOFH - Crockpot) - Ranch Pasta Salad (mine)

22nd - Fried Chicken - Potato Salad - Corn on the Cob

---

Potato Salad
5lb red potatoes
6 eggs, cooked
Onions
1-1/2 cup salad dressing
1 to 2 tsp prepared mustard
1 tsp vinegar

Cook potatoes whole in salted water.  After cooking, drain and cool.  When cool, remove skins and cut into bite-sized pieces and put in a large bowl.  Add chopped, cooked eggs and onions.  Combine salad dressing, mustard and vinegar.  Pour over salad and stir well.  Refrigerate. 

---

23rd - Mon - Work Late - Brats, Potato Salad, Chips

24th - Chicken Breast (Marinated) - 7-layer Salad

25th - Ribs - Macaroni Salad - Vegetable

---

Macaroni Salad -(no real recipe - I just throw it together)

2 cups Elbow Macaroni, cooked
Thawed Peas to your liking
1/2 cup or so Cheddar Cheese Cubed
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup mayo (approximately)

Combine the first 5 ingredients into a large bowl.  Stir in enough mayo to coat.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Cover and chill until ready to serve. 

---

26th - Thurs - Book Group - Chicken Salad (my site) on Croissants  - Cuke Salad (my site)

27th - Fri - State Fair Food -  Corn Dogs - Fries  

28th Sat - Bobby's Graduation - Leftovers -Fend for yourself

29th - Groceries - Crockpot Ribs - Mom's crockpot ribs*, mini ears of corn on the cob, Baked Beans,
Corn Muffins
*The ribs are very easy to do-- just place boneless country spare ribs in the crockpot with salt and pepper (no liquid) and cook on low all day. Then, about an hour before you want to eat, drain all the fat and liquid out of the crockpot, and add in your favorite BBQ sauce. (We like a store brand thick and spicy sauce.) Simmer another hour on low, then enjoy!

 

 

A Painted House - John Grisham - (4/5)

Movie:The Other Boleyn Girl (2008) - (4.5/5)  - I read the book and enjoyed the movie!

Mistress of the Art of Death, catchy title, eh??? -  by Ariana Franklin - (4.5/5)

This was an interesting book... a thriller taking place in the medieval times.  Adelia is a female doctor that is able to "listen to the dead".  She is a doc that studies the cause of death of people.   She is sent to investigate the murder of three children.  The community has blamed the Jews for the deaths and she sets out to find the real killer. 

Worth the Time to Read.....