WEEKLY MENU 08.25.24
We’re not gearing up to return to school during the Weekly Menu 08.25.24: it’s happening without us!
The Weekly Menu 08.25.24 pays homage to all returning to school (and those who have already done so). Even though we don’t have anyone heading back into the classroom except the OG Baby Boy’s fiance, we’re down to party. I’m thinking I’m going to call her the OGADIL. The “A” is for Anticipated, Affianced, or Almost Daughter-in-law because she is marrying the OG Baby Boy next summer. I’ll work on the initialism. She is the favorite almost daughter-in-law for sure. She is going back to school, but not as a student. She’s a fourth-grade teacher. That’s as close as the rest of us are getting to school.
This is how I always felt about the boys going back to school:
I didn’t feel this way once the boys were in college—that return to school was one I thoroughly hated. Waiting until they were well away from us to cry wasn’t always easy. Sigh.
I loved the routine of school during grade school and high school, and autumn has always been my favorite time of year. The school supply shopping was the best of times and the worst of times. We had a list from the boy’s teachers in grade school, so we spent an hour or so of sheer delight shopping all the pens, pencils, notebooks, and composition books we could find, followed immediately by a deep cringe at the checkout, waiting for the grand total.
Kids are expensive.
I’ll tell you a little secret: I still love buying all the school supplies. Only now I buy the fun colored pens and beautiful composition books for me. (Affiliate Links follow. See Disclaimer Page for Details.)
Back when we did go back to school, we would have had an entry on the Weekly Menu 08.25.24 for our “Pre-School Dinner.” We’d head out for a nice meal, making sure to get a family picture that we could compare to the previous year (and possibly use on the Christmas card.) This year, we’re popping the “Back to School End of Summer Picnic” into play for Sunday dinner instead.
Weekly Menu 08.25.24
Sunday dinner during the Weekly Menu 08.25.24 is taken almost verbatim from the Back to School End of Summer Picnic, with a few notable switch-outs. The original menu has steak bites with spicy ketchup for the appetizer. Have you priced steak lately? I’m not making a $20 appetizer. We switched in an easy trio of bite-sized mini cheese balls instead. The Cookies and Cream Dessert Pizza replaces the cream puffs from the original menu because we just had them a couple of weeks ago.
The Weekly Menu 08.25.24 is full of easy, fast, comfort foods to make the transition better for everyone. Bert’s longtime favorite, Pop’s Crispy Chicken, is paired with boxed instant mashed spuds that I don’t have to peel. Pork Fried Rice is a last-minute toss in a wok pan, although a skillet would work fine. I prepare the pork, rice, eggs, peas, carrots, and soy sauce and cook in individual batches, depending on who it’s for. It takes just a few minutes for each bowl.
Wednesday night’s menu includes Beef & Black Bean Burritos, a five-ingredient dish that takes about half an hour, including the melting time for the cheese. I am unapologetic about using Minute Rice too. It takes the pressure and time constraints away from making standard rice, and it’s always nice and fluffy.
An easy kitchen week wouldn’t be complete without a crock-pot dinner. Mississippi Chicken is the same recipe as Mississippi Crock-Pot Beef Roast, but with, well, chicken. It cooks faster and is much lighter.
WEEKLY MENU 08.25.24
RECIPE LINKS
MINI-CHEESE BALL TRIO
HONEY MUSTARD
CHEDDAR BACON RANCH PASTA SALAD
COOKIES & CREAM DESSERT PIZZA
POPS CRISPY CHICKEN
BEEF & BLACK BEAN BURRITOS
MISSISSIPPI CHICKEN
MAID-RITE LOOSE MEAT SANDWICHES
A #2 pencil and a dream can take you anywhere~
WEEKLY MENU 08.25.24 EQUIPMENT & MISC
