Menu Plan Monday

Over that last couple weeks people have commented here on the blog, in person or on facebook that they are using my recipes and really enjoy my menu planning. That makes my day!

Monday: Venison Chop Suey

Tuesday: Chicken Pot Pie ( will be posting recipe this week!)

Wednesday: Homemade Mac & Cheese

Thursday: I'm starting a class... the boys are on their own!

Friday: Out to dinner with friends:)

Onion Beef Roast

This was a hit! I haven't eaten any meat other then hamburg since getting pregnant and I enjoyed this meal! It is the easiest to make! I love the crock pot!

The original recipe came from Bella's Bistro blog. Pete added a bit more at the end, I put our changes in red.

Ingredients

1.5 - 2.5lb chuck roast.

1 package of dry onion soup mix.

2 tablespoons of melted butter.

1/2 cup of red wine.

2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce.

2 tablespoons of butter.

salt & pepper to taste.

Directions

Place roast in bottom of the crock pot. Pour 2 tablespoons of melted butter over roast, then sprinkle on the onion soup mix. Pour red wine over roast. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours. Take roast out and shred. Place back in crock pot and add Worcestershire sauce, butter, salt & pepper. Mix all together.

Serve over rice.

Romance?

Evelyn Kahn came to visit today! She is the youngest child of the family I use to nanny for. I think I see a future for them, haha! She likes riding with her man :)

Menu Plan Monday

Last week I went to make the only to find that I never bought the meat. SO it is back on the menu this week, I got the roast last night! Pete wants deer meat this week so that is on the menu, what you don't see on there is the mac & cheese that I'll be eating that night! This week I also plan to post a meal I made yesterday for the daycare kids, Alphabet Chicken Stew. Buna loves it and I freeze it so that I can pull it out when I need a good meal for the kids. Very easy to make & kids love it! Have a great week!

Mon. Venison (Deer Meat)
Tue. Onion Beef Roast
Wed. Shepard's Pie
Thur. Pork Chops, Stuffing, Green Beans
Fri. Going out to dinner!

Babies & Bitches Weekend

MLK Jr. weekend Buna and I headed to Farmington for B& B weekend. It was started at Laura's last year and was at Nicole's this year. Buna colored everywhere he could (I'm talking walls!) and I got a flat tire on the way home from Walmart as it was starting to snow. We learned this weekend that baby wipes take off crayon anywhere!! We basically spent the weekend in our pajama's so there is not a photo of the three sisters! I didn't take many photos, but here are a few...

Buna & I early in the morning

The kids enjoying dinner!

Another bad picture of me.... 33 weeks

Gwen & Peter using Aunt Laura as their jungle gym!

They were really good at taking turns to land on her :)

Texas Hash Recipe

A family favorite. It takes about 20 minutes to make, then you put it in the oven. This is one of the easiest meals to make, perfect for a weeknight! Enjoy!!

1 lb. ground beef
1/2 cup uncooked regular rice
1 large onion, chopped
1 tsp. chili powder
1 lb. can tomatoes
1 large green pepper, chopped
1 tsp. chili powder (I'm usually add a touch more,  it's your personal peference to flavoring)
2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper

1. Heat oven to 350. In a large skillet, cook ground beef until light brown; drain fat. Add onion and green pepper; cook and stir until onion is tender. Stir in tomatoes, rice, chili powder, salt & pepper, heat through.

2. Pour into ungreased 2 quart casserole. Cover and bake for 1 hour.

Does this look normal...

....... or comfortable? This is how Bela fell asleep last night, one foot on the ground so she doesn't fall off. Yes, she is on the couch because she thinks she is human.

Basement Project.....Done!!

......well pretty much! There are minor things to do, like add the shelves and put up hooks for the kids stuff but we are ready to move down there! Back in November I was paniced that it wouldn't get down before baby "dos" came but Pete did an amazing job!

We came downstairs to check out all of Pete's hard work!

Pete trimmed in the windows last night......

Having fun with Daddy!

The Home Depot carpet installer arrived at 9:15 this morning during the snow storm, I was worried they would cancel and reschedule! It was all done by noon and I will be moving stuff down there tonight! I am so excited!

The carpet is all installed!!!!!

The nap area.....

Looking towards the stairs......

What do you think????!!!!!

Menu Plan Monday

Another busy week ahead of us! The carpet is getting installed tomorrow morning in the basement and the daycare will move down there on Wednesday. I am so excited! Then we'll start work on Buna's car themed room. I am now 33 weeks and I feel huge! I'm even having a hard time eating big meals... I feel like I am running out of room in my body! Enjoy your week!

Monday: Stuffed Shells
Tuesday: Onion Beef Roast
Wednesday: Chicken Stir Fry (Didn't make it last week)
Thursday: Taco Pizza Squares
Friday: Take Out!

This is how I spent my Saturday night!

Flat tire during a snowstorm in Farmington... how fun!! I am up in Farmington this weekend for what my sisters and I call B & B weekend. *itches & babies weekend. On the way home from the store, the truck got a flat tire! Luckily we were on Nicole's road and Nate came down to put the spare on. I sent Buna up the road in Nic's car and while I was waiting for Nate to come, it started snowing. Never a dull moment with me!

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Decision Points Book Review

Book Description:

In this candid and gripping account, President George W. Bush describes the critical decisions that shaped his presidency and personal life.

George W. Bush served as president of the United States during eight of the most consequential years in American history. The decisions that reached his desk impacted people around the world and defined the times in which we live.

Decision Points brings readers inside the Texas governor's mansion on the night of the 2000 election, aboard Air Force One during the harrowing hours after the attacks of September 11, 2001, into the Situation Room moments before the start of the war in Iraq, and behind the scenes at the White House for many other historic presidential decisions.

A groundbreaking new brand of presidential memoir, Decision Points will captivate supporters, surprise critics, and change perspectives on eight remarkable years in American history—and on the man at the center of events.

Personal Thoughts:

This book was a very interesting read. Usually most biographies have a lot of personal information in them. His is a very factual book. I usually breeze through a book but this one took me some time due to all the information in it. I found the information on Hurricane Katrina and the ecomony very eye opening. It also spook in great detail about the September 11th and the war after. I thought it was a good book and offered alot of insight into the decisions he made, and why he made them.

Beef Parmesan....

...... is really Meatloaf. When I was younger, I refused to eat meatloaf. Meat, in loaf? Sounded disgusting! Then one evening my step mom served Beef Parmesan, it was so good! She knew I wouldn't eat meatloaf, so she renamed it! Every since I have eaten it but, I call it Beef Parmesan... I still don't like the word meatloaf, haha!! This is a recipe that I have created all on my own!

Prep time: 20 minutes
Bake: 1 hour 10 minutes
Oven: 350 F

Ingredients:
1.5 pounds of ground beef
2 beaten eggs
3/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
2/3 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon Tastefully Simple garlic garlic
Sauce:
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon dry mustard

In a bowl combine ground beef, eggs, milk and worcestershire sauce; stir in breadcrumbs, onion, salt, pepper & italian seasoning.

Mix well. Lightly pat mixture into loaf shape and place in pan.

Bake at 350 for 1 hour or until internal temp is 160F. Spoon off any fat. In a bowl combine, ketchup, brown sugar and mustard; spread over meat.

Bake for another 10 minutes more. Let stand for about 10 minutes before serving.

Sometimes, Pete even adds some cheese to the top! Enjoy!!

New Signature

I want to "decorate" my blog more. I follow a lot of blogs and there are so many times that I wish I knew how to do something like they had on their blogs!

Luckily my sisters both started blogging recently and Nicole found out how to create a signature at the bottom of each post, something I have wanted to know how to do for a while! She discovered Moms Who Blog, a blog with tons of helpful tips!


The next thing I would like to know how to add pictures to my header where it says The Wescott Family. I tried it using one photo through blogspot but it was huge. I like the blogs that people have two or three photos. Any tips would be great, thanks!!

Menu Plan Monday

Monday: Beef Parmesan (AKA Meatloaf)

Tuesday: French Onion Soup in crockpot

Wednesday: Texas Hash ( will post this recipe next week)

Thursday: Stir Fry

Friday: Take Out!!

Cheap Magazine Subscriptions!

I follow a blog called Frugal Shopping With Julie. Today she posted that you can get some great magazine subscription deals on Tanga. Now through tomorrow 1/8 you can get these magazines for $4.99 and they have other deals also! I like to get recipe ideas from these magazines, so I just subscribed! Don't forget to use the codes!

Everyday with Rachel Ray - Use Coupon Code EVERYDAY

Taste of Home Magazine - Use Coupon Code TASTE

Basement Project

We're almost finished!!! When I say we, I mean Pete... he has been working every night down there! The carpet is being installed next week and then we can move down there. On Sunday he laid down the tile in the entryway, it looks great!

The hardwood part of the floor is finished and the doors are in!

Looking into the entryway.

Chili Recipe

Chili, one of my favorite winter meals! Pete and I found this recipe a few years ago and we love it! It is super easy to make and I have discovered the longer I keep it on low simmering, the better it is! Enjoy this recipe!

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 pounds of ground beef

2 large yellow onions, chopped

2 large green peppers, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 can (28 oz) whole plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped with their juices

1 can (120z) beer

1 tablespoon tomato paste

5 to 6 tablespoons of chili powder

1.5 tablespoons ground cumin

1.5 teaspoons salt

1.5 teaspoons dried oregano

1.5 teaspoons ground coriander

2 cups of drained canned red kidney beans

1. In a large pot or 5 quart dutch oven over moderately high heat, heat oil for 1 minute. Add beef and saute, breaking up chunks of meat with spoon, until browned. Drain off all but 1 tablespoon of fat.

2. Reduce the heat to moderate, add onions, green peppers, and garlic, and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft.... about 8 minutes.

3. Add tomatoes, beer, tomato paste, and all the spices. Bring to boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until thickened-about 45 minutes. If chili becomes too thick, thin with a little water.

4. Stir in beans and cook 5 minutes more. Add more spices if desired. Enjoy!

Help a Family!

Veronica King is a women who's blog I follow. Her husband died(You can read about it here) on November 9th of this year, leaving her alone with two small children and one due in a few weeks.

Another blogger who I also follow makes a small amount of money from one of the advertisements she has on her blog based soley on how many "hits" she gets on her blog every month. She has decided to donate all of the money raised in January to the King family!

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

It's SO SIMPLE!! All you have to do is visit Pennies on a Platter. Seriously, that's it! Wait a few seconds and make sure the page loads! She has some great recipes, so check out her site while you're there!

Also, if you have a blog, you could write a post about this as well....the more people that know, the more "hits" she will get on her blog!

A great way to help someone! Thanks :)

Reading a Book with Daddy :)

Menu Plan Monday

Monday: Chili
Tuesday: Steak, rice & green beans
Wednesday: Lasagna
Thursday: still no plan... need ideas!!!
Friday: take out :)

Cookie Decorating

Yesterday we went to Corsetti's, they had a kid cookie decorating event. $5 got you two cookies and anything and everything to decorate your cookies. While he like decorating a little bit, he loved eating his work!

New Year, New Posts, New Resolutions!

Happy New Year from the Wescott's! 2010 was a good year for us. We found out we were expecting another baby, and Peter has been a wonder to watch!

I was looking back at last year's New Year post and saw my resoultions. 1. I wanted to make 100 posts on this blog in 2010... I made 98, not too bad considering I didn't blog for most of August and all of September. 2. I wanted to lose 25 pounds BEFORE I got pregnant.... I didn't do that either, but thanks to morning sickness and eating MUCH better this pregnancy, I weigh almost 30 pounds less now at 31 weeks pregnant then I did a few weeks after I gave birth to Peter! I would say I am happy with the turnout of my resolutions!

2011 Resolutions
1. Though this is "The Wescott Family" blog, I really enjoy it as an outlet. I would like to figure out how to "bling out" my blog. I would like to add more posts that incorporate my interests, books, recipes, & other things I enjoy. I WILL hit 100 posts in 2011.

2. This will be my last pregnancy according to our plan, so I would like to work to get and maintain a healthly weight. I want to enjoy the way I look.

3. Take time to slow down and enjoy what I have :)

4. I would like to pick up a new hobby. I told Pete I wanted to learn how to sew(I got a sewing machine at my wedding shower) or knit and he said he would like me to pick knitting....he's worried that I would sew my fingers together, haha!! This is when I wish my grandmother was still alive to show me how, she was so talented at sewing!

2011 will be an exciting year for us, baby Jack will enter the world, we'll have a new cousin on the Wescott side, and we'll get to enjoy our wonderful family!!