Dinner

OK, whooooah. I was VERY disappointed with the dinner plan. First of all, it took me over an hour to prepare a meal just for myself, so I had to juggle making 3 intricate dishes for myself and also dinner for three kids. It was NOT fun, and I will NOT be doing it every day...no way. Way too many pots, pans, and dishes to clean.

And then the recipes....unless I was doing them way off base, which I do not think I am considering I bought exactly the right ingredients, carefully measured and cooked....and they weren't very good. The Roasted Red Pepper Soup, which I was SO looking forward to because I'd had one in a restaurant previously that was divine, was not so good. Tasted like warmed-up V8 juice. I think much less celery and tomato could go into the recipe to make it taste more red-peppery. The lemon-dill sauce came out way too tart and did not thicken up right.

The dinner was supposed to consist of red pepper soup, salmon, lemon-dill sauce, asparagus, and rice. I was so exhausted I didn't even get to the salmon! So I put the lemon-dill sauce on the asparagus and that was decent. The rice was the best part of the meal...LOL.

Maybe this meal plan works because you don't eat your whole meal because it doesn't taste too great. Maybe I am just so accustomed to eating the fats and salts and all that it will take some time to get adjusted to the taste of all the vegetables.

Hope tomorrow's meal plan goes better, otherwise I will cheat big time, more for convenience than anything.

Logan's Home!!

I'm so happy Logan's home! When he walked through the gate, Callie's eyes got big and she got really quiet and then she got this ridiculously big goofy smile on her face. And it stayed there for about an hour. She was speechless, and he picked her up and held her and she smiled and kissed him and smiled and kissed him, over and over. It's so hard for him to leave, but the moments when he gets home are so magical.

I made him a home-cooked meal...a pork roast I'd been brining since yesterday morning, and it was so yummy and he was so thankful to eat something other than ship food. He loves the small things; real food, and his own bed. He just ran to the store to get a Coke, so I thought I'd jot a note really quick.

Cheap dinner...

So I had someone ask me for the recipe to dinner tonight...LOL! It's just an easy casserole that's cheap, healthy, and fast. Here's dinner tonight:
1 package stuffing: ~$1
1 can mixed veggies: ~$0.69
1 can cream of mushroom soup: ~$0.99
4 chicken tenderloins: ~$2.00

Prepare the stuffing according to box directions. In small casserole dish, mix drained can of veggies, chicken (cut into 1"chunks), and cream of mushroom soup. Also, mix in half of stuffing. On top of this, spread remaining half of stuffing. Bake, covered, at 400 for 30 minutes. Uncover and broil on HI for about 5 more minutes, until stuffing on top is crispy and browned. Serves 4 or 5.

Now tell me how you can feed a family of four or five for about $5.00?

My dad made casseroles a lot, and now I know why! They're cheap, easy, and yummy! Callie loves them. Anyway, today was a great day...got my transcript so I'm ready to start @ ODU now....nervous, but ready.

Well I have to run...Callie's harassing the cat again.

Wishing for everything to fall into place

I'm hoping that tomorrow I'll be able to get everything done that I need to get done. I need to pick up my letter of recommendation, my official transcript, and somehow get it to ODU before the end of this week. I really hope it all works out...once I've gotten it in my mind, it will be so disappointing if it all falls through.

Tonight I fed dinner to four children. The boys' dad worked late, and Janet dropped her son off so she could go to school tonight. So I did the only thing I knew from my parents....I made a casserole! Chicken, cream of mushroom soup, and some veggies...it was delicious and the kids wolfed it down! It was cheaper than nuggets or corndogs or anything like that, and the veggies in it made it a lot healthier.

Anyway, I'm going to do some of my homework for this week and then hit the hay at a reasonable hour, for a chance.