Italy-Day 9, Assisi and a Lovely Family Dinner

Another early start to the day as we head to Assisi, home of St. Francis.  We landed in the parking lot for the Basilica of St. Francis. It was nestled high on the hill, offering beautiful views.  

Preparing for a Multi-Celebratory Family Dinner and the Weekly Menu

Our eldest son, Chuck, is on his way home form Virginia.  It has been 4 years since he has been home and we are celebrating.

So Happy We "Gotcha" and the Weekly Menu

Six years ago this 14-year-old waltzed into our lives and stole our hearts.

Celebrating the Year of the Rabbit, Chinese Hot Pot, Sticky Wings and a Book Review

 Last night we celebrated Chinese Lantern Festival that concludes the Chinese New Year.  We had family dinner featuring a Hot Pot.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi #OurFamilyTable

Light, fluffy dumplings of Sweet Potato and Ricotta Cheese covered in a savory Browned Butter Sage Sauce.

It's all about potatoes today with the From Our Dinner Table team........

Dragon Fruit Sorbet and a Book Review #FreakyFruitFriday

This easy to make Dragon Fruit Sorbet would be the perfect palate cleanser for your next Asian Dinner party.

Come to think of it, an Asian Dinner Party would be perfect for a Halloween get together.....

Deep Dish Pizza Casserole #NationalPizzaMonth

This delicious, hearty and filling deep dish pizza is baked up in a casserole.  It is sure to make the whole family happy.

Welcome to National Pizza Month..........

Mini Mummy Meatloaf #Halloween #KitchenMatrixCookingProject

Thrill your little Ghosts and Goblins this Halloween by serving up these fun and tasty Meat Loaf Mummies.

Join the Festive Foodie Group today as we celebrate Halloween.......

October Happenings and a Cheese Burger Casserole

I cannot believe it is already October 1st.  Before you know it Christmas will be here and we will be ringing in a New Year.  It boggles my mind how quickly time flies.

I'm just stopping in today to share a wonderful casserole that will take care of the Cheese Burger hankering you get when the weather is more conducive to baking than grilling.  I'm also going to give you a sneak preview of what I have planned this month.

Happy Heavenly Birthday Mom Klik....this Weekly Menu is for you

Today is Mom Klik's Birthday. She would have been 94.  This is our 2nd year without her and the 3rd birthday she is celebrating in Heaven, having died a month before her 92nd.  This is a photo of her and Frank celebrating her 90th.  She was in great shape, danced up a storm and enjoyed a family cruise with the whole family that we provided as her birthday gift that year.

We have so many wonderful memories of this lovely lady.  She was well loved and much missed, especially around special days such as this.

I have shared a lot of Mom Klik's recipes over the years.  Meatballs in Mushroom Gravy, Kielbasa and Sauerkraut, Stuffed Cabbage....these are just some of Frank's favorite foods that I continue to make for him.

I am making Meatballs in Mushroom Gravy on Monday as that is now one of Melody's favorites as well and as a nod to one of the best Mother in Laws a person could have had.

This is a busy week as we get ready for our Easter Celebration.  Tomorrow we are attending a concert in town with John and Kirsten.  We will grab dinner out afterwards.

Wednesday we will be distributing Easter Food Baskets for the Food Pantry.  Thursday begins the Triduum and we will be celebrating the washing of the feet at Mass.  Good Friday we will fast and mourn from 1-3 pm and will be singing for Mass with the choir.

Please stop by and visit during the week.  Here is the Weekly Menu.....what are you serving up this week?

Saturday
Flat Bread Pizza
Salad with Creamy Garlic Dressing

Sunday
Out for dinner after Concert

Melody Monday
Meatballs in Mushroom Gravy
Egg Noodles
Corn

Tuesday
Carry out at Aunt Irene's

Wednesday
Leftovers

Thursday
Garlic and Pepper Chicken
Steamed Rice
Stir Fry Bok Choy and Mushrooms

Friday
Spring Pea Pasta

Roast Pork Loin with White Wine Sauce #EasterRecipes

In this household, as in many in the USA, we often serve ham for Easter.  However, there is no rule that you have to serve ham on Easter.  What if you don't like ham?  What if you don't want the high sodium content?

I normally rectify these problems with my guests by offering several meats with dinner.  But this year, I'm not having 20 guests.  In fact, I think there is only going to be 6 of us for dinner.  It's kind of senseless to make 3 or more entrees for only 6 of us.

So what is a person to do if they aren't feeding a crowd, don't want to serve ham but want to have an elegant entrée to celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord?

How about this gorgeous Roasted Pork Loin with White Wine Sauce.  It makes a beautiful presentation and works wonderfully with all the traditional side dishes normally served on Easter Day.

This is out final day of Easter Week.  My Festive Foodie friends and I shared recipes on Monday and Wednesday as well under the leadership of Christie from A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures.  Make sure you stop by and see what the others are sharing today.  You will find links at the bottom of this post.

Monday I shared a Broccoli Gratin and Wednesday I posted a recipe for Carrot Cake Cheesecake, both of which would be perfect to serve along with this roast.

Roasted Pork Loin with White Wine Sauce

adapted from Cuisine at Home, Issue #116

1 (3 lb) boneless pork loin roast

4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

salt and pepper to taste

1 T. olive oil

1 T. butter

3 T. flour

1 1/2 c. chicken stock

1/2 c. dry white wine

Cut slits all over the roast with a small knife.  Insert garlic slices into each of the slits. Season the roast with salt and pepper.  Set aside to come to room temperature.

Melt the butter with the olive oil in a large, oven safe skillet over med high heat.  Brown the roast on the lean side for about 5 minutes.  Flip over so that fatty side is down and sear for another few minutes.  Place into a preheated 425* oven for 45 minutes to an hour.  An internal temperature of 145* is desired.

Remove pan from oven.  Transfer roast to a platter to rest, tenting lightly with foil.  Place the skillet over med high heat and stir the flour and salt and pepper to taste into the drippings.  Cook and stir for a couple of minutes until the flour browns slightly and is nutty smelling.

Add the wine, and cook, scraping up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Add the broth and continue to cook and stir until thickened adding any juices that are on the platter from the roast.

Slice the roast into 1/4" pieces and top with the pan gravy.  Print Recipe

Friday Easter Week Recipes

• Brussels Sprout Potato Cakes by Cindy's Recipes and Writings
• Candied Lemon Zest Jalapeño Deviled Eggs by Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Carrot Cake Cookies by Daily Dish Recipes
• Curried Deviled Eggs by A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures
• Dried Cherry and Almond Scones by Family Around the Table
• Easter Bunny Cake by Everyday Eileen
• Easter Egg Sugar Cookies by The Redhead Baker
• Eggs Benedict Breakfast Bake by Cookaholic Wife
• Greek Lamb Keftiko by Caroline's Cooking
• Ham and Cheese Breakfast Casserole by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Roasted Pork Loin with White Wine Sauce by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Maple Apple Baked Oatmeal by Jolene's Recipe Journal
• Peeps Cookie Bars by Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Easter Bread Cheesecake - Pasca by All that's Jas
• Spring Veggie Crudités with Fresh Pea Hummus by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Vanilla Bean Mocha Biscotti by Amy’s Cooking Adventures
• Vegetable Breakfast Casserole by Simple and Savory

Begone You Pesky Virus!!! and the Weekly Menu

I am finally feeling back to almost normal.  Well enough that I can start thinking about seeing my family and friends that I have been ignoring for over a week.  When you add into that equation that I had been on vacation the week before that....you can see how badly I am missing everyone.

So tonight I am going back into the land of the living and attending a party where we make signs with my friend, Kirsten.  Frank is meeting our son, Tony, to go to a comic con and will have dinner with him.  I will probably have a tuna or peanut butter sandwich before the party.

Tomorrow our neighbors are joining us for dinner and Sunday we are having family dinner with our great niece, Lil, Amy, Doug, Nic and Pierre.  We also are finally getting to spend the day with our Angel Face who we haven't seen in over 2 weeks.

I did, however, get this video of her helping her Mama grocery shop.  She is a girl with a mission!!!

The rest of the week will be life back to normal.  Meetings at church, food pantry, taking care of Mel, visiting Aunt Irene, choir, etc.  Well one thing is new....On Thursday, my husband is unretiring and going back to work part time for the same agency from which he retired a couple of years ago.

So here is what's on our Weekly Menu.  Please stop by and visit each day as I share A Day in the Life on the Farm.

Saturday
Guacamole & Chips
Chicken Enchiladas
Tacos
Green Rice
Beans
Apple Pie

Sunday
Salad with Apples/Fennels/Roasted Beets
Roast Pork Loin
Applesauce
Mashed Potatoes
Roasted Mushrooms
Brownies ala mode

Meatless Monday
Mac and Cheese

Toddler Tuesday
Chicken Stir Fry
Steamed Rice

Wednesday
Take out over at Aunt Irene's

Thursday
BBQ Pork Sandwiches (with leftover roast)

Fish Friday
Crab Cakes-moved from last week
Sweet Potato Fries
Cole Slaw

Cornflake Chicken Strips

Many of you are aware that we enjoy having our granddaughter each week from Tuesday morning until Wednesday evening when her Mama gets off work.

This means that each week we dedicate these 2 days to her.  Our household becomes a toddler house.  We play toddler games. We watch toddler movies and shows.  We go to the zoo, the park, the bounce house and the library for story time.  We build forts and castles with blankets, chairs and tables.  And we eat toddler friendly meals.

Luckily, she is a very good eater and will eat almost anything.  She will try new foods and normally finds that she likes them.  Our rule is that she needs to at least try it and if she doesn't like it she is allowed to spit it into her napkin.  Normally she smiles and say "mmmmmm".

She does have her favorites though so we tend to rotate the same menus for Tuesday nights.  Spaghetti with Meat Sauce, Chicken Noodle Soup, Pepperoni pizza and Coconut Chicken Strips.

But I also serve up other types of chicken strips or nuggets according to what I have available in my pantry.  I use flavored bread crumbs or tempura batter or, in this case, cornflakes.

Served up with fresh veggies and ranch dressing, it made the perfect lunch for a busy toddler and was enjoyed by Grammy and Grampy too.

As you can see, she happily consumed all of her lunch and then was ready for naptime.  Phew.......naptime is a lifesaver...it gives us a chance to rest up and regroup so that the fun can continue in the afternoon.

These tasty strips are not only perfect for Toddler Tuesdays but would also be a welcome snack on game day.

Cornflake Chicken Strips

2 boneless, skinless chicken halves cut into strips

1/2 c. flour

salt and pepper, to taste

2 eggs, beaten

3 c. cornflake crumbs

Combine flour with salt and pepper and place in a shallow dish.  Place beaten eggs in another shallow dish next to the flour and a third shallow dish next to the eggs filled with cornflakes to create a dredging station.  

Place the chicken strips before the flour and a parchment or silicone lined baking sheet after the cornflakes.  

Take each piece of chicken and dredge it in the seasoned flour.  Dip the floured chicken into to egg, covering completely.  Dredge the egg covered chicken in the cornflakes and place onto the baking sheet.  Continue until all pieces are coated.

Bake in a preheated 400* oven for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown and an internal temperature of 165*.  Print Recipe

The Thanksgiving Week Menu

Wow.....where did this year go?!  I blinked and it is the start of the Christmas season.  It is mind boggling to me.  I don't have one single Christmas gift bought yet!!  Oh well, it will wait until after Thanksgiving.  Perhaps that's as it should be.

Thanksgiving Day is normally the first day of my Christmas Holidays but this year we are starting early.  Tomorrow we are taking our Little Miss, her Mama and Charlie, her Aunt Amy and Uncle Doug and heading to the Fox Theater for How the Grinch Stole Christmas.  We are very excited.  I am even more excited that our Lili is meeting us for dinner while we are downtown.

Monday we are doing our Thanksgiving Basket Distributions for the Food Pantry. Tuesday and Wednesday I will have the Angel Face here to help me with my Thanksgiving Preparations.

Thanksgiving Dinner will be celebrated later in the evening allowing the kids to see the other side of their families during the day.

Friday morning we are heading up north.  We will be spending the afternoon and night with our TC family.  Saturday morning we are meeting up with our friends, Bob and Cathy, and 4 other couples for the Great Mac and Cheese Bake Off sponsored by the Wineries of Old Mission Peninsula.  It should be a lot of fun.

I am sharing our Weekly Menu including the Thanksgiving Feast.  Please stop by and visit so I can wish you and yours a very Blessed and Happy Thanksgiving Day.  My blogging friends and readers are one of the things for which I will be giving thanks this year.

Saturday
Meatballs in Mushroom Gravy
Egg Noodles
Glazed Carrots

Sunday
Dinner out after Grinch

Monday
Order in Pizzas or Subs for Food Pantry workers

Taco Tuesday
Tacos, of course

Wednesday
Stew over Biscuits

Thanksgiving Day
Crab and Crimini Bisque
Salad with Beets, Dill and Feta
Roast Turkey
Roast Fresh Kielbasa
Mashed Potatoes
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Buttered Corn
Crescent Rolls
Cranberry Sauce
Gravy
Pumpkin Pie
Persimmon and Chestnut Cookies

Friday
Heading North, See you Sunday

A Birthday Celebration and the Weekly Menu #MerlotMe

We celebrated our eldest daughter's, Amy, birthday today with a family dinner at home.  It was a wonderful gathering of family and friends and I hope it left our girl with a small glimpse of how important she is to our family.  I was thrilled that most of the kids were able to attend.  We missed Chuck who is out to sea at this writing and we missed most of our TC family but were happy that our Lili was able to attend.

I served up all of Amy's favorite foods, Roast Beef Tenderloin, Caesar Salad, Mashed Potatoes and Birthday Apple Pie ala Mode.

Amy is a beer drinker who occasionally appreciates a glass of Chardonnay or a Margarita.  Frank and I, however, are red wine drinkers and I recently received 6 wonderful bottles of wine from Duckhorn Winery who are sponsoring #MerlotMe which takes place each October.

I posted more about it yesterday, when my Wine Pairing Weekend group shared recipes that paired well with Merlot and chatted about our experience on Twitter.

One of the things that we talked about is that while we appreciate our sponsors and love getting free samples we never post anything other than our true and honest opinion on our blogs.  Our relationship to our readers is much more important to us than our relationships with sponsors and none of us belonging to #WinePW received any monetary compensation for being involved in #MerlotMe.

I was beyond thrilled to receive this package from Duckhorn Vineyards.  Their wines are such a wonderful treat and I always enjoy them.

As we were enjoying the wines provided by sponsors for this event we watched fearfully as fires ravaged the Napa and Sonoma area of California.  We pray for the safety and well being of all affected by this terrible tragedy.

The bottle we chose to open to go with this birthday feast was from their Three Palms Vineyard, established in 1978 and one of California's first single vineyard Merlots, meaning that only grapes grown on this vineyard are used.  It received a 95 point rating with Wine Spectator.

This is an amazing wine.  It stood up perfectly to the tender, juicy, herb encrusted beef.  We enjoyed both bottles that had been provided with this meal and we all thought it was an amazing pairing.

Herb Encrusted Beef Tenderloin

1 (4 lb) beef tenderloin roast (trimmed, tied and cut in half crosswise)

3 cloves garlic

handful parsley 

leaves of 5-6 stems of thyme

leaves of 3-4 stems of rosemary

kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

3 T. olive oil

1 c. red wine

3 T. butter

Place the garlic, parsley, thyme and rosemary in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until minced.  Add the salt and pepper, pulse twice and then run while adding the olive oil to make a paste like consistency. Rub all over the roasts and let rest at room temperature for 45 minutes to an hour.

Heat an oven safe skillet over high heat. Add the roasts and sear on all sides until nicely browned.  Place into a preheated 325* oven and roast, turning every 10 minutes or so, until an internal temp of 120* is reached in the thickest portion. Remove from oven and let rest for at least 15 minutes before slicing.

While meat is resting, place skillet over med high heat and deglaze with 1 cup of red wine, bringing to a boil and scraping any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.  Cook until reduced by half, whisk in the butter until slightly thickened and pour over tenderloin slices before serving.  Print Recipe

I'm closing this post with my Weekly Menu.  Yesterday we had dinner after a Mass of Thanksgiving for our friend, Sister Maryann, who celebrated her 60th Jubilee this year.

Tuesday I will be gone for much of the day taking Aunt Irene to the doctor.  Frank is making Spaghetti for dinner as that is Melody's favorite.

Wednesday, Frank is on his own.  I have food pantry and am going right from there to a DoTerra Oil class at Amy's.

I am looking forward to a fun week and hope that you are too.

Weekly Menu

Saturday
Reception at Sister's after Mass

Sunday-Amy's Birthday Dinner
Corn Chowder
Caesar Salad
Pasta with Crab Sauce
Roast Beef Tenderloin
Mashed Potatoes
Steamed Broccoli
Birthday Pie ala Mode

Monday
Hot and Sour Soup
Sweet and Spicy Chicken
Steamed Rice

Tuesday
Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

Wednesday
Leftovers

Thursday
Slow Cooker Cassoulet

Fish Friday
Seafood Pizza