Friday Food: A Very Beefy Week

Friday 

Short version: Barbecue meatballs, baked beans, garlic bread, dilly beans

Long version: I only made two pounds of ground beef into meatballs, which made 18 meatballs. I wasn't sure that would be enough, so I also made baked beans using another of the giant cans of pinto beans we got from the school a couple of years ago.

We were pretty low on vegetables, which is why I went with dilly beans. Just emulating our pioneer forebears, who didn't have Misfits Market and relied on pickled vegetables in the winter.

Saturday

Short version: Bull enchilada casserole, squash, cinnamon sugar crust trimmings

Long version: Still grimly working my way through the chewy bull. All of the boys agreed while they were eating this that they love casseroles, so it's certainly the most popular use for the bull meat.

The squash was one A. had bought a few months ago just because he liked the way it looked. It's been sitting in the corner of my entryway ever since. I finally got tired of seeing it there and cooked it. It tasted fine, so A. saved the seeds.

It was a very big squash. I put two quart bags of pureed squash in the freezer, used some to make a pumpkin pie for the next day, and still had a lot of squash in the refrigerator. We ate some with butter, but since only four of us eat it, it doesn't go very fast that way.

Well, four of us plus the chickens. They get the skins after I scoop out the flesh. They're not as picky as some children I know.

Sunday

Short version: Shepherd's pie, pumpkin pie with whipped cream

Long version: An inadvertent Day of Pie. I made the pumpkin pie the day before because I had just baked that big squash and thus had lots of pureed squash on hand, and still had a ball of dough for a single pie crust in the freezer from Thanksgiving.

The shepherd's pie was a little bit unusual because I didn't have enough carrots for the meat part, so instead I put some of the pureed squash in there. Not enough that it was detectable, though. And instead of frozen peas, I used a can of green beans, because we get a ton of those from commodities. It made for a somewhat ugly meat mixture.

No one is eating this with their eyes first.

Very tasty, though.

Monday

Short version: Many leftovers

Long version: Enchilada casserole, shepherd's pie, baked beans, and squash all to choose from. Plus some still-frozen green beans for the children, who will never voluntarily choose squash.

Tuesday

Short version: Sirloin steaks, mashed potatoes, pureed squash, sauerkraut, still-frozen green beans, cookies

Long version: Am I perhaps leaning somewhat heavily on the frozen green beans for the children who generally dislike the winter options for vegetables (i.e. squash and sauerkraut)? Yes. But it's fine.

This week's cookie-jar cookies were kind of like the snack cookies, although I used sugar instead of honey in them, and used slightly more sweetener than the snack cookie recipe. They still had quick oats and peanut butter and walnuts and chocolate chips. There's a lot going on in these cookies. The children were very pleased with them, however, and I am always pleased when they're eating a cookie that has at least a small amount of protein in it. 

Wednesday

Short version: Hamburger-vegetable stew, bread and butter, cheese, grapes

Long version: I made this stew on Sunday just so I would have it for my work lunches this week. I guess you could also call it a soup, but it was really thick with a bunch of stuff, which is how I like soup. Anyway, it had a pound of ground beef in it, plus a quart of concentrated rooster stock, onion, garlic, carrot, celery, pureed squash, pureed tomatoes, the last of some already-cooked spinach that was in the freezer, and diced potatoes.

There wasn't quite enough for all of us--and I had had some at work for lunch--so I had hardboiled eggs mashed with butter, salt, and pepper, and scooped up with rye crisps. Very satisfying, provided there's enough butter in the eggs.

There was a Misfits Market box waiting for me when I got home, so we all had some grapes from that while we were waiting for A. to get home from his bus run.

Thursday

Short version: Homecoming food

Long version: We always go to the homecoming basketball games at our school. There are four games (JV girls, JV boys, varsity girls, varsity boys) and then the homecoming court coronation. It's a LONG afternoon and evening. 

I did bring some food--walnuts, apples, and cookies--but I also let the kids each choose one thing from the concession stand for their dinner. Two got burritos, one got a hot dog, and one got Frito pie.

A. had to drive the school bus, so he went home after that and had a grilled cheese sandwich before coming to pick up the two kids who didn't want to stay for all of it. He got some nachos when he joined us at the school.

I ate the last few chips from the Frito pie, walnuts, an apple, and some granola when we got home.

Okay, your turn! What'd you eat this week?