BOO! Did I scare you? Happy Halloween, everyone! Don’t you just love Halloween? I do – always have. Goes back to the whole I like being scared thing. But I gotta say, Halloween with a kid who finally is old enough to understand what’s going on is ten times better! Cate and I made 7 dozen Halloween cookies this week as part of our celebrations. It was a lot of fun. Cate’s favorite part by FAR was playing with the dough and making her ‘cookies.’ It was seriously the cutest thing ever.

We used a recipe from my mom, Sour Cream Sugar Cookies (click for recipe). They came out great! If you make this recipe, roll them out pretty thin as they rise when they cook. I think I could have gone even thinner than I did, but they still tasted good.

I also decided to go the homemade route with the frosting. I was tempted to buy frosting, but decided it was worth the extra effort to make it from scratch. I was right – SO GOOD.

Have a safe and happy Halloween!

The Red Sox won the World Series! WOO-HOO!!!!!!!!!!!! Maybe tonight we should eat hot dogs to celebrate!

In case you weren’t aware, I AM the reason they swept the World Series yet again. 3 years ago when they performed that wonderful feat, I was pregnant with baby girl Cate. This time, pregnant with another baby girl. 2 for 2. Me and my prego belly are totally the Red Sox good luck charm.

Happy Halloween!! It’s not even Halloween yet and Cate has more Halloween candy than any 2-year-old has business possessing. She is VERY good at sharing however – it’s super cute. We’ve been reading Harriet’s Halloween Candyand Cate prides herself on the fact that, unlike Harriet, she knows how to share her candy. Lucky for me!

This week is surprisingly un-busy schedule-wise, so that means I have to plan a full menu for the week. I’m glad I had all your menus to peruse – it helped so much! Please keep your menus coming – let’s see if we can set a record this week! Remember – it doesn’t matter WHAT your eating, just tell us what it is.

MONDAY:
- Bistro Chicken
- Potatoes
- Veggie

TUESDAY:
- Chicken Masala (TJs) w/chickpeas
- Rice
- Veggie

WEDNESDAY:
- Margherita Pizza
- Salad
- Trick or Treating!

THURSDAY:
- Leftovers

FRIDAY:
- Quiche
- Baguette & cheese
- Fruit

SATURDAY:
- Eat out

SUNDAY:
- Chili
- Corn Cake Toppers

We have a Halloween party tonight…actually, it’s the only thing we had on the calendar this week that didn’t get canceled due to the fires. It sure will be nice to get out and do something fun. (Quick update – our part of San Diego is totally in the clear now, but the fires continue to rage. Keep those thoughts and prayers directed at Southern California!)

A Halloween party means Cate gets to dress up as a ballerina (and wear make-up, her FAVORITE part) and I get to make a dessert to share. I just couldn’t bring myself to do anything very complicated, so I made my easiest brownie recipe (i.e. Norma’s brownies, nice and gooey) and threw some butterscotch chips on top to make them look “halloweeny” – I think it worked…

Wow! What a giveaway – the biggest yet! Thank you all for entering and for all your positive comments! And the winner is…

Stella, who wrote: “Ooohh a new shopping cart cover would be EXCELLENT! My son DESTROYED our first cover, now our little peanut has nothing to use….” Congrats, Stella! Be sure to send an email to weeklydinners@gmail.com to claim your prize.

Don’t forget, everyone can use the special promotional code TWFD on the Just Peachy Baby website for a 10% discount + free shipping! Time to go shopping! And if you need a little more impetus, read this article at MSNBC, The 12 Germiest Places in Your Life. A very special thanks to Just Peachy Baby for such a great giveaway!

Today is the last day to enter the Just Peachy Baby grocery cart cover giveaway! Simply post a comment on the giveaway post (click to link) by Midnight, PT. Good Luck!

The fires are still going. What a week. Our neighborhood remains just outside the evacuation area, so we’re still home. But the 513,000 people who have been evacuated are still not home. Keep sending prayers to San Diego! (The Hostess with the Mostess, a fellow San Diego blogger, had to evacuate twice yesterday! She wrote a good post about the fires yesterday if you are interested in reading more.)

Today we discovered there are some “refugee” horses staying on a grassy area near our apartment. Nate picked up some delicious NY Honey Crisp apples yesterday at Trader Joe’s, so we decided to share the ‘deliciousness.’ Cate and I just came back from visiting and feeding the horses (nice to get out of the house for a minute, even if the air is disgusting). They were beautiful and gentle animals. Hopefully they can go home soon!

It’s been amazing to see this week how calm and supportive the community has been. The evacuation locations are organized, clean and literally flooded with donations from other San Diego citizens. It is refreshing to see people come together in such a positive way at such a difficult time.

Yesterday I mentioned how we visited a great farm in Ramona, CA to pick pumpkins. A matter of hours after we left the farm, two wildfires started in San Diego county, one of them in Ramona (the farm is in the fire’s perimeter). Since then, the entire city of Ramona has been evacuated as well as MANY other areas in the county, making it the largest evacuation area ever (the fire count is up to seven). The situation is very serious here in San Diego, they think the worst fires ever.

I feel I need to recognize what is happening in our city and send my thoughts and prayers to any of you who are being affected. The situation is not good – please keep all these people in your prayers. Right now my little family is safe – we are close to the evacuation area, but not the fires. My heart goes out to everyone affected by these fires.

Don’t you just LOVE autumn? It is, without a doubt, my favorite season. Which means it is the also the time of year I am most homesick for the Northeast. Oh, you beautiful leaves – how I miss you! (How’s that for dramatic?) There IS a great farm in Ramona, CA that we go to every year to “pick” pumpkins. We took Cate this weekend and she had a blast! It’s so fun as your children grow older and start to “get” things.

On to this week’s menu…hmmmm…again, feeling very lazy (pregnant). Thank goodness you guys have been AWESOME at posting menus so there’s some inspiration happening here. Please keep them coming – and remember, I love to see all kinds of menus!

Don’t forget to enter the giveaway if you haven’t already!

MONDAY:
- Roasted Chicken (from Costco!)
- Potatoes
- Veggie

TUESDAY:
- Kitchen Sink Quesadillas
- Chips & Guacamole

WEDNESDAY:
- Chicken Parmesan
- Pasta
- Salad

THURSDAY:
- Neighborhood party

FRIDAY:
- Halloween party

SATURDAY:
- Eat out

SUNDAY:
- Breakfast for dinner…probably waffles

Happy Friday – we have a Free Giveaway!!! Just Peachy Baby is giving away a beautiful shopping cart cover to one lucky TWFD reader! The winner can select their favorite cover from eight modern prints – from gender-neutral funky dots and stripes, hip girl florals or cool boy patterns!

To enter the giveaway, submit any comment on THIS POST before Midnight PT, Thursday, 10/25. The winner will be announced next Friday, 10/26! No anonymous comments…we need to know who the winner is! Thank you, Just Peachy Baby!

This is perfect for you moms-of-babies out there. And if you don’t have a baby, it’s the perfect shower gift! Good luck!

Image courtesy of Just Peachy Baby

Aren’t you lucky? Two posts from me today! Both are “The Goods” – I must be in a shopping mood.

I’ve been planning my Mexican Vanilla post for ages. Today when I sat down to do a little research and write up the post, my enthusiasm was quicky squelched. Here’s the background – you can get huge bottles of pure vanilla in Mexico for cheap. It’s yummy, lasts forever, and 500 mL costs less than $6! I’ve been using it for years (given our close proximity to the border) and have always been happy…which is why I planned the post. But today, after a little research, I’ve discovered that gringo Jane has mostly likely been duped.

Here’s the deal. Vanilla is native to Mexico and you CAN get great vanilla from Mexico. Unfortunately, there are many knock-offs (from Mexico & the Caribbean) that aren’t pure vanilla. Here’s how to tell if you’ve got “The Goods” instead of “The Not-So-Goods”: it should have at least 35% alcohol content, it should be translucent and amber colored (NOT clear or dark/murky), it should NOT have coumarin (a vanilla taste-alike that is banned by the FDA and may cause liver damage), and it should NOT be ridiculously cheap.

How did my bottle of vanilla match up to the “rules”? Color: it’s pretty dark. Price: wicked cheap. Uh-oh…not looking so good. Alcohol content: 5%. OH GEEZ. I’m done. My vanilla is a fraud! I’ve got one good thing going for me…I knew coumarin was bad, and the label says “coumarin free.” Although, I just read that while there are labeling laws in Mexico, they aren’t always enforced. So hopefully my chocolate chip cookies aren’t damaging my liver.

Am I going to throw it away? Nope. I’m using it til it’s gone. It tastes good, is supposedly coumarin-free…we’ll survive. But I think this is my last bottle. At least the picture is pretty.

Just Peachy Baby is a great new company founded by a stay-at-home mom that I’d love to share with you! Just Peachy Baby provides designer, high-quality grocery cart & restaurant high chair covers that you will want to be seen with. Not only will your baby be comfy, cozy and clean, but you’ll feel cool pushing the cart around with such hip fabrics – and isn’t that what grocery shopping is all about, being cool? Shop now to take advantage of a 10% discount + free shipping! Just enter the promotional code TWFD – that’s right, a special for my readers!

You may be thinking, “Do I really need a shopping cart cover? The carts can’t be THAT dirty.” Think again: check out these facts about just how yucky shopping carts really are. Those of you without babies may want to get one just to protect YOUR hands when you shop!

Since grocery shopping is such a big part of weekly meal planning, thought this was a fun item to share with you, something a little different. And if you don’t have a baby, it’s definitely a great gift idea!

Image courtesy of Just Peachy Baby

I like baby carrots as much as the next guy, but REAL carrots taste so much better. Usually I’m too lazy to drag out the cutting board, peeler & knife (sad, I know). But once in a while I do and it is SO WORTH THE EFFORT. Regular, grown-up, non-baby carrots just taste great, raw or cooked. Since I was lazy with the main course last night (thank you Mr. Manwich), I decided I could take the time to cut up a few carrot sticks. The result: yum, especially with that oh so healthy ranch dip.

There is definitely some nesting going on in pregnant Jane’s world. The latest endeavor: renting a Rug Doctor & cleaning our couch and arm chair (pregnant people ARE crazy, huh?). They don’t LOOK that different, but it sure is nice to know they’re CLEAN. And, just so you know, the Rug Doctor worked great for this task.

I have to brag a LITTLE…when I pulled up the couch cushions (something that, sadly, had NOT been done in ages), this is all I found! Pretty good, eh? (We won’t get into how dark the water was that came out of the “Doc” after clean-up.) While I’m glad I only found writing utensils, a few twenty dollar bills would have been nice. I need richer friends.

I am feeling SO uninspired about this week’s menu. Nothing sounds good and I definitely don’t feel like cooking. Can you believe I’m already 31 weeks prego?!?! It is flying by so fast…I think the speed of this pregnancy is what’s making me tired! I definitely need a personal chef, and while we’re at it can you throw in a cleaning person, a stylist, a nanny…

I made this Martha Stewart Mac & Cheese recipe tonight since several of you recommended it. Delish! It made enough to feed my entire apartment complex, so half went in the freezer. Hopefully it freezes well. We shall see!

Please share your menus. And for those of you new to TWFD, I don’t care WHAT is on your menu – please share what you’re eating for dinner! Fancy, boring, easy, hard, WHATEVER.

MONDAY:
- Tortellini w/sausage & tomato sauce
- Yummy bread
- Salad

TUESDAY:
- Sloppy Joe (yes, straight out of the Manwich can…Nate’s not gonna be happy – sad, huh?)
- Carrots & dip
- Chips

WEDNESDAY:
- Margherita Pizza
- Salad

THURSDAY:
- Mac & Cheese
- Yummy bread
- Salad

FRIDAY:
- Friend Ellie’s 2nd Birthday Party!

SATURDAY:
- Leftovers

SUNDAY:
- Something Sundayish…I’ll decide later this week. My brain AND my belly are too tired right now.

Today I have a little eye candy for you (not the Brad Pitt kind, the food kind). Visit simply breakfast. Photographer Jennifer Causey of Brooklyn ’simply’ takes a picture of her breakfast each morning. Love it! Be sure to visit her other blog simply photo as well. Happy Friday!

The recipe I’m sharing with you today is amazing, if I do say so myself. In fact, it’s one of those recipes that I’m hesitant to even share with others…you know, kind of like that crazy new psycho character on Desperate who won’t share the lemon meringue pie recipe? That’s a little how I feel…these cookies make me look GOOD, and if others can make them, I lose my magic. At the same time, I think people who don’t share recipes are, well, a little shallow and mean. So, the real question is do I want friends or do I want to have that secret cookie recipe that people are willing to break into my house for? Believe it or not, this was a tough decision, but I’ve decided I like being popular more, so you get the recipe.

Seriously, these cookies are perfect. I guess the official name is “Chocolate Oatmeal Coconut Cookie” but that is so boring and doesn’t really fall off the tongue so easily, so let’s just call it The Perfect Cookie. Where did I get the recipe from? The name on my original recipe card says Barbara Boczany. I have no idea who Barbara Boczany is. But she makes a damn good cookie. I have adjusted the recipe, so let’s just say it’s mine. Yeah, that sounds good. Keep reading for the secret (and no, not THAT secret, but the yummy cookie secret, which is WAY better).

Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Coconut Cookies (aka The Perfect Cookie)
From Barbara Boczany, I have no idea who she is but she sure has a good cookie recipe
- 2 sticks unsalted butter
- 1 C brown sugar, packed
- 6 T sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 t salt
- 1/2 t baking soda
- 1 C flour
- 2 1/4 C oats
- 1 1/2 C cocnut
- 12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chunks (2 cups) (I prefer mini chocolate chips – that really makes the cookie oh so delicious, in my humble opinion)
- 3/4 C chopped almonds

Preheat oven to 375 F. Beat butter and sugars at high speed until fluffy. Add eggs and beat till blended. Beat in vanilla, baking soda, and salt. Add flour and mix at low speed until blended. Stir in oats, coconut, chocolate and almonds.

Arrange 1/4 cup mounds about 3 inches apart on large buttered baking sheets. Pat down to 1/2 inch. Bake in upper oven, rotation occasionally, 15-18 mins. Cool one minute. Tranfer to cooling rack.

Bake smaller cookies adjusting baking time.

My friend Maria recently picked these pretty pomegranates and was nice enough to share with us! I’ve never worked with pomegranates before. I found a great website with tips on how to cut them and recipes. To the pomegranate experts out there, what’s your favorite way to eat pomegranates?

I am happy to announce the winners from the most recent random giveaway. As you know, Dream Dinners is giving away some very cute melamine sets to THREE of my lucky readers. As always, I wish you could ALL win, but three is pretty awesome. Drumroll, please…

heather: delightful!

Nemesis: these are sooooooo cute!!!!

FoxyJ: I love that bowl! So cute

Congratulations, winners! Please email your full name and address to weeklydinners@gmail.com. Thanks again to Dream Dinners for a very cute giveaway! And to everyone else – thank you for all your nice comments and keep coming back…you never know when another giveaway will pop up!

Happy Sunday, everyone! I like Sunday mornings because I have time to make breakfast, my favorite meal by far. This morning we had a Puffed Oven Pancake. Hit the spot!

A few repeats on the menu this week as we’ve had lots of leftovers and some surprise invites to friends’ homes for dinner…love those weeks!

Don’t forget to enter the giveaway if you haven’t already – less than 12 hours left! And share your menus!

MONDAY:
- Pork Chops
- Wild & Long Grain Rice
- Veggie

TUESDAY:
- Chicken Stir Fry
- Sticky Rice
- Chicken Shu Mai (from Trader Joe’s freezer section)

WEDNESDAY:
- Quiche
- Baguette & cheese
- Fruit

THURSDAY:
- Leftovers

FRIDAY:
- My friend Barbara’s daughter’s wedding!

SATURDAY:
- Eat out

SUNDAY:
- Mac & Cheese
- Yummy bread
- Salad