How is it Sunday already? GoodNESS.

I have NO carry-overs from last week’s menu. I think that might be a meal planning miracle. 😉

MONDAY:
– Grilled Chicken Burritos, including Cilantro Lime Rice, Black Beans and Creamy Tomatillo Dressing

TUESDAY:
– Honey Goat Cheese Pizza with Caramelized Onions

WEDNESDAY:
– Lentil Soup

THURSDAY:
– Leftovers

FRIDAY:
– Breakfast for Dinner: Pancakes
– Fresh fruit

SATURDAY:
– Starting our Spring Break fun – we don’t even know what the plans are yet, but we’re going to do something!

SUNDAY:
– Traveling who knows where?! 🙂

Click here for the free printable of this week’s menu plus the shopping list!

You know the drill – show us what you got! Share your menu for the week! THANKS EVERYONE!

The giveaway is now closed, but please keep reading to check out this great company and read my interview with the founders!

Today is FUN because I get to introduce you to a super cool company, share a fun interview AND do a giveaway!

Q Squared NYC recently reached out to me about working together. Now, I get a lot of emails about a lot of products everyday, but Q Squared really stood out. I clicked through and discovered a small company with really beautiful products as well as a fun story. I was super excited to find out more about them and was so happy that they got in touch with me!

I don’t know, guys, but these just might be my two most favorite plates ever in the history of the world. Just sayin’.

First, before we get to anything else, just look how cute their dishes are. Q Squared sells melamine dinnerware, drinkware, flatware and great serving platters. Everything is beautifully designed and appeals to all kinds of aesthetics, from classic to modern. I am a firm believe in using beautiful things on a daily basis, plus I have kids, so beautiful dishes that are also practical? BINGO. We also love eating outside. Q Squared’s dishes really are perfect for our family!

All of the dishes you see in today’s post are from the Montecito line, which I can’t get enough of. We already have white and blue dishes in our everyday collection, so I knew that Montecito would fit right into our kitchen. The Provence blue flatware and blue tumblers also go perfectly with these dishes and I’m loving it all. You can tell that the products are high quality – nice and sturdy with a good feel. I’m ready to party!

I mentioned that Q Squared has a fun story. The company is founded by a mother-daughter team, Nancy (the mom and former Glamour editor) and Alaina (the daughter). I had the chance to do a little interview with them and would love to share it with you. I especially love the story behind the inspiration for starting the company. So cute!

The answer is a little of both, plus a third reason.  We do love cooking and entertaining, and we both feel very creative. Alaina has a critical eye for art and Nancy is a fan of fashion. The third reason, though, was not being able to find beautiful products that were practical and affordable.  After college graduation, we went shopping to set up Alaina’s first apartment. She has a very high standard aesthetically but was on a low budget. Everything we came across that had an aesthetic Alaina liked was either China or Porcelain, with the China Cabinet price tag to match – so we created our own company and products to fill that need!

Yes, absolutely!  We are launching our first new product category (home fragrance!) in Summer 2014, with the continuing expansion into Fall/Winter 2014. Looking into 2015 and beyond, we will continue to introduce more home decor products, including gifts, decorative accents, textiles, etc.

The synergy that we feel together, knowing that the results are bigger and grander than each of us alone. Oh and there’s always the perk of having a mom in the office (for the occasional old-fashion PB&J!)

I hope you’ve enjoyed being introduced to this great company, its founders and their beautiful products. Good luck with the giveaway!

This post was sponsored by Q Squared NYC. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.

I think it’s time for a giveaway! One lucky, randomly-selected person will win 1 Large Cool Montecito Tray along with 4 Cool Montecito Tapas Plates. Here is how to enter the giveaway! (Comments must be left by Thursday, 4/3 Midnight PT.)

• Leave a comment on this post – that’s it! If you would like, tell us your favorite collection on Q Squared NYC!
• Bonus entry: Like Q Squared NYC on Facebook (for the extra entry, leave a separate comment stating you’ve done so)
• Bonus entry: Follow Q Squared on Pinterest (for the extra entry, leave a separate comment stating you’ve done so)
• Bonus entry: Like This Week for Dinner on Facebook (for the extra entry, leave a separate comment stating you’ve done so)
• Bonus entry: Follow This Week for Dinner on Pinterest (for the extra entry, leave a separate comment stating you’ve done so)

The winner of the giveaway was Debbie Rough, who said, “Love this same pattern you have. Need a new tray”¦ Mine just broke!!!! Woohoo hope I am a winner” Congratulations to Debbie! You will love your items!

Happy Friday!

Before we get to food, can we talk about House of Cards for just one second? Nate and I FINALLY watched the Season 2 premiere this week. And this is what I have to say: WHAT?!?!?!? SERIOUSLY!?!?!? Totally did NOT see that coming!!!!!! Obviously I am not going to spell it out because President Obama asked for no spoilers, but for real, crazyTOWN. Nate and I need to get going on the rest of the season to see what Frank’s got in store for Washington, D.C. My friend Kathy posted a status on Facebook the other day that she was watching a little of The West Wing on Netflix to counteract House of Cards. Made me laugh because it’s so true. They’re basically the same show except one is the angel on your right shoulder and the other is the devil on your left. I’m just hoping reality reflects The West Wing!!

Okay, back to food!

Here are my “Babbles” for the week!

• The Best Sautéed Mushrooms Ever (shout out to Jeffrey’s Hamburgers!)
• How to Pick the Perfect Chef’s Knife
• 15 Non-Lemonade Lemonade Recipes to Gear Up for Spring!
• Hot Potato! 9 Spicy Potato Recipes
• 3 Kids, a Mom & a Kitchen: Homemade Granola Bars (I had the girls try making granola bars all by themselves!)

And yumminess on Cosmo!

• 20 Impossibly Identical Copycat Restaurant Recipes
• 15 Foods You Won’t Believe You Can Make in the Microwave
• 15 Foods You Need to Cover in Buffalo Sauce

Show and tell means everyone in the class gets to share, so be sure to share your stuff, whatever it is!

Apparently it’s still snowing in some places. CRAZY. It’s even chilly and drizzly here in San Diego (don’t worry, I am not complaining), so I think we’re all probably in the mood for some cozy food.

My sister-in-law Cora made beef stew for the family this past summer and it was sublime. I make a pretty good beef stew, but hers was definitely better. I finally got around to bugging her for the recipe and, as usual, she obliged. She’s good like that.

Cora sort of follows Ree’s seef stew with beer and paprika recipe but changes a few things up. I followed her lead and ended up with this most delicious stew. The sauce is so rich in flavor, the meat so tender, the veggies cooked to perfection.

Yes, it’s called Boozy Beef Stew. Because there are two bottles of beer in the pot and how can you not name it Boozy Beef Stew with all that beer involved? Never fear, it doesn’t taste like a bottle of beer with a few chunks of meat thrown in. It just tastes good. So good.

Also, this recipe gives me an excuse to use one of my most favorite items in the kitchen – a bottle opener we got from Nate’s great-grandma Rose’s home when she moved into assisted living at age 99. We don’t drink around here, so this cute little bottle opener doesn’t get much action. But when I do take it out, it always makes me happy.

I modified the recipe just a bit so it is quite literally a one-pot dinner. I hate washing dishes. A lot. You’ll be able to cook it all in one pot, no extra dishes required! (Well, you will have to use a knife and cutting board, but that doesn’t count, right?)

Now, go booze up your beef.

(>> Find out more…)

If you live in the western U.S. (and now Virginia or Maryland, too!), you’ve probably heard of Cafe Rio. It’s a Mexican food chain with the best darn pork barbacoa and creamy tomatilla salad dressing you ever did eat. Seriously, that dressing is downright drinkable.

My cousin Jamie and her family visited us last week. One night we made fajitas for dinner and Jamie whipped up some of the Cafe Rio dressing. It was mighty fine! Honestly, I can’t remember exactly how Cafe Rio’s dressing tastes, but Jamie says this recipe nails it! I did a google search and there are a bunch of blogs and websites with almost the exact same recipe posted, so I have no idea who the source is. But Jamie and I discussed the recipe and realized that she regularly changes up some of the proportions, so we made it our own. Also, I am changing the amounts because the original recipe makes about 30 ounces of dressing! That is a whole lot of dressing that, quite frankly, is more than our family needs.

This dressing is delicious served over salad or as a sauce topped on tacos, fajitas and burritos. Go crazy!
(>> Find out more…)

Well, we finally gave into the trend and tried a cronut this weekend. Our cousins were in town visiting and had heard that a donut shop in Cardiff has great cronuts. The donut shop is called VG Donut & Bakery, a place Nate and I have been wanting to try for months, so we were totally down with the taste test! Cronuts (at least the ones from VG’s) are downright delicious. They remind us of a French cruller, but not quite as eggy. Cronuts are more donut than croissant, but the texture is definitely different than a normal donut, with layers of moist goodness inside a crispy exterior. DELISH!

I can’t believe it’s time to plan another menu. Here goes nothin’!

MONDAY:
– Boozy Beef Stew à la Cora my SIL (recipe to come!)

TUESDAY:
– Bertucci’s Tortellini
– Garlic bread and salad

WEDNESDAY:
– Pulled Pork Sandwiches
– Coleslaw

THURSDAY:
– Leftovers

FRIDAY:
– Eat out

SATURDAY:
– Fried Chicken (I’ve never made fried chicken and want to finally try it – if you have a recipe you love or tips to share, please do!)
– Veggie and biscuits

SUNDAY:
– Breakfast for dinner: Swedish pancakes
– Fresh fruit

Click here for the free printable of this week’s menu plus the shopping list!

As always, reading through your menus from last week was so helpful as I planned for this week. Thank you so much for sharing! Looking forward to seeing what you all have planned for this week!

My cousin is visiting with her family and we celebrated their daughter Emma’s birthday on our back porch last night. I can’t tell you how grateful I am for that porch. We’ve only been in our home for 9 months and already have so many wonderful memories on that patio. I’m feeling very grateful this morning.

Here are this weeks “Babbles”:

• 11 Poached Fruit Recipes to Please Any Sweet Tooth
• 3 Kids, a Mom and a Kitchen: Tips for Making Homemade Amish Pretzels with Kids

And a few fun things on Cosmo:

• 12 Ways to Make The Best Ravioli Of Your Life
• 20 Crazy Delicious Chips and Dips Combos

Show and tell is for the whole class, so share whatever you like! Happy Friday!

I grew up in New Jersey, just a couple hours from Amish country in Pennsylvania. Amish country was one of the spots we would frequently take visitors, as well as New York City. About the only thing those two places had in common was that they both served giant pretzels! And, you know what, the pretzels in Amish country were 10,000 times better than the ones in New York (sorry, street vendors).

Those Amish pretzels really were to die for. Warm, soft, buttery, with a nice slightly crisp exterior. Heaven. Needless to say I am perfectly fine with the explosion of Auntie Anne’s and Wetzels Pretzels in every mall in America – saves me a trip to Pennsylvania when I get a craving.

My kids also love Amish-style pretzels, so I decided we should try making them at home. We made the recipe below for my column 3 Kids, a Mom & a Kitchen on Babble and it was a great success! Not only were the pretzels soooooo good, but this is a really fun and painless cooking project to do with kids. Check out my post on Babble for details on how to get children of all ages involved with this recipe.

A few notes on the recipe. First, I basically cobbled together a bunch of different recipes to make this one, with most of the best tips coming from this video series by Jay Stewart of Auntie Anne’s Pretzels. Second, I used a mix of bread flour and self-rising flour and really like how the texture came out. I give instructions in the recipe below for how to make self-rising flour (which is a combination of cake or pastry flour with baking powder and salt). I’m sure some of you will ask if you can use all-purpose flour – you probably can, but then you’d need to figure out how much baking powder and salt to add to the recipe and also the protein levels will be different. So, basically, you’re on your own if you go that route! 😉

(>> Find out more…)

Happy St. Patrick’s Day, one day early! Our kids are making leprechaun traps right now, (no) thanks to our old elementary school implanting this idea in their heads. I love making all green food and having fun with the day, but having to make it look like leprechauns came to our house overnight is too much pressure! Okay, enough complaining. I’m certainly bringing bad luck upon myself, cursing the leprechauns this way! 😉

Not too many carry-over items from the last weekly menu – I did a decent job cooking most everything on my plan! We’ll see if I can keep this streak alive!

MONDAY:
– Happy St. Patrick’s Day! This year we’re going with a green feast instead of more traditional Irish food. Everything I’m making is super easy to color green!
– Chicken Piccata, Mashed Potatoes, Green Veggie, Green Lemon Bars

TUESDAY:
– Honey Goat Cheese Pizza with Caramelized Onions

WEDNESDAY:
– Boozy Beef Stew à la my SIL Cora

THURSDAY:
– Leftovers

FRIDAY:
– Eat out (Cate has beach volleyball every Friday for 2 hours, so I’m moving eat out night from Saturday to Friday!)

SATURDAY:
– Hamburgers
– Carrot sticks and fresh fruit

SUNDAY:
– Breakfast for dinner: Swedish pancakes
– Fresh fruit

Click here for the free printable of this week’s menu plus the shopping list!

Please share your menus for the week! And if you’re doing something fun for St. Patrick’s Day, fill us in!

How is it already FRIDAY?!

The other day Cate handed me my phone and said, “Look at this video Anna just made, Mom.” To set the stage, our girls loooooove Jimmy Fallon’s lip sync battles. It all began with John Krasinski, then Joseph Gordon Levitt and Stephen Merchant seriously rocked it, and Paul Rudd was the latest lip syncer to hit the scene. Well, Anna is obsessed with Frozen (surprise!) and she did her own lip sync to “Let It Go.” This was all completely on her own. I love how she has to whisper the whole thing and you can tell she’s really feeling it at 3:26. P.S. Don’t mention it to her in person, she gets really bashful. My sweet introverted performer who doesn’t know what to do with herself!

This week’s Babbles!

• 8 Fun St. Patrick’s Day Breakfast Ideas to Serve the Kids
• Our family’s green feast plans for St. Patrick’s Day!

And fun food on Cosmo!

• 20 Delicious Donut Recipes (they all look a-maaaaaay-zing)
• How To Make Risotto + 12 Great Risotto Recipes
• 18 Ways to Eat a Wrap for Every Meal

As always, share whatever you like with us! That’s what show and tell is all about!