Hello friends! I’m calling it in today as the giant splint on my thumb makes typing and graphic design near impossible. SO…I am setting setting up the menu post so you all can share and inspire all of us!

We don’t have Hello Fresh meals coming this week (whoops) and I for real have no idea what we’re going to do for dinner. We’re heading out for a quick road trip with the kids right now, so I’m devoting my brain energy to that instead of a menu I probably can’t cook. 😉

Please share your menu for the week in the comments below. As you can tell, I certainly need it and I’m sure I’m not the only one! Also, you can click here to peruse through all past menus!

Last week I did something I rarely do…well, I DIDN’T do something I normally do. I did not post a weekly menu! I’ll be honest, it’s been a wild month for my thumb. I’ve had two surgeries only to discover I need to have two more, which will be much more involved. The first is tomorrow and I’ll be going under general anesthesia. Send happy surgery vibes! Thankfully between Nate and dear friends we are buried in food.

MONDAY:

• Leftover Super Bowl food (including all kinds of delicious smoked meats!)

TUESDAY:

• Friend bringing dinner

WEDNESDAY:

• Friend bringing dinner

THURSDAY:

• Hello Fresh – Thai Coconut Curry Chicken

FRIDAY:

• Hello Fresh – Beef Flautas Supreme

SATURDAY:

• Weekend roadtrip! (Thank you in advance to Nate for doing all the driving! ;))

SUNDAY:

• Weekend roadtrip! 

Please post your menus below! We need you to inspire one another while I’m in a weird cooking place in life!f

Hand surgery tomorrow. Fun times! We’ve got a few Hello Fresh meals coming this week so the family can easily make dinner without my help. 

MONDAY:

• Pork Taquitos (Hello Fresh)

TUESDAY:

• Cavatappi Beef Ragu (Hello Fresh)

WEDNESDAY:

• Sweet Chili Pork & Green Bean Bowls (Hello Fresh)

THURSDAY:

• Leftovers

FRIDAY:

• Local Takeout

SATURDAY:

• Local Takeout

SUNDAY:

• Smoked Meat TBD

Please share your own menu for the week below! Thank you and have a great week!

Nate smoked 10 pounds of pork shoulder this weekend and we are all once again super glad we got him a Traeger grill for Christmas. Going to re-purpose the pork for enchiladas with a red sauce and tacos with pickled onions. 

Quick hand surgery update: procedure ended up not happening last week but is instead scheduled for 1/25. So I’m planning to cook a lot this week, then next week getting Hello Fresh for the kids and Nate to cook. Not at all excited about the assessment by the surgeon last week but grateful for professionals who can fix this useless thumb for me.

MONDAY:

• Leftovers

TUESDAY:

• Enchiladas

WEDNESDAY:

• Taco Night

THURSDAY:

• Chicken Tortilla Soup

FRIDAY:

• Leftovers

SATURDAY:

• Homemade Pizza

SUNDAY:

• Grill Night

Your turn! Please share your meal plans in the comments! Have a safe week. 

I will most likely be having a second procedure on my thumb this week, so back to using some Hello Fresh meals…Nate and the kids will have to start cooking again!

MONDAY:

• Chicken Sausage Rigatoni

TUESDAY:

• Firecracker Meatballs

WEDNESDAY:

• Bulgogi Lime Pork Tenderloin

THURSDAY:

• Leftovers

FRIDAY:

• Rachel Sandwiches

SATURDAY:

• Local Takeout

SUNDAY:

• Grill night…going to have Nate smoke something yummy!

Your turn! Please share your own meal plans below!

This is going to be our first week in over two months where I am not getting a Hello Fresh meal kit delivery. Going to try “roughing it” again. Which mostly means I have to do my own grocery shopping this week…ugh!

MONDAY:

• Spicy Chicken Tacos with Fresh Masa Tortillas

TUESDAY:

• Pasta with homemade bolognese sauce (using up the leftover veal from our Swedish Meatballs!)

WEDNESDAY:

• Chicken Caesar Wraps

THURSDAY:

• Leftovers

FRIDAY:

• Local Takeout

SATURDAY:

• Smoked Flank Steak (we ended up with smoked brisket on New Year’s Eve, so demanding Nate smokes the flank steak that ended up in the freezer this weekend!)
• Crispy Roast Potatoes
• Salad

SUNDAY:

• Smoked Pork Shoulder with coleslaw and picked onions

Your turn! Thank you for sharing your menu in the comments below!

Nate got a Traeger smoker grill for Christmas and that was for real the best idea EVER. He has already smoked a small pork shoulder and it was so good that at 10 pm last night when it was finally done we all just gathered around the meat and ate and ate and ate. Tonight he’s smoking brats. And he has two more smoked meats coming this week. Merry Christmas to all of us!

MONDAY:

• Smoked Pork Shoulder

TUESDAY:

• Pork Luau Bowls (Hello Fresh)

WEDNESDAY:

• Chicken Stir Fry Tacos (Hello Fresh)

THURSDAY: Happy New Year’s Eve!

• Smoked Flank Steak
• Crispy Roast Potatoes
• Salad 

FRIDAY:

• Leftovers

SATURDAY:

• Coconut Curry Chicken (Hello Fresh)

SUNDAY:

• Tex Mex Pork Enchiladas Bowls (Hello Fresh)

Share your own menu in the comments below! Have a safe and happy new year!

Today I am awake before the rest of the family so I can make sugar cookie dough. The kids have a gingerbread house decorating station set up on the dining room table and it seems a shame to just clean it up since it could so easily be converted into a cookie decorating station. So, time to bake!

Every year when I go to find my favorite sugar cookie recipe on AllRecipes, it takes me a good five minutes of searching and ultimately panicking before I find the recipe. I am putting an end to the panic right now. This blog is my recipe box and it is time to add this recipe card. This is not my recipe and I literally follow it to a T every year. The recipe is perfect. So, I am giving all the credit to “J. Saunders” on AllRecipes. However, it is time I posted this recipe here on the blog to prevent future heart attacks!

Also, if you want a good chocolate sugar cookie recipe, click here. And, yes, I am making both this morning.

Happy Holidays! 

The Best Sugar Cookie Recipe

 

Print

My notes are in italics below, but honestly this recipe is perfect! Originally posted on AllRecipes.

Author: J. Saunders submitted to AllRecipes

Ingredients

• 1½ cups butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. (Jane note: for the stirring portion I just use my KitchenAid mixer on low.)
2. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight). (Jane note: I divide the dough into two and form two large, thick discs, about 2" thick, and wrap them in plastic wrap to refrigerate. It helps to have wet hands when forming the discs. This makes the dough easier to work with after chilling.)
3. Preheat oven to 400º F (200º C).
4. Roll out dough on floured surface, ¼- to ½-inch thick. Cut into shapes with cookie cutters.
5. Place cookies 1 inch apart on un-greased cookie sheets. (Jane note: I use my silicon baking mats to bake these)
6. Bake 6 – 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.

3.4.3177

Well, birthday week was a blast and a success and completely wiped me out! 😉 Now on to Christmas this week! 

MONDAY:

• Coconut Curry Chicken (Hello Fresh)

TUESDAY:

• Spicy Maple Chicken (Hello Fresh)

WEDNESDAY:

• Honey Sriracha Pork Tenderloin (Hello Fresh)

THURSDAY:

• Chinese Takeout (a Maynard family tradition!)

FRIDAY:

• Swedish Meatballs with boiled red potatoes and lingonberry jam
• Swedish Cardamom Bread, Vetebröd (braided loaves) and Kardemummabullar (buns) 

SATURDAY:

• Leftovers

SUNDAY:

• Leftovers

Your turn! Please share your meal plan for the week in the comments below! And if you celebrate Christmas, I hope it is a healthy, peaceful and delicious day!

It’s a big birthday week around here! Two birthdays, so the birthday girls get to pick dinner. Plus we’re still leveraging Hello Fresh heavily. 😉

MONDAY:

• Firecracker Meatballs with Rice and Green Beans 

TUESDAY:

• Spicy Maple Chicken

WEDNESDAY:

• Cheesecake Factory Takeout (birthday dinner #1!)

THURSDAY:

• Thai Takeout (birthday dinner #2)

FRIDAY:

• Leftovers

SATURDAY:

• Ancho BBQ Sloppy Joe’s

SUNDAY:

• Honey Sriracha Pork Tenderloin

Please share your own menu plan in the comments below! Have a great week and Happy Hanukkah to those of your celebrating!