Hawaiian Sweet Rolls

Last week I made a pineapple cheese ball.  I saved the pineapple juice and decided to try this recipe from I Heart Eating.  I did not have quite enough juice so I added some water to get to the amount of liquid needed.  I also made these in my bread machine.  I basically just dumped everything in and turned in on the dough cycle. 

After the cycle ended I shaped the rolls and covered them to allow them to rise.  After a little over an hour, they were ready to bake.  I cooked them for 20 minutes and then covered them lightly with foil and baked another 10 minutes.  I was rewarded with very light, fluffy rolls.

This recipe is definitely a keeper.  It was delicious with half pineapple juice and half water.  I know it will be wonderful with the full amont of pineapple juice.

Menu Monday

Last week W and I picked a small basket of garden peas from the garden.  I shelled those, and we had them for lunch the following day.  It was the first time W had eaten fresh garden peas, and he is hooked. Those will be a regular part of our garden each year.

I followed last week's menu plan for the most part.  I did spend $20 on groceries in the middle of last week.  That was milk, potatoes, cream cheese, whipping cream, and a few other items.  I have $24 to spend this week. 

The Usual (AKA: pizza & salad)

Spaghetti & meatballs, breadsticks, salad - I have meatballs and breadsticks premade in the freezer so this will be a quick meal to put together.  More lettuce from the garden is on this week's menu.

Cubed steak, twice baked potatoes, vegetables from freezer - I have ordered a meat tenderizer from Amazon and am anxious to try it out.  I will use some of the potatoes I purchased last week to make twice baked potatoes including extras to put in the freezer.

Baked fish, Parmesan noodles, cole slaw - I have half a cabbage to use up.  We purchased fish fillets at Sam's Club.  Rather than use box pasta mixes I prefer to make my own.  Angel hair pasta, a bit of butter, garlic, and Parmesan cheese make a delicious side dish.

Sloppy joes and chips or fries - Sloppy joes are W's specialty.  I have pre-cooked ground meat in the freezer so this is another quick meal option.

Pork tenderloin, potatoes & milk, green beans - We have fresh potatoes ready to dig in the garden.  These new potatoes are delicious in a thickened milk sauce. 

Big salads - A lighter meal is needed after some of the heavier ones on the menu.  I will add shrimp or chicken to lettuce from the garden.

Eggs

We have an egg eater among our chickens.  I try to check the nests a couple of times a day to get the eggs before they are eaten.  This morning I picked up these two eggs.  The white egg in the back is a regular size egg.  It would be considered a large egg if purchased at the grocery store.  The egg in the front is super small.   It could be from a new layer or perhaps someone was having an off day.  It was a cute and unusual find nonetheless.

Menu Plan & Grocery Spending

Last week W and I did a big shopping trip at Sam's Club.  We stocked up on quite a few things.  It will save money in the long run, but it stretches the budget for the immediate future.  To compensate I am cutting back on my spending for the next few weeks.  I am giving myself a budget of $20 per week which is plenty given the amount of food I have on hand.  Some of the meals are from last week's menu.  W had a work meal, and we ate out while we were shopping.

I skipped regular grocery shopping last week and stopped in today to pick up the current sale items.  I purchased Vidalia onions, grape tomatoes, two bags of chips, three packages of cheese, and a pack of pork chops.  I spent a total of $16.  I think the pork chops were my best buy.  I got nearly 5 pounds for just $3.70 (markdown plus a coupon).

Here is the menu for the coming week:

Pork chops, rice & gravy, peas or something from the freezer - I am going to try cooking the brown rice in the crockpot.  I will choose some sort of vegetable from the freezer.

Taco salads - I need to make tortillas so will keep two for the shells for taco salads.  I will use lettuce from the garden and some of the grape tomatoes I purchased.  I have avocado in the freezer. 

Barbecue Sandwiches and chips - I never got around to cooking the Boston butt and will do that this week.

Chicken, hash brown casserole, and veggie of some sort - Another carryover from last week.  The vegetable will depend on what I can put my hands on first in the freezer.

Turkey burgers & fries - I have premade turkey burgers in the freezer that I mixed up a few weeks ago. 

Big salads - I will continue to make use of the fresh lettuce from the garden.  These will be topped with either ham or chicken as well as hard boiled eggs.

Pizza and salad - Are you tired of seeing this on my menu?  I guess I should start calling it "The Usual". 

Furry Friday

I just have one picture to share today.  Last night W and I came home from a long day of shopping.  He commented that JJ was seriously guarding the catnip.  I rushed in to get the camera.  JJ stayed perfectly still until I snapped the photo and then hopped down.

The catnip has really grown in the past week.  The sturdy wire cage allows the leaves to grow through so the cats can enjoy them.  It keeps the plants safe from the same cats.

It seems that only 50 percent of cats love catnip.  All three of ours love it.  A few of the neighbor cats visit occasionally as well.  The trait is inherited, but not all of our cats are rescued from near here.  I guess they are just lucky to have a home with catnip in the yard.

Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice

A week or so ago some neighbors brought by oranges from their tree.  W is not a big fan of oranges by themselves.  I was eating up some of the other fruits in the house so the oranges ended up just sitting on the counter.

One day while I was cooking lunch, I decided to juice all of the oranges to keep from losing them.  It did take a few minutes, but I ended up with 3 cups of free, local, fresh orange juice.  That was a definite frugal doing.  I composted the remainder of the oranges and stored the juice in a glass jar.  That made for a no trash product as well. 

Weekly Menu

Last week's menu worked out pretty well except that the end of the week temperatures were warmer than when I planned the menu.  The soup and chili meals were skipped.  It seems we might be done with those until fall.  I am trying a bit different approach this week.  I am going to serve lunch later and plan a more snacky supper.  I found last week that we were not very hungry at night.  I think having light but healthy snacks in the evening will be a better option.

Pizza & Salad - This is a regular menu item for us as W loves pizza.

Chicken, hash brown casserole, & peas - I am still working chicken into the menu.  I want to try a new hash brown casserole recipe.  W normally will not eat the hash brown casserole, but I think this whole foods version will be more to his liking.

Turkey pot pie - I found a container of pot pie filling in the freezer and also two pie crusts.  This will be a good but easy meal.

Spaghetti & meatballs, salad & breadsticks - I made meatballs and frozen them earlier.  I also have breadsticks in the freezer.  Salad from the garden will round out the meal.

Barbecue sandwiches & chips - I have a Boston butt in the freezer to cook in the crockpot this week.  I will end up with several meals worth of meat to freezer.

Chicken tenders and french fries - This will be an easy weekend meal.  I fixed up my homemade frozen chicken tenders last week so these can quickly be put in the oven along with frozen french fries.

Taco pasta and salad - We have plenty of ground venison in the freezer.  I may half this to minimize the leftovers.  I will use my homemade taco seasoning to keep the sodium levels in check.