Buttermilk biscuit sandwiches, it's what's for breakfast!

I set my alarm last night for a 2am wake-up call so I could catch the lunar eclipse. And the skies were clear, so I am VERY glad I got up to see it. A beautiful bright orange moon...

About 2:30am, I headed back to bed, not needing to get up until 5:00.

at 3:00am I got back up out of bed. oops. Guess that four hours of sleep was all that I needed!

So I decided to play with a recipe, and made fresh buttermilk biscuits for breakfast. I was planning on getting up to make a breakfast sandwich on an English muffin for my husband, but why not make biscuits? I need to find the perfect recipe for the cafe anyway, so it's as good a time as ever to get it done.

Buttermilk biscuits are one of the easiest breads to make. Simple ingredients, no difficult process. I love making them. You can use any buttermilk biscuit recipe you find, as they are all similar and all available online. I'm not posting this recipe yet. It's not perfect. It's close. But I have some tweaking to do! But whatever recipe you try, have fun! Biscuits are very forgiving, and the more rustic they look the better!

 Combine the dry ingredients

Add cubed butter and shortening, using a pastry blender until it's coarse crumbs,

 and add in the buttermilk, combining until the dough comes together.

Pat it out in a circle, cut your rounds, and bake!

It's that easy! Brush with a little melted butter once they're out, and you have a golden biscuit that can be a side for dinner, a base for a breakfast sandwich, end up smothered in sausage gravy, or simply enjoyed as is!

I got a little too ambitious with the breakfast sandwich though - using too much egg and ham. This is a two meal sandwich!

Celebrating Family

Not a normal blog this morning..

This morning we lay my father to his eternal rest... On March 14th, he ended a long journey, 88 years, that for the last decade included severe dimentia. Having lost my mother in 2006, this is bittersweet for sure. The end of a generation of our family. But it's also a reason to celebrate that family.

Last night 25 of us got together to share a meal, and an evening of wonderful story telling and laughing. A true celebration of life, of our lives, and our family.

Our family has a great history of amazing celebrations - around amazing meals.

So today I am dedicating this blog to my family. My crazy, dysfunctional, amazing family, that I love with all my heart.

A typical family gathering, circa 1976?

Celebrate your family - every day. They are yours. 

Now grab another cup of coffee and enjoy the day. :)

My question to you...what is the best cafe/diner food you've ever eaten?

I love to cook. You all know that. And I love eating foods from different areas of the country, different nationalities, etc.

My cooking is about to take a turn - as my husband and I have taken the plunge and purchased a cafe! We are looking to open our new cafe, the gathering place, May 1st, and I've been having a blast with menu ideas. I've been cooking ferociously, as we try different things, looking for the best to put on our menu. (My husband and son are happy to do the taste testing!)

I am so very excited. But so many options. It will be hard to hold back, but I know we have to take baby steps!

So my question to you... what is the best cafe/diner food you've every eaten? I'd love to hear from you!

Don't be afraid - homemade hamburger buns and more!

One of the best tips I have for people wanting to learn to cook, to cook more, to try new things, is to NOT BE AFRAID!

Know that when you try something, you have a very good chance of failure. But it's not the end of the world. And until you try something, probably more than once, you don't know if you can handle it, if it needs tweaking, or if the recipe should just be tossed!

A couple of years ago I learned to make bread. Many of my recipes are made/kneaded in my Kitchen Aid. But I also make breads by hand (on days when I can't have the noise of the mixer - as my husband is sleeping). It wasn't easy taking the leap from bread machine to kneading by hand, and some loaves ended up in the freezer to be used for stuffing down the road because they were too dense. But over time I've learned how the dough should feel, so I can usually add more moisture or flour, depending, saving the bread before baking.

Practice makes perfect!

or at least better~

I have tried many types of breads, and rolls, saving some recipes, tweaking some recipes, and tossing others. And I've wanted to try making hamburger buns for a long time, large, soft, beautiful fresh hamburger buns. We love to make grilled burgers of all kinds, and putting them on purchased buns just seems soo.. wrong!

I found a recipe for "40 minute" buns - seemed easy enough - so I gave it a try. And while they are FAR from perfect, they tasted awesome tonight all toasted up and holding our homemade burgers!

I need to get better at uniformity - and I'm not sure this is the best recipe out there, so I'm not posting the recipe. But I'll keep looking, and trying, until I have the right one to share!

The point of this post is - to not be afraid to try. It won't always be perfect, but it will always be homemade, and made from the heart. And THAT is what it's all about.

when in Rome....

You know the saying. "When in Rome, do as the Romans do."

I like to apply that to my food. (Imagine that!)

We travel a lot. Not glamorous vacations in high-end resorts, but typically road trips, with the destination being a family member or close friend. And the best part of road trips is seeing everything along the way. We have road tripped out west, down south, to the east, and even Route 66. One of my favorite things to do on road trips is sample the local foods - finding small, out of the way eateries that specialize in some of the local favorites.

Being the foodie that I am, I often come home from the trips wanting to recreate what I've enjoyed on my road trip. My family is even guilty - asking me to make something they've had on a trip. I learned early on that living in a small Midwestern town, I don't always have access to ingredients needed. And I have learned to improvise, making muffaletta olive salad from scratch when it wasn't found in the store.

But I am wiser now.

So while other people bring back shot glasses, artwork, and postcards, I bring home souvenirs that will help me in the kitchen - seasonings, condiments, and even chicory. I will even bring back meats, cheeses, and of course wines and beers to enjoy once we are home. (Again the perk of road trips - room for more to bring home!)

We returned a couple of weeks ago from an extended vacation to New Orleans and Memphis. While I've been to New Orleans several times, I had never spent time in Memphis. With family and friends in both places, we got to enjoy amazing local foods - both homemade and in restaurants. My new favorite from New Orleans would have to be the boudin sausage, and from Memphis of course - we had amazing ribs.

So I brought home my souvenirs from both places -a couple of seasonings, the chicory I can't find here locally, as well as the muffaletta salad, and some amazing rib marinade to try.

For me, it allows me to not only play with some new foods, but it makes our vacation last a little bit longer, as we remember our favorite parts of the vacation while enjoying some of that amazing food back home.

So next time you're a world traveler, think about bringing something home for your kitchen. It will give you a reason to try some new recipes!

Italian style cabbage rolls - deconstructed!

Hope you all have your coffee in hand! Time for another round of Saturday morning coffee with Missy! I've been gone for awhile - a long vacation, and then a family issue, but I'm back, and cooking in the kitchen!

I saw a post floating around  for a cabbage roll dish - in a pot on the stove. Knowing I had a half a cabbage left in the fridge from St. Patrick's Day's corned beef and cabbage, I thought I'd put my own twist on it.

I started by browning up some amazing local ground beef with onion and garlic. Once browned, I added in Italian diced tomatoes, some chopped cabbage, and some cooked orzo (I always have some cooked grains in the fridge for easy meals - orzo went well with the Italian twist on the dish!). I added some salt, and seasonings, and had a wonderful dinner for this cold spring day in Wisconsin. Paired with fresh Italian bread from the oven, I think my husband will enjoy dinner tonight!

Italian Style Cabbage Rolls - Deconstructed!
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
28 oz. can Diced Italian Tomatoes
1 cup cooked orzo
1/2 medium head of cabbage, chopped
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried Italian sesasoning


In a large deep saute pan, or a large sauce pan, brown meat with onion and garlic until meat is browned and vegetables are softened. Add canned tomatoes and juice, cooked orzo, salt, Italian seasoning, and chopped cabbage. Cover and simmer untlil cabbage is soft, about 20-30 minutes.

The beauty of this dish - you could use pork sausage instead of ground beef, 

cooked rice instead of orzo... It's an easy dish to modify, to make to your family's tastes. Enjoy!

Freezer cooking for my niece!

I have been doing freezer cooking as part of my menu planning for many years. And about a year ago, I introduced it to a friend, with whom I've cooked many months' freezer meals. Over the last few years, I've amassed some favorite recipes, and tips of the trade. So when I was asked by a niece to cook up some freezer meals for her, I jumped at the chance. I love the challenge of keeping cost low, ingredients fresh, and convenience high!

I compiled a "menu" of items that included noodle sides (for one of her children), some crock pot meals, some fully cooked meals, and some frozen cookie dough for sweets. I didn't have to make it all in one day, so I grouped them according to products, and all totalled, only spent around 4 hours from start to finish!

The main dishes include beef (5), pork (1), and chicken (4). Crock pot meals (4) and fully cooked (6). Ten main dishes (one being soup), and three sides, as well as some frozen cookie dough.

Spaghetti Pie

Calzones

Chicken Tortilla soup

Salisbury Meatballs

Plain meatballs

Garlic Herb Pork Roast

Honey Garlic Chicken

Sesame Chicken

Beef Burgundy

Chicken Marsala

Spicy Thai noodles

Spicy Garlic noodles

Parsley Parmesan noodles

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal cookie dough

The day of prep, I assemble all the ingredients needed.

 I label all of the containers with name, and cooking instructions. When I do freezer cooking for myself, I don't use disposable pans, but rather reusable metal pans that I've purchased just for this use. But being this cooking was for my niece, I had to go disposable.

After everything is pulled, labeled, and ready, it's prep time. Crock pot dishes are loaded into ziplocs:

Recipes that are fully cooked are prepared, cooked, cooled, and frozen. I love making my own meatballs, as I know what is in them, and can control salt content. I have a base recipe, as well as an Italian recipe.I will share the recipes soon!

Not to bore you with thirty pictures of the prep, I will stop here. I was able to produce all of these meals for approximately $175.00 (my estimate before actually adding up receipts). And in only 4 hours. Had I been doing these for myself, it would have been even cheaper. I wouldn't have had an expense in disposable pans, and I would not have had to buy beef at the grocery store (sticker shock at the expense!), much more expensive than when I am using the beef from our freezer (we buy an entire half, saving approximately 20% from grocery store prices!) But even at these prices, 10 main dishes, 3 sides, and 3 boxes of cookies - for a family of 5 - for $175.00. Not a bad price! Hopefully my niece will be happy as well!

I will put together a budget freezer cooking month soon as well. I am picking up our beef this weekend, so I've been trying to clean out the freezer. Soon I will need to restock it!

Happy weekend. Enjoy your day. Grab another cup of coffee!
Cheers!

A Saturday morning ritual

Every Saturday morning starts with a strong cup of coffee (chicory this morning!) and some menu planning. I love planning out the week, picking recipes, and getting geared up to cook. This Saturday has a little bit of a twist, as I am doing some freezer cooking for my niece, so I am pulling that "menu" together, finding the recipes, and writing up shopping lists, and a "to-do" list of food prep, pan sizes, etc. So it's kind of like my weekly planning on steroids!

My "desk" this Saturday morning, hard at work!

Hopefully I'll remember to take some pictures - and have a full blog on this by early next week. Today is prep day, tomorrow will be cooking. I'm delivering to her next Friday on my way to pick up our half a steer. Excited to be able to cook for my family that is not near! What a fun way to be able to do it. And helping her out in the process!

So it's time to finish up, head to the store, and start prepping veggies. Lots to do today! Have a wonderful weekend, and have another cup of coffee!

Cheers!

Stocking a Pantry!

I was asked by some readers to blog about a stocked pantry, as I'm always able to whip something up in a pinch. So today I thought about what makes my pantry "stocked". And I realized it's a number of things! My pantry was not stocked up in one outing to the grocery store. What I've done is build it over the years, based on what we use the most.

• The most important thing to remember is that there is no magical list of what to have in your pantry. It has to be based on your family's habits and tastes. You need to have things YOU use in your pantry, not what some magazine article (OR BLOG!) tells you. I would suggest you sit down with 7-10 of your family's favorite go-to recipes.  From those recipes, create a master list of ingredients needed on hand, along with some other basics, and you have your master list! 
• Once your master list is done, keep a copy in your purse. Take it with you shopping,  and watch for those basics on sale. Stocking up on your basics when they are on sale will save you a lot of money in the long run. I also keep a copy on my kitchen counter when I'm cooking. If I use the last of something, I immediately add it to the weekly shopping list so I don't forget! 
• Find one or two special spice blends that your family likes. Spices that are versatile, that can be used in a variety of dishes. They can be life (and time) savers in the kitchen! I have two go-to spice blends. One is Tastefully Simple's Onion Onion. It is a great all-around seasoning, especially in soups and on roasts or other meat. Another is Slap Your Mama cajun seasoning, which we use on roasted potatoes (regular and sweet), on veggies, in dips and soups.... We could put it on everything. 

Ok, so all this said - I will outline for you what I think a stocked pantry might include. This is to give you an idea of what I am talking about. And honestly, this is not at all what my pantry looks like. Because I cook mostly from scratch, I have shelves of multiple flours, various types of rices and pastas, dried grains, beans, and veggies, and an extensive spice rack, items that most of you would not need. And that's OK. Because it's your pantry, not mine!. But here are some suggestions:

Spices: garlic salt, powder, and pepper (all good general seasonings); parlsey, basil, oregano (Italian cooking); cumin, cilantro (Mexican cooking), and your chosen specialty blends. 

Refrigerator: eggs, milk, butter and margarine, cream cheese, hard cheeses (parmesan, cheddar, mozzarella), bottled Italian dressing (amazing marinade and pasta salad dressing!), canned crescent rolls (great in a pinch for breakfast OR dinner), jarred minced garlic, tortillas, and condiments (vinegar, lemon juice, worcesheshire sauce, mustard, ketchup, mayo, and salad dressing.)

Produce: apples and bananas (great for breakfast or desserts), potatoes (I always have both regular and sweet), garlic (yes, I have multiple forms of garlic in my kitchen!), onions, carrots, and celery.

Dry goods: Canned tomatoes (petite diced, sauce, and paste), canned beans (great for soups, mexican dishes, and chili!), canned veggies, dry pasta (spaghetti type, elbow macaroni, and a specialty like penne) and rice, taco and ranch seasonings, jarred spaghetti sauce, a cake mix or two, a couple of pudding mixes, cream soups, peanut butter, chocolate chips, and some canned stock or bouillon (both chicken and beef). 

Freezer: ground meat, italian sausage, chicken breasts, and shredded cheeses. 

Staples: flour, sugars (brown, powdered, and regular), dry milk powder (again - great to have in a pinch), salt and pepper, and seasoned salt.  

This pantry sets you up to whip up spaghetti pie, any Mexican specialty (enchiladas, burritos, etc.), various soups - chicken noodle, chili, taco, minestrone, or lasagna, easy desserts, and a whole lot in between. It has the ingredients needed for some quick meals, including easy crock pot recipes in a variety of tastes. But these may not be your tastes. That's why it's important to create your own master list. And remember it's a list that will continue to change. Good luck! 

Creative use of leftovers - a saving grace!

It has taken me years to get to the point in my cooking where I no longer have to have a recipe to make dinner for my family. MANY years. Years of pushing by a dear friend, who insisted I stop following recipes! I still follow recipes once in awhile, but I've really gotten comfortable pulling ingredients together for dinner.

This week was a prime example. Wednesday night I had about 45 minutes to cook and eat dinner between Zumba and Bible study. And I didn't realize until half way through the work day that I hadn't planned anything.

In the fridge I found:
1/3 box of velveeta
leftover chili from our chili dogs
leftover chopped onion (also from the chili dogs)
leftover cooked bacon (that NEVER happens - someone didn't see that in the fridge!)

I have made cheeseburger soup many times with velveeta, so I thought I'd try a spicy bacon cheeseburger soup.

I started with a simple roux - melted a stick of butter with some onion, salt and pepper, and then stirred in flour, cooked it off, and started adding milk. Once the base was a little thinner than I wanted, I added the cubed velveeta, stirring it until it melted and thickened the soup. Tossed in the spicy chili (basically hamburger and onion in a spicy tomato paste) and chopped bacon, and viola - an amazing soup! I had cleaned four partial leftovers out of the fridge, and with the fresh bread from the night before - had created a wonderful quick dinner for the family. Everything happened so fast, that I didn't even get pictures!

The key is to not be afraid.. Not everything works. But sometimes you find a diamond - like I did in this soup. So it's always worth the try!

One staple....three meals!

One of my favorite menu-stretching strategies is taking a staple item, and stretching it into multiple meals for the week. I'm known for planned "leftovers" transformed into other dishes. While I am Blessed with two men who both love eating up leftovers, I also want to keep things fresh, not making them eat the same meal for days in a row!

I love to start the weeek with a large ham on Sunday, traditionally baked, served with potatoes and veggie. There is something so comforting about baked ham on a cold day! Day two is scalloped potatoes and ham, or ham and noodles, an old family favorite that my mom used to make. Both dishes start with a simple white sauce, added to ham and cooked egg noodles, or poured over thinly sliced potatoes, onions, and ham. But my FAVORITE in a ham week is day three. I take the ham bone and either slow cook it on the stove all day with either mixed beans and lentils for ham and bean soup, or with dried red beans, to become red beans and rice. Three totally different meals, all based off one ham. Keep this in mind next time ham goes on sale! Always good to have a ham in the freezer, when you can stretch it into three meals!

Another one of my favorite menu stretchers is chili... Not chili soup, with noodles, which is a standard at my house, but meat and bean chili, that I cook in the crock pot all day. It's a recipe that my husband brought home from the mill YEARS ago, and is a standard in our family! It is good with beef or venison, and I love using leftover beef roast. I'll make a BIG roast on Sunday, and then make the leftovers into the chili for Monday. Another time saver is having chopped onion and green pepper in the freezer, either your own from your garden, or purchased. You can throw the chili together before going to work in the morning and dinner is ready when you get home!

Crock Pot Chili

2 - 16oz cans kidney beans, drained

2-14.5 oz cans tomatoes (petite diced, crushed, stewed, whatever your preference)

2 lbs. browned ground meat (or leftover roast)

2 med or 1 lg onion chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

2-3 Tbsp chili powder

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp cumin

salt to taste

Put ingredients into crock pot in order listed. Cook on low 10-12 hours. 

So this chili (which could already be day TWO of the roast) is amazing - serve it with cheddar cheese, sour cream, corn chips, anything! But the beauty lies in the transformation of this chili into new meals down the road!

Chili nachos - simply put hot chili over tortilla chips, layer with additional goodies - cheese, onion, lettuce, black olives, etc. Or make it the filling in burritos - using soft taco shells!

MY FAVORITE way to use this chili? A southwest bowl. Cook up some brown rice (or white is fine). Open a can of black beans, and rinse them. Open a can of corn and drain it. Layer rice, beans, corn, and chili. Top with either ranch, or a homemade taco dressing, and VOILA. Instant yumminess in a bowl!

One dressing to try:

Southwest dressing

3/4 cup mayo

1/2 cup milk (can also thicken with a little sour cream per a friend!)

2 Tbsp taco seasoning *

* A recipe for making your own taco seasoning - http://saturdaymorningcoffeewithmissy.blogspot.com/2014/01/stocking-my-seasoning-pantryhomemade.html

The key to stretching your dollars...and making menu planning a little easier? Thinking ahead. Having some recipes in mind for those leftovers.

Cooking according to supply - my Buttermilk Blueberry Cake!

When I went to the store yesterday, I browsed all of the aisles (not many in our little mercantile!), to see what was on sale, and look for inspiration for the week's menus. I always do this - no matter what store I am shopping at. By having a well-stocked pantry, fridge, and freezer, I often have enough to cover, so all I have to buy in a given week is what is on sale!

As I entered the dairy aisle, I found buttermilk on clearance, as it was close to its date. Instantly I knew I had to have it, to treat my family to one of our favorite desserts, a buttermilk blueberry cake. I found the recipe years ago, and have made it over and over. And I knew I still had frozen blueberries from last summer, so I was set.

I don't bake a lot of cakes. Honestly, cookies are my specialty. But when I find a recipe like this, it is all worth the work!

Blueberry Buttermilk Cake
½ cup butter, room temperature
3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons white sugar
1 egg, room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
2 cups fresh or frozen (and thawed) blueberries
½ cup buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Meanwhile, toss the blueberries with ¼ cup of flour, then whisk together the remaining flour, baking powder and salt. Add the flour mixture to the batter a little at a time, alternating with the buttermilk. Fold in the blueberries. Grease a 9-inch square baking pan. Spread batter into pan. Sprinkle batter with an additional tablespoon of sugar. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes. Check with a toothpick for doneness. If necessary, return pan to oven for a couple of more minutes. (Note: Baking for as long as 10 minutes more might be necessary.) Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving.

I often double the recipe (which I did today) and bake it in a 10x15 pan, baking for about 43-45 minutes. I prefer baking this in glass pans, but you can experiment! Enjoy....

Stocking my seasoning pantry..homemade mixes!

I love to find ways to make things I regularly use from scratch instead of having to buy premixed. I like being able to adjust flavors for my family's taste, control sodium content, and save some money/go green in the process. Two of the seasonings I regularly use are ranch and taco, and I've come to love my homemade seasonings. When I went to make a southwest sauce this morning, I realized I was out of taco seasoning, so I took the morning to put together some of my favorites, stocking my pantry for the coming weeks.

None of these seasoning "recipes" are secrets. And honestly, mine have been transformed over the years. I started with base recipes I found - either online, or from friends - and adapted them to our tastes. These kind of mixes are always changing, as our family changes!

Today's job was refilling my ranch and taco seasoning containers. So simple.
Assemble the ingredients. Mix.

I like to use old creamer containers for the mixes in my pantry. They are a great size, and being uniform means using the entire shelf space, and it's another way to recycle and reuse, something very important to me.

Making homemade mixes isn't for everyone. But it's something I do a lot. I love being able to control the flavor more, and the convenience of making them once a month, and having them on hand, is a huge savings.

Here are my current recipes, a place to start! Then, adjust them, for your own family's use! Enjoy~

Homemade Taco Seasoning

4 Tbsp. chili powder

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

1 tsp. dried oregano

2 tsp. paprika

6 tsp. cumin

4 tsp. salt

4 tsp. black pepper

Homemade Dry Ranch Seasoning

1 cup dry buttermilk powder

2 Tbsp. dried parsley

2 tsp. dried dill weed

2 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. garlic powder

2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

Both of these seasonings can be used instead of packaged, pre-purchased alternatives. As far as a quantity to use, it really is to taste. In my household, I use approximately 2 Tbsp. of mix to equal one packet. But start low, you can always add more! The ranch can be made into ranch dressing - using a little mayo and milk! It's fun to use and experiment.. I'll include some recipes to use these down the road. I use them all the time!

My first Saturday morning blog!

Well, here it is, my first Saturday morning blog. Hope you have your coffee ready!

This morning has been spent prepping for the week - planning menus, and writing shopping lists. Menu planning has been my salvation - in that it allows me to provide good, real food for my family even with hectic schedules, and typically spending less money than without a plan.

The first thing I do when starting my weekly menu planning is checking the family schedule! My husband works swing shift, and my very active 16 year old has a crazy schedule which typically sends me in multiple directions for sporting events. It's important to realize what is going on in your week, and be realistic. It doesn't pay to plan big fancy meals when everyone is going to be eating at different times, or on the go!

Once I have a schedule in hand, I take stock in the freezer and pantry, to see what I have on hand. I try to keep food rotated in both. I also do freezer cooking - meals prepped and ready to go. You'll notice these on days when I will not have time to cook! When shopping, I buy what is on sale. By having a well stocked pantry, I can do that. Having to buy all of the ingredients each week for all my recipes can get expensive. Buying products when they are on sale allows me to stay ahead of the game and save money!

The next step is choosing some fun recipes! I don't do new recipes every day! I try to do some of our favorites, adding new ones in to change it up. I found that doing too many new recipes tends to stress my boys out. They need their days of pork chops, spaghetti, and meatloaf too! I often ask the guys what they are in the mood for too, and fit those in. I also try to make things that will either provide leftovers for everyone's lunches, or be used in other recipes later in the week. We have busy schedules, and I need to use my time as wisely as possible. It's all about easy!


With recipes picked, and planned leftovers in the mix, I will make up my grocery list and head to town. I will buy what is missing for the week, as well as the good deals on sale to keep that pantry and freezer stocked! I will be set once I get home from the store to be prepared for the week, ready to provide for my family!

Here is an example - my week's menus!

Sunday

Breakfast             baked oatmeal

Lunch                  spaghetti/salad/garlic breadsticks

Dinner                  leftovers from the week

Monday              

Breakfast             cereal

Dinner                  crockpot chili

Tuesday (away for sports)

Breakfast             steel cut oats (overnight crock pot)

Dinner                  Nachos with leftover chili

Wednesday

Breakfast             egg bake

Dinner                  Creamy ranch chicken over noodles/steamed veggies

Thursday (I work)

Breakfast             cereal

Dinner                  Freezer crock pot meal

Friday (home game)

Breakfast             burritos

Dinner                  Grilled chicken salads

Saturday             

Breakfast             Overnight French toast bake

Lunch                    Snowboarding – take snacks, eat lunch there!

Dinner                  Freezer crock pot meal

You notice - a lot of my breakfasts are overnight prep - egg bakes, crock pot, etc. And we don't have big breakfast every day - many are cereal! You'll see some planned leftover use. The rest of the leftovers are just used for lunches. Again, the idea here is that you do what works for YOUR family, and YOU. It's designed to relieve some stress - and help you! I hope this was helpful!

Now go get another cup of coffee! Time for us to head to the store. Happy Saturday!

Join me for a cup of coffee?

I am a blogger. Or rather I am a writer. And a talker. Thus a blogger.

I started with a blog MANY years ago to vent about my health - dieting, exercise, life changes, goals, etc.

A second blog was started as a way for my far-away friends and family to keep up to date with my life. Then, I quit my "day job". I left corporate America after 20 years to stay home, take care of my family, and be the domestic I'd always wanted to be, and that blog became a place to document my journey from a working mother to a stay at home mother. It is my main blog, where I've documented my experiments in gardening, organizing, cooking, and just being a domestic.

I have a third, smaller blog, where I review books that I've read, again, for a very specific audience of my friends that are also readers.

Before "Saturday morning" started, I included all of my food posts in my journey blog. I just didn't see the need to have so many different blogs. But now that I've got people who are wanting a place to see just my food information, I decided it's time.

So this blog will be that place.

The name is dedicated to a dear friend from college. Someone who I can turn to for advice, for that shoulder. She and I have Saturday morning coffee chats that span 500 miles, each in our own state, but each with our pot of coffee and time to commit to each other. She is always encouraging me to push forward with my dreams. And this food blog, well, it's one of those dreams. I am hoping this will become a place for me to share my love of food, and providing for my family, with you - my readers.

So welcome to my table. Brew that pot of coffee, and come spend some time with me. I'd love to have you.

Welcome to Saturday Morning Coffee with Missy!

I've decided that it's time! The signs are leading me to start a food blog, so here it is! Welcome, and enjoy! I am hoping to bring here my tips, recipes, and thoughts about food....and feeding my family...and all things in between.

As the title suggests, I think you need to grab a cup of coffee, sit back, and enjoy!

Looking forward to the journey!