Loving: Justin's Nut Butter packets

Ignore those languishing projects at work when nut butter is near

I love a visit to Whole Foods as much as the next girl, but now I have another love to add to my growing list of "must haves" when I shop there. I picked up Justin's Nut Butters that came in these little " to go" packets because they were on sale, thinking I'd stash them in the car for a quick snack for the kids. But then I thought about it a little while longer and decided that giving a 2 year old a packet of squirt-able peanut butter would be like giving her free range with a Sharpie marker. I opted to keep them in my desk drawer at work and immediately fell in love. I can smear them on an apple or just eat it straight from the packet if I feel like it.

I realize that I am rather late in the game to rave about this product as well as my new found love of Almond Butter, which, according to one annoyed friend, has been around for years. Sadly, I am the same way about music. I tend to stick to the '90s era of music and when I do discover a new song, I am always late to the game. Remember the Onion columnist, Jackie Harvey, who reported on celebrity news and gossip about six months after the fact? That is me with music, "I just heard this new song by Adele, have you heard of her before?" Jackie Harvey and I are tight when it comes to matters concerning music and almond butter.

Dinners for June 24 - 30, 2012

Boy does it feel good to be posting my menus again. I missed this kind of blogging because I often forget what I had planned for dinner and have to check my retro datebook to see what is on the menu. I much prefer keeping this here where I can check it on my phone.

I have a backlog of posts as well to get to and I also want to start the Cook-A-Long to the new book, Dinner: A Love Story. More on that later this week.


Sunday: Barbecue Pork Ribs with tomato bread salad

Monday: Spinach Feta Quiche

Tuesday: I am out for the night, so the family will have some turkey bolognese from my stash in the freezer with pasta.

Wednesday: Fish tacos

Thursday: Pesto yogurt marinated chicken with tomato cucumber salad. No link for the chicken - I just combine about 1/3 cup pesto with a 6 oz cup of greek yogurt, add chicken to the bowl and let it marinate while I am at work.

Friday: Camping - more on how scared I am of camping later this month. All I have to bring are S'Mores thank god.

Saturday: TBD

Why So Quiet?

We're in the midst of switching Internet providers so we have a week off with no Internet at home. I almost feel like Laura Ingalls Wilder without access to the world wide web, next thing you know I'll be boiling water in the backyard for our morning breakfast and asking my children to help me gather food for supper. So till late next week I'll be offline reading my new copy of Dinner: A Love Story.

I can't wait to post a picture of the books next to my bed at the moment. I have an interesting mix that cracked me up last night as I crawled into bed. The subjects range from Jane Austen and zombies to almost-smut (50 Shades of Gray, anyone?).

Happy Trails till next week!

Dinners for June 3-9, 2012

Judging by the links in this post, you'd think this menu was sponsored by Dinner: A Love Story. Speaking of which, anyone interested in joining an online "Cook A-Long" with me when her book comes out on June 5, 2012?

I can create a web ring and we can all cook maybe one dish a week and move along through the book, discussing how our families like the recipes... kind of like a book club with a blog twist. Any interest?



Sunday: Defrosted soup from the freezer after a weekend out of town

Monday: Pork Fried Rice

Tuesday: Chicken with Brussel Sprouts and bacon (see my comment in the post on how I prepared this dish. It's super simple!)

Wednesday: Spaghetti with shrimp and bacon

Thursday: Bean and veggie tacos

Friday: Dinner and a movie date with my soon-to-be 7 year old. If I know my kid he'll request Boulevard Cafe and Madagascar 3 (I'm just going for the popcorn, let's be honest).

Saturday: TBD