Weekly Meal Plan

Eggplant Parmesan Stacks

Baked Penne with Spinach and Sundried Tomato

3 Bean Chili

Goat cheese and Roasted Red Pepper Quesadillas

Penne with Tomatoes, Eggplant and Mozzarella

Salmon with Zucchini and Eggplant Couscous and Feta

Roast Chicken Dinner with Roasted Garlic Gravy

Chicken Salad Sandwiches

On Friday I'm tackling cooking a whole chicken. I've picked up a little roaster chicken and am using it to bake a nice classic very fallish dish; root vegetables and roast chicken. I also plan on taking the left over chicken and tossing together a chicken salad and then using the rest to make a homemade chicken stock.

P.S. See a lot of eggplant? I was fortunate enough to receive a bag full of freshly picked eggplant from my Mom when she came in to town over the past weekend. So, when I made the weekly meal plan I made sure to include a whole lotta eggplant. We are not only planning on using it in these meals but also threw it on a homemade pizza the other night.

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Hello Fall

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The first day of fall, or the autumnal equinox, is September 22 in the Northern Hemisphere. On this day, the sun hovers above the equator, and most of the world enjoys nearly equal amounts of light and darkness. In traditional agricultural societies, the harvest season was drawing to a close, and people were working overtime to prepare stores for the winter months. The equinox was a time to relax, celebrate, and enjoy the bounty of the harvest, while they anticipated the scarcity or monotony of their winter diet. In modern times, autumn is a time for new beginnings – a new school year, new clothes, new friends, a new outlook.

information from New Urban Habitat

We've been filling up on delicious pumpkiny treats around here including some homemade pumpkin spice coffee creamer, some pumpkin ale, and I even picked up a pumpkin clove soy candle at Target. To help get you in the fall spirit, here is a recipe for pumpkin pancakes that Mike whipped up the other morning.

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Using a pancake mix as a base add:

- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

- 3 heaping tablespoons of pureed pumpkin

- Top with real maple syrup

They have a beautiful orange tint and a sweet not too overwhelming pumpkin pie flavor.

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Fall Fashion Wish List

Staring at Stars Henley Tunic, Steve Madden Boots, H&M Military Coat,

Gap Skinny Cords

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Link Love

5 Natural Medicine Cabinet Essentials

Homemade Coffee Creamer

Beautiful e-vites from Paperless Post

New Dress a Day | 365 Days. 365 New Outfits. 365 Dollars

When to buy organic...Updated Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen

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Canning

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My parents are pros at canning homemade spaghetti sauce, and keeping them on hand throughout the winter and to give as gifts. So, when my Mother in Law recently supplied me with a pristine condition pressure cooker and a box full of Ball jars and lids, I was excited to get started. My little veggie garden will not provide enough for me to can, except maybe if I can get a couple more cucumbers to grow. I can pick them when they're small and then make some baby dills (I picked up some pickling spices at Penzy's). So, instead I need to hit the farmers' market for a sufficient supply of in season veggies. For now I've been using the canning jars for homemade salsas like this. My Aunt and I are planning on hitting the farmers' market soon to grab a bushel of ugly, delicious ripe tomatoes to make "sauce" and maybe some other veggies (roasted red peppers?) if we're feeling adventurous. I'll let you know how it goes...

Links:

Ball's "How to Can" Videos

Make your own canning jar labels

Home Canning Vs. Store Bought Cost Comparison

Why can your own? BPA in canned goods

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Mixmaster

When I inherited a 1970s Sunbeam Mixmaster from my grandma, I set to cleaning and polishing it in order to use it to make all sorts of baked goods. Thus far, I made a loaf of banana bread and a Barefoot Contessa boxed cupcake mix that I had sitting in my pantry for awhile. I also inherited two wooden recipe boxes full of my Grandma's old recipes. I sorted through them a bit and plan on putting them into a family cookbook. I love the idea of using the same mixer my grandma used while making her delicious desserts. She used to send tins and bags of cookies every year around the holidays, and I plan on continuing the tradition this year.

Here's my super easy banana bread recipe:

- 3 ripe bananas

- 1/3 cup melted butter

- 3/4 cup sugar

- 1 egg, beaten

- 1 teaspoon vanilla

- 1 teaspoon baking soda

- Pinch of salt

1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

Method

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Using a fork or potato masher, mash the bananas. Mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl on low speed. While the mixer is running, add in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Once mixed, add the baking soda and salt. Add the flour last, mix. Pour mixture into a buttered and floured loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.

*This recipe can easily be done without a stand mixer as well*

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