Menu for 4/28/14-5/4/14

Last week I made barbecue pulled pork for the first time. I cooked a whole pork shoulder and made my own Carolina style sauce. The recipe needs a little tweaking before posting. The rub was too salty and the sauce needs less vinegar/mustard and a little something sweet. However, I took some of the leftover pork to Admiral's house for dinner tonight and I was amazed at what two days in the fridge could do for the flavors. It was still a little saltier than I would have liked, but the vinegar flavor wasn't so pronounced. It's not perfect yet, but it was a great first attempt.

I spent all day Friday with my cousin making some little John Deere tractor cookies for her son's birthday party. It really does take all day to make them because each color of icing has to set before you can start on the next. I wasn't positive I would be able to make them look like a John Deere but they turned out quite cute. We also made a fire engine cake. We used a special fire engine shaped cake pan for it, but I made some fantastic whipped vanilla buttercream for it and we piped it to look just like a fire engine, red with a black ladder, wheels, and other details.

Saturday was the birthday party and Bailey had a blast. She enjoyed playing with Li'l P all day Friday as well, but there were more kids at the part on Saturday. She played with balloons and big bouncy balls and even went down the slide! The birthday boy got every tractor toy he could possibly want and some gardening tools that are just his size. He should have plenty of things to keep him entertained this summer.

I'm hoping this week won't be quite so hectic and that we can get some things done around the house. I've been so busy working on birthday cakes and cookies the past few weeks that Bailey's bedroom has slowly migrated to the living room. I've been tripping over and stepping on clothes, stuffed animals, blocks, and plastic dishes for over a week now. With any luck, tomorrow we should be able to put everything back in order in her bedroom and the living room should be back to normal by dinner time. Of course that's only if I can manage not to sleep away nap time, and that's a big if.

Here's the plan for the week.

Monday:
Breakfast- scrambled eggs and toast
Lunch- turkey and bacon pasta and salad
Dinner- Yaya will provide dinner

Tuesday:
Breakfast- yogurt and berries
Lunch- turkey and bacon pasta and salad
Dinner- glazed pork chops, mashed potatoes, green beans, macaroni and cheese, and Hawaiian rolls

Wednesday:
Breakfast- Almond Joy oatmeal
Lunch- leftover pork chops and salad
Dinner- chicken cordon bleu, herb roasted potatoes, broccoli, salad, and honey yeast knots

Thursday:
Breakfast- French toast and fruit
Lunch- leftover chicken cordon bleu and salad
Dinner- beer battered tilapia, rice, steamed vegetables, and salad

Friday:
Breakfast- yogurt and cereal
Lunch- tuna salad with crackers
Dinner- pizza and salad

Saturday:
Breakfast- chicken biscuits
Lunch- leftover pizza and salad
Dinner- crock pot creamy Italian chicken and pasta, steamed broccoli and carrots, salad, and honey yeast knots

Sunday:
Breakfast- sausage, gravy, and biscuits
Lunch- chicken sandwiches
Dinner- Admiral will provide dinner