Having Fun with Grandma Bailey

My mom got to come out and we went up to Keystone for the weekend. Zach & I got to go snowboarding together, which is a rare opportunity. We had a blast and I was extremely sore for the next several days. Zach also took Jasmine skiing for the first time. It wasn't very successful, but we're going to keep trying. Trevor just got to hang out at the condo with Grandma.

New Food

The new menu has been a lot of fun for all of us. We have found some great new recipes and some others where we were thankful that we had food. Here are some of our favorites...
Louisiana Gumbo - I omitted the okra since we don't like it, and forgot the kidney beans. It was still delicious!
Cider Beef Stew - Great stew for a cold day.
Apple Stuffed Chicken - I couldn't find any apple jelly so I made an apple syrup (1/2 cup sugar, 1 cup apple juice), added the other ingredients and it worked great. Next time, I'll turn the pan juices into a gravy.
Meatless Hopping John - This is a great dish for cold days and when you're wanting to be healthy. I used brown rice instead of the white. I also separated it into two batches, one with the red pepper and one without. I figured the red pepper would be too much for my toddler.

Next week's menu:
Crab Topped Salmon Fillets & Asparagus with Hollandaise sauce
Pork Chow Mein & Festive Fruit Tart
Stuffed Green Peppers & Oven-roasted Root Vegetables
French Toast with Orange Syrup & Cheese Sausage Strata
French Onion Soup & California Club Sandwiches
Baked Lemon Chicken & Broccoli Risotto

A New Menu

I have decided to attempt cooking through a cookbook (with a few caveats). The cookbook of choice is The Taste of Home Cookbook. It is divided nicely into several categories and will provide a nice variety. The reason I have decided to do this is that I'm tired of cooking/baking the same old things week after week. I have a menu of everything that we have eaten since July 2010 and frankly - we're boring people when it comes to food. So, time to explore and experiment! The caveats are if we don't like that particular ingredient (artichokes, brussel sprouts) or if it is an expensive cut of meat (beef tenderloin or pork crown roast) I'll skip those recipes or save them for a special occasion. At the same time, I'm going to try to match up recipes with what is on sale for that week in an effort to save money. New menu starts this Saturday. Stay tuned for pics and reviews...