Our Week in Meals #319

Good morning, happy Sunday, and Merry Christmas! This week the kids finished up school for 2022, we took care of last-minute holiday prep, and we indulged in some of our favorite seasonal treats. All of the highlights, along with each of our dinners, are included in today’s roundup of Our Week in Meals.

For those of you who are new to the blog, Our Week in Meals is where I share a little bit about what we’ve been up to over the past week — as it relates to our dinners each night. This series gives you a glimpse “behind the scenes” at some highlights from our life, shows you how I balance a busy schedule with feeding my family, and offers a few new ideas for your own weekly meal plan.

Now, let’s back up to last weekend…

Sunday morning started with a walk with my friend Adria, followed by World Cup soccer-watching and some holiday prep.

I made a triple batch of candied pecans, as well as a big bowl of Chex mix, assembled gift bags along with blackberry jam, fig preserves, and Christmas jam for my neighbors, and then drove around playing “elf” to deliver the packages.

Casey had a late afternoon roller hockey game (brrrrr!)…

…and then Keith smoked a turkey breast for supper.

We paired the turkey with store-bought stuffing, cranberry sauce, crescent rolls, and an easy green bean casserole. It was basically a short-cut holiday meal for a busy evening!

Let’s chat about books! One of my favorites this week was a novel that my mother-in-law loaned me: The Lioness by Chris Bohjalian. I was excited for this one, because I really enjoyed Hour of the Witch by the same author. This historical mystery-thriller is the story of a luxurious African safari that turns deadly for a Hollywood starlet and her friends. I didn’t love the violence, but the plot kept me on the edge of my seat.

I also finished The School for German Brides by Aimie K. Runyan, a WWII historical fiction that has been recommended to me by a number of blog readers. In this story, a young woman, who is sent to a horrific “bride school” to be molded into the perfect Nazi wife, finds her life forever intertwined with a young Jewish woman about to give birth. I really enjoyed this one; however, I also find WWII novels to be incredibly heavy subjects — for obvious reasons. Once it was over, I was ready for something lighter!

And finally, speaking of something light and fluffy, I’ve officially dipped my toes into the Bridgerton series — starting with book #1, The Duke and I by Julia Quinn. I haven’t seen the show on Netflix, but I do find this historical fiction to be very entertaining. It gives me Downton Abbey vibes, but with more steamy romance!

After dropping the kids off at school on Monday morning, I joined my friend Ashley for a walk, Keith and I met with our builder around lunchtime, and I spent the rest of the afternoon editing photos.

The younger two boys had hockey practice that evening, so we ate an early supper beforehand: flatbread pizzas…

…with Caesar salads on the side.

Sunrise winter walks are good for the soul!

Tuesday was the boys’ last full day of school before their Christmas break, so I took advantage of the quiet house and tried to get as much work done as possible.

I also decorated a batch of cut-out sugar cookies and a tray of gingerbread cookies for Casey’s class party the following morning.

And supper was a cozy taco bake casserole, along with guacamole, salsa, and tortilla chips.

The boys had half a day of school on Wednesday morning, so I met Mollie for an early walk at her farm after drop-off.

We stopped at the Tastee Freez for ice cream after school, and then everyone got haircuts for the holidays.

And we ended our evening in Charlottesville at The Boar’s Head Resort’s Winter Wander. Such a fun and festive way to kick off the kids’ Christmas vacation!

After the light show, we stopped for dinner at the kids’ favorite Chinese buffet, where Keith said the holiday lights were equally good. Hah!

Thursday was a nasty day of sleet and rain, so we stayed dry inside. Other than a quick outing to take Teddy to the groomer, I spent a good part of the day in the kitchen. First, I made the dough for cinnamon rolls so that I could freeze them and bake them off this morning…

Plus a batch of my grandmother’s bourbon balls to share with the builders working on our house,

as well as the cake part of our coconut cake for dessert tonight. I stashed the baked cake in the freezer, so that I just have to frost it today. Since we were traveling on Christmas Eve, I knew that I’d need to get as much done in advance as possible.

It must be the holidays, because we had another dinner out on Thursday evening! 😁 Keith and I headed to The Bavarian Chef, a local German restaurant here in Madison. It’s such a cozy spot at this time of year!

We had salads to start, and then shared family-style creamy red pepper soup with crab, pork schnitzel, spaetzle, green beans, and a giant pretzel with beer cheese and mustard. Delicious — and plenty of leftovers to bring home!

I made a gingerbread loaf for breakfast on Friday morning, which is delicious with a cup of coffee or a gingerbread latte.

I also made a pan of saltine toffee for easy sweet-and-salty snacking over the weekend. This stuff always disappears fast!

The rain stopped and the skies cleared, so Keith and I went on a very chilly and windy walk for some fresh air; we all worked on cleaning the house to get ready for the holiday; and we picked up groceries that afternoon so that our kitchen was fully stocked.

Keith met a couple of his friends at a local brewery that evening, which meant that the kids and I were on our own for supper. I made a pot of my favorite creamy vegetable soup (served the kids cans of chicken noodle, their preference)…

…and a skillet of cornbread. A warming meal for a frigid night!

Then it was Christmas Eve! We spent Saturday celebrating with Keith’s family, where the boys loved playing with their cousins for the afternoon.

Carole served her traditional Christmas Eve lasagna, along with salad, bread, and loads of treats — cookies galore, brownies, candy, and more. We made it home in time to get ready for Santa’s arrival!

That brings us to today — Christmas morning. I have cinnamon rolls proofing for breakfast right now, and we’re looking forward to lunch with my parents this afternoon, and a visit with my aunt and uncle tomorrow. Before I sign off, I want to thank each of you for taking the time to read my blog, leave kind comments, and try my recipes each week. I’m so grateful that you’re here!

Merry Christmas and happy New Year!