Good morning, and happy Sunday! This week included Halloween, a cozy mystery, and a birthday dinner. You’ll find all of the highlights from the past few days, along with each of our dinners, 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…
We were still in Roanoke on Sunday morning for a weekend of soccer in southwest Virginia.
The weather was cool and cloudy, but the fall colors were on full display!
Since a number of you seemed interested in the Airbnb that we rented after last week’s post, I figured I’d show you a few more details. This 18th century Virginia property had so much character and historic charm, including fireplaces in every bedroom,
elaborate crown moulding,
intricate ceiling tiles (this was in one of the bathrooms!),
wainscoting on all of the walls,
exposed beams in the basement pool room,
and even its own cemetery. The kids thought this was especially cool!
Spencer had a game that afternoon, and we made it home just before supper. I pulled together a pot of easy French onion soup for a comforting homecooked meal after a weekend away. Plus a simple green salad dressed in Dijon vinaigrette and extra baguette on the side!
I read a fun book this week, too! A Trace of Hares by Sarah Yarwood-Lovett is a cozy mystery set in Ireland. It was very entertaining, and kept me guessing “whodunnit” the whole time! This is part of a series, but I don’t think that you need to read the previous novels before this one.
It was a gorgeous Monday!
I had a golf lesson that morning; caught up on many loads of laundry after our trip; ran a few errands in town including Yoder’s, the grocery store, and the library; and took Spencer and Gibbs to get flu shots after school.
We had pulled pork enchiladas for supper (I use store-bought pulled pork from Yoder’s for an easy shortcut), which I paired with tortilla chips, salsa, and guacamole.
Tuesday started with a walk in the woods with Mollie, followed by a dentist appointment in Culpeper, and soccer practice for Spencer in Charlottesville after school.
I left Keith in charge of heating up dinner while I was out late with Spence: pasta and jarred marinara sauce served with (previously cooked) meatballs, a bagged Caesar salad, and frozen garlic knots.
Wednesday!
I went for a walk up the road, jumped on a Zoom meeting mid-day, and took Spencer to his practice that night.
I prepped dinner in advance so that we could just pop it in the oven when we arrived home later that evening. On the menu: a chicken tater tot casserole paired with steamed, buttered broccoli.
Thursday was Halloween!
I walked with Ashley after dropping the boys off at school, and then headed up to Culpeper for a couple of errands. It was almost 80 degrees that day, so I treated myself to an apple crisp Frappuccino. So good!
Teddy came home from the groomer with a pumpkin bandana…
The boys decided that they’re too old for trick-or-treating, so we had a relatively quiet evening. Keith took Casey to physical therapy for his knees, and then we had a fun holiday meal: a baked potato bar topped with pumpkin chili, shredded cheese, sour cream, guacamole, and salsa,
along with “crescent mummy dogs” and veggies on the side for dipping in Ranch.
On Friday, I kicked off November in the best way: a morning Pilates class and coffee at Raven’s Nest with Adria. This little shop is the cutest!
I got the apple donut (which had an apple pie filling inside) and a gingerbread cappuccino. I guess it’s safe to say I like fall flavors. Hah!
Keith and Spencer went to soccer practice that night, while I took the older boys to get haircuts after school.
Once home, we had Crock Pot pulled bbq chicken, store-bought coleslaw, pickles (Casey LOVES these),
and creamy baked mac and cheese.
That brings us to the weekend!
Casey joined me for a walk on Saturday morning,
Gibbs played a round of golf with his friend, Keith and the boys corralled leaves,
and Spence and I got haircuts after lunch.
We had dinner reservations at Graves Mountain Lodge to celebrate my birthday (a few days early).
The farm-to-table restaurant has a buffet and live bluegrass music on Saturday evenings, so we piled our plates high with favorites, including roast chicken, ribeye steaks, steamed shrimp, corn pudding, spiced apples, yeast rolls, salads, and so much more.
Plus a dessert table full of cakes and pies! I had the applesauce cake and the chocolate cake.
Such a delicious, fun evening with my boys…and then we came home to a cozy fire in the woodstove and college football on TV. Perfect Saturday!
So there you have it, friends — another week of easy dinners! I hope that you’ve found something new to add to your own table in the days ahead. Thank you for being here, and have a wonderful Sunday!
Your boys have grown up so fast. I remember they loved Halloween and each would buy their costumes for trick or treat. Time flies.
I know! It’s so wild how the time flies. Thanks for reading along with us over the years, Cindy!
I’ve been looking for a good crock pot pulled chicken recipe. I’ll be making yours this week!
Wonderful! I hope you enjoy it, Renee!
Mrs. Lonergan. You was ABSOLUTELY RIGHT about how JUICY the smoked bone -in turkey breast is. Smoking meat such as turkey truly brings that Southern twist I ❤️. I also made the spice carrot cake that was once again deliciously moist. Love ❤️ your recipes, keep up the delicious work.
You made my day, Kyle! Thank you for taking the time to let me know! So glad that you’re enjoying the recipes. Have a great week!
Wow, your boys are growing up to be handsome young men. I’ve read this blog for years, & time does fly by. Sounds like you all had a great week of activities, & dinners! I remember the days of taking my son( who is now 34) to practice and competitions when he was little, and it wassso much fun watching him. I save all of your blogs, so I can refer to a recipe once I’m ready to try to make it. I really enjoy your update every Sunday. It’s a highlight of my week. Take care, & Happy Birthday!
Thank you, Leslie! I’m so touched that you’ve followed along with us for so many years. Thank you for the support and kind words!
Have a wonderful birthday Blair!!
Thank you, Alicia!
Hi Blair – Lovely photos as always. We had a quick family trip up to Seattle last week and I loved the cold weather and beautiful trees changing colors! Living in SoCal, we don’t have a lot of that. Happy birthday early! Not sure when it is exactly but today is my birthday! Both sons and granddaughters are here to celebrate so it’s the best of times. Have a wonderful week!
Happy birthday, Tylene! My birthday is on Tuesday. 🙂 I’m so glad that you enjoyed a little taste of fall last week. What a treat!
Happy belated birthday, Blair!!! Just a thanks for your blog – the photos, the recipes, the book reviews who could ask for more? Love the last photo – ‘your boys’ are growing up into handsome young men and we get to enjoy their journey!!!! Have a great new week!!!
Thank you, Wendy! My birthday is actually this coming week, so we were celebrating a few days early. I appreciate your kind note. Have a great week!
I recently became a member of Kindle Unlimited. The title you mentioned is one of the books I could download to my “library” on my Kindle. I do love the feel of a book in my hands, but it is hard to beat the price and convenience of Kindle Unlimited. I use our local library but unfortunately, they are transitioning to electronic books that can be borrowed.
I enjoyed the recap of your weekly activities and appreciated that you did not cook dinner from scratch every night. You are a normal Mom feeding her family!
Hi, Doroth! I love my Kindle so much! I enjoy reading hard copy books when they’re available, but the Kindle wins for convenience. I love that I can read in a dark room, and that it’s so compact and easy to carry with me in a purse or in my luggage.
Thanks for reading and for your kind words. I’m definitely just a normal mom doing her best to get dinner on the table each night! Sometimes it’s quick and easy, sometimes it’s takeout, and sometimes I can spend a few extra minutes on it. I just hope that these ideas are helpful each week!
Hi Blair…..I made your one bowl apple bread this week. OMG! It was delicious! I made it with applesauce, a substitute you suggested, and grated the apples, another suggestion of yours! I also made your one bowl brownies the day before. I love these “one bowl” recipes…so easy.
Question…..which brand of chicken/beef broth do you recommend? I did see that you used Swanson for your French Onion soup. Thank you!
PS…..wishing you a wonderful birthday!
Hi, Paula! I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed the apple bread and the brownies. I’m a big fan of any recipe that doesn’t require too many dishes, too! 🙂 I hope you’ll try the one-bowl carrot cake at some point as well. It’s another good one!
You’re right — I typically buy Swanson chicken broth and beef broth. Sometimes the beef broth is not available at my grocery store, so I’ll end up with College Inn brand beef broth instead. But the Swanson is my go-to!
I’ve enjoyed you recipes over the years. Being a transplanted Virginia the picture bring back many fond memories. I’m wondering about the progress of your first cookbook. When can we anticipate it?
Hi, Betty! Thank you so much for asking! I don’t have any specific updates to share on the book at this point. I’m still working on it, but it’s a lot to get through in addition to my regular work. Hopefully next year!