Our Week in Meals #417

Good morning, and happy Sunday! This week included a birthday celebration, lots of cake, and a corn maze. 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…

I met three of my friends at Mollie’s farm for a walk and visit on Sunday morning.

Daylight Savings had us up and out early — with frost still on the ground!

Sallie gave me a jar of honey from her family’s hives, while Adria brought us each a dozen eggs. My boys were asking me why I didn’t contribute anything to the group exchange that morning. Hah!

Keith took Spencer to his soccer game in Harrisonburg that afternoon, while I went with the older two boys just down the road to Liberty Mills Farm.

We met up with Gibbs’ high school classmates for an afternoon in the largest corn maze in the country!

For supper that night, Keith and Casey wanted these crispy baked chicken wings, while the other two boys preferred this baked Italian dressing chicken — so we did both! Fun side note: that chicken wing recipe will be included in one of Costco magazine’s upcoming print issues, so keep an eye out for that if you’re a member!

On the side, I made the world’s easiest green bean casserole with frozen green beans and a pan of Jiffy cornbread with creamed corn. A hearty and satisfying meal for a Sunday evening full of football-watching!

Shall we chat about books? This week I enjoyed The Next Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine. This is the sequel to The Last Mrs. Parrish, which I loved. These novels are classic psychological thrillers, with so many shocking twists and turns along the way. I love a surprise as I’m reading, and both of these deliver!

Back to the work and school routine on Monday…

Ashley and I walked our dogs together that morning, and I made a stop at Yoder’s for some of our weekly staples. While there, I grabbed an apple cake for dessert that night, which is almost identical to my apple Bundt cake recipe (one of my favorite cakes of all time)!

I took Spencer to a doctor’s appointment in the afternoon, while Keith took Casey to physical therapy for his knees after work. Once we were all back at the house, I served an easy weeknight meal: dump-and-bake shrimp marinara paired with Caesar salad and frozen garlic knots. This was one of those great suppers that made everyone at the table happy!

Tuesday was my 45th birthday!

I started my morning with a slice of that leftover apple cake, as well as a cup of gingersnap tea (coffee followed later!). I recently bought this seasonal collection of Bigelow teas, which is a mix of both caffeine-free herbal teas and regular black teas. It includes flavors like Cranberry Harvest, Caramel Apple, Hot Cinnamon, Peppermint Bark, and Eggnog, and would make a great hostess gift or treat for yourself this fall and winter!

I voted once the boys were off to school,

and then met Mollie and Adria for a walk in the woods. Can’t you just smell the damp autumn leaves?!

My mom, my aunt, and my mother-in-law took me to a birthday lunch at Blue Ridge Cafe, which was such a fun outing. I got the Reuben and fries — always a favorite!

Gibbs went to Top Golf in Richmond with the golf team for an end-of-the-season party, while Spencer had soccer practice in Charlottesville that evening. Once we were back home, I served a quick pot of chicken and stars soup for supper, along with a baguette. The boys often request this one!

And then for dessert, my mother-in-law made me a white Texas sheet cake with chocolate frosting on top…and plenty of sprinkles!

Wednesday was a beautiful morning for a walk with Ashley, but it was oddly warm — over 80 degrees that day!

I got work done at the computer and jumped on a Zoom meeting that afternoon.

The boys and I hit golf balls at the range after school…

…and I made the easiest burrito recipe for dinner! We paired the beef burritos with tortilla chips, salsa, guacamole, and extra corn. By the way, this chicken burrito recipe is equally delicious!

Errands in Culpeper on Thursday morning…

Have you tried the Starbucks holiday menu yet? This was an iced gingerbread chai (with a side of Teddy!), which was good…but I probably won’t order it again. I missed a coffee-based drink!

I got a night off from the kitchen that evening, since my friends treated me to a birthday dinner at Jack’s Shop Kitchen. We shared a bunch of appetizers including fried green tomatoes, goat cheese fritters, and Parmesan fries, and then each ordered a salad as well. This was the seasonal salad, which included butternut squash, cranberries, pecans, quinoa, and grilled chicken. Everything was delicious, and the company was even better!

Friday started with a Pilates session with Adria and Ashley, before we headed over to Raven’s Nest for coffee afterwards.

Back home, I got to work in the kitchen — cooking, testing new recipes, and updating photos for an old favorite.

Keith was out of town that evening, so I dropped Gibbs off at the high school football game and took Spencer to his soccer practice in Charlottesville. I picked up a couple of pizzas for the kids on the way home, while I reheated leftover roasted butternut squash soup and 3-ingredient biscuits (made earlier in the day for a breakfast casserole that I was testing).

My mom recently made the butternut squash soup and Aunt Bee’s biscuits for dinner at her house, which inspired me to do the same!

And that brings us to the weekend! We were out the door bright and early for Spencer’s soccer game on Saturday morning. His teacher even came to watch him play, which totally made his day!

The older boys played 9 holes of golf after lunch, while Spencer’s friend came over for the afternoon.

I served dump-and-bake cranberry chicken for supper,

along with baked potatoes, roasted broccoli, and Stove Top stuffing (another kid-favorite)!

So there you have, friends — another week of easy dinners! I hope that you’ve found something new and tasty to add to your own table in the days ahead. Have a wonderful Sunday!