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Good morning, and happy Sunday! We filled a short school week with plenty of soccer, lots of outdoor time, and so many fresh apples! All of the highlights from the past few days, along with our easy dinners, are included in today’s roundup of Our Week in Meals.

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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 started Sunday morning with a cool, early walk with three of my friends at Mollie’s farm. Best way to catch up with the girls!

Back home, I baked a couple of loaves of English Muffin Bread. This no-knead bread only requires a single quick rise, so it’s one of the fastest and easiest yeast breads I make. It also happens to be one of Gibbs’ favorite breakfasts, so that’s what he requested for the week.

English muffin toasting bread on a plate with butter and jam

Keith smoked baby back ribs that evening, which I paired with broccoli cauliflower salad and potato salad. Taking advantage of gorgeous fall weather by cooking (and eating) outside!

Side shot of baked baby back ribs on a cutting board in front of a brick wall

It was back to the work and school routine on Monday morning…

…and fortunately the weather cooperated for a beautiful evening of soccer practices.

I made a pot of Beef Burgundy earlier in the day, which I reheated and served with cheese biscuits when we got home from the fields. Total comfort food from my childhood!

Tuesday was a quiet day at the house, where I spent most of my time cooking and photographing a couple of new recipes.

We had ham and cheese sliders for an easy dinner, which we enjoyed with salad, potato chips

Close overhead shot of a pan of easy ham and cheese sliders on hawaiian rolls in a baking dish

…and homemade applesauce.

Side shot of homemade applesauce in a bowl on top of a blue and white cloth napkin

I also finished another great book that night. I was so excited to get my hands on Louise Penny’s latest novel, The Madness of Crowds. I’ve read all of the other books in her Chief Inspector Gamache mystery series (17 in total!), and they never disappoint. This one was just as good as the rest. I highly recommend starting with the first book in the series, Still Life. You’ll get hooked on the characters and the little Canadian town of Three Pines!

Wednesday was a picture-perfect fall day: sunny blue skies and 72°F. I was trying out a new jam recipe, so that took up most of my morning. I had to take advantage of the weather, though, so I met my friend for an afternoon walk before picking up the boys.

Still enjoying apple season, I made an updated version of my Skillet Chicken with Apples for supper, which we paired with mashed potatoes and green beans. Such a great autumn dish!

Overhead image of a cast iron skillet chicken dinner with apples and onions

The kids just had a half-day of school on Thursday to accommodate parent-teacher conferences in the afternoon, so I squeezed as much as possible into my free morning hours. That included a stop at Yoder’s Country Market for some fresh apples from a local orchard, along with bacon, lunchmeat, and buttermilk.

I also baked a batch of chocolate chip cookies to have on hand for the weekend!

Chewy chocolate chip cookies on a wire cooling rack

The afternoon was devoted to conferences at the school, while the kids played and Casey used his metal detector on the playground.😂

We had soccer practices that evening, which meant an easy dinner when we got home late: Garlic Butter Shrimp with Old Bay (all of the ingredients were prepped in advance), rice (that I left cooking in the rice cooker while we were gone), and broccoli that I quickly steamed in the microwave.

Hands holding a garlic butter shrimp recipe in a ceramic bowl.

The kids had the day off from school on Friday, so we headed up to Culpeper for a couple of errands. My main priority was flu shots for all of us at Target. Of course, we came home with some “extra” items that were not on our list!🙄

I treated the kids to lunch at Chik-Fil-A afterwards, before returning home for the rest of the afternoon. I spy the start of some fall foliage!

We had Stuffed Shells for dinner, along with Caesar salad and garlic bread. A classic that always goes over well around here!

Overhead shot of a pan of the best stuffed pasta shells recipe on a wooden table

You know it’s October when there are cobwebs on the boxwoods,

spiderwebs all over the fences,

hay bales in every field,

and mums on the porches!

We spent almost all of Saturday on the soccer fields — Spencer played in the morning, and then I coached the older boys’ team in the afternoon. By the time we returned home, we were all exhausted…which meant pizza for dinner!

And that’s where I’ll leave it for today, friends! I hope that your October is off to a great start.🎃 Thank you for joining me here each week!

blair

Hey, I’m Blair!

Welcome to my farmhouse kitchen in the foothills of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. Inspired by local traditions and seasonal fare, you’ll find plenty of easy, comforting recipes that bring your family together around the table. It’s down-home, country-style cooking!

Read More

Square overhead shot of hands serving a chicken pot pie recipe with biscuits
Overhead image of a bowl of chili mac on a dinner table with cornbread
Hands serving a platter of sheet pan sausage and potatoes

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Comments

  1. Thank you for the recipes and pictures. I look for them each week. You have a busy schedule yet find time to enjoy life with family and friends. I love your pictures as i also live in the country. So peaceful. Inspector Comanche is a favorite book of mine. I have read many. Your recipes are mouth watering and I have tried some and hope to make many more. Especially your chicken, breads and casseroles. Thanks so much for letting me enjoy my morning reading your blog.

    1. That’s so wonderful to hear, Pikka! Thanks for taking the time to leave me a note this week! 🙂

  2. Blair, I look forward to seeing your email every Sunday, reading about the family adventures and yummy looking recipes. I live in the country also, in KY, and am looking forward to seeing the leaves change color. That English Muffin Bread looks fabulous!

    1. Thanks so much, Leslie! I can’t wait for some pretty leaves soon…

      I hope that you get to try the bread. It’s one of our favorites!

  3. We love shrimp….hope to try the Garlic Butter Shrimp with Old Bay soon. Looks yummy!

    And we love metal detecting too! We enjoy a YouTube channel by a young man from Charlotte, NC….just search for “NuggetNoggin”. His videos are very interesting & family friendly to boot.