Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. I may earn a small commission for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial, and/or link to any products or services from this website.

Good morning, and happy Sunday! We enjoyed another beautiful autumn week, and even snuck in a quick trip with family. 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.

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. I may earn a small commission for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial, and/or link to any products or services from this website. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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 woke up in Warm Springs, Virginia on Sunday morning, where we were finishing up my birthday weekend getaway. On our way out of town, we went for a very chilly hike, and then hopped in the car for the 2 hour drive back to Madison.

Once home, we did the usual post-trip laundry, grocery shopping, and Sunday football-watching.

Soccer with football pads?! I have no idea, but this entertained them almost all afternoon.

We had chicken wings for dinner (recipe coming soon)…

Overhead shot of a tray of the best baked chicken wings recipe

…along with shells and cheese, sauteed zucchini, and Sister Schubert’s dinner rolls (the next best option to homemade!).

Bowl of shell mac and cheese with toasted breadcrumbs on top

Monday was another beautiful day!

A rainbow of fall leaves…

I visited two of my neighbors that morning, one to pick up eggs and the other to deliver a tray of sweet treats as a thank you for getting our mail.

Otherwise, the day was spent in the kitchen and on the computer until it was time to pick up the kids.

We had homemade Sloppy Joes for supper, which I paired with potato chips, carrots, cucumbers, and ranch dip.

Front shot of a homemade sloppy joe sandwich on a blue and white plate

Tuesday was another day of cooking and working at home. Nothing too exciting to report!

I have a good book to share this week, though! A blog reader recommended The Heirloom Garden by Viola Shipman, and it was such a great read. I love when you share your favorite books with me, since I’m always looking for new ideas. This historical fiction explores the unlikely relationship between two very different women brought together by the pain of war, but bonded by hope, purpose…and flowers. If you enjoy gardening, you’ll especially appreciate this novel!

We had Linguine with Clam Sauce for dinner that night (an easy 20-minute meal), which I paired with garlic bread and a green salad. Always tasty!

Overhead shot of hands eating a bowl of linguine with white clam sauce.

Wednesday was another gorgeous 70+ degree day, so I met my friend Ashley for a walk in the morning before spending time in the kitchen and jumping on two different Zoom calls that afternoon.

We had Crispy Roast Chicken with Vegetables for dinner, along with Aunt Bee’s 3-ingredient biscuits on the side.

The golden leaves on this maple tree in our front yard took my breath away when I walked outside on Thursday morning. It’s crazy how they seem to change color overnight!

After dropping off the boys, I stopped at Yoder’s for lunch meat, buttermilk, and local apples, and then headed up to Culpeper for a couple more errands. One of my stops was picking up a painting that I recently had framed. A blog reader named Pamela sent me her artwork all the way from Australia! She painted the bowl of peaches from a photograph that I took a few years ago, and it’s now hanging on the wall in my office. I love the whimsical nature of the piece and its bright, cheerful colors.

I met my friends Mollie and Adria for a walk that afternoon to take advantage of the great weather…

…and made a pot of Crock Pot Broccoli Cheese Soup with Ham for dinner that night. We paired the soup with a loaf of crusty baguette that I had stashed in my freezer from the farmer’s market. Cozy!!

After a night of rain, the sun returned on Friday just in time for a morning walk with a friend.

The rest of my day included a lot of running around and a lot of baking. I prepped two batches of chocolate chip cookies and a vanilla cake to stash in the freezer for Spencer’s birthday on Monday (knowing that we would be away this weekend), had Teddy groomed, picked up a grocery order, and took the boys to get vaccinated. Phew! All good stuff, but it was a lot.

Stack of soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies on a dark surface

I kept dinner really easy: taco pizza, plus corn, chips, salsa, and guacamole. A kid favorite around here!

Front shot of a slice of Taco Pizza on a white plate with toppings

My brother and his family traveled up to Virginia from Florida this weekend for my nephews’ lacrosse tournament. On Saturday morning, we drove two hours east to Williamsburg to watch the boys play and to visit with everyone.

My parents with their grandsons…

…and their granddog. Hah!

We made it back to Madison by dinnertime, so Keith picked up our usual Saturday night pizzas for dinner…followed by college football on TV and a fire in the woodstove!

That’s it for now, friends! I hope that you’ve found some new ideas for your own table in the days ahead. Have a wonderful 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

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Comments

  1. Really like the idea of the Gold Fish crunched up, going to do that. Also, had been wanting a good recipe for Sloppy Joe’s! Thanks for that. Love your little Yorkie. We had one Sassy for 15 years and loved her so much. Teddy looks a lot like her, the same size, too.

  2. Wow, you sure have a lot longer fall weather than we do here in central Wisconsin! We had our 1st snow come during last night & this morning. We don’t have one of those “snow meters” in the yard, but both of us (my adult son & I ) guess that there is around 4-5 inches on the ground. The fall leaves are almost gone too.
    Many of the recipes really sound very good…I especially enjoy the soup recipes at this time of the year, and then make even more after the Holiday’s are over.
    That book sounds like a pretty good read; I should check first at the local library to see if they have it . Reading is an pastime for me.
    Have a great week!!
    Sandra W.

    1. Hi, Sandra! Stay warm! I can’t even imagine snow right now. We’re not ready for that in Virginia! 🙂

  3. Hi Blair,
    I’ve read a couple of Viola Shipman novels, including The Heirloom Garden. The Charm Bracelet is another great novel by this author, in my opinion.
    The recipes from this week’s blog look fabulous as always. Hope you had a wonderful Birthday weekend!
    Take care, & have a wonderful week ahead!
    Leslie in KY

  4. Hi Blair,
    I saw an idea for Sloppy Joe’’s online and been using it for awhile now. It’s called Sloppy Joe’s casserole. Same ingredients for Sloppy Joe’s but instead of putting it on hamburger buns you put Jiffy Corn Bread mix on top of the Sloppy Joe’s mixture and bake in the oven. When done, cut into square and serve. Less messy this way especially when taking it to work for lunch. I know that children love Sloppy Joe’s because it is messy but this is a good idea if you don’t want to deal with cleaning up the mess creates by eating Sloppy Joe’s on hamburger buns. Interesting twist though.

    1. Thanks for that idea, Cecilia! I have a similar recipe with ground beef and cornbread crust, but I hadn’t thought to use the Sloppy Joe filling instead. I love that!