Our Week in Meals #301

Good morning, and happy Sunday! The kids returned to school this week, fall sports picked back up, and we enjoyed a lovely preview of the cooler weather to come. All of the highlights, along with each of our 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 at Mollie’s farm for an early walk with three of my friends.

The rest of the day included chores at the house, a grocery pick-up, and general prep for the week ahead. Keith smoked a turkey breast for supper,

so I ran with the fall theme and paired the turkey with store-bought Stove Top stuffing, cranberry sauce, a salad, and one-hour, no-knead dinner rolls.

Book time! I’ve got some new books to share this week, spanning the genres of romance, mystery, and magic! First up: Queen Bee by Dorothea Benton Frank. My mother-in-law introduced me to this author after our trip to Charleston and Sullivan’s Island last year. I’ve now read quite a few of her novels, which are fun escapes and perfect “beach reads.” I would equate them to a low-country version of Elin Hilderbrand’s Nantucket-based books. Here’s the quick summary from Amazon:

Beekeeper Holly McNee Jensen quietly lives in a world of her own on Sullivans Island, tending her hives and working at the local island library. Holly calls her mother The Queen Bee because she’s a demanding hulk of a woman. Her mother, a devoted hypochondriac, might be unaware that she’s quite ill but that doesn’t stop her from tormenting Holly. To escape the drama, Holly’s sister Leslie married and moved away, wanting little to do with island life. Holly’s escape is to submerge herself in the lives of the two young boys next door and their widowed father, Archie.

Her world is upended when the more flamboyant Leslie returns and both sisters, polar opposites, fixate on what’s happening in their neighbor’s home. Is Archie really in love with that awful ice queen of a woman? If Archie marries her, what will become of his little boys? Restless Leslie is desperate for validation after her imploded marriage, squandering her favors on any and all takers. Their mother ups her game in an uproarious and theatrical downward spiral. Scandalized Holly is talking to her honey bees a mile a minute, as though they’ll give her a solution to all the chaos. Maybe they will.

Queen Bee is a classic Lowcountry Tale—warm, wise and hilarious, it roars with humanity and a dropperful of whodunit added for good measure by an unseen hand. In her twentieth novel, Dorothea Benton Frank brings us back to her beloved island with an unforgettable story where the Lowcountry magic of the natural world collides with the beat of the human heart.

The next book came as a recommendation from a blog reader. She suggested that I read the Darling Dahlias series by Susan Wittig Albert, since I enjoy Jan Karon’s Mitford books so much. I started with book #2, The Darling Dahlias and The Naked Ladies, since that’s what was available in my online library. These fun, lighthearted mysteries are set in Depression-era Darling, Alabama. The Darling Dahlias are the women of the local garden club, who set out to take on a member of Al Capone’s gang, buy a property, and solve a 30-year-old mystery — all within the span of about a day. Funny and entertaining!

Finally, I read The Happy Ever After Playlist by Abby Jimenez. Classic “chick lit,” this entertaining, heartwarming romance kept me turning the pages. It’s nothing life-changing, but it was the perfect quick read before bed. Here’s the synopsis from Amazon:

Artist Sloan Monroe just can’t seem to get her life on track. But one trouble-making pup who randomly jumps into her car with a “take me home” look in his eyes is about to change everything. With Tucker by her side, Sloan finally starts to feel more like herself. Then, after weeks of unanswered texts, Tucker’s owner reaches out. He’s a musician on tour in Australia. And bottom line: He wants Tucker back.

Well, Sloan’s not about to give up her dog without a fight. But what if this Jason guy really loves Tucker? As their flirty texts turn into long calls, Sloan can’t deny a connection. Jason is hot and nice and funny. There’s no telling what could happen when they meet in person. The question is: With his music career on the rise, how long will Jason really stick around? And is it possible for Sloan to survive another heartbreak?

Monday was rainy, cool, and felt like fall might actually make an appearance soon! I spent the morning at the doctor’s office in Orange for my annual checkup, Keith’s parents stopped by for a quick visit after lunch, and I took Spence to the dentist in Charlottesville for some fluoride later that afternoon.

We had leftover cooked taco meat in the freezer, so I thawed that and made these easy nachos for supper. Always a hit! Plus corn and zesty black beans on the side.

Back to school on Tuesday morning! Casey (6th grade), Gibbs (7th grade), and Spencer (3rd grade).

It was odd to have such a quiet house after months of constant activity, but I took a deep breath, got down to work, and enjoyed the uninterrupted time to focus!

The younger two boys had soccer practice that evening, which meant a very early supper for some of us before heading out the door. I prepped shrimp rolls in advance so that we could easily assemble the sandwiches as we needed them. Served with potato chips and refrigerator dill pickles.

Wednesday started off cloudy…

…but quickly turned into a gorgeous afternoon.

I went for a walk once the kids were off to school, and then spent most of the day getting work done at the computer.

I also deep-cleaned the fridge and freezer, picked up corn from my neighbor’s garden, and baked a loaf of zucchini banana bread (one of Casey’s favorites).

Dinner was weird that night, since Keith and I were divided in opposite directions for the kids’ activities. He took Gibbs to play golf in Greene County right after school, so they picked up supper while they were out.

Meanwhile, I fed Casey and Spencer a quick meal at home at about 4:30 p.m. before taking them to Orange County for their separate soccer practices. They requested pesto pasta, so I made a pan of my mom’s 4-ingredient pesto tortellini with pancetta and broccoli (but used bacon instead of pancetta, since that’s what was in the fridge). A quick 20-minute meal for those nights when you don’t have much time (or desire) to cook!

Thursday was relatively quiet. I met Mollie for a walk at her farm that morning, and spent the rest of the day working at the house.

We had chicken bog for supper, along with Arkansas green beans and cornbread. I’m getting excited for more cozy comfort food to come!

I met my friend Ashley for a walk at a park in town on Friday morning after dropping the boys off at school, and then came home to shoot some recipe photos.

We were off in different directions again that evening — Keith and Casey to soccer in Charlottesville, Gibbs to a pool party at a friend’s house, and Spencer home with me. I prepped a pot of corn chowder earlier in the day, and then just reheated it for whoever was hungry over the course of the evening.

Plus blueberry muffins on the side. I hope that you’ll make these before the season’s end!

Sunset after the rain showers…

Casey rode over to Ruckersville with me to do some shopping at Snow’s Feed Store Antiques on Saturday morning, and then I met my friend Barbara for a walk after lunch.

We stopped at Jenkins Orchards for fresh produce that afternoon,

and then grabbed dinner at Rappahannock Pizza Kitchen in Sperryville for cheesy bread, Caesar salad, and pizzas. Definitely one of the kids’ favorite spots right now!

And that’s it for now, friends! I hope that you’ve found some new inspiration for your own meals in the coming days. Thank you for being here, and have a great week ahead!