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! This week we wrapped up the boys’ winter break, took advantage of spring-like weather, and enjoyed plenty of cozy comfort food. All of the highlights, along with each of our dinners, are included 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…

Sunday was New Year’s Day! The sun was shining and warm, so we got our chores done inside and then spent as much time outdoors as possible. I went for a walk with my friends Adria and Barbara, cleaned the car, and prepped the food for our lucky New Year’s dinner.

As my mom taught me, we kicked off 2023 with black-eyed peas, pork, greens, and cornbread for prosperity and good luck in the year ahead. Specifically, I made a pot of Southern black-eyed pea soup, which included the ham and collard greens as well. Keith and the boys don’t love a bean soup, so he grilled some chicken for them to have on the side. Hah!

Overhead shot of a gold spoon in a bowl of black eyed pea soup

Plus a skillet of cornbread

Butter and honey on a piece of cornbread

…and a Kentucky butter cake for dessert (recipe coming to the blog soon!).

Shall we chat about this week’s books? My friend Adria gave me her copy of The Hotel Nantucket by Elin Hilderbrand, which turned out to be one of my favorite books in a long time. It’s not as sad as some of the author’s other novels (like Golden Girl and The Blue Bistro), and instead is a story of beautiful, complicated human relationships. Here’s the quick summary from Amazon:

Fresh off a bad breakup with a longtime boyfriend, Nantucket sweetheart Lizbet Keaton is desperately seeking a second act. When she’s named the new general manager of the Hotel Nantucket, a once Gilded Age gem turned abandoned eyesore, she hopes that her local expertise and charismatic staff can win the favor of their new London billionaire owner, Xavier Darling, as well as that of Shelly Carpenter, the wildly popular Instagram tastemaker who can help put them back on the map.

And while the Hotel Nantucket appears to be a blissful paradise, complete with a celebrity chef-run restaurant and an idyllic wellness center, there’s a lot of drama behind closed doors. The staff (and guests) have complicated pasts, and the hotel can’t seem to overcome the bad reputation it earned in 1922 when a tragic fire killed nineteen-year-old chambermaid Grace Hadley. With Grace gleefully haunting the halls, a staff harboring all kinds of secrets, and Lizbet’s own romantic uncertainty, is the Hotel Nantucket destined for success or doom?

Other books that I really enjoyed include A Slow Fire Burning by Paula Hawkins (a great thriller by the same author as The Girl on the Train!)…

…and Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan. This one reminded me of a Hallmark movie in book form — and it’s about a woman who writes Hallmark movies! Loved it!

The kids were still on Christmas break for the entire week, so they were thrilled to not have to rush out the door for school on Monday morning. I spent the bulk of my day testing new recipes in the kitchen, and then my girlfriend came over for a walk in the afternoon.

We had chicken and noodles for supper, along with steamed broccoli and dinner rolls. Then we were out the door for the younger boys’ inline hockey practice. Back to the regular sports/activities routine after a few days off for the holidays!

Hands holding a bowl of chicken and noodles

I visited my friend Mollie at her farm on a very cloudy, gray Tuesday morning,

and then took the kids up to a park in Culpeper for some fresh air after lunch.

And for supper: a Frito pie, along with salad and rice on the side. Easy and cozy!

Overhead shot of a pan of Frito pie with sliced green onions on top.

Wednesday morning was devoted to running errands up in Culpeper, including lunch at Panera and this delicious peppermint chip milkshake from Chik-Fil-A. I’ve been meaning to get one all season, so I’m glad that I snuck in my purchase before they were gone!

I also cleaned up the last of our holiday decorations from the front porch, and instead replaced the doormat with this new find from Amazon

…and added a new winter wreath to the door, which has a less “Christmas-y” feel to it.

I served oven-fried fish for dinner that night, along with coleslaw (from a store-bought kit) and these crispy frozen onion rings.

Close up side shot of healthy oven fried fish with a side of green beans

Plus a tray of peanut butter-chocolate Rice Krispies treats that my neighbor brought over for dessert.

Thursday morning!

Keith and I started the day with an early, foggy walk.

We met my parents for lunch in Charlottesville, and then I tried to take the boys to the trampoline park (closed), and the bowling alley (also closed), so we ended up at Chris Greene Lake for a short hike on a beautiful 70-degree day.

We had some work done on our well this week, which meant that our water was turned off for a long stretch of time. Since I couldn’t wash dishes, it seemed like a good night to pickup pizza for an early dinner. Then we headed back to Charlottesville for Casey’s indoor soccer practice. Two trips to town in one day is not ideal, but we made it work!

Keith and Casey left Madison bright and early on Friday morning to go to North Carolina for the weekend for Casey’s soccer tournament. Meanwhile, I held down the fort with the other two boys — we had golf, indoor soccer, and in-line hockey on the agenda.

I spent Friday morning photographing a few recipes, and then took Gibbs to his golf lesson. Spencer and I played a round of mini golf while we waited for him to finish!

This French onion chicken bake was on the dinner menu that night,

Overhead image of a skillet of French onion chicken bake

along with extra baguette and a pan of roasted green beans on the side.

Overhead shot of a tray of roasted green beans on a wooden table

Saturday included house chores, a walk, and Spencer’s indoor soccer game in Charlottesville.

We made it home by late afternoon, and we had a quiet evening at the house. I didn’t feel like doing too much cooking, but I did have the energy to make easy chicken and cornbread waffles for dinner, plus fruit on the side.

Action shot of pouring maple syrup on a plate of homemade chicken and waffles recipe.

So there you have it, friends — another week of dinner ideas straight from our kitchen! I hope that you’ve found some new inspiration for your own table in the days ahead. Thank you for being here, and have a great Sunday!

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. Thanks so much for all the great photos! Looking forward to the recipe for the Kentucky butter cake soon!!
    Have a wonderful week!

  2. Does your “ local market” have several varieties of buttermilk or just the one you use? I am going to start using buttermilk more in recipes and want to make sure I get the best one.
    Also….. when I was a kid, my mother always made those peanut butter chocolate rice Krispy treats your friend brought you. She always called them Scotcharoos. I think they are called that because her topping is equal amounts of chocolate chips and butterscotch chips melted together. That was the only Rice Krispie treats she made. I remember making them for Billy when we were first married and he hated them. He likes traditional rice Krispy treats. So once the girls were ready for treats I started making them for them. They are so good!!

    1. Yes, scotcheroos are SO good! These were just plain chocolate on top — no butterscotch — but still tasty!

      Yep, Yoder’s just has one type of buttermilk that I’m aware of. It’s in the glass bottles near the milk and cream. Definitely worth picking up in lieu of the grocery store version! It’s thick, full-fat, good stuff. 🙂

  3. OMGoodness!! I’m into any bean soup, they’re great anytime in my opinion.
    Especially black eye pea soup with some nice ham hocks….yum!!
    I’m going to try your recipe soon, I’m really collecting a large assortment of recipes…LOL!! Beans, beans, beans, thanks!
    I will keep an eye out for that Kentucky Butter Cake.
    It looks like a very tasty sweet for my friends when we get together for our Tuesday coffee.
    Your winter wreath is an eye-catcher for sure, good pick Blair!
    New to me is that French onion chicken bake, never seen anything like that!
    Love the yumminess of it and I’m sure it tasted great!
    Thank you for another look into your Sundays Blair!
    Have a wonderful week with family and friends!

    1. Thank you so much, Dalila! We hope you enjoy! Thank you for following along. Have a wonderful week as well!

  4. The Kentucky Butter cake sounds awesome. I used to buy an Entemenn’s Louisiana Crunch Cake, and the picture of your cake made me think of that.

  5. I just wanted to comment that, to me, your photos are the cherry on top of your weekly blog. I enjoy every topic, story, and recipe, but those photos feed my soul with the beauty of the outdoors. I really appreciate them.
    May you week be full of joy!

  6. Aww, I’m jealous of your 70 degree temperture, and, it’s only January !! We still have a lot of snow here in Wisconsin. Too cold to melt the snow.

    Good recipes to try out for this week. That will keep my mind off the weather. It’s only 16 degrees outside right now.

    Have a beautiful week.

    Sandra W.

  7. Hi Blair,
    I have to say ditto to Deb’s comment. You really are talented. The song “How Great Thou Art” happened to be playing as I was enjoying your outdoor photos, I realized the music and your art paired perfectly. Thank you.
    Looking forward to making your French Onion Chicken Bake. It looks delicious and French onion soup is a favorite!
    Thank you and I hope you have a wonderful week.

    1. Thank you so much, Francene! You can sign up for our newsletters by scrolling to the bottom of any page and entering your email address. Or, we are happy to add you ourselves!

  8. I am in awe that you can read three books a week. I am retired and I have a difficult time reading a book a month. Love your blog, though and I have enjoyed several of your recipes. Keep up the good work!