Good morning, and happy Sunday! This week included class parties, holiday baking, and a cookie exchange. 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.
This Week’s Meals
Now, let’s back up to last weekend…
I met Mollie for an early walk at her farm on Sunday morning before we headed to church. While snow flurries fell outside that afternoon (nothing stuck to the ground!), the boys watched football and I spent time in the kitchen.
We had a Dutch oven chicken for a cozy supper,
along with cast iron cornbread,
a half recipe of creamy baked mac and cheese,
and this easy broccoli casserole recipe.
Shall we chat about books? I squeezed in one last holiday-themed book this week, and it was a good one! Set in the English countryside, The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter is the perfect combination of romance, mystery, and festive holiday warmth. Loved this one!
Ashley and I walked our dogs together on Monday morning, I made a quick stop at Yoder’s for some groceries, and then I spent the rest of the day photographing recipes.
We had an easy classic for dinner that night: dump-and-bake meatball casserole paired with Caesar salad and frozen garlic breadsticks.
The sun returned on Wednesday, so I got outside for a golf lesson,
and then baked two batches of soft peanut butter blossoms for a cookie exchange later in the week.
Dinner was Crock Pot beef tips and gravy, which we paired with mashed potatoes with sour cream and chives,
as well as Arkansas green beans. I also heated up a baguette from Panera for those kiddos who don’t love mashed potatoes. Comfort food!
In between a trip to the groomer for Teddy and a walk with Mollie, Wednesday was otherwise devoted to more holiday baking.
Per the kids’ requests, I made a batch of easy chocolate chip cookies, a batch of gingerbread men, and a tray of Rolo pretzels (just melt a Rolo on each pretzel in a 300 degree F oven for 2 minutes, then press an M&M (or pecan) on top). These treats were all arranged on trays for class parties at the middle school and high school the following day…
I had the night off from the kitchen, since I went out to dinner with a couple of girlfriends at a new Mediterranean restaurant in Ruckersville, Fiorino.
We shared the bruschetta to start, and each ordered a shrimp Caesar salad for our entrees. It was all delicious!
I took Teddy for a walk at a park in Culpeper on Thursday morning, picked up a peppermint mocha, and then finished off the last of my Christmas shopping.
Spencer and Casey had golf lessons after school, so I planned an easy supper that I could prepare quickly when we got home: chicken and bell pepper stir-fry,
which I served with rice, frozen egg rolls, and Chinese ramen noodle coleslaw (prepped earlier in the day).
After a morning walk with Ashley and Adria on Friday, I spent some more time getting ready for the holidays. I prepped the cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning, wrapped some gifts, and organized my grocery list for the next week. Dough rising in front of the wood stove…
and a lunch date at Piedmont Deli! This is one of my favs — “the whole hog” — featuring honey baked ham, bacon, cheddar cheese, tomato, onions, and Thousand Island dressing on pumpernickel bread.
And the most delicious cinnamon pecan cookie bars from Ashley (a recipe that she got from her grandmother)…
After Gibbs’ golf lesson that evening, we had ground beef nachos for supper, along with guacamole, salsa, seasoned pinto beans, and a side of corn.
I also have to shout-out this puzzle board that my friend Mollie recommended. It has provided hours of entertainment for all of us on recent evenings! The board has rims to prevent pieces from sliding off, little drawers to store or sort the pieces, and a cover to protect it when you’re not working. Best of all, we can move it to the coffee table in front of the TV at night, but then get it out of the way again (stashing it in my office) when we’re done. I highly recommend something like this for the holiday season (and beyond)! We did this 500-piece winter-themed puzzle this week…
I delivered a few gifts to neighbors on Saturday, and then went to a Christmas cookie exchange party at Adria’s house.
I brought a tray of soft peanut butter blossoms, chocolate chip cookies, and rolo pretzels, and came home with a variety of goodies!
For dinner that night, we had an old-fashioned chicken and rice casserole,
along with a house salad with candied pecans (a favorite at any time of year, but especially during the holidays).
Followed by cookies for dessert, football on TV, and a puzzle on the table!
So there you have it — another week of easy dinners! I hope that you’ve found something new to add to your own table in the days ahead. Have a wonderful Christmas for those who celebrate, and thank you for being here!
Tell Ashley to give your readers the recipe for her grandmother’s cinnamon pecan cookie bars. They look amazing!!
Merry Christmas to you and your family. Love your recipes.
Hahaha! I will! Actually, I think she gave it to me last year. I’ll have to find it and make them. 🙂
Merry Christmas to you and your family, Blair! The cookies you brought home from the exchange look awesome- wish my friends would come up with fun ideas like that!
Thanks, Ann. Merry Christmas to you, too. The cookies are delicious! Maybe you can convince your friends to do something similar next year. It was fun!
I thought of you this week while my husband and I were walking around Williamsburg looking at the Christmas decorations on the houses on Duke of Gloucester Street. It is a yearly tradition for us. Of course we bought some gingerbread cookies at the Raleigh Tavern bakery. It left me wanting to bake more myself. I found your blog while I was looking for a recipe for them a few years ago having lost my original one. Your blog came up. I found my original recipe but am so happy that it led to your blog. I especially love the “dump and bake” recipes when we have our grandkids over. Merry Christmas to your family.
That’s so good to hear, Linda! Williamsburg at Christmas is one of my favorite places. It’s so beautiful and cozy! Thanks for your note, and have a wonderful holiday!
Wishing You And Your Family
A Very Merry Christmas!
Thanks, Kathleen. Same to you!
Wishing you and your family a blessed and merry Christmas.
Thank you, Anne!
Been having trouble printing out your recipes this week. Get to print page and it comes up blank. Help! Would also love to see a cookbook from you. TIA
Hi, Terri! That’s so strange. I haven’t noticed that issue on my end. I wonder if you can clear your cache and see if that helps? If not, let me know and I’ll see if my tech folks have any other ideas. A cookbook is in the works, so stay tuned in the coming year!
Hi Blair – Wishing you and your lovely family a Merry Christmas and best wishes for a healthy and happy new year! Thank you for everything you do for us from your Instagram posts to the weekly email. I really enjoy all of it! Take care and enjoy the holidays.
Thanks, Tylene. Same to you! Hope you enjoy the time with your family!
Merry Christmas!!! Thank you for sharing your recipes with us!!!
Thanks, Candice! Same to you!
Good Morning Blair from the Frozen North!!! Just wanted to wish you and your wonderful family a very Blessed and Wonderful Christmas…Sunday mornings are made so special when I get to read about your week, watching your boys grow up and gleaning all the fabulous recipes you have to share each week…may the Lord richly bless you and may 2025 bring joy, peace and good health to you all!!!
Thanks, Wendy. Merry Christmas to you, too. Thank you for your support each week. I truly appreciate you!
Love your blog and all your recipes! We are having a neighborhood exchange this year, and I’m bringing the peanut butter blossoms as well! I’m wondering what you mean by “prepping your cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning” if you did this on Friday for Christmas morning. I purchased the puzzle board you recommended…we love doing puzzles, but need every table in the house for eating and playing games! Hope you have a very blessed Christmas and New Year!
Hi, Donna! That’s so great that you’re taking the pb blossoms — they do tend to go fast at those parties! I’m also glad that you got a puzzle board. When I was walking with friends this morning, three out of four of us were discussing our love for our puzzle boards. So simple, but so convenient!
For the cinnamon rolls, I included a make-ahead option in the post that allows you to refrigerate the dough overnight before the second rise. If you want to do this a few days in advance, you can freeze the dough after the first rise, thaw it in the fridge the day/night before, and then let it rise for the second time in the morning before baking. This does take a while, though, since the dough is cold to start. So….my solution for the past couple of years has been to just bake the rolls fully in advance (but do not add the icing). Once they cool, wrap them and freeze them. Thaw the frozen, baked cinnamon rolls in the fridge overnight. Then you just need to reheat them in the morning. To do so, add a little bit of butter to the tops of the rolls (this keeps them nice and moist). Cover with foil and warm the cinnamon rolls in a 350 degree F oven until heated through, being careful not to bake them for too long and dry them out (about 15 minutes). Then you can add the icing before serving. This works surprisingly well, and it eliminates any rising time on the morning that you plan to serve them. 🙂
I just found your blog and your content is so beautiful! Thank you for sharing your meals, recipes.. and especially your reads!!
wait! and you’re from VA! I’m from Virginia Beach! Merry Christmas!
Hi, Victoria! Thank you so much. I’m glad that you found my site. I’m always happy to hear from a fellow Virginian! 🙂
Merry Christmas Blair to you and your family!
Merry Christmas to you as well, Annette!