Good morning, and happy Sunday! This week we celebrated a birthday, launched a cookbook, and made a TV appearance. 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…
Our Sunday was off to an early start, as Keith, Spencer, and I traveled up to Northern Virginia for Spencer’s soccer game. Meanwhile, the older two boys stayed home to play golf with friends and get their homework done.
Keith’s parents, his brothers, and our nephews all came to watch and joined us for a late lunch at Raising Cane’s afterwards.
I left flank steaks marinating in the fridge so that an easy dinner was prepped and ready to go when we arrived home. Keith grilled the steaks, which we paired with a loaf of Ashley’s sourdough bread, rice, and steamed, buttered broccoli.
Plus a key lime pie for dessert to celebrate Keith’s birthday!
Shall we chat books? This week I read The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark, a mystery-thriller pick from Book of the Month. In this novel, a ghostwriter discovers that her famous horror-writer father, long suspected of murdering his siblings in the 1970s, wants her to pen the truth about what really happened that night. It’s a twisty, suspenseful story that mixes family secrets, true crime vibes, and page-turning drama. Definitely a fun one!
Back to work and school on a beautiful, cool Monday!
I spent the day photographing an old recipe and prepping for my TV segment the next morning.
Keith went to Gibbs’ golf match in Luray that evening and Casey ate pizza at Khloe’s volleyball game, so Spencer and I were the only ones home to enjoy the meal I made! We had shrimp and grits with tomato gravy…
…along with 3-ingredient buttermilk biscuits. Spencer doesn’t do grits, but he does do biscuits!
We officially launched my cookbook on Tuesday! After over two years of work on this project, it has been incredibly exciting to share it with all of you. Thanks to my friends, family, and blog readers for so much awesome support. I’m humbled!
My mom and I headed to Richmond that morning so that I could do a cooking segment with Amy on the CBS show, Virginia This Morning. It was pre-recorded, but will air on October 3. Stay tuned!
Back home in time for school pick-up, Gibbs’ golf match, Casey’s basketball practice, and Spencer’s soccer practice…
Knowing it would be a busier-than-usual day, I assembled our dinner the night before: baked ziti with sausage,
plus garlic bread and a store-bought Caesar salad kit. It was a reheat-and-eat kind of night!
After a very full Tuesday, I was happy to join Mollie for a walk on Wednesday morning, jump on a Zoom meeting after lunch, and otherwise have a fairly quiet day to get work done at home.
Keith took Spencer to soccer again that night, while I did the golf practice and youth group carpools for the older boys.
Dinner was a go-to favorite: oven bbq chicken thighs…
…plus Jiffy corn muffins with sour cream,
baked potato wedges, and a side salad.
Ashley and I walked our dogs on Thursday morning, I prepped dinner, and got some work done at the computer.
Gibbs had another golf match that evening, Casey had basketball, and Spencer I went to Charlottesville. Since we needed a meal that we could leave in the fridge and easily reheat as needed, I made my 5-ingredient taco casserole and a bowl of guacamole. Pair those with some crunchy tortilla chips and dinner’s ready!
On Friday, I joined Ashley and Adria for our usual Pilates session once the kids were off to school, and then plugged away at work for the rest of the day.
We had back-to-back soccer practices in Charlottesville plus the high school football game that night, so I packed a cooler and we ate supper on-the-go. Earlier in the day, I made a Crock Pot whole chicken and then used the meat to make sandwiches. For a shortcut, you can season the chicken with this rotisserie chicken blend.
We added chips and fruit on the side, then stopped for Dairy Queen ice cream on the way home. Got my first Pumpkin Pie Blizzard of the season!
And that brings us to the weekend! I got up the street for a walk on Saturday morning, while Gibbs went to play golf with friends.
My parents joined us at The Bavarian Chef for a German-inspired dinner. Bavarian pretzels, schnitzel, spaetzle, dumplings, cabbage, and more!
So there you have it, friends — another week of easy dinners! I hope that you’ve found something new to add to your own table in the days ahead. Thank you for being here and have a wonderful Sunday!
Wow, what a great week you had! The recipes look great as always. I entered to try to win your cookbook. It looks very nice. Congratulations!
Thank you, Leslie!
Thank you so much for answering my questions! I’m so excited about going to the festival AND purchasing your signed cookbook!
PS I just made your one bowl brownies….so delicious!
Woohoo! I love sharing Madison (and Central Virginia) with others. Hope you have a great time! My oldest will be working at the festival with his golf team one day (I just don’t know which day yet). You might see a familiar face or two!
Good morning, Blair! I already received the copy of the cookbook several days ago, excellent! I tried to leave a review on Amazon but I don’t purchase enough from them to post it!
Thank you for purchasing the book, Ann! I’m so happy that you love it. Thank you again for the support!
Congratulations on your cookbook publication, Blaire! I enjoy receiving your recipes every Sunday. I entered your cookbook raffle, but if I’m not a winner, I will absolutely buy a copy. As a Richmond resident, I look forward to watching you on tv in October. Again, congratulations on your achievement.,
Hi, Dee! Thank you so much!! I always love hearing from a fellow Virginian. Hope you can catch the tv segment!
Congratulations on your new cookbook!
Thank you!! 🙂
Congratulations on new cookbook. I will definitely be purchasing one.
Yay! Thanks, Kim!!!
Oh Blair, your new cookbook is lovely to read. Your photography is luscious. Am enjoying reading while planning meals. Would like to buy an autographed book for my son’s 50th birthday. He is a single father and his two girls love his cooking extravaganzas. He sends pictures to me frequently. Thanks so much and congratulations on your wonderful endeavors. Ann
I appreciate that so much, Ann! Thank you for the support. I love the idea of your son sharing the recipes with your granddaughters. What a perfect gift!
So excited about your book! I saw some of the pages on Amazon. I love the full colored food pages and the way the book is organized! I have two strange questions for you….. we are a UVA family(husband and son went to the law school and daughter went undergrad….I’m the UVA want to be!) anyway….we visit Charlottesville at least once a year and always stop at Yoders on the way home. We want to stop at the Graves Mountain Farm Festival on the way down(you made it sounds like so much fun in one of your blogs last year). My questions are…..if we attend the festival on the last day, will there still be much to see and do or will they be starting to close down and will your signed book still be available at Yoders at the end of October? Thank you SO much for any advice you can give me.
Thank you for your beautiful blog each week!
Hi, Paula! Thanks so much for your note. I appreciate you following along with us and for reading my blog. Yes, I have been to the last day of the apple festival at Graves many times, and I’ve never felt as though it was lacking or less of an experience than the other weekends. In fact, I love to go on a Sunday afternoon because it’s typically much less crowded. The tourists are back in DC/NoVA and it’s a quieter scene — but still has the music, the food, etc.
The cookbook should be at Yoder’s in October. If they sell out, they will just get more copies! 🙂
Congratulations on the launch of your cookbook. I always look forward to Sundays so I can check out the yummy recipes you made during the week and I am amazed at your busy schedule with the boys. I have made your recipes for my family who heartily approve and enjoy the outcome. And I love and enjoy the photos of the animals and nature, simply beautiful, thank you.
Thank you, Cristina! I’m so glad that you’ve tried the recipes and that your family approves. Totally makes my day!
Congratulations Blair from UP NORTH!!! Now that we have settled in our new home, I look forward to using many of your recipes in our next chapter – at 87 and 80, it’s so great to try new things and cooking is one of those!!! Belated Happy Birthday to the hubby!!!
That’s wonderful, Wendy! I hope you find some new favorites! 🙂
Hi Blair. Happy Sunday morning! You had busy week snd and I admire how you have all your evening meals prepared and ready for everyone. Your boys are all headed in different directions. Our children are all married and have children of their own. We are following our last grandson in high school during golf season. We are doing a lot of canning tomatoes and finishing up with the garden. Love your recipes and tried several.
Hi, Sue! Yes, it’s definitely a busy season we’re in. I’m looking forward to the near future when at least one of the boys has a license and can help with some of the driving! Good luck to your grandson in his golf season. Gibbs’ season will be over by the end of the month because we run out of daylight and the kids can’t fit a match in after school. They start in July, but are done by October!
Blair: You give new meaning to multi-tasking. I was exhausted by merely reading your weeks’ activities. Thanks for the recipes.
Haha, I’m definitely exhausted from all of the juggling! Thanks for your note, Thomas John! Hope you have a great week!
Congratulations on your new cookbook Blair!!
Thank you, Glenda!
Congratulations Blair!! As someone who has been following you for a number of years, I know you have put a lot of hard work into this book. I’m so happy for you, and that you were able to make your dream into a reality … and that it’s available in Canada!! 🙂 Have a great week!
Thank you, Alicia! Yes, I’m so glad that my Canadian friends can see it, too! 🙂
Hi Blair. I would just like to congratulate you on your cookbook , it really does look like a lovely book . I will be keeping an eye on Amazon here in Pembrokeshire , as unfortunately to order it from Amazon , USA it is $44.99 and I am not a kindle user, so hopefully it will become available in the Uk very soon . Good Luck and Best Wishes with your book and Thank You for your Sunday bulletins, I really do enjoy them .
Hi, Helen! Thanks for your kind words! Yes, I believe that it should be available in the UK. There’s also a paperback version for $26.96, so hopefully that option becomes available as well. Thanks again for your support!
Hi Blair! Even though I don’t do much cooking anymore because of my health… I enjoy reading your Sunday post every Sunday and share them with my friends and two daughters! I can still do some cooking but after having several mini strokes, I don’t make too many involved recipes because I don’t read so well anymore. But I really do enjoy your recipes and save many of them to my notebook! Thank you for all that you do and sharing your family events also! Sincerely, Eileen.
Thank you, Eileen! I appreciate you following along with our adventures and our meals — even if you don’t cook as much anymore. Thank you also for sharing the recipes with your friends and daughters. I really appreciate the support!
Hi Blair! I think I found you through one of your recipes on Pinterest years ago. I started following you as I figured if you had delicious easy recipes your boys would eat, my picky husband would like them too. And that’s certainly been the case! I made your Taco Pie for the 1st time last week. It was a big hit with the hubby! So thank you and I hope your cookbook turns into a best seller!
That’s amazing, Susan! Thanks for following along for so many years! I’m honored that your “choosy” husband approves. 🙂
Congratulations on your cookbook! I know you worked really hard getting it ready. Will need to order one so I can see all of your pictures and recipes.
Thank you, Deborah! Yes, it was definitely a labor of love. I hope that you enjoy it!
Congratulations on your cookbook…quite an achievement! I have been following your blog for a while now, and have used SO many of your recipes. My family knows that if it’s “Blair’s” it will be good:). I purchased your cookbook on Amazon and received it yesterday and have already read through the whole thing…I love your photos too!
This makes me so incredibly happy to hear, Donna. Thank you! I’m touched that you’ve already read the book, and that your family enjoys the food. Thanks again for such awesome support!
Congratulations on your cookbook. How wonderful and exciting is that! I am so glad I found your blog; it’s been pure joy to read and find inspiration for meals for my family. I wish all the best for you and your family.
Thank you so much, Mary! We’re so happy to have you here and truly appreciate your kind words.