Good morning, and happy Sunday! This week included fall comfort food, cozy baking, and busy weeknights. 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 Recipes
A quick note before we dive into the food: my TV cooking segment from Virginia This Morning aired last week. You can see the recording here if you’re curious! We made my Jiffy corn casserole…
Now, let’s back up to last weekend…
We spent a cloudy, damp Sunday morning on the soccer fields at Spencer’s game, followed by an afternoon of football on TV.
For dinner we had Dutch oven roast chicken,
along with cast iron cornbread,
crispy seasoned roasted potatoes,
and a house salad. I love a nice supper on Sunday before the chaos of the week ahead!
Shall we chat books? This week I read Elin Hilderbrand’s new novel, The Academy, which she coauthored with her daughter, Shelby Cunningham. It’s perfect for this time of year, since the story is set in a fictional New England boarding school. Lots of fall, back-to-school energy…and plenty of classic Elin drama, juicy characters, and decadent food!
Spencer came down with a stomach bug on Sunday evening, so he was home from school (and fortunately feeling better) on Monday. Meanwhile, Keith went to watch Gibbs play in the district golf tournament all day.
We didn’t have any sports practices on the schedule that evening, so it was nice to sit down for a meal at a normal time again! I made pork tenderloin with apples, buttered pasta with Parmesan, and homemade garlic bread.
Ashley and I walked our dogs together on a beautiful Tuesday morning.
While I got work done at the computer, I simmered a pot of Texas chili on the stovetop to reheat for supper later that evening. We ate in shifts between the boys’ basketball, soccer, and golf practices.
On the side, we had tortilla chips, salsa, and this easy guacamole recipe.
Highlights from Thursday included a walk with Adria that morning, and lunch with my friend Jan at Jack’s Shop Kitchen that afternoon.
I prepped dinner in advance again, knowing that I’d be out of the house later in the day. That way Keith could just pop the dish in the oven while I was at Spencer’s soccer practice, and we could all eat once the older boys were done playing golf.
On the menu: chicken and stuffing casserole (still the kids’ favorite casserole),
plus steamed broccoli (in the microwave), store-bought cranberry sauce, and one-bowl pumpkin muffins. We’re ready for fall weather!
The boys had Thursday off from school for a Teacher Work Day. Keith took them to our friends’ farm to get firewood that morning, while I met Mollie and Adria for a walk.
The boys’ friends came over for the afternoon, and you wouldn’t believe how much pizza a house full of teenage boys can consume for lunch!!!
Keith took Gibbs to golf that evening while I took Spencer to Charlottesville, so I (once again) assembled dinner in advance. Gibbs requested my easy buffalo chicken dip (just 5 ingredients!), which we served with a warm, sliced baguette, tortilla chips, carrot sticks, and celery sticks. They love this appetizer-turned-entrée!
Donuts and coffee after Pilates on Friday morning! I especially enjoy an apple fritter at this time of year…
The boys had another day off, so Gibbs met friends for a round of golf in the afternoon, and I took Spencer and Casey to their soccer practices in Charlottesville.
Since we were gone from the house all evening, I made myself a tuna salad sandwich and packed it in the cooler. The kids were happy with leftover cold pizza from the day before!
Rainy fall Saturdays are perfect for baking (and college football-watching)…
After a short walk up the road that morning, I popped a loaf of one-bowl pumpkin bread into the oven. More cozy treats for the weekend!
We had plans to meet friends at the UVA men’s soccer game later that night, so I made a quick early supper before we headed out. Anyone else have loads of fresh basil still growing outside?! On the menu: pesto pasta with a salad and baguette. Another favorite meal for the kids!
And a very fun evening watching UVA play UNC (in spite of the rain)…
So there you have it, friends — another week of easy dinner ideas! 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!
Thanks so much for sharing your wonderful recipes, and beautiful pictures!
You are an amazing lady. I’ve been telling my friends and family about your new app. You have done a fantastic job!
Thank you for following along with us, Caneil! Hope you have a great week!
Good morning, Blair! In answer to your question, I would have to say teenagers can eat a whole pizza each!
Will pass along the stuffed pepper casserole to my coworker, much easier than the old fashioned way!!
I’d say that’s about right, Ann. Wild! Thanks for your note, and have a great week!
Chicken and stuffing is one of our favorites!
Easy and delish! Thank you!!
Same here! 🙂 So glad you enjoy it, Carol!
Hi Blair – So nice to see you on the video from your local TV show! Your wonderful personality shines through and you could have your own cooking show. 🙂
Have a wonderful week ahead!
Aw, thank you Tylene! I don’t think TV is the life for me, but I appreciate your kind words!! 🙂
Good Morning Blair!
I couldn’t tell you the last time that I bought a cookbook! I have so many now and rarely use them as it’s just easier getting recipes online. Your recipes are my kinda cooking and when you had mentioned your cookbook, I knew right away I was going to get one! Received your cookbook last week. Beautifully done! I already have two recipes from it that I’m trying this week! Thanks much for all you do! I always look forward to your Sunday blog! Have a great week!
That’s so great to hear, Lisa. Thank you for your support! I hope that you enjoy the meals this week. 🙂
Your chicken and stuffing casserole calls for
4 cups cooked chicken. You use a rotisserie chicken.
Do you get 4 cups of chicken from 1 rotisserie chicken?
I’m wondering if I need to buy 2 to make the casserole.
Yes, if you use the dark meat and the white meat, you should get about 4 cups of chicken from 1 bird. If it’s a smaller chicken, I’d buy two just to be sure.