Our Week in Meals #479

Good morning, and happy Sunday! This week included an anniversary, lots of kids’ sports, and plenty of cake. 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.

Now, let’s back up to last weekend…

After a rainy Saturday, it was so nice to see blue skies again on Sunday! We took Spencer to his indoor soccer game, but otherwise had a low-key day at the house while Casey continued to recover from the virus that knocked him down all weekend.

We kept things simple for supper, as I just reheated some chili con carne that I had stashed in the freezer and served it stuffed inside baked potatoes with a variety of toppings. Football-watching + a potato bar is always a good idea!

Now let’s chat books. This week I wanted to share Best Offer Wins by Marisa Kashino. This was my December Book of the Month pick, and it was such a unique, fast-paced, real estate mystery-thriller (yes, you read that right!).

In this novel, a stressed-out DC publicist gets so fed up with losing bidding wars that she becomes obsessed with snagging her dream house before it ever hits the market, even if it means crossing some very questionable lines. It starts off funny and painfully relatable, then spirals into a dark, twisty ride where you cannot believe how far she is willing to go and how much you find yourself rooting for her anyway.

The kids returned to school on Monday, and Keith and I got back to work after a stop at Yoder’s and a short morning walk.

Country ham biscuits for lunch (a favorite!)…

I took Teddy to the vet for a check-up, and Spencer to a doctor’s appointment after school. That meant that supper needed to be particularly easy, and my dump-and-bake 3-cheese baked ziti fit the bill. Plus a green salad and garlic breadsticks on the side!

I had a quiet day at the house on Tuesday while Keith was at work and the boys were at school. I got out for an early walk, baked a buttermilk pound cake to have on the counter for desserts and snacks, and jumped on a Zoom meeting mid-afternoon.

We had a night off from kids’ activities, so I made homemade pizzas for supper! The boys requested “crab pizza” after seeing crab on just about every menu when we were visiting the Northern Neck a couple weeks ago, so I finally made it happen. In addition to the one crab pizza, I also made a veggie pizza (using up some vegetables in the fridge), and a plain cheese pizza for those less adventurous…

And of course, pound cake for dessert!

Mollie and I met for a walk in the woods on Wednesday morning before a day of work.

I made homemade yeast dinner rolls to have with supper that evening, but jazzed them up with a Parmesan, garlic, onion, and kosher salt topping. This is how my neighbor makes her garlic rolls that she sells at the farmer’s market, and my kids love them!

Before Gibbs’ driver’s ed class and Spencer’s basketball practice, we had the rolls alongside dump-and-bake chicken noodle casserole and steamed broccoli for a cozy weeknight supper.

Thursday included a walk with Ashley and our dogs, followed by errands in Culpeper.

I served pulled pork nachos for supper (using bbq pulled pork from Yoder’s),

plus a side of guacamole and a handful of other toppings.

And for dessert, Keith brought home this chocolate layer cake to celebrate our 21st wedding anniversary! Cake and rainbow sprinkles are the keys to my heart (kidding, kind of)…

I was happy to join Adria for Pilates on a very cold Friday morning, and then spent the rest of the work day in the kitchen baking and updating photographs for a couple of older recipes.

Gibbs had golf that afternoon, we made a quick stop at home to have baked breaded chicken tenders for supper with chips and Yoder’s coleslaw, and then we were back out the door for his behind-the-wheel driving class.

And that brings us to the weekend! Casey and I were gone most of the day for soccer training up in Fredericksburg, while Keith took Spencer to his two basketball games and Gibbs to a friend’s house.

It was snowing when we left home, and Casey ended up playing outside in the sleet and freezing rain all morning. Of course, Teddy and I stayed dry and warm in the car…

That evening, Keith and I had our anniversary dinner date at the Inn at Willow Grove, and it was by far one of the best meals we’ve had in years! From the setting to the service, and of course the food, everything was perfect.

I had the “Fancy Pants” mocktail, which included rosemary, lemon juice, lime juice, and club soda (so refreshing). Plus a bacon jam crostini from the chef, as well as the ciabatta roll and cornbread muffin.

For an appetizer, I picked the Honey Crisp Apple Salad (Sunchokes, Gorgonzola, Pecans, Mustard, and Brussels Sprouts); for my entrée, the Jumbo Shrimp and Grits with Tasso Ham, Celery, Vat 17 Cheddar, and Lobster Gravy. Keith’s seared Virginia rockfish was also delish. We can’t wait to go back!

So there you have it, friends — another week of 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!