Weekly Menu Retrospective - 12/12 to 12/18

I'm a menu planner, but when I've tried to post my weekly menus here in the past, they weren't accurate because I often change things at the last minute. On the other hand, I really like being able to look back to see what we've eaten, what we loved, what we disliked, and most of all being able to link to the recipes on my menus that have come from other blogs. That's why I prefer to post my weekly menus after the fact.

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Sunday, December 12 - Beef and Mushroom Lasagna, Sauteed Cabbage, Corn, Dilly Beans (canned earlier this year)

This lasagna was different in that it used cream of mushroom soup (which I made from scratch) instead of a ricotta cheese layer.  It was just as big a hit as traditional lasagna.


Monday, December 13 - Chuckwagon Roast and Vegetables, Mashed Potatoes, Quick Onion Loaf

This was a good roast recipe for a change of pace, but it won't replace my traditional roast beef recipe.


Tuesday, December 14 - Tangy Ranch Chicken, Green Beans, Leftover Veggies and Potatoes from Monday

This chicken was cooked with a glaze of ranch dressing mixed with mustard and brown sugar.  I cut the chicken into tenders, which allowed us to enjoy more of the sauce in each bite.  It sounds a little odd, and was bright yellow, but it tasted very good.


Wednesday, December 15 - Venison-Pumpkin Chili with Corn Chips and Sour Cream, Carrot Sticks with Homemade Ranch Dressing/Dip

I made a homemade variation of my basic chili recipe, but I managed to burn the bottom layer of beans when I cooked them.  Since there were fewer beans than I wanted, I decided to try something I've been seeing all over the internet lately, which was to add some pumpkin puree to "fluff up" the chili a little.  It added a hint of sweetness, but there was really no pumpkin flavor at all.


Thursday, December 16 - Miscellaneous Leftovers from earlier in the week.

We cleaned out the fridge and ate all the leftovers buffet-style.


Friday, December 17 - Out at Ruby Tuesday.

Kat and I ate out at Ruby Tuesday.  Going out for a girls-only meal is something we do each year while Shane is at his company's Christmas party.  I had a coupon for a free burger meal for my birthday (my birthday was 12/16), and Kat had a kid's meal.  Even with a generous tip, it only cost $12 for the two of us to eat.


Saturday, December 18 - Out at BD's Mongolian BBQ

We went to BD's Mongolian BBQ for my birthday date with Shane.  We ate around 1:30, and ate a lot; I wasn't hungry the rest of the day, but Shane snacked around for dinner on whatever he could find in the kitchen.