This Week on the Dining Table

It's the "Will You Look At That!" Edition--

This was a potted hyacinth I bought last Easter for myself.  I love the smell of hyacinth.  It's one of my all-time favorite flower scents after gardenia.  After they bloom and die back I never can get the bulbs to bloom again if I plant them outside.
I didn't replant these but had thought the chipmunks that plague our yard had dug them up(as I left this pot on the back deck)and ate the bulbs this Summer.
Then in late Sept. I noticed green shots coming up out of the pot and it was the hyacinth bulbs growing again!  I brought the pot inside when it turned cold later that month, watered it regularly and put it by a window and week by week we noticed the green shoots getting taller.

And voila!.....they put out flowers last week!!  Of course the stalks are suppose to be about 8 inches taller before they flower but I will take this anyway. lolz
When the blooms died back the pot will go back outside in the deep freeze that is our yard now before bringing it back in about February to try to get it to bloom again.

Have you had any luck growing perennial bulbs?


Onward to the meal planning!

Here's what was planned last week.......

1. Sunday--meatloaf, sweet potato fries, Brussels sprouts
2. Monday--Italian Torta, Caeser Salad
3. Tuesday--Pecan Chicken, Mixed Veggies
4. Wednesday--Kielbasa on Rolls, green beans
5. Thursday--Rockfish, Cauliflower, Garlic mashed potatoes
6. Friday--Guinness Beef Stew
7. Saturday--Leftovers

And this is what actually happened--

1. Sunday--meatloaf, sweet potato fries, Brussels sprouts
2. Monday--Italian Torta
3. Tuesday--Leftovers(Hubs had tacos, I had chicken soup)
4. Wednesday--Kielbasa on Rolls, baked beans
5. Thursday--Guinness Beef Stew
6. Friday--Rockfish, Green Beans, Garlic mashed potatoes
7. Saturday--Hamburger on roll(We had Chinese out for lunch w/lots of veggies)

I had enough leftover roast chicken to make a small pot of chicken soup so I had that Tuesday for dinner and the Pecan Chicken got pulled from rotation.

The bag of frozen Rock fish we bought at that Grocery Outlet last month was a bust.  The "lemon pepper" marianate it was in wasn't peppery at ALL and the lemon part was a sort of "lemon flavored sludge" coating the top of the fillets.  After baking the fish I scraped the sludge off of mine before eating it after tasting it the way it came.  It was a good price, the product was fine but the marinade was far from edible.  We have 2 more pieces of this fish to cook but will be scraping the marinade off before cooking next time and we won't be looking for this product again. 8-(

The Italian tortas(think pizza pot pie)were so-so as well.  It was something different but I won't go out of my way to buy these again, unless they are very inexpensive(as these were).

As for my grocery spending last week......Target, the Bread Outlet to stock up, 2 small trips to Weis for loss leaders and Turkey day needs, and a few things bought at Ollies(Good Stuff Cheap!)for a total this week of $63.51 OOP.   Month to date is $243.88 spent for November.  $28.42 of that spending was for food bank donations which I am done buying for this load.
I still have $56.12 left in the $300 food budget for the month.

Leftovers going into this week.... Chicken Soup, Beef Stew, Meatloaf, Baked Beans, Brussel Sprouts, Green Beans.

Here is this week's "food plan"--

1. Sunday--Leftover Meatloaf, G Beans, B Sprouts, Potatoes
2. Monday--Leftovers(chicken soup/beef stew) or Breakfast for Dinner
3. Tuesday--Eating Out
4. Wednesday--Chili(from Freezer)or Leftover soup and/or stew or ?
5. Thursday--Turkey Dinner
6. Friday--Pecan Chicken, Corn Casserole, Cauliflower
7. Saturday--Leftover Turkey Day meal

This week will be a hodge-podge of meals(1 night Eating Out, Leftovers 3 nights, 1 new meal)with Thanksgiving Dinner thrown into the mix.  Gotta eat all those Leftovers before Thursday to make room for all those Thanksgiving leftovers, am I right? lolz

What I need to buy for this menu?.........still need to buy celery, carrots and rutabaga for Thanksgiving Dinner, which will be bought later today.

What is getting fixed and served at your house this week?

Was last week's plan successful, did you go off plan or did you not even plan what was going to be eaten last week?

Any great deals on food at your stores this week?

Sluggy