What's for dinner?

Upward Bound (Scott's summer job) has "alternate families" that the kids are a part of. Scott's got 7 teenaged boys in his and they're all heading over here for a late cookout. So we're having hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken breasts, macaroni and cheese casserole, and salad, plus floats for desert.

I had first aid today. Since I'm also coming off of midnights and had a terrible time sleeping last night it was take out for us.

Karen, that sounds fun!
Rebecca, that sounds tiring! I used to work 7p-7a .... I certainly sympathize.

Monday is always pizza night here, they are too busy to have any energy left for cooking.

Chicken and dumplins ( we just didnt have a real cold winter, so I didnt get tired of all my winter foods..) Fresh Grady Peas strait from the garden, cornbread and fresh sliced tomatoes.

And I TOTALLY debone and degrissle all my chicken, but this time I was lazy and just used breasts.. LOL (plus I got a good deal on them) and homemade dumplins. and I swear, the cornbread was the best I have ever made. ( I know this cause BR said "after 16 years I think this is the best cornbread you have ever made. I dont know what you did, but remember it and do it next time"). Lord only knows what i screwed up adn did.. and Do you KNOW how many pones of cornbread I have made in 16 years? I swear, one day I am gona start using them packages and just adding milk...

We had Veggie Lasagna and garlic bread, I had to do something with the giant Zuchini I grew.
Tomorow we are having Lasagna again, because I avoid cooking as much as possible.
Wednesday i am going to Chelle's for dinner, because she obviously cooks good stuff, and I am avoiding cooking.

Well, the boys just left and dinner was GOOD! They played with Zoe in the sandbox and playhouse while the food was grilling. These are high school and college boys but she's bossy and they did what they were told, LOL. Then they ate 'til they were starting to turn colors and I thought they might bust something open inside. Then I put Zoe and Quinn to bed while they went for a walk in the dark down to the lake, then back up here to look through the telescope. They stayed about 2 hours and seemed like they had a great time. I didn't meet them until tonight but they all offered to clean up after themselves then gave me hugs when they left. Most of the kids in this program are disadvantaged in some way (poor, or will be the first in their family line to go to college) but some of them come from awful circumstances. I won't go into details but some of these kids have NO one who is not in this program. I was so happy to do something for them. And they didn't want to leave, so I know they had fun.

Chelle, what are grady peas? Regardless, if you keep posting menus like this I actually will show up on your doorstep! Say you are on the Louisiana border? I can find you cause we always stop in Houston on the way to LA. Man, that sounded good.

I had beef stew over at my friends' house after I dropped by to return their bowl from Thanksgiving 2006....

LOL erin, come on down. You can pick peas while you are here. LOL

I have 3 HUGEmoungous zuchinni on my counter right now. Matt wants zuchinni boats again one last time.. LOL

Pearly, Its a cross between a cream pea and a ladyfinger with a bit of purple hull throw'd in. , kinda like a purple hull, but it aint go no purple hull... , and its bigger, and creamier. My great grandfather crossed them about 100 plus years ago and its all we have grown since. We keep seed every year. (for anyone who isnt familier with a purple hull, its the Souths awnser to the Blackeye'd pea. they look alot alike, but once you have had a purple hull you dont eat BE anymore. EVER. LOL)
My great uncle is the one who plants the gardens every year, but noone else will help him pick. And although he made the garden smaller this year, (his smallest ever, I can remember when it was acres and acres of peas.) it still takes me nigh on 3-4 hours a day to pick them. So far 4 families have their fill in the freezers, I have half of mine. I only need about 75 more quarts.
I am trying to learn as much as I can from him, cause he aint gona be around forever.

And yep I am between Houston and La. kinda. LOL You probebly pass pretty close to me when you go through. I am between Lufkin and Jasper. (hwy 69, 255, 63, 96, 190, they are all pretty close) out by the big lake. And I LOVE you getting beef stew cause you returned a 2 year old bowl!! LOL


Karen, aww thats so great that they had fun! I am glad you were able to do it for them!

I have a few monsterous zucchinni form my moms garden and I have no idea what to do with them. Help? LOL.

Zuchini boats Tara, in the recipe section.

Chelle, I would love some of them seeds. I have Crowder, Purple Hull, and butterbeans, OMG I LOVE Butter beans.
My garden isn't doing so well, we need rain. My Granny always said they cannot survive on :hose water" they need "gods water".

Chelle, purple hulls are what we grow and you are right, they are delicious. Your gradys sound great too. I swear, the minute I get a chance I am going to start planting the veggie garden again. I miss the full flavor of homegrown peas and all. My parents used to raise the best gardens and I feel I am not doing my part by keeping it going. Besides, it is so satisfying to have a hand in feeding yourself. Luckily, I have an uncle around the corner who grows greens and sweet potatoes so at least, I can get those. Thankfully we also have a local farmer's market.

Edbson, your granny is so right. One year we spent days watering a newly planted patch of butter beans and tomatoes. Nothing in sight. One night it rained for a short while and the next morning everything was up!

LOL pearly, thats about right. And I cant water a garden, I am on community water and there is too much clorine. and our stuff is starting to really need some water bad. That and the hay field. There for a while it was raining almost every eve. Now its just hot.
too bad I cant send seeds across state lines. I'd send you some And I know what you mean about keeping it going. I really didnt realize how out of touch my kids were till I made them ReALLY get out and help me this year. And if I dont teach them, noone will.


Erin, I will get you some seeds in time for a fall garden. give me about 2 weeks. I am collecting a few here and there for next years growing. How big do you plant? 10 foot rows? 30? 90? 400?

You need water in east Texas???? I thought it rained all the time in Texas, girl.

You can send seeds across state lines. We do it all the time at my gardening site. We have what is called a round robin. Each member puts seeds in a box and then mails it on to the next person on the list. They take out and add what they want and so on. It continues until it gets back to the first person and then it starts again. This one has been going on for two seasons now. Right now, I am waiting for it to return to me because it has made all its rounds for the summer.

We've even had cosmetic robins and kitchen robins. Also, we play Secret Santa all year long. I have gotten some of the best gifts playing that. One lady makes quilts and I was fortunate enough to get two of them. They are beautiful.

Sometimes we just mail out individual packets. The only thing we can't do is include Canadian gardeners in ours and they can't include us in theirs.

In fact, my parents used to buy their seeds and have them shipped from Louisiana.

Yep, get the young ones out and involved. It is a skill that will last them a lifetime when they learn to garden. My mom used to babysit and would have the ones old enough help her shell her peas. They loved it because she would put down a sheet, a pile of peas, give them bowls and then turn on the tv. They did a pretty good job too.

I would love some seeds. I will share with my uncle.

I plant about 5 rows, 20 feet long, not alot, but plenty for me to weed.LOL
I make them Children get out there and help, you wanna eat it, you gotta help grow it. My neighbors laugh at the girlies grabbibg carrots out of the ground and eating them without washing them.

I envy the carrot scene! Lucky kids...

tara wrote:I have a few monsterous zucchinni form my moms garden and I have no idea what to do with them. Help? LOL.

nevermind.....

Bad Scar!

I have no clue what to make and I don't have anything thawed and I hate to heat up the house with the oven.

We just had tuna cassorole so I am stuck????


Hmmmm?

No excuses tonight so I have to cook. We're having pork chops, scalloped potatoes, and I'll force some form of vegetable into the kids.

We are having leftover veggie lasagna, I am not cooking.