The Modern Day Mom

Join us for Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie.
Summer seems to have really given my organizational skills a kick in the pants.  I can't get my coupons organized, stick to a menu plan, or even stay on schedule.  It's been horrible.  The kids go back to school in two weeks, so I am hoping that will help to return our house to more of a routine.  Last week we were not able to get to everything on our menu plan so they will be making a return appearance this week.
Monday - Salmon Croquets, Scalloped Potatoes, Baked Beans
Tuesday - Steaks, Restaurant Style Smashed Potatoes, Yummy Dinner Rolls
Wednesday - Sloppy Joes, Homemade Hamburger Buns
Thursday - Beef Tips and Gravy, Yummy Dinner Rolls
Friday - Bali Maki, White Rice
Saturday - Eating Out
Sunday - Italian Sausage with Green Peppers and Onions

I love fresh salsa, and have always used the same recipe for years, however it is quite a labor intensive recipe.  Yesterday I had quite a few tomatoes to use up, and knew that using my regular salsa recipe would take me all day so instead of using my normal recipe I went for a roasted recipe that was much less work and tasted great.
Ingredients:
About 7 to 8 pounds of tomatoes (I used a mixture of Roma and Celebrity)
Several hot peppers (I used a mix of Chile, Cayenne, and Kung Pao)
7 large green peppers
3 large onions
6 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 cup of lime juice
4 tablespoons minced garlic
Directions:
One of the reasons that a roasted salsa is so much easier is that it doesn't require a lot of chopping, the vegetables just need a rough chop.

  Cut tomatoes up into chunks.  For the Romas I just cut the tomatoes in half, and with the Celebrities I cut them into quarters.  I left the peel on them.

  I like a hot salsa, if you don't like a hot salsa you can skip the hot peppers.  I used a ha…

Join us for Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie.
It's been another hot and busy week around here.  We have been busy working in the garden, canning, and freezing.  This week is going to be a weird week for us.  My oldest son is currently staying with his grandparents, and my youngest daughter will be leaving for camp, which means we will only have two kids home.  I don't think I even know how to cook for four people anymore! 
Here's what I have planned for us this week:
Monday - Chili Dogs ( I know not the most nutritious but they are quick and easy!)
Tuesday - 2 doctors appointments so we will be eating out
Wednesday - Hamburgers, Baked Beans, Seasoned Potatoes
Thursday - Roasted Spaghetti Sauce (look for recipe soon), Italian Herb Rolls
Friday - Bali Maki (look for recipe soon), white rice
Saturday -  Italian Sausage with Green Peppers and Onions
Sunday - Beef Tips and Gravy, Yummy Dinner Rolls

Many of you know that I have just recently discoveredRotel, and instantly fell in love with it.  With my tomatoes from my garden just starting to come in I decided to can my own homemade version of Rotel, and it turned out great.  Here is how I did it.
1.  First you will want to blanche and peel your tomatoes as I described in this post.
2.  Next chop up your tomatoes you will need about one gallon of chopped tomatoes for this recipe.

2.  Add in 1/4 cup cut up Chile peppers (I used red but green will work as well), 2 cups of diced green peppers, one large diced onion (canned Rotel doesn't have onions in it so you can leave them out if you want but I wanted onions in mine), 1/2 cup white vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 1/2 cups sugar.


3.  Cook over medium heat until mixture begins to thicken.  Once it begins to thicken remove the Rotel from heat.
4.  You are now ready to fill your jars.  Since you are putting hot Rotel into the jars you will want to heat the jars before filling them.  I…

I have finally gotten my first tomatoes from my garden, and I am super excited!  Yesterday was the first time I finally had enough to do anything with, and I thought it would be the perfect time to share how I blanche and peel my tomatoes for freezing and canning. 
Before I start I want to apologize for the bad quality of my pictures.  I had my husband and 7 year old son helping so I didn't get the chance to get as many pictures or as many good pictures as I had hoped.  I plan to replace these later.
1.  Rinse and clean tomatoes.
2.  Place a large pot of water on stove to bring to a boil.
3.  While water is coming to a boil you will want to cut the stems out of the tops of the tomatoes.  I also cut out bad spots or bruises at this time.

4.  Flip tomato over and cut a small "x" on the bottom of the tomato.

5.  Once water has began boiling fill a sink with cold water and ice.
6.  Place tomatoes in boiling water and let them sit in it for one minute.  I only put a few at a…

Join us for Menu Plan Monday at I'm An Organizing Junkie.

It's been quite a while since I have blogged.  It's been a busy few weeks around here, and we have been undergoing some major changes as a family.  On top of all that we are busy with our garden, and I have lots of great recipes to share.  So be looking for some great new recipes over the next few weeks - including some freezing and canning recipes.
So here is my menu for the week:
Monday - Chili Dogs
Tuesday - Kikkoman Chinese Pepper Steak (using peppers from my garden) with white rice
Wednesday - Spaghetti with Italian Sausage, Bread Machine French Bread
Thursday - Crockpot Roast with Carrots and Potatoes (using potatoes from my garden!)
Friday - Chicken Cordon Bleu, Restaurant Style Smashed Potatoes
Saturday - Hamburgers, Macaroni and Cheese
Sunday - Steaks, The Best Baked Potatoes, Sauteed Mushrooms, Yummy Dinner Roll Recipe
Sometime this week we will be trying the Pioneer Woman's Panko Mozzarella Sticks.