November 20, 2010

Dinner Tonight - November 20th

It is Saturday and I am at the moment waiting for my family to get back from running the big race.  See yesterday's post.  I know they will be cold, muddy and somewhat tired so I have ham sandwiches (I will put the ham in a skillet and warm it up) and chicken noodle soup waiting for them for lunch.  There is some leftover coleslaw in the fridge too.  I just baked some brownies and frosted them with homemade frosting or perhaps it is icing.

I make this fudgy frosting from scratch and frankly I don't really have a recipe.  When I need some frosting for brownies or bar cookies I take about 2 tablespoons of butter and melt it in a microwaveable bowl. To this I add about a little less than 1/4 cup of cocoa.  When it comes to cocoa, I buy the cheapest I can find and have never had one bit of problem in a recipe.   Mix the cocoa with the melted butter until it is mixed and there are no lumps.  Then I add a little milk and some vanilla.  To this add some sifted confectioners sugar and start beating it with a spoon or wire whisk.  Then I add a little bit more milk and sugar until I get it to the right consistency and the amount that I need for the brownies. 

If I accidentally make too much frosting I put it in an old margarine container and store it in the fridge.  Then after the brownies are gone I can take this frosting and spread it between two graham crackers - perhaps with a couple of marshmallows mixed in - and I have smore cookies. 

Tonight we will be having homemade pizza for supper.  I am craving pizza and I have plenty of mozzarella cheese in the freezer and I have several choices for meat toppings.  I may make a "meat lovers" style pizza.  I have hamburger that I can brown, ham chunks, pepperoni, bacon crumbles and even some little smokie sausages in the freezer.  This may be the night to splurge on an artery clogging style pizza.  My guys will be wanting a substantial pizza tonight after their race this morning.

I know I need to write about my grocery savings and I will - probably tomorrow.  Right now I am off to tackle cleaning our two bathrooms but I should probably wait until after the guys come home.  They will be very muddy and cold and I will probably then be left with mud in the showers. 

6 comments:

Maureen said...

You have a recipe for success there, hot homemade food is what your boys will be craving.

Looking forward to your grocery saving post, have a great weekend.

tammyyarbrough said...

You are such a good wife and mommy! Doesn't it make you feel good that you stuck with this? I'm so thankful you did, my friend, Martha! Oh, and BTW, my husband loves apple butter. I bought a bushel of Golden Delicious from our local farmer, and I saw your recipe the other day. I have decided to treat him to some cinnamon toast with your recipe tomorrow for breakfast! I hope I can do your recipe justice!!

Martha said...

Maureen:

I love to cook simple foods and I am working hard at using up what I have on hand.

Tammy:

I hope he likes the apple butter. My husband loves it and it is so versatile.

Debs said...

How did they do? Did they enjoy themselves?!
Sounds sensible to hold off cleaning the bathrooms til after they're home and clean again!

Martha said...

Debs:

At the race there were close to 8000 runners so it is not a race for time, but for endurance. They all finished and had "race" stories such as a deer almost running into them when the deer was trying to cross a path in front of them.

They came home with muddy clothes that I promptly put in the washing machine and everyone took hot showers.

Martha said...

Tammy:

Yes - I am so happy, happy, happy that I chose this new lifestyle. I love it.

Maureen:

Even though I didn't run the race, I enjoyed the hot meal with them and the warm from the oven brownies. I am definitely going to need to increase the miles I walk each day or I will be putting on some pounds this winter.