Jff-whats for Dinner Tonight?!

I'm taking it easy on cooking this evening so we're having fancy grilled cheese and soup, all homemade.

I'm not cooking tonight.
Don't have time.
Usually, 99% of the time I cook dinner from scratch.
Not tonight.
Ugh.
It will be a Costco, pre-made meal.
And I have NO guilt about it.
;)

we are going to red robin for my daughters birthday dinner so she can get the macaroni???? I told her that I could make the same macaroni but apparently it needs to sit under the heat lamp for a while to get that right taste and texture she is after. Oh well I get a yummy burger out of it!

we're being bad for the first time in over a month - dollar menu all around. my husband was laid off for 2 months and we are out of danger as of TOMORROW. i get paid tomorrow, and tuesday he gets his first paycheck. YAY! so we're celebrating with our (literal) last $10 lol.

We finished cooking our Christmas ornaments (salt dough--made impressions of the kids' handprints, then I cut them out and baked them 7 hours), and now Christmas cookies are in the oven. Got chicken cooking on the stove so I can shred it and make King Ranch Casserole, after the Christmas cookies come out of the oven (6 more minutes, then decorating time!) The kids are having a blast with it, lol, and the oven has been in use ALL day. Fun times. After decorating the cookies, we have ornaments to paint (the thumb is Santa's hat, the 4 fingers are his beard, and cute little faces between). Those will be little grandparent and great aunt gifts.

Ordered in from a new mediterranean/middle eastern place (that actually DELIVERS!). It was delicious. Fire-grilled marinated chicken, rice pilaf, pita with hummus, tzatziki sauce, all those yummy, lemony, garlicky flavors. It's definitely going on my list of places to order from again. Y.U.M.

I came down with a horrible head cold this morning and feel awful! So my wonderful husband is in right now making spaghetti. I can only imagine how good it smells lol. For the sauce he put in red/ yellow/ orange peppers, onions, mushrooms... all the seasonings.. sausage and hamburger.

I just hope I can taste it since I can't smell it :)

Frozen pizza for the sitter, because she likes it. Soft boiled eggs for kiddo with some veggies and toast, because he likes it.

As for me, I'm out to husband's "company holiday party" where I have been told an "unspecified non-dairy vegetarian dish" will be waiting for me. I hope to god it's not salad. Why do people assume vegetarians like salad? I hate salad. Hate. it. I will likely eat a light sandwich before leaving home. (I know, it sounds so Grinchy but I have a finicky tummy.)

Okay, done grumping... after the party there's likely to be beer and fries at our favorite pub, just sweet husband and myself, so it's all worth it.

oh, and the butterscotch pudding sounds heavenly. mmmm... and @Sarah--- my son has a similar perspective on mac and cheese. Kids!

Homemade posole green chile stew with tortillas and salad and a fruit salad

I have pork chops marinating. I don't know what we will be having with them.

We just finished dinner. Homemade pizza with red peppers in sauce, green salad and artichoke antipasto.

I'm on my biannual cooking ban.

I trained in highschool (4 years at a 3 & 4star restaurant, and it's my fallback for whenever I need a job quick), and can (and often do) cook anything.

Tonight's dinner choices:

- Frozen Saag Paneer (trader joes)
- Leftover pizza
- Toasted Ham & Swiss Baguette that I won't even go to the effort of assembling myself but will take from the refrigerator, after having slaved over the grocery store deli counter for all of 20 seconds, just stick it in the oven at 300 until it's all melty and crispy.

leftover bbq pork ribs and succotash from last night

"Short stacks" - the kids thought it was just chocolate chip pancakes, but they had shredded cheese, shredded chicken and shredded carrots in them too. Left the chips out of mine - they are savoury goodness!

Our plans have been derailed by a huge bowl of red grapes. May end up eating oatmeal later on because it looks like "Spider-Man" is too busy putting on his costume to watch 'his show.'

Red beans and rice. Oranges for dessert. Started at 6 pm (used canned beans), on the table at 6:50.

Ratatoulle served with rice.
My daughter has been into the cartoon and asked me to make it. Turns out the recipe on the cartoon was develop by a famous chef and I loosely followed it. This should be interesting since my daughter hates zucchini!

But last night we made crunchy tacos (my daughters birthday dinner request) and that was delicious and easy.

stuffed bell peppers

I went and tried out a vegan taqueria in my city called "radical eats" I had fried avocado tacos with a smokey chili sauce and purple cabbage with rice and beans. The kids had spinach/mushroom quesadillas.

It was pretty good, the place was pretty hippie and eclectic, i just wish it was a better part of town.

Tonight was left over night... the kids had ham sandwiches, left over taco's, broccoli, applesauce, and grape tomatoes... I had a salad with left over chicken.

My husband is traveling all this week - which means I can skimp on dinner. The kids.don't.care.

Roast beast. Oops, beef. (Can you tell we have watched "The Grinch" already this season?)

Smiles - your dinner choices sound yummy!
Dawn