Still hate the new blogger format. It will not let me open multiple posts from the editor so I can easily copy links or text. I have to close one and open another and then go back to the first. Ugh. I did finally figure out how to preserve my line breaks without coding them all in, though it would have been nice if they had preserved that in my other posts from before, since I would have had to go back and fix all of them if I want to be able to read them without getting a headache. It is so bad that I couldn't even bring myself to write up my menu plan last week. We did still eat. I found a way to revert to the old interface and now I am happier again.

This week, we have quite a few jalapenos to use up, so I'm trying to find ways to get them into different meals. We also were able to buy about 17 pounds of local asparagus for $25 at the farmers' market, so I'm using a lot of that in our meals this week as well. There is quite a bit of cilantro left from our last shopping trip, too, so that is featured in our meals this week.

I have been calculating the costs of our dinners to see how much we're spending now that we're spending more on food with the rising costs of gasoline and its effects on the price of food, along with inflation and all the other increases. Even with making a rather high cost meal last week (choucroute garnie) and making desserts several times, we averaged about $1.41 per dinner per person. This week should be even lower, as I'm cooking more frugal meals and not making so much in the way of desserts. Our lunches are usually pretty much free, as we eat leftovers for lunch most often. Our breakfasts usually cost about $1 - $3 for the total meal, so those don't add much to our costs during the week. Menu planning, shopping for what is in season and on sale really does make eating well affordable.

• Sunday
  Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs with Cheese and Bacon, Toast, Milk & Coffee
  Dinner: Chicken, Asparagus and Potato Bake, Last of the Paschal Chocolate


• Monday
  Breakfast: Brown Sugar Biscuits, Chocolate Gravy, Milk & Coffee
  Dinner: Baked Pasta with Italian Sausage, Asparagus, Basil and Ricotta, Peanut Butter Cookies


• Tuesday
  Breakfast: Oatmeal with Raisins and Cinnamon Sugar, Milk & Coffee
  Dinner: Jalapeno, Beef & Cheddar Casserole with Cilantro


• Wednesday
  Breakfast: Ful with Tomatoes and Onions, Bread, Green Hot Sauce, Milk & Coffee
  Dinner: Bang Bang Shrimp, Stir Fried Asparagus with Garlic, Sesame Noodles


• Thursday
  Breakfast: Gatayif, Hard Boiled Eggs, Milk & Coffee
  Dinner: Jambalaya, Lemon Blueberry Poundcake with Lemon Glaze


• Friday
  Breakfast: Vegetable Hash with Fried Eggs, Toast, Milk & Coffee
  Dinner: Asparagus and Potato Frittata, French Bread


• Saturday
  Breakfast: Fried Eggs & Sausage, Toast, Milk & Coffee
  Dinner: Moroccan Lamb Kabobs Garnished with Cilantro, Harissa, Green Hot Sauce, Cracked Wheat Pilaf and Grilled Asparagus

What is on your menu this week? If you want a recipe, ask and I will provide it as soon as I can. If there are any starred recipes, I will follow up separately with a weekly recipe round up on Saturday.

Labels: Family, Homemaking, Menu Plans, Tales from the Kitchen