Hello 2014, and hello an entire new year to menu plan. I love cracking open a new calendar, and planning that first menu.

It is snowy and cold here. Thankfully we got out ahead of the snow and re-stocked the house. The kids are home until Monday, and we were running low on everything. I hope to get the kitchen back in shape today, and get back to baking.

First things first… Here’s what I’ve got planned for dinner in January.

• 1/1/2014: Taquitos, Guacamole, Homemade Salsa, Cheese Dip, and Tortilla Chips
• 1/2/2014: Salmon Bites, Romaine Salad, Homemade Breadsticks, and Pumpkin Pie
• 1/3/2014: Pulled Pork Tacos, Guacamole, Homemade Salsa, Cheese Dip, Re-fried Beans, and Tortilla Chips
• 1/4/2014: BBQ Pork Sandwiches, Chips, and Homemade Milk Chocolate Brownies
• 1/5/2014: Pot Roast with Potatoes and Homemade Dinner Rolls
• 1/6/2014: Tacos, Tortilla Chips, Homemade Salsa, and Cheese Dip
• 1/7/2014: Beef with Rice-a-Roni, Hominy, and Homemade Breadsticks
• 1/8/2014: Popcorn Chicken, Tater Tots, and Cherry Crisp with Vanilla Ice Cream
• 1/9/2014: Chicken Burritos, Tortilla Chips, Homemade Salsa, Cheese Dip, and Re-fried Beans
• 1/10/2014: Chili, Saltines, Cornbread, and Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
• 1/11/2014: Pancakes and Bacon
• 1/12/2014: Fried Chicken, Hominy, and Fresh Biscuits
• 1/13/2014: Pulled Pork Tacos, Tortilla Chips, Homemade Salsa, Cheese Dip, and Re-fried Beans
• 1/14/2014: Chicken Chow Mien, Rice, Chow Mien Noodles, and Broccoli
• 1/15/2014: Tacos, Tortilla Chips, Homemade Salsa, and Cheese Dip
• 1/16/2014: BBQ Pork Sandwiches, Fried Pickles, and Potato Chips
• 1/17/2014: Spaghetti with Meat Sauce, Black Olives, and Homemade Breadsticks
• 1/18/2014: Cinnamon Rolls, Scrambled Eggs, and Bacon
• 1/19/2014: Turkey, Stuffing, Mashed Potatoes with Gravy, Butter Rolls, and Pumpkin Pie
• 1/20/2014: Taquitos, Tortilla Chips, Homemade Salsa, and Cheese Dip
• 1/21/2014: Chili, Saltines, Cornbread, and Dutch Apple Pie
• 1/22/2014: Popcorn Chicken, Tater Tots, and Chocolate Snack Cake
• 1/23/2014: Chicken Fajitas, Tortilla Chips, Homemade Salsa, Cheese Dip, and Re-fried Beans
• 1/24/2014: Pot Roast with Potatoes, and Homemade Bread
• 1/25/2014: Belgian Waffles and Bacon
• 1/26/2014: Turkey Noodles, Mashed Potatoes, and Homemade Dinner Rolls
• 1/27/2014: Steak Fajitas, Tortilla Chips, Homemade Salsa, Cheese Dip, and Re-fried Beans
• 1/28/2014: Chicken Burritos, Tortilla Chips, Homemade Salsa, Cheese Dip, and Re-fried Beans
• 1/29/2014: Homemade Pizzas and Chocolate Birthday Cake
• 1/30/2014: Toast, Bacon, Scrambled Eggs, and Cinnamon Rolls
• 1/31/2014: Fried Chicken, Mashed Potatoes with Gravy, and Fresh Biscuits

Now, I’m off to work on that messy kitchen…

I woke up a little later than usual today, and I couldn’t believe that it was December already. I also remembered that I hadn’t even started a monthly menu yet… I got up, got everyone breakfast, grabbed a strong cup of coffee, and got to work.

If November taught me anything, it is that my kids are hungry all of the time… The boys are both growing like crazy, and even the Miss is wanting more snacks. In December the big kids only go to school for about two weeks. I really need to have the house stocked and ready to go towards the middle of the month.

There are so many activities going on this month too. I hope I can keep up with all of them. There is also Christmas!!! The kids are excited, and so am I.

I can’t wait to start baking Christmas cookies for friends and family. I’ll probably bake some more cakes and pies too. I just love keeping busy in the kitchen.

So here we go it’s December’s Monthly Menu:

• 12/1/2013: Turkey Noodles, Mashed Potatoes, and Dinner Rolls (using up the last of the Thanksgiving leftovers)
• 12/2/2013: Tacos, Tortilla Chips, Homemade Salsa, and Cheese Dip
• 12/3/2013: Pancakes and Bacon
• 12/4/2013: Popcorn Chicken and Tater Tots
• 12/5/2013: Chicken Burritos, Homemade Salsa, Tortilla Chips, Cheese Dip, and Re-fried Beans
• 12/6/2013: Sweet & Sour Chicken, Rice. Broccoli, and Crab Rangoon
• 12/7/2013: Snacks and Appetizers
• 12/8/2013: Panko Fried Chicken, Hominy, and Cheesy Rice
• 12/9/2013: Chicken Burritos, Guacamole, Homemade Salsa, Cheese Dip, Tortilla Chips, and Re-fried Beans
• 12/10/2013: BBQ Chicken Sandwiches, Fried Pickles, Chips, and Baked Sweet Potatoes
• 12/11/2013: Tacos, Homemade Salsa, Cheese Dip, and Tortilla Chips
• 12/12/2013: Panko Chicken Cutlets, Spaghetti, Green Beans, and Homemade Garlic Knots
• 12/13/2013: Beef with Rice-a-Roni, Hominy, and Homemade Dinner Rolls
• 12/14/2013: Belgian Waffles and Bacon
• 12/15/2013: Steaks, Baked Potatoes, and Broccoli
• 12/16/2013: Taquitos, Homemade Salsa, Cheese Dip, Guacamole, and Tortilla Chips
• 12/17/2013: Panko Chicken Tenders, Corn Casserole, Mashed Potatoes, and Gravy
• 12/18/2013: Pulled Pork Tacos, Tortilla Chips, Homemade Salsa, Cheese Dip, and Re-fried Beans
• 12/19/2013: Chicken Chow Mien, Rice, Chow Mien Noodles, and Crab Rangoon
• 12/20/2013: Panko Chicken Sandwiches, Chips, and Fried Pickles
• 12/21/2013: Chili, Saltines, Cornbread, and Cinnamon Rolls
• 12/22/2013: Pot Roast with Potatoes, and Homemade Dinner Rolls
• 12/23/2013: Roast Beef Sandwiches with Au jus, and French Fries
• 12/24/2013: Taquitos, Homemade Salsa, Guacamole, Cheese Dip, and Tortilla Chips
• 12/25/2013: Menu to come…
• 12/26/2013: Panko Chicken Cutlets, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy, and Corn
• 12/27/2013: Chicken Burritos, Tortilla Chips, Homemade Salsa, Cheese Dip, and Re-fried Beans
• 12/28/2013: Pancakes, Bacon, and Scrambled Eggs
• 12/29/2013: Chicken Noodles, Mashed Potatoes, and Homemade Bread
• 12/30/2013: Snacks and appetizers
• 12/31/2013: Panko Coconut-Shrimp, Rice, Crab Rangoon, and Vanilla Bundt Cake with Strawberries

Tomorrow we’re off to the store to grab some groceries. I had better get to work on a list for that too. Happy December everybody!

Hello September! I am so ready for cool weather, and Autumn to arrive. This menu is going to be a little different though, I’m still shopping for an oven… I’ll be using the bread-maker, the crock pot more, and sticking to just the stove-top for a bit. The kids (and my hubby) are missing all of the home-baked goodies, so I hope to have a new oven in the kitchen soon. Anyway here we go, it’s September’s monthly dinner menu.

• 9/1/2013: Nacho Bar
• 9/2/2013: Panko Chicken Tenders, Corn, and Pasta Salad
• 9/3/2013: Chicken Burritos, Tortilla Chips, Homemade Salsa, Cheese Dip, and Re-fried Beans
• 9/4/2013: Chicken Chow Mien, Rice, Broccoli,  and Chow Mien Noodles
• 9/5/2013: Tacos, Tortilla Chips, Homemade Salsa, and Cheese Dip
• 9/6/2013: Nacho Bar
• 9/7/2013: Panko Fried Chicken, Corn, and Rice-a-Roni
• 9/8/2013: Pot Roast with Potatoes, and Homemade Bread
• 9/9/2013: Chicken Burritos, Tortilla Chips, Homemade Salsa, Cheese Dip, and Re-fried Beans
• 9/10/2013: Panko Chicken Tenders, Spaghetti, and Green Beans
• 9/11/2013: Chicken Fajitas, Tortilla Chips, Homemade Salsa, Cheese Dip, and Re-fried Beans
• 9/12/2013: Hamburgers and Chips
• 9/13/2013: Pulled Pork Tacos, Tortilla Chips, Homemade Salsa, Cheese Dip, and Re-fried Beans
• 9/14/2013: Panko Chicken Sandwiches and Chips
• 9/15/2013: Turkey, Stuffing, Mashed Potatoes with Gravy, and Dinner Rolls
• 9/16/2013: Tacos, Tortilla Chips, Homemade Salsa, and Cheese Dip
• 9/17/2013: Hamburgers and Chips
• 9/18/2013: Chicken Burritos, Tortilla Chips, Homemade Salsa, Cheese Dip, and Re-fried Beans
• 9/19/2013: Panko Chicken Tenders, Hominy, and Homemade Bread
• 9/20/2013: Nacho Bar
• 9/21/2013: Popcorn Chicken and Tater Tots
• 9/22/2013: Beef Stew, Homemade Bread, and Pumpkin Pie
• 9/23/2013: Bean & Cheese Tostadas, Tortilla Chips, Homemade Salsa, and Cheese Dip
• 9/24/2013: Spaghetti and Homemade Breadsticks
• 9/25/2013: Tacos, Tortilla Chips, Homemade Salsa, and Cheese Dip
• 9/26/2013: Panko Chicken Sandwiches and Chips
• 9/27/2013: Chicken Enchiladas, Tortilla Chips, Homemade Salsa, Cheese Dip, and Re-fried Beans
• 9/28/2013: Panko Chicken Tenders, Hominy, and Green Beans
• 9/29/2013: Chicken Noodles, Mashed Potatoes, Dinner Rolls, and Apple Pie
• 9/30/2013: Chicken Burritos, Tortilla Chips, Homemade Salsa, Cheese Dip, and Re-fried Beans

Time to make a shopping list, and get to it.