Change of plans, unexpectedly...

So, unfortunately, I have not posted since the weekend, as I was one of the families in the Northeast without power for 5 FULL days.  We just got power back last night.  However, I was cooking all week, generally all the meals on the menu.  You see, we are lucky to have a wonderful family.  My mother and stepfather put us up with them for the time we had no power.  We are on well water, so when electricity goes, so does our water supply.  Therefore, there is no flushing or washing of hands.... can you say gross?  We are now looking into a generator as this was the second time this year that we lost power for days... and during the ice storm it was a similar situation.  That said, my mom doesn't GET to cook very often.  I took what I needed for my menu plan for the week to her house, and cooked for the whole family.

So, reviews from this past week... I never got to make my Pork Roast with Mole Sauce because we had a birthday party and then disappeared to my moms.  I will be making that on Saturday.

So, let's see... Monday we had our annual chili and mummy dogs.  Very cute, but I added a bit too much brown sugar and forgot the beef stock.  It was still really good, and was enjoyed by all, except for my sick husband.
Tuesday we had the parm-crusted cod, with buttery linguini with peas.  We were missing a few key ingredients, but it was still very good.  I did overcook the fish a little bit, as i'm not used to using an electric stove.  However, I did pop some rolls into the oven, but forgot to take them out, so we never got to enjoy them.  We also served a caesar salad on the side.
Wednesday was our chicken and dumplings.  Great recipe, but its chicken on the bone, which is not my husband's favorite and my son was VERY disappointed, because he heard dumplings and automatically assumed chinese food (peking ravioli).
Thursday we finally made it home, and had nothing planned, so we had pizza.

Tonight, we have on the menu pasta e fagioli soup.  I have added cooked sausage meat to it to make it a little heartier and will serve with crusty french rolls.  Tonight, I will post the reviews and some pictures... including a table setting made by the 5 year old... wait until you see!  :)

I hope all in the Northeast will have their power back shortly.  I have a friend who is now on a generator, but her kids got very sick with colds and ear infections before they got that.  They still have no power, and a few deaths have now been blamed on hypothermia  from the outage.
And, on the final note, my husband has passed along this link for my blog... about eating as a family and how important it is...
http://www.catholicherald.com/stories/A-simple-long-lasting-recipe-for-success,17134  However, I am adding a disclaimer... if you want to throw some beef in a crockpot with a few ingredients, skip the cream of mushroom soup and lipton onion soup mix.  I've had that and its GROSS.  Instead, add some beef stock and veggies and at the end, mix a little bit of worcestershire sauce with cornstarch and stir it in to thicken the broth... Its MUCH better... also, the best stock on the planet is made by Kitchen Basics.  Its less expensive, MUCH richer in flavor and much nicer in color too.  Try it, and trust me, its the best brand... so MUCH better than Swansons.

Bon Appetit.