Angel Food July 2008 Menu Reviewed

Back by Popular Demand: Just picked up our Angel Food on the 26th. Check back often as I review food items.

40 oz. Marie Callender's � Family Crock Pot Dinner (Meat Included) I did get this in my packet. It is no longer in my freezer but I have no memory of cooking it so I must rate it "unmemorable". Not sure if that is good or bad?

1.5 lb. Boneless Pork Filet

5 lb. Breaded Chicken Chunks Get Real !@#$ There are maybe 5 "chunks" in the entire bag. The remainder of the 5 lbs. resembles what's left in the bottom of a Banquet Fried Chicken box after you take the parts out. Very tiny pieces of mostly breading. A speck of chicken here or there but this bag is mostly crumbs. At any rate, I cooked it in the oven for about 15 minutes at 400 degrees. Kids dipped them in ranch and bar-b-q sauce. No complaints. The breading is their favorite part. This did the job and satisfied their plebeian appetites. The bag states the contents as "diced chicken breast fritter".

1.5 lb. Meaty Beef Ribs My dad cooked these up at his cottage one weekend we were there. He is the best cook in the world. He could make a sneaker taste good so it wouldn't be fair to recommend these ribs based on his preparation.

28 oz. Meatloaf and Gravy

1 lb. Beef Fajita Meat Suprisingly delicious. Pan fried in canola oil. Seasonings were great. Wish I could buy a huge bag.

1 lb. Fully Cooked Meatballs Easily the best microwavable meatballs ever. From Home Market Foods. They carry these at Super Walmart but they are much more expensive than the Great Value brand.

1 lb. All Meat Hot Dogs Acceptable.

1 lb. Broccoli Fresh and delicious.

1 lb. Peas and Carrots High quality.

28 oz. Pasta Sauce

1 lb. Pasta

32 oz. Borden 2% Reduced Fat Shelf Stable Milk Came in handy when I ran out of milk but kids had a problem with the packaging. Wish I had thought to save the gallon jug to dump it into.

32 oz. Hawaiian Punch Name brand drink. I don't usually buy sugar drinks so this is sure to be a hit. However, there are only 4 8oz servings so the kids will have to duke it out.

12 ct. Corn Tortillas

7 oz. Blueberry Muffin Mix

1 dozen Eggs In medium

1 Dessert Item This was an off brand bag of Teddy Graham style cookies. They were buttery and flaky. Just the snack to bring along to an afternoon on the beach. They did have trace amounts (.05 g a serving) of trans fats.

Additional items I received that are not listed on the national menu. I went to a new church this time as the other one I had used has changed to the "Great Food for All" program.

6 Frozen Mini Ears of Corn on the Cob My 11 year old stepson would have been happy to eat the whole bag. Tasty.

Lean Cuisine Brick Oven Pizza

ALL THIS FOR THE LOW COST OF JUST--..-..$30.00

HISSSSSSSSSSSSSS!

Today we found a snake in the electrical connection box at the end of the driveway. Jacob wanted to catch it. He put on goalie gloves and got an egg out of the refrigerator. My dad found him standing by the box holding the egg. I'm not sure how he was supposed to catch a snake standing there like a scarecrow but he was convinced he could.

As of yet, no snake.

20 days to Atlantic City.

Dilemma Solved

Well, after spending a short 2 days at my parent's cottage on the lake it became clear that George will do fine there without me for a week.

He took his animals, all 5 of them, and "Grandma's special quilt" to sleep with. At bedtime, he lay down on a cushion and was asleep in minutes.

There's a lot there to distract him. A very shallow sand beach, a playground, huge marina, bikes, fishing, and a large field for kicking balls around. His big sister is going along to keep him company while I get lucky in New Jersey.

Emma is driving!!!

She has been counting the days for what seems like years....at last, as she would tell you, her wallet is complete. She has a state issued temporary driving permit with her picture right on it.

Check out the videos HERE. (Give me a few hours and this link will actually work. I have a love hate relationship with my FlipVideo.)

4th of July

We will be spending our 4th as we usually have the past few years.

We watch the town's fireworks display. It's at one of the city parks. They traditionally put on a really outstanding show. Complete with live music, family games, and a local church giving away free Popsicles.

We attend a parade near my husband's childhood home. It's the only parade you can see twice, both coming and going. Without doubt, at least one of his nieces or nephews or cousins will actually be in the parade. Grandma always treats to homemade vanilla ice cream for all the grandkids in attendance. She must save all year in order to afford it!

After the parade, we'll all gather at the home of his nephew for a picnic. Everybody brings a dish. There will also be hamburgers and hot dogs. He has a huge homemade sandbox and playset for the little ones and bigger kids will organize around kickball, softball, or corn hole.

This year our Sunday school small group is planning an evening picnic. So we'll travel from one end of the county to the other and join them for dinner. The hosting home belongs to a neighborhood association that has a large built in pool. So if it's hot enough, the kids can swim.

Oldest daughter Emma has a youth group fund raiser both tonight and tomorrow so, unfortunately, she will be unable to join us. The youth are selling glow sticks and light up toys at two local fireworks displays.