Our Week in Meals #425

Good morning, and happy Sunday! We kicked off January with a break from work and school, some golf, and visits with friends and family. You’ll find all of the highlights from the past few days, along with each of our dinners, in today’s roundup of Our Week in Meals.

For those of you who are new to the blog, Our Week in Meals is where I share a little bit about what we’ve been up to over the past week — as it relates to our dinners each night. This series gives you a glimpse “behind the scenes” at some highlights from our life, shows you how I balance a busy schedule with feeding my family, and offers a few new ideas for your own weekly meal plan.

Now, let’s back up to last weekend…

We went to church on a rainy Sunday morning,

and then got outside for a short walk once the weather cleared.

Brought my neighbor Chip some apples!

Keith’s parents came for a visit that afternoon, we watched football on TV, and otherwise enjoyed a quiet evening at home.

We had Mississippi pulled pork on sandwiches for supper, which I paired with coleslaw, pickles, potato chips, and canned baked beans.

Shall we chat books? This week I read a novel that was set around New Year’s to keep me in the festive spirit! Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore is the story of a woman who lives her life — you guessed it — out of order. Hopping through decades and pop culture fads, Oona is still a young woman on the inside, but ever changing on the outside. Who will she be next year? Philanthropist? Club Kid? World traveler? Wife to a man she’s never met? Surprising, magical, and heart-wrenching, this is an unforgettable story about the burdens of time, the endurance of love, and the power of family.

We took advantage of a sunny, 60-degree day on Monday and played a round of golf as a family.

That’s Gibbs way ahead of us on the green. Hah!

Keith’s brother and our nephew stopped by that afternoon, and supper was a kids’ request: Casey wanted lo mein and Spencer wanted honey garlic chicken. I combined the two and served the lo mein with broccoli (but left out the chicken),

and paired it with the dump-and-bake honey garlic chicken. Big hit!

An early morning walk to start off my Tuesday…

Keith and Gibbs were gone all day in DC for a Caps hockey game. Meanwhile, a friend that I haven’t seen in ages came over for lunch. It was so fun to catch up! She brought some beef from her family’s farm, as well as canned pears, potatoes, and pickles. YUM.

For lunch, I served a version of the sandwich that I ate when we were at The Homestead last week: a baguette with ham, brie cheese, sliced green apple, and Dijon mustard. Love that combo!

This was The Homestead’s sandwich…

We also had potato chips, veggies with Ranch, and oatmeal chocolate chip cookies for dessert.

Another friend and neighbor came by that afternoon with snack mix and fresh kiwi fruit from her parents’ vines, and when the rain arrived we worked on our most recent puzzle.

I made my Beef Burgundy recipe for dinner that night, and we had a cozy, uneventful, New Year’s Eve at home. Pajamas and bed well before midnight!

Wednesday marked the start of 2025…with strong winds and dramatic skies!

Gibbs played 18 holes of golf with a friend, while Casey and I went adventuring up the road to check out our neighbor’s dam and pond.

We had a traditional lucky New Year’s dinner, just like my mom taught me — including pork chops with cornbread stuffing,

hoppin’ john,

and classic Southern collard greens.

Thursday started with a chilly sunrise walk,

and then the boys and I made our way up to Culpeper to run a few errands.

They requested Chipotle for lunch while we were in town, and I gladly agreed! It’s amazing how much the boys can eat at this place…

Supper that night included baked ziti with sausage at Gibbs’ request,

along with our favorite garlic bread recipe and a house salad with candied pecans.

Back to Pilates class on Friday morning with Ashley and Adria for the first time in a couple of weeks! It’s been hard to even remember what day of the week it is, so it was nice to get back into my regular routine…

I picked up groceries, and otherwise had a work day at home. We were supposed to go over to our neighbors’ house that evening, but Casey wasn’t feeling well so we canceled that outing.

Dinner included slow cooker chicken taco soup, which we paired with cheese quesadillas, tortilla chips, and guacamole. A cozy, flavorful meal for a chilly winter night!

And that brings us to the weekend! Keith and I went for a walk on Saturday morning, and then I spent most of the rest of the day testing new recipes in the kitchen.

For dinner, we headed over to Rappahannock Pizza Kitchen in Sperryville — one of our favorites! I had the “hog in the hive” pizza, which included tomato sauce, soppressata, local hot pepper mix, honey, sliced garlic, fresh mozzarella, parmesan, and arugula. It was salty, sweet, spicy, and fresh. Delish!

And of course, we stopped in The Corner Store next door for fresh bread and sweet treats. The source of the inspiration for my Park Ranger cookies…

So there you have it, friends — another week of easy dinner ideas! I hope that you’ve found something new to add to your own table in the days ahead. Thanks for being here, and happy New Year!