The past few days have been a blur. I am wiped out from a combination of sleep deprivation (teething baby) and tending to FIVE children (Bill’s outpatient surgery). But, I love my family and realize that they are my first ministry. You guys are my second. I hope you can appreciate that and will understand why this menu is a little late.
Once again, I am oven-free this month. You might be wondering how I can continue to cook without my oven. Well, we grill, cook on the stove-top, use the toaster oven, and even the microwave. I cannot wait to share the Spinach Ziti recipe with you that “bakes” in the microwave in just 20 minutes. Delicious!
Other recipes will be coming your way too like:
- Fried Tilapia with Homemade Tartar Sauce
- PennyMom’s Potato Salad
- Rustic Mediterranean Chicken
- Grilled BBQ Ribs
- Shepherd’s Pie
- Tuna Patties
I’m getting hungry just thinking about it!
Be sure to check out the recipes I have linked from some of my favorite Foodies around the blogosphere. If you visit them, tell them that I sent you!
Now, for your free printables:
- August 2011_Blank Planner (DOC)
- August 2011_Dinner Menu (PDF)
Dee Johnson says
I love, love, LOVE using my crock pot. I am in Florida and it gets really hot here (103 outside right now!), so I try to not use the oven also. My daughter-in-law, 3 daughters and I just mixed 10 #’s of ground meat (5 g. chuck & 5 g. turkey) to make some meals with. We made and are having hamburgers tonight (stove top), meatballs (cooking in crock pot) for some other night, 2 meat loafs (raw in freezer, will be cooked in crock pot) and another hunk of meat mixture (raw in freezer for hamburgers or meatballs) for another time as well. Hopefully, all this work will help after the baby is born. It is tiring right now, but I know I won’t have much time (or energy) after the baby is born during the recovery time. My m-i-l used to come help for 1 – 2 weeks, but is unable to this time. Thanks for the menus and recipes. And I think we all understand what your going through. Try to get some rest (if possible) and take it easy. Good luck and God bless.
penny says
Thank you, sweet Dee. I wish I could come help you cook. I know how important it is to have help with the new baby comes. I will certainly be praying for you!
Dee Johnson says
Thank you! Prayers are always appreciated. 🙂
Crystal & Co says
Ummm. no oven menu for the summer. Kinda brilliant! 🙂
Totally sharing this on Facebook. Thanks for linking up!
penny says
Thanks Crystal!
Dee Johnson says
I wanted to let you know how else I cook without the oven. I have been using a large electric skillet to cook my meats. With our large family, it helps out so much and I don’t have to be standing at the stove for long periods cooking more than one batch of ‘what ever’. I have an older one that my dad gave me a while back. It works great. My parents have even cooked a turkey in it for Thanksgiving before. I also use and love my 20 qt roaster oven. Not many people would need one that big though. A 10 qt should be fine for most families. They would be a great investment for families not wanting to heat up the house, (and would probably save on electricity by not running the a/c lower to compensate) and you might could find them used as well, which would be even more economical. Another reason I don’t like using my oven is because it is a propane gas oven. It uses a lot more propane to use the oven than the stove top. We have a large tank that we have to refill and that can be a major expense with the prices of gas going up so much. Thankfully, we haven’t had to fill it yet, there was approximately 40#’s in the tank when we moved in a little over a year ago. 🙂 We are hoping it will last the rest of the year.
penny says
Thanks for the ideas, Dee. I have used my electric skillet lately but cannot imagine cooking a turkey in it. Your’s must be huge!
Dee Johnson says
Yes it is. 🙂 It is called a Lectro Maid, it has a very high lid and is really more than an electric skillet. It is pretty old, I don’t know if they make them any more. I really love it. It is completely immersible so we just toss it in the dishwasher to wash it. 🙂 The best electric skillets are the ones you can completely immerse to wash (in the dishwasher). 😉
penny says
Sounds like I need a new-to-me electric skillet. LOL