7QT: What's For Dinner and Guess the Baby Day

Way back in May, I asked for some help with easy evening meal prep.  Some good Samaritans have linked up, and some have emailed me good recipes like this one and this one.

YOU can still join the One Pot Wonder Link Up.  It's not too late.  

An InLinkz Link-up

I have been using the recipes from the link-up.  Correction.  My children have been using them and will continue to do so.  There are lots of good things linked on there.

Patrick came up with this brilliant idea that our four oldest children could each take a night of the week and make dinner.  Summer Fun!

Their reactions ranged from outrage, to patient acceptance, to excited curiosity.

We even let them decide what's for dinner, within reason.  We haven't had to veto anything yet.  I just send them "shopping" in the deep freeze and remind them what we've had the last few nights.

1.

Sunday:  Patrick and I were empty nesting so we had to cook for our own selves.

He grilled pork tenderloin and Turano bread brushed with olive oil and sprinkled with garlic salt (so good), I faked a tortellini salad (tortellini/halved grape tomatoes/chopped black olives/hard salami/Italian dressing) while he whipped up a garden fresh salad from our garden that only has lettuces so far.  We welcomed my Road Trip Warrior In Laws and returning childrens with a homecooked meal.

2.  Monday:  Susan made a vinaigrette and used it to marinate boneless, skinless chicken breasts, which were then grilled by her father.  Add to that recycled bread, tortellini salad, lettuce salad with homemade vinaigrette. Bueno.

3.

Tuesday:  Patrick and Edmund made this Spinach, White Bean, and Italian Sausage Soup, because it was a yucky, cold, and rainy day.  We used kale instead of spinach.

Good thing I caught an error early on.  First, someone was inadvertently thawing Bratwurst instead of Italian Sausage.  See?  I'm still a critical part of the operation here. And that grilled bread appeared again as crostini for the soup.  Still delicious.

4.

Wednesday:  Peter made Campfire Beans from the America's Test Kitchen Slow Cooker Revolution Volume 2.  He also grilled the previously mentioned bratwurst, heated up sauerkraut, invited his cousin for dinner, and had her make another lettuce salad.

Delegation:  a skill all of my children are born with.

5.

Thursday:  Lucy made Spicy Shredded Chicken from Charlotte of Waltzing Matilda's link above.  She used chicken thighs and Charlotte's version and it was delicious.

6.  Friday (Today) is Lucy's birthday, and provided she is not asked to share her birthday with a new sibling, she has requested grilled shrimp and pasta.  I'm certain Patrick will provide both (he da man), or they can order pizzas should Patrick and I be elsewhere and otherwise occupied.

For Lucy's birthday dessert, she asked for the incredible yet work-intensive Summer Berry Pie, but I am phoning it in with the ever-so-simple-yet-delicious Sorbet Pie.

My mother invented Sorbet Pie when my dear sister Mary was little.   Mary was allergic to eggs and dairy, so my mother made graham cracker pie crusts with non-dairy unsalted margarine, and filled them with non-dairy fruit sorbets.  Dairy Free Ice Cream Pie!

I'm probably going to buy my graham cracker pie crusts, or make someone else make them with real butter (though I'd rather not turn on the oven these days).  We have an assortment of sorbets that were on sale at Aldi for $.99 a pint.  I have "sampled" the raspberry, and in my professional opinion, it's just as good as Haagen-Daaz. We also have lemon and mango.  Any flavor tastes good in a graham cracker crust.

7.  Less than ten days until Thornton Baby 6.0's due date!

Who wants to hazard a guess as to when the latest model will actually arrive?

Gender and weight guesses optional.  Because let's be honest, I don't really care about gender or weight at 38.6 weeks.

Here are my stats:
Peter:  4 weeks early 7lb. 4oz.
Susan:  On the Due Date 8lb. 12oz.
Lucy:  5 days early?  can't remember zactly, but she was a little early.  8lb. 13oz.
Edmund:  4 weeks early.  Shaddup.  My dates WERE correct!  9lb. 2oz.  Biggest preemie they ever saw.
Jill:  5 days early.  7lb. 12oz.

BUT!  Colleen, Dwija, and others (Hello Kathy!) who had five children early, yet delivered their sixth in a less timely fashion have put the fear of overdue-ness in me.

Leave your predictions in the combox, and may the odds be ever in your my favor.

Linking up with with Kathryn at Team Whitaker who also just had her sixth baby late!