Book Review - The Perfect Egg

I received a copy of The Perfect Egg from Blogging for Books.  I get to keep it, in exchange for my honest review of the book.  (Now you know!)

I chose this book for a couple of reasons.  One, we are looking at ways to eat less meat and have more meatless meals.  Eggs are kind of middle ground, since they are an animal product, but in our home, we'd consider an egg meal to be meatless.  My other reason?  We have a few laying hens, and sometimes I feel like the eggs on hand vastly out-number the ideas I have to use them.  My hope with this book was to find some new ideas that would help me use our farm-fresh eggs in different, tasty ways.

The actual book is sturdy, well-bound (I received the hard cover edition) and beautifully photographed.  Each recipe (with the exception of a few technique tips in the first chapter about things like boiling eggs) has a corresponding photo.  Even though beautiful photography can be a setup for a 'Pinterest fail', I do appreciate the attention to detail and the gorgeousness of all the final products.  The photographs help me decide which recipes might most appeal to my family.

This book does include detailed recipes, but the authors also encourage you to make substitutions and adjustments here and there.  This is how I cook all. the. time., so that resonates well with me.  If you prefer to follow recipes exactly, you can, but I appreciate the....permission?....to take a recipe and make it my own.

One thing I'm happy to tell you is that this book is not full of breakfast dishes...or strictly egg dishes.  Sure, it has both, but it also has recipes that will work throughout the day.  Some of the recipes are for breads, soups, and even some spreads - from mayonnaise to an egg butter.  I found many recipes that are different from anything I've ever made or eaten, so I am happy with the scope.  I like to try foods from various cultures, and this book offers many options in that regard as well.

I plan to make the savory strata this coming week, and there are quite a few recipes I'd like to try in the next few weeks.  If you like to cook, if you like eggs in general, and if you're looking for new ideas and inspiration, then I think The Perfect Egg is the perfect place to get a little inspiration!

Blessings, Frugal Accomplishments and Menu

I hope you've had a wonderful week!  Ours has been somewhat busy.  Here are some highlights!

We borrowed books and media from the library, free of charge.  I also purchased several Foxfire titles from the Friends sale shelf.

A friend of mine that I hadn't seen in ages came for a visit.  She has daughters older than ours, and brought some jeans for Daughter.  Best of all, we got to catch up on one another's lives!

Another day, a different friend brought her daughter to play while we mamas caught up on 'stuff and things'.  I am blessed with good friends, near and far.

One day when I was out with Taffy, I spotted a bird I hadn't seen before.  We identified it at a Spotted Towhee....but we didn't get a very clear picture.  Exciting!  Just after this, Daughter declared that she is going to be an ornithologist and study at Cornell.

Meanwhile, Taffy has found a new favorite toy:

There were a lot of freebies on the local buy-sell-trade Facebook page.  I was able to get a box of craft supplies for Daughter and an aloe vera plant.  I was also able to sell off some excess eggs from our hens, and I gave a lady some rhubarb crowns.

I am staying busy scoring for Pearson and putting in some sub hours at the library.  The first week I worked 33 hours between those two things.  I also completed a survey for Pinecone Research.  I signed a contract to do a chicken program for the library in May, and confirmed for nine rabbit programs this summer.

I spruced this guy up this week - his paint was all sun-bleached.
He is out by our little vegetable garden now.
I took a 'before' photo, but I cannot get it to upload.
(I'm still learning this new computer!)

Daughter had to attend a screening for school, and it was in town.  We combined that trip with our town errands to save time and fuel.  With the hours I'm working right now, I decided to check out the bread outlet and see if there were any bargains.  I found large whole wheat dinner rolls (well, for dinner rolls they are large, almost as big as a small hamburger bun) in a 12-pack for .80, Thomas whole wheat English muffins for .80 a pack and a 10-pack of mini (they are nearly the size of normal!) bagels for 1.25.  I purchased one pack of the rolls, two packs of English muffins and one package of bagels.  These will provide for some variety and convenience while I'm busier (the next couple months).   We also stopped at the Asian market for some produce.  They have great prices on some things - bunches of spinach for 69 cents, Napa cabbage for .59/lb. and bean sprouts for 1.29.lb.  We also got something new to try, called Persian cucumber, for .69/lb.  I noticed that they are now carrying a lot of Indian food ingredients - woo hoo!  I also stocked up a little bit on tea and got some more lettuce for .48/head.  We also got some free spinach-artichoke dip from the 'free Friday download' at King Sooper.

My antique jars have a new home along the top of the kitchen cabinets.
I really enjoy seeing them there.

I partially thawed a turkey this week, cut it into parts (much like you'd cut up a chicken) and then wrapped and re-froze most of it.  I put the turkey frame into the crock pot with some celery, onions, spices and water, then stripped the bones.  I got about 3 cups of meat and a quart and a half of rich stock, just from the frame!  The remaining wrapped and frozen pieces will be used in many different ways over then next couple months.

We have been moving some things around in the back yard.  This week we got the clothesline poles moved out of the main area and re-installed over to the side yard.  It makes for more space by Daughter's swings and the picnic table, and the clotheslines are in a better location for me.  There is mint growing beneath the clotheslines now - I bet it will smell nice when I hang out laundry.  We also moved an apple tree to a better location.

This poor tree was hit by a tree we cut down a couple years ago.
We are hopeful that with some time we can return it to a more balanced shape.

Mostly, I dried laundry on the drying racks, but I needed to wash some sheets.  With the clotheslines down right now (we have to pick up new coated cable - it's been about 15 years!), I used the dryer, but I used it on a cold day so that we'd get a little of that heat thrown off into the house.  We also used the wood stove sometimes, to keep the house warm.

They are continuing with spring cleaning at Husband's workplace.  We received some book shelves, a cork board and a dry erase board.

I brought in more daffodils for the kitchen table, and picked a small batch of asparagus from the asparagus bed.  I have some Swiss chard and kale planted in a protective (covered) shelter, along with some radish, spinach and lettuce seeds.  Most of the indoor seedling starts have sprouted - I will likely replant the others some time this week.

Our menu for the coming week reflects some goals we have to eat less meat and more plant-based protein sources....and more vegetables.  Here is our supper menu plan:

S - pasta primavera, spinach-artichoke dip with sliced cucumbers, mango
M - barbecue turkey 'sliders', marinated 3-bean salad, slaw, pickles, apples
T - turkey-lentil-cheese burritos, lettuce, tomato, salsa, fruit salad
W - grilled chicken Cesar salad, garlic toast, mango
R - fish tacos, slaw, oranges
F - ham-cheese crepes, zucchini-onion saute', peaches
S - chicken with vegetables and bean thread noodle, rice, kimchee and nori, fresh fruit

Did you have a good week?  Leave a comment and share your frugal victories!  You can also just let me know how you're doing!  :)

The Week's Blessings and Frugal Accomplishments

I just wanted to share a picture of this Easter egg, even though
it's a bit late.  The butterfly is acutally a temporary tattoo.  I
drew the little flowers right onto the egg with markers.  It was fun!

My friend and I got together a few times this week.  Our daughters played together while we caught up on visiting.  It was so nice to see her - we always end up laughing and having a nice time.

I was able to get some more butter for .99/lb, along with canned pineapple (20 oz.) and mandarin oranges (15 oz.) for .75 per can.  Strawberries were .98/lb, almonds were 4.99/lb. and chunks of cheddar cheese were 1.99/lb.  When the sales changed midweek, grapes were .88/lb., roma tomatoes were .69/lb, broccoli was .98/lb., honey mangoes were 3/$1, sweet corn was .25/ear, leaf lettuces were .48 each and monterey jack cheese was 1.99/lb.  We also found a lonely bag of Easterish Hershey kisses with almonds for $1.44.

I picked daffodils to bring indoors and enjoy.  We walked around the flower beds, taking note of the various perennials that are peeking through the ground.  I was excited to discover two new perennial Oriental Poppy plants that are sprouting.  They probably will not bloom this year, but we're still excited to have them spread some.  I divided a peony bush into three smaller ones and moved on to the front driveway area, and all of those are sprouting, along with the irises that I divided and planted on the terraces.  Last year, we put in a gravel driveway and added a walkway - I am trying to populate the big flowerbed that was 'created' with plants we have on hand.

Peony sprouts.

We borrowed books and media from the library, free of charge.

I began scoring for Pearson this week.  (This is one of the reasons I am only posting one post per week right now - this takes up a considerable amount of my time.)  It is a good job for working from home, but it is short-term.  This is actually fine - scoring the answer to the same question over and over is not something I think I would want to do year-round!  That said, I am really enjoying my project assignment this year.

I baked three loaves of bread, made egg salad, lots of green salad, enchilada sauce, Mexican rice, calzones, sides like rice and steamed vegetables, roasted potatoes and more. I also spent some time making a list of dinner entrees.  I am hoping that the list will make menu planning easier and more fun.

We had some cold weather this week.  Sometimes, using the oven (say, to bake the bread) was enough to warm the house, but we also used the wood stove some.

The ladies that Husband works with sent a potted plant home for me.  It's cute - I hope I can keep it alive!

I continued working on the little garden.  Mostly I am watering the soil daily, to help saturate the area and help the compost and other soil amendments begin to break down and release their nutrients in the soil.  It is still too early to plant anything here without protection, so I'm trying to be patient!  I do have a small triangular cover over a small area of the garden - I plant to sow lettuce, radish and spinach seeds beneath it very soon.

We need some trees to plant along one side of the property so we cut some branches from a poplar and put them into a bucket of water to root.

My friend brought us some sweet-sour jalapeno slaw that she made.  I'll share some marinated three bean salad with her the next time I make some.

I received my next selection from Blogging for Books - review coming soon!

We had a couple of things we have been using for a while that were good examples of 'making do'.  Our Eureka vacuum cleaner is about 8 or 9 years old.  It was working okay, but there was a fair amount of duct tape holding things together.  About a year ago I purchased a second-hand Shark portable vacuum, and I have been very, very happy with it.  I had told husband that when the time comes, I'd like to replace our Eureka with a Shark.  Costco had a really good price on a full-size Shark vacuum.  I did some research and we purchased one.  You know how I said the Eureka was working OK?  Well...I had to empty the Shark canister, um, a few times, the first time I used it on our carpeting.  I am very happy with the performance so far.  It has a five year warranty, plus Costco will stand behind it if we have any problems.

The other item was my laptop.  It has been warning me for quite a while that the hard drive is 'going'  A couple weeks ago it started crashing semi-regularly.  It has been a good computer, but it is old enough that repairs are not worth the cost, and I have been semi-watching for a replacement.  Husband found a great price on a Chrome Book - $129 at Best Buy, one day only.  It doesn't do everything my laptop would do, but it does meet my needs.  (I have had the laptop for 4+ years and put exactly one disc in the disc drive.)  The Chrome Book is solid-state, so the battery lasts much longer, and it turns on instantly.  It's also smaller, light weight and super cute!  I want to make a little quilted tote for it so I can bring it along to the library and such.  I had savings set aside for a replacement computer, but Husband said, "Happy Birthday!" (a little early)  He's quite the sweetie.  (I say that even when he doesn't buy me stuff!)

In this coming week, I will continue with my scoring efforts.  I am also working a few hours at the library on two days, and daughter has a school event we will attend.  It will likely be a busy week.  Here is the supper menu plan:

S - grilled turkey, red broccoli salad (the red comes from red grapes), fresh pineapple
M - sandwiches (turkey, cheese, lettuce, tomato, etc.), bean w/bacon soup, sliced apples
T - fried chicken (from Popeye's, this is their low-price day), mashed potatoes, slaw (I will make the sides at home), grapes
W - spaghetti w/meat sauce, garden salad, garlic toast, fresh fruit
R - ham chowder, corn bread, apples (I may not make this meal if we have a lot of leftovers.)
F - beef fajitas, salad, chips & salsa, fresh fruit
S - pizza (we have gift cards for Domino's that Husband earned with Swagbucks), veggie sticks and dip, apple slices

How was your week?  What did you do to spend less, save more and make do?

Blessings and Frugal Accomplishments, as March turned to April (Plus Menu!)

A friend gave us these pretty butterflies for Daughter - after a bit of de-tangling and a little glue, they were good as new.  We hung them all from a branch in Daughter's bedroom.  So pretty!

We have been working on our garden fortress.  It ought to be deer proof, and will also protect the plants from hail to some extent.  I will write a separate post about it soon.

This week on the local buy-sell-trade page on Facebook, I got two board games for Daughter for $2 apiece.  One is Trouble (pop-o-matic!) and the other is a Lego board game.  They are complete, and even have the instructions.

We picked more daffodils to bring indoors and enjoy.

The jars are a much more vivid blue after cleaning up - this is the 'before' photo. 

I also got this lot of 15 'old jars' for $10 and a dozen eggs from my hens.  They came with a free coating of dust, as well as free pasta, lentils, rice and split peas.  I'll be cooking those up, a little at a time, for my hens.

I also got a free elliptical machine.  The lady said it was 'too tight' and hard to use.  I messaged her about how to adjust the tension level and she messaged me back that it didn't have an adjustment she could find...and that she and her husband both tried to fix it, to no avail.  I figured we could likely repair it, because we're pretty good with that sort of thing.  When we got it home, I saw this:

And turned down the tension...er, resistance.   Okay.

I did a survey for Pinecone Research.  I also subbed some at the library and began my training to score essays for Pearson.

I listened to lots of birdsong.  The chickadees are here, along with the robins and mockingbirds.  I haven't heard the meadowlarks yet, but I've seen some bluebirds.  Welcome, spring!

I asked around about mechanics, because we've had a hard time finding someone we trust and believe in.  I think we have found a gem, thanks to the recommendation of a person who said she thought he was really good, and really cares about what he does.  So far, we would agree with that assessment, and we were also very happy with the cost.  He has a shop at his home, so his overhead is less, and he passes that reduced cost on to his customers.

We hid two peeled, hard-cooked eggs for Taffy.

She loved her Easter egg hunt!

We dyed eggs.  I had not planned well for this and we had very little food coloring, so we used the little packets for making unsweetened Kool-Aid, mixed with water and a splash of vinegar.  We embellished the eggs with items we had on hand - markers, stickers and some temporary tattoos.  Afterward, we dipped some coffee filters in the dye to make butterflies.

I made a phone call in regard to an item Husband had purchased online that was not up to snuff...the customer service lady was very helpful and kind, and agreed that we should not have to pay the return shipping.  If I had not called to inquire, the shipping fee would have automatically been deducted from the refund.

I watched the moon the night it was full.

I enjoyed the scent of the apricot blossoms, along with the buzz of the honeybees tending them.  We got frost the next night, so I'm glad I took a moment to pay attention.

For our Easter breakfast I made an Almond Danish Ring.  It is one of Husband's favorites.  It's quite yummy.

There were a few good sales this past week.  Six ounce cans of almonds were buy one, get one free at Walgreens, and I had coupons to get an additional $1 off two.  Better yet, there were some flavors marked down to 2.99 per can - still BOGO, so they were $1 per can with sale and coupon.  Potatoes were 1.49 for a 10 pound bag, head lettuce (I got romaine) was .99/head, roma tomatoes were .69/lb and broccoli was .98/lb.  I also picked up a fresh pineapple for $1.50 - more than I usually pay, but that was about the best deal for fresh fruit this week.  We also have apples in the fridge and plenty of frozen fruit, applesauce, etc., but fresh is our favorite. :)  We found corned beef on sale for $2 per pound - I think they were overstocked from St. Patricks and just trying to get rid of it, so we purchased one for the freezer.

I enjoyed watching all the garden seeds that have begun to sprout.  I am officially eager for springtime to  come and stay!

This coming week will be a busy one - I have a dinner menu planned and I know I'll make some egg salad.  We'll manage - it's not like we will forget to eat!  Anyway, here is the dinner menu, Sunday to Saturday for this first full week of April:

Easter - I was very tired on Easter...perhaps because a certain little girl woke me at 3:30, because she 'just couldn't wait any longer' for Easter.  We were not really in the mood for a big dinner, and it was a really pretty day, so we played outside, working on the garden and soaking up the sun.  I got out some freezer items (smoky ribs and baked beans) from a few weeks ago, made a salad, and baked some chicken (there were not enough ribs to have leftovers for Husband's lunch the next day).  It made for a nice dinner.

M - taco salad, chips with homemade salsa and guacamole
T - dinner out, because I have a Parent-to-Parent session for Daughter's virtual school
W - beef stew curry over rice, sliced apples
R - homemade calzones, garden salad, pineapple
F - world's best fish sticks (these are from Costco, and they are really good), roasted potatoes, steamed broccoli, pineapple
S - cheese enchiladas, Mexican rice, refried beans, green salad

I hope you have a beautiful week, full of love and joy!  I hope your pas week was a good one too!  If you leave a comment, you can tell me all about it! :)

March Stock-Ups

Hello, all!  Here is a summary of my stock-up items and spending for groceries for the month of March.  Our grocery budget is $180 a month, but we had also rolled some funds over from last month.  In addition, Husband transferred a prescription to King Sooper and received a $25 store credit.  With all of that, I still went a little over budget - $18.10.  I had forgotten to tally a receipt, but truth be told, I'm OK with going over.  I will subtract that overage from the April budget, to even things out.

Bean Burgers are a great way to get non-meat protein.
Just don't try to trick anyone by claiming they are beef!

Listed below are the items I bought in bulk to stock up for future months.  You'll notice different prices at different places for the same item, like butter.  The butter sales came late in the month, after I'd bought a 4 pound shrink-pack at Costco for about $2 a pound.  Later in the month I was getting butter for $1.25 and even .99 a pound!  That is a great price, so even though I had the 4 pounds of butter, I continued buying it at the lower price too.  I have a chest freezer and butter stores really well there.

I bought beef - both steaks and a roast, some fish, chickens, pepperoni, pasta sauce, sugar, flour, butter and more butter, strawberries for jam, condiments, yeast and more.

We spent a little more week-to-week on produce, but we had some really nice meals!

March Stock-Up Summary

Here is my list, along with my total spent on stock-ups:

              6 lb. Challenge butter ($5.94 after sale and coupon, paid with free gift card at King Sooper)
              8 lb. C&H cane sugar (3.98 after sale/coupon, paid with free gift card at King Sooper)
              20 lb. unbleached all purpose flour at King Sooper ($7.16, paid with free gift card)
              2 chickens at King Sooper (88/lb, paid with free gift card)
              2 boxes Bigelow green tea at King Sooper ($1 each after sale/coupon, paid with free gift card)
              2 pkg. Hormel Pepperoni ($2 each after sale/coupon, paid with free gift card)
$    2.76 4 jars Classico pasta sauce at King Sooper
$    1.49 1 jar Kraft mayo at King Sooper
$    4.96 4 lb. Challenge butter at King Sooper (price matched w/coupon at Walmart)
$  23.22  almost 6lb. bottom round roast at Safeway (sliced for teriyaki beef)
$    2.09 2 cans Rumford baking powder on clearance at Safeway
$      .92 2 3/4  lb. cabbage on markdown at Safeway
$    2.38 8lb. C&H cane sugar at Safeway
$    7.96 4 boxes Twinings Red Rooibos tea at Safeway (price matched at Walmart)
$    9.57 2.5 lb. smoked Provolone at Sam's Club
$ 10.99  2.5 lb. grated Parmesan cheese at Costco  (which I then found out was on sale at Albertsons - oh well!)
$   8.99  4 lb. breaded fish at Costco
$   7.98  4 lb. butter at Costco
$   4.79  2 lb. yeast at Costco
$ 27.34  almost 7 lb. petite sirloin steaks at Albertsons
$   2.98  1 lb. grated Parmesan cheese at Albertsons
$   1.18  2 bottles of Kraft barbecue sauce at Albertsons
$   9.52  8 16 oz. jars of Planter's Dry Roast peanuts at Albertsons
$   3.42  3 10oz. bottles of Gray Poupon Dijon mustard at Albertsons
$   4.47  3 30 oz. jars of Kraft mayo at Albertsons
$     .98  2 pkg. of oyster crackers at Albertsons
$   5.00  4 lb. of strawberries at Sprouts - used to make jam to last all year
$     .80  2.4 lb. yellow onions at Sprouts
$143.79

I started the month with $241.68 in the grocery budget, spent $143.79 on stock-up items, and just over $22 a week on items we needed week-to-week, like milk and produce.  All of that combined put me over by $18.10, so I will begin April with $161.90

Yellow cake, baked in a loaf pan, topped with vanilla pudding, fresh strawberries,
frozen blueberries and leftover canned pinapple.

April Stock-Up Plans

We have the Easter sales posted now.  Cook's shank ham is .99 a pound, and I have a coupon that will double to give me $1 off the total price of the ham.  I have a few of those coupons, but I will likely only purchase one ham, because I have almost two whole hams in the freezer right now.  I will also be able to get a little more butter for .99 a pound, so I will do that as well. Potatoes are 1.49 for a 10 pound bag - more than I'm used to paying (they have been going on sale for .99/bag), but still a good price.  As far as items I just need to stock, I will need to get some of the minced garlic that comes in a jar.  I'm not aware of anything else at this time, but I will be re-working the pantry this month, which will give me a chance to do a good inventory.

What deals will you be looking for this month?

Book Review: The Postage Stamp Vegetable Garden

I recently signed up with Blogging for Books!  They send me a book (which I get to request), I read it, and then I review it.  I get to say what I really think about the book that I read - woo hoo!  My only compensation for my review is the reading copy of the book.

My first request was for The Postage Stamp Vegetable Garden, by Karen Newcomb.  Below is my honest review of this book:

I have gardened for a very long time.  I grew up around gardens, and since I became a (supposed) grownup, I've almost always had one.  These days, I find myself in a rather silly situation - five acres of land, but the deer have gotten so comfortable that I can't garden here...well, I can, but the deer eat all the food we grow. 

The only success I have these days is in enclosed spaces, but enclosing a space can get expensive.  With some materials we had on hand, We have enclosed a small, 6x14 enclosure for gardening. 

Enter the book, The Postage Stamp Vegetable Garden, by Karen Newcomb.  It is written specifically for those gardening in tight spaces, including containers, flower boxes and small garden plots.  I thought this book did a good and thorough job of explaining the process, yet I never felt bogged down by 'too much information'.  I liked the information at the beginning of the book that provided some history about different forms of intensive gardening, and I like the way the book is organized through the seasons - preparation of site and soil, adding amendments and planting patterns that help you get the most from a small space, such as companion planting and inter-planting earlier and later crops.  Ms. Newcomb even provides specific plant variety recommendations to increase the chances of success, as well as sources for the varieties she recommends. 

To me, the overall message of the book is that there are a few different ways to succeed.  There are guidelines and suggestions, but no rigidity.  If you can't get one soil amendment in your area, there are suggestions of others that will have similar effect.  If you want to start your own seedlings, the information is there, but there are also some tips for purchasing ready-to-plant seedlings.  There are multiple layout ideas - none of which I would use precisely as shown, but all of which help illustrate the author's suggestions that you plant taller plants to the north (so they don't shade shorter plants), etc. 

I like this book, and I appreciate the flexibility it embraces.  Having gardened a long time, I have used different methods in different locations with varying results, and I think the author did a good job of presenting small-scale, intensive gardening in a broad and informative way.

The new title is a revision of a former book - The Postage Stamp Kitchen Garden Book

Our Menu, as March Turns Into April, plus preliminary Easter dinner plans

I've started planning my menu beginning with Sundays again.  Since Husband takes leftovers to work the next day for lunch, this is just easier somehow.

The black bean burgers with smoked provolone (last week's menu) were really tasty!

While I don't really plan breakfast day to day, I do know that this week, I need to make granola and yogurt - we are low on both.  I think I'll also make some muffins.  We are getting a lot of eggs right now, so I may try to do an egg dish too.

We are starting the week with a few leftovers in the fridge, so I don't think I'll have to make any lunch foods - we will find things on hand and eat those, or else make something simple like a peanut butter sandwich.

Last week's 'southern' supper - ham, blackeye peas, corn bread and green beans.

Suppers are planned as follows:

S - teriyaki beef, rice, sesame spinach, bean sprout salad, kimchee, seasoned nori, macaroni salad, pineapple rings, mochi  (We have had this meal at the time of posting, and it was really good!)

Sunday's supper....

...and mochi for dessert!

M - pulled pork on toasted buns, slaw, strawberries & pineapple

T - chicken enchilada soup, shredded cheese, sour cream, chips with salsa & guacamole

W - lasagna bake, green beans, garlic toast, sliced apples

R - Asian chicken salad w/ chow mein noodles, toasted almonds & mandarin oranges

F - omelets with spinach, cheese and ham, toast, fruit salad

S - leftover clean-up

Easter Dinner - I don't have things completely pinned down, but Husband has requested almond Danish for Easter weekend, and Daughter asked if we can have ham for Easter dinner.  I'd like to have scalloped potatoes....a salad with toasted pecans and thin sliced apples would go nicely with the ham and potatoes...but I will also wait to see what the sales have to offer (I wouldn't mind some asparagus!)  I won't plan a dessert, since we're having the Danish and I suspect there will be a bit of Easter candy.  I could add deviled eggs to the menu too...time will tell.

What's the meal plan at your place this week?