Menu Plan Monday

Well, I have decided it is time to get back into the normal parts of life...starting with menu planning. We are spending so much money on diapers that we have to cut back somewhere! I figure the best place to start is with our eating. I have not really felt much like cooking for the past few weeks (I wonder why?!) so we have been eating fast food more often than I would like. We have plenty of food in our freezer, so I just need to start making things with it! So, here is my tentative plan for the week...I am not making any promises!

Monday: BBQ Brisket Sandwiches- leftover from a meal provided by a friend last week. We need to get this finished up.

Tuesday: Grilled Pork Chops or Steaks- I am not sure which, but the weather is supposed to be really nice, so we might as well grill something outside.

Wednesday: Leftovers- we have church, so we will be short on time.

Thursday: Vegetable Beef Stew- Andrew has been asking for this for a while.

Friday: Valentine's Day Dinner at Church for the 40 and over crowd. The college group is serving and we are helping out. Dinner will be provided for us as well.

Saturday: We are helping some friends paint their house that day, so we will probably just play it by ear.

Sunday: Small Groups, then College Group in the evening- makes meals pretty easy on Sundays!

Wow! That looks fairly easy. Hopefully it will all work out.

Menu Plan Monday

NaBloPoMo Day 17
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I can't believe that I actually followed our menu last week with the exception of Saturday evening when we went to Andrew's parents' house for dinner. It was so nice to not have to worry about what we were having! I think it also helped save some money...always a plus!

Andrew is going to be gone this weekend for a hunting trip- the first in 11 years! So, I will be using up the leftovers a lot then. Here is the plan:

Monday: Chili- it is not supposed to get out of the 30s today, so this will be perfect!

Tuesday: Ham and Cheesy Potatoes with rolls- Andrew's request. I am sure I will make some sort of veggie with this also, but not sure which.

Wednesday: Breakfast- Eggs, Sausage, Biscuits

Thursday: Tacos- we have an extra package of flour tortillas and half of a bag of tortilla chips we need to get used up!

Friday-Sunday: Leftovers or whatever I get a craving for! :)

Menu Plan Monday

NaBloPoMo Day 10
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It is hard to believe it is Monday again! I actually sat down and did my menu plan last night, but am just getting around to posting it. We did pretty well with it last week. Hopefully this week will run as smoothly! Andrew is out of town Wednesday through Friday, so I will be eating some things he does not normally like while he is gone. Here it is:

Monday: Baked Flounder with Butter Garlic Beans (one of our favorite sides)

Tuesday: Roast Pork and leftover green beans

Wednesday: Church- eat in town or leftovers at home

Thursday: Tuna sandwich and carrots with dip

Friday: Peanut Butter Fondue with apples and vanilla wafers, Leftovers

Saturday: Breakfast- eggs, bacon, toast

Sunday: Lifegroups at lunch and College Group for dinner

Menu Plan Monday

NaBloPoMo Day 3
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I know it has been a while, but I really need to start planning out my menu and posting it. We have been eating out way to much lately and we just can't afford to do it any more. Now that I am feeling better (yea!) and am able to cook more, it is time to get back to being frugal and healthier!

This week will be pretty flexible since my brother, Randy will be in town. So, here is my menu plan for this week...I don't know how healthy it is, though. :)

Monday: Hu Hot with Randy- this is always a must when he visits.

Tuesday: Enchilada Casserole

Wednesday: Eat out or at Mom's before church

Thursday: Meatballs, Whole Grain Pasta and Creamy Alfredo- something I sampled at Sam's that I could not pass up. I am adding the pasta.

Friday: The bonfire at Andrew's parent's house for the College Group at church. Hot dogs over open fire, chips, s'mores! Can it get any better?!

Saturday: Baked Flounder and Grilled Asparagus

Sunday: Leftovers

Menu Plan Monday

Well, it has been a while, but I thought I would put up a menu for the week. I have not been very good at sticking to these menus lately. But, nonetheless, here it is...

Monday: Meat Loaf with Roasted Potatoes- Using Lipton Onion Soup Mix for both. A new recipe that I will share if it turns out well.

Tuesday: Leftovers

Wednesday: Leftovers or eat in town before church.

Thursday: We will be in town, so we will probably eat there. We may be having dinner with some friends.

Friday: Breakfast- Eggs, Bacon, Biscuits

Saturday: Cheesy Chicken

Sunday: Cooking dinner for our Moms

Menu Plan Monday

I have not been great about keeping a menu the past couple of weeks. So, I am making a fresh start...again. I am keeping it fairly simple this week because we have a lot of leftovers from last week.

Monday: Tater Tot Casserole (I have been craving this for a while)

Tuesday: Leftovers

Wednesday: Leftovers (or eat in town if we don't come home before church)

Thursday: Mom's Beef Stroganoff and Roasted Potatoes

Friday: Frozen Pizza or Leftovers

Saturday: We are doing the March for Babies (Feel free to click on my button at the top and support me!) We will probably be grilling hamburgers if the weather is nice. It all depends on who stays in town (a lot of family is coming in for the walk) and how much energy I have left. :)

Sunday: Not sure yet. Leftovers, maybe?

Click on the MPM button above for more menu ideas.

Menu Plan Monday

Well, I am trying something new this month. I planned my entire menu (roughly) for the month and am going to try to get all of my main shopping done this week. Then, I will only need to go to the grocery store for things like milk and bread this month. Hopefully, this will cut down on the amount of time I spend at the grocery store and also on the impulse buys that happen when I go to the store.

That being said, here is my menu for this week.

Monday: Leftovers- we ordered a pizza over the weekend.

Tuesday: Either Leftover Cowboy Soup from the freezer or Eating out with Friends at The Forge and Vine. (this will be either Tuesday or Thursday, depending on our friends' schedules)

Wednesday: Pulled Pork Sandwiches (I have yet to try this, but this is the week!)

Thursday: Whatever we did not do Tuesday.

Friday: Taco Casserole

Saturday: Country Potato Chowder

Sunday: Kikkoman Chicken, Grilled Asparagus, Rolls(or leftovers if I don't feel like cooking)

Click the MPM button for more menu ideas!

Help! My House Has Taken Over!

And it is time to take back control!

Last week was a very difficult week for us for many reasons, including the fact that Andrew was sick. Other reasons I am not ready to talk about yet. However, in a weeks time, my house absolutely took over. I had no motivation to do anything more than take care of Andrew. So, the dishes piled up, the clutter mounded, and for the first time in several months, all of my laundry baskets were filled with clean clothes and the floors were piled with dirty clothes!

**I have recently learned how to cross things out in HTML thanks to the Playful Professional, so I will now be crossing things off as I get them done. I love being able to do this!**

1. Get the laundry done!
2. Clean up the clutter on/under/around the coffee table.
3. Write up the final proposal for Scripture Memorization Program.
4. Wash the guest room sheets.
5. Get my direct deposit changed to the new bank.

We are a little behind in our budget because of some "unexpected" expenses that came up. Namely: Property taxes for our cars. Oops! I forgot about those. So, I am trying to keep our menu as inexpensive as possible for the next two weeks. We will be purchasing only the bare necessities.

Monday: Cheeseburgers and Tater Tots

Tuesday: Grilled Ham & Cheese with Tomato or Cream of Potato Soup

Wednesday: Leftover Cowboy Soup (from freezer)

Thursday: Pulled Pork Sandwiches- We never got around to this a couple of weeks ago, so I put the pork in the freezer.

Friday: Sloppy Joes

Saturday/Sunday: Leftovers unless something else comes up.

I may try to make some Apple Dumplings this week...sometime. They are amazing!

Time Off from Planning and Some Venting

I am taking a week off from Monday Madness and Menu Plan Monday. Last week was really crazy: my work schedule was off, I did not stick to my menu, and Andrew ended up getting sick. He was in bed all weekend, downing the cold medicine and trying to fight off the fever that would not leave. We ate out more than we should have and have a ton of left-overs. So, this week, I am just going to play it by ear.

However, I did try a couple of great recipes that were not in my plan and I wanted to share them with you. Both are from a new site I found: What's for Dinner? She has great recipes. You should check them out. Here are the two new recipes that we liked:

Chicken Pockets- This was easy to make, but we ended up needing to use two packages of crescent rolls. The next time we make these, we want to try putting shredded cheese into the mix and maybe topping them with some asiago cheese that will end up crusty on top.

Bourbon Chicken- The recipe does not call for a particular side dish, but the next time we make this, we want to try it with fried rice. It was very tasty!

Now, on to the venting part of this post. Why do people go to work sick? Andrew is sick this week because one of his co-workers came to work sick for an entire week without going to a doctor or taking a day off to try to recover. If she had just taken a couple of days to stay home, take care of herself, maybe see a doctor and get some medicine if that was applicable, she probably would have gotten better faster and no one else would have caught it. As it is, Andrew is home sick today, another girl is home sick today, and a third person is starting to feel sick. And, the original sick person?... you guessed it- still at work!

I mean, I realize that some people can't afford to miss a day of work. I appreciate that! I really do. But, if you have to go, take all of the necessary precautions to keep from spreading it to others.

Being in the healthcare profession, I understand the pressure that can be put on a person to be at work. However, I feel that in my profession, I am doing my patients' a disservice if I show up sick. They are already more susseptable to getting sick and the last person they need around them is another sick person.

That is my two cents. What do you think? Am I overreacting? Does this bother anyone else? Do you go to work when you are sick? I promise, I won't think any worse of you if you do. I just want to get someone else's perspective.

Monday Madness and Menu Plan Monday

Update from last week: I got my pantry cleaned out (pictures to be posted later), my manuals folder cleaned out, and got half of the podcasts up. I seem to be very productive at the beginning of the week and then it trails off. So, there are some repeats this week from last week's list.

1. Finish the podcasts. I got the software I need now to edit them the way I need to.
2. Finish my plan for the church Scripture Memorization Project I am trying to get started.
3. Get my taxes done. I got the last paperwork in the mail over the weekend.
4. Go to the bank. I have been carrying around a couple of checks to deposit for a couple of weeks, now.
5. Work on the paper clutter in the office.

Last week, we tried the Creamy Chicken Burritos. They were great! They were very easy to make, inexpensive, and yummy! We used wheat tortillas and that added a lot to it! Also, I think next time, we will try shredding the chicken instead of chunking it. Unfortunately, I don't know how they are for left-overs. I set the pan on the back of the stove to let them cool before putting them in the refrigerator. When I got up Friday morning, they were still sitting right where I left them! I was so disappointed!

On to this week's menu:

Monday: Cowboy Soup- This makes a big pot and we can eat on it for lunches and freeze some for later, also.

Tuesday: Leftovers

Wednesday: Eating in town or leftovers at home. It depends on whether or not we come home before church.

Thursday: Slow Cooker Pulled Pork, Grilled asparagus

Friday: Monterrey Chicken, Green Beans

Saturday: Polynesian Pot Roast, roasted potatoes, rolls (a new favorite around our house. Andrew has been begging for it lately!)

Sunday: Leftovers unless something else comes up.

*I only put links to new recipes. You can find links to the other recipes in my older MPM posts, or ask me for the recipe in the comments or by email.

Menu Plan Monday

My menu did not go quite as planned last week. I got off to a good start with the meatloaf on Monday. But, I did not do any of the other recipes until Saturday night when I did the Meaty Spaghetti (from Tuesday's menu). The spaghetti was great and I highly recommend the recipe! I don't think it actually needs to be in the crock pot as long at the recipe called for, though. So, this week will be carry over from last week's menu. We also have some left-overs we need to take care of.

Monday: Mom's for Dinner

Tuesday: Leftovers

Wednesday: Eating in town before church (Shakespeare's, maybe?)

Thursday: Creamy Chicken Burritos

Friday: More leftovers

Saturday/Sunday: Polynesian Pot Roast or Cowboy Soup

What I have decided to do is only provide links to recipes for new dishes. If you want one of the recipes, you can look in my older MPM posts or ask for it in the comments section. I just have not saved all of the links after I put them on my recipe cards. If this becomes a problem, please let me know.

Menu Plan Monday

Last week's menu did not go that great. I only made two of the meals from it. So, this week will have a few carry-overs from last week as well as some new menus. First, I have to say that the No-Fuss Pork Chops were not any good! I don't recommend them- at all! The Stroganoff was ok, but not as good as my mom usually makes, so I am going to get her recipe and try that. So, here is my menu for this week:

Monday: Meat Loaf, rolls.


Tuesday: Meaty Spaghetti with Texas Toast

Wednesday: We will be in town for church this night, so we will either eat out, or eat leftovers when we get home.

Thursday: Creamy Chicken Burritos, Tortilla Chips.

Friday: Leftovers

Saturday/Sunday: We will see when we get there. Possibly will try the Fried Chicken since I did not get to it last week. My brother also may be in town, so we may eat out or at my Mom's.

Head over to I'm an Organization Junkie for more menu ideas.

Menu Plan Monday

I don't know how much I will be able to stick to my menu this week as Andrew is sick, I have been sick, and we may have company this week. This being said, here is the plan for the week:

Monday: Three-Step Stroganoff, Salad, Rolls, Orange Cake

Tuesday: No-Fuss Pork Chops; Wild Rice, Salad

Wednesday: Leftovers/Eating in town- we have church and will already be in town if we both are well enough to go to work.

Thursday: Meaty Spaghetti, Garlic Texas Toast

Friday: Cowboy Soup/Chili (Frozen from last week)

Saturday: Fried Chicken, Baked Potatoes, Salad- This is my first go at Fried chicken. I am scared, but am going to give it a try.

Sunday: Leftovers

Head over to Org Junkie for more recipes.

Menu Plan Monday

Last week, I had planned to try three new meals- I got two done. We put off Sandi's Stromboli because we ended up going to babysit for Gavin on Thursday. So, I will continue to put it on the menu until I get it done. However, I must say, the Country Potato Chowder and the Polynesian Pot Roast were absolutely amazing! I would highly recommend both of them. Go here for last weeks menu to find the recipes.

With the Polynesian Pot Roast, I also tried another new potato recipe: Creamy Potato Sticks. It was really good as well. It puts a new twist on "cheesy potatoes." Here is the recipe:

Creamy Potato Sticks

1/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. milk
1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed cream of celery soup, undiluted
1/2 lb. process American cheese, cubed (I used Velveeta)
5-6 large baking potatoes, peeled
1 c. chopped onion
Paprika

In a saucepan, combine flour and salt; gradually whisk in milk until smooth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Remove from heat; whisk in soup and cheese until smooth. Set aside.
Cut potatoes into 4 in. by 1/2 in. by 1/2 in. sticks; place in a greased 13 X 9 X 2 baking dish. Sprinkle with onion. Top with cheese sauce.
Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 55-60 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Sprinkle with paprika.
Yield: 6 Servings (I actually fed 5 people with this and had 1/2 to 3/4 of that again left over.)

On to this week's menu:
Monday: Chili and To-Die-For Mexican Cornbread I found this on last week's WFMW post. We are going to Mom's for dinner

Tuesday: We are caroling with people at church and are meeting at 5:30, so we will probably either grab something on the run or eat leftovers at home afterward.

Wednesday: Shakespeare's Pizza- a local legend. With my brother in town, we thought he should try it. Plus...I have a great coupon that expires at the end of the year.

Thursday: Leftovers

Friday: Sandi's Stromboli- we will try again! :)

Weekend: This is kinda up in the air because we don't know what family is coming in to town when. We will probably be out at Don and Nancy's some this week.

Menu Plan Monday

Is it Monday again already?! O.K. I was inspired by several recipes I found last week, both at The Wayfaring Stranger with her WFMW post on Stromboli and the Slow Cooking Thursday over at the Org Junkie's website. And, as usual, I did not get all of my meals made last week as planned, so there is some roll-over this week.

Monday: Country Potato Chowder (see last weeks MPM for the recipe)

Tuesday: Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup

Wednesday: Eating out before Church

Thursday: Polynesian Roast Beef with Rolls

Friday: Leftovers

Saturday: Sandi's Easy Stromboli

Sunday: Leftovers

We had our progressive dinner last Friday night with the college group from church. We had such a wonderful time. We were so thankful to all who opened up their homes and served us so graciously! It was a true lesson in Christian love! I collected several recipes from that. I am sure they will be popping up soon. Have a great week!

Menu Plan Monday

It has been a while since I have posted my menu for the week. Things have been pretty crazy. But, better late than never...


Monday: Leftovers- Andrew is working late.

Tuesday: Spaghetti

Wednesday: Eat out or leftovers- Andrew is working late and we have church

Thursday: Country Potato Chowder

Friday: College Progressive Dinner

Weekend: Leftovers- My brother is going to be in town, so we will probably eat out some, also.

Recipe for Country Potato Chowder:

6 bacon strips, diced
1 med. onion, chopped
3 celery ribs, chopped
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 quart half-and-half cream
4 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 cans (10-3/4 oz each) condensed cream of celery soup
2 tbls dried parsley flakes
1 tbls Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp seasoned salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 cup sliced carrots
1 cup fresh or frozen green beans, cut into 2 in. pieces
1 can (14-3/4 oz) cream-style corn

In a Dutch oven, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp; remove with a slotted spoon to paper towels. Drain, reserving 2 tbls drippings. In the drippings, saute onion and celery until tender. Sprinkle with flour and stir until blended. Gradually add cream. Stir in the potatoes, soup, parsley, Worcestershire sauce, seasoned salt and pepper. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1 minute. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the carrots and beans. Cover and simmer 15 minutes longer or until the vegetables are tender. Stir in corn and reserved bacon; heat through.
12 servings

Menu Plan Monday

Well, last week did not go quite like I had planned. We ended up being gone every night but Monday. So, I did not make any of the things from last week except the Caesar Pork Chops, which did not turn out that great. The Seasoned Potato Wedges were good. Here is the recipe:

1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup grated Parmesan Cheese (I also added some shredded because I had it for the pork chops)
1 tsp paprika
3 large baking potatos (about 2-3/4 lbs)
1/3 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, melted and divided

In a large resealable plastic bag, combine flour, Parmesan cheese and paprika. Cut potatoes into eight wedges each; dip in milk. Place in the bag, a few at a time, and shake to coat. Place in a greased 15-in. x 10-in baking pan. Drizzle with 2 tbls butter. Bake uncovered at 400 for 20 minutes. Turn wedges; drizzle with remaining butter. Bake 20-25 minutes longer until potatoes are tender and golden brown.

Sour Cream Dip:
2 cups (16 oz) sour cream
8 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
2 tbls snipped chives
1/2 tsp garlic powder

In a bowl, combine ingredients. Serve with warm potato wedges.

So, here is the menu for this week:

Monday: Vegetable Beef Stew

Tuesday: Spaghetti

Wednesday: Root Hog

Thursday: We are leaving for Tennessee to see my nephew play football, so we will probably grab something on the way. If we wait to leave until Friday, we will have leftovers.

Friday/Saturday: Tennessee

Sunday: Shower- Leftovers

Menu Plan Monday

Last week, we tried the Hashbrown casserole. I am going to try it again, but with sausage instead of ham. I think that will give it a better taste. We froze half because the full batch is too much. I will only make this when we have company.

My allergies have been acting up since last Wednesday and I spent the entire weekend in bed (or in Andrew's recliner) without a voice and feeling like someone had worn out a piece of sandpaper on my throat! I am feeling much better today, thankfully. Combine this fact with the fact that I am supposed to start my job this week (they have been very understanding that I had to post-pone it from today), I am going to keep this week's menu pretty simple. This weekend, we also got our quarter of the beef that we split with Andrew's family, so I wanted to get some of our older stuff used up. So, here it is:

Monday: Caesar Pork Chops, Seasoned Potato Wedges, Cheddar Biscuit Cups- I did not get around to this meal last week, so we will try again! The recipe is in last weeks MPM.

Tuesday: Spaghetti with Meat Sauce with Garlic Texas Toast- a simple, but tasty favorite!

Wednesday: Frozen Pizza (or eating out- not really sure)- this will be my first day at work. We will see what happens.

Thursday: Root Hog

Friday: We are going to St. Louis to see Casting Crowns in concert with the Ellis family, so we will probably just grab dinner on the way.

Saturday: Vegetable Beef Stew- one of Andrew's winter favorites.

Sunday: Root Hog again!

Menu Plan Monday

Well, it is that time of the week again! Last week, I was successful with my menus- I only changed up the order a little bit. And, we did not eat out for dinner on Wednesday! For those that are interested, here is the recipe for the Kikkoman Chicken I made last week. It turned out great and I changed it up a little from how I usually make it. We also really like the potatoes, but probably would eat them with something else next time.

Recipes from last week:
Kikkoman Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 c. soy sauce
1/3 c. mayonaise
4 tsp. distilled white vinegar
1 lg. garlic clove (this is worth it if you have it- if not I have used garlic powder or garlic salt, but it was not as good)

Blend the marinade and pour into a large plastic storage bag with the chicken. Marinate for 20 minutes, turning bag occasionally. Broil chicken 7 minutes on each side or until no longer pink in center. Time: 35 minutes Serves: 4

When I broil it, as I always have in the past, it always ends up setting off my smoke alarm and it has always taken more than 7 minutes. This time, I put it in a 9x13 baking dish, poured some of the marinade on top and baked it at 400 for about 40 minutes. Again, until it is done in the center. (I turned it over about half way through and poured more marinade on top.) Then, I turned on the broiler for about 2 minutes until it looked golden and caramelized on top. It looks prettier that way. It was done at the same time as my potatoes and was much easier to clean up!

OK- on to this week's menu:
Click picture to see other people's menus.

Monday: Enchilada Casserole with Chips

Tuesday: Breakfast- Hash Brown Casserole, Biscuits

Wednesday: Caesar Pork Chops, Seasoned Potato Wedges, Cheddar Biscuit Cups

Thursday: Root Hog (The term Andrew's family used growing up for leftovers- it has kinda stuck)

Friday: Bonfire with the college group at Don and Nancy's house.

Recipes for this week:

Enchilada Casserole
1 lb ground beef
19 oz can of Enchilada sauce
Shredded Cheddar cheese
Flour Tortillas
Tortilla Chips
Sour Cream

Heat oven to 350. Brown the hamburger and drain. Add 1/2 - 3/4 of enchilada sauce and about 1 cup of cheese (or how much you want- I usually just add until it is kind of stringy). Mix until the cheese is melted. Spoon mixture into flour tortillas, roll, and place in a 9x13 baking dish. Repeat and line until the dish is filled- there should be some of the mixture left over. Spoon the rest of the mixture and sauce over the enchiladas in the pan. Top with cheese. Bake about 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Cut into squares and serve.

Caesar Pork Chops
1/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/2 c. Kraft Creamy Caesar Salad Dressing
4 center cut, bone in pork chops (1/2 in. thick)
1/4 c. shredded Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375. Mix flour and Italian seasoning in one dish. Place dressing in another dish. Coat thawed pork chops with flour mixture and then dressing. Place in a greased glass baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake until no longer pink in the center. (about 35-40 minutes)

Other recipes will be posted if they turn out well.

Menu Plan Monday

OK. I found this on Sandi's blog and really liked the idea. Now that I am going to be home more during the week (two whole days!!!!) I want to really work on planning out my weekly menus better so we eat better and save more money. This week, being my first week to try this, is not very fancy. Especially since we are going to be out of town this weekend.
For future notice, there are some things you need to know about our typical weekly schedules. First, I will be working most Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, so those days will probably be lighter. Also, Wednesdays, we often eat in town before church, so there may not be many meals on those days.
If you are interested in more about Menu Plan Mondays, look here.
So here is my menu for this week:

Monday: Deli Sandwiches and Fresh Vegetables

Tuesday: Kikkoman Chicken (one of our favorites-I am happy to share the recipe) and Sweet and Smokey Potato Wedges.

Wednesday: Dinner Out

Thursday: Frozen Pizza

Friday-Sunday: Out of Town--We will definitely have some skillet potatoes and Funnel Cake from Silver Dollar City!!!