Weekly Meal Plan Menu (Week 36)

This week’s meal plan was brought to you by:

The Spiffy Cookie | Foodtastic Mom | The Pajama Chef | Big Bear's Wife | The Cooking Actress | Pies and Plots

Something Saturdays (10/29/16)

It's been a pretty darned good week! The wedding last weekend was super fun, in a gorgeous Columbus venue (I highly recommend Vue in Columbus if you like industrial, so cool!) Monday my cousin Brianna came over and hung out for a bit, which was fun. And Tuesday we hosted our first ever dinner in the new house-for Michael's dad and stepmom! I made roast, pierogi, and rolls and Jeanne brought a salad and apple pie and ice cream. Everything was so delicious and we had such a nice time. We even watched a little of the world series (I live about an hour from Cleveland so people are PRETTY stoked). Wednesday I ran some errands, which included upgrading my phone (I had an iPhone4 that was starting to act up, so I was definitely due): and then I had way too much fun playing with it, primarily with the snapchat filters :P Other than that I've just been working and stuffs. And TOMORROW is our neighborhood's trick-or-treat! Our first time having trick-or-treaters! There's lots of kids in our neighborhood so I imagine it will be busy. Michael's gonna have to do the first hour or so by himself (I work until 4 and it's happening 3-5) but I'm excited!

Sooo I've started Christmas shopping-is it early? I don't think so. Regardless, a friend of mine and Michael's has started up a facebook page to advertise his custom homemade wooden gifts (these include toys and also lots of other cool stuff) and there's some awesome ideas on there for Christmas gifts! Michael and I actually already own quite a few of his pieces.

I love Lin Manuel Miranda. I loved In The Heights. I love history. So it breaks my heart that I don't get to see Hamilton on Broadway. BUT I did get to watch this amazing documentary on PBS (which I watched online and so can you!) called Hamilton's America. It talks about the history, the process of making the musical, and it shows lots of clips from it. Love love loved it.

Dark Chocolatey Hazelnut Spread Stuffed Blondies #Chocmeister

Ok sooo....I've documented that fall is not my favorite time of year. I know I know, everyone else in the world loves it. Sorry, all-it's not for me. HOWEVER-one small perk about the cooler weather and fall is that it's time to LET THE RICH FOOD COMMENCE! Bikini season is over? Eat all the yum yums! Plus we have Halloween and Thanksgiving--holidays largely known for eating an excess of food. And this is a thing I'm totally down with. SO, in the spirit of EAT ALL THE FOOD I made us some brown butter blondies stuffed with rich and gooey dark chocolate hazelnut spread (My new fave=PB & Co's Chocmeister). You're welcome :) 

Admittedly, I made these blondies in my old house. BUT I still have to gush about how much I'm loving baking in my new kitchen-the counter space is downright intoxicating. There's the big old island that is the perfect workstation for all of my masterpieces-making even more complicated treats fun to make. Of course...these blondies are so far from complicated. I would have been able to easily whip them up even in my super tiny New York apartment kitchen, So gather 'round bakers with kitchens large or small....you're going to want to give these blondies a try.

So these are essentially deliciously chewy, yet somewhat crisp, brown sugar cookie bars made with browned butter (aka the thing that makes all other things better), studded with chocolate chips, with a layer of gooey chocolate hazelnut spread (such as Nutella, Nocciolata Rigoni, or-my choice-Chocmeister!) And then I topped the whole thing with some sea salt. 'Cuz that's what we do here.