2nd Sunday in Advent came early Sunday morning, well before the kids got eyes. I’m up early most days, unfortunately, kicking off the day with a nice hot brew from Black Rifle Coffee.
It’s hard to comprehend that there are only 19 days until Christmas – depending on when you read this post of course.
During the week, I’ll be visiting my dermatologist again to get my minor skin cancer thing removed from my ear. As previously stated, it is a less dangerous version of skin cancer. It does not spread and a surgical procedure should kill it off.
My biggest question and concern is, how much of my ear will be cut off? Will I end up with elf ears this close to Christmas? It might not be a bad thing to get cooler-looking ears.
It’ll be a half-day procedure on Wednesday morning. The worst bit is the waiting time, so I have to bring some reading materials for the waiting time. I hate the uncertain waiting, but grateful for books and technologies to keep me entertained.
It might not be the brightest idea to bring headsets to the procedure, as my ear will be too sensitive after the cutting event.
Cooking for our military families
It is such a privilege to be able to cook and host our military, and their families. They sacrifice so much for the country they serve, and it is important to have strong family values.
Being asked to cook and host for a local unit’s family Christmas event was a pleasure.
I spent 8 hours preparing and smoking roughly 40lbs of bone-in pork loin roast on the Traeger. Afterward, I wrapped it tightly with tin foil, and then we cut it into thick pork chops that we heated up on the Blackstone griddle.
In addition to the meat, we brought a huge selection of pastries, small useful handouts of household items, stockings for the kids – and we even brought Santa to greet all the kids.
Seeing the families and kids enjoy a few hours is absolutely magical, and I’m proud to cook and host these strong families with a few hours of my time.
Created a new dish
I’m sure we all have these moments. Nothing in the fridge and reluctant to go grocery shopping at 5 pm on a Saturday.
After a long day Saturday, and nothing in the fridge other than some lonely vegetables that survived the week, I was frantically scrambling to make family dinner.
Sure, we could’ve opted for take-out dinner, but even that is getting crazy expensive. Inflation is up and companies are still trying to recover from lock-downs.
Instead, I rummaged through our fridge and freezer, attempting to cook something relatively quick. The gang was getting rowdy and needed feeding.
I found some peppers, leek, shrimp, chorizo, chicken stock, garlic, exotic spices, and a few cups of boiled rice. 20 minutes later, I had created a lowly gumbo-like chowder, with a Southern flair, and the family was happily cleaning their bowls. The recipe will be shared shortly.
Lesson learned You never known what you are eating until you've cooked it!
Immune boosting dinners
In an effort to boost our immune systems, fighting off all kinds of viruses during the winter, we will be enjoying a few nice chowders and soups.
It is fairly straightforward to whip up soups, and many delicious recipes don’t require too many ingredients either. We are starting with a few Asian-inspired soups, then a Middle Eastern style lentil dish, and topping off with an Irish potato soup with bacon of course.
We love our soups and I have a feeling these will be delicious.
And, I will of course be using my Dutch Ovens and my Traeger to complete these meals.
Fire up the Traeger. Ready your Dutch oven. Go shopping, and let’s start cooking—another Sunday in the Kitchen with music on the magical Demerbox and wonderful aromas filling the room.
| Weekday | Snacks n’ Breakfasts | Lunch | Dinner |
| Monday | Christmas cookies | Roast beef, sauerkraut, and cheese sliders | Hot n sour dumpling soup with shiitake mushrooms |
| Tuesday | Granola bars | Dumplings with a soy and sesame seed dipping sauce | The Famous Viking Lentil stew |
| Wednesday | Fruit cups | Homemade rice cakes with a soy and sesame seed dipping sauce | Mongolian beef hot pot |
| Thursday | Chocolate filled croissants | Caesar salad with grilled chicken | Smoked potato soup with smoked bacon bits (on the Traeger of course) |
| Friday | Chip bags | Friday cheese melt sliders | Knucklehead gathering, so the family will have to fend for themselves. High risk of take-out dinner. |
One day, I might get so organized that I will link the meals below to my recipes. We can only live in hope!
Have a fantastic week, my friends. I hope you enjoy these meal plans. It is so much easier to make food in advance, although you need to invest several hours during the weekend to prepare the meals.
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