Moovalous Monday

You all know I love cows. Apparently these love me back. Can you see the white hearts on their heads? I thought we could all use a little extra love since it's Monday.

I had a wonderful week visiting family in Maryland and going down just about every back road in Lancaster county, all that farm land restores my soul. I've got lots of pictures to share this week. I'll start sharing them tomorrow. For now we'll just have to be satisfied with menus. After all, I've still got a lot of unpacking to do. And, my mom's on her way with a couple of bushels of corn for me to put in the freezer. Y'all have a moovalous day!

Monday--grilled sausage, corn on the cob, tomato dumplings, watermelon
Tuesday--spaghetti with meatballs, french bread
Wednesday--All-American Chicken & Vegetables, bread, applesauce
Thursday--buttermilk pancakes, bacon, blueberries
Friday--French Dip, kaiser rolls, home fries, carrot sticks
Saturday--homemade pizza
Sunday--leftovers

Tomato Dumplings
Now this isn't my aunt Jean's tomato dumplings, I've still got to wrangle that recipe from her, but it is a yummy second. If you've never had this, it deserves a try. It's a little on the spicy side. It'd also be a great accompaniment for a cajun dish as well.

1/4 c. butter
1/2 c. chopped onion
1/4 c. chopped bell pepper
1/4 c. chopped celery
1 bay leaf
1 28oz. can crushed tomatoes, undrained
2 tsp. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. basil
1 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. butter, chopped
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 c. milk
1 tsp. parsley

Melt the 1/4 c. butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, pepper, celery and bay leaf; saute 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, brown sugar, salt, pepper, and basil. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, simmer 3 minutes. Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Cut in butter until crumbly. Add egg, milk, and parsley, stirring until moist. Drop dough by tablespoons into tomatoes. Cover and cook over medium-low for 20 minutes. Remove bay leaf. 4-6 servings