After School Treats

It's that time again!  Just ending a heat wave that really was brutal!  Hopefully it will cool down a smidge or two so that everyone can concentrate and not miss the beach too much.  (Fat chance that that will happen, but it is worth a shot!)

I was thinking of concentrating on crock pot meals, but with the weather being so warm, and the grill working hard, I'll save the crock pot theme for another week.  Getting ready for school also brings back memories of after school treats!  So this week I've been asking folks what their favorite after school treat was or is.  What's yours?

My favorite after school treat was my mom's waffle sandwich.  It was "left over"  brilliance.  My mom took waffles that she had made for breakfast and would put the leftovers in the fridge.  Then when I got home from school she would take a waffle, split in half and toast it until it was crispy and warm.  She would put one half on a plate and would spoon applesauce over the top.  Then she would take crushed walnuts and sprinkle them over the applesauce.  Finally, she would take maple syrup and pour it all over the top. OH YUM!  Toasty, appley, maple yuminess!  My waffle recipe is included in the "After school treats" section on the side of my blog.

My hubby's favorite after school treat was homemade chocolate chip cookies.  His mom and dad both worked, so homemade cookies were a treat.  When I asked if they had a cookie jar that they were kept in, he laughed and said "No, they never lasted that long!"    Cookies and milk are the classic after school treat!  Hubby also  remembers a whole sleeve of Fig Newtons in his Grandfather's (Pop's) old, black, metal lunch box.   He remembers waiting for Pop to come home from a long  day on the road crew, and going through the lunch box to see what was left.  There would always be some cookies left  for him.

When I asked my son about his favorite after school treat, he grinned.  He remembers cookies as well.  Sugar cookies.  They are his absolute favorite after school treat...however, much to my dismay, his favorite sugar cookie comes from a mix out of a red envelope.  Not the recipe handed down generation from generation, but a prepared cookie mix that you just add butter and an egg....heartbreaking. SOMEDAY we WILL have a cookie bake off and he will see the light....I hope!

 My son's second favorite after school treat is peanut butter cookies.  Then magic happened.  As we were talking about them he asked, "Hey, will you teach me how to make them?!"  HECK YES!   Out to the kitchen we went  to get everything ready.  Will there be any left for school?  Probably not!

Baking cookies for after school

To get ready for this week of being back to school and work, I've done alot of prep work ahead.  Predicing and packaging ingredients for dinner make meal prep quick and easy.  I have prebrowned a full pound of hamburger for the tacos and chili.    I stored it in a Ziplock bag in the fridge so that I can measure out what I need when I prepare each meal.    I have also put some bacon that I cooked ahead  for Friday's salad.  Onions and  tomatoes are chopped and in the refrigerator as well. 

 ** Means Recipes are included on the side of the blog under "After School Treats".    Full steam ahead....oh!   Pass the cookies please! 
Monday
Tacos
Rice and Beans

Tuesday  (Back to School)
Chicken Parmesan (cook extra chicken w/o sauce  for Friday's salad)
Spaghetti
Carrots
 Peanut butter cookies  **

Wednesday
Chili (Crock pot)
Cornbread **

Thursday
Hamburgers on the Grill
Corn on the Cob
watermelon

Friday
Chicken Caesar Salad (grilled chicken, romaine lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, mandarin oranges, mushrooms, and bacon)
Grilled Bread with garlic and ricotta

Saturday
Leftovers!