I was at Elery's all weekend, so Cooper had a burger from McDonald's on Friday night after the three hour drive, I had some hummus and raw veggies. Saturday we got up and had fresh eggs (I took a dozen with me, I'm NOT eating those store bought things!) on toasted English Muffins, then went into Ann Arbor. I bought another mini-muffin tin at Homegoods to make the quiches go a little faster and a set of wooden "salad hands", hand painted in the Philipines, just because they were different than anything I'd ever seen. We went to Whole Foods and bought some artichoke/fennel/edamame salad and a couple of sweet potato latkes from the deli and a "made in Michigan" granola bar, then went to Trader Joe's, where we stocked up on Dubliner cheese, some peanut butter filled pretzels for the kids, the flax seed chips that I like. Supper was with his son and DIL and sometime in there we had pinto beans and cornbread. Sunday morning we had a late brunch, salmon patties, some of the salad from Whole Foods and the rest of the hummus. I started home and stopped at Horrocks where I bought two cases of cheap wine for Amanda's wedding reception in October, where I'll store it I don't know. Also avocados at 32 cents each, some fresh beets, mangoes at 2 for $1, celery, carrots, sweet potatoes, a head of romaine, a daikon radish, cauliflower and broccoli. Two hours later I stopped at McDonald's in Newaygo and got Cooper an ice cream cone and myself a Diet Coke, and when I got home I made a big salad. (Sigh) Very healthy, I wish I liked salad a little better. Cooper ate the last of the chicken in the fridge. Last night I left work and went home and made some chicken livers with bacon, steamed some broccoli and ate the rest of the salad. And now I'm caught up, but no pictures of anything... Annie

Same thing...... I just mixed them up....was going to freeze them and bake Tuesday morning.....but they are very soft...I am guessing the ham was fattier then I usually get....next time I will buy a piece of ham and ask to have it ground... anyhow they were too soft to freeze in a pile and I don't have freezer room for that big tray. So I am baking tonight....and then what? Refrigerate them with the syrup and warm up? Only bake for 1 hour instead of the required 2 and then bake another hour or more to allow for the warm up, on Tuesday? And the kugel? I was going to do it morning of.....but the way my week is shaping up....thinking I better bake it tomorrow and re heat in the micro on Tuesday.... Big dog is still here and won't be going home until tomorrow. Her mommy is on a plane flying to Mineapolis, to catch a plane to Kansas City, so they can drive to Des Moines... I know...I am confused too! Here's the recipe....sounds very blah....but I know from experience it's very good! SWEDISH HAM BALLS 1 lb. ground ham 1/2 lb. ground pork 1/2 lb. ground beef (lean and good quality) 1 C. oatmeal 1 C. milk 2 eggs Mix well and make into small balls. Place in baking pan. Mix: 1 C. brown sugar 1 tsp. dry mustard 1/2 C. vinegar 1/2 C. water Pour over hamballs. Bake in slow oven. 325 degrees. Plan on two hours. They must be turned every half hour or so and the liquid should become syrupy and ham balls dark reddish brown. The secret is slow, long cooking. Cut down to 300 if they seem to brown. Mildred Campbell

Grain salads were always one of our family's packed lunch staples. MEDITERRANEAN WHEAT BERRY SALAD 3/4 cup wheat berries 3/4 cup brown rice 6 Tbs. basalmic or red wine vinegar 1 (6 oz.) jar marinated artichoke hearts 2 Tbs. olive oil 2 tsp. Dijon mustard 1/2 tsp. dried oregano 2 Roma tomatoes, cut in 1/2 inch cubes 1 cucumber, cut in 1/2 inch cubes 3/4 cup thinly sliced green onion (or less if desired) 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese 1/3 cup calamata olives, pitted and halved 1/3 cup chopped fresh mint leaves 1/4 cup chopped parsley Salt and pepper Combine wheat berries, rice and 6 cups water in a 3 quart pan. Add salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover and simmer until grain are tender to bit (30 to 35 minutes). Drain well; pour into large bowl. Drain artichoke marinade into bowl with grains. Coarsely chop artichokes and add to bowl along with vinegar, oil, mustard and oregano. Mix thoroughly; let stand until cool. Add remaining ingredients and salt and pepper to taste. Mix. BEEF-BARLEY SALAD - serves 4 10 oz. well-trimmed flank steak 1/2 tsp. salt 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice 2 1/2 cups defatted chicken broth 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 tsp. grated lemon zest 1/2 tsp. ground ginger 1 1/2 cups quick-cooking barley 6 oz. green beans, cut into 1 inch lengths 1 Tbs. olive oil 2 carrots, shredded 2 tomatoes, cut into 8 wedges each 2 Tbs. coarsely chopped toasted pecans 4 cups torn romaine lettuce leaves Rub the steak with 1 Tbs. of the lemon juice and the salt. Grill or broil until medium-rare. Let cool, then refrigerate overnight. Next day, cut the steak on the diagonal in bite-size pieces, reserving any juices. In a medium saucepan, combine 2 cups of the broth, 1/2 cup of water, the garlic, lemon zest, and ginger and bring to a boil over medium heat. Add the barley, reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook until the barley is almost tender, about 8 minutes. Add the green beans and cook until the beans are crisp-tender and the barley is tender, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat; do not drain any remaining liquid. In a large bowl, combine the remaining 1/ 2 cup broth, the remaining 3 Tbs. lemon juice, the steak juices, and the oil. Add the beef and everything else except the lettuce, tossing well to combine. Pack lettuce and salad mixture separately and serve salad on top of lettuce.

Had "brunch" for lunch.Planned to go to Church but it was "froggy" out so decided to stay home.DD fixed biscuits,bacon and eggs over easy.Had supper about 2 hours ago.I know,way too late to be eating.DD made a hamburger ring that is delicious.She browns lean hamburger with chopped onions and garlic,salt,pepper and any seasonings you like.Sometimes she adds diced potatoes.You can put just about any vegetable you like in it.Open 2 cans of crescent rolls and place each roll together,overlapping each other in a circle on a pizza pan with the wide side in the center,leaving a hole in the center of the dough.Arrange the meat mixture in the center of the dough,top with shredded cheese of your choice.Pull the narrow sides of the crescent rolls over the meat mixture and press down.The meat should be encased in the dough.Bake at 350 until golden brown.Deeelish!