Shopping, Shopping, and More Shopping!

I have spent the last two days shopping for food that will be served to the kids this weekend! I do all the shopping myself, and there is so much to buy, but I don't mind. I usually hit Costco, Smart & Final, Safeway, and sometimes Target. Sometimes I order things to go with dinner that I don't want to confuse my helpers with cooking. I also pick up items during the week that I know I will be needing. I can get the strangest looks by others in the stores when I have a flatbed cart loaded--heaping--with all this food! There is at least one person each shopping trip that asks, "what are you doing"?

We are having a new dinner item this week. I am calling this my "experimental dinner". We'll see if the kids like it and if I figured out the right amount of stuff. We are having "Hawaiian Haystacks" or some might call them "Chicken Sundaes".

I ordered 20 trays of steamed rice from Panda Express tonight. I will pick it up in the morning, just before noon. The haystacks are made by first a scoop of rice. Next, toppings are added to your flavor: chicken, cheese, green onions, pineapple, celery, tomatoes, chow mein noodles, coconut, almonds and then a scoop of "gravy"--which is cream of chicken soup thinned out with chicken broth.

Also on the menu is my asian salad. I make it different than my original recipe, but the modification is best for feeding a large crowd. I mix up the salad as needed. Otherwise, if it sits for too long, it gets soggy and isn't good. Here is my original recipe:

Chinese Cabbage Salad

1/2 head cabbage, sliced

4-5 green onions, chopped

1 pkg. chicken flavor ramen noodles

2 T. sesame seeds

chopped almonds (toasted)

1/2 c. salad oil

1 T. vinegar

1 T. sugar

Salt and pepper

**chicken, optional

Toss together cabbage, onions, sesame seeds, almonds, and broken up ramen noodles. Put together in a jar with lid, the oil, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper to taste, and the contents of chicken flavor packet. shake until blended. Pour over cabbage mixture. Serve immediately. This salad does not keep well.

**add chicken pieces and make a meal