8/24-8/28 Weekly Menu Round-Up

The other day when I was planning out this week’s menu, I shared that I think planning it has been the highlight of 2020. Ever since I was younger, I have become such a planner. That being said, I LOVE planning Weekly Menu’s and am really excited for this week’s. Just like last week’s, I have TONS of one pan/Crockpot recipes, as attending my Senior year mostly from Zoom is pretty hectic. Here’s to another crazy yet exciting *mainly virtual* week of Senior year!

Monday: Manicotti

Love me some Manicotti!!! Manicotti has been one of my favorite pasta dishes since I was younger. Last summer, I made a Crockpot Manicotti recipe that was AMAZING, however, it took two hours just to prep. That being said, I found this recipe from allrecipes that takes a lot less time to prep yet still has the same results! Similar to last week’s ravioli, I will be serving my Manicotti with some Caesar salad and Texas toast.

Tuesday: Slow Cooker Maple Salmon

Once I got to Meredith, my mom and I hit up a local Costco for some salmon, shrimp, and tilapia as we are fish lovers. As I have a ton of salmon in my freezer, I figured I would put it to some good use and try a super delicious looking Slow Cooker Maple Salmon from Get Crocked. I will be serving it with my favorite Thanksgiving dish that I make ALL the time – green bean casserole – along with some roasted broccoli.

Wednesday: Old Bay Shrimp

Ever since I was younger, I was OBSESSED with Old Bay Shrimp as well as *of course* all things Old Bay! I mean, I did grow up going to see my family in Annapolis, Maryland and visit the beaches in Delaware where my family has a beach house, which is where Old Bay seasoning flourishes. To complement the Old Bay Shrimp, I will be serving it with a baked potato and a Garlicky and Cheesy Cauliflower Broccoli Bake which looks AMAZING from Diethood.

Thursday: Popcorn Shrimp

Similarly to the Old Bay Shrimp, I have also always been obsessed with popcorn shrimp as I grew up eating it from the local Dairy Queen! Instead of making popcorn shrimp from scratch, I usually purchase it pre-made from Seapak. It definitely tastes similar to my favorite childhood dish from Dairy Queen. To serve alongside my popcorn shrimp, I will be having yet another baked potato as well as roasted carrots.

Friday: Crockpot Shrimp & Grits

Like salmon, I also have A TON of shrimp, so why not put it to some good use?! That being said, I will be testing out an easy Crockpot Shrimp & Grits recipe from Tammilee Tips. I will be serving it with roasted cherry tomatoes to celebrate the end of another long week!

I am MOST definitely excited for this week’s menu round-up, and I hope y’all are too! One of the biggest incentives for myself throughout crazy long weeks is to have an AMAZING dinner at the end of the day. It *for sure* keeps me going through it all, especially during these oh so crazy times.

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So I Had a Blogger Launch Party

You know what they say: go BIG or go home? If you know me, you know that I will pretty much always choose the first of the two. With the start of a new chapter, with it being my blog, I couldn’t not start out with a Big Bang! That being said, a launch party was the best way I could think of to celebrate my exciting brand-new endeavor. What can I say? This girl LOVES to an excuse to have a party!

The Theme: PINK!

Since we are celebrating the launch of The Pink Chickadee, I could not think of anything better than to ask my guests to wear pink if they so choose to. The theme of pink was also reflected in my *of course* pink outfit and the photo booth decor as well as the serving materials (more on that later on).

The Venue: My Apartment

Since I decided to launch my blog on the third day of Spring semester classes, I figured that my on-campus apartment would be a convenient location to host my friends, who are also mostly Meredith students. I also made the party a drop-in, so that my friends could still drop by as they pleased, amongst their busy schedules.

The Decor: All Things Pink & Sparkly

For the decor, I decided to make use with the party supplies that I already had, as well as some new things. To put my apartment in celebration mode, I found a DIY pink banner at The Dollar Tree. Meanwhile, for the photo area, I used a gold tasseled backdrop that I already had. On the table, I decked out my pink felt letter board from Amazon. Whereas, for the serving materials, I purchased all of my plates, cups, napkins, and utensils from The Christmas Tree Shops for under $4 a product. If you do plan to shop at The Christmas Tree Shops, then you must be aware if you’re shopping there that each store targets to its location so the merchandise available differs per store. I also found this super cute set of pink and white printed paper straws from The Dollar Tree.

The Food: Chips & Sundaes

As I was thinking about what I was going to serve at my launch party, I couldn’t help but think of any better combination than chips and sundaes! I mean, who doesn’t love some chips and guacamole and a lava cake topped with cotton candy ice cream?!

For the savory lovers, I bought two bags of tortilla chips from Harris Teeter and made some homemade queso dip. I also purchased some salsa from Harris Teeter. For the sweet tooth’s, I made my favorite (and SUPER easy) Crockpot lava cake recipe in the flavor funfetti and set out some fixings for ice cream sundaes (unfortunately, I did not get around to snapping some photos of the sweets). Ice cream-wise, I purchased mint chocolate chip cookie dough flavors from Harris Teeter. Meanwhile for the fixings, I snagged some cherries, caramel and chocolate sauces, and of course whipped cream.

As someone who LOVES a grand celebration, hosting The Pink Chickadee‘s launch party was such a great way to do it. I am a firm believer that empowered women really do empower one another, and I can totally see that through many amazing women that came out to celebrate me. The support that I have received from friends, family, and everyone in between truly means the world to me. In fact, my launch party was just the icing on top of the cake!

I would like to give a special thank you to my friends Ana, Sophie, Julia, Laura Kate, Kaylee, Asiyah, and Bailey for helping to make this night as amazing as it was! I love y’all <3

Xoxo – Katie <3

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