Tator Tot Casserole

Here's a REALLY easy recipe that you can make quickly when you forgot to make something or are short on time (however, I may be the only one that considers tator tots a staple!). This recipe usually feeds me and Gerald with a little for Roger and enough for one person's lunch - so 3 1/2 people I guess. It's nothin' fancy, but like I said, it's really easy and good in a pinch.

1 lb ground beef, cooked and drained
2 tbsp flour
1 cup beef broth
1 can vegetables (green beans, corn, etc.)
some chesse to sprinkle
enough tator tots to cover the top of it all

Add broth and flour together in a pan ( I do it in the pan that I cooked the hamburger in) and whisk until smooth. Allow it to heat until it boils, stir constantly for about a minute or until it thickens a little. Add the hamburger meat and stir. Then take a casserole dish (I think mine is 2 quarts) and layer that on the bottom. Drain the vegetables and layer them on top. Sprinkle some cheese over top then layer tator tots in a single layer on top. Bake at 400 for maybe 20-30 minutes, basically until the tator tots are brown.

Apple-Cinnamon French Toast Bake

I made this while my mom-in-law was in town and it was really good. The best part is that you can make it the night before and just pop it in the oven the next morning. Or, you could have this with a Sunday lunch and just add a few things to it. I didn't put syrup on mine b/c it's sweet already.

• 10 (3/4 inch thick) slices day-old French bread
• 6 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 3/4 cups milk
• 2/3 cup sugar, divided
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 4 medium apples - peeled, cored and thinly sliced
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon butter
  

Place bread in a 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish. Combine eggs, milk, 1/3 cup sugar and vanilla; pour half over bread. Top with half of the apples. Combine cinnamon, nutmeg and remaining sugar; sprinkle half over apples. Top with the remaining apples. Pour remaining egg mixture over apples and sprinkle with remaining sugar mixture. Dot with butter. Cover and chill 8 hours or overnight. remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 1 hour or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Red beans and rice

This is another recipe I got from my sister's MIL. It was a BIG hit at our house - it is really easy, inexpensive, and makes plenty.

2 tbs. olive oil
1 lb. Eckrich smoked sausage - I got the skinless kind (cut in 1/2" pieces)
1 sm. onion chopped
4 cloves garlic chopped
3 cans kidney beans (don't drain)
1 can chicken broth
1 tsp. cajun seasoning (Sarah said her MIL bought her some that is called "smack your mama" or something like that - but I couldn't find it at Wal-Mart - I will keep my eyes out for it - she says it makes all the difference - but I used a different kind and it was still very good.)
3 cups cooked rice

Heat oil. Add sausage, onion, and garlic. Saute for 15 min. Mix in beans with juices, broth and cajun seasoning. Reduce heat - cover and simmer 45 min. Spoon over rice. Enjoy!

Company Chicken

This recipe is from my sister's MIL - it is really yummy and a great dish to make when you are having company - hence the name! Since we weren't having company on the night I made it - I decided to freeze half of it - I am not sure how it will taste once it is thawed - will get back to you on that. Also, it is really easy - which makes it great in my book.

6-8 chicken breasts (boneless)
8 green onions
paprika
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 can cream of celery soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 1/2 cups sour cream

Place raw chicken in large casserole baking pan. Sprinkle with paprika, chopped green onions, and shredded cheese. Combine soups and sour cream - pour over chicken. Bake uncovered @ 350 degrees for 1 hour. Serve over or with rice.

Corn Casserole

This is a Paula Deen original. I tried it for the first time last night and it was a big hit! And very easy.  

15 oz can whole kernel corn, drained

15 oz can cream-style corn

8 oz pkg Jiffy corn muffin mix

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup (1 stick) melted butter

Mix all ingredients together and pour into a greased casserole dish.  Bake at 350, 45-60 minutes, or until golden brown.

Recipe request 2

Shanna .... you just threw in "Spicy Raspberry Salmon" into your list of meals and I thought "What?! This recipe hasn't been posted yet and with a name like that it must be done!" So here's a request for a very interesting sounding recipe! Please post!

another question

I know this blog is supposed to be about recipes but I have a another question. First of all, let me say that I have discovered why I like casseroles and one pot dishes so much - because it is so hard to get everything on the table and for it all to be hot. How did my mom do it? I guess I should ask her - but I thought I would ask all of you as well. Any ideas? Usually the mashed potatoes or the vegetable end up being cold while the meat finishes cooking. Is this a problem for anyone else and does anyone have any helpful hints?

Easy Minestrone

Quick question: What's risotto? It's rice, right? Or is is pasta? Or is it just something Walmart doesn't carry?

Okay, I know we're almost out of soup season, but this one is from the Nigella Express cookbook (which is great by the way if you ever get a chance to pick it up) if you've never heard of her, google her. Gerald's sister, Kim, got it for Christmas so I stole a few recipes from her before she left and everything I've tried has been awesome! At the very least this soup provides a great base into which you can throw whatever other beans and veggies you have on hand. I've added green beans, corn, a can of tomaotes, etc. into it and everything's worked well. And it's SO easy....Here's her recipe though:

1 14 oz can mixed beans (sometimes sold as mixed bean salad)
3 cups hot chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup tomato-based pasta sauce of your choice
4 oz ditalini or other soup pasta

1. Drain the beans and put them into a saucepan with the hot stock and pasta sauce.
2. Bring the pan to a boil and then add the ditalini, cooking according to package instructions.
3. Once the pasta is tender, switch off the heat, remove the pan to a cool surface and let stand for 5-10 minutes if you can bear to wait. That pasta swells in the soup and everything just gets better.

Serves 2-3

updated list of weekly meals

ok - i updated my list because in a weird way it was good accountability for me to have it posted. i knew someone might ask me how it was going, i guess. this past week - we ended up having pizza at my sister's house so I didn't make the chicken and broccoli casserole. i have all the ingredients for it so it is first on my list this week. we are on a really tight budget right now due to maternity leave so we are trying to eat as frugally (is that a word) as possible. company chicken and red beans & rice are recipes i got from my sister - and she got from her mother-in-law. i will try them out and let you know how they go - i may post them. she says they are easy and good.

salmon souffle

This is a recipe I got from my mom. She made it for Ken and me when she came to visit one time, and we loved it. It's also not low-fat, but we use the light ingredients to try to make it a little better than the full-fat version. I actually made it at Ken's parent's house one time, and had to use regular mayo, and it was way too rich. I'd recommend using the light mayo and light sour cream if possible. It's really easy to make!

1/3 cup light mayo
1/3 cup light sour cream
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp onion powder
salmon filets

Mix first 4 ingredients in a bowl. Spread over top of salmon in a layer about 1/4 inch thick (give or take a little). Bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes (little longer if salmon pieces are really thick). Broil on high for 2-3 minutes (watch closely b/c broilers can work their magic really quickly) or until topping begins to bubble and peaks begin to turn golden brown.

(I know I'm supposed to be working on my assignment, but I needed a break, and this was way more fun!)

being a good steward

Ok - so far, our meals have been going great this week. It has been so nice to know what I am going to make and have all the ingredients on hand to make it - it really takes the stress out of dinner time for me. Oh...did I say I have had ALL the ingredients I needed? Well I sent my man to the grocery store for me (thank you, honey!) and I accidentally forgot to specify pinto beans w/o pork. So I got pinto beans with pork for my taco soup - I opened them up and they looked like refried beans - so after conferring with my friendly neighbor (Joc) - I used another can of kidney beans instead. I was pretty proud of myself for using up part of an onion I had used for the steak marinade last week as well. It is really hard for me to use up all the little odds and ends leftover from other meals without it going bad and throwing it away. I think (as for cooking and other things in life) I am my own worst critic - either that or my man is really easy to please. Probably a little of both...
So my question to everyone is...I have an opened can of pinto beans seasoned with pork - any ideas for what I could make with it instead of tossing it in the garbage can?

Hamburger Stroganoff

Ryan, I kept meaning to get this recipe to you anyway, so I figured I'd post it. And Jess, this is a great one to freeze in a ziploc. I leave out the sour cream until I'm ready to use it just b/c it can get a weird texture after being frozen. So when you're ready, thaw, add sour cream and throw it over some noodles.

1-1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 1/2 cups beef broth
1/4 - 1/2 cup white wine (depends on how winey you want it)
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
3 tbsp flour
1 cup sour cream
noodles or rice

Brown and drain the meat. I use the beef bouillon cubes so for 1 1/2 cups broth, I use 1 cup hot water and 1/2 cup white wine. Then just cook the mushrooms in that mixture. Once the mushrooms are cooked, take them out and use 1/3 cup of the broth/wine and add the flour. You can shake them together in a tightly covered container or just put them in the pan and whisk them until smooth. Add the rest of the broth back in and heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir for one minute; reduce heat to low. Add mushrooms and beef. (Here's were you'd freeze it if you want to) Add in sour cream; heat until hot. Serve over noodles.

Honey Baked Chicken

I just got this recipe from a friend here and made it tonight. It is not really super healthy (because of the butter & salt... but there's not too much in it) and it is SO yummy and EASY! I made sure my sides were more on the healthy side tonight ... baked sweet potato, brown rice, aparagus ... and I think that might even things out a bit. :) This dish has a little bit of the flavor of everyone's fave ... Karen's Chicken & Broccoli Casserole. I think because of the curry in it. I hope you enjoy it too!

4-6 chicken pieces (breasts, thighs, wings, etc) whatever you have on hand
1/3 c. of melted butter
1/3 c. of honey
2 tsp. mustard ... not the powdered mustard ... the regular yellow mustard
1 tsp. curry powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Place chicken in a 9x13
Combine all the ingredients and pour over top of chicken. Cover with foil & bake 45 mins @ 350. (I basted it once near the end of the cooking time).
And viola! .... Dinner is ready!

Recipe request

Erin, I'd love your recipes for: French toast with strawberry sauce, sweet potato hashbrowns and fruit salad. That meal sounds so yummy! Since we eat a big breakfast for lunch every Sunday, I could use another breakfast meal.

my list

ok - well you all inspired me to try a meal list so I posted one. I will let you know how it goes this week. I also would like to know more about freezing meals. I am thinking about freezing some meals ahead of time for us before I go back to work - to make the transition a little easier.

ideas please

I am supposed to take dinner tonight to a girl in our church who just adopted a baby, and I cannot think of anything to bring. I think I'm just so overwhelmed w/ school stuff that I can't think of making any decisions--I don't know what to fix for Ken and me much less what to fix for someone else.

So what do you all fix to take to other people? And what things did you like/not like when you had meals delivered to you? Thanks for your help. Sorry this is such late notice, but I kept thinking that something brilliant would hit me. : )

Monkey Bread

This is NOT healthy or organic. It's buttery and guilty and good.  I grew up eating a big breakfast on Sunday mornings, and I continue the tradition in our house. We had this last Sunday before church at my man's request. I can pretty much hear my arteries clogging.  But it's so delicious every once in a while.

2 cans of biscuits, each cut into 4-5 pieces

Roll the biscuit pieces in cinnamon-sugar mixture.  (1/4 cup sugar, 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon)

Make a syrup of 1 stick melted butter and 3/4 cup brown sugar.

Layer the bottom of a pan with half the biscuit pieces, and pour half the syrup over it. Layer remaining biscuits on top and pour the rest of the syrup over.

Bake for 40-50 minutes at 350 degrees.

Invert onto a plate and let the gooeyness run all over.  

sirloin marinade

this is a yummy recipe for steak - we put them on the grill.

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley or 4 tsp. dried parsley

1/4 cup minced onion

2 tblsp. worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. ground pepper

1/2 tsp. dry mustard

combine butter, parsley, onion, worcestershire sauce, pepper & dry mustard in a small sauce pan. heat, stirring continually, over low heat, until butter melts. reserve 1/4 of the mixture.

place steaks on the grill, brush with mixture. baste frequently. drizzle reserve over sliced pieces.

Massage Oil recipe

4 oz. oil (apricot, jojoba, grape seed, almond, or avocado)
50 drops of whatever essential oil you like (I used orange)


I got this stuff and a glass bottle to hold it at Green Life. They have a million essential oils to choose from. I smelled half a million and decided on the orange. They have relaxation oils and love potions and...well, a million choices.
I picked avocado oil b/c it is supposedly the most moisturizing (and with this time of year, that's a good thing). Anyway, this stuff works really well as massage oil and as a little side benefit, it made my feet really smooth too (I put it and socks on my feet before I went to bed the other night). My bottle looks like the dark one in the middle of the front row. Happy massaging.

good hamburger recipe

Does anyone have a good hamburger recipe? I was just going to throw in some onion soup mix but wanted to see if anyone has a really yummy recipe that I could try. I'm having a birthday party for Jason tonight for about 14 people and he wanted hamburgers...he's so easy to please.

thoughts and encouragement

I would just like to say that this blog has been (in it's short life) an inspiration. And also a jumpstart to my cookng repertoire. It makes me want to fix something fun so I can add it to the blog. I have really enjoyed seeing everyone's ideas, so thanks for sharing.

But I have to say, I have gotten a couple strange looks from Ken when I tell him he can't have his dinner until I take a picture of it first.

Me too, me too!

I made whoopie pies for my man this year. They're one of his favorite desserts. And I just added a little food coloring to the filling to make them more festive.

ditto

This is our Valentine's creation...a copy of our Christmas time creation. You can check it out at my blog....with a link to where I got the recipe.

Homemade peanut butter cups

I just made these for my hubby for Valentine's Day but I didn't have mini cupcake liners so I made BIG ones. I used dark chocolate chips instead of milk choc. and they were very easy and very good. Not as pretty as Tabi's cupcakes, but for those a little less creative or ambitious, this is perfect :)

The first picture is from the internet, the second is what mine looked like, and the third is Eli, taste-testing for me.

1 cup creamy peanut butter, divided
4-1/2 teaspoons butter, softened
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
4 milk chocolate candy bars (1.55 ounces each), coarsely chopped
Colored sprinkles, optional

In a small bowl, combine 1/2 cup peanut butter, butter, confectioners' sugar and
salt until smooth; set aside. In a small microwave-safe bowl, melt the
chocolate chips, candy bars and remaining peanut butter; stir until smooth.
Drop teaspoonfuls of chocolate mixture into paper-lined miniature muffin cups.
Top each with a scant teaspoonful (mine were not very scant) of peanut butter mixture; top with another teaspoonful of chocolate mixture. Decorate with sprinkles if desired. Refrigerate
until set. Store in an airtight container.


ALSO: I made homemade massage oil for my hubby for Valentine's Day. It turned out great. It's not food, but if you want the "recipe," just let me know. It was EASY!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Simply delicious...
Heart shaped chocolate cupcake frosted with vanilla icing and sprinkled with shaved chocolate and chocolate syrup.
Sometimes it's all about the presentation. :)