Sausage Casserole!

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving! I know we did. We had Josh's parents over for breakfast, then for dinner, we went to my parents' house. When Josh's parents came over, I fixed a sausage casserole. It's a recipe I got from my sister. Technically, it's called breakfast pizza. But I don't understand exactly why it's called that, so I just call it a sausage casserole. I think it's better than most sausage casseroles I've had, though. It's pretty much the only one Josh will eat. I hope you enjoy it! :)

Sausage Casserole

6 eggs
8 oz. cream cheese (doesn't taste as good if you use light cream cheese...)
1/2 tsp salt
pinch pepper
1 1/2 c shredded cheddar, divided
1 pkt. country gravy mix
1 lb. sausage

Preheat oven to 350. Beat eggs, cream cheese, salt & pepper until well blended. Spread 1/2 c cheddar cheese in bottom of a greased 9x13 pan. Bake 15 min. Remove from oven & pour egg mixture over the cheese. Bake 25 min. Meanwhile, brown the sausage & crumble. Fix gravy according to packet instructions. Remove casserole from oven. Spread with the gravy. Top with sausage & remaining cheese. Bake 10-15 min., until cheese is melted. Enjoy!

Cheesy Crouton Chicken!

So another craving I went though when I was pregnant was croutons. I got them by the bag at Sams, and I still had some leftover. I do still snack on them (a crunchy snack, and a little better for you than chips), but I still have several left, too. I keep wondering how they'd be on chicken. Well, now I'm going to find out! I love croutons, and I love cheese! Let's toss them on some chicken & find out how it tastes! It's in the oven now - I'll let you know how it turns out!

Cheesy Chicken

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 can cream of broccoli soup
1 c shredded cheddar
1/3 c sour cream
1 c croutons

Preheat oven to 350. Place chicken in a 9x13 baking dish. Spread the soup over the chicken, then the sour cream over the soup. Top with cheese and croutons. Bake 45-50 min., until chicken is cooked through and no longer pink. Enjoy! :)



The chicken was a success! I thought it was really good! And you all know how picky Elijah is - he said it smelled good, and he tried it without me having to twist his arm or anything! Although he still didn't like it, but I'm not taking it personally - so far the only chicken he really likes is breaded chicken tenders... But I'm thankful he at least tried it! :)

Apple Bread!

Once again, we have let Elijah pick what he wants for dinner tonight. So tonight, we're going to have burgers. (The one thing he is absolutely guaranteed to eat!) Probably just burgers & baked beans or fries. However, Elijah & I did actually do some cooking today. I had made some Caramel Apple Jam, and I had a few apples leftover from that. So Elijah & I made some Apple Bread this afternoon. :) (When cooking, I usually use Granny Smith apples, just because I think they have a better flavor. Although one of my friends says that they are one of the most nurtritious apples...)

Apple Bread!

1 1/4 c oil

3 eggs

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 apples, finely chopped

1 c nuts, chopped (I used cashews because that's what I had)

2 c sugar

3 c flour
2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Mix together oil & sugar. Add eggs, salt & baking soda. Then add flour, apples, nuts, vanilla, and cinnamon, mixing all well. Pour into 2 greased loaf pans. Bake at 300 for 1 1/2 hours. Cool before cutting. Store in airtight container in fridge. Can also be frozen. Enjoy!

Buffalo Sauce!

Things have still been crazy around here! I don't know exactly what the problem's been, but not one of my boys has slept through the night in at least a week. It's crazy! They all wake up around 11:00, then one will wake up at 12:00, another at 1:00, another at 2:00, and then all three around 3:00 again. Sheesh! I don't know if it's just because all of our schedules are off since Josh is on the midnight shift this week or what, but it's definitely gotten old! Especially since when I'm tired, healthy eating (the little bit of healthy eating I did to begin with, anyway...) goes straight out the window, and I turn to convenience or fast foods for meals. (Needless to say my weight goes right along with my sleep! Depressing...) Anyway, I let Elijah choose what he'd like for dinner tonight, so we're having mac & cheese and popcorn chicken. I'll give the boys their popcorn chicken plain, but I'll put sauce on mine & Josh's. We tend to use a lot of buffalo sauce, just because we eat so much chicken. We usually buy our buffalo sauce - what can I say? I'm lazy! But the ingredients to make it are things that I pretty much always have here in the house, so if we ever do run out, it's really no big deal.

Buffalo Sauce

1 tsp paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt
1 c hot sauce
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Mix well & store in airtight container until ready to use.

Cola Ham!

By now, I'm sure you've figured out that I am all about easy recipes! And easy usually means slow cooker. Slow cooker + 1-2 ingredients = happy me! So once again, dig out your slow cooker! (Unless you're like me - I've gotten so I just keep it out most of the time anyway because I know I'm going to be using it!) Cola ham is a pretty cheap meal to make, too, depending on the ham you get. I used a turkey ham tonight, just because it was cheaper than regular ham.

Cola Ham

1 ham

12 oz. soda, your choice (I used Dr. Pepper tonight)

Place ham in slow cooker, and pour soda over it. Cook on low 3-4 hours. Enjoy!

Tomato Soup & Croque-Monsieur!

Ever just need some comfort food? Things have been a bit crazy here (but what else is new?)... On our way to take Josh dinner yesterday, Elijah got sick, and he's still sick today. It's about to drive him crazy because I won't let him eat much. But oh well! So far, he's the only one to come down with it. I'm just praying! But anyway, with how crazy things have been, I just wanted some comfort myself! So I pulled out my last can of tomato soup. (I'd been saving it for meatloaf, but some things are just more important! :) So today's menu is nothing fancy. So since it's not much, I'm also including the recipe for a French version of grilled cheese, Croque-Monsieur. I'm not putting that much effort in today's meal, but it really is a good sandwich, and it goes great with tomato soup!

Tomato Soup

1 can condensed tomato soup

1/3 c water

1/3 c milk

1/8 c sour cream

1 Tbsp basil

Mix all together in pan, and heat over medium until simmering.

Croque-Monsieur (makes 3 sandwiches)

1 Tbsp Dijon mustard

2 Tbsp mayo
4 Tbsp butter, softened

6 slices bread

6 slices Swiss cheese

12 slices thinly sliced deli ham

4 Tbsp flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

2 eggs

1/4 c water

1 Tbsp oil

Spread 2 Tbsp butter on one side of each slice of bread. On 3 slices, spread some Dijon over the butter, then top each with 4 slices of ham. On 3 remaining slices, spread mayo and top with 1 slice of Swiss. Put the slices together to make ham & cheese sandwiches. Then whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, eggs & water until blended. Set aside. Heat remaining butter & oil in a skillet over medium heat. Dip both sides of each sandwich in egg mixture, then fry until browned, flipping to brown each side. Enjoy!!! :)

Pesto Chicken & Pasta!

Remember how I told you you'd be using that leftover pesto again soon? Well, here you go! I've made this before, and it turned out pretty good! And I really like it today, because I haven't had a chance to make it to the grocery story yet. I already have the pesto, and I keep various boxes of pasta on hand, along with cans of chicken. I also always have cream of chicken soup in my pantry. So assuming you've got the majority of ingredients in your house already, chances are pretty good you don't have to spend too much to make this meal! (You can also use actual chicken breasts for this - just cut it into chunks first. Also, it calls for bow tie pasta, but just use whatever you've got!)

Pesto Chicken & Pasta

1 box uncooked bow tie pasta

2 Tbsp butter

1 can chunk chicken, drained

1 can cream of chicken soup

1/2 c pesto sauce
1/2 c milk

Cook pasta according to directions. Drain, and set aside. Heat butter in skillet. Add chicken & cook until browned. Add remaining ingredients (except pasta). Bring to a boil. Cook on low about 5 min. Add pasta and heat through. Enjoy!

Cashew Snaps!

Sorry nothing was posted yesterday. Dinner was nothing special - just hot dogs & a can of baked beans. I don't know how everyone else is doing with the time change, but it's been really hard on Jonah! Whew! So between his schedule being all off and then our computer having issues, nothing really got done yesterday. Although on another note, since I was out of town this past weekend and Josh was the one doing the grocery shopping, we only have so much to fix in the house anyway... So dinner tonight's not much special, either - just quiche again. (Josh did get milk & eggs, and we've got cheese in the freezer.) But in keeping with our new Wed. tradition, we did make cookies again today. When I was pregnant, I went through a little cashew phase. But that didn't really last too long, so I still had a huge tin of cashews in the cabinet. I dug those out this morning, and I made cashew snaps. I thought they turned out pretty good, but I think the next time I make them, I'll add a little vanilla for a bit of a stonger taste.

Cashew Snaps

1/2 c butter, softened

1 1/4 c brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 c chopped cashews

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp ginger

1/8 tsp cloves

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/8 tsp salt

1 1/4 c flour

Preheat oven to 350 and lightly grease cookie sheets. Cream together the butter, egg, and brown sugar, then add in other ingredients, mixing until well blended. Drop by half teaspoonsful on greased cookie sheets, and bake 11-15 min. in preheated oven. Enjoy!

Garlic Ranch Chicken!

Hey guys! Sorry nothing was posted this weekend. I was out of town! My mom, sister, her daughter, Jonah, and I all met in Hagerstown, MD, for the weekend. We spent the time shopping & having fun! At least, I had fun - I know I can't speak for them! I have to say, I was really impressed with how well Kaelyn (13 months) and Jonah (4 months) did. They were so well behaved! :) I didn't watch my eating at all, though. But I don't feel too guilty about it. We did a TON of walking. But I'm back now! And dinner on the menu tonight? Garlic Ranch Chicken! I'm making this because it makes a lot - enough to share. I'm making enough for my family & for a friend's family as well. I hope she likes it! It's another slow cooker recipe. I had to send Josh out last night to get me a new one. When I got home from MD yesterday, I found the part of the lid in the sink & the rest in the dishwasher. At least dishes got done... At least it's just the lid that's broken. You can find a replacement lid at crockpot.com. However, they're out of stock right now. I use my slow cooker so much, especially with it getting colder, so we just got a new one. Once the lids are back in stock, I'll still order one. I miss my old slow cooker! But with two, I'll be able to make things even easier! :) Anyway, on to the recipe... :)

Garlic Ranch Chicken

6-8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or more or less, depending on how many you want) can even be frozen)
1 bottle Ranch dressing
3 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp savory
1/4 tsp celery seed

Place chicken in the slow cooker. Pour the Ranch over the chicken, then sprinkle with the garlic, savory, and celery. Cover, and cook High for 1 hour. Turn to Low heat, and cook another 4 hours. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Spice Latte!

I've been on such a Pumpkin Spice coffee kick lately! Really, though, this time of year, I've been on a pumpkin-anything kick! :) I never make it to Starbucks anymore, but when I use to go, my two favorite drinks there were Caramel Apple Cider and Pumpkin Spice Latte. However, I found a recipe that's pretty much just as good as their Pumpkin Spice Lattes! Next time I have a get-together, I'm going to try to remember to make this! Let me know what you think!

Pumpkin Spice Lattes

1 1/2 c brewed coffee

4 c milk

4 Tbsp canned pumpkin

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp cloves

1/3 tsp ginger

1/4 c sugar

3 Tbsp vanilla

Pour the coffee & milk in slow cooker. Whisk in other ingredients. Cover & cook high for 1 1/2-2 hours.
Whisk again before serving.

Top with whipped cream and some cinnamon sprinkled. :)

Grilled Cheese with Pesto!

Again, since I just bought cheese at the Cheese Shop, I'm pulling out another cheese recipe! Here's an oldie but goodie, with a slight twist. Even Elijah likes grilled cheese! Although he just likes PLAIN grilled cheese, nothing but bread & cheese. But for those of you who like some flavor, try some grilled cheese with pesto! I usually buy my pesto (what can I say? I'm lazy!), but it is fairly easy to make. I'll include a recipe for that, too. This sandwich is really good with tomato on it, too, but that really depends on the kind of pesto you use. It may be a bit too much if you use the sun-dried tomato pesto, which is what I've got this time. There's also traditional pesto, though, which is just pretty much herbs and oil. And don't worry about having too much pesto - I've got two more recipes coming in the next week or two that also call for pesto. :)

Grilled Cheese with Pesto!

2 slices bread
butter
1-2 slices tomato
2 slices cheese (I used 1 slice Provolone & 1 slice American, but also good with Swiss or even 2 slices each)
1 Tbsp pesto

Spread one side of both slices of bread with pesto. Top each bread slice with a slice of cheese, then place tomato in the middle & put together to make a sandwich. Spread outside slices of bread with butter & fry in a nonstick skillet over medium heat until golden brown & cheese has melted (about 5 min. each side). Enjoy!

Pesto

2 c fresh basil leaves
1/2 c flat-leaf parsley
1 1/2 c chopped walnuts
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp lemon juice
pinch cayenne pepper
1 c olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

Blend basil, parsley, nuts, garlic, lemon juice, cayenne pepper & Parmesan in a food processor. Slowly pour oil in while still mixing, then add salt & pepper.

Apple Cookies!

The Pumpkin Drops last week were a huge success! And a huge hit! We made so many that we sent some to school with Elijah for his teachers, some to work with Josh, and took a bunch to church. Elijah enjoyed giving them out so much that he asked if we could do it again today and share them at church tonight. :) I love it! But since he's been sick, I waited until he was already at school to make them. I know he'd have enjoyed helping, but I'd rather not take a chance on passing his little germs around! So today, I made Apple Cookies. I don't think they're quite as good as the Pumpkin Drops, but they are good. The recipe calls for raisins, but since I don't like raisins, I left them out. It also calls for walnuts. I'm fairly certain I bought the nuts, but I couldn't find them anywhere! So I had to do without those, too. I think that's why I'm not as crazy about the way the Apple Cookies turned out. They're good, but a little bland. I should have at least used another apple. Oh well! I'll know for next time!

Apple Cookies

1/2 c shortening
1 1/3 c brown sugar
1 egg
2 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1/3 tsp nutmeg
1 c chopped walnuts
2 c apples, chopped
1 c raisins
1/4 c milk

Icing:
1 c confectioners sugar
1 Tbsp butter
3/4 tsp vanilla
2 Tbsp half & half

Preheat oven to 400. Beat shortening & brown sugar together until light & fluffy. Add egg & beat until well blended. In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking soda, salt, and spices. Stir half of this into the egg mixture. Next, add the apples, nuts, and raisins to the egg mixture. Then add the remaining half of the spice mixture to the egg mixture, and pour in the milk. Mix well. Lightly grease cookie sheets. Drop from tablespoon about 2 inches apart on cookie sheets. Bake in preheated oven 10-12 min. Remove to cool, and while still warm, spread with the icing.

Icing:
Combine all ingredients (adding more half & half if needed) & stir until a smooth glaze consistency.

Hash Browns!

Dinner tonight is going to be Bacon-Cheddar Quiche. So for a side, how about some easy hash browns? I've got a couple of potatoes that have just been sitting around - if I don't hurry up & use them, I'm going to have to toss them! Dinner tonight's fairly simple. I love that these are a couple of recipes where I usually have all the ingredients on hand. And those times when I need a bit of onion but don't have any in the house, I use either some of the dried minced onion or a packet of the onion soup mix. Still tastes the same! :)

Hash Browns

2 medium potatoes, shredded and rinsed (water should run clear)
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 small pepper, finely chopped (optional)
1/3 c flour
1 egg
salt & pepper to taste
oil for frying

Place potatoes, onion, flour, egg, and salt & pepper in a bowl & mix. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once oil starts sizzling, place about 1/2 inch layer of hash browns in oil. Cook until browned on the bottom, then flip & brown the other side. Remove from pan & drain on paper towels. Enjoy!