Shrimp and Pasta Casserole

I cannot believe how long I have been "gone". Seriously, it went in the blink of an eye.
My last post re-hashed my fabulous experience with my first kidney stone.
Gah.
I would like to never do that again.

Since then, it has been a whirlwind of not-so-spectacular experiences.
Nobody needs to hear about that though.

We did have some really great stuff going on too!
My (not so little) cousin turned 21 and we got to have some fun.
Another cousin graduated college with a double major.
Hired some great new employees at work.

I'm OK (if you wondered) I truly just did not realize how long I had been gone!
Back to it!!



Ingredients:

1 ½ Lb Shrimp

1 (16oz) jar Salsa

1 (9oz) Box Angel hair pasta

1 Tsp Dried oregano

1 Tsp Dried basil

1 Tsp Crushed red pepper

⅓ Cup Parsley (chopped)

⅓ Cup Feta cheese

½ Cup Swiss cheese (grated)

1 Cup Plain yogurt

1 ½ Cup Half and Half

2 Eggs

½ Cup Monterrey Jack cheese (grated)

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350

2. Cook pasta per package directions. Drain and set aside.

3. In large bowl, combine eggs, half & half, yogurt, swiss cheese, feta cheese, parsley, basil, and oregano

4. Grease a 9 x 13 pan

5. Spread half of the pasta on the bottom of the dish

6. Pour all the salsa over the pasta

7. Add half the shrimp

8. Top with monterrey jack cheese

9. Add remaining pasta

10. Top with remainder of the shrimp

11. Pour egg mixture over the top

12. Bake 35-40 minutes or until bubbly

Print

Adapted from: Kitchen Life of the Navy Wife

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One Dish Pasta and Vegetables

Happy Patriots' Day

For those who do not live local, the third Monday of April is when we celebrate the battles of Lexington and Concord, which happened to be the first battle of the Revolutionary War.

In Boston, it is always Marathon Monday.
We have had some odd weather years for the runners, but starting this AM with ice and snow (just a dusting) isn't very runner (or spectator) friendly!!

The rain should settle in for the day. This is the first time (since sometime in the 80's) that the Red Sox annual Patriots' Day game has been postponed,

Enjoy your day!




Ingredients:

1 ½ Cup Rotini (uncooked)

2 Medium Carrots (sliced)

1 Cup Broccoli florets

1 Can (10 ¾ oz) Condensed cheddar cheese soup

½ Cup Milk

1 Tbsp prepared mustard

Directions:

1. Prepare pasta per package directions

2. Add broccoli and carrots during the last 4 minutes of cooking

3. Drain well, return to saucepan

4. Stir the soup, milk, and mustard into the saucepan and cook until hot

Print

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Pierogi Casserole

I feel like I have been MIA for the last few weeks. Not much blogging going on.

I'm hoping I can get back in to it starting now. I miss talking to you all!
Like I said last time...my world was switching to a better place. It still is...but it took a small detour.
Been down this road before, we will get through it.


I had my first free weekend in years. Two days of no plans.
Saturday we ran a few errands.
Since I was going to be home, I made plans to actually make some lunch. Hubby threw a wrench when he wasn't hungry. Sigh.
Just did gooey nachos for dinner though as we were watching a movie.
(The Dark Tower. I do not recommend it. As a lover of the series, I died a little on the inside)

Sunday we have some more errands, but decided to make it a family day and enjoy a little lunch. The three of us rarely have the same time off, so we took advantage.

Tomorrow will start a week of insanity for me, but, a relaxing weekend will certainly help deal with that.
How is your week looking?



Ingredients:

¾ LB Lasagna noodles (cooked and drained)

¾ Cup butter

5 Cups Mashed potato (cooked)

12 Slices cheddar cheese

2 Large onions (minced)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. Melt butter and saute onions until tender

3. Place half of the cooked noodles into the bottom of a 9x13 pan

4. Place 6 slices of cheese on noodles

5. Add mashed potato, spreading evenly

6. Top with noodles

7. Add remaining cheese

8. Poke holes in cheese layer

9. Pour butter/onion mixture over top

10. Bake 15 minutes, or until cheese is slightly browned

Print

I used instant potato just for the ease factor, but please feel free to make extra the next time you have some with dinner. Steam and Mash should work well too. Just seasoned with butter, salt, and pepper, didn't want to distract from the simplicity of this meal.

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Adapted from: Moms Who Think

Sloppy Joe Casserole

For those who have been reading my blog for awhile know I am a NE Patriots fan.

This run to the superbowl is keeping us all on edge.
We'll find out next week if we will be in the big game or not.
Oh the anticipation!

Is your team still in the running?
What is your go to football food?




Ingredients:

1 ½ -2 Lbs Ground beef

2 Cans Manwich

2 Cans Crescent rolls

4 Cups Mozzarella (shredded)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. Prepare a 9x13 pan with cooking spray

3. Brown beef, drain

4. Mix Manwich with ground beef, simmer

5. Open one roll of dough and place on bottom of pan

6. Sprinkle half of the mozzarella on top of dough

7. Add meat mixture, spread evenly

8. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top of meat mixture

9. Unroll second can of crescent rolls and place on top of cheese

10. Cook 10-12 minutes

Print

OK, I admit it. I got into a fight, and lost, with my top layer of dough. Sigh, It still tasted delicious though!

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Fiesta Nacho Casserole

I know I am a little late in posting today, sorry!
(sorry, I was eating a Milky Way)

We went away for the weekend with my aunt and uncle, it was very relaxing to do not much of anything!
Except get sunburn...in the shade...with no sun in the sky. Yup, that's my souvenir!

Came home last night as hubby was more than a little anxious about traffic today. I get it, with him still healing from the back surgery and all, I am lucky he was willing to go 2 hours away to begin with!
He loved it too though, it was nice for him to get out of the house and have a change of scenery too.

It was cold and rainy on Friday, so my aunt and I ran to the store and got stuff to make a big batch of Chili and a hunk of fresh bread.
Warm your bones!

We did manage some sun the next couple of days and temps in the low 60's. Doesn't quite feel like the un-official kick off to summer like it should!

Hope you all enjoyed your weekend.
What were your plans?





Ingredients:

3 Cups shredded chicken

2 Large tomatoes (chopped)

1 Cup Carrots (shredded)

1 Cup Corn kernels

½ Cup Salsa verde

2 Cloves garlic (pressed)

1 Tsp Chili powder

Tortilla Chips

½ Cup crumbled feta

Cilantro leaves

Hot sauce

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400

2. Spray 2 qt baking dish with cooking spray

3. In large bowl, combine chicken, tomato, carrots, corn, salsa, garlic, and chili powder

4. In baking dish, arrange a layer of chips

5. Top with half of the chicken mixture

6. Top with half of the feta

7. Repeat all layers

8. Arrange a layer of chips around the top of casserole

9. Bake 20 minutes or until hot

10. Top with cilantro and hot sauce

Print

Adapted from: Good Housekeeping

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Cracker Barrel Chicken Casserole (Copy Cat)

When taking car trips and we need to stop for a bite to eat, we tend to favor well known chain restaurants.
Part of it is the comfort factor when in a strange place, part of it is fear of the unknown. At a chain, you know what will be on the menu. No question if there is something the kids will eat, or if you will like what is available.

During one trip either coming from the south to the north, or vice versa, we stopped at a Cracker Barrel. None us wanted anything super heavy, so we all ordered the soup and half sandwich.

Never have we waited so long for our food! Other than, maybe, the sandwiches, this should all be ready made and set to go. After almost an hour, the sandwiches came, but not the soup.
After we (finally) found our waitress and flagged her down, come to find out, they were out of soup.
Gah!

By that time we were tired, frustrated, and still hungry.
The manager came out to talk to us. He was more than apologetic about what happened. Obviously it was a major communication issue between the kitchen and the waitresses.

He gave us a couple of appetizers, dessert, and filled my parent's coffee thermos. All at no cost to us.
As far as we are concerned, he went above and beyond to make sure we remembered this visit as a good one.

That happened oh-so-many years ago, but the memory still remains.
I still visit Cracker Barrel and enjoy myself!
When I saw this Copy Kat recipe, I knew we had to try it.

Ingredients:

Crust

1 Cup yellow cornmeal

⅓ Cup flour

1 ½ Tsp baking powder

1 Tbsp sugar

½ Tsp salt

½ Tsp baking soda

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

¾ Cup buttermilk

1 Egg

½ Cup butter (melted)

Chicken FIlling

2 ½ Cups cooked chicken breast (cut into bite sized pieces)

¼ Cup yellow onion (chopped)

½ Cup celery (sliced thin)

1 Tsp salt

¼ Tsp pepper

1 Can cream of chicken soup

1 ¾ Cup chicken broth

2 Tbsp butter

Directions:

Crust

1. Mix all together (except ½ cup melted butter) in mixing bowl until smooth

2. Pour into a greased 8x8 inch baking pan

3. Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes

4. Let cool completely

5. Crumble cornbread and toss with melted butter

Casserole

1. In a sauce pan on medium low heat, add butter, celery, and onions. Cook until translucent.

2. Add chicken broth, cream of chicken soup, salt, and pepper

3. Stir until soup is dissolved completely

4. Add chicken and blend until mixture reaches a low simmer

5. Cook for 5 minutes and remove from heat

6. Place chicken mixture in a 2 ½ quart buttered casserole dish

7. Spoon cornbread over the top of the casserole

8. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes

Print

Cornbread Ingredients

And butter too...

Chicken filling...

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Country Chicken Supper

Yesterday we said "goodbye" to my husband's uncle.
He was a nice man, who always made me feel welcome in his home from day one.

Listening to his (3!) eulogies, it was really cool to hear all these different stories about him that we didn't know before...or had a different impression of.

My mother in law said on the way home (I am sure it's not original from her, but I couldn't find a quote to, well, quote)
"If you ask 10 people to say a sentence about a person, you will get 10 completely different sentences".
She is oh-so-very right.
Everyone has their own thoughts and opinions about a person, as well as their own interests that they shared with someone.

At wakes and memorials, I always enjoy looking at the picture boards people make. (is that morbid?)
I love seeing older pictures, and snapshots of a time in their life I may never have known about.
Dorky me though, I was taken by a couple of pictures of hubby's aunt and uncle that were taken at my wedding.
What struck me about them is the fact that we held his memorial service on 7/24/16.
Those pictures were taken 7/24/04.
I just kept thinking "wow...12 years ago today those were taken, almost to the hour. A lot of the same people were together at that same time".
I am sentimental like that...or being over-thinkery...which is more than likely the case.

Now is the time where I thank you all for your good thoughts, warm wards, and virtual hugs when I spilled my guts about everything that hit at once.

Life is getting back on track. My aunt's friend passed. We are getting some new people at work.
Life just keeps marching on as it should.

Time for some comfort food that's good for the soul!

Ingredients:

3 Boneless chicken breasts

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

½ Cup chopped onion

1 (14 oz) can French style green beans

1 (14 oz) can Diced tomatoes

1 (14 oz) can Sliced carrots

1 Large potato (¾ inch cubes)

1 Cup uncooked rice

½ Tsp salt

¼ Tsp pepper

1 Cup water

½ Cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Cut chicken into bite sized pieces

2. Heat oil in large skillet

3. Add chicken and onion, saute 3 minutes

4. Add green beans, undrained tomatoes, carrots (drained), potato, rice, salt, and pepper.

5. Mix gently

6. Pour water over top of chicken mixture

7. Cook, covered, over med low heat for 20 minutes or until potato and rice are tender

8. Sprinkle chicken mixture with cheddar

Print

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