Breakfast Casseroles

Last night, I made an easy dinner. I thought about taking some time to relax but instead I took the time without children hanging from my person to prep some breakfast for the week. I glanced through the fridge and pantry and came up with some random ingredients to work with. I read a few recipes and then just did what sounded good. Here's what I came up with.

Casserole #1 - Sausage, Potato and Cheddar

The Stuff

6 Eggs

Half & Half

House Seasoning*

Little potatoes

Breakfast sausage

Shredded cheddar

*House Seasoning (I use this in everything.)

Kosher Salt

Black Pepper

Onion Powder

Garlic Powder

The Process

Wash and peel your potatoes. I didn't peel them and Ben has requested that I peel them next time. Cube them up into about thumbnail size. Throw them onto a baking sheet with some house seasoning and olive oil. Roast at 400 until everything is crispy and brown. It should take about 25-30 minutes. I had some onion on the sheet too but I'll probably leave it out next time.

Blend the eggs and about a half of a cup of half & half together. I made both casseroles at the same time so it had 12 eggs and a little over a cup of half & half. I eyeballed the h&h. Put a big pinch of house seasoning into the eggs.

Brown the breakfast sausage in a big skillet. Leave the drippings in the pan if you're making the other casserole.

In a greased casserole dish - I forgot to grease it and that's a MISTAKE - throw in your sausage, potatoes and 1/2 a cup of cheddar. Mix it up and pour the egg mixture over everything. Shake the dish around to let the eggs settle. Top with a little more cheese.

Bake at 375 for 30-45 minutes until bubbly and brown on top. It's going to puff up a bit and those puffs are awesome.

Casserole #2 - Spinach, feta, mushroom and bacon

The Stuff

6 Eggs

Half & half

House Seasoning

Sliced mushrooms

1 box of frozen spinach, thawed

Feta

6 slices of bacon

The Process

First, I laid the bacon on a ridged baking dish and baked it at 400 for 20 minutes. Mine was thick cut bacon so it took a while to cook. This is my go-to method for cooking bacon. It can cook while I do other stuff. I had it in the oven with the potatoes from the other casserole.

With the sausage drippings from the other casserole, I added 2 tablespoons of butter in the skillet and let it melt. I dumped in a small container of sliced mushrooms and let them brown over medium heat. Once they had started to brown, I took the thawed spinach and tossed it in with them. Remember to squeeze all of the moisture from your spinach. I forgot that too and it makes a big difference. Add a big pinch of house seasoning and let that goodness cook.

In a greased casserole dish - GREASE IT UP - toss the mushroom and spinach mixture. Chop up the bacon and add a cup of feta cheese. Mix everything up. Pour the egg and h&h mixture over everything and shake it to let it settle. Bake at 375 for 30-45 minutes.

This was DIVINE. It tastes decadent but I don't think it's too bad for you. Ben really liked his casserole. Cut them into squares and it can be refrigerated or even frozen for later. It's a quick and hearty breakfast.

Now, go forth and produce noms.

Honey Mustard Chicken Casserole

It started with drooling over Pioneer Woman's Ranch Style Chicken. Then I found this honey mustard chicken dish from Six Sisters Stuff. (I LOVE THAT SITE.) So, I started brainstorming how to make this my own. Here's what I came up with. I served it with cheesy bacon potatoes from the same site. I also put peas and corn on the side because we're just healthy like that.

Honey Mustard Chicken Casserole

The Stuff:
2 chicken breasts, cubed
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup mustard (I used yellow but Dijon would be great.)
2 pinches of house seasoning*
1/2 tsp dried rosemary (Fresh would be wonderful.)
6 slices of bacon
1 TBSP butter
shredded cheddar cheese

*House seasoning is what I call my mix of kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. I use it in everything. Except cake.

The Process:
Throw the chicken cubes in a freezer bag and cover with the mustard, honey, house seasoning and rosemary. Squish it around to mix everything. Marinate or freeze for later.

When you're ready for dinner, preheat the oven to 375. Fry your bacon in a skillet until it's crisp. Remove to a plate to drain but keep the bacon fat in the skillet. Add the butter to the bacon fat.

I know. I'm not doing Weight Watchers yet.

Saute your marinated chicken in the bacon-butter mixture and laugh devilishly. Once it is browned, pour it into a casserole dish. Crumble the bacon on top of the chicken. Sprinkle a generous layer of cheese over the top. Bake this bad boy for about 12 minutes until it's brown and bubbly and amazing on top.

Serve this to your husband and listen to him groan with delight and demand that you make it every week.

Picky Eaters

It's hard to cook every night. I've tried making meal plans, prepping food and freezing it, shopping only for a week and trying to use it up before going back to the store, etc. It all comes down to making myself get up and go to the blasted kitchen. I have a few go-to recipes that Ben and I enjoy. We like chicken parm casserole, Greek chicken pitas, sour cream chicken enchiladas and shredded BBQ chicken sandwiches.

Then...there are the kids.

I was about to type that Sophie is my pickiest eater but I deleted it. Honestly, Gideon now takes that crown. He likes the following:

• deli ham, plain
• crunchy cheetos
• pop tarts
• jelly sandwiches
• dry apple jacks
• oranges and pineapple

Wow. I didn't know the list was that short until I started making it. Sophie's list is three times that length! Milly is more adventurous and just doesn't like to get bored.

They also all have different texture issues. Gideon used to like bananas but now he doesn't want to hold them. Sophie loses her mind at anything sticky. Milly doesn't like handling cold meat.

Tonight, I made a big pot of spaghetti. Plain stuff; browned hamburger from the freezer, leftover Prego and noodles. Nothing fancy.

Sophie ate a HUGE plateful and patted her distended belly.
Milly picked out some noodles and bit them in half.
Gideon stared at his plate.

Unless I start making fruit platters for dinner, they're never going to eat the same thing at the same time.

What are your family favorites? Any odd aversions?

Stuff I Like

Here's some stuff that's totally digging my chili right now.

• Paul Mitchell's Tea Tree Hair and Scalp Treatment.

Does it make me feel like I've set my head on fire? YES. Is my scalp finally not flaking from eczema/psoriasis/whatever's been on there for decades? EVEN YESSER.

• Warehouse 13 

Season 4 just began. Kate Mulgrew, AKA Captain Janeway, is my favorite character on the show. Brent Spiner, AKA Data, is guest starring. It's a glorious geeky delight.

• Lady of America in Sachse

This is the gym I joined. I love going because it's all women. Men, you're cool and all that but I like a gym where Ricky Martin and Backstreet Boys blare while I watch The View on my stationary bike. Also? YOGA ROCKS.

• Raising Cane's Chicken

Crispy chicken fingers, crinkle fries, sweet tea and a sauce that I could bathe in. DUDE. I have got to learn how to make this sauce at home and possibly cut the calories down.

• Spelling Apps from Learning Touch

Sophie has been playing the original animal app for months. In the last month, she's started spelling words and asking for us to spell everything on Earth. We bought the deluxe version and she began playing today. (After a little agitation at the thought of trading her tried-and-true app for something new.) These work. Plain and simple. 

Spaghetti Squash with Sauce

I've been on Weight Watchers since January. I've gone from a size 26 to a size 20. It blows my mind that this is actually working! This is the first time that I've lost a significant amount of weight in years.

Then...I got lazy. I started eating cheeseburgers and fries, pasta and garlic bread, carbs, carbs, carbs and more carbs. Not surprisingly, the scale started to go up again and those size 20 capris felt a little too tight. So, I joined a gym and started looking for some low-carb recipes to satisfy my cravings while letting me keep wearing my new clothes.

Italian food is my downfall. There is nothing better to me than a large plate of thin pasta swimming in creamy sherry-spiked marinara sauce with chicken draped in provolone served next to a basket full of garlic rolls dripping in oil and butter.

Evil, I tell you.

I kept running across recipes for spaghetti squash. It's a vegetable that, when roasted, can be shredded into spaghetti-like strands. I kept reading about the health benefits (Folic acid! Beta carotene! vitamin A!) and marveled at how an entire squash was only about 50 calories when cooked. After reading a few recipes, I came up with this.

The Stuff

Football sized spaghetti squash
1 TBSP EVOO
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp Italian seasoning
Half of a zucchini, cubed
3 oz of baby bella mushrooms, sliced
1 TBSP unsalted butter
1/2 jar of light Prego marinara sauce

The Process

First, you have to cut that sucker in half across the long side. It took some doing! That thing has some thick skin. Then, take a spoon and scrape out all of the seeds and gross stuff. Preheat the oven to 375 and put your halved spaghetti squash on a baking sheet. Drizzle with the EVOO and sprinkle your seasonings all over it. Then turn it cut side down and bake for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, turn the squash cut side up and bake for another 45 minutes.

The sauce comes together so quickly that I waited until the squash was cooked and let it cool. I put a large skillet over high heat and melted the butter. Add the sliced mushrooms and zucchini and saute until they are soft. I had to add a little extra EVOO to keep things moist. Then I added half a jar of the sauce. While everything simmered on low, I scraped out the squash into long spaghetti-like strings. It all got added to the sauce and sauteed / simmered everything together. A sprinkle of Parmesan and my dinner was done.

An entire skillet of delicious Italian food was about 168 calories. I practically gorged myself on dinner that was about 3 points total and high in all of the vitamins that I've been needing. Do yourself a favor and try this. Don't be afraid of something new!

Taco Soup

Tonight I made taco soup. That sounds simple but I actually had to make quite a few tweaks and adaptations to make it acceptable to my family. I started with Paula Deen's recipe and began fiddling. I ended up with two soups.

Beef Taco Soup

The Stuff:
1 lb ground beef, browned and drained
1 15 oz can mexican stewed tomatoes
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes with sweet onions
1 10 oz can rotel
1 15 oz can ranch style beans
1 15 oz can corn kernels, drained
1 package of taco seasoning
1 package of ranch salad dressing mix

The Process:
Dump everything into a big stockpot and simmer for about an hour. Put crushed tortilla chips and shredded fiesta cheese in a bowl and ladle your soup over. I topped mine with guacamole.

Chicken Taco Soup

The Stuff:
1 lb chicken breast, roasted and shredded

1 15 oz can mexican stewed tomatoes
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes with sweet onions
1 10 oz can rotel
1 15 oz can ranch style beans
1 package of taco seasoning
1 package of ranch salad dressing mix

The Process:
Dump everything into a big stockpot and simmer for about an hour. Put crushed tortilla chips and shredded fiesta cheese in a bowl and ladle your soup over. Basically, I just switched the beef for chicken and eliminated the corn. Ben put sour cream on top because he doesn't like corn or guacamole and he's weird.

Sophie ate half a bowl. Milly ate two bowls and I had trouble snapping her pajamas. Gideon ate chips because he's annoying.

Orzo with Broccoli

I'm exhausted so I'm just going to post the recipe. Ben and I have had a long day of kids and sickness so I wanted to throw something quick together for dinner. I didn't want anything too heavy. Then I remembered that bag of orzo that I bought and hadn't yet used. I've never cooked orzo before so I looked at a few different recipes for ideas and then I just followed what I thought sounded good. This is what I came up with.

The Stuff

3/4 cup uncooked orzo
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups broccoli (I used half of a frozen bag.)
1 TBSP EVOO
1 tsp kosher salt
1 TBSP lemon pepper seasoning
1 TBSP dried dill weed
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

The Process

Bring your chicken broth to a boil. Add the orzo and cook for about 7 minutes while stirring regularly. Drain in a colander once pasta is cooked and tender.

Put your EVOO in a skillet on medium heat and toss in the broccoli. Sprinkle your seasonings on top and stir. Cover the broccoli skillet so everything can saute and get soft. Once it's sauteed but still a little crisp, take out the broccoli and chop into little pieces.

Broccoli and orzo get tossed in a bowl. Throw the feta in with it while everything is still hot. Stir up the melty-cheesy goodness.

It's like a grown-up mac and cheese. I used Greek seasonings and cheese this time but you could also turn this into an Italian dish by adding Parmesan, asiago or fontina cheese. You could also use spinach, asparagus or any other green veggies that you like. I'm going to add my Greek shredded chicken next time to see if that bulks it up and makes it a good all-in-one lunch.

Next time you're at the store, pick up something you've never cooked before. You may try it and love it!

Kelly's Man-Pleasing Chicken

A recipe has been lurking the interwebs. A recipe called Man Pleasing Chicken. My best friend made it and immediately texted me virtual drool. So I gave it a shot. Of course, I had to tweak it because that's just what I do.

The Stuff:

6 boneless skinless chicken thighs
6 pieces of center cut bacon
1/4 cup mustard
1/8 cup pure maple syrup
1 TBSP vinegar
kosher salt
black pepper
onion powder
garlic powder

First, let me explain the differences in the ingredients. My friend told me that the sauce could easily be cut in half and it's still plenty. The original author used dijon mustard but I didn't have any in my fridge. I just used the regular yellow stuff. I just grabbed my usual apple cider vinegar instead of rice wine vinegar. The kosher salt / black pepper / onion powder / garlic powder mix is a basic seasoning mix I put in nearly everything. I just grab a big pinch.

And how in the world can something be called "man-pleasing" without bacon?!?!

The Process:

Put the chicken thighs in a big freezer Ziploc bag. Pour in the mustard, syrup, vinegar and spices. Seal the bag and squish everything around. This can marinate for a few hours, overnight or be thrown in the freezer for a Freezer Bank Meal. The bacon is sealed in a separate bag and labeled to go with the meal.

When you're ready to make the dinner, thaw your chicken bag and bacon bag. Preheat the oven to 375 and mist a casserole dish with cooking spray. Roll each chicken thigh in a piece of bacon and lay them in the dish. Bake until everything is golden brown and the bacon is crispy. Mine took...I honestly don't know. I use my nose. 30 minutes? Glance at it after 25 minutes. Then again after 35. If it's been 45 minutes then make sure your stove is on.

The chicken was tangy and juicy. Eventually I'll give it a shot with the other stuff the original author added.

Do I even have rosemary?

Freezer Meals: Review

Today marks the end of the first week of the Freezer Meal experiment. I think this is working out nicely!

Here's what the first week looked like after a few switches:

Not too shabby!

My freezer is also pretty darn full.

• chicken parm casserole bag
• 2 roast chicken bags
• 4 chicken fajita bags
• 4 marinated steak bags
• beef stroganoff bag

I haven't even started making the other meals. It's a little time consuming and difficult to do with ankle biters. I do still have a lot of chicken that is ready to be pounded, stuffed and marinated in different ways. I think I might have overbought a little this month and I'm ahead of myself for next month. No bother! Chicken was on a great sale and now I can focus on some good fresh veggies for sides. I also didn't take into account how much leftovers I would have. That stroganoff recipe makes enough for 3 nights which is why we had a leftover night.

I looked at the food budget and it has gone WAY down. We haven't been going to the store every other day to get this and that. I might send my husband to the store after work to get a few things but he's much better about sticking to a strict list.

Plus, if I had to listen to my daughter ask for grapes one more time then my brain was going to flee screaming into the night.

Notes to self: Buy grapes on sale and freeze them. Cut down the stroganoff recipe. Congratulate husband for eating spinach.

Fruit Fanatics

Clerks look at me funny when I come through their line with 30 pounds of bananas, 20 pounds of apples, 15 pounds of clementines and 14 bags of grapes.

They have no idea that this is just a weekend snack to my children.

Sophie is just now starting to request little bits of chocolate. It's few and far between. She would much rather have a bowl of fresh strawberries with a cup of apple juice on the side. Gideon would eat 5 oranges in one sitting if I let him. I don't because I know that he would turn himself inside out. Even Milly, my little chocolate milk addict, sets aside cupcakes with disdain because there is fresh pineapple available.

I love my little fruit freaks.

Mondays: Slow Cooker Day

Monday is always a reset day. The kids and I have to get used to Daddy going back to work and there's always a weekend mess to clean up.

Enter Mama's Best Friend: The Slow Cooker.

Menu: Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Sauteed Mushrooms

I've already posted the recipe once. I truly love this beef stroganoff. It's comforting and creamy. I've taken steps to making it a little more point friendly by tweaking it.

• replace the condensed Golden mushroom soup with 98% Fat Free mushroom soup
• replace the beefy onion soup with Progresso French onion soup
• use half of a chopped fresh onion instead of half of a bag of frozen
• don't add the water
• use reduced fat cream cheese

After making the meal for tonight, I just made a second meal in a labeled Ziploc bag. I put the stew meat, onion, soups, seasonings and Worcestshire sauce in the bag and squished it around. This will go in the slow cooker straight from the freezer.

I also labeled the cream cheese so I would remember to save it for that meal. There's another meal in my freezer stockpile!

Here are our dinners. Mine is the one surrounded by glorious wonderful mushrooms while Ben has the pile of banal mashed potatoes.

*sigh*

Poor boy does not share my love for fungi. I love him still.

Sundays: Roast Chicken

Sunday is a day for the slow cooker. It's a day for a nice big roast. I'll mix it up on other months when other meats go on sale. This month, whole chickens were on sale.

Menu: Roast chicken, garlic mashed potatoes, steamed green beans

First, I realized that I needed to partially thaw all 4 of my chickens. I couldn't pry the dadgum legs apart and get to the giblets to save my life. On Sunday morning, I set up my assembly line.

• 4 chickens, giblets removed ("HEARTS AND KIDNEYS ARE TINKER TOYS!" Name that movie!)
• Spice rub (recipe below)
• 4 slow cooker liner bags
• 3 labeled gallon sized freezer bags
• 2 onions, peeled and cut into eighths

First I put together the chicken for that night's dinner. I put the slow cooker liner in the slow cooker and laid the chicken to rest. Then I rubbed it all over with my spice mix.

• 4 tablespoons kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons paprika
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme
• 2 tablespoons black pepper
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

Then I threw the top on and set it on low. All done until dinner!

Next, I did the same thing with the rest of the chickens. This time I twirled the top of the slow cooker bag until the chicken was nicely tucked together. Then everything got stuffed into a labeled freezer bag. Now I have three Sunday dinners waiting to be put into the slow cooker.

I don't add any moisture to the slow cooker as the chicken is cooking. It will create enough of its own and the slow cooker bag keeps everything self-basting. I did go in about halfway and turned the chicken over to let it cook a little more evenly.

And we have chicken! When I pulled it out of the slow cooker, it fell apart. Seriously. I was left holding a leg in the tongs and my shirt was splattered. I served this with potatoes and steamed green beans. The onion was WOOOOONDERFUL with the chicken. The potatoes were just for the hubby since I'm watching my points. I'll try to update points values later.

Enjoy your bird flesh!

Prepping The Meals!

After buying all of the ingredients, the next thing to do was put everything together.

Of course I made a list for that!

This lets me know what to do up until the time I need to put it in the bag to freeze. I also have it listed at the top of the recipe how many times I need to make that specific recipe. I've even reminded myself to mark certain things in the fridge so that 3 weeks from now I'm not staring at a pack of cream cheese wondering why it's there. It will be marked "Beef Stroganoff 4/9" and I won't put it on my toast.

It is destined for better things. Like beef and mushrooms. Lots of mushrooms. Glorious mushrooms.

*drooooool*

Ahem.  So, this is my process! My basic thought is if I'm going to make it once then why not make it twice or 4 times and freeze the excess for other nights? If I have an hour of free time then why not take that hour and make 4 bags of chicken fajitas so that I don't have to do it on a night where Milly is going through her "Mama has walked away and has disappeared therefore I must SCREAM!" phases?

The Shopping Lists

After I put together my meal plan, the next step was to break that down into a shopping list. Actually, it was a few shopping lists.

One of the problems that I had before was that I would buy everything at once and about halfway through the month all of my produce had gone bad and my dairy had curdled. So here are my shopping lists.

This is the main shopping list. First I took a trip through the kitchen to see what I had on hand and what I needed. Then I put together this Main List. I'm also prepping ahead on breakfasts and lunches so those are in the shopping list as well. This list is a little longer than most because I needed to restock my spice rack. I also had looked at the circulars to see what meats were on sale and tailored my meal plans around that. Chicken and steaks were on sale at Sprouts and Albertsons. Hooray for lean meats! I'm also easing into this by making a lot of slow cooker meals and meals that know very well. These are things I can make in my sleep.

Each week then gets one of these; a Perishable List. These are the weekly trips I will make to Sprouts and another store for the produce and dairy that is needed just for that week. This is perilous because I am an impulse buyer. I am determined to stick to my lists no matter how much I think I need another bag of Pop Chips. My kids go through about 2 gallons of milk a week. I have seriously looked at the zoning laws and thought about how much a cow costs. Until then, I have to go each week and get their milk along with the rest of the sour cream and whatever produce is on sale. I'm grateful that my kids drink milk and eat fruit rather than ask for soda and candy. It just means I have to practice my resilience when I go through Sprouts and look at all of the wonderful things in the bulk section.

I don't need chocolate covered espresso beans. I don't.

Maybe just a Ritter Sport...

Adventures in Once a Month / Freezer Cooking

In an attempt to force myself to cook daily, lower calories and tighten the budget I've been trying different methods of "Once A Month Cooking". This is where you go grocery shopping once a month, come home and prepare individual meals in freezer bags, casserole dishes and other holders to label and freeze. These meals are then ready to be taken out and cooked by your meal plan for the month. This eliminates the need for a 30 minute prep when your kids have stolen your will to live much less chop onions and smash garlic cloves.

I've tried different websites claiming to hold all of your recipes and then collate a shopping list. None of them did it right. OK, none of them did it MY way. So after much trial and error I found my way.

So, this is just my meal plan. It's color-coded by week from Wednesday to Wednesday. This is because I go produce shopping at Sprouts every week and Wednesdays are Double-Ad Day. (I'm cheap.) I'll get into the shopping stuff on a later post.

I started going by a system. Sundays are Roast Day, Mondays are Slow Cooker Days, Tuesday is Mediterranean Night, Wednesday is Italian Night, Thursday is Fajita Night, Friday is Steak Night. On Saturdays, I will actually cook something not out of the freezer just to give myself a little nudge.

Here I go. I will post recipes and pictures. I'll fill you in on the shopping process. I'll let you know if we're sticking to it and if it's making a difference in our wallet and my Weight Watchers Points.

Crockpot Broccoli Cheese Soup

Remember my earlier post about crockpot soups and stews when I said that I wanted a broccoli cheese soup?

SWEET FRENCH MONKEY PANTS, I HAVE FOUND IT.

It begins with Crockpot 365. I tweaked her recipe a little after looking at the reviews and knowing what Ben and I like.

Without further ado...

The Stuff:
1 qt chicken broth
2 cups milk (I used 2% cow's)
2 10 oz bags of frozen broccoli florets
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp black powder
1 lb Velveeta, cubed
2 cups of shredded cheese (I used cheddar and colby jack.)
2 tbsp cornstarch

The Process:
Let's start with the chicken broth. I don't make my own. I don't usually buy cans or boxes.

I almost always use this stuff.



Curse me if you must, but it's easy and I like the taste.

So! 1 quart is 4 cups. 4 cups of chicken broth go in your crockpot. Then goes 2 cups of milk. Whisk it around and add your seasonings. Honestly, I took a stab at the amounts. I truly just add what seems "right". Whisk everything around again and dump in all of your broccoli. Then stir and set your crockpot on Low.

20 minutes before dinner, go back to your crockpot and savor the loveliness of broccoli simmering in chickeny milk. Drop your cheese into the crockpot and stir again. Let it melt away.

When you're ready to eat, take a taste of the soup. Is is too thin? Take that 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and stir in 2 tablespoons of COLD water. I really can't emphasize that COLD enough. Cornstarch does not dissolve in warm or hot water. It will just leave friendly little grits all through your soup. What you have now is called a "slurry".

Look how much you're learning!

Pour the cornstarch slurry into the soup, turn the crockpot on High and leave the top off. Let it cook for a while until it gets a little thicker.

Then...you may eat the wonderful, glorious, incredible concoction that we so enjoyed tonight. I had a huge bowl and was completely stuffed but still wanted more. Even Ben, my carnivore husband, gleefully devoured two bowls and proclaimed it amazing.

That means a lot coming from someone as bacon addicted as he.

All Hail the Crockpot!

ALL HAIL THE MIGHTY CROCKPOT.

Seriously, this is my go-to appliance in the kitchen. I don't think I could live without one or maybe five of them. As Dallas grows nippier, my thoughts begin to turn to stews and soups. Possibly with lovely biscuits, crusty rolls or cornbread. Here are some of my basics.

LENTIL STEW

The Stuff
1 pound dry lentils
1 pound smoked sausage, diced
1 can sliced white potatoes, drained
1 can sliced carrots, drained
1 10 ounce can tomato sauce
4 cups chicken broth
1 bay leaf
2 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp garlic powder

The Process:
Add to crockpot. Turn on Low. Walk away. Remove bay leaf and enjoy in 6 - 8 hours. Too thick? Add water or chicken broth. Too thin? Cook on high with the lid off for a while.

Chicken Tortilla Stew

The Stuff
3 - 4 chicken breasts or thighs
1 15 ounce can diced tomatoes with peppers (Rotel)
1 10 ounce can tomato sauce
1 26 oz box chicken stock
1 packet taco seasoning
1 can undrained corn kernels
1 can undrained black beans
1 can undrained chili beans

The Process:
Add to crockpot. Turn on Low. Walk away. Enjoy in 6 - 8 hours. Serve over crushed tortilla chips and shredded cheese. Chop up an avocado and savor the cold versus hot. Add sour cream on top or some chopped scallions and cilantro if you're feeling fancy.

I'm on the lookout for some crockpot recipes for broccoli cheese soup, baked potato soup and a decent Texas chili. (NO BEANS.) Any suggestions?

Fajita YUM

When it comes to Tex-Mex, I almost always choose something with fajita beef. Nachos, quesadillas, tacos or just plain ole' fajitas. (Onions only, please.)

We have a wonderful place here in Sachse called Chiloso. There's another location in Richardson. It's your basic taco, BOB, Tex-Mex joint with 2 glorious pillars of delight.




The grilled avocados loaded with meat, cheese and cilantro.



See that little cup of white sauce? That's Bella Blanca. It's a delicious blend of jalapenos, lime and ranch.

Last week, I ordered the grilled avocados for the first time. I loaded them with fajita beef. They came with queso underneath and I drizzled Bella Blanca on top. I then swooned with every bite.

I tried to recreate something similar at home. I made fajita beef and added sliced mushrooms with this marinade that I tweaked from One Sassy Chef.

1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tsp garlic powder (I was out of real garlic)
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp liquid smoke flavoring (any flavor works, but I like hickory the best)
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp cumin

Don't marinate the mushrooms too long. They're little sponges! Then I just sauteed everything together and added some black beans.

Why?

Because I like black beans and I knew my husband wasn't going to touch this concoction because of the fungus infestation.

After everything was sauteed together, I pulled it out of the pan and put the avocado halves in with the skin still on. I put the pan lid on to kinda steam them. After a few minutes, I pulled them out and cut the avocado away from the skin while saying OWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOW because I couldn't do it with an oven mitt on.

I laid the avocado on the plate and liberally covered it with the steak-mushroom-bean concoction. It didn't taste like Chiloso but it tasted like mine. It's a keeper and I'm really enjoying the leftovers today with another fresh avocado. (Not grilled.)

Go forth and experiment!

Thigh Love

It is impossible to talk about chicken without feeling a little awkward.

*me after dinner* "Oof...I'm full. Two thighs is plenty."

Ben: "Yeah, more than two would be weird."

Garlicky Baked Chicken Thighs

The Stuff:
5 or 6 chicken thighs (mine were on the bone and had skin.)
3 TBSP soy sauce (I think I'm going to up this to 4 TBSP next time.)
1 stick of melted butter (SHUT UP.)
3 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp black pepper

The Process:
Throw your thighs into a bag.

See? It's awkward.

Pour everything else into there and squish it around. Marinate it for 30 minutes to a day. Past a day, put it in the freezer to cook later.

OK! It's later! Take out the bag and let everything thaw. Preheat your oven to 400 and grab a broiler pan. Lay your thighs onto the broiler pan and bake for 40-ish minutes. I just watched mine and waited until they were nice and brown and crispy. These were great with mashed potatoes.

Thiiiiiiiiiiighs.

Sorry. Just had to say it again.

Beef and Mushroom Win

Thank you, Crockstar, for changing my life.

I've been looking for a good beef stroganoff recipe for a while now. Extra points if I can dump it in the crock pot and walk away. I've tried a few and was disappointed. The gravy was bland, thin or non-existent. Then I found this on Pinterest.

YES, ANOTHER PINTEREST RECIPE.

The Stuff:
2 pounds cubed stew meat
1 can Condensed Golden Mushroom Soup
1 can Beefy Onion Soup
1/2 bag of frozen chopped onion
1/2 cup water
4 TBSP of Worcestershire
8 oz of cream cheese
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp kosher salt
1 TBSP butter
3 oz sliced mushrooms

The Process:
First dump your canned soups into the crock along with the water, onion and Worcestshire. Stir until combined and then add your stew meat. Mine was frozen. I love meals that I don't have to defrost because I NEVER remember to defrost the dadgum meat! Turn it to Low and walk away.

After about 7 hours, come back and savor your creation. It's almost ready. Cube the cream cheese and drop it in. Turn the crock up to High and let it go.


Here's where I got a little tricky. My husband doesn't like mushrooms. I still love him but that means that I have to cook my mushrooms separately. I think I actually like it better this way! I just melted the butter in a saucepan and dumped the mushrooms in. Once they were browned and starting to soften, I sprinkled the seasonings on and stirred. I covered them and set them on medium. Every few minutes I would stir them and then I just took them off the heat when they were to my liking.

Ben will probably eat the stroganoff over mashed potatoes. I ate it over my glorious sauteed mushrooms. I'm even thinking of making the gravy and mushrooms as a side dish for steak.

Try it, lovelies. It's good for you.