Country Casserole

On a mission to eat in more, I picked up Southern Living Almost Homemade magazine.  It is full of easy to make receipes that are sure to get rave reviews.  So I picked Ham-Hash Brown Casserole and modified it a bit.  I used chicken instead of ham, country style hash browns instead of grated hashbrowns, and added in more veggies.  Needless to say you can alter the ingredients to fit your taste and you can't mess it up! Oh and the result was delicious! 

Ingredients:

• 1 (30 oz.) package of frozen hash browns thawed
• 6 chickens breasts (cooked and shredded)
• 1 can of mixed vegetables
• 1 (10 3/4 oz.) can cream of potato soup
• 1 (10 oz.) alfredo sauce
• 1 zucchini (2 cups shredded)
• 1 squash (1 cup shredded)
• 1 package of spinach (cooked)
• 2 cups (8 oz.) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
• 1 cup milk
• 2 cups crushed round buttery crackers
• 3 tbsp. melted butter

Preheat the over to 400 degrees.  Combine the hash browns, chicken, vegetables, soup, alfredo sauce, zucchini, squash, spinach, cheddar cheese, and milk. 

 

Spoon mixture into a lightly greased 13 x 9 inch baking dish. Combine crushed crackers and butter.  Top casserole with cracker mixture.

Bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes or until bubbly and cracker mixture is brown.

Let stand 15 minutes then served.

perfect Paula Deen mini quiche

Tomorrow night I am hosting the FDC for a meeting.  Naturally that means I am providing food and drink.  I needed a few easy to make snacks.  I didn't want to buy something frozen and decided to find something yummy.  Paula Deen's mini quiche seemed like the perfect solution!

Ingredients: 

• 12 tablespoons (1.5 sticks) of melted butter 
• 50 crushed buttery crackers (Ritz)
• 5 slices of bacon
• 6 stalks of chopped green onions
• 1 cup chopped mushrooms
• 2 cups of milk
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of pepper
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups of finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Makes 24 servings

Preheat the over to 300 degrees.  Grease 2 12-cup muffin tins.

In a bowl, combine the cracker crumbs and the melter butter.
 

Then divide the mixture evenly among the muffin cups.

 

Brown the bacon. Then remove from the pan and drain on paper towels.
 

Saute your vegetables. Crumble the bacon and add to your vegetable mixture.  Allow to cool for 5 minutes.  

 

Beat together the milk, salt, pepper, and eggs. 

 Add this to the bacon and vegetable mixture.

Spoon the mixture into the muffin tin evenly over the cracker crumbs, filling the cups 3/4 full.  Sprinkle the grated cheese on top. 

  

                                                  

Bake for 15 minutes or until they are set in the middle. 

                                                  

Quiche will easily pop out when baked perfectly.



iMade an iPad cover

Work gave me an iPad for Christmas (get ready 2012), so I decided to make a cover. I went to the Crystal Amsinger Motes school of sewing and crafts, which basically means if you can think it then you can pretty much make it. With a little quick thinking this took about an hour to make and now I have my own unique cover.

The fabric was found at work. EO offered up a bunch of old swag and I picked up about 10 bandanas in different colors. I had envisioned a tote bag but hadn't got around to making it yet. Since the iPad will be used largely for our civic engagement work, this design seemed appropriate.

It's a simple project that you can do too! The measurements can be adjusted to fit your tablet/iPad/etc.

Materials:

• fabric (I used 2 squares of 20" by 20")


• batting (2 rectangles of 12" by 9")


• zipper (I used a 12" and cut it down to 10")


• sewing machine


• 2 pieces of cardboard (I cut mine to 11.5" by 8")

Directions:

1. Iron your fabric.


2. Put 1 piece of cardboard in between 1 folded over piece of batting. Stitch up the sides. This will provide structure and added cushion to the cover.
   


3. Sew the two fabric pieces together inside out (design sides in). This will make a pillow case. Flip inside out to show designs.
   


4. Fold the pillow case in half (with the fabric you want on the inside facing out). Sew the sides together. Now flip inside out. Stuff the two now batting covered pieces of cardboard into the openings at each end. This will make a booklike cover.
   


5. You should have a book cover with stitched up sides but opened tops. This is where you add the zipper. Fold over the edges (in towards each other) on each side. Place 1 side of zipper in between. Hand stitch zipper in on both sides.
   


6. All done! You can see the case is bigger than the iPad but had plenty of cushion for it.

I have plenty more bandanas (orange, purple, blue -- magenta and pink shown) if anybody wants one! :)

Chicken Enchiladas!

And...we're back! I had chicken on hand, needed something new to make, and went searching on the internet. This recipe lacks pictures (except for the one bad camera phone shot) but it is easy to make, feeds a large bunch, and fills your tummy. Minus the cheese and sour cream it is pretty healthy too.

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil


• 1.5 pounds of skinless boneless chicken (cutlets are easiest for this)


• salt and pepper


• 2 teaspoons cumin powder


• 2 teaspoons garlic powder


• 1 teaspoon Mexican Spice Blend (think taco seasoning)


• 1 onion chopped


• 2 garlic cloves minced


• 1 (16-ounce) can of corn


• 1 red pepper


• 1 green pepper


• 1 (28-ounce) can of stewed tomatoes


• 1/2 teaspoon all purpose-flour


• 12 whole wheat tortillas (really dependent on size of dish and how many fit)


• 2 (16-ounce) cans of enchilada sauce (mild, medium, hot depending on your liking)


• 1 cup of Cheddar and Jack cheeses


• optional garnish: sour cream, cilantro, scallions, chopped tomatoes

Coat a large saute pail with oil. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Brown the chicken over medium heat. Sprinkle the chicken with cumin, garlic powder, and Mexican spice blend. Remove chicken and place on platter, allow to cool.

Saute onion and garlic in the chicken drippings until tender. Add corn and peppers. Stir well to combine. Add canned tomatoes, saute 1 minute.

Pull the chicken apart by hand creating shredded pieces. Add chicken back into the pan, combining with the vegetables. Dust the mixture with flour to help set.

Microwave the tortillas for 30 seconds (this makes this soft and flexible). Pour 1 can of enchilada sauce into your casserole dish to coat the bottom. Scoop a few spoonfuls of the chicken/veggie mix into a tortilla. Fold over and place into the casserole dish, seam side down. Once all are in the dish, top evenly with 1 can of enchilada sauce. Top with the cheese.

Bake for 15 minutes in a preheated 350 degree over. Garnish as desired. Serve with beans and rice.

Southern sweetness...in my mouth

I love some Southern sweetness...especially in my mouth. Luckily, the Pioneer Woman (yes, her again) had a great recipe which she got from Steel Magnolias, a good chick flick about the women in a Southern town (which I finally watched in full this weekend, but now I digress). This yummy goodness is as easy as its name: a cuppa this, a cuppa that, another cuppa, and bake! I present to you the Cuppa Cuppa Cuppa Cake.

I hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoy all things Southern.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of self-rising flour


• 1 cup of sugar


• 1 can of fruit cocktail eith the juice


• softened butter to grease pan


• Cool Whip for topping

Preheat the over to 350 degrees. Stir together the flour, sugar, and fruit cocktail (including the juice). Pour into a buttered pan.

Bake for 45 minutes. The cake will be a perfect golden color, just like any Southerner. A cut into the cake will show you the yummy goodness inside. Pair with a scoop of Cool Whip and enjoy!

Beam...it's what's for dinner!

What's a hungry girl to do when the main ingredient in my kitchen is a handle of Jim Beam? Use it to make dinner naturally.

I stole this recipe from the Pioneer Woman (check her out if you haven't already). It seemed like a perfect fit. It was quick and easy and makes a large batch. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 24 ounces sliced mushrooms (baby portabellas work well)


• olive oil


• kosher salt


• black pepper


• 2 tablespoons butter


• 1 whole large white onion, peeled and sliced


• 1 3/4 cups of whiskey (Beam works well)


• 1 cup heavy cream


• 12 ounces pasta

Cook 12 ounces of pasta.













Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Slice 24 ounces of mushrooms. Drizzle with olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes. Set aside.

In a large pot, heat olive oil along with the butter over medium heat. Throw in the sliced onions and saute for a couple of minutes.

Pour in the whiskey and allow to bubble for a minute or two.

Whiskey bubbles (in case you were wondering):

Pour in broth and allow the liquid to reduce for a couple of minutes.

Stir in cream and reduce to low heat. Add mushrooms, salt, and pepper, and simmer until sauce thickens.

Toss in the cooked pasta.
Voila! Here is the delicious result:

Verdict: very yummy and pairs nicely with Sam Adams Coastal Wheat.

* Note: this is probably not a child appropriate meal.