Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole

Good afternoon! Are most of you busy prepping for Thanksgiving on Thursday? Anyone out there daring enough to brave the crowds on Black Friday? I can feel the Holiday rush about to start. Let's talk about casserole's now. I'm not sure if I'd ever had a casserole before I moved to Texas. I really have no memory of my Mother ever making one, so these were pretty foreign to me when I moved here. When I started cooking, which also wasn't until I moved here, I loved to experiment in the kitchen. Throw a can of cream of something, some rice or noodles, some kind of protein, some cheese, and you have a meal. I know a lot of people turn their noses to casserole's, but to be honest, I fell in love with them. I guess you could say I have a soft spot in my heart for them because it's one of the first memories I have of something I started cooking on my own. I gave a broccoli rice casserole a shot 3 years ago or so, and it was horrible. I never used to be able to cook white rice, it was always sticky, or crunchy with a puddle of water still in the bottom. I wasn't great at cooking broccoli either. I know, just steam it, right? I just couldn't get it to all come together. My sister in-law inspired me to give it another try though, and I'm happy to say that this time, I got it right!! This was fabulous and I'm so happy that now I have another great go-to casserole. Do any of you have yummy casserole dishes to share? Please leave a link in the comment section, I'd love to see!

-

Ingredients:

3 Cups Water

2 1/4 Cups Long Grain White Rice

1/2 Cup Fat-Free Milk

1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup

1 Can Cream of Mushroom Soup

1 12 0z. Bag Frozen Chopped Broccoli

2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast

1/2 Cup American Cheese, shredded

8 oz. Extra-Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded

1 Tablespoon Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper, to taste

Directions:

In a saucepan, bring 1 cup water and a dash of salt to a boil, then add rice, stir, and turn heat to medium-low and cover. Cut your chicken into cubes and cook it in a fry pan with a olive oil until done, then season with a little salt & pepper; set aside. At this point, your rice should be done, uncover and fluff with a fork, then turn the heat off and cover; set aside. In a deep sauce pan, add your soups, and milk. Once it starts to get hot, add your American cheese, and half of your sharp cheese. Once the cheese is melted, add the cubed chicken, and combine everything thoroughly. Pour soup mixture over rice the stir everything until evenly incorporated; set aside. In a microwave safe bowl, steam your broccoli in the microwave using the directions on the back of your package. Add broccoli to rice mixture and mix well. Spread your mixture in a casserole dish and flatten out then cover with the remaining cheddar cheese and bake in a pre-heated 425 degree oven for 20 minutes.

Garlic Parmesan Fries

It's been awhile since my last post, huh? We've had a lot going on lately and to be honest, I don't feel up to blogging once my day has caught up with me. I've been able to rest a lot this weekend though, so now I want to share something with you that I made this past week. These fries were outrageously good. Yes, they were THAT good. I'm not usually too crazy about potato wedge fries unless they are nice and crispy, and these were! You won't believe how easy they are either. You can absolutely steam them by just covering them with some plastic wrap, I used a bowl from a set I got for our wedding that has these plastic lids that have a little vent that you can open or close to steam food - they are one of my favorite kitchen things that I own! They come in so handy in so many different ways. If you have a big bag of potatoes in your pantry (I always do) then use a few of them to whip these up! Also, you can make them to your liking. You can just make basic fries, or you can add a seasoning salt to them, you could infuse the oil with a multitude of herbs. Give 'em a shot!
-
Ingredients:

3 Russet Potatoes, washed and cut into wedges

2 Garlic Cloves, minced

1/2 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

5 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Directions:

Pour olive oil into a small saucepan and add your garlic and heat up until just warm. Place your potatoes in a large microwave safe bowl and add 2 tablespoons of your oil. Cover with a lid that has a steam slot, or with plastic wrap. Microwave for 6 minutes, stopping at 3 to stir them around. Add your remaining olive oil and your parmesan cheese to the potatoes and mix well. Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 30-40 minutes in a pre-heated 450 degree oven, turning once mid-way through. Sprinkle with additional parmesan before serving, if desired.

Sausage Stuffing Stuffed Pork Chops

Good afternoon! This weekend seemed to go by way too fast. I'm finding myself already wishing it was Friday. I'm sure I'm not the only one though. I made the most delicious pork chops last week that I stuffed with stuffing that I added sausage to, and then I just made a simple pan gravy using the drippings from the pork chops and making a rue with flour, then adding milk and salt & pepper - super easy. I served it with a simple baked potato. The meal was great, and felt perfect for fall. I forgot how much I liked pork chops, especially the boneless ones. I need to make them more! I hope you make this and enjoy it as much as we did.
-

Ingredients:

2 Boneless Pork Chops, fat removed

1/2 Pound Ground Sausage

2 Cups Stuffing Mix (Stove Top, Pepperidge Farm)

3 Tablespoons Butter

1 1/2 Cups Water

Half Medium Onion, diced

1 Large Garlic Clove, minced

Salt & Pepper, to taste

Directions:

In a saucepan, bring your water and 2 tablespoons of butter to a boil. Remove from heat and add stuffing mix and mix, then return to burner and cover it with a lid and keep on low. In a skillet, crumble your sausage and add your onions until the sausage is cooked through, then add your sausage to your stuffing and again leave it covered. Take your pork chops and make deep slits in one side of them, make it deep enough to stuff with stuffing. Add your remaining 1 tablespoon of butter to the same skillet you cooked the sausage in and then place your pork chops in the pan. Season with salt & pepper and sprinkle on minced garlic. Cook them almost through (they will finish in the oven), and make sure they get a nice sear on each side. Remove them to a cutting board and carefully stuff with the stuffing mixture, using as much as you can. Place them in a cooking dish and bake in a pre-heated 400 degree oven for 20-30 minutes.

Brownie Pops

Good afternoon! Well, Halloween is officially over. Now the Christmas rush begins. I sometimes feel like Thanksgiving gets forgotten between Halloween and Christmas. First it's all fall stuff, then bam Christmas is in your face. Don't get me wrong, I love it all, but we still have Thanksgiving people! I sometimes wish that these 3 holiday's were stretched out a little bit more, especially Thanksgiving and Christmas. I want to savor them all. It's definitely my favorite time of the year for cooking! So many cute things to bake, and comforting meals to make - Okay, I totally didn't mean for that to rhyme..but it's cute, huh? These brownie pops are no exception in the cuteness area. How adorable are they? You can do them any way you want, make them your own! They're super easy, and fun to make..not to mention, delicious. Who doesn't love brownies to begin with, but then drizzled in chocolate and rolled in candy and put on a stick? Yum!

-

Ingredients:

1 Boxed Brownie Mix, prepared

Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Lollipop Sticks

Treat Bags

Ribbon

Sprinkles

Crushed Candy

Directions:

Break up your brownies in a bowl then knead them together with your hands until they form a solid ball. With a cookie scoop, take some of the brownie then roll into a ball with your hands and then carefully insert your stick about halfway into the brownie. Rest on a flat surface brownie side down. Place in the fridge while you melt your chocolate. Pour your chocolate chips into a bowl and microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring in between until your chocolate is melted. Place a sandwich bag in a coffee mug with one of the tips straight down and pour your chocolate in it. Take it out and snip off the corner. Remove your pops from the fridge and drizzle with chocolate then roll in your favorite toppings. Set in the fridge to set. If your treat bag is too long, just cut it to size (mine were) then place it around your pop and tie with a ribbon.

Mummy Dogs

Happy Friday everyone!! I'm so excited about Halloween tomorrow. No, we don't have any kids (except for our cat & dog, who we definitely consider our babies) but we still love to celebrate on Halloween. I mean, who says it's just for kids anyway? I don't think so. We each will sort of dress up, like last year I wore black and painted a kitten face on, and my husband wore a football jersey and put the black lines under his eyes and spiked his hair to make it look like it had been sweaty and he just took off his helmet. We have some candy, 1 or 2 baked goods, we get pizza, play games, and watch Ghost Hunters (on sci-fi channel), and maybe a scary movie. We have a great time, just the two of us. I love that we can have so much fun together. I was thinking of making some Halloween inspired petit fours for our night tomorrow. I'm thinking we'll also have some jello shots!! It will be a great time. I've got at least one last Halloween treat for you all..Mummy Dogs! You really can't go wrong with these, they are so kid friendly. I guarantee you put these in front of your kids on Halloween and they will be thrilled! I used homemade dough, which was actually kind of difficult to work with on these, so as much as I hate them, I would maybe suggest using a canned biscuit or crescent roll. Also, don't pay attention to the cheese in the picture unless you can find a better way to incorporate it than me. I was planning on putting it under the dough, but it just wouldn't work out. After I photographed them, I just melted it on top. Give these a try with your kiddos tomorrow for lunch, or dinner!!

-

Ingredients:

the amounts will differ depending on how many you make

Hot Dogs

Dough (homemade, or canned)

Mustard

Extra-Sharp Cheddar Cheese, if desired

Directions:

Roll a strip of dough about a foot and a half long, and start twirling it around the hot dog, and at the end, wrap the dough completely around the end of the hot dog, leaving a space between that and the last twirl of dough so you have a place to put your "eyes". Bake in a pre-heated 450 degree (that's what my dough calls for) oven for 12-15 minutes. In the space between the dough on the hot dog, dot 2 eyes with mustard. If desires, melt cheese inside or on top.

Alfredo Pizza with Roma Tomatoes

What's up everyone?? I hope you guys are all having a good week so far. It's the week leading up to one of my favorite holiday's: Halloween! I just love everything about this holiday. The whole atmosphere and vibe it gives off just makes me feel good! How can you not just smile with all the cute and spooky things everywhere, and don't even get me started on the candy that's everywhere - I'm a sucker, I can't resist it. My favorite? Snickers..YUM! I'm surprised I haven't made anything on here with them. I'll put it on my ever growing list of things that pop up in my head to make. On to the savory stuff..I've made Alfredo pizza several times, and I just love it. I'm not a huge fan of marinara in the first place, so this is the pizza for me. I typically like to make it very simple with just some sliced tomatoes and freshly cracked black pepper on top. It is truly outstanding. If you make it with low-fat ingredients it's also fairly okay for you. If you've never had Alfredo sauce on pizza before, you don't know what you're missing! Please try this!

-

Ingredients:

1 Recipe Pizza Dough (you can use store bought or homemade, I used homemade)

1 Cup Half & Half

1/3 Cup Grated Reduced Fat Parmesan Cheese

2 Tablespoons Butter

2 Garlic Cloves, minced

1 Roma Tomato, thinly sliced into rounds

8 oz. Shredded Mozzarella

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Directions:

For the Alfredo sauce, in a pan, melt the butter and garlic. Once the butter is completely melted, add the half & half and let it come to a slight boil. Add the Parmesan cheese and whisk until the sauce starts to thicken. Simmer for about 5 minutes. Add salt & pepper to taste. Depending on the dough you use, pre-heat your oven. Mine was 450 degree. Grease your pizza pan and work the pizza dough out to edges. Pour your Alfredo sauce over the dough and spread it evenly. Sprinkle on cheese then layer tomatoes over top. Sprinkle with freshly grated black pepper and bake 12-15 minutes or until cheese slightly browns.

Individual Cheesy Potatoes Gratin

Good Sunday afternoon! Well I've had a pretty eventful weekend so far. Friday when we were out I noticed a sign for a new shopping center near us that was having a pumpkin festival Saturday. I saw tons of pumpkins (which always excites me this time of year, so pretty) and I was thinking we should maybe check it out, and I planned to look up more information on it on the computer when I got home. Well I was about to head to bed around 1 in the morning and I quickly remembered to look it up. Well I saw that they were having a pumpkin dessert contest, and that you don't have to register until you get there with your dessert in hand. I was SO excited, I couldn't pass it up! I knew right away what I was going to make, and the next morning my husband and I headed out early and got my ingredients. You could submit as many entry's as you want, and I chose 2: Pumpkin Cookies with Caramel Icing, and Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins. Well I'm so thrilled to say that I won 2nd and 3rd place! I really enjoyed it and I can't wait until next year! Now, on to these insanely delicious potatoes. Wow, these were good. You can definitely just make them in a big casserole dish instead of the individual ones, but I just love my colorful little ramekins from the Target dollar spot (even though I think these were $2.50 for a set of 4) but so worth it! You must must MUST make these! I would highly suggest letting the top layer of cheese get as brown as mine did, because to me, that totally made them! Enjoy!!

-

Ingredients:

2 Russet Potatoes

1/3 Cup Half & Half

2 Tablespoons Grated Parmesan Cheese

1/3 Cup Shredded Extra-Sharp Cheddar Cheese

1/3 Cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

1 Small Garlic Clove, minced

Salt & Pepper, to taste

Butter, to butter the dishes (definitely use butter, it will not only grease the dishes, but add a lot of flavor to the dish, so really, just think of this as an ingredient that we're not adding directly to the dish, it'll find it's way in there, trust me.)

Directions:

Carefully slice potatoes as thin as possible. Add slice potatoes to a bowl and pour the half & half on top. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese, parmesan cheese, garlic, and salt & pepper. Stir to coat the potatoes evenly. Generously butter your dish(es) because this will also be one of the flavorings, not just for greasing. Spoon your potatoes evenly into 2 small ramekins and flatten to make sure they're in an even layer. Bake in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for 40 minutes, then remove and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and golden brown.