Chicken Under a Biscuit Casserole

So yesterday I spent the day demolishing my deck for the new one I am starting to build in a few weeks. It was supposed to rain by noon, so my plan was to work outside until the rain started then move inside for work on the blog. Well the rain didn’t start until after 6:00 pm. So I kept working on the deck until 5:30. No blog work, but I still needed to make dinner.

Sunday I had taken some chicken out of the freezer to use this week. I also had cauliflower, mushrooms and fresh corn, that were needing to be cooked, before they found their way to the trash bin. What I came up with was this fairly healthy simple chicken casserole. This is a quick and easy recipe which allows you to substitute whatever items you have in the fridge that are on their last legs.

Makes great leftovers for lunch the next day. Trust me I just had it for lunch.

My kids loved this and didn’t even notice the smashed cauliflower for the bottom crust. Smashed cauliflower adds a nutritious nice flavor to the dish.

Enjoy!

Red, White & Blue Oreo Truffles

So here is your last-minute treat to bring to the cookout. I know you are sitting there trying to think of something festive and creative; well this is the recipe you have been looking for. A quick, no bake, easy dessert, that looks great.

I came up with this recipe last night while looking at all of the very creative July 4th recipes on pinterest. I actually typed my idea into my phone around 12:30 this morning.

These truffles can be made the night before, just keep refrigerated.

Baked Spanish Rice

There are many ways to cook rice. Steam, boil, saute or fry. In fact, WikiHow has a great article on 12 ways to cook rice. But one of my favorite ways to cook rice is to bake it. This might be a new technique to you, but it is a very simple way to cook rice with consistent results.

Bacon and Egg Bake with Sausage Gravy

Okay so the kids have been out of school for over a week now. I am trying to figure out a schedule that works for me and them because it usually takes me a few weeks to get used to a new routine. Of course they are already bored and letting me know there is nothing to eat in the house or all the food is the “same old same old”. I was tired of hearing them complaining the other morning, so I came up with this quick breakfast bake using ingredients I had on hand. There are many versions of this recipe on the web, but none topped with sausage gravy. Yum!!

The great part about this recipe is you can add any ingredients your kids like. They could even make this themselves. Quick and easy and maybe the kids will not complain for a couple of days.

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Cornbread Salad

This weekend is the unofficial start of Summer. As I sit here at my desk it is a balmy 42°F outside. I know our community plans to open the pool on Friday. I think my swim trunks will stay in the closet. Trust me that is good news for everyone.

Many people have cookouts planned for this weekend. My Cornbread Salad recipe is a great easy dish to bring to your cookout or potluck. It is amazing how well the cornbread mixes in with this layered salad. People might look at you funny when you tell them the name but not after tasting it. Add jalapeno if you would like it a little more spicy.

Buffalo Chicken Lasagna

My family loves anything buffalo. They also love lasagna. This is my “mashup” of the two. A little spicy, easy to make and very yummy.

As with all my recipes I try to make them easy and convenient as possible. For the chicken I bought two packages of bone-in chicken breasts. Season the chicken with salt, pepper and a little blackened seasoning. Bake for 40 minutes at 350°.  To make the recipe even easier you could substitute a rotisserie chicken from the store.

Mini Strawberry Pies

Yesterday my 16-year-old son passed his drivers test. He is now a licensed driver in the State of Ohio, with all the freedoms and responsibilities such license brings. I hope we have instilled in him the importance of being able to control a machine that can kill him or others. My mantra has always been to him (Think what the consequences of your actions will be. Does my decision have a chance of changing my life or someone else’s forever).

Quick Reduced Fat Chicken Alfredo

Last week we had rain almost everyday. This makes it hard to plan dinners, because we do not know if practice’s will be canceled until the last-minute. Always fun! We made up for it this weekend with over 20 hours spent at the fields watching the kids play.

My kids love Alfredo sauce, but it is so so fattening. I created this recipe last week using convenient items which I mostly had in my pantry. I just picked up the Bertolli Reduced Fat Alfredo sauce and a chicken from the store. This dish is much lower in fat and is a one skillet dish, that is quick and easy, your kids will love. The artichokes and mushrooms are optional, but adds great flavor to the recipe.

This recipe also takes advantage of using store bought rotisserie chicken to make it an even easier weeknight meal.

30 minutes or less.

Yum!!!

Southern Pimento Cheese Sandwich

This week is one of my favorite weeks of the year. Masters Week!! Professional golf has four majors each year. The Masters, US Open, The Open (British) and the PGA Championship. The Masters is the only event played at the same venue every April. The other majors change courses each year. The Masters is played at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. Bobby Jones designed the course and created the event. The first Masters was held in 1934. (Read More)

I love watching the Masters because of the beauty and history of the course. I was lucky enough to attend Thursday and Friday rounds in 2013. This was a once in a lifetime, bucket list event. Thank you T. McCloy.

Since Augusta National holds The Masters every year all of the facilities are permanent, unlike other major where concession, restrooms and grand stands are temporary structures.

This is also Augusta National’s tournament! Not the PGA’s or the USGA, it is a private event so therefore they control everything. The food at The Masters is legendary. Not because it is fancy, but on the other hand, it is simple good and inexpensive. This is not the norm for a major sporting event where a beer will set you back $10.00 and a hot dog $6.00. Furthermore when you attend The Masters you are on the grounds from early morning until late in the evening. You are a captive audience and would be willing to spend  much more than Augusta charges for the food. One of the legendary concessions is the pimento cheese sandwich. It is simply pimento cheese spread on white bread in a green sandwich bag for the exorbitant price of $1.50. Check out the rest of the prices.

Mexican Chipotle Layered Bake

We were very busy, a few weekends ago, with different functions. We had our monthly Dinner Group at our house on Saturday. It was The Pioneer Woman theme night. I will explain this and my menu in another post. I cooked all day Saturday and had a fabulous dinner. Usually on Sunday I cook a meal or two for the blog and also take various meats out of the freezer so I can plan my meals for the week. But by this Sunday afternoon I was beat. I didn’t feel like cooking a big meal. I had yummy leftovers from the night before for lunch and I was full. But the pesky kids always want to eat.

I had a pound of ground beef in the freezer and decided to make taco meat for the kids. Then my mind does what it usually does and I make the ordinary, extraordinary, using just ingredients I have in the house. I made a Mexican Chipotle Layered Bake with minimal effort. I used Herdez Chilpotle Salsa for a smokey taste, but any salsa will do. This dish could also be used as an appetizer party dip if you want. The kids placed the mixture on soft tacos and they loved it. Simple, good and quick!