Spinach and Chicken Casserole

 

With fall upon us, I've begun to crave more soups, comfort foods, and casseroles.  While Kyle was on his last business trip, it was a rainy, chilly week, so I decided to throw together a pretty easy casserole with chicken, multi-grain macaroni noodles, peas and spinach.  It turned out great!  This is definitely one of those dishes that tastes better and more flavorful with each passing day.

 

 

Spinach and Chicken Casserole

 

You'll need:

• 1 cup frozen spinach
• 1 cup milk
• 1 Tb butter
• 2 Tb flour
• 1 Tb onion powder
• 1Tb garlic powder
• 2 cups peas
• 2 cooked chicken breasts, chopped
• 2 sprigs thyme
• 1 spig rosemary, chopped
• 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
• Salt and pepper

Instructions:

• Preheat your oven to 350-degrees.
• Cook macaroni noodles as instructed on box.  (I prefer whole grain or whole wheat noodles.)
• Heat a medium saucepan to high heat.
• Whisk 1 Tb butter and flour into a paste in the heated pan.
• Whisk milk into butter and flour paste.
• Whisk in the rosemary, thyme, onion and garlic powder.
• When the mixture becomes creamy, whisk in the spinach.
• Salt and pepper the sauce to taste.
• When the noodles are done cooking, drain them.  Then, pour them into a 2 1/2 quart corningware or baking pan.
• Add the peas and chicken to the pan.
• Pour the sauce over the noodles, peas, and chicken. 
• Stir to combine ingredients.
• Place pan in the preheated oven.
• Cook for 15 minutes.
• In a small bowl, mix 1 Tb butter with breadcrumbs (I stir them together with a fork.)
• Sprinkle the bread crumb mix over the casserole.
• Cook for 10 minutes, or until the breadcrumbs are golden brown and the casserole bubbles.
• Enjoy!

 

Mini Apple Crumble

I love apple crumble.  I love how it makes the house smell, I love its warm, cinnamony goodness, and I love that it means that fall is here!  Unfortunately, I'm the only one in my house that loves it, so I've had to learn to modify the recipe.

This is probably the hands-down easiest dessert that I've ever made.  Give it a try!  You know you're looking for an excuse to go apple picking, so here it is!


Mini Apple Crumble
Serves 2-3 people

You'll need:

• 2 apples (I prefer Granny Smith), peeled and choopped/cubed/sliced
• 3 Tb Cinnamon
• 1 Tb Brown Sugar
• 1 tsp sugar (optional)
• 1 Tb Butter
• 1/4 cup Quick oats

Instructions:

• Preheat your oven to 350-degrees.
• In a small (2-3 cup) ramekin or corningware bowl (oven safe!!), mix the apples, 2Tb cinnamon, and 1 tsp sugar (I don't use the sugar, but on the rare occasion that Laela wants cooked apples, she prefers it with sugar).
• In a small mixing bowl, mix the oats, butter, brown sugar, and 1 Tb cinnamon into a crumble mixture.
• Sprinkle the crumble over the apples.
• Bake for 25 minutes.
• Serve and enjoy!

Birthday Cupcakes for School

 

I thought it'd be fun to share some pictures of the flower cupcakes that I made for Laela's school party.  I made tulips for her classmates, and a pink rose for her.

 

 

Laela and I decided to make Kyle a welcome home cake with the leftover icing.  Pink tulips and butterflies are definitely fitting for a "We love Daddy" cake, don't you think?

Enchiladas!

Enchiladas are one of my most favorite things ever.  I know this may seem strange, but they're a comfort food in our house.  Maybe it's because when we first had Laela, our good friend Corinne brought over this huge pan of the most awesome enchiladas ever.  She's such an amazing friend, and while this isn't her recipe, this reminds me very much of what she made, and the happy time that came with it, so you definitely have to give it a try.  And hey, if you like it, make it for a friend who just had a baby.  This reheats pretty well, and I know it will rock their socks as much as it rocked mine!

Chicken Enchiladas

You'll need:

• 1-2 chicken breasts, shredded or chopped
• (1)  16oz can of black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese
• (4) whole wheat tortillas
• 1/2 onion
• 1/4 red pepper
• 1/4 green pepper
• 1/4 yellow pepper
• 1 cup milk (I used non-fat)
• 2Tb butter
• 2Tb flour
• 1 cup broth
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• Salt and pepper
• Hot sauce
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 2 tsp garlic powder

Instructions:

For the filling:

• Place a large skillet on medium heat.
• Drizzle a little bit of oil to coat the bottom of the pan (cooking spray is fine too.)
• Chop the onion and peppers.  Add them to the hot pan.
• Stir occasionally.
• Once the onions begin to look clear, stir in the black beans, 1tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, cayenne, paprika, cumin, salt and pepper to the veggies. 
• Add the shredded chicken to the pan.  Stir in with the other ingredients.
• Lower the heat to warm, or the lowest setting until ready to assemble.

For the cheese sauce:

• Heat a medium saucepan to high heat. 
• Place 1Tb butter with 1Tb flour in the pan.  Whisk into a paste.
• Whisk in 1 cup milk and 1 tsp hot sauce.
• When the mixture begins to thicken, add 1/4 cup cheese.
• If you like it spicy, you can chop a jalapeno or pickled jalapeno and add it to the cheese sauce.
• Salt and pepper to taste.  Add more hot sauce if you'd like.
• *I added a dash of paprika, garlic, and onion powder for extra flavor, but that's not required.

For the chicken sauce:

• Heat a medium saucepan to high heat.
• Place 1Tb butter with 1Tb flour in the pan. Whisk into a paste.
• Whisk in 1 cup chicken broth and 1 tsp hot sauce.
• Whisk in 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp garlic powder, salt and pepper.
• Whisk until a thick sauce is formed.

Assembly:

• Microwave each tortilla for 15 seconds.
• In an 8x8 pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray, place the tortilla in the pan. 
• Fill the tortilla, leaving 1-2 inches on each side of the tortilla.
• Gently wrap the sides of the tortilla around the filling.
• Place the next tortilla next to that one, holding up the sides so that only the filled part of the tortilla is touching the previous enchilada.  Fill, wrap, and repeat until all 4 enchiladas are formed.
• Top with the chicken sauce. 
• Top with the cheese sauce.
• Top with the remaining 1/4 cup of cheese.
• Bake for 30 minutes, or until the sauces are good and bubbly, and the cheese is well melted.
• Serve and enjoy!

,

Happy 3rd Birthday Laela!!!!!!!!

 

My beautiful little girl is 3!!  She requested a princess cake with Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella, so I made one to look like the princess castle that she plays with.  I made chocolate dipped cones as the towers and chocolate for the door!  She LOVED it!

 

 

Cinderella and Aurora were almost casualties of the Laela and Bailey cake attack.  Thankfully, I swooped in to save them in the knick of time!

 

 

Laela had a great birthday thanks for our wonderful Greenville family : )  Maybe this wasn't the fanciest birthday party in the world, or even the biggest, but I think it was perfect.  And really, any night that winds up with little girls playing dress-up with princess dresses and silly glasses with mustaches is a good night in my book!

 

 

Quickie Chicken and Pasta

Kyle's been traveling a lot lately, so Laela and I haven't been eating the fanciest foods.  In addition to being a subsidized single parent,  I've been a little worn out from preparing to move.  To prevent us from living a life of take-out, I've been cooking a couple of chicken breasts in the crock pot, or tossing a few chicken breasts on a foil-lined baking sheet.  That way I have a bunch of protein ready to go, and can just add the chicken to some "quickie meals".

First, I'll share how I make the chicken.

Chicken in the Crock Pot:

You'll need:

• 3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• Salt and Pepper
• 1 cup chicken broth  (or water with boullion)

Combine all ingredients in the crock pot.  Cook on low.  When the cooker is done, put the chicken in a container and refrigerate for various dishes throughout the week.

Chicken in the Oven:

You'll need:

• 3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• Salt and Pepper
• Cooking Spray

Instructions:

• Heat the oven to 350-degrees
• Cover a baking sheet with foil (this makes for less clean-up!)
• Spray the baking sheet with cooking spray.
• In a small bowl, combine the salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and pepper.
• Sprinkle the spice mix on each side of the chicken breasts.
• Place the spiced chicken on the baking sheet.
• Lightly spray the chicken with cooking spray.
• Bake for about 6 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the chicken.
• Place in a container and refrigerate for various dishes throughout the week.

Quickie Chicken and Pasta
serves 2-3

You'll need:

• 1 large, cooked chicken breast
• Pasta
• 1 cup pasta sauce
• 2 cups frozen peas
• Basil (optional)
• Provolone cheese (optional)

Instructions:

• Cook pasta according to instructions.
• Place the pasta sauce and peas in a medium saucepan on medium-low heat.
• Chop or cut the chicken into cubes.
• Add the chicken to the pasta sauce and peas.
• After 2 minutes, add the pasta to the sauce, chicken and peas.
• Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, or until well heated and combined.
• Top with provolone cheese, or rip the provolone apart and gently mix it in with the pasta.
• Serve and enjoy!

Hummus Veggie Sandwich

Hummus is a staple in our house.  Laela sometimes sneaks spoonfuls while I make a platter of pita chips, peppers and hummus.  Kyle loves it with crackers.  I love it with turkey on a sandwich, but mostly, I love it on a veggie sandwich.

You might be thinking, "veggie sandwich?!  Is this chic serious?!"  Well, yes.  Yes I am. 

It was a rainy day here in South Carolina, and all I wanted was a nice warm bowl of tomato soup and a sandwich- or a salad.  I couldn't decide.  I had made Laela and Kyle some yummy, gooey grilled cheese sandwiches, but I wasn't really in a cheese mood, so I went foraging in my fridge.  I happened upon some pesto, hummus, a tomato, some roasted peppers, a cucumber, spinach salad, and some tasty gorgonzola crumbles.  Hmmmm...salad or sandwich, salad or sandwich?

A salad sandwich!  I toasted a piece of double-fiber, whole wheat bread and cut it in half.  Next, I  slathered a thin layer of pesto on one side of bread.  Then I topped it with one slice of tomato, a few pieces of fresh spinach, 2 slices of roasted red pepper, a sprinkle of gorgonzola crumbles, a couple of slices of a cucumber, and a light sprinkle of salt and pepper.  After that, I spread some hummus on the other half of bread, and viola!  A tasty hummus and veggie salad.

This is one of those really healthy sandwiches that you can make with any veggies that you have hanging around in your fridge.  I've made this with just tomato and spinach, or tomato and cucumber.  Sometimes I add pesto.  Sometimes I don't.  I've used fresh basil leaves with tomato and hummus and it was delicious.  Give it a try!