Recipe - no bake lactation bites

Since Judd's lip tie revision, I've been desperate to boost my milk supply. Not only to meet his new needs, but to replenish the freezer stash we pretty much used up completely.

I really liked these granola bars, but with the baking and cooling, they took too long to make (plus they kinda fall apart).

The recipe I'm sharing today was adapted from this original recipe. 

These are EASY NO BAKE bites. And with the cinnamon, they are TASTY! The recipe makes about 24 bites, which will last you a week. I eat about three a day and I've definitely noticed a difference!

Ingredients
1 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup honey
1 cup coconut flakes
1/2 cup ground flax seed (flax seed meal)
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
3 tbsp. Brewer's Yeast
1-1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions
1) mix all ingredients
2) cover and put in refrigerator for an hour
3) roll into bite-sized balls
4) store in an airtight container in refrigerator

Quinoa & chicken skillet

This recipe has been floating around Pinterest lately and it fits my no dairy or spicy food diet criteria, so I made it! I changed the original recipe a bit to add chicken and more flavor.

 

Ingredients

1 tbsp. EVOO

1 tbsp. minced garlic

Chicken (I used pre-cooked fajita chicken)

1 can black beans

1 can corn

1 can rotel

1 cup quinoa (uncooked)

1 cup vegetable broth

Directions

1) Put EVOO and garlic in large skillet on medium heat and sautée for a minute or two. 

2) Add cooked chicken to skillet for a few minutes to brown. 

3) Add all remaining ingredients. Bring to boil. 

4) Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes (or until quinoa is cooked).

I ate this over a bed of lettuce with a bit of salsa on top. My husband and son ate it with cheese on top. Both ways are delicious and I can't believe my husband, the world's pickiest eater, likes this! Add it to the weekly rotation! :)

Recipe - crockpot potato soup

My mother-in-law made this soup a week or so ago and it was so delicious, I had to take a stab at it!  Plus the weather here as been miserably cold, and there's really nothing else my pregnant self wants except soup.

She found the original recipe here, but she adapted it a bit. Below is our adapted recipe, which is so hearty, tasty and EASY! Easy is the key 'round here lately....

Ingredients
32oz frozen cubed hash browns
32oz chicken broth
10oz cream of chicken soup
4 slices bacon
1/2 onion, chopped
1 cup carrots, diced
4oz cream cheese, cubed
8oz velveeta, cubed
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
salt & pepper, to taste

Directions
1) Place the frozen hash browns, broth, cream of chicken, bacon, onion and carrots in the crockpot.
2) Cook on low for 7-8 hours (or until the potatoes are tender).
3) An hour or so before serving, add in the cream cheese, velveeta and salt & pepper.
4) Once the cream cheese and velveeta are melted, you're ready to eat! Serve with shredded cheese and bacon on top! YUM!

I bought a take & bake boule from the grocery store, warmed it up and sliced it in half to make bread bowls. Seriously genius idea- it was so perfect!!

Recipe - easy & delicious chili

I've been keeping this recipe from y'all. Mostly because it's delicious and in Texas, a good chili recipe is worth it's weight in gold. And could win you some serious awards. But, I'm gonna go against my better judgement, and trust that none of y'all will steal my recipe and enter it into a chili cook-off against me. ;)

 

 

You can easily add more chili powder, or even some cayenne, to make it spicier. Since Jacob enjoys eating the beans out of chili, we have to make ours pretty tame (although the flavor is on-point).

Ingredients

1lb. ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

30oz chili beans

15oz dark red kidney beans, drained

15oz petite diced tomatoes

15oz rotel

16oz tomato sauce
1 tbsp. cumin
2 tbsp. chili powder

Directions

1) brown ground beef with the chopped onion

2) drain the kidney beans (do not drain the chili beans)

3) mix all the cans of stuff, drained kidney beans and ground beef/onions into crockpot

4) add seasonings

5) cook on low for 4 hours

We serve our chili various ways, I think this is a personal thing. I like mine frito pie style (with Fritos on the bottom, then chili, then cheese, and sometimes sour cream on top); Josh likes his with a shit ton of saltine crackers and cheese. On "special occasions" (think TX/OU or Halloween) I like to bake up some tater tots and serve the chili over those, with cheese.  

Honestly, any way you serve this, it will be good. This is the best chili I've ever had!

Enjoy!

DIY green weed killer

One thing I've been terrible about keeping up with since having a baby is our yard. I just kinda don't care. I used to go out nearly every weekend and pick weeds and groom our front and back yards. Since having Jacob, and especially since getting pregnant, the thought of going outside in the heat and humidity to pick weeds gives me hives! And of course we're too cheap to pay someone to do it!

I thought about spraying some chemical weed killer down. Don't get me wrong, we use chemicals on our yard. But Jacob spends an insane amount of time in our flower beds (lovely, I know) and I really don't want him getting into that nasty stuff!

Insert >> DIY green weed killer!

I definitely had my doubts. I mean, have you seen our flower beds?

Let's start with ingredients.

You'll need:
1/2 gallon distilled white vinegar
1/2 cup salt
2 tbsp. dish soap

Mix all these ingredients up in a watering can or spray bottle. Make sure you label this, especially if you're using a watering can, because it will kill everything it touches and I'd hate for you to use said watering can on your actual flowers later.

After you've mixed it all up, pour a liberal amount on your weeds. You want to really saturate the area. Also you want to do this on a hot and sunny day, the hotter the better, as it really helps to dry out the weeds.

Isn't that awful? I'm kinda embarrassed.

Can you see how wet it is?

This is after 1 day. Can you believe that?! I couldn't either!

The dish soap helps to break down the protective coating on the leaves and the salt and vinegar completely dries out the weeds.

This picture was taken 2 days later.

At this point, I went in with a hand rake and was able to easily rake up all the dead weeds and pick the few that didn't die (those things are pesky!).

Good luck!

Recipe - easy egg white breakfast sandwich

If you follow me on Instagram (@KateSoko), then you know we're having a little family detox over here. I've made this egg white sandwich pretty much every day this week for breakfast, and it was just too easy and delicious not to share. 

Directions

1) spray inside of coffee mug with non-stick spray

2) crack 1 egg and 3 tbsp. egg whites into mug, and stir around

3) add in desired "toppings" (I've done cooked bacon, diced ham, spinach, onion, cheese)

4) mix all ingredients together

5) microwave for 2 minutes

6) while mug is cooking, pop your english muffin into the toaster

7) when mug is done, slide the contents onto your toasted english muffin. I like to add a bit of salsa to the top, too. Yum!

It's that easy. And the toppings are endless!

Enjoy!

Easter Brunch Ideas

Happy Friday!!! I hope y'all have had a wonderful week so far. I'm so so looking forward to a fun-packed weekend, starting with a yummy lunch with my sister today!! Yay!

We're having some family over after Easter service, and I've been thumbing through my brunch recipes trying to decide on the perfect menu.

I've narrowed it down to these options, so I thought I'd share them along with the corresponding recipes...

 

My french toast casserole is seriously bomb. And the best part is it's EASY! You can make it, pop it in the oven and get on to the egg hunting!



original recipe

As a kid, my parents made this no flip pancake nearly every weekend. Its so so good. It requires a bit more prep (sifting flour- ick!), but it's sooooo delicious! For the 7 of us, I'll probably make two double batches. It's that good.

 

Ingredients (for a single batch, which feeds 2-3 people)

6 eggs

1 cup sifted flour

1 cup milk

4 tbs. melted butter

1/2 tsp. salt

 

Directions

1) Preheat oven to 400.
2) Beat eggs until well blended.
3) Slowly add flour while still blending.
4) Add salt, milk and butter.
5) Pour into greased 9x9 pan (if you double the recipe, you need to put it in a 9x13).
6) Bake at 400 for 20 minutes.
7) Let sit for 5 minutes. Serve with melted butter, powdered sugar and syrup. YUM!!

  

PS- look at these old school pictures and our OG oven! Woof!



I've been addicted to poached eggs over buttered toast lately. The combo of the runny yolk and butter seriously can't be beat! Poached eggs are suuuuuper easy to make, but they do require attention, so making for a group might not be the best idea.

 

Here's a quick tutorial on how to make poached eggs.

First- bring water to a boil in a frying pan.

Once the water is boiling, crack desired number of eggs directly into the water and let it cook in the boiling water. You can make multiple eggs at a time- I've made up to 3 in a small frying pan.

While your eggs are cooking, put bread in the toaster. Butter once done.

Next- after a few minutes (maybe 3-5), scoop the eggs out of the water with a slotted spoon, and lay on top of buttered toast.

 

 

That's it! Your goal is to keep the egg runny. (I clearly didn't accomplish that this time because the eye doctor called twice while it was boiling- ack!) Sooo yummy!!!

My next option are these scrumptious and simple ham and egg cups. I feel like these would be a good "side" item to go with one of the above (probably not the poached eggs, too much egg?).  



via

I haven't actually made these yet. They look pretty easy though, and I think you could add hashbrowns to the bottom, instead of serving on the side. Here's the original recipe.

 

What are y'all planning on making?? Any good ideas? I love a good brunch recipe!!!

 

Cheers!


Linking up with: [the good life blog], Not Just a Housewife, Lewis Lane Designs, Cherished Handmade Treasures

Toddler food idea - english muffin pizzas

Hi, I'm Kate. I'm a pizzaholic. Seriously, its a problem. But it didn't really become obvious until I posted two pizza recipes back to back. What the heck!?

 

This is more of an idea post than an actual recipe post. Jacob LOVES pizza, but its not really feasible for me to make a whole pizza (sauce and all) during the day. This is the perfect solution.

 

 

English muffin pizzas! You literally just layer the sauce, cheese and toppings right onto the English muffin and pop it in the oven for 10-15 minutes.

 

 

My only piece of advice is to toast the English muffins before putting everything on them and baking it. Toasting them ahead of time helps to cook them thoroughly and they turn out nice and crunchy!

Yum!!!

Homemade margherita pizza

Homemade pizza is a very popular meal in our house. We've evolved over the years from frozen store-bought pizza, to basic homemade, to full-blown pizza. We still haven't tackled the crust, but we probably will soon because I don't really care for the store-bought stuff.

 

Anyways...here's what we do. 

Start with the crust. Pre-heat oven to 400° and spread out the dough on a cookie sheet. 

Cook for 10ish minutes, or until the crust is nice and brown. Like so-

While the crust is cooking, you can make your sauce. We use these whole tomatoes (San Marzano is the best).

Pour the tomatoes in a bowl and mix around. Since they're whole tomatoes, you kinda gotta mash them up with your hands. Then add in 3-4 smashed garlic cloves, and 4-5 fresh basil leaves. That's it!

Once your crust is done, transfer it to a pizza stone or a rack. We happen to have 2 spare oven racks, so we use those!

Then layer your toppings. Pour a healthy amount of sauce on the crust, add 6-7 fresh basil leaves (covering the top), and then rip apart some fresh mozzarella. We generally use an entire ball of mozzarella per pizza. 

Then put the pizza back in the oven for another 10ish minutes or until the cheese is melted. 

 

 

That's it! So simple and delicious! If we tackle the crust- I'll let you know! ;)

Recipe - clean jambalaya

My husband loves, double loves jambalaya. I usually just make the boxed Zatarain's stuff. It's pretty good, but it's definitely not clean. Ever since wrapping up my latest cleanse, I've been trying to eat cleaner. That means no boxed jambalaya in this house, and let me just tell you- my husband is cranky.

So, I went on the hunt for a "clean" jambalaya. Considering jambalaya has sausage in it, it's very hard to make this truly clean.

I found this awesome Gracious Pantry recipe, but I didn't like how meat-heavy it was and it didn't seem to have enough heat for our family. So I modified it (per usual). (side note: The Gracious Pantry is a wonderful resource for clean-eating recipes- I frequent her website often!)

Here is my recipe. This was so good, but pretty spicy. Consider that your warning. :)

Ingredients

1 red onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

4 celery stalks, diced

1/4 tsp. cayenne

2 tbsp. garlic powder

1 tbsp. onion powder

2 tbsp. creole seasoning

1 tsp. thyme

3 tsp. EVOO

1 lb. sausage (I used this turkey kielbasa, which is obviously not clean. I believe you can get clean sausage at a local butcher, and I think Applegate Farms makes a clean-ish sausage.)

8oz tomato sauce (no salt/sugar added)

2 cups rice

2 cups chicken broth (low sodium)

Directions

1) sautée your veggies in the EVOO for a few minutes until they get nice and tender

2) slice your sausage and put that in the pot with the veggies

3) add all the seasonings and stir it all around. Let it simmer for a few minutes with the seasonings. 

4) add in the remaining ingredients and cook until all the broth has been absorbed. I bought the 5 min rice and it worked just fine!

I hope y'all love thi as much as we did. I'm pretty sure it's officially made it's way into our regular rotation. 

Cheers!

Recipe - chicken spaghetti with spaghetti squash

Alright, I got another Advocare-friendly and Paleo and clean-eating recipe for ya! This is guaranteed to knock your socks off. I say that because Josh actually ate this, and enjoyed it. So I know you will too!

Ingredients

2-3 chicken breasts

1/2 white onion, diced

3-4 garlic cloves, diced

1 medium-large spaghetti squash

28oz tomato sauce (I use this purée and love it)

Italian seasoning

Directions

1) you want to start with your chicken. Clean it up, boil it for 30-45 minutes and shred it. Set aside. 

2) toss onion and garlic in a large sauce pot with a tablespoon or so of EVOO. Cook until onions are clear and garlic flowers. 

3) while your onion/garlic is cooking, cook your spaghetti squash. Cut it in half length-wise and gut it. Place face down in microwave safe dish with an inch or so of water. Microwave for 8-9 minutes. 

4) once onion/garlic is ready, add the tomato sauce/purée, shredded chicken and a sprinkle of Italian seasoning (I didn't measure this, so I'll guess a teaspoon or 2)

5) once your squash is done, start carving it. Use a fork and scrape the inside. It should just peel right out, and resemble spaghetti noddles. Place the "noodles" in the pot and stir it all around. 

6) bring to a boil and let simmer for 25 minutes. 

That's it! This recipe should feed 4. Enjoy, y'all!!

Recipe - chicken salad lettuce wraps

Ingredients
2 chicken breasts, diced
1 granny smith apple
1/4 cup walnuts (or almonds)
1/4 cup mayo
Handful of raisins
Romaine lettuce leaves

Directions
1) Grill/bake your chicken and dice it up. Ideally you want the chicken to be cold, so leftovers work great for this!
2) Dice up a granny smith apple and add it to the chicken.
3) Add the walnuts, mayo and raisins and mix together.
4) Place chicken salad in Romaine leaf and gobble down!

This amount should last 2 meals, so be sure to ration yourself. You should eat 2 Romaine leaves per meal.

Enjoy, y'all!

Recipe - egg white muffins

I'm sure you've seen these all over Pinterest. They're easy and delicious and HEALTHY! And that's the main goal here. This recipe makes 12 muffins.

Ingredients
1 large white onion, diced
1 tub sliced mushrooms (8oz)
baby spinach
egg whites
black pepper

Directions
1) dice up the onion and sautée with a small amount of EVOO

2) once the onions are browning nicely, add in the mushrooms and sautée those with the onions

3) while that is cooking, preheat your oven to 350° and grease a 12 muffin tin

4) once the onions and mushrooms are done, spoon them into the greased muffin tin. You should fill them about 1/2-3/4 full. 

5) then grab 5 spinach leaves (I know, so precise- but I've found this is the perfect combo) and rip them up and place them on top of the onions/mushrooms. Each muffin cup should have 5 spinach leaves. ¿Comprende?

6) then pour a 1/4 cup of egg whites in each muffin cup. I actually had to use a little less than 1/4 cup because I used more veggies- totally ok!!!

7) then bake for 20 minutes on 350°

8) once they're done, remove from the tin promptly and let cool on a plate

These can be placed in tupperware or a freezer bag and stored in the fridge for up to a week. Then just microwave them throughout the week. I eat 2 muffins each morning with a tab of salsa. So yummy and so easy!!!

Recipe - homemade play dough

Let me introduce you to my naïve self of...ohhh....2 hours ago....that thought it was a genius idea to make homemade play dough for my 18 month old terror son.

I thought it was brilliant! Santa is bringing him a kitchen, so I thought it would be perfect to introduce him to play dough now, so we can make all sorts of play dough cookies come Christmas.

Welllll...... I'm here to tell you, if your kid is any thing like mine (think crazy), do not do it. Hahahhaha!!

I have friends whose 18-month-olds LOVE play dough and seriously play with it, appropriately. Key word- appropriately.

Jacob, on the other hand, ate it, fed it to the dogs, rubbed it into the couch (after I told him not to), and attempted to mush it in the carpet. That's where I draw the line.

So, here's the recipe. If you are brave enough to try it. It's super easy! Takes about 10 minutes, but you need to pay constant attention to it.

Ingredients
1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt
2 tsp. cream of tarter
1 cup water
1 tbs. vegetable oil
food colorings

Directions
1) Put flour, salt and cream of tarter in a large sauce pan over medium-low heat. Mix around.
2) Pour in water and veg oil. Mix thoroughly.
3) Continue mixing until it gets firmer, much like mashed potatoes.
4) You can add your food coloring now. I added 5 drops of green, and it ended up being pretty pastel-ish (see above picture). Just FYI.
5) Mix the food coloring in thoroughly, and continue mixing. You want the dough to start separating from the pan. I was SHOCKED after a few minutes, it really does start doing that!
6) Once its clumping together, remove it from the heat and place in a bowl to cool. I could "play" with it immediately, but I let it cool for a few minutes before giving it to Jacob.

That's it! HAVE FUN!!!!

Recipe - crockpot spaghetti and meatballs

Hi, friends! Happy Sunday!

We've been iced in for 60 hours now, and to say I've got a bit of cabin fever would definitely be an understatement. When the weather forecast first shows signs of an ice storm, I always get a little excited. It's fun to watch the storm roll in and see the sleet and freezing rain, and the first 24ish hours are nice- just hanging out at home with a fire roaring and lots of yummy food (and wine). But by the second full day, we all get a little crazy. I personally think its the lack of fresh air.

This time around, I decided to prepare for the worst and planned 3 hearty meals- chili, spaghetti and meatballs and tonight we'll have sloppy joes. And I think we've consumed 4 bottles of wine. Sorry I'm not sorry.

I'm here to share my spaghetti and meatballs recipe with you. It's so delicious and EASY! I originally got this recipe via And They Cooked Happily Ever After, but I have modified it a bit. Below is my modified recipe.

I recommend making the meatballs the night before, to let them chill in the fridge overnight. It helps to keep them from falling apart.

Ingredients
For the meatballs:
½ cup Italian flavored bread crumbs
2 eggs
¼ cup water
½ cup shredded parmesan cheese
2 tbsp. chopped parsley
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
½ tsp. garlic powder
1 lb. ground beef (at least 80/20)
½ lb. ground pork

For the sauce:
3 tbsp. unsalted butter
5 tbsp. olive oil
1 large onion, quartered
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
2 - 24oz cans of tomato puree (use San Marzano tomatoes if you can)
1 - 28oz can of crushed tomatoes (again, San Marzano tomatoes if you can find it)
½ cup beef broth
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. oregano
½ tsp. pepper
¼ tsp. cumin
2 tsp. brown sugar
fresh basil (4-5 leafs)

Instructions
Meatballs:
1) Preheat oven to 350°.
2) Mix bread crumbs, egg, water, cheese and spices together to form a soft paste.
3) Fold in ground beef and pork, turning to mix paste into meat. Do not over mix, as you'll toughen the meat.
4) Shape into meatballs (whatever size you prefer, I usually make about 20 golf ball-sized meatballs), and place on a cookie sheet.
5) Bake for 8 minutes, turn and cook on other side for another 8 minutes.
6) Place meatballs in a glass dish, cover and place in fridge overnight.

Sauce:
1) In a large pot, melt butter and oil on medium heat. Add onions and cook until they're translucent, not letting them brown (about 3-5 minutes).
2) Add minced garlic and let cook until just fragrant, not letting it burn (about 1 minute).
3) Add the 3 cans of tomatoes, beef broth and all spiced except the fresh basil, and bring to a slow boil over medium heat.
4) Layer the sauce and meatballs in the crockpot. You'll get about 2 layers of meatballs.
5) Cook on low for 5 hours. About 1 hour before they're done, remove some of the onions and add the fresh basil.

I serve this with spaghetti noodles, but you could easily just serve the meatballs with sauce, or even make meatball subs.

Enjoy!

Recipe - basic sugar cookie

Hey, y'all!!

One of my neighbors made the most delicious (and beautiful) sugar cookies last week, and I just HAD to try it. She has a Pampered Chef cookie press, which makes the cookies look 10,000x better and once you get it down, its super easy! Her recipe was so good too, so I decided to share it all with you today.

Ingredients
2/3 cup Crisco
3/4 cup sugar
sprinkle of nutmeg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
4 tsp. milk
--
2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt

Directions
1) Combine first 6 ingredients (I put a little dash, so you can easily see the 2 steps) and mix well in a mixer.
2) Then add last 3 ingredients and beat together.
3) At this point, I recommend covering the dough and putting it in the fridge overnight or for a few hours.
4) After the dough is chilled and you're ready to make the cookies, pre-heat oven to 375.

If you're using cookie cutters:
5) Add a few more teaspoons of flour, so the dough isn't sticky and put tons of powdered sugar on your countertop, rolling pin and cookie cutters.

If you're using a cookie press:
5) Add a few more teaspoons of milk, to make the dough a bit more doughy.

6) Place cookies on greased cookie sheet and bake for 6 minutes.

A couple notes:
- Add sprinkles before you bake.
- Sprinkle a tiny bit of sugar right after the cookies come out of the oven.
- I had some trouble with the cookie press, but found it worked best after the dough sat for a little bit and got more doughy.

GOOD LUCK!!!

Recipe - Betty Freeman Casserole

I originally got this recipe from Fancy Ashley, and y'all- its good. It's the perfect casserole to make for friends with new babies or a death in the family- it makes a TON, can easily be frozen and it's easy!!! And, you probably have the majority of these ingredients on-hand already.

 

Ingredients

2 pounds ground beef

1 onion, chopped

2 cans tomato soup

1 large can tomato sauce

1 pound shredded cheddar cheese

 

Directions

1) Boil your noodles in a large pot (you will eventually transfer everything into this pot, so it needs to be BIG).

2) While your noodles are boiling, chop your onion and brown your ground beef WITH the onion (in a separate pot, obviously...). You want your onion to be nice and soft.

3) After your meat is brown, your noodles will probably be ready. Drain them, and transfer your meat/onion mixture into the BIG pot with the noodles.

4) Pour in the tomato sauce and soup, and add in all the cheese. Mix it all around really good on low heat.

5) Let it simmer on the low heat for a bit to get nice and melty.

6) At this point, you can easily transfer it to a disposable lasagna pan and take it to your friend. If you're making it at home, transfer it to a 9x13 casserole dish and pop it in the oven for 30 minutes at 350.You can even add a little more cheese on top (that's what we do). If you're giving it to a friend, they can eat it as-is, or you can instruct them to heat it in the oven- its your call!

 

I serve this with French bread and salad. Yum yum and yum!!!

 

Enjoy, y'all!

Recipe - crockpot tomato basil soup

I am SO EXCITED about this recipe! I love love love tomato basil soup, especially from La Madeleine, but I hate hate hate that its mostly prepared with cream. I just can't bring myself to eat food with heavy creams! So, for that reason alone- I'm beyond thrilled to share this recipe with you! And its delish. That definitely "ups" the excitement.

There's nothing better than a warm hearty soup on a cold fall day, and this soup does not fall short on any of that. Yummy!!

Ingredients
3x 28oz cans whole peeled tomatoes (I prefer San Marzano tomatoes)
3 tbs olive oil
3 large carrots, diced
2 medium sweet onions, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, peeled and left whole
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tbs salt
1 quart chicken broth
10 basil leaves
Freshly grated Parmesan and additional basil leaves for garnish (if you want)

Directions
1) Combine all ingredients in your crockpot. Cover and cook on low for 5-7 hours, until flavors are blended and vegetables are soft.
2) Allow the soup to cool slightly, and then puree in a blender until smooth. Serve immediately, or transfer the soup back to the crockpot and keep on warm until your guests arrive.
3) Garnish with more fresh basil and some grated Parmesan cheese. ENJOY!

I served this tonight with sourdough grilled cheese, and let me tell you- even my husband who is a total veggie-hater LOVED this meal! Yay!

Recipe - curry chicken & broccoli

When I was a kid, my mom always made our favorite meal for our birthdays. This was my meal. 

It's warm, creamy, hearty and totally delicious. I love making it on cold or dreary days. 

Ingredients

4 chicken breasts

Broccoli

2 cans cream of chicken

1 cup mayo

2 tsp. lemon juice

2 tsp. curry powder

Shredded cheddar cheese

Rice

Directions

1) Cook your chicken any way you like. I prefer to grill it, because it's easy. Then cube it up in bite-sized pieces. 

2) Steam your broccoli. The amount you make is really up to you. I try to go heavy on the broccoli to make it healthier. I also buy the frozen steamer bags, because it's easy. 

3) Mix together the COC, mayo and spices in a bowl. 

4) Put the steamed broccoli on the bottom of a 9x13 dish. 

5) Place the cubed chicken on top of the broccoli. 

6) Pour the COC mixture on top of the chicken and broccoli. 

7) Top with a good helping of cheddar cheese. (always with the cheese in Texas)

8) Bake at 350° for 30 minutes. 

9) Serve over rice and ENJOY!!

Recipe - french toast casserole

 

I made this this morning because I wanted to use the rest of our bread and I wanted something easy that I could just pop in the oven. It was so yummy and delicious, I will definitely be making it again! The original recipe was found here, but I did change it up a bit. Per usual.

 

Ingredients

1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup brown sugar
12 slices of bread
4 eggs
1 1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Cinnamon, to taste

Directions
1) Melt butter in microwave, stir in brown sugar.
2) Pour butter/sugar mix into bottom of 9x13 pan and spread around evenly.
3) Beat eggs, milk, vanilla and cinnamon.
4) Lay single layer of toast in pan (6 slices).
5) Spoon half of egg mixture on bread layer.
6) Add second layer of toast.
7) Spoon on remaining egg mixture.

8) Cover and bake at 350 for 45 minutes (uncover for last 15 minutes)

9) Sprinkle with powdered sugar and ENJOY!

 

You could easily add some pumpkin pie spice or pumpkin puree to "fall" it up, too. We'll definitely do that soon!

 

Yum Yum!