Tasty Kitchen Casseroles

The boys making pizza casserole

            Call me a little slow on the uptake, but I have recently fallen in love with the Tasty Kitchen website, and have pretty much prepared nothing but Tasty Kitchen recipes for the past few weeks post this incredible discovery.  I recently prepared these two yummy casseroles and easy stromboli.  The first recipe for Buffalo Chicken Casserole I made with my brother Ethan in mind, and everyone who tried it that night loved it! 

            The second recipe for Pizza Casserole, was excellent as well, and was even better because I was running late from a high school volleyball game I was watching the cheerleaders at, and CHRIS MADE THIS ONE HIMSELF!  With Clancy’s help, of course.  It was yummy as leftovers, and I ate it for a few days and didn’t get sick of it!

            The third recipe, isn’t technically a casserole, but I didn’t exactly know how to classify it, it baked in the oven, and of course, came from the Tasty Kitchen site.  It is a recipe for Stromboli and was so easy and very delicious!  Give any of these a try soon!

Slainte!

Buffalo Chicken Casserole:

http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/main-courses/buffalo-chicken-casserole/

Pizza Casserole:

http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/main-courses/pizza-casserole-4/

Easy Stromboli:

http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/main-courses/easy-stromboli/

Enjoy!

Mooooooo

            Like any good farm girl would, it is now time to follow up the delectable desserts post, with some beautiful beef.  All of these recipes are delicious and different in their own way.  If you are looking for a hearty dinner, I suggest you give one of these red meat varieties a try soon! 

Slainte!

Beef Stroganoff:

Recipe:

-2 lbs. stew beef, cubed

-salt and pepper to taste

-2 10 ¾ oz. cans cream of mushroom soup

-3 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

-3 oz. pkg cream cheese, cubed

-16 oz. container sour cream

-cooked rice or noodles

Preparation:

Place beef in slow cooker; sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Pour soup over top; add Worcestershire sauce.  Cover and cook on low setting for 8 to 10 hours.  Stir in cream cheese and sour cream 30 minutes before serving.  Serve over rice or noodles.

Steak with Skillet Tomatoes:

http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/steak-skillet-tomatoes-00000000060107/index.html

Salisbury Steaks:

http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/main-courses/mome28099s-salisbury-steak/

Enjoy!

Delectable Desserts

            I think that I have mentioned before that rather than having a sweet tooth, I seem to have sweet teeth.  With that said, I would highly recommend any of the following desserts, and feel this is an excellent place to start with recipe sharing week.  The blackberry cobbler that I made did not turn out the best as it was a little runny.  However, it was super tasty, and was great once it made it to your mouth.  The s’mores cookie bars might possibly be my new favorite dessert, and I seriously can’t wait to make them again.  The cinnamon sugar cookies were also delicious, and I loved topping them with the candy corn.  I agree with Buddy the Elf, candy corns are certainly one of the four main food groups…

Slainte!

Blackberry Cobbler Recipe & Preparation:

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/08/the_great_cobbl/

S’mores Cookie Bars Recipe & Preparation:

http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/desserts/se28099mores-cookie-bars/

Cinnamon Sugar Cookies Recipe & Preparation:

http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/desserts/cinnamon-sugar-cookies/

Enjoy!

HELP!

For example, I could write about how this guy is snoring next to me as I type this post... 

            I’m assuming that many of you have noticed that my posting recently has been anything but regular.  Well friends, now it’s time for me to come clean.  The dirty truth?  I am just feeling really stuck with where the blog is right now.  I have been thinking about this for some time, and just really don’t know what to do.  While I have grown to love cooking, and many of you have expressed to me that you enjoy the recipes that I share, I am just fresh out of words and ways to describe the meals we try each week.  This is the reason I currently have 30 or so recipes that I could potentially share with you, and I don’t because all I could really say is this was good, or we didn’t quite like this, etc.  I just feel that I have been there said that, and it makes posting tedious.

            So here is where I am at, and what I am thinking.  I would like to create a new site altogether where I share not only my recipes, but random musings from my everyday life which includes much more than cooking.  Now, I by no means think that I am especially interesting, but feel that my life involves so much more than the meals that I make and would like to write about other facets of my life such as family, friends, marriage, marathons, and puppy parenthood, along with many other numerous things, of course.

            With that said, here is where I open things up to suggestions.  This new plan would require coming up with a new site name, and that is where I am stuck.  I just haven’t fallen in love with anything I have come up with, and am very open to your ideas.  Mostly, I would like to get my name out of it if possible.  I would also enjoy feedback as to whether or not you think this is a good idea, or if I should just shut up and stop blogging all together.

            In the meantime, my plan is as follows: I will share all of my recipes that need to be shared with you by category.  This will be easiest to do, and might be nice to see a bunch of beef dishes together, etc.  Hope you enjoy them, and I look forward to your feedback on this pending change.

Slainte!

Mrs. McQ

Peachy Keen

     Happy Labor Day Everyone!  I hope that you are all relaxing and enjoying the day.  I don't know about you, but I am so incredibly grateful for this extra day to the weekend to catch up and get everything done.  Life seems to be flying by at super speed these days!  I have noticed the first trees beginning to turn, and am welcoming fall with open arms this year.
     Yesterday, I had the time to swing by a farmer's market near my home which is hailed for its plethora of fresh produce, and it was nothing short of spectacular!  The vegetables were so gorgeous, I nearly cried that my camera was at home rather than hanging from my neck, ready to capture the vast array of colors in all their glory.
     The other problem I encountered, was that after Saturday's football game, I found myself with very little spending cash.  Does anyone else seem to have the problem of cash flying from their wallet?  Seriously, I cannot be trusted with cash!  So, due to lack of funds, I had to be especially picky as to what I purchased at the market.  Not to worry, however, my little money went a long way as I landed these delicious peaches!  They.were.so.good!  I had one this morning, and slightly felt like I was 4 years old again the way the juices were running down my face.  Is there really any better way to start a day off than that?  Hope your labor day is equally juicy!

Slainte!

Fettuccine Alfredo with Broccoli

Attention all carb lovers!  If you are looking for a quick and easy carb fix, feast your eyes on this simple recipe for Fettuccine Alfredo with Broccoli.  This meal is simple and delicious and will surely satisfy those secret cravings of yours.  Although this can traditionally be somewhat of a heavy dish, the fact that this variation does not include meat, and instead substitutes broccoli, makes it a little lighter for these summer months.  Give this one a try now, and trust me, you will thank me later!

Slainte!

For recipe and preparation instructions check out the following link:

http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/low-fat-fettuccine-alfredo-10000000663085/index.html

Enjoy!

Zesty Chicken Enchiladas

I am curious to know from all of you new home cooks out there if you have ever had an experience in which you took stock in what you have achieved and thought to yourself, "I got this!"  Well friends, I am excited to report that I recently had such an experience, which I will now share with you.  What happened is this:

Coming into the kitchen to prepare a meal, I typically set the table before I get started, and then try to lay out the ingredients to make sure everything is ready to go and that I don't find myself in some kind of bind once I get going.  On this day, I methodically followed step one of setting the table, but must have been just feeling it and decided to just start working through the ingredients on an as-needed basis.  So, as I was working on this new recipe for zesty chicken enchiladas, I realized that I had omitted many key ingredients from my grocery list either because I thought that I had them or deemed them unimportant to the overall success of the dish.

So there I was, sans many important ingredients with a decision to make.  Do I keep going and see what I can come up with off the cuff with the ingredients I do have? OR, Do I toss what I have done so far into the garbage and drive to the nearest fast food restaurant and salvage this thing?  Well friends, I chose to be brave and go for it, and you know what?  It turned out awesome, if I may say so myself!  Thus, at the end of this I felt more proud of myself than I think I ever have as I successfully paired ingredients to come up with something as close to the original recipe as possible and it ACTUALLY WORKED! 

Now, because I don't even remember how exactly I managed to make this turn out, I will give you only the original recipe, my blessing and words of encouragement that you too can change recipes to make them your own!

Slainte!

For recipe and preparation instructions, click on the following link!

http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/zesty-chicken-enchiladas-00000000012498/index.html

Enjoy!