January 31, 2013

Pass, shoot, score

This past weekend was Marley's first soccer game at the YMCA. She didn't make any goals but did good running and trying to steal the ball. After the game she came walking over and said "those kids are too freaking fast" Poor kid.

She has practice once a week for a half hour and a game every Saturday morning. There are apparently only two 3 & 4 year old teams, because her team always plays against the red team.

Practicing before the game







January 28, 2013

Chicken Ranch Lasagna / Shells

I already made this once, typed it all up, pinned it to pinterest and everything. Then for some reason it disappeared.  Not exactly sure why or how it happened, but it gave me a reason to make it again.

2 (12 oz) cans evaporated milk 
1 (1 oz) pkg. Hidden Valley dry Salad Dressing & Seasoning Mix 
3 C. cubed, cooked, chicken
1/8 tsp pepper
1 (16oz) lasagna noodles, cooked 
1 1/2 to 2 C cheddar cheese, grated
1 1/2 to 2 C mozzarella cheese, grated


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat milk, pepper and ranch powder stirring frequently until dry ingredients are dissolved. Reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes, stirring frequently. 


Layer half of the noodles, chicken and cheese in dish. Pour half of sauce mix on top. Repeat layers. 


Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes. 


Last time I made this I used lasagna noodles. This time I used shells. It was much better this time. Either way works, but the shells seemed to add more volume to it, where as the lasagna noodles seemed flat and not as filling. 

January 25, 2013

Italian Sausage Crock Pot Soup

We've been having a lot of chicken for dinner lately. Also since it's been cold I decided to add a nice warm soup to our dinner line-up. I had some italian sausage in the freezer that I got on sale for $1 a while ago so I decided to make this italian sausage soup for dinner. Of course, on the day I decided to make it, it was 50 degrees out, but it was still really good!


Sausage Meatball Ingredients
1 pound mild Italian sausage, casings removed
1/2 cup dried bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup milk
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt


Soup Ingredients 
4 cups hot chicken broth
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup pasta
Grated Parmesan cheese
salt to taste


Mix all the meatball ingredients together. Form into small balls. 


Combine broth, tomato paste, red pepper flakes, and garlic in crock pot. Add meatballs. Cook on low for 5-6 hours. 


Thirty minutes before serving add pasta.  Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top when serving. 


It was amazing! I think I used to much pasta (I didn't measure) so there wasn't much broth, but it was still delicious. 

January 24, 2013

Christmas

So it's almost a month after Christmas, but I've been so busy with going back to school this semester and we're trying to sell our house (more on that at a later date) but better late than never to fill you in on our Christmas activities. And it was Mason's 1st Christmas!

Mike was really sick on Christmas eve. Like, had to go to the emergency room and get a shot to stop throwing up sick. So he stayed in bed most of the day. He did manage to get up for about an hour so we let Marley open her presents from her Grandpa with hair (Mike's dad)


On Christmas morning we woke up early and opened our presents from Santa. We then headed over to grandma and grandpas to open more presents. Then we headed down to Auntie Pam Pam's house for dinner and more presents. It was a long day with lots of good food and lots of fun times. 
 







Since my mom decided to make this a "pajama christmas" a few days later I went back to her house to get some fancy pictures of the kids. And yes, Marley is wearing a dress!! 






I think this face sums up the holiday perfectly. HAHA! So good all year and now that it's over she turns evil! 


January 22, 2013

Meatball Sub Casserole

The pictures for this casserole make it look delicious. But, we did not like it at all. Okay, I'll give it some credit, everything was good except for the ridiculously soggy bread on the bottom. Now, if you like really soggy bread, then this is the recipe for you.




1 loaf Italian bread, cut into 1-inch thick slices
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1-lb. pkg. fully cooked frozen meatballs, thawed
1 (28 oz.) jar pasta sauce
1 cup water


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix cream cheese, mayonnaise, and italian seasoning. 


Place bread slices on bottom of baking dish. (Toast bread if you don't want it so soggy)


Cover with the cream cheese mixture and mozzarella cheese


Mix meatballs, sauce and water in a bowl and pour on top. Cover with more mozzarella cheese. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes. 




See looks really good huh? Yah, we didn't think so. The original recipe did suggest toasting the bread first so it wouldn't be so soggy, but of course I didn't see that tidbit of info until after I made it and stuck it in the oven.  Oh well! 

January 18, 2013

Italian Sausage Melt

Last summer I got a really good deal on some italian sausage. However, it's been sitting in the freezer ever since because I didn't know what to make with it. Until, that is, I stumbled on this recipe for italian sausage melt. 





1 1/4 cups Original Bisquick® mix
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 tablespoons very hot water
1/2 lb Italian sausage
1cup Alfredo pasta sauce
1cup shredded mozzarella cheese 
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese


Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix bisquick, water, and butter together in bowl. 

Spread onto bottom of greased baking dish. 




Cook sausage. Once cooked drain any grease there is and place on top of the bisquick. 


Spread alfredo sauce on top. (I just realized while typing this up the recipe calls for 1 cup of sauce, I used the whole jar-oops!) 


Top with cheese. (I didn't have any mozzarella so I used cheddar instead) Bake at 400 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes before serving. 





It was really good. It reminded us of biscuits and gravy. I will definitely be making this again with only 1 cup sauce and mozzarella cheese to see if it tastes any different. 

January 16, 2013

Pepperoni Pizza Bread

I bought a bunch of frozen dough so of course, I searched pinterest for recipes. I found a recipe for this Pepperoni Pizza Bread here. Looks good!!



2 loaves (1 pound each) frozen bread dough, thawed
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon each garlic powder
salt and pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 pound ground beef, cooked and drained
1 package (3-1/2 ounces) sliced pepperoni
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

This makes 2 loaves. 



Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Flatten out dough into a large rectangle. 


In bowl mix together egg, oil, and seasonings.


Brush mix onto flattened dough. (save the rest of the mix for later)


Place your meat, cheese, pepperoni and any other veggies you want to add onto dough. 


Roll up starting with a long side. Place on cookie sheet and brush with oil/egg mix. 


Bake at 375 for 30-35 minutes. 


Yum! This was even good for lunch the next day!