Monday's Meal

In a word this meal is simple. Got to love that, right? I got this recipe years ago from an online community. It's super kid friendly and so quick to throw together that you'll find yourself whipping it up again and again. I serve it with some extra sauce, spaghetti noodles and a nice green salad.

Saucy Mozzarella Patties

1 jar of your favorite tomato sauce or 16 to 24 oz jar of favorite marinara or pasta sauce
1 lb of ground turkey (or meat of your choice)
3 cups of bread crumbs
1 egg
1 tsp of garlic powder
salt & pepper to the taste
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup of shredded parmesan
1 tsp butter
1 tsp olive oil

Preheat oven 350 degree. Place meat in a lg. bowl, add egg to meat, incorporating it well, then add 1 cup of the bread crumbs, add salt, pepper and garlic, Mix all ingredients until well blended, Heat nonstick pan and melt 1 tsp of butter and 1 tsp of olive oil. Pour other 2 cups of bread crumb in a 13 X 9 casserole or similar size. Make patties of a desirable size and dredge them in the breadcrumbs then place in pan, browning until nearly done, but still slightly pink inside. Place cooked patties back in casserole on top of bread crumbs. Spoon sauce over patties, then top with parmesan and mozzarella and more sauce and cheese, finishing with sauce over cheese. Bake for 20 min until cheese is bubbly and melted but not brown. Alternatively if I don't have time to brown the patties ahead. I place the prepared uncooked patties in the casserole, cover it and cook them for 45-60min (or until done). Delicious!

A milestone

Today was O.'s first full day of school. She goes to a 2 day/week program, it's a big step in our house since she is the baby (and the absolute last) and now she's off to school. Yippee! Today was a blur of activity for me as I also went to the Patsy Aiken's sale and had a parent/teacher conference, but I didn't forget to mark this most important occasion with a photo of my girl. Here she is off to school in her mama made. I made the dress and her lunch bag. Notice she's wearing the previously despised polk a dot dress. I have to tell you she selected it on her own, ah my fickle girl. I tried to tame her mane...so it's sort of in a bun. I thought she looked so grown up...it almost brings a tear to my eye...almost.

Monday's Meal

When I was thinking about what recipe I would like to share this week this one popped into my head. In case you haven't noticed from others I have shared before, I really like bananas. They are absolutely delicious IMHO and you can't beat them as a healthy take along snack. It was a toss up between sharing a recipe for good old fashioned frosted banana bars or this exciting twist on delectable banana pudding. I decided to share the pudding one. This recipe combines two desserts I love well, bananas and a bread pudding, enjoy!

Banana Bread Pudding

4 cups of cubed day old French or sour-dough bread
1/4 cup melted butter
3 eggs
2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups of sliced firm bananas (unlike lots of pudding recipes, note that these bananas should be firm)

Sauce
3 tbs butter
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
3/4 cup whole milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup light corn syrup

Preheat oven to 375. Prepare a 2qt casserole by buttering (or you can use a nonstick cooking spray). Place the bread cubes in the casserole, pour your melted butter over them and toss to coat well. In a medium bowl lightly beat the eggs; add the milk, sugar, spices and salt. Stir in the bananas. Pour this mixture over the bread cubes and bake uncovered for approximately 40 minutes or until fork near middle comes out clean.
For the sauce melt butter in a small saucepan. Combine sugar and cornstarch, add it to the butter. Stir in milk and corn syrup. Cook over medium heat, stirring so it doesn't stick until it comes to a full boil. Boil for 1 minute more. Remove from heat and add the vanilla. Add the warm sauce to the warm pudding and serve.

Blogging Responsibly

Blogging is all the rage. I mean everyone I know has a blog. We give out our URLs the way you used to give out your email or phone number. However, as much as I enjoy blogging apparently I'm not blogging enough, as my dear friend B. pointed out to me. According to her I'm on her favs and she checks daily and often to her great disappointment I haven't posted a new entry. Ahhh, the horrors! I do try to keep up, honestly. I make a point to post at least a couple times/week. I'm so much better about taking and posting pictures too so you don't just have to listen to my blah, blah, yada, yada. But, still...I could be better. I must not be taking this blogging thing serious enough. I mean between my being a wife, mother, employee, volunteer, cooking, cleaning,crafting...oh and sleeping I have let some things slip. I make you a solemn promise my friends, from this point on I'm going to be better. I'm going to make this a priority and realize what a responsibility it is to blog. I swear it!

More vintage love and easy peasy

After of weeks of it sitting folded on my nightstand, I finally sewed the last two buttons on the little A line dress I made from one of the patterns I got from Susan. It's actually a really simple and ingenious pattern, it's a simple aline dress that buttons at the shoulder and then a half circle collar that is separate and attaches using buttonholes. So you could actually do several collars and change up the look. I just did one. The fabric is from my stash, Robert Kauffmann (kitchy kitchen is the print name) and the green and white twill pindots from Patsy Aikens. Very nice together and I should be able to throw a turtleneck under there and some tights and make it through the winter with this dress. The other dress is super easy. I picked up a bunch of cute t-shirts dirt cheap at Walmart for O., cut them off for bodices and attached various skirts in knits and wovens for "Hanna style" playdress. So far I think I've made four...you know you can't ever have enough playdresses. Here's one of my favorites, I used Heather Ross pink and yellow dots for the skirts and I think it gave it a fun and funky look. I still need to hem it, I'm debating if I'll just do a rolled edge in the darker pink color to give it a bit of pop or just a regular old hem. There's no modeling shot, my model is on strike. She told me she no longer likes polk a dots and promptly hid the dress (she did return it to me when I asked for it). Interestingly enough she must have more faith in my knitting skills since she told me she didn't want a dress she wanted a sweater...hmmm...demanding little cuss isn't she! Ah well, tomorrow polk a dot will be her favorite, so no worries here.

You knew what I meant to say....

Right? I need a proofreader. Although this is tongue in cheek, I have to laugh at myself sometimes when I go back and read old post and see the glaring typos and grammatical errors. Were my hands typing faster than my minds eye could proof? Indeed! Ah well, I'm among friends aren't I? You knew what I was trying to say didn't you, lol.

Monday's Meal

Continuing my love affair with casseroles, I thought I'd share another favorite of mine, chicken spaghetti. This deliciously easy recipe lends it self to lots of individuality so you can make it your own just by changing up some of the ingredients. This recipe is freezer friendly making enough for you to make 2 casseroles, one for now and one to freeze for later. If you just want to make one, adjust the amount of your ingredients accordingly. Anyway, eat up and enjoy!

Chicken Spaghetti


4 cups cubed cooked chicken
2 cans (10-3/4 ounces each) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
2-1/2 cups chicken broth
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 pound velvetta, cubed
1 package (12 ounces) spaghetti, cooked and drained
1 can of sliced mushrooms
1 can (2-1/4 ounces) sliced ripe olives ( optional)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
In a large dutch oven, combine the first ten ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Stir in cheese until melted. Add the spaghetti and olives if desired.
Transfer the mixture to two greased 11-in. x 7-in. baking dishes. Cover and freeze one casserole for up to 3 months. Cover and bake the second casserole at 325° for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 minutes longer.
when you're ready to use the frozen casserole: Thaw in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Bake as directed.