Cheesy Sausage & Veggie Casserole
March 12, 2010 > 1 Comment
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Here’s the recipe for the casserole we had for dinner the other night. (Sorry for not posting it sooner!) It’s really very simple and the results are always delicious. The only downside to this dish is that I’ve yet to figure out a good way to freeze it while still retaining the quality.
Cheesy Sausage & Veggie Casserole
- 2 lbs. potatoes, cubed (peel if desired)
- 2 t. oil
- 1 lb. Polish or smoked sausage, sliced
- 3 T. flour
- 2 c. milk
- 1 1/2 c. shredded cheese
- 1 t. cumin
- 1/4 t. salt
- 1/4 t. black pepper
- 1/2 lb. California-blend frozen veggies, thawed
1. Place potatoes in a large pot of cold water. Bring to a boil and boil for about 15 minutes, until fork tender.
2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet. Add sausage and cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Remove sausage with a slotted spoon and set aside.
3. Whisk flour into drippings in skillet and cook for 2 minutes. Add milk and bring to a slow boil until thickened, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and add cheese and seasonings. Stir until melted.
4. In a large casserole dish, layer the potatoes, veggies and sausage. Pour cheese over the top and stir to incorporate everything. Bake at 375 degrees for 35-45 minutes, until bubbly and lightly golden brown on top.
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3 Moms ~ Catching Up
March 11, 2010 > 5 Comments
I realized today that although I’ve been sharing recipes for things we’ve eaten, I haven’t really done a meal-by-meal accounting of our days this week. So, I thought I’d take some time to get caught up on that.
Wednesday morning started with a breakfast of cinnamon-sugar toast, bananas and milk. That has become one of our biggest stand-by breakfasts on really busy mornings.
For lunch, the 4 of us at home had tuna pasta salad and nectarines. The tuna pasta salad is a favorite with the kids, although to be honest, my husband and I are a little tired of it. But we still eat it because it’s quick and filling. I basically just stir together some mayo, a can of drained tuna, a few spoonfuls of relish and salt and pepper. Then toss in some noodles and call it lunch. Easy enough!
After school, our oldest daughter and I made cookies together for a school project. The assignment was to make cookies as a way to fit in some fraction practice. We made Fruit Loop Cookies. (Which is the same recipe as the Apple Jacks Cookies, but with fruit loops instead.) We also made 1 1/2 times the recipe, fitting in some extra fraction practice!
For dinner we had a simple casserole of Polish sausage, potatoes, veggies and homemade cheese sauce. I put this dish together in a hurry in the morning and then just baked it for about 45 minutes before dinner. It was great!
Today (Thursday) was our youngest’s third birthday. I let her call the shots for meals, at least as much as a 3 year old can. So we had cereal and bananas for breakfast, leftovers for lunch and barbecue meatballs, Ranch pasta salad and peas for dinner. I find it kind of amusing that my 3 year olds favorite dinner is barbecue meatballs, but I’m not complaining.
She also decided she wanted cupcakes for dessert. I have a confession to make – I don’t think I’ve ever made cupcakes before…ever. Personally, I’ve never been a very big fan of them although I know they’re all the rage currently. But, my baby girl requested cupcakes, so cupcakes she got.
I figured if I worked with a recipe that I knew we all really loved, I’d up my chances of creating a successful batch of cupcakes. I used my all-time favorite white cake and buttercream frosting recipe. I changed things up a bit by adding 1/3 cup of chocolate sprinkles to the cake batter and replacing part of the powdered sugar with cocoa powder.
I am definitely pleased with the results, although the cake will still be my go to. And for the kids, I believe the novelty of having cupcakes was more important than the taste. But, they all finished in record time, so I’m guessing they enjoyed them.
Today also included a quick grocery run for a gallon of milk and powdered sugar. The total for those two purchases was $3.99. Add that to the $368 we’ve already spent this month and we’re up to $371.99, leaving us $78.01 in the monthly grocery budget.
Tomorrow I’m planning to answer a few questions that I haven’t gotten to yet, so feel free to ask away if you have any questions.
And make sure you visit The Happy Housewife and Balancing Beauty and Bedlam for more 3 Moms, 3 Kitchens, 31 Days.
Chicken Pomodoro
March 10, 2010 > 8 Comments
I am so excited to share this recipe with you. It’s one of those recipes that meets every single one of my criteria for a really great recipe.
- It tastes amazing!
- The family loves it.
- It’s easy and stolen moments friendly.
- It’s frugal.
- It’s versatile.
Anytime a dish meets all 5 of those criteria, you can bet it will get added into our regular rotation and be made on a fairly frequent basis.
This dish delights all the senses. It smells as good as it tastes and looks. It’s a simple sauce that bursts with fresh flavors. I could give you a whole string of adjectives and write paragraphs of praise for this sauce, but that would be overkill, at least a bit. So I’ll just get on to the recipe and urge you to give it a try. You won’t be sorry!
Chicken Pomodoro
- 2 T. olive oil
- 1/4 onion, diced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 t. crushed red pepper flakes
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 15 oz. cans diced tomatoes
- 1 1/2 t. sugar
- 3 T. pesto or 1/3 c. fresh basil leaves, torn or cut chiffonade style
- 1/2 lb. chicken breasts, cooked and cubed (optional)
1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add onion, garlic and crushed red pepper flakes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook until onions are nearly translucent, about 3 minutes.
2. While the onion and garlic cooks, pour the tomatoes (with liquid) into a food processor or blender. Process until coarsely chopped to desired consistency. (Process less time for a thicker, heartier sauce or longer for a creamier sauce.)
3. Add the tomatoes and sugar to the skillet. Simmer for about 5 minutes, until very fragrant and somewhat thickened.
4. Stir in the pesto and simmer an additional 5-10 minutes. (If using fresh basil, let the sauce simmer for 10-15 minutes and then stir in the basil after removing from the heat.)
5. Stir the chicken into the sauce just until warmed through. Serve over pasta.
Personally, I love the pomodoro sauce as is (pictured above), without the addition of the chicken. But the chicken does make it a complete meal and my husband swears the only way to eat this is with the chicken. It’s really up to you.
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