And Then There Were 2….

  I have a “MOM, What’s for Dinner?” Recipe for you. Well, not really a recipe, more of a throw it all together sorta thing.

I had nothing planned for dinner, which is unusual for me. I love to try new recipes and usually have one picked out in the morning and prepping supper by mid afternoon.  On this particular night, it was already 5:30, and we had just walked in the door from a SUPER busy day.  The kids tummies were going off and the clock was ticking. Hmm, no money for frivolities like take out or pizza delivery, so it was time to come up with something, and QUICK!

Here is what I made:

Y-U-M!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Let’s call it Garden Italian Creme Pizza.  OR “MOM! What’s for Dinner? Pizza”.

I had one of these Philadelphia Cooking Cremes that I got for next to nothing with a coupon, yay!  And a garden full of basil, jalapenos and red peppers.  I also had a container of tomatoes that needed to be used. Hmm, what could I make?! 

 I took 2 crescents (set out for a bit to soften) and spread them into my bar pan from Pampered Chef, you could easily half this and make a circle pizza. I think circle pizzas taste better in general!!!! Dale thinks I am nuts.

“Shapes don’t make a difference.”  Uh yeah, they do.  Why do you think no one wants to share the first bite of pie? You have to eat the tip, its part of the yum factor!

  Back to the non-recipe recipe.  Ok, I just made a crust.  Bake it until starting to turn golden brown, probably 425* for maybe 15 minutes? I can’t recall, just watch it closely and remember, it’ll go back in the oven again.

Next, spread crust with Italian Cheese and Herb Cooking crème.  I used almost the whole thing for my big rectangle pizza, so 1 circle pizza would use half.

  Wash and thinly slice 1 red pepper, seed & thinly slice 4 fresh jalapenos and thinly slice your basil leaves as well.  Sprinkle all these garden goodies over your crème sauce.  Top with mozzarella cheese (FRESH if you have time, which I didn’t) and top with tomato halves.  Back in the oven it goes, just until the cheese is gooey, remember your crust is already baked.

OH MY WORD! We have had this TWICE now, and I don’t repeat recipes. It was that good!

In other news, Tylan started preschool yesterday! 

Please excuse his butchered head of hair, er, lack of hair?  He dipped when I dodged and snip…bye-bye long bangs that I loved.  I’ve cut his hair always, but of COURSE this happens the week before school starts!!!!!  Thankfully his luscious locks grow super fast and my little curly head will return quickly, but poor kid, talk about locking into history a rather AKWARD moment!!!!  🙂

“Oh look, here is a photo of Tylan on his first day of preschool.”

“Mom! What happened to my hair?”

“Sorry son.”

He’ll forgive me, right?!

Right.

 

  Ok, it’s time for school, Buddy! 

And then there were 2……

~T

Potato Stick Chicken Salad

  What does supper prep look like at your house?  Mine pretty much looks the same every night. 

This is what I see:

  No matter how hard I try to have supper ready at a decent time, my babies….every blessed one of them….have picked 4:30-5:30 pm as “Fussy Time”.  It doesn’t matter if I have done every lick of supper prep in the AM, or whether I’ve saved it all for 4:00. It doesn’t matter whether they’ve had a big snack or a little snack, no matter what……they cry and cling to my leg. 

  Thank God they outgrow it soon after the year mark, but MAN, until then….AHHHHHH! I want to pull my hair out.

  Despite the crying urchin clinging to my leg, I was able to make this yummy supper for us last night. 

  My mom made this all the time when we were kids, and I LOVED it! Especially the crunchy potato sticks you get to put on top.  This is such an easy salad to throw together in the morning for a delicious supper on the fly.  We love to serve it with fresh corn on the cob!

Ingredients

• 4 cups Cubed Cooked Seasoned Chicken
• 1 bunch Celery, Finely Diced
• 10 ounces, weight Package Carrot Shreds (I Take Out 1 Handful As I Feel The Whole Package Is Too Much Otherwise)
• 6 Tablespoons Sweet Pickle Relish
• 2 cups Frozen Peas, Thawed
• Miracle Whip, Just Enough To Moisten
• Garlic Powder, Salt And Pepper To Taste
• Dill, To Taste, Optional
• 7 ounces, weight Container Of French Fried Shoestring Potato Sticks

Mix together all of the listed ingredients except potato sticks, adding just enough Miracle Whip to moisten it to your taste. Refrigerate until serving time, this will keep great overnight as well.

Serve the salad topped with potato sticks in individual bowls.

Summer’s over, and fall foods are just around the corner, so you better make this quick! 

 ~T

Re-photographed 6-25-2013

1st Day of School & BBQ Chicken Pie

Yesterday was Destiny’s 1st day of school, so I, OF COURSE, had to take the obligatory front porch picture. 

 Avery: “I’ll miss you, sissy.”

Sweet big 3rd grader….such a little lady!

“Take my picture too, Mommy! Do I go to school today?”

  Soon, my little Peanut.  All too soon…..

Thankfully, Tylan & Avery don’t start until September, so you better believe I am spending as MUCH time as possible enjoying my 3 remaining kiddos at home with me.  I just still can’t figure out how in 1 year I went from 3 home except Friday’s to only 2 home and 1 lone ranger on Friday’s.  My time as a stay at home Momma is flying by too fast!!!!!!

  “Bye, have a great day! We miss you already!”

“Wait for me! Here I come…”

  Just for fun, I thought I’d pull Destiny’s other school pictures up until now. A trip down Memory Lane if you will……can’t go far, she’s only a 3rd grader after all but boy has she changed! 🙂

   So, I have a delicious new recipe for you to try, it came together really quickly and would be a great school night supper:

BBQ CHICKEN PIE

• 1 whole Refrigerated Pie Crust
• 3 whole Seasoned Chicken Breasts, Cooked And Chopped Or Shredded
• 4 whole Green Onions, Thinly Sliced With Tops (set Aside 2 T Worth)
• ¾ cups Of Your Favorite BBQ Sauce + More
• 2 cups Shredded Cheese
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Sour Cream For Garnish

Preheat oven to 425*. Lay crust out for 15 minutes. Place crust in pie plate or deep dish baker, press up sides gently. Prick bottom with fork and bake for about 7 minutes or until light brown. Set aside.
Toss chicken with 3/4 cup BBQ sauce and green onions. (set aside 2 T green onions for pie topping) Sprinkle half the cheese into crust. Top with BBQ chicken mixture. Squeeze a couple more tablespoons BBQ sauce and spread evenly. Add remaining cheese, reserved green onions and cherry tomatoes to taste.
Bake another 7 minutes or until cheese is melted. Cut & serve. Add a bloop on sour cream and fresh, halved cherry tomatoes to each serving.

Enjoy! It’s sooo good!

~T

Linked to:

Wonka Wednesday

Made It On Monday

This Chick Cooks

Miz Helen’s Country Cottage

Gooseberry Patch

Cheesy BBQ Casserole

  Yesterday was GORGEOUS! Like 85* and perfect out!!!!

  Man, I love Spring time!  There is something so exciting about coming out of the dead of Winter into Spring. Full of new life and new beginnings! The birds are back and singing in the trees, the new shoots of green grass are poking through the dead brown grass of winter,  and the days of summer are just around the corner. 

  On days like this, all I want to do is get outside, and play with my kids, rather than be in the kitchen all afternoon, working on dinner prep!  So yesterday, for a special treat, I let Tylan skip his “resting time” in his bed, to go lay on a quilt outside and read, and bird watch with his toilet paper roll binoculars, until I could join him.

  He was a bit lonely and kept wanting to talk to me through the kitchen window, so when I heard Paxton wake up, I took him out to keep his big brother company until I could join them.

  This is the site that greeted me next time I stepped to the kitchen sink:

Precious!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  My agenda, once chores were done, was to paint my toes and hang with my boys!  (Avery was still napping at this point.)  I had a “helper” that made toe painting interesting, but I eventually got it done.

  Done that is, after a major re-do, from a diapered bottom sitting smack down on my still wet big toe!  🙂 

  Next up: the recipe!

   This recipe was so simple I almost skipped it!   I am not a recipe snob! (ok, maybe kinda!)  But I had to wonder how good it could be with such basic ingredients?!?!?!! 🙂 

  I seriously almost didn’t make it, but turns out, it tasted great!  The perfect “throw together” meal after an extra busy day of laying in the sun and painting my nails. 🙂

  The BBQ sauce makes this dish deeeeelicious!  I used Sweet Baby Ray’s, my FAVORITE BBQ sauce.

• 3 cups Macaroni Style Uncooked Pasta (Long Sticks, Not Traditional Macaroni)
• 1 pound Ground Beef
• 1 whole Medium Onion
• ¼ cups Fresh Parsley
• 1 cup Milk
• 2 cups Of Your Favorite BBQ Sauce
• 1 cup Mozzarella Cheese
• 2 cups Monterey Jack Cheese
• BBQ Sauce As Garnish

Preparation Instructions

Heat oven to 350*. Spray a 2 quart casserole dish with cooking spray. (I used my P. Chef round baker.)
Cook and drain pasta according to package directions.
In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat 8-10 minutes until beef is brown, drain.
Stir pasta, 3 T. Parsley, milk, BBQ sauce, mozzarella cheese and 1 cup Monterrey Jack cheese into beef in skillet. Stir well.
Spoon mixture into casserole dish.
Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup Monterrey Jack cheese, parsley, plus a swirl of BBQ sauce across the entire surface.
Bake uncovered 30-40 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.
Enjoy!

Have a great weekend!  I am off to work my “4 & No More” Baby Stuff Sale at my mom’s house, today and tomorrow.  Not to mention, next week is Spring Break for Destiny!

WOO-HOO 🙂

~T