Baked Spaghetti and 1 Year of Blogging

This dish can be prepared ahead of time

(even frozen if necessary)

and then baked just in time for dinner!

Pretty exciting week around here...

Not only did I make an often-requested and 

mouth-watering (which should go without saying)

meal for dinner...

It has also been one year since my first blog entry was posted.

So, if you have been around the whole time,
 just stumbled upon this recently or
check in from time-to-time…

I'm so glad you are here!  

Trying to wrap my mind around how grateful I am for this past year of blogging
is leaving me at a loss for words.  

I am so thankful for all of you who have followed my blog,

tried my recipes and even
gave me some feedback as to
how the recipe turned out, what else you would like to see or even how to grow my blog,
I'm honored to be part of your cyber and/or food family. 

This opportunity has given me a chance to grow, learn and push myself into new territories,
which is both fun and scary at the same time!

Blah, blah, blah...

I know, same ol' mushy stuff,

Bottom line...

I'm so thankful for where I'm at and excited about where this will go from here!

Now, on to something way more exciting…
Baked Spaghetti. 

My kids, specifically Landon, probably requests pasta at least once a week.
Since Jerry and I are still mostly gluten-free,
pasta, as far as Landon is concerned,
doesn't really register on my radar.

My versions of pasta are usually spaghetti squash or zucchini noodles.

So, after repeat reviews of how fabulous Barilla's gluten free pasta is, 
I thought I'd indulge the family with this hearty and satisfying dish.

Nothing fancy here,
just boiling 1# of Gluten Free Spaghetti.

And, browning up 1# of Italian Sausage.

Next up, simply add 2 cans of diced tomatoes to the cooked sausage.

If you have pasta sauce that you prefer, go right ahead.
I've been rationing my cupboard staples a bit lately and was very happy how this 
makeshift sauce turned out.  

While the pasta was boiling,
whip up 2 eggs, 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese and 1/2 stick of butter - softened.

Pour it upon the drained spaghetti noodles

And stir.

The noodles are layered into a 9x13 baking dish.

Covered with the sausage and tomatoes.

And sprinkled with a cup or two of shredded cheese.

Cover with foil and baked at 350 F for about 30 minutes

Sprinkle with some parsley and serve.

RECIPE:

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Bake Time: 30 minutes

Serves : 8

Ingredients:

1# of Gluten-free Spaghetti - Barilla

1# of Italian Sausage

2 cans of diced tomatoes

2 eggs

2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese 

1/2 stick of butter - softened

1-2 cups of shredded cheese

Parsley 

Directions:

• Boil pasta according to box. 
• Brown sausage until no pink is left. 
• Add diced tomatoes or pasta sauce
• Whip up eggs, parmesan cheese and butter. 
• Drain pasta and add egg/butter/cheese mixture. 
• Top with shredded cheese and cover with foil.
• Can now be frozen for another meal.
• Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes until warm all of the way through.

Sausage, Egg and Cheesy Hash Brown Bake

I don't know about you, but I can hardly believe Christmas is just three days away!  

There is so much anticipation and build-up, that when it actually gets close, it seems surreal.  

I am extremely excited and grateful to have the next two weeks off to be home with the kids.  

Although, I have one minor problem…I tend to be overambitious!  

Yesterday I sat on the couch with my hubby watching the Packer game making out a 

to-do list and scheduling the tasks for the next two weeks.

  I will still get up at 5 am to start laundry and get my workout in, 

I will be as efficient as possible, 

but there is no way that everything I put on my list is going to get done, 

but that won't stop me from trying!  

My goals are to use the first week to get caught up and the second week to get ahead!  

Tackle some projects that have been lingering (like wedding and honeymoon pictures!) 

but I can't forgot that I also have to finish some of the Christmas details…

like sorting presents to ensure that the kids all of the same number and wrapping them.

So, perhaps all of the bedrooms and bathrooms won't get deep-cleaned, 

but you can be sure that the presents and cooking will get done!  

Speaking of cooking, 

how do you plan your holiday meals?  

It has been the topic of multiple dinner discussions over the past week, 

giving each family member a chance to request something special.  

We received a ham from Jerry's employer, 

so that will be accompanied with some roasted baby reds, a nice salad, corn and

fruit cocktail jello made in individual crystal glasses.

(something I did once that has now become a hard and fast tradition!)

As far as Christmas morning, 

I have a easy and delicious breakfast bake for you to make

that will be done just in time for you to open any presents that may have arrived.  

Just brown up 1# of bulk Italian sausage over medium heat. 

Then, sautee a chopped onion right in the same pan,

picking up some of the sausage flavoring. 

Into the baking dish a 28 oz bag of THAWED* hash browns were layered

and sprinkled with salt.  

*Leave the hash browns in the fridge over night and that will cut your baking time in half!  

Next, layer the cooked sausage over the potatoes. 

For an even quicker option, 

diced ham can be used which doesn't require any additional time for browning. 

One dozen eggs, 1 cup of milk, the cooked onions, 1 tsp of salt and 1/2 tsp pepper

were all whisked together. 

The egg mixture was poured over the sausage and potatoes. 

Topped with 1-2 cups of shredded cheddar 

and bake at 350 F for about 30-35 minutes. 

Until the eggs are cooked and the cheese is browned. 

Let stand to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving. 

This was a perfect brunch on a busy sport morning and 

I made it again this past weekend 

for a Christmas gathering on my extended side of the family. 

RECIPE:

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Bake Time: 30 minutes

Serves: 10

Ingredients:

1# of bulk Italian sausage (diced ham could be substituted for a quicker prep)

1 onion - chopped

28 oz bag of THAWED hash browns

1 dozen eggs

1 cup of milk

1 tsp of salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1-2 cups of shredded cheddar 

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 F. 
• Layer hash browns into 9x13 pan. 
• Brown sausage over medium heat, layer over hash browns. 
• Sautee onion in sausage pan. 
• Combine eggs, onion, milk, salt and pepper; whisk well. 
• Pour over hash browns and sausage. 
• Sprinkle with cheese. 
• Bake for 30-40 minutes. 
• Let stand before serving. 

Cheesy Enchilada Casserole with Poached Chicken

Greetings and Salutations…

Anyone else remember what book that is from?

I have very fond memories of Charlotte's Web, just wish I could find my original copy to enjoy with my own kids.

Speaking of books, have you read any good books lately?

I'm in a bit of a reading slump myself, haven't cracked a new one since school started.  I'm still fumbling around with my schedule a bit to settle into a routine and the best time of the day for me to carve out some reading time…which, if I'm honest, is right before nap time!

So, while reading is at a bit of a stand still…thankfully, cooking is still going strong!

This Cheesy Enchilada Casserole and all of it's delicious layers of Mexican goodness was a big hit around here.  And, the leftovers were equally sought after.

If you have leftover chicken in your fridge, this is an ideal dish for you!

Since we didn't have any leftover chicken, I wanted to go with the fastest way to cook chicken so that it would be tender, juicy and easy to shred.

Poaching was the answer.  

Started by adding 6 chicken breasts to the salted, boiling water.

They simmered for about 10 minutes….

Or, until the internal temperature was 170F. 

Then, let the shredding fun begin.  

Ok, so maybe it is not that much fun, but I certainly think it is worth the effort.

Once the chicken was ready, the rest of the dish could get underway. 

Started with about 1/2 cup of Enchilada sauce as the first layer in 

my beloved 9x13 stone baking dish. 

Then, about 4.5 corn tortillas were arranged in a layer, 

topped with 1 cup black beans and 

1/2 cup sweet corn. 

Before 1 cup of shredded chicken was added, 

one sliced scallion was tossed in for some extra flavor. 

The first series of layers was completed by 1 cup of shredded fiesta blend of cheese. 

And, we begin again, with the corn tortillas and 1 cup of enchilada sauce. 

More veggies (black beans, corn and scallion). 

And chicken…

Finish with the rest of the sauce and cheese. 

Bake at 350F for 20 minutes. 

Garnish with some scallion and parsley, if you like. 

If you don't care what it looks like, just devour!

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

6 chicken breasts

28 oz can of Enchilada Sauce

9 white corn tortillas

2 cans of black beans - drained

1 cup of frozen sweet corn - thawed

3 scallions - sliced

2 cups shredded cheese

Parsley - optional

Directions:

Boil chicken breasts in salted water for 10 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 170F. 

Shred the chicken breasts with 2 forks. 

Spread 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce in the pan. 

Layer 4-5 corn tortillas. 

Top with 1 cup of black beans, 1/2 cup corn, 1 sliced scallion, 1 cup chicken and 1 cup cheese. 

Another layer of tortillas, then 1 cup of sauce, 1 cup black beans, 1/2 cup corn, 1 sliced scallion and the rest of the chicken.

Finish with the rest of the sauce and the rest of the cheese. 

Bake at 350F for 20 minutes. 

Garnish with sliced scallion and parsley. 

Corned Beef Casserole

Happy Paddy's Week!

Just in time for this beloved Irish holiday, I wanted to share my latest creation...Corned Beef Casserole.

My husband requested corned beef last week and since it wasn't something I'd ever made before, I politely added it to my suggestion list.  You know...the list of things that may never get done. Everyone has one of those, right? 

And, then, bam…it hit me like a ton inspiring bricks, I can fulfill Jerry's request and tie it right in with the upcoming holiday. Double duty. Always love a 2 for 1 deal. 

Even with a name like Bailey, neither of us have any Irish in us.  But, since I've spent my fair share of time in Ireland, including two Paddy's day trips (which means I was there last year at this time), I do have a special place in my heart for this Irish tradition.

Contrary to the rumors, the Dublin city centre is, in fact, a wild and crazy place to be on Paddy's day.  I have never been to Mardi Gras, but in my mind I would liken it to that.  Paddy's Eve was mad (as they say in Ireland) with costumes and hoopla galore.  We thankfully managed to find a table in the back of a pub with some live music, (since we had NO idea what we were in for) and take in the revelry.  We also hit up the parade the next morning, because, well, how couldn't we?!? (Even though it meant getting up much too early considering the time our heads hit the pillows the night, ahem, morning before.)

Also to be noted, good luck finding food on Paddy's day in the city centre...the pubs don't have time for that. They are already packed full of people content with liquid diets for the day.

Makes me wonder what my friends who are now living in Dublin will be doing this year for the holiday.  Stick around for the mayhem? Or head out of town for a more low key celebration?

So, with my Irish spirit roaring, I headed to the store yesterday to pick up the essential ingredients, starting with the corned beef, Swiss cheese, cabbage (the lazy approach…I can justify the from time to time) and the marble rye bread.

Since I was a corned beef novice, I went to the meat counter at Woodman's to seek some expert advice.  Thankfully, the gentleman behind the counter was able to guide me to the roasts, which was exactly what I was looking for to build this meal around. He was even able to tell me what to look for, that the flat square roasts are a better cut of meat than one that is round or pointed.  I am very grateful for that bit of information and will be sure to return for more questions.

I brought home the 2 lb corned beef roast and put it in the crock pot with its juices, the included seasoning packet and water to just cover the roast.  I set the crock pot on auto, which gets it started on high until it hits a certain temperature and then automatically changes it to low.  The roast simmered for about 5 hours until it was easy to shred with fork. Longer would have been fine too, but I had to get moving.

While the roast was resting, the other of the ingredients were prepared.  Three red potatoes were chopped, fairly small since this was the limiting factor in the baking process.  I also chopped up one onion, added that to the potatoes, along with 1 cup of coleslaw mix,  2 cups of shredded Swiss cheese, 1 can of cream of mushroom soup and 1 cup of milk.

As I said, this was my first attempt at corned beef anything, and the casserole ingredients were part of the experiment.  The only revision I'd suggest is that more coleslaw mix could be added.  I was intentionally conservative because my family is not particularly find of cabbage (or kraut, much to my dismay...I would have loved to make this a Reuben dish), but the cabbage was not even discernible.  The carrots were noticed, but any root vegetable is fair game in an Irish-inspired dish.

The chopped and shredded corned beef was added to the mix, gently stirred and poured into a 9x13 pan for baking.

Cover with foil and bake at 350F for 40 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.

While the dish was baking, I took 6 slices of a rye and pumpernickel marble bread and chopped them up to serve as croutons on the top of the dish.

Final step before serving was to uncover and top with croutons return to the oven for another 5 minutes, bumping the temperature up to 400F.

"This one's a winner" was Jerry's resounding endorsement.  Ryker had seconds, which is nothing new,  but Landon's seal of approval was asking if he could have the leftovers for dinner tonight.

Slainte!

RECIPE

Ingredients:
2 lb corned beef roast
3 red potatoes chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup of coleslaw mix (could be doubled)
2 cups of shredded Swiss cheese
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 cup of milk
6 slices of a rye and pumpernickel marble bread, chopped into croutons

Instructions:
Shred or chop up cooked corned beef roast

In a large mixing bowl, combine potatoes, onion, coleslaw, Swiss cheese, mushroom soup and milk.

Add the corned beef.

Pour into 9x13 baking dish.

Cover and bake at 350F for 40 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.

Top with croutons and bake, uncovered, for additional 5 minutes at 400F until croutons are crisp.