Casserole Lady- Chicken Spaghetti

   So just about every Sunday, and every time I take a meal to friends, it is a casserole.  So my husband said to me today.. "Ya know, pretty soon, people are going to start calling you the Casserole Lady..and that's not a compliment."  Of course, he was just joking with me.  But I happen to love casseroles.  I love the way they taste, I love that you can make them ahead of time, love that you can make extra and have a meal frozen for later.  Casserole to me are simply comfort food. 

    So I thought I would share this recipe that we as well as our neighbors enjoyed today.  I do not have time to come home and cook up a big meal on Sunday, so I always make this casserole on Saturday, then I simply come home from church and pop it in the oven for a nice Sunday dinner. 

Chicken Spaghetti


Ingredients:

• 16 oz. box of spaghetti noodles

• 1 can cream of chicken

• 1 can cream of mushroom

• 1 cup sour cream

• 1 can chicken broth

• 2 cans rotel tomatoes with green chilies

• 1/2 cup chopped celery

• ½ cup chopped onion

• Butter

• Salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste

• 1 whole chicken- pulled apart (or 6 chicken breasts cut up)- I like to use Rotisserie Chickens from the deli

• 2 cups Italian mix shredded cheese

• 1 cup Italian bread crumbs

1. Cook noodles according to package directions. Set Aside. (Sprinkle with  about a TB of olive oil to keep the noodles from sticking)

2 Saute celery and onion with butter. (You can omit this step if you or your family is not a fan of these veggies)

3 Mix in bowl the cream of chicken, cream of mushroom, sour cream, chicken broth, tomatoes, and celery onion mixture.

4 Add salt, pepper, garlic powder, cheese, pulled chicken and spaghetti noodles to cream mixture and mix well.

5 Pour mixture into two 9x13 pan. (I usually separate mine into smaller portions, like 5x8 pans or even a loaf pan is perfect for an individual-I stick the extras in the freezer)

6 Melt a stick of butter, mix in bread crumbs and spread on top of spaghetti.

7 Bake 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

And then my sister, Lele, made me these cute stickers to put on the meals that I take to other families.  I just love them.

Aren't they cute??

And now for you viewing pleasure...

Caught in the act....

 Someone decided her baby doll needed a bath.  (Notice she is standing on her potty)

That's all folks!

Buttermilk Pecan Pie

I decided I wanted to try to make a buttermilk pie because my husband said it was one of his favorties, and he is not a big dessert eater.  So I searched through several recipes and decided on this one from Taste of Home because it had pecans in it.  http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Buttermilk-Pecan-Pie

I modified it a bit, but I have to say it was delicious.  And I did not even know I liked buttermilk pie, but man it was good.  It makes a great Sunday afternoon treat with coffee or great to take to a potluck supper.  I made two and stored one in the freezer for later use.  I took it last night to a Church supper and it was devoured!

Ingredients


1/2 cup butter, softened

2 cups sugar

5 eggs

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon cinnamon (This is my added ingredient)

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup chopped pecans

1 unbaked pastry shell (10 inches) - I used two 9 inch Pillsbury pie shells

Directions

In a bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Blend in flour, lemon juice, cinnamon and vanilla. Stir in buttermilk and pecans. Pour into the pie shell. Bake at 325° for 55 minutes or until set. Cool on a wire rack. Store in the refrigerator. 

BEST Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies

If you are looking for a big, chewy melt in your mouth cookie, you got to try this one.  Believe me, they are good.

If you don't believe me, just ask Campbell.

Okay, so here the recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 and 1/2 stick of butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 cups Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate Chips (or semi-sweet chips)

1. Melt butter, then add sugars and mix until well blended.  Add egg, egg yolk, and vanilla, making sure not to beat too much.
2. Sift together flour, baking soda and salt.  Add flour mixture to egg and butter mixture and mix well. Stir in chocolate chips.
3. Preheat oven to 325 degrees, set cookie dough in fridge while oven pre-heats.  (This well help the dough be easer it work with)
4. Scoop dough into 1/4 cup and transfer to cookie sheet.  There is no need to grease pan.
5. Bake for about 15-17 minutes, or until edges of cookies turn brown.  (The center may apppear to be undone)
6. Let cookies set on sheet for 10-15 minutes. (If you can stand it that long!)
   
   

As for glimpes of the life of a two year old and 9 month old,  these are some sights you may catch at our house.

This is how I found Campbell after she was supposed to be napping.

It does not take them long to collect a passle of toys in their tent.

This is my mischevious one.

Hanging out in the back of Grandpa's truck


And I can't belive how much my little precious is growing! She loves to eat!

And she loves her alone time with Mommy while Campbell is at school.

Well we are having great week enjoying some of this "cooler" weather.  Campbell LOVES school, she asks to go all the time.  So far she has not had any "worms" in her apple!  But we'll see how long that lasts...

Hope you have a wonderful rest of the week.

Bye-bye for now!

School!!!!!

School! School!  School!  Campbell's going to school!  Those are the phrases we have been shouting around our house lately in efforts to get Campbell excited about her first experience with with school.

We decided it was about time to socialize our bubbly little 2 year old this year.  She has basically never been away from home and has only stayed with family members for short periods of time as well as the nursery at church.  So I was not sure how her first few days out from under Momma's wing would go.  But she sure was excited this morning as we were getting ready to go. 

    I was not sure how she would act when we got there, but she acted like she knew exactley what to do!

In the meantime, Adeline and I went for a walk, and then the poor thing was exhausted!  So we went home so she could nap.  So, what in the world was I supposed to do???  I got a few things done around the house, then got to take a shower and get ready in peace(this never happens!)  And before I knew it, it was time to pick Campbell up!

I got to pick Campbell up thinking she would be so excited to see me and she practically ignored me!  She was waiting her turn as the teacher passed out treats.  The teacher said she was super sweet and never fussed and was a great teacher helper.  Campbell seemed to enjoy her day and is looking forward to going back to school!  I can't believe she is old enough to start pre-school, even if it is only 4 hours for 2 days a week!

Well that's all for now, hopefully I will get better about taking and posting pictures as well as recipes.  Have a fantastic day!