Mexican Dorito Casserole

Anyone who knows me knows that I do not enjoy foods that taste like other foods {I'm looking at you, pickle-flavored potato chips and birthday cake-flavored ice cream!}, so when recipes call for out of the box sorts of things, I am hesitant to try them. But I made this one a couple of years ago and husband just loves it! The first time I made it, I posted a pic on Facebook and got overwhelmed with requests for the recipe. I posted it and everyone who tried it loved it too! I broke it out again last week because it is super easy to make and the only thing I had to pick up from the store was a bag of chips, because in the band life house, bags of chips don't stay around for long!

Ingredients:

2 cups shredded cooked chicken or beef {the original recipe calls for chicken but I have always used beef because we are more of beef people than chicken people}

1 cup shredded cheese

1 can cream of chicken soup

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup sour cream

1 can Rotel tomatoes {I usually leave these out since I am not a fan of tomatoes...}

1/2 packet taco seasoning 

bag of Doritos {my favorite is Nacho Cheese so that is my go-to flavor for this recipe!}

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except Doritos.

In a greased 2 quart baking dish, put a layer of crushed Doritos, then a layer of the chicken/beef mixture. Repeat once more, ending with a layer of chicken/beef mixture. Top with more shredded cheese, cover, and bake for 30-35 minutes.

I love this one because it is unique without being too different and it is so easy to make! Try this one out next time you're in the mood for Mexican but don't want to go with tacos or nachos yet again ;)

Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole

I had been planning on making my stuffed pasta shells for a couple of weeks, and the day I promised husband I would make them, I realized I was missing a key ingredient and therefore would not be happening. So I started scouring my recipe book to find something I could make with things I already had in my kitchen, and decided that this cheesy chicken and rice casserole would do just nicely!

Ingredients:

1 can cream of chicken soup {side note: I always keep cans of cream of chicken, cream of celery, and cream of mushroom in my pantry... you never know when they will come in handy!}

1 1/3 cups water

3/4 cup uncooked regular white rice 

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 cups frozen mixed vegetables

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese {I didn't happen to have cheddar but I had a cheddar jack mix so I used that and it was still delish!}

Stir soup, water, rice, onion powder, black pepper, and vegetables in 11x8 shallow baking dish.

Top with chicken. Season chicken as desired. Cover.

Bake at 375 degrees for 50 minutes or until chicken and rice are done. Top with cheese. Let casserole stand. Stir rice before serving.

Garlic Brown Sugar Chicken

As you've probably figured out, I'm a big fan of quick and easy recipes, and this one is probably my favorite recipe that I've tried lately! It's sweet, but not too sweet, and the chicken turned out super moist. The spices give it a really nice flavor but it's not too out there.

8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs

salt and pepper to taste

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

4 cloves garlic, minced (I cheated and used garlic powder. Still turned out well!)

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1 tablespoon honey

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon dried basil

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper to taste.
2. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large oven-proof skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken, skin side down, and sear both sides until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side. Set aside.
3. Melt remaining tablespoon butter in the skillet. add garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat.
4. Stir in brown sugar, honey, oregano, thyme, and basil until well-combined. Return chicken to the skillet.
5. Place into oven and roast until completely cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 175 degrees, about 25-30 minutes.
6. Serve chicken immediately. Garnish with parsley if desired.

This one was a big hit with husband and me! Highly recommend!

Cheesy Rice & Veggie Crockpot Casserole

Two things you need to know about this recipe: it is probably the easiest Crockpot recipe I've ever made, and it makes a TON. My entire Crockpot was filled with this casserole. We don't usually have leftovers in the Band Life house, but this one gave us leftovers for days. It's super delicious, so eating it isn't a problem, there's just so much of it! If you do not have a large family {or a husband who eats an exorbitant amount at one time}, I would recommend halving this recipe.

• 1 bag frozen broccoli
• 1 bag frozen carrots + peas
• 1 bag frozen diced onions
• 2 cups instant rice (uncooked)
• 2 cups Velveeta cheese (cubed)
• 1 cup water
• 2 cans Cream of Mushroom soup
• 11 tablespoons butter

Thaw vegetables and remaining ingredients in Crockpot. Cook on high for one hour, then turn to low and cook until ready to serve.

I made this the night before and after that one hour on high, the cheese wasn't very melted and most of the peas still had frost on them. I turned it on low for two hours and that helped, but I was glad I had the rest of the night for it to warm!

There's no photo of this one because I fail and forgot to take one. But this is what it looked like!

Pot Roast Recipe

I love a good Crockpot meal but I never have time in the mornings to throw one together. We bought half of a half side of beef from a coworker and have really only used the ground beef so far (I'm hoping we can get some steaks going once the weather is nicer!) but I googled an easy pot roast recipe for the Crockpot and love how it turned out!

I don't keep a bunch of fancy spices in my kitchen, so anthing that calls for me to go buy a little jar of an obscure spice that costs $7 is out. This recipe is made of things I already had in my arsenal or that cost next to nothing to pick up at the store! It was a hit with the husband and lasted almost a week!

Ingredients:

1 boneless beef roast, 2 1/2-3 lb

2 tablespoons oil 

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon instant beef bouillon (I didn't have any, so I substituted for water and it still came out okay)

1 teaspoon dried basil, crushed

3/4 lb new potatoes or 2 medium sweet potatoes (I'm not a fan of sweet potatoes and I couldn't find new potatoes, so I went with red potatoes - my favorite! We are big potato eaters so I cut up probably a pound and a half of potatoes total)

1 lb carrots or 6 medium parsnips, peeled, cut into 2 inch pieces (I used carrots but would recommend 1 inch pieces instead of 2 inch)

2 onions, cut into wedges (I like onions but this was WAY too much. I would go with one onion.)

2 celery ribs, cut into 1 inch pieces (I just did the whole stalk and it balanced out the carrots)

1/4 cup flour

Trim fat from meat. Slice vegetables into a 4-5 quart crockery cooker. Put meat on top of vegetables. Mix liquid mixture to cooker. Cover and cook on low for 10-12 hours or on high for 5-6 hours. 

(This liquid mixture was more like a paste for me, so I just spread it on one side of the roast and it turned out fine.)

Super easy, super cheap! Husband really enjoyed it too!

Macaroni Fail

So one of the side effects of this sickness I've been battling is my ridiculous loss of appetite. I'm ordinarily a grazer - I will eat all day, every day if the opportunity strikes. Right now, I'm sustaining mostly on popsicles (made with real fruit so I'm at least getting some nutrients!) and Saltine crackers. Even when I feel hungry, I'll eat a couple bites and feel like I'm going to throw up. It's super fun.

I'm pretty much at the mercy of my cravings right now. You know when you're sick and only one food in the whole world sounds good, so it's all you want to eat? That's been me for the past two weeks. A coworker mentioned mac and cheese earlier, and my brain was like ding ding ding, there's your dinner! So I'm like, okay brain, but I'm not making an entire pot of pasta for myself when I'll probably eat less than five bites.

I remember seeing this delicious-looking thing on Pinterest:

Macaroni in a mug. Sounds perfect. It won't take as much time and effort as making a whole pot of macaroni and if I can't eat much of it, I won't feel as bad tossing it out. So I googled the recipe and it seemed simple enough. Macaroni, shredded colby jack cheese, water, milk. Cool.

The recipe called for a large mug or small bowl in case it overflows. I used this pretty large soup bowl and it still overflowed in my microwave. Luckily, it's just water, but still was annoying to clean up. I don't know how to fix this overflowing problem, so I can't help you there.

You put 1/3 cup of uncooked macaroni noodles in your mug {bowl} along with 1/4 cup + 1/3 cup water, then microwave it for 6 minutes, stirring at 4 minutes, 2 minutes, and 1 minute. When it's finished, you should have fully cooked pasta in a small pool of water. First problem: the water all soaked into the pasta before it was done cooking, which left me with a bowl of sticky, semi-crunchy noodles. {This could've been because I used regular macaroni noodles instead of whole grain noodles, which is what the recipe actually calls for.} I added another 1/4 cup of water and microwaved it for another minute, which made it done enough for me. 

Next, you add 1/3 heaping cup of shredded colby jack cheese, then microwave another 30-45 seconds. The only cheese I could find was colby jack + monterrey cheese, which I thought was good enough. I added the cheese and stirred it up a bit, then microwaved for 45 seconds. When it came out, the cheese was pretty well melted, but stuck to the macaroni like crazy, which made it super thick, and once it cooled, it kind of congealed into one superball of macaroni.

Okay, last step is to add a "splash" of milk. I added probably 1/4 cup and stirred, which did help to break up the cheeseball I now had on my hands, but after a couple of bites, I realized the milk had all absorbed into the pasta and it wasn't enough, so I added another 1/2 cup. That was definitely too much, but I swirled the pasta around for a good 30 seconds to try to dissolve the cheese more. 

The verdict? Not tasty. It was way too cheesy, but not creamy at all. It was like cooking pasta noodles, rolling them around in shredded cheese, and dousing the whole thing in water. Second of all, I thought this would make one cute little mug just for me. Nope, this practically filled up the entire bowl. 1/3 cup of pasta would in no way fit into a standard mug. It was dry and chewy, and I only managed about three bites before I dumped it down the disposal. 

I would recommend this method if you are cooking pasta for one, but I would play around with the recipe a bit more. Colby jack + monterrey was not good. I like a softer cheesy taste with my macaroni and this cheese was too sharp for my taste. If you're planning on cooking macaroni for more than one person, don't bother doing individual mugs. Just make a pot.

As a redemption, here is the recipe my mom has used since I was a baby, and it's still the best mac and cheese I've ever had. {sorry, Panera.} 

• Cook macaroni completely in a pot of boiling water.
• Add just enough milk to where the pasta absorbs it and you don't have any remaining in the pot. It's pretty easy to eyeball it if you stir as you pour.
• Add in as much or as little Velveeta cheese as you want, then add a spoonful of butter. I usually do three parts cheese to one part butter, but again, eyeballing it is usually best.
• Stir till it all melts.

Seriously, the best comfort food ever. Cheesy, creamy, and not too overpowering. I think I will be using my tried-and-true homecooked recipe from now on.

Tater Tot Casserole

This is a favorite of the husband's because it's delicious, and a favorite of mine because it makes a lot (when you double the recipe like I do) and is super easy.

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 medium onion, chopped (I usually substitute onion powder, as we are not big onion people)
• 1 can condensed Cream of Mushroom soup
• 1 tbsp. ketchup
• 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 3 c. frozen tater tots

Cook the ground beef and onion in a 10 inch skillet over medium-high heat until the beef is well-browned, stirring to break up the meat. Pour off the fat.

Stir soup, ketchup, and Worcestershire sauce into the skillet.

Spoon the beef mixture into a 12" x 8" baking dish. Arrange the tots around the edge of the casserole. (I dump a bunch on top because just around the edge doesn't seem like enough...)

Bake at 425 degrees for 25 minutes or until tots are done - usually 30-35 minutes if you put extra on like I do :)

This gives us quite a few meals and reheats really nicely!

Pizza Casserole

This tasty dish was easy to whip up and a big hit with the husband! It makes a HUGE amount of food, so we actually have leftovers!

Ingredients:

1 box bow tie pasta

1 lb pre-cooked sausage

1 large onion, chopped

2 26 oz jars spaghetti sauce (I used tomato & basil flavor)

1 packaged sliced pepperoni

2 8 oz bags of shredded mozzarella

6 tablespoons of grated parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1. Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente.

2. Cook sausage, garlic powder, and oregano with onions until the juices run clear.

3. In a lightly greased 9x13 pan, pour a small amount of sauce to lightly coat bottom.

4. Layer ingredients in the order listed below:

-1st layer: 1/3 of the pasta, 1/3 remaining sauce, 1 bag of mozzarella cheese, 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese, sausage + onion mix

-2nd layer: 1/2 of the remaining pasta, 1/2 remaining sauce, 1 bag of mozzarella cheese, 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese

-3rd layer: rest of the pasta, rest of the sauce, 2 tablespoons of parmesan cheese, cover the whole thing with all of your pepperoni.

5. Bake at 375 for 40 minutes.

This massive casserole is actually taller than the pan! It is so gooey and cheesy - it tastes a lot like pizza but without the crust. Definitely good for large groups or freezing for leftovers.

Chicken Taco Casserole

Husband requested "something chickeny" for dinner, so I whipped up some chicken taco casserole. It's super creamy and easy to make!

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1 1/2 cups sour cream

2 tablespoons taco seasoning

2 cups cooked and cubed chicken (I bought a package of pre-cooked chicken strips and cut them into smaller pieces)

6 tortillas (I only used 4 because do the size of pan I used)

1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (casserole or Mexican blend will work for this)

Mix the sour cream, taco seasoning, and soup in a heated saucepan. 

Add the chicken. 

Tear the tortillas in strips and line the bottom. {My 9x13 pan was still dirty from last night's dinner, so I used my 8x11. I layered two tortillas instead of three.} 

Add half the chicken mixture. 

Add another layer of tortillas - again, I used two. 

Add the rest of the chicken mixture and top with cheese. 

Bake at 350° for 20 minutes. 

If any of my Trinity friends miss Mrs. Deutch's chicken enchiladas, this tastes really similar! Happy baking!

Stuffed Pasta Shells

I love this recipe. It's so easy to make and husband loves it! All you need is a box of jumbo shells, 2 eggs, 1 8oz bag of mozzarella cheese, 1 8oz container of ricotta cheese, and a jar of pasta sauce. 

Cook the pasta...

Mix together the eggs, ricotta cheese, and half of the package of mozzarella. 

Once the pasta is done, drain it and rinse in cool water so you don't burn yourself! Then stuff the shells with the cheese mixture and lay in a 9x13 baking pan. 

Cover the whole thing with the pasta sauce and the rest of the cheese, then bake at 350° for 15 minutes. 

Easy, cheesy, delish!

The First Post

A new grown-up blog for a new grown-up me!

I'm a brand-new wife married to a high school band director (hence the blog title name), learning to balance school, work, house hunting, and wifedom. Here I will share my ups, downs, inevitable mistakes, and what it's like to spend weekends in my mid-20s cheering on a high school team. 

Pro wife tip #1: mini-pizzas. I've been fighting off the flu all week and my poor husband hasn't had a home-cooked meal in DAYS. {DAYS, I say.} But I'm not quite up to making anything fancy, so I start pulling leftovers and extras out of the pantry and fridge, and these little bad boys were born.

I had three random hamburger buns that I knew we wouldn't use before they went bad and a third of a jar of spaghetti sauce, so boom - instant pizzas. I spread sauce over each bun half, topped with a dash each of onion powder, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, and oregano. Next came shredded mozzarella, then pepperoni (that I don't even remember buying...). I popped them in the toaster oven for about 7 minutes at 375 degrees, and they came out so yummy. Husband ate four and I ate two. The spices gave them a sweet Italian flavor and the buns didn't turn crunchy. I hate crunchy crusts! Highly recommend for kids or a quick dinner for one or two people. Next time, I'll probably use a whole package of buns.