If you can't stand the heat, get out of my kitchen...

Desperate times call for desperate measures and I have been trying to find ways to be more thrifty with my time and our money. One of the things I have been doing is preparing all of Wes's meals for the week on Sunday. This way I just divide up the food and we both have a weeks worth of meals without a ton of dishes or two grocery bills. So many people have asked for the recipes each week I thought I would post a few of them here.
On top of my normal routine to cook all day and night on Sunday, I was treated to a fun surprise when we opened the deep freezer on Saturday and found that it was not working!!! HORROR!!! Most of the food was still good and some was even still frozen. God must have sent an angel to keep it cool in there. Seems like it had been 103 plus temperatures outside all week and yet, my food was spared. We had a smorgasbord of food Saturday cooking the thawed frozen dinners. What we couldn't refreeze we cooked, and cooked, and grilled, and cooked. Wes grilled steaks & pork chops. We made homemade BBQ chicken in the crock pot. I am trying to satisfy Wes's request for "cool" foods to help him beat the heat so I prepared Honey Mustard Chicken Pasta Salad, Italian Pasta Salad, Chicken and Grape Salad, Fresh Salsa, and a bushel of fresh fruits for him. I had to rescue the frozen hashbrowns so he also ended up with a Hashbrown Casserole and my variation of a Breakfast Pizza. You can click on the meals above to view the recipes.

BREAKFAST PIZZA

1 lb. bulk pork sausage
1 refrigerated pizza crust
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese, Swiss or Monterey Jack
2 tbsp. Parmesan cheese
5 eggs
1/4 c. milk
1 small onion
1 bell pepper (I used yellow but red would have been better)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
Brown sausage and drain. Roll pizza doe out on cookie sheet. Press over bottom and up sides to form crust. Sprinkle with sausage. Cover sausage with chopped onion and bell pepper. Top with cheese. In bowl, beat eggs, milk, salt, pepper and sauce. Pour over sausage. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and bake in 375 degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Supposedly great for that holiday breakfast.
****I was originally going to use a bag of frozen hashbrowns (thawed and patted dry) but ruined them and had to improvise...it was delish!!!

Let me know what you think of the recipes. Smooches y'all!

"Sloppy" Seconds

Something I make quite often is Slop. Like most of my favorite recipes, there are a variety of ways to prepare it. He is the most basic and our favorite.

Heather's Slop
1/2 bag med egg noodles
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can tomato soup
1 can cheddar cheese or 4-6 slices American cheese slices (lunch cheese)
1 lb or so hamburger meat
salt, pepper and Lowery's to taste


Brown & season hamburger meat in large skillet, drain fat
Boil noodles until tender and drain
After meat is browned through add soups and cheese and stir together
When noodles are done and drained add to meat/soup mixture in skillet and stir/heat all together
Serve with bread and veggies YUM! I eat this for a few days in a row!

Monday Mush...

I am really tired. I have been staying up until 4 am for more than 7 days in a row and it is getting the best of me. I really want to feel rested and energetic so that I can get more done at home and actually get some real exercise. Not that my Cabin Fever Exercising wasn't real. I truly enjoyed cleaning out my pantry and using the cans as weights...even better was the look on Hunter's face when he saw me. I was able to get more done than I thought I would last week and that always makes me feel better.

James bought Mom tickets to take us girls and our kids to the Stockshow and Rodeo on Friday. It was really nice relaxing and just spending time with family. It was Morgans first rodeo! She wasn't phased at all by all the noise and such. My nieces and nephew were adorable as always and it was great getting the kids together for an afternoon.

So last night we went to a friends to watch the Super Bowl. I am not sure which part was more fun, cooking in the kitchen with Hunter before the party or just hanging out in the kitchen with the girls. I think I needed some grown up time! Hunter seemed to need the guy time too. I am disappointed in myself because I ate horribly (I think a whole bowl of dip on my own!!!) and I let my sailor mouth back out. I am not sure when this week it escaped my lips again, but that filthy sailor girl needs to be captured and silenced again. She is not the Mother or woman that I want to be. I know that I can have a blast, be funny, and hang with my friends with out it. I don't think it bothers anyone else, but it bothers me, and I beat myself up over it. Lord, please forgive me and help me to forgive myself. Help me to be a better example for my children.

Momma gave us four dozen farm fresh eggs from her home so Hunter made his first batch of deviled eggs. They were really good. I don't like eggs but I did taste a little for him to be sure others would like it. I was really proud of him. He also helped make a Ham and Pineapple Dip and the Pineapple Upside Down Cakes. He loved the cake so much he said we should make one every week. Just what i need no my diet! I love him working and learning in the kitchen with me. Morgan wasn't much help as she woke an hour early from her nap and made the kitchen a little busier than we would have liked while playing "Chef" with her big brother.

Yummy for My Tummy Tuesday!

Heather's Meat Loaf Supreme
By Heather Scott
Description:
I use drained diced tomatoes instead of sauce. I also add a cup or so of Italian bread crumbs.
Ingredients:
2 lbs. hamburger
1 lb. sausage
1 (6 1/4 oz.) box Stove Top stuffing mix
2 (4 oz.) cans tomato sauce (I used I 16 oz can diced and drained)
3 eggs
1/4 c. chopped celery
1/4 c. chopped onion
1/4 c. chopped green pepper
salt, pepper, & Lowery's to taste

Directions:
Combine dry stuffing mix and contents of seasoning packet
with hamburger, sausage, eggs, tomato sauce, celery, onion
and green pepper. Place in 9"x13" baking pan or divide into
2 or 3 loaves. (Part of recipe can be wrapped and frozen for
later cooking.) Bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour and 15
minutes or until done. I take mine out about 20 minutes early and spread a mixture of ketchup, mustard, and brown sugar (all stirred together) on top and replace in oven to set.

Meatloaf is another favorite of mine and especially of Wes and Hunter. I make it a little different each time. Sometimes I use yellow onion but normally purple. I use red, yellow, orange, and/or green bell pepper, sometimes a little green onion. Whatever sounds good at the moment. It is always good and just taste like home. Mixing the ooey gooey mix takes me back tot he days of mud pies and dragon flies. I usually make a huge batch and freeze a few for later or for friends and neighbors. I use the disposable loaf pans, fill, cover with foil, and stick it in a ziplock freezer bag. I try to always mark the date so that it doesn't get lost in the deep freezer for too long.

Crab & Shrimp Quiche

I needed ways to add more protein iron and veggies so this was my inventive Monday night dinner. I also made homemade broccoli cheese soup. I don't normally care for eggs but I love quiche. You can add anything to it and it is still delicious! Next week I will make one with diced ham & spinach and who knows what.

Crab & Shrimp Quiche

1 Pillsbury pie crust
3 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup mayo
1 package of crab flakes and shrimp
1/2 cup mayo
2 cups fresh chopped broccoli & carrots (I threw mine into food processor for just a sec to save time and hide the carrots from Hunter)
chopped onion to taste
salt and pepper to taste
1-1/2 to 2 cups shredded cheese (Swiss would have been better but I used cheddar blend)

Preheat oven to 400

Press pie crust into pie plate

Beat milk, egg, and mayo until well blended, stir in meat, cheese, and veggies. Mix well.
Pour into pie crust and bake 30-40 min until knife comes out clean...Yummy!

Did you know there are hundreds of ways to make quiche? Any other favorites out there?