Good Food!

I hope everyone had a great Christmas. As usual we all got WAY too much!! It was great time with family and friends. But being home and hubby being home I have been doing a good bit of cooking. Here are two new recipes I have tried out on my family this week and they have been HITS!!!! Thought I would share:

Creamy Chicken Noodle Bake
4 cups uncooked egg noodles
1/2 cup butter, divided
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp white pepper
3-1/2 cups milk
4 cups cubed cooked chicken
2 jars (12oz each) chicken gravy
1 jar (2oz) diced pimientos, drained
1/2 cup cubed process cheese (Velveeta)
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
4 tsp. butter, melted

Cook noodles according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, melt 6 Tbsp. butter. Stir in the flour, salt, and pepper until smooth. Gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat. Stir in the chicken, gravy and pimientos. (I left out the pimientos)

Drain noodles; toss with remaining butter. Stir into chicken mixture. Transfer to a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Cover and bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until bubbly.

Combine the cheese, bread crumbs and melted butter. Sprinkle around edges of casserole. Bake, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.


Very Veggie Soup
1 medium zucchini, chopped
1-1/3 cups chopped fresh mushrooms
1 small onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. canola oil
1 carton (32 oz.) reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 cans (14-1/2 oz each) diced tomatoes with basil, oregano and garlic, undrained
1 pkg. (16 oz) frozen chopped broccoli, thawed
2 medium carrots, shredded
1 cup meatless spaghetti sauce
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp adobo seasoning
1 pkg (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry Parmesan curls

In a Dutch oven, saute the zucchini, mushrooms, onion, and garlic in oil until tender. Add the broth, tomatoes, broccoli, carrots, spaghetti sauce and seasonings.

Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 10-15 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir in spinach; heat through. Garnish each serving with cheese.

This soup had so many good things in it and my 3 year old daughter LOVED it!!!

Advent Calender

It is almost here. CHRISTMAS!! I LOVE this time of year. I love wearing sweaters and scarfs and gloves. I love turning the heat on in my car until we sweat!! I love taking my travel coffee mug everywhere I go. I love the music of Christmas, and of course the shopping. But above all that I love that it is a time to sit back and reflect on the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. You can put yourself in Mary shoes, if your a mother, and think about having your new sweet baby in a dirty stable with no one there to help deliver it. I know as a new mom with Lily I was always worried if is was too hot or too cold. It must have been so scary for Mary. But it was all God's plan.

So, on the note about Christmas. We are doing an Advent Calender. Everyday Lily takes a new paper off the calender to help us count down to Christmas. And on the back of the paper is a "treat" for her. Each day has something new to do. Sometimes it's for her...like a piece of candy. Or sometime it is something for someone else, like take a gift to a neighbor. Thanks to Jill for her idea's and some I came up with on my own I put this simple calender together. If you have little ones, this is a way for Christmas not to be all about "me" but to show them how to be humble, unselfish, and giving.

Yesterday we created bow holders for some of our little cousins. Not a good project for little ones because of the hot glue. I thought she might help but the glue was just too hot. She watched me get burnt for awhile then got bored. But it is the thought that counts. She new I was doing it for someone other than us.

May you turn your hearts to others this Christmas season and do something nice for someone other than your family. And don't forget to wish everyone you talk to while shopping a MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!