Tonight's baking spree

mom's little cake decorator



Zach's Cake!!

Because tomorrow's going to be super busy with our homeschool group's halloween party and I have no idea what is on the agenda for Saturday,I decided to do a little fun baking tonight with the kiddo. We made chocolate chip cookies and halloween cookies (pillsbury ready bake) and we made 2 small pumpkin shaped cakes. I let the kiddo decorate one any way he wanted. Of course he had to put his name on it and declare that it was HIS CAKE LOL. What fun.

Quick--Easy--Delicious

I found a new product that I thought I would share with my readers. **HELLO,READERS** I am always on the look out for anything quick,easy,and of course it has to taste good. I found some stuffed chicken breasts at Sam's club (sorry,I don't remember the brand name) that are just fabulous! They are stuffed with brie cheese and cranberries--right up my alley! You must try them! They also come in cordon bleu (stuffed with ham/cheese) and broccoli and cheese. I have tried the broccoli and cheese and they are good enough,but the brie/cranberry is just divine! The portions are kinda small-that's the only thing I would change.

E-Z MEALS

A few weeks ago,a friend (***HI NICHOLE!!!**) mentioned something about how she had only spent like $30 something on groceries that week. I was like OK,What are you doing? LOL She said she had joined E-Z Meals and that they send you a shopping list and menu plan each week. I checked it out and joined. It's $5/month. I have only used 1 recipe off the menu from last week.The husband didn't really like it,but it's a nice idea. (I tried an asian chicken salad with "raw" cabbage-hubby didn't really like it.) I need to get organized so that I can see if by going by the menu that it will save us money or not. I still haven't gotten the hang of menu planning-have been "trying" for years LOL. Something always happens and throws me off track and I get mad/frustrated and give up and just cook whatever I pull out of the freezer! LOL Anyway,I thought I'd share the link in case anyone might be interested.

E-Z Meals

What's for dinner?

Tonight's Clean Out the Refrigerator Night......leftover chicken/dumplings. There wasn't much meat left so I added in a package of chopped chicken tenders and 2 small packages of chicken/cheese stuffed tortelinni. YUM!

Spicy Sausage Cheese Balls

I've never made sausage balls before-always been lazy and bought them from the frozen appetizers section LOL. So this is my project for this evening:

Spicy Turkey Sausage Cheese Balls
16oz spicy turkey sausage
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup milk (think I needed more)
3 cups baking mix

mix well and shape into balls---place on lightly greased baking dish and bake at 350*F for about 25-30 mins.

**I just peeked in and checked on mine while they were baking away and they look like some are falling apart---I think I should have used more milk (or less baking nmix)--the "dough" was kinda sticky.....will try that next time.....

****These tasted good,but not spicy at all (even though the package was marked HOT and spicy turkey sausage).Next time I think I will use another recipe-one that doesn't call for so much baking mix-and maybe a little more milk.

original recipe at kraft foods

chicken noodle casserole

I really played with this recipe-just using the "outline" as my guide.I didn't have any broccoli rabe (or regular broccoli for that matter) so I used long,thin,green beans.I didn't have any onions on hand or any of the major spices so I just used salt/pepper--I really need to build my spice collection back up.Basicly,I boiled the noodles until they were about done and drained them.I mixed the beans in with the shredded rotisserie chicken (meat only).I layered the chicken mixture and the noodle mixture in a large casserole dish and ended up with noodles on top as the last layer. I made a roux using about 1/4 cup of olive oil and about the same amount of whole wheat flour. Once that was cooked,I added in about a whole can of condensed milk. The roux was still a little thick and gloopy so I ended up adding more water until it was "loose" enough but still thick enough for a sauce.I added in a little chicken gravy powder mix and a pinch of salt/pepper to the roux also. I poured this over the casserole making sure it was good and soaked. I mixed a few handfuls of panko breadcrumbs and mozzarella cheese and put that as the final layer of the casserole.I dotted on some butter to get the breadcrumbs nice and crunchy. I baked about 30+mins at 425*F. This turned out very good-even though it wasn't the original recipe--even the hubby said that was "GOOD" LOL.


original recipe here from Rachael Ray's Week in a day Chicken Divan Egg Noodle Casserole

trying out ratatouille

I saved some zucchini for me and topped with some italian cheeses.YUM-I just love zucchini!!





I want to make ratatouille for am upcoming get together I'm "hosting". So tonight,I made it for the guys-I can't eat it because I'm allergic to tomatoes,so they are my guinea pigs. It smelled and looked fabulous,so here's hoping it was a hit.

Basicly,chopped everything and roasted in oven.For the eggplant,I peeled and salted it before cutting it into chunks and roasting.I added in a can of diced italian tomatoes and then some tomato puree-I think it's a little too soupy,so next time I won't add as much puree.I used a "lazy" version of ratatouille from THE COOKING CHANNEL .