Can I Do it????

Good Evening Internet Friends!

This is my short week of work...sort of.....I work Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and then the dreaded weekend!!!!

Was puttering along alright through today until I got the dreaded phone call at 1227 from school that my son was in sick bay...he was vomiting and complaining of chills.  So, I had not yet eaten my own lunch, got the unit clerks to start cancelling appointments and went to pick up kiddo.

This afternoon was Ginger Ale, Tylenol, puke and sleeping.  I think he is feeling better this evening at least the temperature is back to normal.

For dinner we went looking in the freezer to see what would be palatable to a sick tummy and found a humongous bag of Tasti Taters.  I must have bought them because they are in a Costco sized bag.  No idea why I would have bought them and or when but along with ground chicken (also in the freezer) we made a Shepherd's Pie kind of thingy:

Seems to have fed him as it has not come back up and he has been asleep now for almost 3 hours!!!!

A few weeks back I signed up to take a Tuffet at Woodland Quilting.   Thanks though to hubby's schedule and kiddo's schedule I was unable to attend last week.  That means that for class on Thursday I have to have the entire tuffet top pieced and sewn together!!!

"SEW" I started this evening...."sew" far I have completed:

Hmmmm...might be a long night sewing tomorrow! ☺

Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

Farewell Spring Break 2016

Good Evening Internet Friends!

Well, Spring Break is officially over and now it is back to work for the next 3 months until I start Summer Vacation....seems so ominous ☺

Since it was Sunday kiddo and I decided that it should be Awful Waffle Sunday today so I made multi grain waffles with strawberries and a scoop of vanilla ice cream.  Seriously.  DELICIOUS:

Plus, there were left overs so now we have breakfast for all of this week!!!

This afternoon I decided that I really should use up the turkey in the refrigerator, so I packaged up into 1 cup portions the left over turkey and with the rest I made a Turkey Casserole for dinner:

YAY!!!  Dinner this week as kiddo is back to school and extra curricular activities and somehow I am working 5 days straight this week!

After walking the dog and getting kiddo off to bed, I finished the latest sock that I am working on for hubby.  Used a different brand of yarn than I had for his socks previously, so when I verified this sock against his foot I had to take down several rows.  Here is one sock done:

It's a PERFECT fit.  Go figure..  The yarn is from Biscotte Yarns.  I do not know the color as I think I got it a while ago, but I still think it is awesome!

Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

Bean Day!

Good Late Evening Internet Friends!

Today is Dietitians of Canada Day and as such the Registered Dietitian that I work with decided that we needed to celebrate with a potluck and the theme would reference the 2016 International Year of the Pulses.  Everything had to Pulse or as she put it "Bean" related.

My RN colleague Judy brought "Bean Surprise"; Jelly Beans in a casserole dish.  I thought it was hilarious!!!

For me growing up in Saskatchewan we grow and eat a LOT of Lentils.

For the Potluck today I took Baked Lentils:

Yummy as always.

Baked Lentils
2 cups dried lentils
5 cups water
- boil for about 30 minutes until soft but not mushy

- drain the water from the lentils and add:
1/2 cup molasses
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 cups tomato sauce
1/2 cup ketchup

Pour into casserole dish and back at 350F for 60 minutes.

I also took Lentil Brownies:

These were FABULOUS!

Lentil Brownie
1/2 cup non hydrogenated margarine
1/2 cup chocolate

- melt together over a double boiler stirring constantly until smooth then set aside

In a blender or food processor add:
3/4 cup cooked lentils
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla

- blend until smooth then add:

1/3 cup oatmeal
1/4 cup cocoa (I use Bernard Callebaut)

- blend until smooth again

- fold in:
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Pour into a greased 8 x 8 cake pan and bake at 350F for 30 minutes.

I made the Baked Lentils and put in the oven and then made the brownies and placed to bake at the same time so that both dishes were ready at the same time ☺

Both were a hit at the potluck!

Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

A Non-Productive Day????

Good Evening Internet Friends!

Well, I had big plans for today, okay well not really, but probably bigger than what I did accomplish.

After breakfast I took a nap with kiddo (he got up way too early after going to bed late last night).  Had left overs for lunch and spent the afternoon watching various episodes of sitcoms and educational shows on television.

Whilst doing that I did do some knitting and finished putting the binding on the baby quilt I made for one of my physician colleagues.  I had the quilt sent out to a new friend for long arming so that I could get the quilt done on time because as usual I started this project later than I should have.  Here is the completed quilt:

 A close up of the bunny print:

 A view of the backing:

Dinner was left over turkey transformed into a casserole:

Now off to watch a movie with my son.

Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

What's For Dinner?

Macaroni and Cheese!

Got home this evening after work and of course the dilemma of what to make for dinner ensued.

I finally decided to make Macaroni and Cheese:

Here is how I made this awesome dish:

- boil 8 ozs of macaroni with 1 tablespoon oil just til soft, drain and add to cheese sauce

Cheese Sauce:

 - in a medium sized sauce pain on medium heat add 4 tablespoons butter and 4 tablespoons all purpose flour and whisk together (it will form a ball)

- add to the flour and butter:

- 1 cup cream 

- 1 cup water and bring to a boil stirring constantly for about 10 minutes (I used water and cream because I was almost out of milk)

- then add one package of Boursin Cheese and 2 cups of shredded cheese (I use which ever hard cheese is in the refrigerator), bring to a boil and stir constantly for another 5 minutes

- add salt and pepper to taste

- fold in macaroni

- transfer to buttered casserole dish

-top with buttered bread crumbs and bake for 25 minutes at 350F

Enjoy!

Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

What's For Dinner???

I needed a fairly quick vegetable to go with dinner tonight.  Upon inspection of the contents of the refrigerator I stumbled across a whole head of cauliflower. So I decided to make a Cauiflower Casserole:

Turned out well, and everyone enjoyed it, plus there are leftovers for tomorrow!!!

Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

Oh S"crap"! It's Monday...

Hello Internet Friends. 
Today was that dreaded return to work day.  However, I actually was looking forward to returning to work.  I kind of missed my colleagues and the patient's that I see and did wonder how they were doing over Christmas so it was nice to get back and catch up with everyone today : )

Now, of course the age old question starts!  What's for dinner?

Well there was some left over turkey that I had tossed in a freezer bag in the freezer the other day and two assorted bags of broccoli in the refrigerator, so I made my usual last of the turkey casserole:

- fill bottom of casserole with left over chopped turkey
- top with vegetables, I used broccoli, carrots, onions, and celery
- add 1 1/2 cups rice
- mix together one can of cream soup (mushroom, chicken, I've even used cheddar) with 1 soup can of milk, 1 chicken bouillon cube, 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup mayonaisse
- add salt, pepper, garlic powder, some bbq powder as well and what ever else you have that you want to
- Bake for one hour at 350F covered, then bake for 15 minutes more with cover removed.
We had this along with a green salad.
While this was baking lunch bags were unpacked, homework was completed along with piano practice and now off to play some Wii before bed!
Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

Oh S"crap"! It's Monday...

So, it's Monday, and that means I only have 4 more days of vacation before I fall back into the hectic work routine, oh bother....

I am starting to get tired of turkey as no doubt some of you are, and tonight I really did not feel like making dinner.  It is super cold outside, and I'm not up for eating out yet as the hives have started to settle, but it appears that some portions of my skin are "burnt" from this allergic reaction.  Lots of aloe....

Looking into the refrigerator I decided to make a Shepard's Pie sort of thing with all the left overs, and wow, did this become a leftovers dish:

In the base of the casserole dish I placed:

-chopped up left over turkey (lots)

-all the left over cooked vegetables and since this was not really enough all of the small amounts of left over frozen vegetables I find in the freezer that are never enough for dinner

-1 can mushroom soup spread over top of this

-topped with mashed potatoes

-sprinkled with the last of the french fried onions 

 Bake this delight at 350F for about an hour, and it really is quite good!  Everyone had seconds!!!

Hope this inspires your own creativity...

 

Kathy

Christmas Lunch Potluck

Today was the annual Christmas Lunch Potluck for our department at work.

My son's Christmas concert was last evening, and I did not have to time to make anything exquisite for the potluck today.  So, I took my all time favorite standby Broccoli Casserole:

As usual it was a hit, and everyone wanted the recipe, so here goes:

Broccoli Casserole:

1 head of broccoli steamed til just not crunchy placed in casserole dish

- in a separate bowl mix together:

1 can mushroom soup

1 egg

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup ranch or caesar or cucumber salad dressing (whatever you have on hand)

-pour over the broccoli

- top with about 1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese 

- crush 1 1/2 cups cheese crackers and sprinkle over top of entire casserole

Bake at 350F for about 45 minutes.  Enjoy!

Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

  

Oh S"crap"! It's Monday...

If you follow my blog ramblings you will know that I am what my husband refers to as Saskatchewan Ukrainian cheap!  I prefer to think of it as being resourceful, and more of a waste not want not philosophy.

After making pyrohy yesterday there was some left over potato and cheese mixture.  What to do with it?

Make Perogy Casserole!

 I omitted the bacon, and the cottage cheese as the mashed potato was already full of cheddar cheese:

This is how it turned out.

It was quite delicious!

Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

What's For DInner?

Yesterday by the time we got home from piano lessons it was getting late.  A quick look in the fridge and there is a bunch of random ingredients.  Broccoli (big bag from Costco), some random cheeses, and some left over chicken that was not enough for anyone.

A quick trip to my favorite cooking website and a recipe for Chicken Broccoli Casserole was found.

I did have to make a few substitutions: mayonnaise was replaced with ranch salad dressing, and the curry powder became chipotle seasoning.  The bread on the top was left over french bread that I had not decided what to do with it, and so it became the topping!!

I will make this again, because served with a fresh green salad and glass of milk it was warm and delicious along with really quick and easy!

Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

What's For Dinner???

If you remember my son and I went to the market garden last week and stocked up on a whole bunch of vegetables, one of which was swisschard!

Now, have you ever tried to get a child to eat this stuff (really, I can barely tolerate it, it has a gross look and texture to it, but I know it is REALLY healthy, so I eat it)?

So....it has become like a zucchini product in our house.  What can't I hide it in?

Hence, dinner last night:

 Lasagna Rolls with swisschard inside them!

These were really easy to make:

12 lasagna noodles (I put them in the casserole dish with boiling water and they were soft by the time I was ready to roll them

1 large (4 cup I guess) package of creamed cottage cheese

1 egg

1 large bunch of swisschard chopped small

4 fresh mushrooms chopped

2 green onions chopped

1 branch of fresh dill chopped

salt and pepper to taste

-I mixed all of these together, then spread across the lasagna noodle and rolled up.

- Once all 12 noodles were in the casserole dish, I covered the rolls in pasta sauce, and grated cheese found in the refrigerator.

These turned out very tasty and I will experiment more with these creations!

Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

What's For Dinner???

Along with the chicken the other night, I found this delightful recipe on the Kraft Foods website for Roasted Red Potatoes With Bacon & Cheese.

I substituted the bacon for simulated bacon bits, and did not have any ranch dressing, so used Caesar.

Worked out just fine, and everyone loved these.  Will make these again.

 Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

What's For Dinner????

Well, it's Friday so that of course means fish.  I was asked the other day what the significance of fish on Friday is, and honestly, I really don't know.......you just do it, and it's a great way to get in that fish the Dietitians want you to three times a week.  I think I might have to investigate what the fish on Friday deal is.....

Anyways, I was out of rice tonight, so I needed something fairly quick to go with the fish and after starring into the refrigerator for a while, I realized I have left over mashed potatoes!

My mother in law makes this wonderful potato casserole with left over mashed potatoes and so that is what I made: Potato Puff!

Potato Puff:

3 cups mashed potatoes

1 cup warm milk

2 egg yolks

1 cup grated cheese (what ever kind you have, some of the spicy cheese make this extra "Top Drawer")

- mix all of these together

2 egg whites - beat until stiff

-fold the egg whites into the above mixture 

Bake in 350F uncovered in oven for about 30 minutes (til baked through and liquid is all absorbed).

Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

What's For Dinner???

Yesterday evening after violin lessons we came home to a whole option of left overs.  Great.  But nothing that really fit or worked together, so I dug out one of my favorite cookbooks of all time Taste of Home Casseroles, Slow cooker & Soups, and made this bean casserole.

It was delicious!

Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

Oh S"crap"! It's Monday...

For Oh S"crap"! It's Monday, I am featuring my left overs Chicken Pot Pie.  

When we got home today after work, the fridge was full of various left overs, but nothing enough to make dinner for two possibly three people, and still have some left overs (I don't want to cook dinner tomorrow).

After staring in the freezer for a while, I saw a package of Phyllo Pastry, and decided to make Chicken Pot Pie.

They Phyllo Pastry defrosted while stirred together in a large skillet:

-left over chicken (cubed)

- small onion

- celery

-fresh mushrooms

-left over carrots (from dinner the night before)

-left over frozen peas (small amount left over in package in freezer)

-left over frozen corn (small amount left over in package in freezer)

- can of mushroom soup

- can of cheddar cheese soup

I cooked all of these ingredients together in the skillet until thickened and transferred to pie dish lined with one sheet of Phyllo Pastry, and topped with the other.  As the Phyllo Pastry was still sort of frozen I had to shape the corners as best I could : )

Into a 350F oven for 45 minutes and dinner was served with a green salad!

Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

What's For Dinner?

Again, with this question!!!  What is wrong with my family?

This evening, I went all out...., no really, I found at Costco this weekend a really big bag of zucchini that I could not leave behind (you know how it is when you shop there)!

Well, another question.... what to do with it now?  Tonight, I made dinner with it.

I used this Zucchini Pizza Casserole Recipe, and it was awesome.  I especially loved the carbohydrate content of this recipe.  I switched the ground beef ( : (( ) for ground turkey, and it tasted awesome.  Left overs for tomorrow ; )

Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

What's For Dinner?

Upon getting home from work last night, I am of course asked by child and husband this class question!  What's for dinner?  Usually, on Monday we have left overs from the weekend, but I had unexpected out of town company for the weekend, so my left overs were "dinner" on Sunday.  Now, what to do?

I took a quick look on one of my favorite  food websites and found this recipe: Swiss Steak Dinner Recipe.  

Now, before you think I have somehow converted to eating beef, do not fear, I simply substituted chicken breast for the beef! : )

It turned out lovely, might do it again, and it was fairly quick to make.

Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

Casserole Carrier

A while back I found these casserole carrying kits at Sew Divine and of course got one.

These are genius as they require two fat quarters and a bit of binding and yardage to make the carrying handle and you are done.  Of course you quilt the batting inside, but it really is a quick and easy project to make.  

Hmmmm, maybe some of those random Christmas fat quarters can be put to good use as Christmas presents....

Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

Oh S"crap"! It's Monday...

Okay, so who is sick of that turkey by now??  I know I am.  

This casserole is my last attempt at getting rid of that stuff.  Here is the recipe:

Turkey Broccoli Casserole:

4 cups chopped up left over turkey

1 can cream of chicken soup

4 cups of broccoli (fresh or frozen)

1 package chicken flavored rice 

1 1/3 cups of milk

1 cup chicken broth

3/4 cup mayonnaise

1 cup chopped celery

1 chopped onion

1 can chopped water chestnuts

Mix all ingredients together.  Bake at 350 F for 1 hour in a casserole dish.  Sprinkle French Fried Onions on top and bake another 10 minutes.  Enjoy!

Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy