Shout out for my friends.

This sweet couple would be my friends Paige and Nick. Paige was one of the first people I met and became friends with when I moved down to St. George to go to college. We were in the same singles ward for a few years and then both got married about a month apart and went to the same married ward. Paige and Nick have been trying to adopt, and they remind us that the adoption process usually begins through a friend or family member. So, I am posting this in hopes that someone may read this and maybe pass it along. Then, maybe my friends can receive what they desire, to become parents. I know they will make the very best of parents! To learn more about them you can go to their adoption blog. http://paigeandnick.blogspot.com/

Sooner than I thought...

While I am still not feeling up to cooking every night. I have been able to cook the past few nights and also had the energy to do the dishes. Which is a big improvement.. But, I don't know if it will continue or not.. we will see. I made this Veggie Meatball soup tonight and it was so yummy! It was super easy too! I know during this time of year easy meals are important to alot of people. I used my homemade meatballs but the recipe calls for frozen. So, you can make it as easy as you want. I usually make up big batches of my homemade meatballs(my hubby and I think they taste much better than the stores) and then freeze them. So, I usually have some on hand. If you would like my meatball recipe, let me know and I will post it. The recipe also calls for a can of stewed tomatoes, I think next time I will try Italian stewed tomatoes just for a little extra flavor. I also think it would be yummy with some fresh Parmesan cheese grated on top, but I didn't have any.


Veggie Meatball Soup
adapted from the taste of home

1 14 oz can Beef Broth
1 1/2 cup frozen mixed vegetables, thawed.
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 bag of frozen meatballs, thawed. (depending on how big your bag is.. I would just put in the right amount for each person in your family. I usually do 4 a person.)
2 Bay leaves
1/8 teaspoon pepper or to taste
1 cup pasta (use whatever you have on hand.. I used mini Farfalle)

In a slow cooker, combine the first 6 ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours or until heated through. Cook pasta as directed on package, drain. Add to soup and continue to cook for 10-15 minutes or until heated through. Discard bay leaves before serving.

Explaining myself...

Well, I haven't been good at posting lately.. and it's because I haven't been cooking. I've been very sick and cooking something new and yummy just isn't going to happen for a while. I will try to get back to posting soon. But it could be a few weeks.. or even several months before I even have the energy and desire to cook and photograph something. I'll keep you posted!

Chicken Divine

I know you have probably heard of chicken divan before and I'm not sure how similar this recipe is to that but most chicken divan recipes I have read didn't have noodles in them. Anyways, I got this recipe from my friends mom back when I was probably 12ish. I had some for dinner at their house and loved it so I had to take the recipe home with me. My mom has been making it ever since. It's a really easy meal and comes together quickly, especially if you already have some chicken cooked or left over turkey works nice too. My mom actually canned some chicken and I used that and it turned out great! This casserole is cooked in the microwave so if you've got everything cooked ready to go you've got dinner in 10 minutes!


Chicken Divine

1 can cream of mushroom
1/2 c mayo
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon curry powder
3 cup uncooked egg noodles
cooked chicken
cooked broccoli (you could substitute peas)
shredded cheese
Cook egg noodles as directed on package. Mix together soup, mayo, lemon juice, curry in a casserole dish. Add cooked noodles, chicken and broccoli. Mix well. sprinkle cheese on top. Cook in microwave for 10 minutes. If your microwave doesn't rotate, then rotate after 5 minutes.

Salisbury Steak and Garlic red potatoes

I'm not much of a person who likes a lump of hamburger. Sure I love hamburgers but when they are on buns.. and meatloaf.. we won't even go there.. Anyways, my mom made these once when we were at her house and I wasn't excited to eat it, but I didn't want to be rude. So, I ate it anyway. Let me tell you.. AWESOME! I love these little babies. Infact, I wanted more. Now I've got the recipe and plan on making it often. It's quite simple too! Whole family raves over these little guys. Of course they may not look like a million bucks, but most comfort foods don't. I also tried this recipe for red potatoes last night. My hubby is not a big potato kind of guy, but I thought he might like this recipe that has a hint of lemon to it, and he did! Both will be added to our dinner rotation. This would also go great with home-made mac and cheese! Enjoy!


Salisbury Steak
1 1/2 pounds hamburger
1/4 cup catalina dressing
1/4 tsp celery salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

Mix and shape into patties. Cook in a baking dish at 400 for 10-15 minutes(depending on the thickness of your patties). They will not be done at this point. While that is cooking mix together, set aside.

1 envelope brown gravy mix
1 small onion thinly sliced (I didn't have an onion on hand so I just used the dehydrated)
1 cup water

When the timer goes off, pour the above mixture over patties. cover and cook 10-15 minutes or until meat reaches desired doneness. YUM!

Garlic Red Potatoes
taken from allrecipes.com

2 pounds red potatoes, cut into bite sized cubes
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1 lemon, juiced
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400. Place potatoes in an 8x8 inch baking dish. In a small bowl combine melted butter, garlic, salt and lemon juice; pour over potatoes and stir to coat. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over potatoes. Bake, covered, in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes, or until golden brown.

Lemon Pepper Chicken Pasta

I have shared this recipe on my family blog before. But not with a photo and I just figured I would share it here. It is very popular in my little family. My hubby usually requests it for his birthday meal! My two year old loves it as well. My old boss made something similar to this one day for lunch and I just kind of made up my own version of it. And if you are on a diet, this recipe is not for you! :) I don't have specific measurements since I just kind of throw everything together but I will do my best!


Lemon Pepper Chicken Pasta
2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1 pint grape tomatoes halved(also great if you have them in the garden. and cherry tomatoes work well too, just cut them into 4s if they are big)
Spaghetti noodles (as much as you need for your family)
Cooked Asparagus (or any green veggie your family likes, asparagus isn't cheap so I used broccoli this time.)
Lemon Pepper seasoning
Garlic Powder
Poultry seasoning
Season Salt
Right now you are probably thinking.. what is so unhealthy about this recipe? Well...
Here's the bad part...
1 stick of butter melted (this is what I use for about 5 adults, so you can do less)
fresh grated Paremsan cheese

Season chicken with just the poultry seasoning and season salt to taste. Stick it in the oven covered loosely with foil and bake at 375 for 30-45 mins. (depends on the size of the chicken)While that is cooking, get your water boiling for your Spaghetti and slice the tomatoes in half. When the chicken is done let it cool for a while. Then cube it and put it in a deep bowl. Sprinkle in the Lemon Pepper seasoning. Then shake the bowl to coat all of the pieces. You will probably want to add bits of lemon pepper at a time and shake it up several times. I just keep doing that until I can see that all of the chicken is coated with the seasoning.. Just don't under do it! (this is alot of the flavor in the dish) hehe. Set that aside. Cook up your Asparagus or whatever type of green veggie your family loves. Add garlic powder to your stick of melted butter.. Just go crazy! I love LOTS of garlic! (sorry I don't know how much I never measure it) After draining the spaghetti put it back in the pan and add chicken, tomatoes, aspargus, butter sauce and heat on low until all heated(maybe 5 mins or less). Toss and sprinkle with fresh paremsan cheese.

Thats it.. I hope that makes sense.. I just kind of typed it up.

Just some tips:

• I usually cook up double the chicken. Then after I cut it and season it with lemon pepper, I freeze the extra for next time. Just pull it out to thaw in the fridge the day before you plan to make it and warm it up when you toss it together.
• If you don't want to add a green veggie... just sprinkle in some dried parsley to give it some color!

Taco Casserole

I adapted this recipe from my taste of home Best ever casseroles cookbook. It required to packages of taco seasoning, we don't like that stuff in our house so I made some changes to it. It was very tasty, reminded me a little of a tamale. I didn't use the 2-1/2 lbs ground beef that the recipe called for, so I should have halved the biscuit topping. I think I forgot that the recipe called for the 2 1/2 lbs and just figured it was 1 lb like most recipes. Anyway, toddler loved it, hubby loved it, I loved it.. we will be making it again! I am going to put the recipe how I made it except I will half the biscuit part for you.


Taco Casserole

1 lb lean ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 to 3 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
salt to taste
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1/4 cup water
1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack or Pepper jack cheese
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup biscuit/baking mix
1 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
shredded lettuce
1 medium tomato, diced
1 can sliced olives, drained.

In a large skillet cook beef and onions until meat is no longer pink, drain. Add garlic and continue to saute for 1 minute. Add chili powder, cumin, salt, tomato sauce and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in beans

Spoon mixture into a greased 8-in square baking dish. Sprinkle with Monterey jack cheese. In a bowl, combine the eggs, milk and biscuit mix until moistened. Pour over cheese.

Bake uncovered, at 400 for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned and a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Spread with sour cream. Top with cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomoato and olives. Enjoy!