A Group Effort for Dinner

Years ago friend of mine shared with me a very easy recipe for chicken in the crock pot. All you do is add a jar of salsa to the boneless, skinless chicken breasts in your crock pot and then shred the chicken when done. How simple is that? Then serve in taco salad, burritos, tacos, quesadillas, turn into nachos or whatever else you come up with. Then recently another friend shared a similar recipe with me. The difference is, at the end add a block of cream cheese! I then add a can of corn and a can of black beans. Today I only had half a block of cream cheese so I added some sour cream as well, along with the corn and black beans. How you choose to eat this mixture is up to you. We have had it with chips and it was delicious. Today I decieded to layer the ingredients in a baking dish. Here is what I did...

Layer of chips
Layer of chicken mixture
Layer of cheese
and repeat one time.
Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minuets.

This also would be yummy with a salad alongside. Top with avocado, tomatoes... Mexican rice on the side.... DELICIOUS!

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Rice Crispy Treats With Chocolate Chips in the Middle

YUM!

Another fun and easy treat to make with or for the kids. Make it a little more sophisticated by adding chocolate chips to the middle.

Yet one more way to communicate, you are special and I love you!

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Memories From the Past Made Current

Inspired by a memory from my childhood this post has come to life.
I have been very blessed and excited to be reconnected with an old... well let's say instead, a former neighbor of mine (we both seem to be feeling our age these days). We grew up next door to each other for many years. She is a few years ahead of me (see not using the word old) and I always looked up to her.  One talent my sweet friend possessed as a kid, was to the amazing way of eating Ramen Noodles. She would slowly drop the noodle down her throat. I was in awe as a child watching her bravery. Another main part of the memory is a group of kids around the table having fun while eating an ordinary lunch of noodles.
Thus inspired lunch for my girls today. Ramen Noodles (I add corn and peas) in fun bowls (purchased at Walmart) with kid easy chopsticks. They are at the table as I type, laughing and having fun while eating an ordinary, no thrills, easy prep lunch! Can not beat that

 

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Traditional Green Bean Casserole Made Better

After Thanksgiving as the leftovers disappeared, I found myself craving more Green Bean Casserole. You know the one, smothered in Cream of Mushroom soup and topped with crispy French's French Fried Onions! As I gathered the ingredients needed, I noticed on the back of one of my Cream of Mushroom soup cans (but not the other can I had), there were variations to the recipe. One option being bacon and another being cheese. Um yes, hello, it had to be both not one or the other! Fortunate for me, (who hates cooking bacon) I had some in the fridge from my dear husband's pancake breakfast from that morning. Cheese is always on hand at my house! So that was not a problem to add cheese! We are a family under the spell and belief that cheese makes everything better! Here is the simple variation that I highly suggest you give a try for your Christmas meal!

Are you ready? Prepare the casserole as the back of the soup can or French's French Fried Onions container suggests and also mix in bacon pieces and cheese. When the time comes to add the remaining Fried Onions to the top, first top with more cheese and then the onions and return to oven. Nothing more simple than that for once again what I called, "heaven in my mouth."

Ingredietnts needed for your shopping list:

2 cans (14.5 oz.) cut green beans or french style cut green beans
1 can (10 3/4 oz.) cream of mushroom soup
3/4 cup milk
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1 1/3 cups French's Original French Fried Onions
Three to four pieces of cooked bacon crumbled
Grated cheddar cheese

Merry Christmas to your taste buds!

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Layered Beef Casserole

I am on my fifth pregnancy and for the first time in all my life, all I think about is food! I am by no means a foodie, but I do enjoy a good meal. I just have never had my thoughts consumed by what I may consume until now. Accompanying this pregnancy have also come very strong cravings, so I have been busy in my kitchen throwing together things that sound good and calling it dinner. Each time my creation has been what I call at first bite, "heaven in my mouth."  Here is one of my recipes I came up with (at least I think I did since I have never had it or come across it before). I hope you enjoy it as much as my family and I did.

Layered Beef Casserole

Ingredients:
Ground beef
Onion
Salt
Pepper
Ground cumin
Roasted garlic and herb Grill Mates McCormick seasoning
Fire roasted diced green chiles (2 cans)
Cream of Mushroom soup (2 cans)
2 cups Sourcream
3 TBS. Milk
Grated sharp cheddar cheese
Tortilla chips
Avocado (optional)
Tomato (optional)
Shredded iceberg lettuce (optional)

Instructions:
In frying pan saute onions with ground beef as it browns. Season the beef, onion mixture, before it browns, with the following spices to your taste and preference; salt, pepper, ground cumin and the Grill Mates seasoning.
When the beef is brown and the onions are soft, turn stove down to simmer and add one can of the Cream of Mushroom soup. Then add one can of the fire roasted green chiles and mix well together.
In a baking dish layer in the following ingredients, repeating the layers. First layer the beef mixture, top with tortilla chips, top with cheese and repeat.
In a separate bowl mix one can of Cream of Mushroom soup, sour cream and milk, until the mixture is a thick sauce consistency. Then mix in one can of the fire roasted diced green chiles. Pour the sauce over the top and then top with cheese.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 30 minuets.
Serve and top with the optional ingredients: avocado, tomatoes and or shredded lettuce.

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Thankful Thanksgiving

A great deal has changed for me personally since the last time we all met here. I entered my previous post, left for vacation and then returned home with the knowledge that another precious baby is to born to our family. Exciting news indeed, just very unexpected and took me by complete surprise, leaving me in shock for days! I have now entered my second trimester and life around my Created Home seems to be resuming back to order.

I would like to share with you some of the things I have been up to. Let us begin with Thanksgiving. I was a little behind the rest of the world in getting ready to receive dinner guests into our home for Thanksgiving. I found this out when I ventured into the stores in search of festive fall table decorations, only to find, Christmas was all around me. Thankfully, my thrifty finds did not break the bank, since the only things in stores were the clearance items. Maybe not what I had originally envisioned for my table scape, but I do have to say all turned out beautiful and festive.

Bought these sunflowers on clearance for $3.49! 

 

I did not have enough napkin rings so I tied them up with sparkle ribbon.

The table runners I bought on clearance, but the two different colors worked for my tables. 

 

 

The hanging plate shelf was one of my thrifty garage sale finds!

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Beyond Peanut Butter

As a homeschooling mom I take whatever help I can get when it comes to easy lunch ideas. I love peanut butter, but you can only eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for so many days, before boredom sets in and the kids are saying "not peanut butter again!" So anything that is as easy as slapping peanut butter on bread is going to be a great alternative for me. I am not a "foodie" so I do not think in food. When it comes to being creative in the kitchen, it is a stretch for me. I do enjoy a good challenge, so I am setting out to think beyond peanut butter and see what fun, easy lunch ideas I can come up with. Not that we eat
PB and J every day, I am of course exaggerating, for those who gasped and thought, oh my, those poor kids!
On yesterday's menu: frozen California Pizza Kitchen Thin Crust White Pizza! Cooks in only 8 minuets and then YUM! I topped it with fresh tomatoes to make an easy meal even better! Since this type of pizza is not a favorite among three of my four girls, I also made bean and cheese burritos. A matter of minuets as well! Since the oven was on and I like to be as economical as I can, I decided to make banana chocolate chip muffins. I had some ripe bananas on hand that I planned for banana bread, but the time involved in bread from scratch, I just did not have. So instead I used the assistance of  a box mix, added some ripe bananas, extra milk chocolate chips and a splash of pure vanilla extract. Some muffins were then topped with chocolate frosting and sprinkles for an extra fun treat.
Part of creating home is creating fun memories! Sometimes memories touch our taste buds. To eliminate stress for me as mom, with so much on my "plate" between being teacher and meal provider, means easy things to eat. Easy does not have to lack in communicating "you are special and we are having fun through food."  So a day like yesterday accomplished that fun, excited feeling for my girls and it was all done in minuets!
I hope this has encouraged you, as it has me to keep being creative in our homes. Even when it comes to meals. Keeping the stress low and the fun experience high means creating a home you and your family want to be a part of.

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