Mexican Jiffy Mix Casserole

It's Saturday, overcast, cool.  I want chili!  Instead, I made this easy casserole and it turned out to be the perfect fix.   Spicy and sweet...yeah, I'm lovin' it!

Spinach Squares

I love spinach but it wasn't until recently that I decided I did.  I despised it as a child and would refuse to eat it, turning up my nose and closing my lips tightly.  Now, I eat it weekly baked or raw, I want it!   One of my twins eats it raw..he loves salads!  The other two boys, well I'm working on them.  Trying new ways.  They'll come around..in time.

Chicken and Dumplings...Comfort Food For Hubby

Hubby isn't well.  The boys gave it to me and then to him.  He hasn't been sick in years and truly thinks he is invincible.  No germs will touch me!  Uh Huh!  They finally caught up with him and while he is sick, has a fever and all the other yucks...he keeps going.  I wanted to make him something to comfort him and the first food that entered my mind was Chicken and Dumplings.  I love them!  He loves them!  We all love them!  Well, maybe not my picky one(s), but that's just a matter of time.  If you, or someone dear to you, is in need of some down home comfort food, this is it.  Enjoy the feeling!

Baked Cheese Grits and Eggs

Grits are a staple in the South.  I've eaten them all my born days. Always. Not that I remember, but I just bet you, grits were my first food.  Mixed up with an egg, yep,  I just bet ya.  That's the way my precious Daddy ate his for breakfast, it was always the same way.  He would put his 2 sunny side up eggs on top of a plate full of grits, chop them up and mix it all together.  Eaten with thick rind bacon and homemade fluffy biscuits ...YUM!  If you haven't tried it, you need to.  These baked grits are great made with bacon or sausage and cutting down, or eliminating, the cheese.  Alternately, you can bake in individual baking dishes.

Eggplant Parmesan

A busy dish to make but well worth the effort with praise received.  ~smile~

Broccoli Bake

I do cook real food...see!  It's just that we are in a rut and eat the same things over and over again, it seems.  Until I saw what my lovely friend Ann, of The Fountain Avenue Kitchen shared with us last week.  Her Broccoli and Prosciutto Bake looked too good not to make!  It is an easy dish that I just knew would be a hit, and it was!  I adapted it to use what I had on hand, you do that too, don't you?  Yeah, I thought so. Anywho,  this is really easy, versatile and YUMMY!  It is made with frozen broccoli, my oldest son's favorite veggie, crescent rolls *another favorite*, and whatever you want to add.  I am going to add fresh mushrooms and whatever leftover meat I have next time.   It's wonderful to eat with a fork or cut into small pieces for an appetizer, my son was eating it pizza style.  However, you make and eat it, I know it will be a favorite in your family, also.

Broccoli Bake 

1 tube original crescent rolls 

5 to 6 cups frozen broccoli florets, measured frozen, thawed and squeezed dry with towel 

  you can substitute other veggies and/or meat for part of the broccoli

1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk, 

1.4 to 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, or to taste

1/4 teaspoon white pepper. or to taste

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, or to taste

drizzle of lemon juice, optional

Heat oven to 375 degrees F.  Beat eggs and milk together, set aside. Unroll crescent rolls and place in the bottom of an ungreased 8x11 or 9x13 pan.  Put half the shredded cheese over the bottom. Layer optional meat and/or veggies, then broccoli.  Pour milk and egg mixture over top.  Drizzle with lemon juice, if using and sprinkle with  seasonings,  Top with rest of cheese.  Bake in preheated oven for 30-40 minutes until set and golden brown.  Enjoy  

I cooked this in a Le Creuset baking pan I bought over 20+ years ago.  I love it! 

This is shared on this great party!
The Better Baker Weekend Potluck #46

Baked Banana French Toast Casserole with Brown Sugar Vanilla Crumb Topping

I get tired of the same ole, same ole for breakfast/brunch, don't you?  Every morning, it's the same for us.  Eggs, turkey bacon, grits, oatmeal, pancakes...you get the idea.   It was time to try something new.  I decided on baked french toast and the result was a very delicious, dessert like meal.   Perfect for a lazing weekend brunch when you want something special but don't want to spend the morning making it. 

This needs to be made ahead of time, overnight is great.  You can make it in the morning for an evening dessert, too.  I made it in the afternoon and baked it the next morning.   A shorter amount of time would work as well.  I had an abundance of bananas I bought on sale, just wanting to become a part of this scrumptious pan of yumminess.  Those, along with homemade bread (I forgot to write the recipe down!) ...were perfect.  The baked french toast itself is not very sweet but the topping is.  The combination works well.  Feel free to adjust to your desired sweetness.  I also found that I did not need syrup or even powdered sugar, at all for this.  It's your breakfast/dessert, you eat it any way you like it.  After all, I read that eating dessert with breakfast helps you lose weight.  Perhaps it works if you eat your dessert for breakfast instead????  Enjoy!  <3 and hugs! 

Baked Banana French Toast with Brown Sugar Vanilla Crumb Topping

Baked French Toast

1 loaf of French or Italian bread, sliced 3/4"

   may use regular bread, also

1 1/2 cups coconut milk, whole milk or half & half

6 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup heavy cream

   may use any combination

1/4 cup sugar or more 

1/4 honey or more 

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

4 bananas or any fruit, or combination, you have on hand

1 tablespoon lemon juice and 4 tablespoons water, to dip bananas or apples in, if using

Brown Sugar Vanilla Crumb Topping

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoon unsalted butter 

Grease, or spray with non stick spray, 8x10 pan. 

Put slices of bread in greased pan.  If using loaf bread, overlap the pieces.  

In large bowl, mix by hand, eggs, cream and milk, sugar, honey, cinnamon, vanilla.   

Pour over bread, pushing slices down.  Cover with foil and put in refrigerator for 2 hours to overnight.  Although I have never made this before, I would probably put it in the oven before the 2 hours was up, if'fen I took a mind to.  ~smile~  

When getting ready to bake, take out of oven for 30 minutes and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Cook, covered for 30 minutes.  While cooking, cut up fruit you wish to use, if any.  If your fruit tends to darken, mix lemon juice and water, and put fruit in it.  

Cut flour, brown sugar, vanilla and butter together to resemble crumbs.  

Place fruit that has been in lemon water, on paper towel to drain.  Pat dry.

After 30 minutes, take out of oven and carefully remove foil, there will be steam.   

Layer fruit and top with crumb mixture.  Bake another 15-20 minutes, until brown. 

*Note...my french toast looked like a mountain in the middle but settled back down once out of the oven.  

Serve with warm maple syrup and/or powdered sugar.  Warning....it will be very sweet if you do!  I like it just the way it is out of the oven.  Enjoy!  <3 and hugs! 

I would love for you to  stop by, subscribe (button is above the picture)  and leave a comment on Examiner.com.  Thank you!  <3 and hugs! 

Roasted Asparagus, Portabella and Seafood Alfredo Lasagna

Posting this recipe fast (hope I didn't forget anything) so I can go play with my boys!  I'll edit it later and add additional pictures.  Gotta run!

Note:  This only makes a couple of layers in an 8 x 10 pan.  You may want to increase the recipe.

Roasted Asparagus, Portabella and Seafood Alfredo Lasagna

What you need 

lasagne noodles, I used 6 for an 8x10 pan

bundle asparagus

8 oz portabella mushrooms

8 to 12 oz seafood of your choice, more or less

16 oz jar roasted garlic alfredo sauce, your choice or homemade

1 cup ricotta cheese, homemade

1 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated

1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, homemade, or 6 cheese sticks

1 egg

sea salt to taste

freshly ground pepper to taste

olive oil or olive oil spray

What to do

Heat oven to 400.  Spray 2 cookie sheets with olive oil.  Clean mushrooms, slice, put on cookie sheet and spray with olive oil..drizzle if you don't have spray.  Rinse asparagus, bend the bottom of it and it should break where the tough part is.  Cut into 4 or 5 pieces and put on cookie sheet and spray or drizzle, with olive oil.  Sprinkle sea salt and freshly ground pepper on top.  Cook for 8 minutes,  turn vegetables over and cook another 5-7 minutes until starting to brown and not completely cooked.  Reduce heat to 350 degrees.

While vegetables are roasting, heat 2 tablespoon butter in skillet.  Once hot, add garlic and seafood.  Reduce heat and simmer until shrimp are pink, scallops are opaque and firm, canned crab meat or imitation  can be added to the lasagna without cooking.  

While the veggies are cooking, heat water to boil.  Cook lasagna al dente according to directions, place on paper towels to drain. You can skip this by using lasagna that requires no cooking.  

Mix alfredo sauce and ricotta, 1 cup each parmesan and mozarella cheeses in a bowl with egg.  

Spray pan with olive oil.   Put a thin layer of cheese mixture on bottom of pan.  Layer of lasagna noodles next.  Another layer of cheese mixture then 1/2 seafood, asparagus and mushrooms.  Repeat with rest of cheese and noodles, seafood, asparagus and mushrooms.  Sprinkle with 1/2 cup mozzarella and 1/4 cup parmesan cheeses.  Cover and bake in oven for 15 minutes.  Turn around and cook another 10 minutes or until starting to bubble.  Remove cover and cook another 3-5 minutes until cheese has melted.  Enjoy, <3 and hugs! 

Shared on
Thursday's Treasures Week 31