tamale pie.

y'all know i love recipes on labels. seriously, what's a better source of inspiration than finding something to try on the label of a product that you keep stocked {or should keep stocked} in your pantry??

case in point? tamale pie. well, it's really called southern tamale supper...at least that's how you find it on the tendabake website.

i made this for dinner this week. it's super easy & super yummy. i had to tweak the recipe a bit in order to use what i had available and it still turned out great. if you'd rather print the recipe, you can click here.

ingredients:
1 medium green bell pepper, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1-1/4 pound ground beef or turkey
1 28oz can of crushed tomatoes
2 tsp of chili powder
2 tbsp of tendabake white self-rising corn meal mix
tendabake southern cornbread {for the recipe, which is found on the back of the bag, click here}

heat oven to 400*f. coat a 9x13x2 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. {i used a large casserole dish & i didn't spray it. whoops.}

cook pepper, onion & ground beef {or turkey...i used turkey!} over medium heat until meat is no longer pink.

drain the meat/veggie mixture & return to pan. {i just tilt the pan and spoon out the grease...do you do that, too?}

add tomatoes, chili powder & two tablespoons of corn meal mix. simmer for 15 minutes & then spread into the baking dish. {i didn't have a 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes so i used a can of ro-tel mexican & a can of margaret holmes' tomatoes, corn & okra. worked just as well, in my opinion, and totally upped the veggie factor of this dish! i also added a dash of garlic powder & a generous squeeze of ketchup...the turkey needed some color!}

mix tendabake southern cornbread using the recipe on the back of the bag {or just click here}. pour batter over tamale mixture. {we drink almond milk & the unsweetened worked just fine!}

bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown. top with cheese, sour cream & salsa as desired. {we had some green onions left over from the weekend so adam sprinkled some over the top of my serving. he said it needed some extra color since i was photographing it for my blog. awww.}

this is the second time i've made this recipe. it's super easy, super fast & super yummy. my kids love it & i love eating this for lunch the next day.

and, just so you know, tendabake, rotel & margaret holmes didn't ask me to write about them or this recipe. my only incentive? a full, happy tummy. i hope you make this for your family and enjoy it as much as we do!

m-m-m, m-m-m good!

my husband can whip up a delicious meal using the most random ingredients {think: chopped}. me? not so much. i'm not very creative when it comes to preparing meals. and, because of that, i love, love, love to follow recipes.

i have a thing for cookbooks. but, i also have a thing for recipes on labels. especially if they are soup can labels.

last night's dinner - beef & mushroom lasagna - came to me while pacing the aisles of target {sorry to disappoint, ladies, but there was not one single missoni item in my shopping cart...too zig zaggy!}. i have an undying love for campbell's cream of mushroom soup. i eat it. i cook with it...a lot. i picked up a can and, voila, there was my dinner inspiration!

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beef & mushroom lasagna {the recipe - that i tweaked just a little bit - is from campbell's kitchen}:

ingredients:
1 can campbell's condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/4 cup milk {we only drink almond milk so i used 1/4 cup of unsweetened almond milk}
1 lb. ground beef
2 cups prego fresh mushroom italian sauce {because i couldn't find this particular sauce, i used a whole jar of ragu - really, any sauce you like would work - and sauteed chopped button mushrooms with my ground beef}
9 cooked lasagna noodles {you can boil these while you cook the ground beef}
1 cup shredded italian-blend or mozzarella cheese

here's what you do:
heat your oven to 400*f. stir soup & milk in a small bowl until smooth.

cook beef in skillet over medium-high heat until well browned, stirring often to separate meat. pour off fat. stir in sauce. {this is where i added a container of chopped button mushrooms since i couldn't find the mushroom sauce the recipe called for.}

layer half of the beef mixture, three noodles & one cup soup mixture in a two-quart shallow baking dish. top with three more noodles, remaining beef mixture, remaining three noodles & remaining soup mixture.

sprinkle with cheese & cover the baking dish. bake for 30 minutes or until hot. uncover the baking dish & place under the broiler for about two minutes or until the cheese is golden brown. {i broiled the dish on low for about three minutes or so. remember not to walk away while using your broiler!}

when finished baking & broiling, let the dish set for about ten minutes. {i didn't do that...whoops! we were hungry.}

slice, serve & enjoy!

this recipe makes six servings. nutritional information for this recipe can be found on the campbell's kitchen website.

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this recipe was a hit with my family. this is also the second time this week that i cooked with cream of mushroom soup {we had beef stroganoff on sunday night}. if you don't like mushrooms {like my friend, rachel}, i'm sorry. if you do like mushrooms, but prefer not to use ground beef, i'm sure this would be great using ground turkey or even a vegetarian-friendly substitute!

oh, by the way, campbell's did not coerce or bribe me to write this post. i just love their soup...and the recipes that are found on each can's label. seriously, y'all, stock up your pantry with a few cans of cream of mushroom, cream of chicken, cream of celery & tomato...you'll cook with them. i promise.

ladies night.

blogging & social media is pretty damn fantastic, isn't it?  

when i started my blog back in 2007, i was writing for me. i didn't think it would lead to some amazing connections & friendships.  seriously, i have been blessed with perhaps the most awesome group of girlfriends...ever.  and, i owe it all to my computer.  ha!

{picture hijacked from the workaholic momma - thanks, j!}

bottom row {left to right}: how i met my edo, diary of a domestic failure, jim & katie plus baby, in no simple language

top row {left to right}: c'est moi, beach bum & baby, whitney caroline designs, naturally caffeinated family & the workaholic momma

aside from beach bum and baby & the workaholic momma {who are bff's in real life}, we all met thanks to blogging & twitter.  katie is the newest gal in our circle & she is the cutest mama-to-be ever!  

as usual, we had a great time.  lots of laughing, lots of chit-chat and even some rapping courtesy of whitney {who knew she could recite every. single. word. to rappers delight??}.  we all lead such busy lives & don't get to see each other often, but i truly cherish the times when we do get a chance to get together.  i've said it once and i'll say it again...i'm truly blessed to have these gals in my life.  they are everything a friend should be...and more. 

to relive our first date, click here.

to relive our anniversary dinner, click here.

chicken bellagio.

we don't go out to eat very often, so it's a real treat when we do.  for christmas, we received a gift certificate for the cheesecake factory.  i can count on one hand the number of times i've eaten there.  yep, not often.

we used our gift certificate last month.  we enjoyed a great meal.  the kids loved bringing home a slice of cheesecake.  i, however, was completely smitten with my dish:  chicken bellagio.  the chicken bellagio was two crispy, thin cut chicken breasts served over a bed of pasta with a basil cream sauce.  a couple slices of prosciutto and peppery arugula topped the chicken.  it was divine.  it's not on the regular menu.  i'm guessing it's a special or seasonal thing.  regardless, it was good.  so good that i had to recreate it at home.

there are numerous recipes for chicken bellagio on the internet.  if you want to see a picture of what the cheesecake factory's version looks like, click here.

this is my version:

i swapped the chicken breast for chicken thighs {because that's what i had in the freezer}.  yes, that is pasta roni!  why not take a shortcut when you can, right?  and, since the store did not  have arugula, i substituted by using baby spinach.  the hardest part of recreating the recipe?  not eating all of the prosciutto while the chicken was cooking.  this recipe-recreate was a hit, especially with the kids, and will certainly be a part of our meal rotation.

croutons.

sometime last month i decided to make my own croutons.  i don't know why i never made them before because homemade croutons are ridiculously delicious, budget friendly & super easy to make.  it's a great way to use up a loaf of bread - stale or not.

really, think about it.  a loaf of french bread or a baguette costs next to nothing at the grocery store.  all of the other ingredients you'll need - olive oil, salt, pepper, parmesan, dried basil or oregano - you will have at home.  how much does a bag or box of store-bought croutons cost?  anywhere between $2 & $3, right...maybe more.  well, for less than $2 you will have bread for your meal AND croutons to toss in a salad {this is based on a family of four}.  trust.

{this was part of a baguette from trader joe's. the baguette was only $1.79.}

{after tossing the bread in olive oil, salt, pepper, dried basil & parmesan cheese, i spread it out on a baking sheet & baked it in a 350* oven for about 10-15 minutes.  just keep an eye on it.}

{while the croutons were baking, i cut & washed some romaine lettuce.}

{voila! a yummy caesar salad topped with homemade croutons. delicious!}

the ladies.

in october 2009, i was fortunate enough to meet four of the most wonderful bloggers friends.  we got together over halloween weekend to celebrate the one year anniversary of our friendship. 

{from left to right:  me, whitney caroline, beach bum & baby, naturally caffeinated family & rachel}

we went out for dinner & drinks. 

{one of the special halloween themed cocktails at a bar we went to. not only did it "smoke" but it also bubbled & popped.  trust me, there is something to be said about a drink that "spits" at you...}

there was lots of girl talk & giggling. 
we had so much fun.

i'm telling y'all...i'm lucky & quite blessed to have these girls in my life. 

small talk six - reservations for six, please.

it's been a very long while since i last participated in momdot's small talk six! i'm excited to be joining in on the fun again...there are some very fun topics for 2010.

today's topic is...

6 famous people you would love to have dinner with

1. bradley cooper - so i could just stare at him...and, quite possibly, eat him for dessert.
2. dale earnhardt, jr. - i like fast cars, the color green {although red is my favorite} & the number 88. and, maybe, just maybe, he would let me shift his gears because i know how to drive a stick. {oh, my gosh people...get your minds out of the gutter!}
   
3. kenny chesney - so i could smack him for not having virginia beach on his summer tour schedule this year; although, i suppose things could change, but still...he's not part of the country mega ticket package & i'm just a little bit peeved. summer isn't summer without a kenny show!
4. dave matthews - i love jammin' to some dmb, but holy moly, mr. matthews, i can't understand a word you say when you talk in between sets. maybe a lovely dinner would help me understand you. and, maybe you can teach me a few of your funky dance moves, too.
5. jimmy buffett - because it's 5 o'clock somewhere, i do indeed have a license to chill & i think i may have found that lost shaker of salt {salt, salt, salt, salt!}.
6. jack johnson - *sigh* his music is dreamy. he is dreamy. i just adore him. oh, and maybe he could teach me how to surf.

what a selfish & scandalous list! a majority of these men are either smitten with someone or married. hell, so am i! but, a girl can dream, right? i'm also ashamed that this list is purely for my personal enjoyment only. i didn't invite any historical figures, political types, classy actresses or crazy divas. no presidents {current or ex}, no foreign dignitaries, no television news anchors and no pop stars. although it might be interesting to have lady gaga over {because, really, is that your poker face?}. but, if i invite lady gaga then i would surely have to invite perez hilton because they are like b.f.f.'s or something {and besides, i *love* gossip!}.

damn. that's two people too many. oh, well...the lady, perez & i could just have a g.n.o. {girls night out} or something.

if you could choose six famous people to invite over for dinner, who would YOU choose? head over to momdot & participate!

*if you click on each man's name you will be linked to a picture of that particular manly man.

Cheese & Whine

We met my parents at Cheddar's in Newport News last night. My lovely Malia was finally coming home {she swore it was because she missed her brother, but I believe it was Frisco she was secretly longing for}. By the time we got there - thanks to the oh, so lovely traffic in the Hampton Roads area - we made it just in time to find that my parents were pretty much finished with dinner.

No worries, though...

Well, maybe not for Aidan. The boy wanted mac & cheese. If the boy could eat mac & cheese everyday, HE WOULD. Seriously. No lie. And, you would assume {and you know what they say about doing that} that a family-type restaurant like Cheddar's would have mac & cheese on the menu for the 10 & under set. Nope. Again, seriously. No lie.

Can I just tell you that the 'mommy meltdown' I had yesterday after dinner was very much deserved & worth every darn tear that I shed in the car {as I chewed out my husband because, unfortunately, he becomes my punching bag every now & again...but, he did tick me off last night, too, so it was well-deserved}?! Any mother who has tried to eat dinner while listening to a child whine about cheese-covered pasta & then gets kicked in the gut because the whining child is throwing a tantrum because there IS no such pasta can probably sympathize.

So, guess what I'm having for dinner tonight {before I head to my book club meeting}? Yep. You guessed right...my leftovers from dinner last night because I never ate it all. After two bites of Dijon Chicken I finally carried my guy outside, wagged my finger in front of his face, wiped tears from his eyes and loaded him in the car.

Next time, I'm bringing my own stash of mac & cheese.

Green with Envy

Remember when I told you that I jumped on the Green Monster bandwagon? And, no, I'm sorry to all of you baseball fans, but I wasn't talking about the Boston Red Sox's mascot. Well, as it turns out, there's another fan of the 'green smoothie' in my household.

This guy:

Yes, that's my six year old son, Aidan, in all of his "hamming it up for the camera" glory. He actually refused dinner one night last week unless he had a 'monster shake' to drink. OK, so I know it's not right {as a parent} to let your children basically walk all over you & call the shots, but - HELLO - this was a six year old boy asking for a smoothie that is made from S-P-I-N-A-C-H! I immediately made him a green monster smoothie & he happily ate his dinner {which, coincidentally, also had spinach in it}.

Want to know what we had for dinner that night?

This:

Rachael Ray's Spinach & Hot Ham Fake-Baked Pasta...the recipe can be found here. It's easy to fix, requires a few ingredients from the store {because, if you're like me, you don't have a well-stocked pantry} and is delicious! This casserole feeds my family of four for two nights...can't go wrong with that, right?

Who Needs Take-Out?

I'm not a chef by any stretch of the imagination. Just ask my closest friends and family and they will tell you. I mean, I have a few staples that I turn to religiously as my "go to" meals and I make them well, but other than that...I'm not that into cooking (now baking, that's more of my thing, but I digress...).

Tonight the hubs wasn't feeling so swell, so I came home and had dinner on the table in LESS than 30 minutes and, YES, I had help:

Mandarin Orange Chicken from Trader Joe's...YUM! I can't find my receipt, but I want to say that this was $4.99 and it makes enough for 5 servings. Let me just say that I have two of the world's pickiest eaters (not all the time, but sometimes) and both children asked for SECONDS tonight. I pan fried the chicken (already breaded) according to package directions. I added in three small heads of broccoli (that cost over $2 at Trader Joe's) that I cut up and cooked that until the broccoli was just tender. I added both bags of sauce directly to the chicken-broccoli mixture, stirred until the sauce was heated through and served over steamed rice (leftover from yesterday's dinner). I swear to you I felt like a gourmet chef and all I had to do was heat this up...it was easy peasy!

If you have a Trader Joe's at your disposal, then I totally recommend that you try this. It made for an easy dinner and I think it's safe to say that it's going to be something we'll eat on a weekly basis.

Fondue Fun

In celebration of Malia's 8th birthday and Adam's 31st birthday, we decided to treat ourselves to some fondue fun by having dinner at The Melting Pot on Saturday night.

Adam & Aidan "hiding" behind the steam - we were waiting on the cheese course.

Malia & I -- I guess Malia felt the need to "bug out" her eyes. Silly girl.

Apparently Adam & Malia (that's her hand with the fondue fork) didn't believe that all of the dippers for the chocolate course were gone -- that dessert plate didn't stand a chance with our family!