3 little Miracles

3 little Miracles

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Getting ready for a Wedding

My oldest niece Cassandra is getting married and this weekend we got to celebrate her love for Andrew and upcoming wedding.














Wednesday, March 14, 2012

White Lasagna

I originally posted this recipe back in December of 2009, but some friends have been asking me for the recipe again and for some updated pictures of the FINISHED product.  SO, here it is!  


Re-posted from December 9, 2009 with updated images.   "I am known in the family for making a White Lasagna.  I came up with a white lasagna and a white pizza recipe because of my reflux and not wanting to give up two of my favorite foods.  The last time Cassi and her boyfriend were over for family card night, we had made my white pizza and of course my MoG's famous HUGE meat pizza (totally another post).  So I am going to share my much coveted White Lasagna and you can throw roses at me later, HA!"
White Lasagna Recipe
1 jar of your favorite Alfredo sauce
1 large container of Small Curd Cottage Cheese
1 can of mushrooms finely chopped (optional)
1 egg beaten
Vegetables (optional, such as Zucchini, carrots, etc.)
1-2 clove of garlic finely chopped
1 lb. of ground beef (OR 1/2 lb of ground beef and 1/2 pound of ground turkey)
Lasagna Noodles (BOILED)
Mozzarella cheese, grated

STEP 1:  Brown meat in skillet along with salt, pepper, oregano, and garlic until no more red.
STEP 2:  Drain off extra fat if you used a higher fat meat, then place in bowl.  Add container of cottage cheese, jar of Alfredo, chopped mushrooms (optional), extra vegetables (optional).  Mix well and add salt and pepper to taste.  Once you are happy with the flavor of your sauce add 1 egg beaten.
STEP 3:  Boil Lasagna Noodles per box instructions, drain, and then put back in pot of cool water so you can reach into pot for noodles. The reason for doing this is so that the noodles will not stick together and begin to tear as you build your lasagna.  I still use a boiled lasagna noodle because I do not like the texture of the oven ready (non boiled) lasagna noodle in the finished product.  If I use a "oven ready" lasagna noodle I still boil it first.
STEP 4:  Build your lasagna in a 13x9 pan sprayed with cooking spray.  Scoop 2-3 ladles of sauce into bottom of pan then lay 3 noodles side by side, scoop more sauce on top of noodles.  Add 2-3 more ladles of sauce on top of noodles, sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top, then continue layering.  I can get 3 layers into my 13x9 Pyrex dish (total of 9 noodles, even though I boil 10 so I have a spare in case one noodle tears bad).
STEP 5:  Now your ready for the oven.  Bake in the oven at 400 degrees for 40-45 minutes until golden and bubbling around the edges.
Let the lasagna stand for a few minutes then serve.
ENJOY!

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Supper Club and What we took from Pinterest

Saturday night we had our first Supper Club meeting of the year for our small group in Sunday School. Supper Club is our Sunday school's way of breaking our large class into smaller groups of couples 4-5 times a year, to have dinner at someones home or out at a restaurant, generally these supper club nights are adults only (THANK GOODNESS!).  Our particular group has 5 couples, and we will keep the same group all year and then next year I will mix up the participants so that couples get to know new people.

This year I am doing all the Supper Club organization for the entire class, and for our particular group.  All that means is that I organized each group so that they were not in the same clubs as last year so they could get to know new class members or couples they don't generally spend time with.  Our first Supper Club for 2012 was at the C's house and 4 of our 5 couples were able to make it.

I try to keep things really simple for our group as far as the food so we aren't getting to fancy and we can all relax.  I emailed the group what I was making for a main course, then suggested that the remaining 3 couples bring one of the following items to accompany, salad, dessert or drinks.  The main course was White Bean Chicken Chili served with sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese and chives, we also brought a bag of tortilla chips to put into the soup.

The evening was amazing and we had such an amazing time getting to know the other couples better, two of the other couples we had never spent any time with at all.  Our next Supper Club we plan to have a grilling party and a farewell dinner for one of our couples who have gotten orders to CA for their next duty station.

So here is the recipe for White Bean Chicken Chili that I have used many times before that I found from Taste of Home





Ingredients

  • 3/4 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 cans (15 ounces each) white kidney or cannellini beans, rinsed and drained, divided
  • 3 cups chicken broth, divided
  • 1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
  • Sour cream and minced fresh cilantro, optional

Directions

  • Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the chicken, onion, oregano and cumin in oil for 3-4 minutes or until chicken is browned and vegetables are crisp-tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer.
  • Transfer to a 3-qt. slow cooker. In a small bowl, mash 1 cup of beans; add 1/2 cup broth and stir until blended. Add to the slow cooker with the remaining beans and broth. Cover and cook on low for 3 to 3-1/2 hours or until heated through.
  • Stir before serving. Sprinkle with cheese. Garnish with sour cream and cilantro if desired. Yield: 6 servings.

Nutritional Facts
1 cup equals 334 calories, 15 g fat (7 g saturated fat), 64 mg cholesterol, 1,063 mg sodium, 25 g carbohydrate, 6 g fiber, 24 g protein.
You can find this and more recipes on my boards on Pinterest.