My Way: The WW Macaroni Casserole

Well, I tried to be good, and use a low-points recipe for a creamy macaroni & chicken casserole. The trouble was, after I stirred it all together, I could tell that it was going to be way too bland for my family. So, as usual, I tweaked the recipe a bit to suit our tastebuds. Actually, it wound up being a lot like my favorite baked macaroni and cheese recipe!

Here's the original recipe (in green) and my changes (in red):

WW Chicken and Cheese Casserole--6 pts. per serving (not my version!)-8 servings

2 C. Cooked macaroni (I actually used medium-sized shell pasta.)

2 C. cooked chicken, chopped (Mine was precooked, frozen, cubed chicken.)

2 C. cream of mushroom soup (I used 89% fat-free cream of chicken.)

2 C. skim milk

8 oz. low fat shredded cheddar cheese (I kept adding cheese... probably close to 3 cups total.)

I also added: around 3 TBSP of minced onion, a tsp of mustard, a few shakes of garlic pepper, and a light scattering of breadcrumbs on top of the casserole.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients in large casserole dish. Bake, covered, 35-45 minutes. Remove cover and bake an additional 10-15 minutes.

The heartier shell pasta was a nice change for us... I rarely buy shells for some reason. It worked well with the cubed chicken. Overall, we all really liked this, and I'll probably make it again!

Under Construction

I've been playing around with my template, and now I'm getting error messages. Apparently I've broken Blogger...LOL! I know my blogrolls and other widgets are missing, but I'll have them fixed soon!

Menu Plan Monday 8/27

Notes from last week: For the first time in a long time, we really didn't stick to the plan. My husband had taken the week off, and we kept changing our day-to-day plans, so I wound up cooking whatever we were in the mood for each night. It was kind of fun, but we're back to business as usual this week, and I know I'll need a plan this week! :)

As you'll notice below, we're also getting back on plan with Weight Watchers this week:

• SUNDAY: pork chops-- see my last entry for details & recipe link



• MONDAY: new recipe:WW Chicken and Cheese Casserole (6pts) with fiesta mixed veggies (0pts)



• TUESDAY: new recipe: Calzones (6pts each, including crust) with carrots & celery (0pts)



• WEDNESDAY: baked chicken, coated in a spice blend (5pts) and pasta salad (4pts)



• THURSDAY: 3-point Beef and Broccoli over wild rice (3pts)



• FRIDAY: new recipe: Crockpot Creamy Ranch Potatoes and Chicken (4pts) with green beans (0pts) (Held over from last week... someday I really will get around to trying this one, LOL! Sharon says it's really good!)

Head on over to I'm An Organizing Junkie to share your menu
or see what others are eating this week!

Sunday dinner: Pork Chops

Parmesan Baked Pork Chops (8pts),

with mashed potatoes (2pts), and steamed broccoli (0pts)

This is one of my favorite meals!

What's cooking at your house tonight?

P.S. This is my photo... you'll also see it posted on RecipeZaar with the chops recipe!

My Crockpot Meatballs and Gravy

I'm really off my menu plan this week.... that's the first time in a long time that's happened. DH is home on vacation this week, so our plans keep changing day-to-day. Anyways, I went to dig this recipe out of the archives of my old cooking blog, so I thought I'd post it here for future reference. This is something I made up using a combination of other recipes.

Amy's Crockpot Meatballs and Gravy
1 lb hamburger
1 envelope onion soup mix
1 cup water
1 family-sized can (or two normal sized cans) cream of mushroom soup
approx. 2 TBSP brown gravy mix (guess-timated amount, I use a few shakes out of a large canister- I'm guessing that one envelope would work)
1 onion, sliced
1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
Combine ground beef and soup mix, then form into meatballs. Bake on a cookie sheet at 400 for about twenty minutes.
After meatballs are browned, dump them into the crockpot. Combine mushroom soup, water, and gravy mix and pour over meatballs. Add in mushrooms and onions. Cover and cook on high for about three hours, or on low all day.

I serve it over mashed potatoes, with a side of green beans. It's an easy recipe for a comfort food dinner!

Which celebrity chef would you be?

Which Celebrity Chef are You?

You are PAULA DEEN! You are all about getting back to your roots! It ain't about bein' fancy or low-fat, it's about FAMILY, FRIENDS and FUN! Paula's Home Cooking would be THE IDEAL SET for you!

How do you compare? Take this test! | Tests from Testriffic

I saw this cute quiz over on Nikki's blog and just had to take it. And you know what? I think it's accurate... I LOVE Paula, and I've always thought that I probably cook more like her than I do any other famous chef. Anyways, it's a funny quiz... go and see who you'd be!

Menu Plan Monday 8/20

Notes from last week: I learned that Tamale Pie does not come out as well if you cook the hamburger mixture the day before and refridgerate it... I think it probably needs to be hot to help cook the cornbread topping. I also learned that my very picky one year-old son will eat hot German potato salad... go figure! :)

You'll notice that everything this week is made with ground beef or chicken breasts-- that's all I have on hand. Oh, that and one pack of ribs. Of course we could easily eat those all week, but we like to have a little more variety-- so this plan may change, based on what I find on sale at the grocery store this morning.

SUNDAY: We had a new recipe: Creamy Burrito Casserole and corn. The casserole was good once we spiced it up with some hot sauce and jalapenos, and I'd probably make it again.

MONDAY: new recipe: Crockpot Creamy Ranch Potatoes and Chicken (4pts) with steamed broccoli (0pts)

TUESDAY: family favorite: Deep-Dish Pizza Casserole and tossed salad

WEDNESDAY: Chicken for the Gods (see right sidebar for recipe) with wild rice and steamed squash blend

THURSDAY: Another family favorite: my Mom's Crockpot BBQ Ribs (see right sidebar for recipe), with mini ears of corn on the cob (2pts) and sugar-free applesauce (1pt) This meal was held over from last week.

FRIDAY: broiled pork chops, augratin potatoes, peas

Head on over to I'm An Organizing Junkie to share your menu

or see what others are eating this week!

Hot Broccoli Dip

Here's one of my favorites, and it's quick and easy:

HOT BROCCOLI DIP
1 lb of pepper jack cheese, cubed
1 can cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1 box frozen, chopped broccoli
for serving: 1 bag of Fritos scoops, or hearty crackers

Cook broccoli per directions and drain. Combine cheese, soup, and broccoli in a bowl and microwave until cheese is completely melted, stirring every minute or so. Stir dip well and serve hot (I keep mine in a mini crockpot- it will get very thick if it cools).

Leftovers are great poured over baked potatoes for lunch the next day.

One of my sisters requests that I make this any time I ask her what appetizer I should bring to any family function. :) Enjoy!

Tamale Pie

For some crazy reason, my Tamale Pie recipe keeps getting reduced down to a microscopic font in my Menu Plan Monday post. It looks normal in my draft mode, but when I publish the post it's too tiny to see. I'm copying it here so you can read it!

Tamale Pie
1 lb ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped (I leave this out sometimes)
1 14 oz can tomatoes (I use Rotel if I have it on hand)
2 tsp chili powder
7oz package cornbread mix
1 can corn
1/3 cup milk
2 cups shredded cheddar (or a Mexican blend)

Brown beef with onion and peppers, drain well. Add tomatoes and chili powder. Simmer for 10 minutes. Pour into a 2-quart casserole (I use a glass pie plate). In a bowl, stir together the cornbread mix, milk, and corn. Spoon over the meat mixture and sprinkle top with cheese. Bake uncovered in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes. Makes 4-8 servings.

Menu Plan Monday 8/13

Notes from last week: It was a rough week in my kitchen! On Tuesday I had a bad night with my sausage gravy (it was just plain bad- don't know what I did wrong) and an even worse time with the biscuits-- the whole meal had to be tossed! And then, I wound up not making that new roast recipe until Saturday, and I really did not like the flavor of it at all. I can't remember the last time I've had two total flops in one week!

I'm planning on several favorites this week... all the main dishes are tried and true. :) I've calculated Weight Watchers points, although some are estimates. I try to stay at or under 12 points for supper.

SUNDAY: My world-famous (ha ha) chicken enchiladas (estimated 8pts), stewed tomatoes (0pts)

MONDAY: Tamale Pie (estimated 8pts) and rice (3pts) (EDITED TO ADD: This recipe keeps going down to a microscopic font when I hit the "publish" button... I have no idea why! I posted the recipe again in the entry after this one so you can actually read it!)

Tamale Pie

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 green pepper, chopped (I leave this out sometimes)
• 1 14 oz can tomatoes (I use Rotel if I have it on hand)
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 7oz package cornbread mix
• 1 can corn
• 1/3 cup milk
• 2 cups shredded cheddar (I used a Mexican blend)

Brown beef with onion and peppers, drain well. Add tomatoes and chili powder. Simmer for 10 minutes. Pour into a 2-quart casserole (I use a glass pie plate). In a bowl, stir together the cornbread mix, milk, and corn. Spoon over the meat mixture and sprinkle top with cheese. Bake uncovered in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes. Makes 4-8 servings.

TUESDAY: Low-fat Italian Chicken & Veggie Packets (6.3pts) with alphabet pasta (3pts) This meal was held over from last week-- we wound up getting pizza one night.

WEDNESDAY: Breakfast for supper: corned beef hash (9pts) and eggs (2pts each). I might make omelettes or eggs-in-the-hole... or maybe some cinnamon rolls... we'll see what everyone's in the mood for!

THURSDAY: Another family favorite: my Mom's Crockpot BBQ Ribs, with mini ears of corn on the cob (2pts) and sugar-free applesauce (1pt)

FRIDAY: kielbasa (5pts), german potato salad (2pts), peas & onions (2pts)

Head on over to I'm An Organizing Junkie
to share your menu or see what others are eating this week!

Terrible Biscuits: two lessons learned

So, did you know that shortening can become rancid? I didn't.

I had decided to make homemade biscuits to go with the sausage gravy I was making for supper last night. I've had a can of Crisco in my pantry forever (apparently), so long that I can't even remember the last time I used it for anything. (There weren't any dates on it, I checked.) Well, I mixed the dry ingredients for the biscuits and went to add in the Crisco, and it looked like petroleum jelly. And the smell... ugh... let's just say that there was no way anyone would want to eat anything that smelled like that. Yuck!

So, I did what any panic-stricken cook would do... I called my mom for advice. She said that she regularly swaps margarine for shortening in cookie recipes, so I decided to try that. Lesson #2: you can't swap margarine for shortening in a biscuit recipe. That's fine for cookies, but not for biscuits. They came out totally flat and with a very unpleasant texture. Ick. I had to trash the whole pan.

I know I'm not the only one who's had a total kitchen flop lately... care to share one of yours?

Menu Plan Monday 8/6

Notes from last week's menu: We were disappointed in the Italian Ricotta Tomato Pie. The ricotta & cheese part was OK, but the crust was terrible... very bland and blah... which really kind of ruined the recipe. I think it has potential if it was made on a really good, crispy crust.

The Crockpot Chicken and Stuffing turned out pretty good. By the time I got to eat, it had cooked for almost ten hours and was pretty well browned, but I think at the suggesting cooking time (6-8 hours) it would have been really good. DH and DD ate before I did, and they liked it, so I'll make it again.

I use Weight Watchers points to keep things in perspective- they are calculated below to the best of my ability. Twelve points for supper is the max I try to use, and I'm really pushing it this week!

This week:

• SUNDAY: We had my hamburgers (8pts) & tomato-mozzarella salad (4pts).

• Tomato-Mozzarella Salad, my way: Dice 1-2 large tomatoes (or cut grape tomatoes in half) and combine with a large handful of shredded mozzarella cheese. Drizzle low-fat Italian dressing over top to coat, sprinkle with approximately one tablespoon of parsley, and toss. Chill until serving time. Best served cold.

• MONDAY: new recipe: Oven-Fried Chicken Chimichangas (8pts), with our favorite sweet corn cake (4pts), and stewed tomatoes (0pts)
• TUESDAY: sausage gravy and biscuits, fried apples (And no, I'm NOT going to calculate the points on this one... I've been craving it for a while now, so to heck with points!)
• WEDNESDAY: Low-fat Italian Chicken & Veggie Packets (6.3pts) with alphabet pasta (3pts)
• THURSDAY: new recipe: Crockpot 3-packet Roast (5pts), mashed potatoes (2pts), green beans (0pts)
• FRIDAY: a pasta casserole that I froze a while back, with garlic bread & steamed broccoli
• SATURDAY: I always leave Saturdays open.
  
  
  

Head on over to I'm An Organizing Junkie

to share your menu or see what others are eating this week!

Hamburgers, my way

It seems to me that everyone has their own way of making hamburgers at home, and everyone thinks that their way is the best. Here's how I make mine- this recipe has developed over the years, but I'm pretty consistant with it now. They have just a little spice to them, but even our four year-old enjoys them.

Amy's Hamburgers

• 1 to 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
• a large handful of rolled oats (added in to stretch the meat and to sneak some more oatmeal into the diet of someone in my house)
• an envelope of onion soup mix
• a 4oz can of diced green chili peppers
• an egg (not always used, depends on how the patties hold together)

Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and form into patties. (I usually get about six to eight patties, or four if I make them huge!) Grill or pan-fry as desired.

I like to top mine with steak sauce and sharp cheddar cheese, and sometimes some sauted onions.

I've published this recipe over on RecipeZaar, and it's gotten good reviews there. If you'd like an easy-to-print version.... not to mention a version with more specific measurements, LOL.... just click here. Yes, I'm Chef AmyMCGS over on 'Zaar. :)