Throw Together Hamburger Noodle Casserole... Surprisingly Good!

Mondays are dance night for my oldest, this means that 99% of the time, we are not walking through the door at home until 6'o-clock. I don't like that... I am a stickler on supper being ready AT 6. Tonight, I wanted something quick and easy, but would leave enough for left overs, as well. So... voila!!!


Throw Together Hamburger Noodle Casserole

1 lb. ground beef, browned
1 can tomato soup
16 oz. pkg. gluten free noodles
1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning
1 tsp. garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown ground beef. While browning ground beef, cook gluten free noodles in boiling water. Drain ground beef, add to casserole dish. Add tomato soup, or you can take can of diced tomatoes and puree them in the food processor or blender. Add in whatever seasonings you like. I just listed what I used. Stir all ingredients together in casserole dish. Top with shredded cheese.  Bake until cheese is melted and bubbly, about 20 minutes.

Glazed Bacon Wrapped Pork Loin

This weekend has provided some beautiful weather! I am loving the sunshine and 80 degree days. Saturday morning, I was up and around early to walk a 5K with some very dear friends of mine. We lovingly named our team The Speed Bumps! I even surprised one of my partners in crime by asking if she wanted to run a small part of it. Boy was that a mistake... She then thought that was an open to MAKE me run several more times through the whole thing. Let me tell you people, I am not in the best shape. My lungs are not meant for running. I get winded long before my body gets tired. We finished in less than an hour, so I am good with that! I think my final time was around 43 minutes. Not going to complain about that time for walking 3.2 miles. ONE DAY... I will "run" a full 5K! Ha! Ok, maybe not...

Anyway, the weekend has been a beautiful mix of warm weather and some much needed rain. That makes me happy... mainly because then I am not expected to haul water to the baby trees in the yard.

After getting supper in the oven, Glazed Bacon Wrapped Pork Loin, I whipped up a quick batch of the Banana Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Mini-muffins. They are so good! And, gluten free. If you have not made them before, I highly recommend that you do.

Glazed Bacon Wrapped Pork Loin

1 whole boneless pork loin 4-6 lbs.
1 c. brown sugar
2 Tbs. spicy brown mustard
1 Tbs. soy sauce
1 Tbs. Worcestershire
1/4 cup pure maple syrup plus some or drizzling when basting
6-10 bacon slices
salt, pepper and garlic salt to taste

Mix brown sugar, spicy brown mustard, soy sauce, Worcestershire, maple syrup. Sprinkle loin with salt, pepper and garlic salt. Pour 1/2 the brown sugar glaze over the top.

Wrap the pork loin with bacon slices covering it all. Drizzle the top with the remaining glaze.
Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour at 375 degrees. Remove foil and with a spoon re-glaze the top with the dripping in the pan. Recover and cook for 30 more minutes. Uncover and re-glaze again with the pan juices, you can drizzle with more syrup if you like. Cook uncovered until bacon is brown and crispy,about 20 more minutes.

Original recipe from: Sweet Tea and Cornbread

BBQ Chicken on the Grill

I have been craving bbq chicken on the grill. I don't know that I can say that I have ever actually made grilled bbq chicken. Anyway, it had been sounding really good. So, I decide tonight, after a long day, and gorgeous weather, this was the thing to make. I needed a good excuse to sit outside on my chaise lounge chair and enjoy the weather.

Not so quick, but easy!

BBQ Chicken

Chicken thighs (however many you want)

Favorite bbq sauce

Warm up grill. Place chicken thighs on grill. Brush top with bbq sauce. With lid closed, cook approximately 15 minutes. Turn chicken thighs over, brush other side with bbq sauce, cook for another 15 minutes. Flip chicken thighs again, brush with another coating of bbq sauce. Repeat process until chicken is cooked through.

Smoked Sausage with Veggies... Quick and Easy

Last night I was looking for a quick and easy supper. I was tired and it had been a long day. In other words, I had little to no motivation to cook supper. This was a throw together of stuff that I had picked up at the store. I served gluten free French bread dinner rolls with this. 

Quick and Easy Smoked Sausage with Veggies

2 pkg. smoked sausage, sliced

2 pkg. Quick and Easy Combos Roasted Potato Blend

2 T. Coconut oil

Add coconut oil to skillet. Over medium heat, let coconut oil melt in the skillet. After oil has melted, add sliced smoked sausage. Stir occasionally, until pieced are browned. Add roasted potato blend, stir, cover with a lid. Cook approximately 10-12 minutes, or until veggies are hot, stirring occasionally. 

Scotch Eggs

My mom used to always make Scotch Eggs for us. I started making them for breakfast on Easter and Christmas morning. My now 9 year old had no problems letting me know that I HAD to make them for Easter breakfast, because I failed to make them Christmas morning this year. It often surprises me that many people do not know what Scotch Eggs are, or have never had them. They are one the most perfect breakfast foods ever, in my opinion. And, in the opinion of my SUPER picky, Aspergian 9 year old. 

The pic is not the best, the bottom egg that is cut in half got dumped off of a child's plate and on to mine, so it kinda got mangled...

Scotch Eggs
6 hard boiled eggs, peeled
12 oz. tube sausage (I use Jimmy Dean)
Crushed corn flakes, rice krispies, cracker crumbs, etc.
Maple syrup, optional

Preheat oven to 350. Cut tube of ground sausage into 6 slices. Take one slice and flatten it out in your hand into a thin patty.Take peeled, hard boiled eggs, wrap sausage around egg, completely covering egg. Roll sausage covered egg in crushed up corn flakes/rice krispies/etc. Set in sprayed casserole dish. Repeat process with other eggs. Bake for 30-45 min. or until sausage is cooked through. Serve with syrup.

The Best Meatloaf Recipe EVER and a Secret Tip!

There is a reason why I claim this is the best meatloaf ever... My mom is an amazing cook! I mean, AMAZING! There is not much that the woman cannot make and have it not be delicious. She is amazing in the kitchen. 

So, my dad always said, "Your mom can make anything, and it will be delicious, but for some reason the woman cannot make meatloaf." This always cracked me up. I would come home from college and decide to cook supper and make meatloaf and dad would say it was good. Mom would use the EXACT same recipe and he would say that it was just, "ok." I was always baffled and confused by how this could be.

Well, one day, I came across this recipe on a cooking board that I was a member of. Everyone ranted and raved about how good this meatloaf is. I decided to try it out. It was very good! I was impressed. I called my mom up and told her that she had to try this recipe, because my husband had raved about it for days. She whipped it up one night and low and behold... "This is REALLY good meatloaf!" Woo hooo!! YAY! FINALLY! 

The secret tip... if you are like me and do NOT like touching raw meat... Throw all of the ingredients in your Kitchen Aide mixer bowl and with the paddle attachment, mix it all up. Scrap the sides with a rubber spatula and then dump it in the sprayed loaf pan. You can even squish it into the loaf shape with the rubber spatula.


Best Meatloaf EVER!
1-1/2 lb. ground beef (I used 90%)
1 egg
1/3 c. bread crumbs (gluten free or reg.)
1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 c. diced onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning

Sauce:
1/3 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. ketchup
1 T. mustard

Preheat oven to 350. Mix all ingredients together. Form in a loaf shape, in a sprayed loaf pan. In separate, small bowl, mix up sauce ingredients. Pour sauce over meatloaf. Bake for approximately 1 hour.

I served this with baked potatoes.

Mostly Gluten Free Tuna Noodle Casserole

I was sitting down, making my grocery list, trying to decide what all meals I was going to make this week. As I thought about it, I got to thinking that tuna noodle casserole sounded pretty tasty and that I had not made it in awhile. So, tuna noodle casserole it is! For tonight, anyway.

Tuna Noodle Casserole

12 oz. gluten free pasta
1/2 c. diced onion
1 c. frozen peas (optional)
2 can chunk light tuna in water, drained
1 can cream of mushroom soup
17 oz. plain yogurt
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
2 Tbsp. brown spicy mustard
paprika
salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 350. Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain pasta, stir in remaining ingredients (except paprika), using 1/2 c. of the shredded cheese.  Pour into casserole dish. Top with remaining 1/2 c. shredded cheese and sprinkle with paprika. Bake for 20 minutes, or until bubbling and cheese on top is melted.

Nice Relaxing Day at Home with Peach Pork Chops in the Crock Pot.

Today has been a good Sunday, spent at home. I had a semi-dwarf pear and cherry tree die that I had planted last year. My replacements came yesterday, along with some Souther Magnolia trees. I have been stalking these trees at a house in town, for YEARS!! This is no joke! I have always loved the HUGE white flowers that these trees had, but I could not figure out, for sure, what kind of trees they were. Well, the other day, I was talking to a friend and asked about Magnolia trees that have HUGE white flowers on them. Well, (duh!) I was told they are Southern Magnolias. All these years, I had Google searched Magnolia trees and only came up the ones with the small flowers. I came upon some (for a SUPER cheap) price on ebay, so I snatched them up.

So, I have my new pear and cherry trees and my 2 new Southern Magnolia trees planted, trimmed up the other trees in the yard, the girls have cleaned their rooms, laundry is done, Dave vacuumed, and the rest of the house is picked up/cleaned too. I am loving the rain and thunder outside and having the windows open! The tulips are blooming, perfect! Happy Sunday!!

These do not look all that pretty, but they were pretty yummy. The original recipe was from eMeals and called for a jar of sugar free apricot preserves (in place of the peaches) and sliced carrots in the bottom of the crock pot. I served them with 5 grain rice pilaf.

Peach Pork Chops (crock pot)
1 medium sweet onion, thickly sliced
6 center cut pork chops
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
1⁄4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup chicken broth
1-1-1/2 c. peach slices
2 Tbsp. brown mustard
1 tsp. thyme

Place onions in the bottom of a 5 to 7-quart slow cooker. Season pork chops with salt and pepper, and place on top onions. Combine broth, peaches, mustard, and thyme in blender or food processor and blend until smooth; pour mixture over chops. Cook on low 6 hours or until chops are tender.

Feeling Crappy, Quick and Easy Beef and Spinach Bake

So, apparently (according to the Weather Channel website) the tree pollen is EXTREMELY high here in the midwest right now. Welcome Spring!! But, you could have kept this crap. I can't breath, my nose either feels stuffed with cotton or is running like a faucet and can change in the blink of an eye. It is LOTS of fun (note the sarcasm there).

Tonight, after picking my youngest up at dance, we ran to the grocery store to get a few needed things. Well, I was super excited to see that they have recently expanded their gluten free freezer section!! (It really is lame when these things excite you...) I was able to get us some gluten free hamburger buns, hotdog buns, tortillas, pizza crusts, bread, muffins, and there was more... I think. They also had gluten free dinner rolls and cookies and stuff. This is great news!

Anyway, enough rambling. On to supper!

Beef and Spinach Bake

1-1⁄2-lb ground beef 

1⁄2 cup chopped onion 

2 large eggs, beaten 

1 teaspoon garlic powder 

1 (4-oz) can mushrooms, drained (I omitted this)

4-oz shredded mozzarella cheese 

1 (10-oz) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained 

1⁄3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (I omitted this)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees; coat 13- x 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Cook beef and onion in a large skillet until meat is crumbly and no longer pink and onion is tender. Drain, and add salt and pepper to taste. Whisk together eggs and garlic powder. Add mushrooms, mozzarella, spinach, egg mixture, and Parmesan to beef mixture; mix well, and add to baking dish. Bake, uncovered, 20 minutes.

Mini Banana Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins... OMG! DELICIOUS!

So, a friend of mine literally just shared/posted this recipe on Facebook about an hour or so ago. I saw the recipe, thought it sounded super quick, easy, and way too good to be true. I took it upon myself to do a trial run of these. Just to see if they are any good. Well, I am here to tell you... THEY ARE EASY! THEY ARE QUICK! And... THEY ARE DELICIOUS! I think the original recipe said they are around 66 calories a piece... Well, that is fine and dandy, but not when you can easily snarf down 4-5+ at a time... LOL! Enjoy!

Mini Banana Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins

1 medium ripe banana, peeled
1 large egg
1/2 c. creamy peanut butter
3 Tbsp. honey
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. baking soda
pinch salt, optional
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (can use mini)

Preheat oven to 400. Prepare mini muffin pan by spraying very well with cooking spray. Add first 7 ingredients, through optional salt, to blender or food processor, and blend on high speed until smoothy and creamy, about 1 minute. Fold in chocolate chips by hand; don't use the blender because it will pulverize them. Using a tablespoon or small cookie scoop that's been sprayed with cooking spray (helps batter slide off easily). Bake for 8 to 9 minutes, or until the tops are set, domed, springy to the touch, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Allow muffins to cool in pans for about 10 minutes, or until they've firmed up and are cool enough to handle. Can be kept in an airtight container, at room temperature, for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 4 months.
Original recipe: Averiecooks

Baked Chicken Chimichangas!

Today was what should have been a nice, lazy Sunday at home. Instead it was a day of struggling to not lose my temper with my overtired, crap food laden child, who was coming down off of said crap food "high." It is always ugly around here when she is tired and has eaten meals consisting of the foods that she is not suppose to have. Anyway, on to supper...

I loved tonight's supper! But, it got mixed reactions from others in the house. I did adapt the recipe some, to meet what I had on hand and dietary restrictions for me (no gluten).

Baked Chicken Chimichangas

8 oz pkg. cream cheese (I used 5 oz.)

8 oz. Pepperjack cheese, shredded

1 1/2 Tbsp. taco seasoning

1 lb. chicken breast fillets

1/2 c. diced onions

1 tsp. minced garlic

2 Tbsp. olive oil

8 flour tortillas (I used 12-14 corn tortillas)

cooking spray

shredded lettuce

sour cream

salsa

Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add chicken breast fillets, diced onion, and garlic. Cook until chicken is cooked through. Dice up with knife or spatula. Stir in cream cheese, Pepperjack cheese and taco seasoning. Spray 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Divide filling among tortillas. Tuck in sides, and roll up each tortilla. This is hard to do with corn tortillas, they break easily. Lay seam side down in baking dish. Spray tops of tortillas with cooking spray. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes. Turn chimi's over, and bake an additional 20-30 minutes. If using flour tortillas, shorten baking time to 15 minutes per side.  Serve with lettuce, sour cream, and salsa.

Parmesan Pork Chops...

Today, I found myself being tired and cranky. Maybe it was because it started raining shortly after I got up, to get ready for work, and I really just wanted to stay in bed and snuggle with my Oscar kitty. Or maybe, I just woke up on the wrong side of the bed.  Either way... I had a short fuse today. 

So, when it came time to get home and make supper... I really wasn't "in the mood.." If you know what I mean...  I had some pork chops thawing out, so I dug around on Pinterest and found a recipe that I had seen floating around the internet. 

Parmesan Baked Pork Chops
4-6 pork chops
1 T. olive oil
1 c. parmesan cheese (I added some extra on mine after baking)
1 c. italian bread crumbs (I could not find my gluten free bread crumbs, so I left this out)
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder

Preheat oven to 350. Brush both sides of pork chops with oil. (Pppssstt... I used more than 1 T. of oil).  Mix last 4 ingredients in a bag or dish that is flat/wide enough to put pork chops into. Coat pork chops with cheese mixture. Place pork chops in a sprayed dish, bake for 40 minutes, or until cooked through.