Meal Planning with Connie

Janet's Cheesy Chicken Tortilla Casserole Many thanks to Janet and Katie for the Cheesy Chicken Tortilla Casserole! We all really liked it!! I think the world of these ladies!! Janet is the best birthday card-sender I know!! Her husband Mark cooks the most wonderful pork tenderloins!! Katie and Jonathan and Larry and I have the same anniversary - only a couple of decades apart!! This is a sweet, sweet family!! I did half the recipe and make it in an 8x8 pan. Since I was using the smaller pan, I cut the tortilla into strips so they would fit better. Also, since I was opening a new jar of salsa to make the salad dressing, I just added a cup of it to the soup mixture for the casserole instead of 1/2 a can of Rotel. I threw in a dash of cayenne pepper for a little heat and a bit of cumin for flavor. I took Katie and Janet's advice and brushed the tortillas heavily with chicken broth. They were all very tender. This is another keeper!! Larry and I both liked the salad, to...

It’s Meal Planning Day!!! Don’t forget to tidy your fridge and sort your coupons!! We've posted a couple of new cooking quotes and tips for the kitchen, baking and recycling. These can all be found in the left sidebar. Today is the final day of our poll! Be sure to vote!! It's also in the left sidebar!! Meal Plan for July 20th - 26th Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt... Colossians 4:6a Monday - Bowtie Alfredo Carbonara, Cheesy Broiled Tomatoes and Garlic Bread Monday - Bowtie Alfredo Carbonara, Cheesy Broiled Tomatoes and Garlic Bread Bowtie Alfredo Carbonara 2 cups fresh, sliced mushrooms ½ - 1 cup chopped onion 8 pieces bacon, chopped (Can substitute Canadian bacon, but you will need to add a bit of butter, olive oil, water or broth for sautéing Canadian bacon, mushrooms and onions.) 16 oz. bowtie pasta, prepared according to package directions White sauce: (can use jarred Alfredo) 3 tablespoons butter 3 tablespoons flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 teaspo...

Wisconsin Cheese Producers' Cheese Chart A few weeks back, I told you guys about a free cheese chart that is available from the Wisconsin Cheese Producers. Mine came in the mail today, and it's really neat. It pictures 34 different varieties a cheese and gives information on each cheese's texture and flavor. It also lists suggested usages for each variety. On the back of the chart, there is information on safe handling and storage of cheese. I am happy to report that I have receive no other contact from them, such as unwanted e-mails, mailings, etc. You can still get your chart by completing an on-line form at: http://www.eatwisconsincheese.com/cheese/requestguide.aspx

Sloppy Joes and Crispy French Fries This recipe took me back to many a Friday night during my childhood! While we ate vegetables almost exclusively through the week, Momma would make hamburgers, pizza or Sloppy Joes on Friday nights. Logan loves Sloppy Joes! Sloppy Joes 1 -1 ½ pounds ground beef ½ c. catsup 2 tablespoons yellow mustard 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 2 tablespoons brown sugar Liquid smoke Brown ground beef in a skillet and drain. Return to skillet and add all other ingredients and simmer a few minutes. Serve on hamburger buns.

The hot summer months are the perfect time for making homemade ice cream!! Larry developed this recipe through trial-and-error several years back. We think it's great! If you are a Wendy's Frosty fan, you'll love this ice cream!! On the 4th, Dude and Aunt Jean came over to watch the kids shoot a few fireworks and to eat a bowl of Larry's freshly-made Chocolate Ice Cream. It was the perfect way to end a celebration of our country's freedom!! Larry's Chocolate Ice Cream 1 can Eagle Brand Milk 1 1/2 cups sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla 1 pint whole whipping cream 2 quart-sized Chugs of Barbers Chocolate Milk* Do not add any other milk to recipe. Freezer will not be completely full. Combine all ingredients, pour into ice cream freezer and freeze according to ice cream freezer instructions. *This is the best. We've tried them all! If your grocery doesn't have Barber's Chugs, just be sure to get whole milk chocolate milk. Unfortunate...

Sausage Pizza with Pizza Hut Copy-Cat Sauce and a side salad Tuesday night at our house has been Pizza Night for some time. I think it began with us being in Tupelo late on Tuesday afternoons for music lessons. We got in the habit of going by Little Caesar's and picking up one of their $5 one-topping pizzas. I think they're maybe $5.55 now. It's still a great deal, since it feeds our family of four! When we weren't in Tupelo on Tuesday afternoons, I'd just make one. Somewhere along the way, we all just started liking the ones at home better. So, that's what we do now. In the winter, we often have a couple of baked, frozen mozzarella stick each along with the pizza. In the summer, we sometimes add a side salad if we have lettuce that needs eating. Most of the time, we just have the pizza by itself! We all really liked the pizza tonight! Larry said the sauce tasted more like Pizza Hut's marinara sauce than their pizza sauce to him. He and the k...

Long John Silver's Baja Fish Taco Aunt Jean and Logan spent the morning working at the Food Pantry. They said there were a good many families who came by for assistance. If you haven't dontated to your local food pantry lately, please consider doing so. Because we all get so scattered and busy during the summer, many ministries, like food banks, see a decrease in giving during the middle months of the year. After they finished at the Food Pantry, they came by the house and picked up M.C. Aunt Jean took them to our Kentucky Fried Chicken/Long John Silver's and treated them to lunch. They brought me back the free Baja Fish Taco. I really liked it! It's basically a small piece of LJS's battered and fried fish in a tortilla, with lettuce and a spicy sauce. The sauce was a bit spicy for me. In the future, I will order it with tartar sauce instead of the spicy sauce. You might ask for the spicy sauce on the side to see which you prefer! Let me know if you give ...