Lib's Tuna Casserole

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***This recipe was first published on 8-18-09.  It's become a HUGE favorite among family members and friends every time I make it so I figured I'd dig it out of the archives and share it with y'all!  Happy cooking!***

Casseroles. Some people like them, others don't. When I first started learning how to cook, casseroles became a fixture in our house. How difficult was it to put all the ingredients in a bowl, mix it up, place it in a casserole dish, and bake?? Not difficult at all. Before I knew it, my husband and I were having a different casserole at least twice a month. This recipe combines the ever so popular tuna fish with other casserole staples (noodles, spices, etc..). We love this recipe because it is filled to the brim with vegetables. It's a great way to get your daily dose of veggies and at the same time, fill your tummy with yummy goodness :)

Ingredients:
3 cups dry shell noodles (or any other pasta noodles you have on hand)
1 tsp. salt
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, plus a little more for the topping
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 can of tuna fish
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup chopped bell pepper
1 jar of pimentos
1 cup of peas and carrots (optional)
Directions:Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 inch casserole dish with non stick cooking spray.

Cook noodles until tender and drain.

Combine all of the above ingredients, including the cooked noodles, in a bowl and mix well.

Place in the casserole dish and bake for 30 minutes. Sprinkle top with a little cheddar cheese when finished.

**To Freeze: Assemble casserole in dish and cover tightly with double layers of aluminum foil. Do not cook. Place in freezer. Take it out on the day of cooking and defrost in the fridge until ready to cook. Cook as directed. May have to add an additional 5-10 minutes onto the cooking time if still frozen.**

Perdue's "America's Best Chicken Dishes" Contest and Giveaway & Another Winner!

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Before I get to this Giveaway, I wanted to announce the winner of the giveaway for the Free E-Book, Menu Planning 101.  Click HERE for a refresher of the contest.

The winner is...........

Comment number 11...Patti Keil.  Congratulations Patti!  I will be forwarding your e-mail address to Kristy and she will be contacting you with further details ;)

Last week, a representative from Perdue Chicken contacted me and asked if I would partake in helping them spread the word about this awesome contest that they are putting on....America's Best Chicken Dishes Contest.

To quote the words of the representative who contacted me:

 

"For more than 90 years Perdue has been committed to providing Americans and their families with the best possible poultry. The “We Believe in a Better Chicken”TM campaign is at the core of who they are, what they do and what they’ve been doing since 1920. They are committed to making better chicken and they know that consumers are committed to providing the very best meal for their families every day. Which is why they have decided to celebrate those meals through their search to find the best chicken dishes from Americans across the country."

I could not turn down this offer so I happily agreed to help out :)  I received some vouchers in the mail and went to work on picking out what I wanted to make with my free chicken.  I decided to make this lovely appetizer last night.......

Chicken Croquettes

~This recipe is no stranger to the blog.  I originally posted this a few years back but wanted to post it again for everyone who has not seen it.  The two chicken breasts that came in the pack were just right amount that I needed to complete this dish.  I also noticed that each piece of chicken was individually packaged so you can take the portions out as you need them.  What a brilliant idea!  Try this recipe out and see for yourself how easy it is to use Perdue's Perfect Portions~

Ingredients:

2 or 3 cooked chicken breasts, shredded

2 or 3 green onions, chopped (optional)

1 package of cream cheese

1 tube of crescent rolls

Season All, Garlic powder, salt, and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix the shredded chicken, green onions, cream cheese in a bowl. Add all the seasonings to taste and to your liking.

Take each crescent roll and shape into circles. Place the chicken mixture in the middle of each piece of dough and roll like you would an enchilada or tortilla...making sure to pinch the ends together so the filling won't seep out.

Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet (I used a cookie sheet lined with tin foil) for 12 minutes or until rolls are evenly brown.

**************************************

The folks at Perdue have been gracious enough to provide all the readers of this blog two chances to win some free chicken.  How lucky are we to have this wonderful opportunity? ;)

Chance #1:

Enter their "America's Best Chicken Dishes Contest"

• Head on over to their Facebook Page by clicking HERE.
• Upload a picture of your best chicken dish and tell them what it is and what you do to make it the best (do not include the recipe please)
• Each week, one lucky winner will be chosen to receive a free package of chicken.  And the grand prize winner will be chosen to receive FREE chicken for a year!  Now that's a lot of chicken!
• Also it is said not to use any logos, brands, or products (other than Perdue) in your entry, or it will be disqualified.
• This contest ends SEPTEMBER 30, 2011

Chance #2:

Enter the Giveaway here on the blog ;)

• If you missed your chance to enter the contest up above, have no fear....I have in my possession 2 vouchers that Perdue has sent me for 2 free packages of chicken....such as in this picture below....

All you have to do is the following.......

• Leave a comment here telling us what your favorite chicken dish is

And that's it!  Simple as that!  Should you win, I will mail the vouchers to you and you will be on your way to purchasing some free chicken :) 

This blog contest ends on OCTOBER 3.  Winners will be chosen through Random.org.

Good luck to everyone!!

Menu Planning 101 E-Book Review and Giveaway

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***THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED***

Did y'all know that there is a Cooking/Kitchen Organization section on the blog?  Well...if you didn't know, now you do (click here to check it out).  For the past few weeks I had been toying with the idea of writing another post for this very section so when Kristy Still of Mommy Hates Cooking approached me with an opportunity to read and review her new E-Book, Menu Planning 101, I was overjoyed because her offer couldn't have come at a better time :)

Any of you who know me know that I am a HUGE fan of organizing.  After all, I am a mother of two very active and young children.  Anyone who is a mother of multiple children will tell you that staying organized is the key to staying on top of things.

Kristy's E-Book, Menu Planning 101, does just that.  It helps you stay on top of things in the kitchen and when it comes to meal/menu planning. 

In Kristy's own words......

 "The E-book answers the 'why should I' questions of menu planning and includes my tips on building your menu plan as well as ways to keep it organized with coupons, a sample menu plan, and printable planners."

She not only includes weekly menu planners, but also monthly ones.  She also has a printable list of all the food items that you need to complete your pantry every month.  Don't think that the whole book is just about planners and lists though.  Kristy also explains in great detail why and how you should start menu planning and gives you tips and tricks along the way.   

This E-Book is perfect for those who have left home for the first time, newly married couples, and those who have just had children.  I actually told her that I will be putting this book to use in the future ;) 

Interested in obtaining a copy of your own?  Well, today is your lucky day!  Kristy has been gracious enough to provide one lucky reader a FREE copy of her E-Book.....

All you have to do is the following:

• Leave a comment telling me what your favorite menu planning tip is
• Leave your e-mail address in this same comment just in case you win so Kristy and I can contact you

And that's it!  Sooooo simple ;)

BUT WAIT.....

Have a Facebook Page?? 

Announce this Giveaway on your page and you will be entered twice

Have a Blog??

Announce this Giveaway on your blog with a link back to this post and you will be entered twice

~Remember to come back here and post that you have done this or else I will not know to enter you twice~

~If you have both a Facebook Page and a Blog, only one will count as your second entry~

This Giveaway will end on Tuesday, September 27th

GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE!!!

To follow Kristy, head on over to Mommy's Hates Cooking and tell her Libby sent ya :)

Butter Cookies

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***This recipe was originally posted on July 29th, 2009.  I am dusting it off and bringing it out of the archives for y'all.  Happy Baking!***

Oh my...is all I can say about these cookies! They are fabulous! The minute I tasted them it took me back to the days when I was a little kid entering a bakery for the first time. When I read about them over at Sandra's Blog...Full Belly, Happy Kids...I was intrigued.  The recipe is so simple and easy that even a novice to baking can make these. My daughter wanted in on the action as soon as she saw me whip out the flour and sugar :)

This is what you will need (one sweet little girl included):

1 stick of butter or 1/2 cup (softened), 1 cup of flour (in the picture it has Self Rising, but we had some all purpose flour so I used AP), 5 tbsp. of sugar...plus a tad bit more to roll the balls of dough in, 1/4 tsp. salt, and 1 tsp. vanilla extract or almond extract.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl.

Stir until well mixed.  It will be a little crumbly.

Shape into round balls and roll each ball into the bowl of sugar...making sure to coat all around.  Place on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or aluminium foil.

Take a fork and make mish-mash markings in each cookie (she LOVED this part).

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until the bottom of the cookies start to brown. Let them cool for 2 minutes before serving. These are GREAT with a glass of cold milk :)

I see someone trying to steal a cookie!!!

Butter Cookies
1 stick of unsalted butter or 1/2 cup (softened)
1 cup of flour
5 tbsp. of sugar...plus a bit more to roll dough balls in
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract and or almond extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Stir until well mixed.

Shape into round balls and roll in the bowl of sugar.  Place on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or aluminium foil. Take a fork and make mish-mash markings in each cookie.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until the bottom of the cookies start to brown. Let them cool for 2 minutes before serving. Enjoy with a glass of cold milk and lots of smiles :)

Italian Cheese and Herb Pizza

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Pizza! I seriously cannot think of a simpler meal to make on a busy weeknight.  What is even better is when the base is made of cream cheese.  I know it's not your typical way of making a pizza, however, using an herb-type of cream cheese or cooking creme as the base seriously gives a pizza so much zing! Can we say yumm-ooo?!! 

Originally, I entered this recipe into the Real Women of Philadelphia Challenge last week.  Only to find out a few days later that they disqualified it because it had more then 5 ingredients.  I totally take the blame for that because I did not read the rules and regulations clearly.  Of course, I also had a fussy 3 year old and an extremely talkative 5 year old in the room with me while I was entering this contest, so I was not in the right frame of mind....lol...so to speak.  And I just know that I misread a few lines. 

This is ok though because what RWoP lost, is this blog's gain ;)  I could not just let this recipe fall by the wayside.  It deserves some kind of credit, so here it is.....in all it's glory.  And if it's one thing that I have learned from this experience (besides reading the directions more clearly), is that this is one kick-butt recipe!!  It may have been disqualified, but dang it.....my family and I were able to eat a pretty darn good meal out of it!  And that my friends....is really what it's all about :)  

P.S.  We used Mommy's Kitchen's no-fail pizza crust recipe for the pizza.  To follow the recipe, click here. 

Italian Cheese and Herb Pizza

(makes one 12 inch pizza)

Ingredients:

1 pre-made 12 inch pizza crust OR homemade pizza crust

5 oz. of Philadelphia Italian Cheese and Herb Cooking Creme OR 5 oz. of Garlic and Herb Cream Cheese

1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup of sliced pepperoni
1 cup of pizza OR pasta sauce

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven according to the directions of the pizza crust. If needed, place pizza crust in oven for 10 minutes to pre-bake.

2.  When crust is finished pre-baking, spread the Italian Cheese and Herb Cooking Creme on the top. Spread the pizza sauce (or pasta sauce) on top of the Cooking Creme. 

3.  Combine the cheddar cheese and mozzarella cheese in a small bowl.

4.  Sprinkle the cheese on top of the pizza (or pasta) sauce.

5.  Place the sliced pepperoni over the cheese.

6.  Bake at the recommended temperature for the crust for 10-15 minutes, making sure not to burn.

**Recipe Notes:  The beauty of making your own pizza is that you can add whatever toppings you wish to it.  Ingredients such as chunks of ham, shredded chicken, or even sliced peppers and mushrooms would taste great with this recipe!  So go ahead, have some fun with it and let your imagination run wild!**

Cheesy Broccoli-Vegetable Soup

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***This post was originally posted on July 24, 2009.  I'm bringing out of the archives file for y'all to enjoy***

While making my bi-weekly menu last week, it dawned on me that it had been a while since I tried a new soup recipe. Hence, this post. And....oh. my. goodness. Believe me when I say that this soup is seriously out of this world. Once again, I tweaked the recipe to fit our needs. I added more ingredients and because of this, I was worried that it wouldn't turn out as well. But heaven's to betsy, I was wrong! By the time I finished making it, I forgot to add the spices to it...but to my surprise...it didn't need any! The original recipe didn't call for spices and now I know why. My kids even ate this...and I'm completely convinced it was because of the Velveeta...lol. This makes a lot so if you are planning on making it, prepare to either eat left overs or give some away to family and friends :) Or you can always halve the recipe.

This is what you will need:

2 cups of milk, 3 cans of chicken broth (I decided to add another can after I took this picture), 1 lb. of Velveeta cheese, 1/4 cup of butter, 1/2 cup of flour, 2 baked potatoes (after this picture, I just decided to use 2), 1 onion, a frozen 1 lb. bag of vegetable medley (broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots), and a frozen 1 lb. bag of just regular broccoli florets.

Peel and chop potatoes and onion.

Place both bags of frozen veggies, chopped onion, chopped potatoes, and 3 cans of chicken stock in a large pot.

Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in another pot on medium heat. Stir in flour until smooth and cook for a few minutes. Mixture will be lumpy but that is ok. Whisk in 2cups of milk and keep whisking until it thickens, around 5-8 minutes.

Cut the block of Velveeta cheese into cubes and add to the milk mixture.

Stir the cheese until it is melted.

Stir the cheese into the big pot with the vegetables and mix well. Let it cook for around 5 more minutes.

Serve with crackers, a nice salad, or a good sandwich.

Cheesy Broccoli-Vegetable Soup
2 cups of milk
3 cans of chicken broth
1 lb. of Velveeta cheese
1/4 cup of butter
1/2 cup of flour
2 baked potatoes
1 onion
A frozen 1 lb. bag of vegetable medley (broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots)
A frozen 1 lb. bag of just regular broccoli florets

Peel and chop potatoes and onion. Place both bags of frozen veggies, chopped onion, chopped potatoes, and 3 cans of chicken stock in a large pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in another pot on medium heat. Stir in flour until smooth and cook for a few minutes. Whisk in 2cups of milk and keep whisking until it thickens, around 5-8 minutes.

Cut the block of Velveeta cheese into cubes and add to the milk mixture. Stir the cheese until it is melted. Stir the cheese into the big pot with the vegetables and mix well. Let it cook for around 5 more minutes.

Serve with crackers, a salad, or a yummy sandwich :) Enjoy :)

Kraft's Double Chocolate Mousse (Low Fat)

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This is another recipe from Kraft.  I have been saving this in my "Recipes To Try" folder for quite some time and finally decided that I was going to make it this week. 

For all of you chocolate lovers out there, this is a great recipe!  It's very rich and creamy.....and....it's low fat :)  It's also very simple to make...and done in under 40 minutes.  I always thought making a mousse was a complicated procedure.  The only thing I didn't do was make it with Fat Free Cool Whip.  All I had on hand was the normal Cool Whip, but I'm not complaining :)  After making it, place the mousse in a graham cracker pie shell and presto....you have a Chocolate Mousse Pie.    I'll have try that the next time I make it  :)  Very yummy indeed!

Rating System:

Everyone in this family gives it a double thumbs up :)

Kraft's Double Chocolate Mousse

(adapted from Kraft.com)

2 cups cold fat free skim milk, divided

2 square's Baker's Semi-Sweet Chocolate

2 pkgs. of the little box of Jell-O Chocolate Fat Free Sugar Free instant pudding

2 cups thawed Cool Whip Fat Free Whipped Topping

1/2 cup fresh raspberries (optional)

Microwave 1 cup milk and chocolate squares in large microwaveable bowl on high 2 min.

Whisk until chocolate is melted. Add remaining milk and dry pudding mi.

Beat 2 min. Refrigerate 20 min.

Whisk in 1-1/2 cups Cool Whip.

Spoon into 6 dessert dishes and top with the last half of Cool Whip.

Garnish with raspberries.

Spinach, Ricotta, and Parmesan Roll Ups

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What happens when you make a casserole dish full of lasagna and you end up with extra noodles?  Am I the only one this happens to or are there more out there like me?  This happens every time I make lasagna.  It. Never. Fails.  I always end up with 8-10 extra noodles...and they just wind up sitting in my cabinet until the next time I make a casserole.

I was feeling restless the other day and wanted to do something with the 8 extra ones I had from the last time I attempted to make lasagna.  I did lots and lots and lots of research (Google is such a wonderful thing) and came up with soooo many ideas.  Did y'all know you could cut these up, top with Parmesan cheese, bake em' and dip them in marinara sauce to serve as an appetizer?  Or what about using them to make a breakfast strata/casserole of sorts? 

I loved both of these ideas, however, I was looking to make a dinner out of the ones I had.  I wanted to figure out if one box of lasagna noodles could produce 2 different dinners?  I'm here to tell y'all....it sure can ;)

The original recipe came from Taste of Homes...however I tweaked things just a tad bit to fit our needs. So the next time you have some extra lasagna noodles, give these babies a try :)  You won't be sorry ;)

Spinach, Ricotta, and Parmesan Roll Ups

(inspired by Taste of Homes~Makes 8 Roll Ups)

Ingredients:

8 lasagna noodles

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 and 1/2 cups of Ricotta Cheese

1 and 1/2 cups of Shredded Mozzarella Cheese (optional)

1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese

10 oz. package frozen chopped Spinach, thawed and drained

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1 jar meatless spaghetti sauce (any flavor)

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2.  Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions.  Drain and lay them down separately on tin foil to cool.

3.  Combine the rest of the ingredients, except spaghetti sauce, in a bowl.  Making sure to mix well.

4.  Pour 1 cup of spaghetti sauce into an ungreased baking dish.

5.  Spread 1/3 cup of cheese/spinach mixture onto each noodle....from one end to the other.

6.  Roll each noodle and place in baking dish, seam side down over the sauce.

7.  Spread the remaining sauce onto the roll ups.

8.  Bake, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes. Enjoy :)