OMG it's Thursday already!

I haven't gotten to the grocery store yet this week.  What to have for dinner?  Well,  I have some pasta, I have cream of mushroom soup,  I have a can of chicken.  Oh what the heck,  let's make a chicken casserole.

This is an easy, fast and delicious dinner.   Boil the pasta (1 lb), mix 2 cans cream of mushroom soup with 1/2 cup of heavy cream.  Add frozen peas and mushrooms for extra flavor,  granulated garlic and some dehydrated onions.    Mix it all together and then add the chicken.  When the noodles are done,  put it all together and top it with French Fried Onions.  Bake it for about 30 minutes and serve!  Delicious.  It will serve about 6-8 people.  Try it you'll like it.....

Busy Weekend

Saturday was a  busy, busy day for us.  Went to an open house for a dear couple we know in the afternoon, and then were invited to a birthday party in a beautiful lake home in Glenview.  Live entertainment and a lot of food and drink flowing!  Had a fun time.

Sunday - rested around the house today after that busy day yesterday.  Made lasagna for dinner.  Had all the ingredients in the house so, why not?  Turned out really good.  Infact, we will have it again for dinner tonight.

Friday Night

Friday night,  hot outside,  not really hungry, what to make?    I have some Barese sausage in the fridge and three green peppers I bought and didn't use yet.  OK,  Sausage and peppers with fresh tomatoes.  MMMM good.  I found 2 ciabatta rolls frozen (don't you love to find things you forgot you had in the freezer?) and put them in the convection oven for a few minutes.  A light dinner,  but a good one.   Sausage and Pepper sandwiches.  Tomato and mozarrella salad along with it and that's it.  Mangia!

Ahhh, Eggplant Parmesiana!

Tonight, I made eggplant parmesiana.  The best I have ever made.  I deviated from my mom's recipe a bit, and boy she would be proud!!
Here is the recipe:

EGGPLANT PARMESIAN

1 medium eggplant

3 eggs beaten

¼ c parmesian cheese grated

½ c flour

1 ½ c panko breadcrumbs Italian flavored

1 small jar of tomato sauce

1 c water

2 c shredded cheddar cheese

¾ c olive oil

1. Peel and slice the eggplant into thin slices
2. Lay the slices out on a cookie sheet
3. Sprinkle salt on the eggplant
4. Take the jar of tomato sauce and mix the whole thing with 1 cup water in a bowl. It needs to be thin.
5. Beat the eggs with ¼ c parmesian cheese
6. Have 3 dishes ready – flour, egg mixture, bread crumbs
7. Rinse the eggplant quickly to remove some of the salt
8. Have glass casserole dish ready.  Pour a little sauce on bottom.
9. Put ½ c olive oil in skillet and heat
10. Dip the eggplant slices in flour, egg mixture and then in bread crumbs.
11. Fry them in skillet until brown
12. Layer them on the bottom of the casserole dish in single layer
13. Sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese over eggplant
14. Ladle sauce over the layer.
15. Continue to fry the eggplant and make layers until all cooked up.  Add more olive oil as needed.
16. Pour sauce over top and more shredded cheese.
17. Bake in 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes until bubbly.

Makes about 6 servings.  Cook time 35 -45 minutes.

Try this, I'm sure you'll like it!  Until next time....mangia!

Meatless Monday

Today was a beautiful day.  I didn't know what to make for dinner.  I found a bag of salad shrimp in the freezer and remembered I had bought flour torillas last week.  WaLa!  Why not shrimp tacos?  Never made them before so I experimented.
I sauteed 1/2 onion in olive oil in skillet.
Added the shrimp.  Let them simmer
Added some cajun spice about 1 1/2 tsp, and 1 tsp cayenne pepper.
Cut up a tomato, shredded some cheese, shredded some lettuce, and pulled out the sour cream.
Heated the tortilla in a skillet, filled them with the shrimp mixture and topped them with the condiments. 
Served it with black beans and rice on the side.  What a delicious, quick dinner my husband loved.

I'm getting so good with quick meals.  I forget to plan ahead sometimes and have to improvise... 

what a busy weekend!

Had guests over this weekend and served this refreshing Cran-Raspberry Mousse dessert.  Easy and actually tastes like cranberry jello!   Served them in stem glasses to make them look classier then they were!
Enjoyed by all. 
Graduation parties are plentiful this month.  Congratulations to anyone who has a graduate. 

Goodies for the Workshop!

Wednesday night my husband Fred did a workshop in Past Life Regression and I provided the refreshments.  It was a nice evening.  I provided homemade chocolate chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter cookies, tortilla rollups of various kinds and crabmeat dip with crackers.   The people who attended really seemed to appreciate the goody table and I enjoyed making all the food!  I can't wait until the next one next Wednesday.  Maybe I'll make some different kinds of things.