My New Saturday Happy Place

My new Happy Place

I have a new Happy Place this fall on Saturdays. After ten straight years of buying season tickets to Auburn football games, we have come to the decision that our lives are too busy to fit in going to the Plains on Saturdays.  Our girls' schedules are so busy with extra curricular activities that we just can't run ourselves ragged in the fall any more. I LOVE Auburn. It's my Happy Place on Saturdays in the fall. The smells of food coming from the tailgates, friendly shouts of War Eagle, a sea of orange and blue, browsing the book stores, seeing familiar faces, Tiger Walk, the eagle soaring over Jordan Hare, and the all important Tigers running on to the field to the tune of the Fight Song being played by the band are enough to make me misty eyed. Sigh. So now my new Saturday Happy Place is my TV room. I'm good with it. It's a new season in our lives. And the part I like best is, when the game is over, I can turn off the TV and lights and go to bed. War Eagle!!

Quick and Easy Stromboli

This is one of our favorite Wednesday night meals because it's fast and tasty. When you have to be at church by 6:15 you need a quick recipe!  It's also great for parties. You can fill it with whatever you like as well. The trick is to make sure that the dough is cold. I mean straight from the fridge, because it won't unroll as well when it's warm. I am giving two versions we have tried, but be creative! Enjoy!

Pizza Stromboli

Pizza Stromboli

1 tube refrigerated french bread

1/3 cup pizza sauce

1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella

pepperoni

mushrooms

olives

any other topping you would like

Unroll dough on a greased baking sheet. Spread pizza sauce over the dough to within an inch of the edges. Sprinkle with mozzarella, pepperoni, mushrooms and any other toppings. Roll up jelly-roll style starting with the long side.  Pinch seams to seal and tuck ends under. Place seam side down on a baking sheet or stone. With a sharp knife, cut several slits on top of the loaf. Bake a 350 for 25-30 minutes or until golden. Cool slightly before serving. Serve warm with heated pizza or marinara sauce. 

Ham and Swiss Stromboli

1 tube of refrigerated french bread

Thinly sliced deli ham

6 green onions, sliced

8 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled

1 1/2 cups shredded Swiss cheese

Unroll dough on a greased baking sheet. Place ham over dough to within 1/2in. of edges; sprinkle evenly with onions, bacon, and cheese. Roll up jelly-roll style starting with the long side.  Pinch seams to seal and tuck ends under. Place seam side down on a baking sheet or stone. With a sharp knife, cut several slits on top of the loaf. Bake a 350 for 25-30 minutes or until golden. Cool slightly before serving. Serve warm. 

Sun-dried Tomato and Basil Pasta

Back to school again means quick and easy meals are a must! Especially for the first couple of weeks. And they have to be delicious too! Here's a semi-homemade one that we enjoy and it takes less than 30 minutes. I made it several times this summer with our fresh basil and tomatoes from our garden and it is SO GOOD. Enjoy!

Sun-dried Tomato and Basil Pasta

Ingredients

1 (20-oz.) package refrigerated four-cheese ravioli             

1 (16-oz.) jar sun-dried tomato Alfredo sauce       

2 tablespoons white wine                        

2 medium-size fresh tomatoes, chopped*

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Click to see savings

Garnish: fresh basil strips

Preparation

1.  Prepare pasta according to package directions.
2.  Meanwhile, pour Alfredo sauce into a medium saucepan. Pour wine into sauce jar; cover tightly, and shake well. Stir wine mixture into saucepan. Stir in chopped tomatoes and 1/2 cup chopped basil, and cook over medium-low heat 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Toss with pasta, and top evenly with 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese. Garnish, if desired.
3. 1 (13-oz.) package three-cheese tortellini may be substituted.

     * (14.5-oz.) can petite diced tomatoes, fully drained, may be substituted.

Sour Cream Noodle Bake

When we came home from church today, I whipped this up in 35 minutes. It's super tasty and makes great leftovers for lunch the next day. I am a  Ree Drummond ( The Pioneer Woman) fan. I DVR all of her episodes on Food Network and have one of her cookbooks. This is one recipe I have to give her credit for. It's delicious!

Sour Cream Noodle Bake

Ingredients
1 1/4 pounds ground chuck
One 15-ounce can tomato sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
8 ounces egg noodles
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/4 cups small curd cottage cheese
Pinch red pepper flakes
1/2 cup sliced green onions (less to taste)
1 cup grated sharp Cheddar


Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Brown the ground chuck in a large skillet. Drain the fat, and then add the tomato sauce, 1/2 teaspoon salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Stir, and then simmer while you prepare the other ingredients.

Cook the egg noodles until al dente. Drain and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the sour cream and cottage cheese. Add plenty of freshly ground black pepper and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Add to the noodles and stir. Add the green onions and stir.

To assemble, add half of the noodles to a baking dish. Top with half the meat mixture, and then sprinkle on half the grated Cheddar. Repeat with noodles, meat and then a final layer of cheese. Bake until all the cheese is melted, about 20 minutes.

Serve with crusty French bread.

Sun-dried Tomato and Chicken Pasta

Yesterday was a busy Saturday! Last minute back to school shopping and several errands left us pretty hungry. And with the cooler and wetter than normal August weather, we wanted some comfort food. This has become one of our new favorites. It's a pan of creamy, cheesy, flavorful, goodness! It's a keeper for sure.

Sun-dried Tomato and Chicken Pasta

Serves 8

6 tablespoons butter

1 box of Penne

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 tablespoon seasoned salt

1/2 cup flour

2 garlic cloves, minced

6 cups milk (I used 2%)

1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, diced

2 cups of grated mozzarella

1 cup grated Parmesan

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Cook your Penne in a large pot of boiling salted water until almost tender.  Drain and return to pot.  

Dice chicken into bite size pieces and toss with seasoned salt.  Saute in pan until browned.  

In a large heavy pot or dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat.  Add flour and garlic, whisk and cook for 1 minute.  Gradually add milk while whisking and bring to a simmer, whisking frequently until sauce thickens, about 6-8 minutes.  Add tomatoes, cook for 1 minute.  Take off heat and add mozzarella and 1/2 cup Parmesan.  

Add chicken and pasta to sauce and season with salt and pepper.  Pour mixture into baking dish and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan.  Bake for about 25 minutes until golden and bubbling.  

Can be easily halved. 

Day Trip with Kara

A few weeks ago Kara and I had a chance to tag along with Trey on a business trip to Birmingham. His conference was held at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens.  While he was learning, Kara and I browsed the gardens. It was a beautiful day and not too hot for a July day in Alabama. We were even able to enjoy sitting outside in the shade for lunch at the Gardens Cafe. The special of the day was Chicken Lasagna. Kara ordered it, and it inspired me to try to find a close substitute to make at home. I think I've come pretty close to finding it. I've shared it below along with some of our shots from the day. Enjoy! 

And, here's the recipe for Chicken Lasagna!

Chicken Lasagna

2 cups shredded cooked chicken breasts

1 can (14 oz) artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

1 8oz. pkg. shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

2  8oz. pkgs. cream cheese, softened

1 cup milk ( I used 2%)

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 cup tightly packed fresh basil, chopped, divided

12 lasagna noodles

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. 

Combine chicken, chopped artichokes, 1 cup mozzarella, and parmesan. Beat cream cheese,  milk, and garlic powder with a mixer until well blended; stir in 2 Tbsp. of basil. Mix half with the chicken mixture.

Spread half of the remaining cream cheese mixture onto bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish; cover with 3 noodles and 1/3 of the chicken mixture. Repeat layers of noodles and chicken mixture twice. Top with remaining noodles, cream cheese mixture, and mozzarella; cover. 

Bake for 25 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with remaining basil. Let stand 5 min. before cutting to serve. 

Strawberry Muffins

                                                   

Muffins for Breakfast

One of my favorite recipes to make with fresh strawberries came from a link on Pinterest. I have included the link to the recipe below. They are so yummy!!
Strawberry Muffins

Hungry? Give me 30! (or less)

My family loves a good meal. Heck, I do too! And now that I've started back to school, I'm trying out some of my new finds from this summer that are quick, easy, and delicious. The one we're having tonight is Chicken Tacos. It's a no brainer and it's done in the crock-pot so it doesn't heat up the kitchen. Chop up your fixins', add in a side of Spanish rice, and you've got a great meal, all in under 30 minutes! 

Chicken Tacos


3 large, boneless chicken breasts
1/2 package Taco Seasoning
1 cup of Salsa

Add all ingredients to your slow cooker and cook 8 hours or until tender. Shred chicken. Fill flour tortillas with cooked chicken, chopped tomatoes, lettuce, onions, and shredded cheese. Top with sour cream.

* This is easily doubled. Cook time will be the same. :) 

Up With the Chickens

There are many sayings about life that have come from the habits of chickens. Some of my favorites include up with the chickens, go to bed with the chickens, you're a chicken!, I'm as mad as a wet hen, she's acting like a mother hen, he flew the coop, running around like a chicken with his head cut off! I could go on and on.
 Since we began raising our chicks in March of this year, I can say with all honesty that all of these sayings about chickens are true. They get up with the sun, go to bed when it gets dark, they are scared of everything, we have one who mothers all the others and when she's wet from rain she surely lets you know, they did fly the coop occasionally when they were babies, and well, hopefully the last one won't ever happen!!!

My blog name says it all here. Simple Joys. I would have never thought that taking care of these feathered girls would bring so much happiness. They love to see us coming to visit them. They love to roam the yard. Henny Penny likes to jump on my back and chill out. We can  pick them up and pet them. We give them treats occasionally, and they repay us with fresh eggs. Now, about that. Most are not laying as of yet because they are too young. However, this morning I had a very nice surprise waiting in the nesting box from Lucy. Our first brown egg!!! All our hard work of taking care of them and giving them a happy life has begun to pay off. Between her and our Araucana(Annie,who lays blue/green eggs) we shouldn't have to buy eggs from the grocery store again. And eventually when they all start to lay, we will be able to share with friends and family. Simple Joys. It's what life's all about.

Flamingos

I have a group of friends that I just love spending time with. Some are teachers like myself, one is the children's minister at my church, and another is just a great friend that I met at church. Between us we have 18 children. I've taught 5 of their children at one time or another in second grade. We call ourselves 'The Flamingos'. More about that another time.

We get together before school starts every year and we go to the beach. This year, being our fifth anniversary, we had these cutsie shirts made up to honor the occasion and we found the life guard stand with our anniversary number on it for the perfect photo opp!

We REALLY look forward to this trip. Our husbands are happy to take on the roll of mom for us while we get away for a few days. We laugh, sit on the beach, laugh, eat, laugh, shop, laugh, play games, and laugh, and did I mention that we laugh!?! This year, we did a little something different. We took a dolphin cruise that was fabulous! This was much to the chagrin of one flamingo group member who thinks all boats are of the devil. She endured. She lived. But she still thinks that all boats are of the devil. Can't wait till next year! We just may have another surprise up our sleeves for her...

Good Intentions

Well, as you can see from my first post, I had intended to start a blog almost two years ago. Today was the first time I've looked at this page since then. I really did have good intentions. I enjoy reading blogs and gaining inspiration and wisdom through others, but I guess it's just not as easy to sit and share on my own blog as I thought it would be. Encouragement to continue this blog came to me today in a workshop on blogging offered by my school system's Technology Day. I learned a few 'tricks of the trade' so to speak. So now I feel I am armed with enough to post away!! Anyway, I could use a few more tips and hints so any you have would be greatly appreciated! I look forward to making new friends and sharing recipes, gardening tips, decorating ideas, family life, and whatever else is on my mind. Bye and happy Friday!