Recipes – Carrie Ann Alexis

Hello everyone…it’s a cold one again. Didn’t want to get from under my nice warm covers this morning!! We have the day off today from school, but of course I’ve got other things to do. I have some shelves I need to organize, and am working on our taxes, which is something I actually enjoy doing!! Enjoy your week!!

Linking-up with Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom.

THE WEATHER OUTSIDE IS:
Snow Squall? What the heck is a snow squall? I think they are starting to make things up now, lol. OK Google…what is a snow squall? A snowsquall is a sudden moderately heavy snow fall with blowing snow and strong, gusty surface winds. Huh…should be fun.

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WHATS FEEDING MY BOOK ADDICTION:
Just finished Hide Your Heart by Tracey Alvarez. This one was pretty standard, she’s hiding out and healing from an abusive relationship. He’s the type of guy that doesn’t settle down, he’s not made that way…until he is. What I liked was story took place in New Zealand, so that was different. Also the main character was a former model, but now restores cars with her brother, and was quite the mechanic, and could wield a chain saw. The male main character was a photojournalist, which he explained as “Photographers capture nouns; photojournalists shoot verbs.” I need to find a good suspense to read, haven’t done that in awhile.

LOL CHUCKLES, AND GIGGLES:

RECIPE I WILL TRY THIS WEEK:
I will try this one this week, I bought the ingredients when I went shopping. I even have fresh basil to use…my boys will probably ask why there are leaves in the food 😐 Looks yummy. I am also trying a different sauce. I normally use Prego with all my Italian dishes, this time I bought a Newmann’s Own sauce. I really want to try the Bongiovi brand one of these days, I think Target sells it. Bongiovi as in Jon Bon Jovi!! I saw him and his dad on one of the cooking shows, the sauce is their family recipe. Anniehow…Chicken Parmesan Baked Penne is what’s on the menu this week.

FAVORITE BLOG POST:
This is incredible. This woman is beautifully strong. I couldn’t imagine being that flexible.

THIS I HAVE TO TRY:
If this works, it will be amazing. I love to make Deviled Eggs, but hate to peel them. Also, this would work great when I make soft boiled eggs, you could probably use warm water, so that they stay warm.

FROM THE CAMERA:
He is literally chillin’…I love the seagulls out here!!

QUOTES:

Hey There…looks like winter has finally arrived. We had a little bit of snow on Saturday, and now it is fa-reezing!! Single digits with wind chills below zero. We might get more snow in the next couple of days!! 😀 Everyone is feeling better, now I feel like I can get my new year started!!

Linking-up with Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom.

THE WEATHER OUTSIDE IS:

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WHAT I HAVE READ:
Underwood, Scotch, and Wry by Brian D. Meeks. This was one of those ones that Amazon advertised on my Kindle. I want to read more things out of the norm, and this was just that, but I liked it. Very dry, sarcastic, snarky humor throughout.

Arthur Byrne is a 50-ish year old Lit Professor, who doesn’t like anything, he says whatever he wants without apology. He likes to talk about literature and is a published author himself, of one book. He hasn’t written since, because he claims he has forgotten how. The Dean of the college wants to get rid of him, because she feels he doesn’t represent the fine reputation of the school. She has him to teach a class on Social Media, thinking he will totally fail, since he abhors technology. He does find himself in a compromising situation, which isn’t hard, since he does drink a lot. If only the depiction of campus life was embellished for entertainment’s sake, sadly I’m sure it was spot on. Beyond that, I enjoyed all the social media talk in this book, the character as a writer, and the relationships between him and his TA’s and how social media bridges the age gap, as they communicate through twitter.

LOL CHUCKLES, AND GIGGLES:
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RECIPE I HAVE TRIED:
I did try the Classic Chicken and Noodle Casserole, and it was very good. I think I would add maybe a little more pepper to it. It’s good re-heated as well.

CLASSIC CHICKEN NOODLE CASSEROLE

Serves 8

Ingredients

1 pound egg noodles
2-3 cups cooked chicken, cubed
1 (14 oz.) can cream of chicken soup
1 (10.75 oz.) can condensed cream of mushroom soup *
1 (16 oz.) bag frozen peas and carrots
3/4 cup heavy cream
2/3 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, grated
1/3 cup seasoned Italian breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon garlic salt
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

* I used cream of celery soup as I do not do mushrooms at all.

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375∫ F.

2. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook egg noodles according to packaging directions, or until al dente.

3. Drain and set aside.

4. In a large bowl, combine soups and heavy cream and stir together to mix.

5. Add frozen vegetables, cheddar cheese, cubed chicken and egg noodles, and season with garlic salt and pepper.

6. Pour mixture into a large casserole dish and lightly tap it against the counter to remove air bubbles and smooth it out.

7. In a separate bowl, toss together breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese and melted butter. Sprinkle evenly over the top of casserole.

8. Place baking dish in oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until vegetables are tender and sauce is bubbly.

9. Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes. Transfer to serving bowls and garnish with more cheese.

This is what I want to try next…Ice Cream Bread. Never thought you could bake ice cream, looks interesting!! Maybe when it warms up….like in the 30s, LOL.

FAVORITE BLOG POST:
I thought this was so clever. With all the cooking vidoes that you see, this is so creative, I would love to have one of these!!