Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Monday Menu on Tuesday--Your Turn, Too!


There is a give-away tucked inside this post!  Read carefully and jump on in!  

Last week, it seemed like every day held some hidden surprise.  A volleyball tournament we did not know about, a church event that included dinner, a birthday outing and concert... all wonderful things that we loved attending.  But, for the first time this year, our menu went right out the window!  Now, I am not complaining because the week was good... and because I am ahead of the game for this week!  :)  Last week's menu will essentially become this week's menu, with a few minor changes for the meals we did make.

So, today let's try something new.  Deal?  Are you in?

I know you wander in here, all quiet-like and take a peek around.  But, one of the things I love (like really, really love) is community.  In some ways, we have it here.  I think about some stuff, write it down, you stop on by and read it.  Sometimes, you leave a comment.  Sometimes, you send an email or contact me on Facebook.  Sometimes, we just both think about the same stuff on the same day.  We are doing some "same things" at the same time and we get a little peek into community.

But, for today, let's approach it more intentionally.  Still reading?  :)

Let's talk about family friendly food.  What do you make for your family that they love to eat?  A casserole?  Some yummy meal?  Can you like it to a recipe site?  I would love to see us leave a comment with a recipe link (or type in the recipe!) so that we are all sharing new ideas with one another.  Then, we will all have a bunch of things to try in the upcoming weeks!

Now, I know some of you are already telling yourself that you are not going to do this!  C'mon now!  We need your ideas too!

And there's more!

Every single one of you who leaves a comment here before midnight tonight will be entered in a give-away!!!

So, here's the scoop:

Several years ago while we were fundraising for our adoption, we partnered with 9 other adopting families to write a cookbook.  We did the whole thing ourselves.  We collected recipes, formatted the book and had it published.  The book is amazing and overflowing with family-friendly, tried and true recipes.  There are almost 400 pages in our book and it is the first thing I reach for when I need a recipe.

Wouldn't you love this book??  All you have to do is leave a recipe or a link to a recipe in the comments below and you will automatically be entered to win a copy of this helpful cookbook!  Want to have more than one entry?  You may enter twice by leaving two comments with recipes or recipe links!  Just please be sure to leave enough information that I can reach you when you win!

Did I mention that a copy of our cookbook has been in the hands of a United States President??  It's true!  Our book was (and likely still is) used by a first-lady and was bought by her husband at a farmer's market in Iowa.  Would you like to guess which President?

So, let's get started!  You know you want in!

I will leave the first recipe.  We had this last night!

Swiss Chicken Casserole:  My kids loved this!  I will say though, that I altered the recipe a bit.  Once I took the foil off to finish the baking, I poured some chicken broth on the top to make the stuffing a big more "stuffing-like".  We served it with roasted Brussels sprouts.  So good and so easy!


Now, it's your turn.  I cannot wait to try what works for you!

So there we go!  The give-away begins!

Blessings on your day!

6 comments:

andrew,betsy,& noura said...

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/1587

we love this tilapia and usually serve it with asparagus and another veg. super yummy!

Janelle said...

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/baked-spaghetti-recipe2/index.html

Easy and Yummy!

Stephanie said...

Chicken Casserole:
Approx. 4 C. cooked chopped chicken
1/3 C. sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
1.5 C. mozz. cheese
Frozen California blend veggies
1 box stuffing
1.5 C. hot water

Spread chicken on bottom of 9x13.
Mix sour cream, soup, cheese, and veggies. Spread this mixture over chicken.
Mix hot water with stuffing to moisten. Spread on top of casserole.
Bake uncovered @ 350 degrees for approx. 30 minutes until heated through.

adrienne said...

I made this bolognese sauce tonight and it was awesome. It tasted just like Maggiano's!!

http://www.framedcooks.com/2009/12/best-slow-cooker-bolognese-sauce-ever.html

adrienne said...

Here's another one that everyone loved:

Crockpot Italian Chicken: 4 chicken breasts, 1 packet Zesty Italian dressing seasoning, 1 8 oz. cream cheese (softened), 2 cans cream of chicken soup; Cook on low for 4 hours. If sauce is too thick, add a little milk. Serve over pasta.

Charity said...

One of our family favorites (and freezer friendly) is Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole:

6-7 b/s chicken breasts, cooked and cut up
1-2 10.75 oz. cans cream of chicken soup
2 lbs. ham, diced
1/2 lb. swiss cheese
1/2 cup margarine, melted & mixed with 2 cups seasoned stuffing, crushed

Layer in 9x13 baking dish in the order given. Bake uncovered for 45 min-1 hour at 300 degrees.

To make it more budget friendly, I use a whole chicken, rather than just chicken breast. The recipe calls for 2 cans of soup, but I find one is enough.

It is a pretty flexible recipe - if I have less ham, I add more chicken. Shy on cheese, no big deal! And, when I freeze it, I put a layer of plastic wrap over the cheese layer, put the stuffing mix in a sealed plastic bag, and then wrap with foil and write the instructions on top (don't forget to mention the 1/2 cup margarine needed).

Enjoy!