What's for Dinner?

When I became a stay at home wife/mom, I envisioned making all these glamorous impressive dinners.  And I actually did, for a while.  And then Tripp started to crawl.  And then Tripp started to walk.  And then Tripp started to think, and plan, and scheme.  And then Tripp turned into a Tasmanian devil.  Not sure if any of you have tried to make an elegant meal with an almost three year old in tow, but it's HARD.  Seriously hard and time consuming and not cost effective at all.  So my recipes have turned into quick, same old, chicken and pasta dishes.  And here's where I need your help!  We're tired of eating chicken and pasta.  TIRED OF IT!  We're starting to cluck and grow feathers.  That's how tired of it we are.  Would you please, if you get a moment email me, or leave a note on my FB page or in the comments section of this blog, letting me know your favorite weeknight go-to dishes?  I would love some changes in our standard menus and I know the boys in my life would appreciate it too!

For those of you who aren't tired of eating chicken and pasta, I'm including some easy, cheap, family friendly, and Tripp-approved recipes!


Chicken & Broccoli Casserole

Chicken & Rice Casserole

Chicken Stir Fry
2 t. oil
1 lb. boneless chicken breasts, cut into strips
3 c. frozen stir fry vegetables, THAWED (I aways forget this step)
1/4 c. Asian Sesame with Ginger dressing from KRAFT (I buy the frozen veggies at Sam's & they actually have sauce in the bag if you don't have the dressing on hand)
2T. soy sauce
1T. honey
1/4 cup chopped peanuts
4 cups hot cooked instant white rice

Cook chicken over Med High heat.  Add veggies, dressing, soy sauce, & honey.  Mix well.  Sprinkle with nuts & serve over rice.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole
2 cups penne pasta
2 cups shredded swiss cheese
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream (or 1 cup - to be honest, I can't remember!  but you'll be able to tell if you need to add more)
1 T. dijon mustard
2 chicken breasts
8 slices cold cut ham
1/2 chopped onion

Cook pasta as directed. Cut chicken breast & ham into bite sized pieces.  Cook in skillet with onion until chicken is cooked through.  In a 2 qt. casserole dish, add chicken, onion, ham, & penne.  Add one cup swiss cheese, cream, & dijon mustard.  Mix together.  Top the mixture with remaining swiss.  Cook for about 20 minutes or until cheese browns.

The NEW Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole
No offense to my mom who cooked this A LOT when we were growing up, but I'm kind of tired of poppy seed chicken.  And I NEVER have poppy seeds on hand.  Allen's grandmother made this chicken dish recently and I really liked it; best part about it - no poppy seeds!

2-3 boiled chicken breasts, shredded
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 8oz. container sour cream
8 oz. cooked egg noodles, cooked

Mix everything together! Top with crushed Ritz crackers! Drizzle 1/2 stick melted butter over top.  Cook @ 350 for about 30 minutes!  VOILA!  Easy-peasy, folks!

And a few beef dishes:

Beef & Spinach Pasta Bake
(my sneaky attempt to get Tripp to eat spinach.  I flat out lie and tell him it's lettuce.  He loves it.)

Easy Beef Stew
2 lbs. lean beef stew meat
6 medium potatoes, peeled & quartered
4 carrots, peeled & cut into chunks (or frozen)
1 onion, cut into large chunks
1 package onion soup mix
1 can tomato soup OR tomato sauce OR V-8 juice (just something red & tomato flavor)
1/3 cup red cooking wine
2 cups or more water
1/2 t. seasoning salt OR 1/2 t. salt + 1/2 t. pepper + dash garlic powder

Blend liquid ingredients in crock pot; add meat & vegetables and blend.  If needed add enough water to cover. Cook for about 5 hours.

Meat & Potatoes Casserole
1 lb. ground beef
3 cups peeled, thinly sliced potatoes
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup milk
salt & pepper
1 cup shredded cheese

Brown meat & onion; drain.  Put meat in bottom of 9x13, then layer with potatoes.  Mix soup, milk, salt & pepper; pour over potatoes.  Top with shredded cheese.  Bake @ 350 until cheese is browned.


There you have it!  Some of these recipes I have to tweak based on what I have on hand.  But I really don't think you can mess up on any of them.  I once forgot to cook the noodles for the chicken egg noodle casserole and it was still good.  Chewy, but edible. :)

OK folks, it's 2:30-you've got 3 hours to send me some recipes!  Happy Monday!

My Wonderful, Sweet, Thoughtful Husband

I know most of my posts are all about Tripp, but today, it's all about Allen.  Look what I got in the mail this week....wait for it....are you ready?????

HELLOOOOO, CHIANG MAI!!!!!!

I have wanted these pillows for about, oh, two years, now. I know it's crazy. I do. I don't usually obsess over things like this. But I must confess, I got a little misty-eyed when I opened the package and saw not one, but two lovely pillow covers! Allen bought them for me for Christmas and the funny thing is I don't have a sofa to put them on! I sold our couch and loveseat combo around Thanksgiving and we still haven't found anything that we can both agree on.  I would really like a small, light colored sectional with clean lines. Our living room is small and I don't want anything bulky; unlike Allen, who has his eye on a brown monstrosity that would take up the entire space.

This is what I'm envisioning:

And I have a feeling this is what Allen is envisioning:

Shannon's Vision:

Allen's Vision:

See the difference? :-)

OK, OK, so I might be exaggerating just a little!  I will admit the sectional he picked out is super comfortable. I will give him credit for that.  And another thing I'll give him credit for (while I'm on the subject) is him giving me the best birthday present ever!  Did you all know I turned 30 on 11-11-11?  I did and I lived to tell about it. The build up was much worse than the actual day. The actual day was completely perfect, mainly because the careful planning of my (insert title... wonderful, sweet, thoughtful) husband.

He sent an email to family and a few friends asking everyone to send a note, card, or letter and write about a special memory or something about me they liked (thankfully, no one wrote about the qualities they didn't like!:-)).

It was hands down the best birthday present ever.  I read those cards and letters, cried about three rivers, and wondered how in the world a girl like me could end up being so blessed!  After I drank about a pot of coffee and had gone through my second box of Kleenex, Allen took me to lunch and then dropped me off at the spa, where I spent a whopping 6 hours!  It was fantastic and exactly how I wanted to spend my day.  It almost made me want to turn 30 again, and again, and again...

Thank you to Allen for making it the best birthday, to mom for keeping Tripp, and to all of you who sent cards.  It really meant so much to me!  I have the cards and letters near my desk and read them often.  But only if I have a full box of Kleenex near by. :-)

P.S. - He's also a pretty great dad