What’s for lunch? A big pan of baked spaghetti. Or Pasketti as Bytes’ Big Brother used to say. The whole family will love it! Layers of pasta, meat sauce, sour cream and cheese – comfort food of the highest order! The number of servings will depend on the appetites at your house. It makes 8 large servings, which will serve the three of us with two man-sized servings (and one regular serving for me) for TWO meals. Two littles usually ate the equivalent of one of the 8 servings. Which means enough for the man sized eater, two littles and one regular serving. The point? You may very easily get TWO meals for the effort in making one! And that’s a bonus in my book. If your cooking tends to be based on last minute decisions, you’ll find no judgment here because there are a lot ... [Read More]
casserole
Enchilada Bake
Layered Enchilada Bake is deliciously easy. You get all the goodness and flavor of an enchilada without wrapping and tucking tortillas. And – IF – there are any left overs they are even better than the serving you had when they were freshly made! Begin by browning the ground beef. Drain excess grease and push the meat to one side to lightly saute the chopped onion. Stir in the can of corn and the enchilada sauce (mild or to your taste), plus the Taco seasoning mix. Bring to boil, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat when mixture reaches a boil. In the meantime, place two tortillas end to end in a 9x13 pan sprayed with cooking spray. Cut a third tortilla into 2 inch wide strips and place around the edges so that the bottom is fully covered. Spread half the sour ... [Read More]
Slow Cooker Southwestern Breakfast Casserole
Southwestern Breakfast Casserole made in the slow cooker is a great way to wake up in the morning. It's yummy enough -- and pretty enough -- to serve guests even when you've stayed up late the night before. I am always up around 3 in the morning so putting it in the crockpot to cook for 3 - 4 hours before breakfast is not a problem. Another alternative is to start it cooking before bed and program the slow cooker to keep it warm after cooking until needed. If you must, put the casserole in the slow cooker insert, cover and put it in the refrigerator, set your phone for the right time to allow for 4 hours cooking. When the alarm sounds slip down to the kitchen, put the insert in the crockpot, turn it on and head back to bed. It's worth it! You know I am not a spice fan -- but if ... [Read More]
Easy Ravioli and Sausage Lasagna
Cheesy, flavorful Baked Ravioli and Sausage Lasagna is busy day casserole that is deliciously filling. It tastes like you spent hours, layering and cooking – but you don’t. In fact, this recipe is almost stress free! It doesn’t come out in beautiful layers and is not particularly photogenic (as you can tell!). But that doesn’t matter because the littles and the bigs at your house will love it!!! It tastes great and hugs with full tummies are a winner every time. Use frozen ingredients and this will go together in a flash, ready to bake in about 5 minutes. Even the onions are chopped and frozen ahead of time. You can do this yourself, but I keep a package of frozen onions in the freezer for quick meals. The sausage crumbles were a first for me – great addition! They were ... [Read More]
Peaches and Cream Baked French Toast
Peaches and Cream topped with struesel on top of a puffy custard French Toast -- a winning combination of sweet, crunchy, creamy and downright delicious. This can be made ahead for a deliciously spectacular holiday breakfast. Begin with a dense bread, such as French, Italian, sourdough or other artisan bread. Cut bread slices in quarters and fit them snugly in an 8x8 inch pan. Add pats of cream cheese to each piece and stack another layer of bread quarters on top. Stir together the custard ingredients and pour evenly over the bread. I used no sugar added sliced peaches and placed them tightly over the bread and custard. Cover with plastic wrap, pop in the fridge. Quickly mix butter, pecans, flour and brown sugar together and put the mixture into a zipper sandwich bag so it will ... [Read More]
Cheesy Egg and Sausage Bake
Hearty, filling and delicious, great for a busy day breakfast, this dish is low carb and a good source of protein. It’s the perfect solution for what to feed a group for breakfast. Pop it in the oven, prepare coffee, add bakery cinnamon rolls (or your own made ahead) and/or slices of melon and you have a memorable breakfast for a holiday or overnight guests. Slabs of Cheesy Baked Egg and Sausage make a good brinner dish too. You know – brinner – breakfast for dinner. It is satisfying in a stick to your ribs, comfort food kind of way. To make ahead, mix whisked eggs, and cheeses together and refrigerate overnight. Brown sausage or bacon and refrigerate. Add melted butter, flour and baking powder the next morning before pouring into prepared baking pan and popping in the oven. ... [Read More]
