Happy Halloween from our family to yours!

I put a funny little video up. Couldn't figure out how to put it into a post. Anyway, it made me laugh. Happy Halloween!

A couple recipes that saved me this week

I was such a slacker with my menu planning that I totally spaced dinner a couple nights this week. My new found website is campbells.com . They have some awesome recipes with few ingredients that are really tasty. Here are two recipes I discovered from their website this week:

Beef Taco Skillet

From: Campbell's Kitchen

Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Tomato Soup (Regular or Healthy Request®)
1/2 cup salsa
1/2 cup water
6 flour tortillas (6-inch), cut into 1-inch pieces

1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions:

Cook the beef in a 10-inch skillet over medium-

high heat until well browned, stirring often to separate meat. Pour off any fat.

Stir the soup, salsa, water and tortillas in the skillet and heat to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Cook for 5 minutes. Stir the beef mixture. Top

with the cheese.

Creamy Mexican Fiesta: Stir in 1/2 cup sour cream with the soup.

Ranchero Style: Use corn tortillas instead of flour tortillas and shredded Mexican cheese blend instead of Cheddar.

Serving Suggestion: Serve with a mixed gre

en salad with Italian salad dressing and corn-on-the cob. For dessert serve with a store bought flan.

Nutrition Information

Using Campbell's® Condensed Tom

ato Soup : Calories 398, Total Fat 17g, Saturated Fat 0g, Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 838mg, Total Carbohydrate 32g, Dietary Fiber 3g, Protein 28g, Vitamin A 0%DV, Vitamin C 0%DV, Calcium 0%DV, Iron 0%DV

I used ground turkey for this recipe. I'm trying to alter my diet to involve more vegetables and more lower fat meats to see if I will lose weight without having to join weight watchers. This one is my favorite out of the two.

Here is the second recipe:

Hearty Chicken & Noodle Casserole

From: Campbell's Kitchen

Prep: 15 minutes
Bake: 25 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup (Regular or 98% Fat Free)
1/2 cup milk
1 cup frozen mixed vegetables
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
2 cups medium egg noodles, cooked and drained
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions:

Heat the oven to 400°F. Stir the soup, milk, vegetables, chicken, noodles, Parmesan cheese and black pepper in a 1 1/2-quart casserole.

Bake for 25 minutes or until the chicken mixture is hot and bubbling. Stir the chicken mixture. Top with the cheese. Let stand until the cheese is melted.

Serving Suggestion: Serve with a steamed vegetable blend: broccoli, cauliflower and carrots, and a Caesar salad. For dessert serve fresh strawberries topped with whipped topping.

Tip: Easy casseroles like this one are a simple way to transform leftovers. Cooked chicken, turkey or ham will all work in this recipe.

For Golden Onion Chicken & Noodle Casserole, substitute 1/2 cup crushed French fried onions for the Cheddar cheese.

For Hearty Chicken Casserole with a Twist, substitute 2 cups cooked corkscrew-shaped pasta for the egg noodles.

Cost per recipe: $5.46

Cost per recipe serving: $1.36

Total cost of meal (including serving suggestion): $14.25

Cost calculations based on July 2008 national average prices

Nutrition Information

Using Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup : Calories 385, Total Fat 17g, Saturated Fat 0g, Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 808mg, Total Carbohydrate 25g, Dietary Fiber 3g, Protein 31g, Vitamin A 0%DV, Vitamin C 0%DV, Calcium 0%DV, Iron 0%DV

Using Campbell's® Condensed 98% Fat Free Cream of Mushroom Soup : Calories 367, Total Fat 15g, Saturated Fat 0g, Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 660mg, Total Carbohydrate 25g, Dietary Fiber 2g, Protein 32g, Vitamin A 0%DV, Vitamin C 0%DV, Calcium 0%DV, Iron 0%DV

I knew I'd forgotten something. Thanks Stacey!

I painted the kitchen a new red color...

Before:

After:

I love it!

Updates! Recipes!

So here they are... newest to oldest updates.


Linnea started rolling over! It happens non stop now. And she loves that little goofy toy. At her 4 month appointment she weighed 12 pounds 13 ounces (17th percentile) and was 25 inches (62nd percentile). She is such a happy baby! So easy to take care of and so loving to everybody.

We took a very quick trip to our old college stomping grounds and visited with some friends. This is one of my old roommates daughters Allison. She's 8 months younger than Emma. For those of you we missed... we will catch you the next time we are up. There are WAY too many people to fit in one day.

This is Emma and Braron who is the son of our friends Scott and Brittanie. Such a cutie!

I threw a baby shower for my friend Erin. She's having a girl on Saturday. So much fun planning it and yet so stressful! I could never be a party planner. It was a pink and brown themed shower. Way cute!

These are the cupcakes I decorated for the shower. I even did chocolate and strawberry flavored cupcakes for the pink and brown look. (I know, I scare myself too)

My parents came over and my dad took out 6 trees in our front and back yard. I have an awesome dad!

He had a really messy face when he was finished.

Up in one of the trees.

Our friends Stacey and Tyson came back and visited for a couple weeks. This is us at Tyson's parents house. It was so good to see them. They live on the East Coast so we never get to see them.

And Emma got her first bloody nose. It was a nightmare. She wouldn't sit still and let us plug her nose up. Glad that's over and it's not an everyday occurrence.

And now for a couple recipes. I like this first one because it's a great twist on regular mac and cheese (which I usually don't like).

Ranch Mac ‘n’ Cheese

(Taste of Home)

1 c milk

¼ c butter

2 envelopes ranch salad dressing mix

1 tsp lemon pepper seasoning

1 tsp garlic pepper

1 tsp garlic salt

1 c cubed Colby cheese

1 c cubed Monterey Jack Cheese

1 c sour cream

½ c crushed saltines

1 pound macaroni, cooked and drained

Grated Parmesan cheese

In a dutch oven (or pot), combine everything but the sour cream, saltines, macaroni and parmesan cheese. Cook and stir over medium heat until cheese has melted and mixture begins to thicken.

Fold in sour cream. Add crackers and macaroni. Cook until heated through, stirring frequently. Spoon into a serving dish; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Yield: 6-8 servings

I think this would taste really good with this recipe from one of my previous posts.

Here is a good side dish recipe. We really enjoy these.

Crispy Potato Cubes

(Taste of Home)

1/3 c flour

¾ tsp salt

½ tsp dried thyme

½ tsp dried marjoram

1/8 tsp pepper

5 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1” cubes

¼ c butter, melted

1 garlic clove, minced

1 bay leaf

In a large re-sealable plastic bag, combine flour, salt, thyme, marjoram and pepper. Add potatoes; seal bag and shake to coat. Pour butter into a 9x13 in baking dish; stir in garlic. Add potatoes and bay leaf. Cover and bake at 450˚ for 20 minutes. Uncover and stir; bake 15-20 minutes longer or until potatoes are lightly browned and tender. Discard bay leaf. Yield: 4 servings

And I am making this recipe for dinner tonight.

I hope everything is going well for all of you.