Monday, December 31, 2012

Top 12 In 2012

Can you believe that today is the last day of 2012?

I thought it would be fitting to leave with you my top 12 favorite posts from 2012.

  1. Settling In--We bought our first home this year!
  2. Room To Breathe-- Stay tuned as I revamp our routines in the new year and continue to find my groove in my ever-changing schedule!
  3. Resourceful Drawer Pulls-- Still love these!
  4. Dear Cookies
  5. Valentine Getaway
  6. 7 Things We Don't Usually Spend Money On
  7. Expensive Free-Range Chicken Challenge--Continuing to work on stretching the grocery budget and using resources wisely in order to afford  better quality food!
  8. Inexpensive Photo Album Gifts
  9. Gingham Pennant Garland Fun
  10. Birthday Party
  11. How Not To Be A Good Host
  12. Mailbox Facelift
Happy New Year!

See you in 2013!

Tuesday, December 04, 2012

Chili Dog Casserole

I've been craving chili dogs recently and wondered how I could make a bunless gooey casserole version to switch up our Saturday night hotdog dinner.

A quick google search told me I was not alone in making something like this! One version I saw used croutons for the bread part which certainly sounds delicious!

Basically, I looked at a couple recipes, picked out a hot dog chili recipe to try and then layered the ingredients in a baking dish.

30 minutes later, we had hot bubbly gooey deliciousness!

Down here in the South, we eat our chili dogs with slaw on top. I believe that's referred to as "all the way".  I used to think that sounded and looked gross...until I tried it. It is so good!

I made coleslaw to serve with this casserole. Whether you eat it on top or on the side is up to you!

This recipe fills an 8-9 inch square baking dish and serves 2-4. Double the recipe to fill a 9x13 pan.

This would be a good freezer meal-- assemble recipe and freeze before baking.

Chili Dog Casserole 

Serves 2-4 

4 hot dogs, sliced in rounds
1 recipe prepared hot dog chili or buy a can from the store, whatever floats your boat
Shredded cheddar cheese, probably about 1 cup
Yellow mustard, optional
Chopped onion
Ketchup, optional--I'm a mustard girl when it comes to hot dogs. But hey, if you like your ketchup, by all means, knock yourself out!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place hot dogs in a greased 8-9 inch square pan. Cover with chili. Sprinkle cheese on top.

Bake for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Squeeze mustard and/or ketchup on top, if desired. Sprinkle with chopped onion.

Spoon this gooey yumminess on a  plate and eat with coleslaw!

Monday, December 03, 2012

Freezer Casseroles

This week, I'm going to be stocking my freezer with some casseroles and other easy to heat and serve dishes.

We have family coming to visit us during the month of December and I thought some freezer meals would come in very handy so I'm not spending all of my time in the kitchen while they're here.

I was inspired by Good Cheap Eats to have some casseroles ready to just pop in the oven! Then all I'll have to do is serve a simple side or two such as a salad and/or veggie to have a filling meal. We won't have casseroles every night---we'll change things up with some crockpot meals too.
 Sausage-Stuffed Acorn Squash prepared and ready to freeze!

Since changing our eating habits, I've realized that we don't eat that many actual "casseroles" anymore.

But I've come up with a decent list that includes some "tried and true" recipes that we like as well as a few new ones!

Tried and True:
New to Me:
Not Really Casseroles but Easy Make Ahead Meals:
  • Meatballs
  • Sloppy Joes-in-a bowl: Freeze sloppy joe meat, cooked brown rice and some shredded cheddar cheese in a meal kit. Serve with chopped onions, black olives, pickles, tomatoes, peppers or whatever you desire!
I'll start working on this list tomorrow and see how it goes. Even if I only do half of the things on my list, I will still be a couple of steps ahead making for a smoother December!

What's your favorite freezer recipe?