Beefy Biscuit Cups

This is how much leftover hamburger sauce I had.....Oodles!

I love easy meals. The one's that don't take much time or effort. And those are usually the one's the kids love the most. Here is a very easy meal to prepare (p.107) . I even make my own biscuits! The recipe calls for 1 can of biscuits, but you would need 2. Or only use 1/2 lb of hamburger and 1/2 can of spaghetti sauce. I have plenty of leftover hamburger sauce, I'll use it to make spaghetti tomorrow.

Bread Bowls with Butternut Squash Soup

I've always wanted to try making my own bread bowls (p. 30) and I'm so happy to have a good recipe. These turned out perfect. However, I don't think I'd even try making these without an electric mixer. I used half white/wheat flour and that worked just fine. A correction in the recipe: 1/2 cup sugar (not 12 cups!). I only did 1/2 recipe, and for the extra flour I probably added a little over 2 cups.

Who doesn't love Squash soup? (p. 73) It was easy and delicious. I was told that it tastes best using 5 C water w/ 6 tsp. bullion instead of using 5 C. chicken broth. So that's what I did. I haven't tried it with the broth, but bullion is cheaper and just as easy, so I'll stick with that. Also, I don't have white pepper, so I just used regular old black pepper. I think it just calls for white pepper for looks, not for flavor.

Herb Roasted Chicken and Swiss Bread

Well, I did a few things wrong with this meal. Like I said above, I am no chef, and don't expect pretty pictures!

Can you tell what I did wrong with the chicken (p. 99)? The directions specifically say "place the chicken breast side up". I have to admit, I didn't even realize until I cut into it that it was upside down. Unfortunately, all those delicious herbs seasoned the wrong side of the bird! It was still really yummy, but I have a feeling I missed out on the full potential of flavor. I'll definitely have to try this one again, the right way! I will say that it was not nearly as overwhelming to work with a whole bird as I thought it would be. One tip-mix the butter and garlic together, then rub all over the bird.

Now for the bread (p. 28). Delicious. Great potential to look amazing too. Just make sure you have enough room in your oven for it to cook, so it doesn't collapse in the middle :) I did have to ad about an extra 2/3 cup of flour, and it was still VERY soft dough, but I'm guessing that's the way it's supposed to be. Also, a correction: 2 1/4 teaspoon (NOT tablespoon) of yeast. I actually just did 1 tablespoon to make it easy. Even though the middle collapsed, it was still really good.

Chicken Broccoli Casserole

Forgot to take a picture before diving in....

I only used 2 large chicken breasts, and it was just the right amount for my family. The directions for this recipe (p. 95) didn't say to pre-cook the broccoli, and I need to find out if I should. I did pre-cook mine, and it turned out good but if I don't need to, it would save a step in preparing this dish. Also, I'm assuming the "1 Tbl. lemon" is for lemon juice...that's what I used. My kids LOVED this recipe. They ate the entire casserole dish clean, which rarely happens at my house.
******UPDATE******you do not need to pre-cook the broccoli! That makes this recipe that much more loveable!

Chicken, Corn and Bean Tacos

I have made these before without the chicken or rice, and they are very good. It's nice sometimes to have a good filling meal without any meat in it. But I have to say that you can't go wrong with this chicken (p. 96). It was so good! It was a lot easier than I thought it would be. I love using the crock pot. And I love (American style) Mexican food. What a great meal!

Brunch Casserole

We like to make breakfast for dinner quite often in my house, and casserole's like this (p. 37) are perfect!I added an extra egg, 4 didn't quite seam to cover it. And I had to cook mine for 20 minutes. But it was delicious. My kids love sausage, so anything with sausage is a guaranteed yummy. I loved the croissants on the bottom, they gave it a really good flavor.

Mandi's Spinach Salad

I have had this salad now, 3 times (p. 55). Two of those times I have made it myself. Out of the 3 times the dressing has been slightly different each time: the first, the sugar was forgotten, but I didn't know until after and still loved the salad. the second, I knew I liked it w/out the sugar, but wanted to try it with so I knew what it was supposed to taste like. It was definitely good, but very sweet. So the third time I had it, I only added 1-2 (didn't measure) Tablespoons of sugar, and this was my favorite way to have it. Also, I wouldn't recommend pouring the whole recipe of dressing on the salad, it was a little too much dressing for my taste. I like it better pouring it on separately each serving. Over all, though, we love this salad. It will frequently grace my table :)