Spinach, Black Bean, & Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Have I mentioned yet that I could eat Mexican food every single day and not get sick of it? It is, by far, my favorite type of food, and it's a flavor profile that I regularly turn to when cooking at home. There are about a million versions of enchiladas and enchilada casserole out there. As much as I love actual enchiladas, sometimes I just need the ease and convenience of throwing together a casserole instead of rolling them individually. This casserole takes the ease-factor to a whole new level, because you don't even have to spend time layering ingredients - just combine everything in a huge mixing bowl and pour it into the pan! I'll be eating this for dinner most of this week, and I could probably just eat the pan in one sitting. It is addicting!

Spinach, Black Bean, & Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Lightly adapted from Iowa Girl Eats
Serves 6-8

Ingredients 

• 2 chicken breasts, diced 
• 1 tsp EVOO 
• Cumin
• Chili powder
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1 bag of baby spinach 
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed 
• 1 10-oz can green enchilada sauce 
• 10 oz salsa (I use Pace - chunky mild)
• 10 oz plain Greek yogurt 
• 1 cup shredded cheese 
• 10 corn tortillas 

Directions 

1. Preheat oven to 350. 
2. Heat EVOO in sauté pan over medium heat. Add chicken and season with salt, pepper, cumin, and chili powder, then cook through (about 7-8 minutes, depending on size of pieces). 
3. Place spinach in sauté pan with lid and a few tablespoons of water, then cook, covered, until wilted down. 
4. Remove chicken and spinach to a small bowl to cool while mixing other ingredients. 
5. In a large bowl, whisk together enchilada sauce, salsa, and Greek yogurt until thoroughly combined (measurements for these ingredients are not exact: I added the enchilada sauce, then used the empty can as my measuring cup for the salsa and the yogurt. It’s about a cup of each ingredient). 
6. Cut or tear tortillas into bite-sized pieces (I stacked mine in a pile then cut into 8 wedges). 
7. Add tortillas to sauce mixture and stir to coat all the pieces. Make sure to pull apart tortillas so you don’t end up with a big chunk glued together. 
8. Add chicken, spinach, and black beans to tortilla-sauce mixture and stir to combine. 
9. Pour contents of mixing bowl into a greased 13x9 pan and top with shredded cheese (I had a piece of a block of sharp cheddar leftover and a piece of a block of Monterey jack leftover – shredded and combined. Use what you have: Colby jack or a Mexican blend would work well, too. I recommend shredding your own, since it melts the best that way). 
10. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and starting to brown around the edges. 
11. Remove from oven and let stand for ~10 minutes before serving.

"Pro" tips

• Top with Greek yogurt and hot sauce before eating – I’ve been using this Chipotle Cholula and loving it! 
• Use sour cream instead of Greek yogurt, if desired
• Use frozen spinach instead of fresh: just thaw and drain really well before adding it to the mix
• Use red enchilada sauce instead of green, if desired

Homemade pouches of heaven

Happy April! I am desperately hoping that Spring is finally here to stay. Sunday was cold and wet, and included SLEET for much of the day. What the heck! Today is looking beautiful, though. I threw together this wreath for our front door on Sunday afternoon, and I love how cheerful it makes the front of our house look. Hooray, Spring!

One of the things that C and I set out to do in 2014 was challenge ourselves more in the kitchen. We both love to cook, and we love to do it together, but we often find ourselves making the same few dishes over and over. We decided to look for recipes neither of us had ever tried, cooking methods we'd never used, and other culinary challenges in order to get outside of our (really comfy) box. Mission accepted!

Right before Christmas, I discovered Besh Box, thanks to a friend of mine, and I knew it was just the kind of thing C would love. It's a cooking-themed subscription box service designed by Chef John Besh, and every box comes with recipes, specialty ingredients, shopping lists, a playlist, and a unique kitchen tool. It's awesome! I signed C up for a monthly subscription for one of his Christmas gifts, and it was a huge hit! We've received three boxes so far, and each one has been a party in a box. So much fun, and an awesome way to move our self-imposed challenge along.

The Besh Box for March was themed "Italian Feast Day," and the featured recipe was for homemade ravioli with Milanese sauce and Mudrica (also know as St. Joseph's Sawdust - a breadcrumb topping for pasta). We invited my parents and my uncle over for dinner Saturday night, and set out to whip up an Italian feast!

Making ravioli was so much harder than we expected - the dough was really hard to roll out and it was very time-consuming to create each individual little pouch. The filling for the ravioli was a simple roasted garlic & ricotta mixture, which we dabbed onto half the dough then folded the sheet in half and punched out the pockets with the ravioli press included in the Besh Box. It was well-worth the effort, though. Dinner turned out to be delicious! Picture this scene: five grown adults eating bowls of pasta, exclaiming out loud after each bite. I'm pretty sure that all the work required to make this meal made it taste that much better.

I have so much more respect for all the little Italian women out there who always make homemade pasta! Sheesh. I was exhausted by the time we finished and were finally ready to eat. How do they do it every day?!

The Besh Box didn't come with the recipe for the meatballs, but we thought that having a protein would help make the meal a little more substantial. I was very glad we threw those together on the side, because we didn't have to make QUITE so many raviolis. Plus, they were yummy - C makes awesome meatballs from scratch (the Italian in him really shines!) and they were a great addition.

We were really happy with this Box, even though it required so much time and work - the meal created at the end was fantastic. We haven't had a chance to make the recipes from the February box yet, but we did make the Chili Verde that was the main dish from the January box, and we thought that the ravioli turned out much better. The chili was just alright, and I was nervous about the recipes for the next boxes. The March recipes totally made up for January! Can't wait to see what the next months bring :)

So tell me...

• Would you try a cooking-themed subscription service?
• Have you ever made ravioli or some other kind of time-intensive meal?
• What's the weather like where you are today?

Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese

Hi there! First of all, I'd like to say a big hello & welcome to anyone stopping by for the first time today - I know I've got some new viewers popping by from the Ocean Spray Facebook & Twitter pages. I'm so excited that Ocean Spray chose to share my recipe for Oatmeal Applesauce Craisin Muffins, and I hope you'll make these quick treats and enjoy them as much as I did. Thanks for coming by! Hope you'll stick around :)

Second, I have a new recipe to share today! It's been a while since I had a good, solid dinner to share, and I must admit - I'm pretty excited about this one! It's an easy weeknight meal that makes great leftovers... what more could you need?

Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese
serves 6

Ingredients 

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 
• 1 bottle buffalo wing sauce (I use Frank's)
• 2 T Ranch dressing powder 
• 4 oz light cream cheese 
• 1/2 box multigrain pasta (I use Barilla rotini) 
• 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded 
• 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs 
• Green onions to garnish 

Directions 

1. Put chicken in crockpot and cover with bottle of buffalo sauce and Ranch powder. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, then shred with two forks. (Tip: you could easily use poached chicken or a rotisserie chicken, shredded and mixed with the buffalo sauce. I use the crockpot so that I come home to the chicken already cooked - plus I like that it sits in the sauce all day and really gets the flavor. Any method of acquiring the chicken and combining with the sauce will do, though!) 
2. Preheat oven to 350. 
3. Add cream cheese to shredded chicken and stir to melt and thoroughly combine. If it’s a little dry, add some chicken broth or water to get it good and creamy (sometimes my chicken gets dry if I have to leave it in the crockpot longer than usual – it’ll be fine either way!) 
4. Cook pasta according to package directions, minus a minute or two so that it’s al dente. Drain and put back in pot. 
5. Mix pasta and chicken / buffalo sauce / cream cheese mixture together in pasta pot. 
6. Spray baking dish with non-stick cooking spray, and pour noodle mixture into baking dish. 
7. Top with shredded cheddar and panko. 
8. Bake, covered, for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake additional 10-15 minutes until the top is crispy and golden brown. Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes. 
9. Serve topped with green onions and a drizzle of Ranch dressing, if desired. 

This is a versatile dish - like I mentioned, you could cook the chicken right before you make the casserole, or use leftover chicken diced and tossed with buffalo sauce. I also think this would be delicious with a little bleu cheese mixed in, but my husband doesn't like it, so we skip that. It's great served along side a vegetable (please note that random little piece of broccoli in my picture...) or with a salad. It comes together in no time, and then you can do something else while it bakes (I cleaned the kitchen and swept the floor... gotta love multitasking). Hope you enjoy this as much as we have!

WIAW: is winter over??

A "big" ice storm was predicted for us this morning, but, sadly, no such luck! It was off to work as usual for me, with a big mug of coffee & my boots on since all we really got was rain. I am a Winter baby through and through, but all this dreariness is really starting to get to me. I'm channeling spring today!

All weather-talk aside, it's time for our regular Wednesday programming: What I Ate Wednesday! Joining in on the fun again this week - thanks, Jenn, for hosting a great link-up!


Yesterday was pretty average, as far as eats go, but also delicious - it featured some of my favorites!

Normal breakfast - yogurt, (un-pictured) coffee, and a banana on it's very last legs. I choked that banana down - it was definitely a little too mushy for my liking. The yogurt actually ended up being my mid-morning snack, and held me over til lunch.

C & I had dinner with his parents on Monday night, and his mom sent us home with a bag full of yummy leftovers. That meant lunch - hooray! My mother-in-law was channeling summer (I'm telling you, the dreariness is getting old!), and made BBQ pulled chicken and my favorite pasta salad. It was delicious on Monday night, and just as good on Tuesday! That pasta salad is like Kryptonite... it's SO good. It's a family recipe that my MIL has shared with me, but I've never actually made it - she just has a special touch :)

Continuing to channel summer... dinner was burgers with guac! Moment of truth: C was horrified that I was taking a picture of dinner. He kept saying, "it's so ugly!!" and... well, that it is. But that doesn't mean it wasn't delicious! We pulled Trader Joe's Chili Lime Chicken Burgers out of the freezer, and C cooked them on the grill pan before topping them with guacamole and pepper jack. They were pretty good, but honestly? I've made a copycat version of these that are so much better (thanks to my BFF, Iowa Girl Eats!)- so I'll probably stick with making my own. This was the first time we've had the frozen TJ's version, and they were just... flat. Oh, well!

We had frozen broccoli with cheese sauce on the side, and shoe-string cheese fries that C made using our new mandolin (topped with ranch, duh). Truly, not pretty to look at it, but the whole meal tasted awesome, and helped me forget that it was rainy and cold outside. Plus, it was quick and easy, and you just can't beat that sometimes.

All in all, it was a day full of non-winter foods, and it was just what I wanted. I do love soups and stews, and I am generally craving carbs like nobody's business right now, but I am looking forward to the warm-weather foods! Can't wait for weekends of grilling out and lots of fresh veggies. Where are you, spring??

Lightened Up Turkey Noodle Casserole

When one cooks a 23lb turkey for Thanksgiving, one inevitably has leftover turkey. The first few days of "repeat Thanksgiving" meals are fine, but after a few trips around the block, you're probably looking for something different to do with your turkey. The recipe I'm sharing today is exactly what you need!

Turkey noodle casserole is a spin on tuna noodle casserole - the same basic premise, but changing up the protein. It's a perfect dish to use up your dark meat (I just can't eat a turkey sandwich with dark meat, but toss it in cheese sauce and I'm good to go!) and change up the flavors of your leftover turkey.

When searching for a recipe to base my dish off of, I had one key criterion: no mushroom soup. A lot of casseroles are made with a "cream of" soup for the base, and most recipes for turkey noodle casserole include the addition of several cans of cream of mushroom (to replicate the flavor of traditional green bean casserole, I think). When you have a mushroom-hating husband, that's not really such a good thing (if I want him to eat it, anyway). So the search was on: find a recipe that looked yummy, but didn't call for fungus.

Luckily, I found something pretty much perfect! The base for this recipe is a homemade cheese sauce, which seems daunting, but really isn't. As long as you go slowly and cook carefully, you, too, can make a simple, delicious cheese sauce, and then pour it into this delicious dish. It would also make an excellent macaroni and cheese, but that is another recipe for another day.

I took a few steps to lighten up the recipe, which seemed necessary after stuffing ourselves silly with Thanksgiving foods for the previous few days. Changes include decreasing the amount of noodles (doesn't really make a difference!), increasing the amount of veggies, and swapping sour cream for Greek yogurt (my favorite substitute!). I used skim milk to make the sauce, and it turned out just perfectly - no need for added fat by using something else. I also threw in the fresh herbs that I had leftover from Thanksgiving, and they were such a great addition. They brightened up the flavors of the dish so beautifully. If you don't have fresh, I'd still add some dried, but know that you can make it without, if need be. It's versatile!

I really do hope you find an opportunity to try the recipe (maybe use rotisserie chicken if you don't have turkey on hand?), because it was so. dang. delicious. I wanted to eat the whole pan... but refrained, and settled for having it for lunch a couple times this week.

I deem this one a success: Lindsay lightened, husband approved. Can't beat it!

Just look at that melty, cheesy goodness!

Turkey Noodle Casserole
Lightly adapted from here
Serves 6 - 8

Ingredients

• 6 ounces dried egg noodles 
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 
• 1/2 cup chopped sweet onion (about 1 small onion) 
• 1 cup chopped carrots 
• 1 cup chopped celery 
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 
• 1 ½ cups skim milk 
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper 
• ½ Tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped 
• ½ Tablespoon fresh sage, chopped 
• 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar, divided 
• 2 cups cooked, chopped turkey 
• ½ cup Greek yogurt 
• ½ cup panko breadcrumbs 
• salt and pepper 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. 
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add noodles and cook until al dente (about 7 minutes). Drain and return to pot. 
3. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, and celery and sauté until tender and softened (about 10 minutes). Add garlic and cook for another minute. 
4. Add flour and stir until absorbed and the "raw" tasted cooked out (about 1 - 2 minutes). Vegetables will look clumpy and kind of gummy – this is ok! Turn down heat just a little. While whisking mixture constantly, slowly pour in milk and cook, stirring frequently, until thickened (about 3 minutes). 
5. Add 1 ¼ cups (roughly) shredded cheese and stir until melted. Sauce should not boil, just cook until thick and creamy. 
6. Add the cayenne, thyme, and sage, and season with additional salt and pepper to taste. 
7. Mix turkey and Greek yogurt into cheese sauce, then add that mixture to noodles. Stir until well-combined and everything is coated evenly. 
8. Grease 9”x13” baking dish. Pour noodle mixture into baking dish and distribute evenly. top with remaining cheddar cheese (one layer) and panko breadcrumbs (separate layer). 
9. Bake until casserole is warm and cheese is bubbling (about 30 minutes). 

I just want to live inside that pan for like... 20 minutes.

WIAW: hashtag taco tuesday

I had fun with What I Ate Wednesday last week, so we're back for round 2. Before I get to that, though, I have two important thoughts to explore.

1. Thank HEAVENS everyone on Facebook & Instagram was around to tell me that it was Election Day yesterday, or else I clearly never would have known. It's not like there are a bajillion horrible ads leading up to it or anything; if it weren't for all those pictures of "I Voted" stickers, how would the message ever get to us?! #sarcasm.
2. Do you ever find yourself reading a blogpost, shaking your head and thinking "....why would I do that?!" Yesterday's offender involved putting a naked baby in a carved pumpkin for a photoshoot. There are just some things that I don't think need to occur. Anyone else? No? Just me? Okay, then...

On to the good stuff!

The usual: coffee & yogurt (I'm out of bananas. The horror!)

This was supposed to go with my lunch, but I found that my stomach was audibly growling during a meeting, so snack time it was! Baby carrots and this freakin' awesome hummus from TJ's. Love the flavor!

Leftovers FTW! (per usual) Baked buffalo chicken tenders nuggets, with salad and a side of ranch. Even as leftovers, the panko on the chicken stayed crispy, and the buffalo flavor was even spicier. Yum!

A co-worker brought me some pumpkins muffins with chocolate chips as a thank-you for some cookies I brought her, and I snacked on half of one on the train ride home. (no picture)

After yoga, it was time for #tacotuesday! Tacos are, and have always been, my favorite meal - if I don't know what I want for dinner, or don't feel inspired, the answer is always "tacos or spaghetti." Tacos never let me down! I made the chicken in the crockpot, so it was ready to be shredded and taco-fied when we got home. Topped with all the standard goodies - all we were missing was guacamole. There was enough for leftovers for lunch today, so I am definitely a happy camper.

I may or may not have followed the tacos with a glass of white wine and a few pieces of Halloween candy while watching the Caps dominate the Islanders.... but there is no photo evidence, so you'll never know! Mwahahahaha.

Baked buffalo chicken tenders

All was going well with our "eat what we have without doing more grocery shopping" endeavor, but things were getting a little dire and I ended up at the grocery store last weekend after all. As it turned out, my local Giant was having a great sale on chicken ($1.97/lb!) so I picked up a club pack of chicken breasts and also a package of chicken tenders. I generally don't buy chicken tenders, as we just cook up chicken breasts as they come, or pound them thin / cut / cube / slice as necessary - but these were on sale, and I wanted to experiment a bit. So I did!

I knew that I wanted to create baked buffalo chicken tenders, but really couldn't find a recipe that contained all the components I wanted: chicken tenders, panko, baked with zero frying, and through-and-through buffalo taste. So, I created my own! The end result was pretty tasty - dad & husband approved! Due to the high temperature of the oven, the panko stays crispy and your tenders don't end up soggy and gross. Also, incorporating the buffalo with sauce into the egg wash ensures that spicy buffalo flavor in every bite. Check it out!

Baked Buffalo Chicken Tenders

Ingredients 

• 1 – 1 ½ lbs chicken tenders 
• 1 cup flour 
• Salt / pepper / paprika / garlic power (to taste) 
• 2 eggs, scrambled 
• ½ c buffalo wing sauce (we use Frank's!)
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs 

Directions 

1. Preheat oven to 425*. 
2. Set up three prep stations in shallow dishes: the first is the flour and seasonings mixed together, the second is the eggs and buffalo wing sauce beaten together, and the third is the panko bread crumbs.

   

   I used shallow Tupperware containers for my three prep stations.

3. Set up your baking pan – a cookie sheet, covered in tin foil, with a wire cooling rack over the top. Spray cooling rack with cooking spray. 
4. One at a time, prepare chicken tenders. Coat in flour, dip in egg wash, coat in breadcrumbs. Lay on cooling rack / baking pan. Repeat until all chicken tenders are finished.

   

   Nakey chicken tenders

   

   Mid-way through the process. No action shot; my hands were gross!

5. Spray chicken tenders with cooking spray. 
6. Bake for 25-30 minutes, flipping once halfway. Cooking time may vary depending on size of chicken tenders and preferred doneness of chicken. (I actually cooked mine for 40 minutes.)

   

   Golden brown & delicious!

Serve with a side of ranch or bleu cheese dressing. Yum!

Side note - the ingredient measurements are more like suggestions - this is very much an "eyeball it" dish. Use as much or as little of each as you need to coat all your tenders. Everything in this is pretty cheap, so I was ok with tossing the leftovers when I was done. Feel free to be a bit more cautious with your ingredients if you'd like; dumping some in as I need more works for me.

Travel Tales: NYC, Part 2

When I left off back in January, I'd gone through most of our pre-Christmas day trip to NYC. We had quite an adventure, and were heading towards one of our main destinations of the day: Ground Zero.

When I first started planning this trip, I knew that I wanted to try to fit in a trip to Ground Zero. That turned out to be more of a challenge than I expected - I didn't know that you needed to book timed-entry passes until just a few days before our trip, and I almost didn't get them. When I first looked at the site, there were entry times available for that Saturday, but I didn't get them right then, and the next time I looked, they were gone. However, a friend suggested to keep looking, as sometimes more entry times are added. I did that, and on Thursday managed to secure four tickets for late Saturday afternoon.

We took a taxi from Times Square to Ground Zero (so much easier than figuring out the subway or anything, and took us less time, too - and not so expensive, considering there were four of us in the cab) and got there about 45 minutes before our entry time. We found a hotel bar and had a beer and thawed out before making our way over.

Security at Ground Zero is obviously intense - lots of lines, and guards, and metal detectors. Everyone has to have a ticket to get in, and each ticket has a specific name printed on it. They warn you that you may be asked for photo ID (we never were). At one point, you have to go through metal detectors and take off coats, shoes, hats, etc. - it all seems rather thorough. I was surprised to find that everything moved quite smoothly, though, and before we knew it, we were standing in the middle of the site.

I will never forget those moments (and am actually tearing up a bit just thinking about it all again). It had gotten dark already (it was about 4:30 PM by then) and everything was lit up. It was surreal to be standing there, seeing those gigantic holes in the ground, hearing the rushing water, and seeing so many names. All my memories of September 11 flooded through me. I was young, just starting high school, when it happened, but my memories and mental images from that day are so vivid - and standing there, trying to imagine what it could have been like, was almost too much. It was a powerful, emotional experience.

The Survivor Tree

Those moments at the memorial are some that will stay with me for the rest of my life.

We finished out our day with dinner at an incredible restaurant -the Blue Planet Grill in the Financial District, right by Ground Zero.

As we excited the memorial, we tried to figure out what we should do next. We had a few hours left before we needed to catch the bus back home, so we could either go back to the heart of the city and find somewhere for dinner, or we could find dinner where we were and then go back. As we stood in the cold debating, my mom suddenly looked up and saw a sign right in front of us: the Blue Planet Grill. "Oh my gosh!" she exclaimed, "multiple people told me to find this restaurant and eat there if I could!" ....Decision made. We tumbled into the restaurant, and were very, very happy to hear that, though they had a large reservation for the majority of the dining room in a few hours, they'd be happy to seat us for dinner then. Perfect!

I cannot say enough good things about BPG. It touts itself as a "global fusion" restaurant, with "liquid art" cocktails. The food was absolutely scrumptious. It's a bit of an eclectic menu, and so we had a variety of dishes. I went with the beef stroganoff, which I could have just passed out over. It was comfort food at its finest, with melt-in-my-mouth beef tips and a delicious, creamy gravy. I practically licked my plate! My mom had short rib tacos, while my dad went with homemade creamy mushroom soup and a Greek salad. C chose chicken kebabs, which were so tender and juicy. Everyone was happy with their meal, and we were so glad that we'd found our way into that restaurant - it was like it was meant to be! I also got ambitious and tried a new-to-me drink: a Moscow Mule! The homemade ginger beer absolutely made it. A little sweet, a little spicy - it warmed me right up. Yum! If you ever find yourself in the Financial District looking for a great place to eat, make a reservation at BPG. You won't regret it! I just wish we could have tried even more things on the menu.

Terrible photo, but that's my Moscow Mule in there!

To-die-for beef stroganoff

C's chicken kabobs and homemade chips

Greek salad

Dinner at the BPG was the perfect way to end our day in the city. We all climbed the bus back to DC absolutely stuffed, and happy as clams. All in all, I think the day turned out perfectly. We may not have seen all the tourist sites or checked a bunch of places off in a tourist guidebook, but we saw what we wanted to and enjoyed each others' company, and kept the day quite stress-free, to boot! I'm already looking forward to our next adventure in NYC!

Crockpot Split Pea & Ham Soup

Here's the deal: I currently have a lot of ham. Like, a LOT, a lot. My in-laws (who are awesome! Hi Jack & Robin!) brought a ham for our New Year's Eve party, and while it was delicious, not very much of it actually got eaten. So I'm left with a LOT of ham leftovers, which means I'm working to find delicious, creative recipes to use up the ham, so that we aren't stuck eating ham sandwiches for every single meal. A girl can only have so many ham sandwiches.

One of my all-time favorite things that my mom makes is split pea and ham soup. I think pea soup is one of those things that you either love or hate (and it probably depends on the recipe you first experience). Personally, I love it. Specifically, I love my mom's, which is creamy and smooth, full of chunks of softened veggies like carrots and celery, and spotted with salty chunks of ham. I decided to use some of my ham to recreate my mom's soup - with a few changes, of course!

Crockpot Split Pea & Ham Soup
lightly adapted from About.com - Southern Food

Ingredients

• 1 (12 oz.) pkg. dried green split peas, rinsed
• 3-4 cups diced ham
• 3 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 3 ribs of celery plus leaves, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
• 1 tbsp. salt (or to taste)
• 1/2 tsp. fresh pepper
• 1 1/2 qts. chicken broth

Directions
Spray crockpot lightly with cooking spray. Layer all ingredients into crockpot in order given - do not stir or combine. Pour chicken broth over the top of all other ingredients, and cook on LOW for 8-10 hours. When finished cooking, gently stir to combine, and mash peas with the back of a spoon if necessary. Serve hot with crusty bread!

Terrible iPhone picture. Normal. Check those veggies, though! And ham! Yum.

~~~~~

The main difference between this soup & my mom's is that she doesn't use a crock pot - she makes the "simmering on the stove all afternoon" version. For me, though, a crock pot version was ideal. I layered all the ingredients in the night before, then C poured the chicken broth in and turned it on in the morning before we left for work. When we got home, we stirred it up, and there was a giant, hot pot of soup waiting for our dinner. Couldn't have asked for anything better!

Given how much ham we have, I added a lot - definitely closer to 4 cups diced. I liked it that way, though. I also prefer mine a bit saltier than my mom makes it, so I added a little more salt than was probably ideal (it needed a bit of watering down, to be honest, but it definitely wasn't inedible. I liked it - C thought it was a bit much). We froze half of it to eat later, I took it for lunch one day, and we had it for dinner a second night. That makes... 10 servings of soup? So cheap, so easy, so delicious. Winner, winner, split pea dinner!

Baked Spaghetti (Squash) Boats with Sausage

Dinner last night was a culinary adventure - which we all know can turn out great or awful. I was tackling an item I'd never cooked with before - a spaghetti squash - and I was a bit hesitant.

Dun dun dunnnnn.

Spaghetti squash has been all over the interwebs lately it seems - recipes on blogs, Pintrest, everywhere I look. I found a really nice-looking one at my local Global Foods, and decided to give it a whirl. I wasn't exactly inspired, though, and so it sat on our counter for a week and a half while I tried to figure out what to do with it. When I saw this post on Iowa Girl Eats, I knew I'd found just what I needed.

Last night, I wrestled the spaghetti squash, and I'm pleased to say that I won. This meal was delicious, and I will definitely be making it again! Highly, highly recommend this one. IGE did point out something about spaghetti squash - people tend to make it and get disappointed because the "noodles" aren't like "noodles." To that, I have to say "no shit, Sherlock" - it's squash. Squash noodles will not fool any rational pasta lover, so I wouldn't necessarily try to fool anyone. However, that doesn't mean it's not delicious! Go into this recipe knowing that you're eating squash, not pasta, and I don't see a problem.

Baked Spaghetti (Squash) Boats with Sausage
Slightly adapted from Iowa Girl Eats
Serves 2

Ingredients

• One large spaghetti squash
• One jar of spaghetti sauce (pick your fave)
• One package of chicken sausage (I used this)
• Shredded mozzarella
• Parmesan cheese
• Salt
• Pepper
• Cooking Spray

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400* and prep the spaghetti squash. I used IGE's recommendation and, using  a sharp knife, poked 5-6 holes in the skin and then microwaved the squash on a plate for three minutes, turning over halfway through. Spaghetti squash is particularly thick, so the microwaving helps soften it a bit before you try to cut into it.

Cut the squash in half lengthwise. Honestly, this was a lot harder than I expected it to be - took me about five minutes and two very sharp knives, and I finally just broke it open when I got to the bottom. Be warned.

Scoop the insides out of the squash. I'm sure you could save and roast the seeds and all that jazz, but I did not. Place the squash halves, edible flesh up, on a foil-lined, cooking-spray-sprayed baking sheet. Season liberally with salt and pepper.

Roast the squash for 50-60 minutes.

When the squash is finished roasting, take it out of the oven and place on a cooling rack until it's cool enough to handle (probably 30 minutes or so). While you wait, cook the sausage and then slice on the diagonal to make bite-size pieces.

Shred the inside of the squash with a fork - it should come apart really easily and form the "noodles."
When both sides are shredded, transfer "noodles" to a mixing bowl and combine with desired amount of spaghetti sauce (~2/3 of the jar).

Split noodles between the squash shell "boats" evenly, then top each squash with half of the sausage. Top with a little more sauce and sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan.

Broil until cheese is melty and just starts to brown - watch carefully, because the squash shell can start to burn.

Transfer boats to plates and sprinkle with a bit more Parmesan and dried parsley. Serve with the world's easiest garlic bread *.

*See "recipe" below.

This recipe is one of those "sneaky" ones, where you get a lot of veggies and not a whole lot else, and it feels really decadent but is actually not that bad for you. This could be made with Italian sausage, crumbled ground beef or turkey - whatever you have on hand. Using the roasted garlic sausage really lent incredible flavor to the dish, but feel free to modify! We actually ended up with plenty for leftovers for lunch today - if we'd been starving, this would have just been dinner, but with the bread on the side, neither of us could finish. I'm excited to eat it again!

World's Easiest Garlic Bread

Ingredients

• Bread
• Butter
• Garlic powder
• Parmesan (the cheap, powdered kind is best!)

Directions

Spread bread with butter. Sprinkle on garlic powder and top with Parmesan. Broil until bread is toasted and parm starts to brown and melt. Enjoy!

The bread I used last night is seven-grain sourdough from Wegmans, and it is freakin' good.