swiss vegetable casserole

I LOVE CASSEROLES! So when I found this recipe, I was super excited to try it! 

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons of butter or margerine

2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1/8 teaspoon of pepper

1 1/2 cups of milk

1 cup of shredded swiss cheese

1 bag (1 lb) frozen broccoli, carrots & cauliflower, cooked, drained 

1/4 cup crushed round buttery crackers

Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 1- to 1 1/2-quart casserole with cooking spray. In 2-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour, salt and pepper. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly. Cook and stir until mixture is bubbly and thickened. Remove from heat. Add 3/4 cup of the cheese; stir until melted. Stir in cooked vegetables. Spoon mixture into casserole. Sprinkle with crushed crackers and remaining 1/4 cup cheese. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until topping is golden brown and casserole is bubbly.

 

"bacon" egg and toast cups

I've been posting a bunch of dinners, but this morning I tried a new breakfast and had to share it! 

Ingredients:

6 slices of bread

6 slices of bacon (I used the MorningStar 'Bacon' found in the vegetarian frozen food section)

shredded cheese

6 eggs

Preheat oven to 400. Cook bacon, make sure it is not crispy yet (it will finish cooking in the oven). Grease 6 wells of a muffin pan with butter. Cut out rounds of bread (I used a 3.5-inch round cookie cutter, but a drinking glass would be fine.) Press the bread rounds into the greased muffin wells.  Curl a piece of bacon around the periphery of each piece of bread, positioning it between the bread and the muffin tin to help keep it in position.  Sprinkle a small amount of shredded cheese in the center of each piece of bread.  One at a time, crack an egg, removing about half of the white, and dropping the remaining white and yolk over each piece of bread, being careful not to break the yolks.  Once all the bread pieces have been topped with eggs, bake until eggs are cooked through to your liking (about 6-10 minutes) and bacon is crispy.  Run a knife around the edge of each muffin well and pop the egg cups out.  Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.

baked macaroni and cheese

After tonight's events, I wanted something relatively quick and easy. And come on, who doesn't like mac & cheese?

Ingredients:

Rotini or Bowtie Pasta

1 1/2 cups of milk

1 small package of velveeta 

Italian style bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350. In a large pot, cook pasta as directed. Return pasta to pot. While cooking pasta, cube the velveeta. In a saucepan, bring milk to boil. Put heat on medium and slowly add in velveeta, stirring continuously. Once velveeta is completely melted, pour cheese sauce over pasta. Stir until evenly coated. Pour cheese/pasta mixture into a 9"x13" glass baking dish. Sprinkle bread crumbs evenly. Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes.

conner's 2 year check up

Wow! My baby boy is already 2. We just had his 2 year physical. He's a healthy boy. They didn't tell me what percentile, but said he was right on track now. Currently he is 2' 10" tall and weighing in at 28.2 lbs. He had the same nurse he has had since 6 months old. He remembers her when we go in because of the lizard covering the stethoscope haha. He didn't want his temperature taken so he pretended he had a cough, which made her and I laugh. We told him that means he has to get it done twice and he said 'No, once'.

His vocabulary is incredible for his age. He even counted to 8 for her. I've attempted to get it on video, but he only does it when he wants to. When we saw the doctor, I assumed I was about to have a huge fight over the fact that I no longer want to vaccinate. Conner has violent reactions to them. He gets a lump in his leg that lasts for weeks, along with bruises and fevers that never seem to end. To my surprise, the doctor just said okay. He wants us to get the final Hep A, which I still do not want to do, so I told him I would talk it over with Chris and we'd make a decision based on our research and how we feel about it after that. The only thing he did bring up was the fact that in Texas, even with an exemption form, Conner would not be able to attend public school (including preschool) without the proper vaccinations. Since Conner has a late birthday, he will have to start school late anyway. That gives me at least a few years to figure it all out. We may possibly just be on an alternate vaccination schedule, so that we can see what he is having the reaction to. His next set of shots would not be until 4 years old, so I've got 2 years to set everything up how I feel is appropriate. I also denied to get the flu shot for myself and for Conner. Unfortunately, the Army makes Chris get it. I won't do that to Conner though. There is no need.

One more small update for his appointment. We think he may have developed an allergy to dust. On windy days, his eyes puff up and water, and his nose runs. He was prescribed an antihistamine that we are going to try out for a few weeks to see if the condition improves. On that note, kids are so lucky to get flavored medicine! Haha. That is about all for now. My little man is getting ready to nap (shocking!) so that means mommy gets some cleaning time!

Love, Me.

vegetarian taco pizza

I had never heard of taco pizza until I met my husband. His mom made it one night and I loved it. However, she has not given me her crust recipe, so I made a vegetarian version on my own of taco pizza. Yum!

Ingredients:

Pizza crust 

Vegetarian refried beans

salsa

1/2 cup shredded cheese

lettuce

tomatoes

Preheat oven to 450F. Place crust on pizza pan and spread refried beans over evenly, leaving about 1/2" for the crust. Spread salsa evenly over beans. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake for 10 minutes. Chop lettuce (or you can do it the easy way with the pre-packaged 'Shreds') and tomatoes. Spread lettuce and tomatoes over pizza. Cut and serve!

equality.

I'm currently watching a documentary on Netflix called 'Fagbug'. Short explanation, a grad students car was vandalized with the words 'fAg' and 'U R gay' spray painted on it. Instead of taking it off, she left it on and went on a cross country trip in her vandalized car to spread awareness about hate crimes. She is making stops in places where people were murdered for being gay.

Why!? There is no sense in this. For all of those Christians out there, doesn't God say to accept everyone? And isn't he supposed to know what we will think/do before it even happens? So if God really hates homosexuals, why did he create them!? Just sayin'! Quit hating. Just LOVE!

Love, Me.

twice baked potatoes and rice

Definitely a childhood favorite. This was my first shot at making them on my own, and it was awesome! One of the easiest things to make, too. 

Ingredients:

4 medium potatoes

3 tablespoons of butter, slightly melted

2 tablespoons of milk

1/2 teaspoon of salt

3 oz cream cheese, cubed

basil

shredded cheese

White or brown rice

Pierce potatoes and bake at 375 degrees F for 1 hour or until tender. Cool. Cut a thin slice off the top of each potato. Scoop out the pulp and place in a mixing bowl. Add butter, milk and salt then beat until fluffy. Beat in cream cheese and sour cream. Spoon into potato shells. Sprinkle with basil. Place on a baking sheet. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until heated through and tops are golden brown. Sprinkle with cheese and serve. While waiting on the potatoes this last time, prepare rice as the packaging suggests. I also added in some shredded carrots for taste!