Breakfast Casserole

So many posts, so little time. School is kicking my butt right now, but I feel the need to blog. I can always cram tomorrow, right? This past weekend we celebrated the hubs birthday. We decided to have a small shindig at the last minute and honestly thought we’d have maybe 6 people over. We ended up with 18 and a few rugrats… not bad! My mom called me Friday night and asked if they could come up too. I said, of course – the more the merrier. Matt asked if we could make breakfast and then we decided a breakfast casserole would be the best bet. Prepare it the night before and pop it in the oven for an hour in the morning. This allows us to get another hour of sleep to cure any signs of a hangover (and believe me, there were signs).

I went to allrecipes to try and find an egg/ham/cheese/hashbrown casserole. I had it narrowed down to two and finally decided on one. I didn’t realize until right before I went to prepare it there were no eggs in this casserole. I need to start paying more attention.

The casserole ended up being pretty good. The fam all liked it. There is definitely nothing healthy about this recipe, but it sure hits the spot after a long night. This is definitely comfort food. The dish is very rich, totally could have done without the sour cream in it. I’m not sure I’d ever make it again. Next time I’ll make sure to find a recipe with eggs.

Cheesy Ham and Potato Casserole
Adapted from: All Recipes
Serves: 12


1 (32 ounce) package frozen Potatoes O'Brien
16 ounces cooked, diced ham
1 can condensed cream of potato soup
1 can cream of cheddar soup
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
2 cups shredded cheese - I like Monterrey Jack
S & P to taste
Cheese for Topping - I used Cheddar Jack
Breadcrumbs/crushed cornflakes (I used chex cereal) for Topping


Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.

In a large bowl, mix hash browns, ham, cream of potato soup, sour cream, and cheese.

Spread evenly into prepared dish. Bake 40 minutes. Sprinkle additional cheese and bread crumbs on top . Bake another 20 minutes, or until bubbly. Serve immediately

It's his turn

I got my first CL in the mail a few weeks ago and immediately found a recipe I wanted to make - Parmesan Chicken and Rice Casserole. My plan was to make it on Sunday, since I knew I'd be too busy to cook all week. Well the husband failed to inform me he wouldn't be around for dinner (even after I'd asked him) so I figured I'd have to wait to make this. Well he decided to help me out on Thursday and make this. It was quite funny:

Him: So, should I put Parmesan, Monterrey or Cheddar on the chicken?
Me: Um honey, it's called PARMESAN Chicken and Rice Casserole.
Him: Oh, right. Man, this is complicated. I'd rather make some hot dogs.

Anyway, this turned out pretty good, I'm pretty sure we'll have it again. Sorry my picture sucks, my camera died 2 seconds after I took this picture, so there were no other chances for a pretty picture.

Parmesan Chicken and Rice Casserole
Total Time: 37 min





Cooking Spray
1 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 (3 1/2 ounce) bags boil-in-bag brown rice he used minute rice
1/3 cup dry white wine
8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs (about 1 3/4lb) he used chicken breast
1 1/2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
3 tbsp whipping cream he used skim milk
1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1 - Preheat oven to 450

2 - heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion to pan; saute' 2 minutes. Add garlic; saute' 30 seconds. Remove rice from bags; add to pan. Saute' 30 seconds. Stir in wine; cook 30 seconds or until liquid almost evaporates. Spoon rice mixture in an even layer into a 13x9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

3 - Arrange chicken in a single layer over rice mixture; sprinkle evenly with thyme and salt. Combine broth and cream, stirring well; pour over chicken and rice mixture.


4 - Bake at 450 for 15 min. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake an additional 5 minutes or until chicken is done (ours took a little longer)

Fiesta, Fiesta

Last week I came to the conclusion I'm a huge fan of any dish that has corn and black beans in it. I made this last Thursday, Friday for lunch ordered Vegetarian Black Bean Soup, and for dinner had Southwestern Chicken Wraps that had corn and black beans in them.

This recipe is super easy and delicious. All the ingredients are things I usually have on hand and it makes a lot, so there are leftovers. We had this with a packet of Spanish rice and it was a perfect meal. My changes are in italics.

Chicken and Fiesta Cornbread Casserole
from ... and a cookie for dessert



4 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces
2 Tbsp EVOO
1 package taco seasoning (I have a jar of taco seasoning. I used more than a packet's worth)
2 cans black beans drained & rinsed
1 can ro-tel drained
2 cans Mexican corn drained (I used 2 cans of regular corn)
1 package corn bread with ingredients to make it
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup red bell pepper (I used 1 cup)
1/4 cup green pepper
1/8 cup green chilie peppers
Fresh Cilantro to taste


Heat oven to 350 degrees spray 3 quart dish with cooking spray.Heat EVOO in large skillet over medium heat. Brown chicken until the middle is no longer pink.

Make cornbread according to instructions, then stir in cheese and peppers, and cilantro.

Sprinkle taco seasoning over chicken. Add black beans, Rotel and corn, add more taco seasoning if desired. Mix together then pour into prepared dish. Pour cornbread over the top (Because I added extra peppers, I had to add more milk to the cornbread mixture to thin it out and make it pourable)

Bake for 30 minutes or until the cornbread is golden

A little bit of this, A little bit of that

I don't have class at all this week. YAY! I hope to do a few blog updates. Last night I was at the gym and saw a commercial for a casserole and deicded it looked delicious. I got home and looked through the freezer and pantry made myself a meal.

Veggie Casserole
(I have a picture.. it's just not uploaded!)

1 bag frozen mixed veggies (mine had potatoes, green beans, squash, and carrots)
2 cups frozen snap peas
1/2 box angel hair pasta - cooked
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of celery soup
1 empty soup can full of water
French Fried Onions to taste
Parmesan Cheese to taste
Salt and Pepper to taste

1) Combine all veggies, pasta, soup, water, and salt and pepper. Bake at 425 until mixture is golden brown and slightly boiling

2) Stir in parmesan cheese. Top with french fried onions and parmesean cheese Bake for 10 more minutes.

3) Devour!

This was super easy and delicious. Next time I might add chicken and a box of corn muffin mix to the ingredients.

Faux Comfort Food

How come some of the best tasting foods are absolutely horrible for you? Tonight I made Low Cal Oven "Fried" Chicken and Corn Casserole. They taste delicious but aren't quite as bad for you as some comfort foods. I have made the chicken before but never the casserole. It was so good!

Low Cal Oven "Fried" Chicken

10 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup bread crumbs
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 tablespoons fresh parsley (I use dried)
3/4 cup low calorie Italian dressing
Melted Butter

1) Combine the bread crumbs, garlic powder, pepper, and parsley.
2) Dip the chicken in the Italian salad dressing and then roll in bread crumbs.
3) Place Chicken in baking dish that has been coated with vegetable cooking spray. Brush lightly with butter.

4) Bake at 350 degrees uncovered for 45 minutes.


Corn Casserole
1 can cream corn
1 can regular corn
1 stick butter
1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix
1 small can sliced green chilis
8 oz sour cream
2 eggs

1)In a large casserole dish mix the corn, eggs, melted butter, Jiffy mix, and peppers. It's okay if the mixture is a little clumpy.

2) Dollop sour cream over dish. Bake at 350 for 20 - 30 minutes until top is golden brown.

This was the first time I've ever made this dish. It was so good! Next time ...... I'll add another can of chilis. I love to spice dishes up. I won't put the sour cream on top. I don't like sour cream. I just scooped it off the top and set it to the side. Next time if someone wants sour cream they can add it themselves after the dish has been cooked.

Mornin' On Ya

My In-Laws came up for a visit this weekend so I made this for breakfast Sunday morning. I will definitely be making this again. Maybe even for dinner one night.

Farmers Casserole

Prep: 25 min Bake: 40 min Oven: 350 degrees

Non Stick Cooking Spray
3 Cups frozen shredded has brown potatoes
¾ Cup Shredded Cheddar
1 Cup Diced Cooked Ham or Canadian Style Bacon
4 Beaten Eggs or 1 cup Refrigerated Egg product
1 1/2 Cups Milk or one 12 oz Evaporated Milk
1/8 Tsp salt
1/8 Tsp black pepper

1) Coat 2 quart square baking dish with non stick cooking spray. Arrange potatoes evenly in the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle with cheese, ham, and green onion.

2) In a bowl combine eggs, milk, salt, and pepper. Pour egg mixture over potato mixture.

3) Bake uncovered in a 350 degree oven 40 to 45 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean

To prepare ahead of time follow steps 1 and 2 cover and place in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. Remove and bake for 50 - 55 mins.

Next time I make this I'll definitely make sure to use a 2 qt pan, I used a 3 qt and the casserole wasn't as thick as I'd like it to be. I'll also add some jalapenos, more pepper, and maybe more potatoes.