Jambalaya Egg Casserole

This morning I was scheduled to host our bi-weekly playgroup.  The group is pretty large, with 12 Mama's, 12 two-year olds, and several younger siblings.  Typically the playgroup host provides some type of breakfast/brunch for everyone.  I wanted to try something new and saw a recipe on the back of the Zatarain's Jambalaya mix that looked very interesting and right up my alley.

I modified the recipe ever so slightly, but I must say, I thought it turned out pretty darn tasty and so did the other Mama's.

Jambalaya Egg Casserole

Serves 8-12

Ingredients:

1 family size box of Zatarain's Jambalaya, prepared according to package directions

1 ham steak, cubed

5 pieces of cooked bacon, crumbled

1 8oz bag of shredded Mexican cheese blend or Monterey Jack

3 green onions, sliced

1 cup heavy cream

7 eggs

Parsley, optional for garnish

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Prepare Jambalaya mix according to package directions.  Use the cubed ham and crumbled bacon when the mix directions tell you to add the meat.  Meanwhile, beat the 7 eggs and heavy cream.  Add 3/4 of the bag of shredded cheese and the sliced green onions.  Once the jambalaya is cooked, allow to cool.  Once cooled, mix the jambalaya with the egg, cream, onion, and cheese mixture.  Stir to combine.  Pour combined mixture into a 9 x13 glass baking dish.  Sprinkle remaining cheese over the top.

Bake in the oven for 25 minutes.  Garnish with chopped parsley and serve.  Enjoy!

I also served a couple other dishes along side this yummy casserole.

Crunchy Asian Peanut Slaw

Apple, Strawberry, Pineapple Fruit Salad with Lime

Cottage Mama's Note:  The jambalaya would also be delicious with the addition of andouille sausage or you could even use your basic breakfast sausage.

The Cottage Mama's Favorite Mac & Cheese Recipe

You know the saying "If it's not broke, don't fix it"?  Well, I should have listened to this several nights ago when I tried to change up my homemade Mac & Cheese recipe.  Yes, I can admit it........my new recipe........not so good.  I think from now on I will just stick to the one I know I can count on.

So here is my GOOD mac & cheese recipe - the one you can count on to be perfect every time.  This is from Ina Garten, the "Barefoot Contessa", and it is the creamiest, dreamiest mac & cheese recipe you will ever have!

The Cottage Mama's Favorite Mac & Cheese

Ingredients:

nocouponsKosher salt

Vegetable oil

1 pound elbow macaroni or cavatappi

1 quart milk

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

12 ounces Gruyere, grated (4 cups)

8 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar, grated (2 cups)

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

3/4 pound fresh tomatoes (4 small)

1 1/2 cups fresh white bread crumbs (5 slices, crusts removed)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Drizzle oil into a large pot of boiling salted water. Add the macaroni and cook according to the directions on the package, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain well.

Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don't boil it. Melt 6 tablespoons of butter in a large (4-quart) pot and add the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. While whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or two more, until thickened and smooth. Off the heat, add the Gruyere, Cheddar, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Add the cooked macaroni and stir well. Pour into a 3-quart baking dish.

Slice the tomatoes and arrange on top. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, combine them with the fresh bread crumbs, and sprinkle on the top. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on the top.

Cottage Mama's Note:  Feel free to add shredded chicken or cubed ham to add some protein to this dish.  I live with a meat and potatoes lover so he is always looking for the meat!!

Cheesy, Delicious - Hash Brown Casserole

Hash brown casserole is SO yummy!  I'm sure many of you have a version of this recipe, but if you don't I think this is a tried and true dish that should be in everyone's cooking repertoire.

Hash brown casserole is a perfect side dish for any steak, chicken or fish dinner.  It is incredibly easy to make and can be made up to a day ahead of time and kept in the fridge until it is time to bake.  If you are looking for a dish to take to a pot-luck, this one is a guaranteed crowd pleaser.  This is also a wonderful brunch dish as well! 

If for some reason you have never tried this dish, please, please give this recipe a try - you will love it!!

Hash Brown Casserole

Ingredients:

1 bag frozen, shredded or diced hash brown potatoes (2 lbs.), thawed

1 onion, chopped

1 can cream soup (cream of chicken, mushroom, celery.....whatever you have)

1 8 oz. container sour cream (I use light sour cream)

1 lb. shredded cheddar or monterey jack cheese

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 cups crushed corn flakes or 1 cup seasoned bread crumbs

1/4 cup melted butter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grate cheese (or you can use already shredded bagged cheese) and chop onion.

Then add your hash browns, cream soup, sour cream, cheese, onions, salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl and stir until combined.

After all ingredients are combined, spoon hash brown mixture into a greased, glass baking dish.  Top hash browns with crushed corn flakes or seasoned bread crumbs (I used bread crumbs here) and drizzle melted butter evenly on top.

Bake for 35 minutes, covered.  Remove foil and continue to bake an additional 10 minutes.

Hash Brown Casserole - hot out of the oven!!

Serve with salad and Honey-Dijon Pecan Crusted Salmon (recipe to come!!)

Cottage Mama's Note:  To make hash brown casserole into a main dish entree, consider adding cubed ham or chicken and adding additional vegetables such as diced bell peppers, peas or broccoli.

Apple Raisin French Toast Strata

This morning was our "Valentine" playgroup.  We had such a great time!  My friend Julie hosted the group and she did a wonderful job.  She prepared several different breakfast items, but the Apple Raisin French Toast Strata definitely took the cake - it was AWESOME!!

Julie got this recipe via allrecipes.com and I wanted to go ahead and share it with all of you.  If you are hosting a brunch/breakfast anytime in the near future, make this dish - it was SO yummy!

 

 Apple Raisin French Toast Strata

Ingredients:

1 (1 pound) loaf cinnamon raisin bread, cubed

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, diced

1 cup diced peeled apples

8 eggs

2 1/2 cups half-and-half cream

6 tablespoons butter, melted

1/4 cup maple syrup

Directions:

Coat a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Arrange 1/2 of the cubed raisin bread in the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle the cream cheese evenly over the bread, and top with the apples. If you like extra raisins, add them now. Top with remaining bread.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs with the cream, butter, and maple syrup. Pour over the bread mixture. Cover with plastic wrap, and press down so that all bread pieces are soaked. Refrigerate at least 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).

Bake 45 minutes in the preheated oven. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.  Enjoy!!

Here are some pictures from this mornings playgroup.  My daughter Savannah has been playing with most of these kiddos since she was 5 weeks old (well if you can call that "playing" at 5 weeks old).

We were each told to bring a bag or box for our child to collect all of their Valentines - this is Savannah & Matilda's bag all filled up with Valentine's from their little friends!

Savannah at the craft table.  I think she takes after her mother - she loves arts and crafts!!

Savannah getting ready to pass out her Valentine's.  Remember the "We Dig You!" post? (find it here).

All the kiddos Valentine's Day boxes/bags ready to be filled!

Ava & Liam's Boxes

Grace & Evan's Box

Roaran's Lion Mailbox

This is what happens when toddlers are left unattended at the craft table - yikes!!

Cottage Mama's Note:  The dress my daughter is wearing in these pictures I made from a recycled Valentine's Day shirt from last year.  You can the recycled shirt dress post here.

Creamy Chicken Enchilada Casserole & Monterey Jack Cheese Cornbread Muffins

When I had my second daughter, Matilda Jane, 7 months ago I could not believe the out-pouring of kindness we received from our family and friends.  We were brought so many meals that I did not even have to think about cooking for several weeks!  I think bringing new parents a meal that they can easily heat up is one of the best gifts you can possible give a couple.

So on Friday I was telling you all about the fact that tons of my friends seem to have had babies this past month (see post here ).  Today I delivered meals to two of my friends and I thought I would share the recipes with you.  If you have someone in your life that has recently had a new baby, I highly recommend bringing them a hot meal and, if you feel so inclined, go ahead and try this recipe - I think it is delish!

Creamy Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts (frozen or thawed)

1 can green enchilada sauce

1 can red enchilada sauce

1 lb. Monterey Jack Cheese

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 bag frozen broccoli

1/2 bag frozen corn

1 garlic clove, chopped (or 1 teaspoon jar garlic)

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons chili powder

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (do not add if you don't like some spice)

1 tablespoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon oregano 

1 brick cream cheese

12 flour tortillas

3 handfuls of tortilla chips (crushed)

Cilantro (for garnish)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Place frozen chicken breast on cookie sheet, place in oven and cook 20-30 minutes (until cooked through).  Once cooked, dice chicken into 1/2" pieces.

While chicken is cooking, heat olive oil in large saute pan on medium heat.  Add garlic to pan and cook for 2-3 minutes.  Add frozen broccoli, corn, and all spices.  Saute until cooked through.  

Add both cans enchilada sauce and cook for 3 minutes.

Add cream cheese and melt into sauce.  Once cream cheese is melted, add cubed chicken and cook for 3-5 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut 12 flour tortillas into 1 inch strips.

Now it's time to assemble the casserole!  Spray your casserole dish with cooking spray (I like Olive Oil spray from Trader Joe's, but any kind will work).  Place one layer of flour tortillas on the bottom of the dish.

Then add a layer of the chicken, cream cheese, veggie, sauce mixture.

Sprinkle 1/2 of the Monterey Jack cheese on top.  Repeat the layering until you have used up your ingredients.  You will probably have 2-3 layers depending on the size of your casserole dish.

Finish the top of the casserole with crushed tortilla chips, more cheese, and chopped fresh cilantro.

Bake at 375 degrees for 20-30 minutes until heated through.  If you are taking this to a friend, cover with foil, write the heating instructions on top of the foil (that way they don't have to worry about finding them before they heat up the dish).  Enjoy!

Monterey Jack Cheese Cornbread Muffins

Makes 12 Muffins

Ingredients:

2 boxes Jiffy cornbread mix

2 eggs

2/3 cup milk

1 cup Monterey Jack cheese

1/2 cup cilantro or green onions

2 tablespoons chili powder

Directions:

Prepare Jiffy Corn Muffin mix according to package directions.  DO NOT over-mix (otherwise you will have dry, hard corn muffins).  The batter should still be somewhat lumpy before you place it into your muffin tins.

Fold in cheese & chili powder.

Chop cilantro (or green onions).

Fold in cilantro.

Line muffin tin with muffin wrappers and fill 3/4 full.  Bake according to Jiffy package directions.

Allow muffins to cool before removing from pan.

Jiffy Cornbread mix is VERY inexpensive and makes incredibly delicious cornbread as long as you make sure you add enough milk (add a little more milk if the batter looks too dry) and you don't over-mix the batter.

Cottage Mama's Note:  Since I was taking these casseroles to friends, I bought disposable lasagna pans from Dollar Tree (2 pans for $1.00) so I didn't have to worry about getting my dishes back later.  I also placed the corn muffins in cello bags and tied them up with a pretty sage green ribbon.

Thanksgiving 101: Side Dishes

So far we have covered all of the basics for our Thanksgiving celebration: turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce.  Now it's time for side dishes - yipee!!  Now this is where you can really get creative - the options are endless.  Many of you may opt. for you basic green bean casserole (a classic and very good) and/or some form of baked sweet potatoes (perhaps with marshmallows), but I'm going to skip those two oldies, but goodies and give you several other ideas that you may want to add to your Thanksgiving table this year.

This first recipe comes to you from Martha Stewart herself:  Rose's Baked Artichoke Hearts.  I saw this recipe prepared last year on the Martha Stewart show and thought it just looked so easy and delicious that I had to give it a try.  I served this last year on Christmas Eve with Prime Rib, but I think it would make an awesome addition to Thanksgiving.  It's also something that would be unexpected, but extremely appreciated by all your fellow guests.  Trust me.......if you like artichoke hearts, it is divine!  Click here to check out the recipe for Rose's Baked Artichoke Hearts.


My second side dish I would like to share with you is Creamed Spinach Gratin.  To me this is one of the world's best comfort foods and mixes perfectly with turkey, stuffing, and potatoes.

Creamed Spinach Gratin

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 4 cups chopped yellow onions (2 large)
• 4 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 cups milk
• 3 pounds frozen chopped spinach, defrosted (5 (10-ounce) packages)
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Cook bacon in heavy bottom saute pan.  Remove bacon and crumble.  Melt the butter into bacon grease over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until translucent, about 15 minutes (make sure this are fully cooked). Add the flour and nutmeg and cook, stirring, for 2 more minutes. Add the cream and milk and cook until thickened. Squeeze as much liquid as possible from the spinach and add the spinach to the sauce. Add 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese and mix well. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Transfer the spinach to a baking dish and sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan and the Gruyere on top. Bake for 20 minutes until hot and bubbly. Serve hot.

Cottage Mama's Note:

-This recipe will serve 10 people easily - probably even more!

-Another great idea for this recipe (not for Thanksgiving).  Cut the recipe in half and toss with a pound of cooked pasta, then add to casserole dish and bake.  YUM!

Ok and my final recommendation for a delicious Thanksgiving side dish is a recipe I have already posted previously: Ruthie's Spinach Salad.  I brought this to my in-laws last year for Thanksgiving and it was a definite hit.  This recipe would be a fresh addition to your thanksgiving table - with the cranberries, toasted almonds, sliced red onion, feta cheese and a delicious sweet and spicy vinaigrette - it would be the perfect contrast to all of your other creamy and delicious side dishes.

Ruthie's Spinach Salad

Dressing

3/4 C. salad oil

1/2 C. sugar

1/2 C. red wine vinegar

3-4 cloves garlic

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Salad

8 cups washed and dried baby spinach

1 C dried cranberries or cherries

4 ounces feta cheese crumbled 

I/2 to 1 medium red onion thinly sliced

4-6 slices bacon -cooked and crumbled

1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted

For dressing--combine all ingredients in a container with a tight fitting lid.  Cover and shake well to blend.

For the salad--combine all ingredients--toss with dressing just before serving.

Six servings

Happy Thanksgiving!

Grandma Marge's Hominy Casserole

Today I have been busy thinking about our big party that we are throwing this weekend.  We are so excited and can't wait to see all of our friends!  My husband and I call our gathering "The Feast".  This is our fifth year and I guess you could say it's kind of a tradition now - it's a party our friends come to expect and look forward to, as do we.

We call it "The Feast" because we generally grill a REALLY large piece of meat (picture a whole turkey, a ham or different huge roasts), my husband home-brews a bunch of beer (he is an excellent homebrewer, if I may brag), we have a bonefire outside with smores, and everyone brings a dish to share (dessert, side-dish, appetizer, ect.).  Which brings me to the point of my blog post: I was scanning through my recipes that I have stored on my computer and thought this would be a great dish to make for a party!  It's slightly different with the use of hominy, yet still mainstream enough that the majority of the guests would enjoy it.

So if you are looking for a dish to take to a pot-luck that is not your basic old standby - give my Grandma Marge's Hominy Casserole a try.  My Grandma would have been "oh so flattered!"

Grandma Marge’s Hominy Casserole

4 cans (15 ounce each) drained white hominy

1 Tablespoon olive oil

3 cans cream of mushroom soup

1 large container sour cream

1 large onion sliced

3 cloves garlic minced

1 cup chopped green chile or more (depending on your taste)

Grated Monterey jack and cheddar cheese

Paprika

Sauté onion and garlic in oil until tender crisp. Add soup and simmer 15 minutes. Add hominy, sour cream and green chile.  Pour in casserole dish and top liberally with cheese. Sprinkle with paprika and bake at 350 degrees until bubbly!  30-45 minutes. Serves 8.

Cottage Mama's Note:  Chopped ham or fajita chicken might be good to addition for a main dish casserole.

PS:  Picture above is from our feast several years ago!

Chicken "Divine"

Ok, so it's been rather chilly out lately and cold weather makes me think of casseroles.  My brother Ben, the chef, is anti-casserole due to their homey nature (not fancy enough for him), but I can't resist a warm, comforting cheesy casserole.  Makes my mouth water just thinking about it!!  It's the perfect food for the cottage home and the perfect food for your home too!

I would imagine many of you have heard of the classic dish, Chicken Divan.  Perhaps your Mom made it or your Grandmother - it's been around since the 1950's, I'd say.  If you're not familiar, it's made with cream of mushroom soup, broccoli, chicken, cheddar cheese, ect.  It is quite a tasty dish; however, I have an updated version of this classic that is just diviiiiiiine - it's called Chicken "Divine" and its from the Bride and Groom First and Forever Cookbook.


There are several reasons why I love this casserole;
1 - It can be made a day ahead of time - definite plus for the busy Cottage Mama.
2 - You can freeze it and just pop it in the oven during the week on a busy day when you have no time to cook (adjust cooking time accordingly).
3 - It is a wonderful dish to take to someone who is ill or has just had a new baby.
4 - It's comfort food at it's best and will warm you from the inside out!

My Mom's friend, Judi gave Brett and I this cookbook for our wedding and it has been a "go to" book for me ever since.  I haven't tried a single recipe that didn't turn out excellent.  The first year we were married I hosted my in-laws for Thanksgiving (nerve-racking, right?) and I used many recipes from this book and they all turned out to be a success.  If you have an upcoming wedding or shower to attend, I highly recommend this book as a gift - your friends will definitely thank you for it!

Chicken "Divine"

Ingredients:

2 packages (10 oz. each) frozen broccoli florets, thawed

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup dry white wine (such as Chardonnay)

1 jar (16 oz) alfredo sauce, such as Classico

2 cups (4 oz) grated smoked gouda

1/2 cup milk

1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

4 cups cooked penne, macaroni, or orecchiette pasta

2 cups shredded roast chicken

1/4 cup italian style bread crumbs

Paprika for sprinkling

Directions:

Serves 4.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Add the onion, thyme, kosher salt, and pepper.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is tender, about 5 mins.  Add the wine, increase the heat to high and cook until all the liquid has evaporated, 2 to 3 mins. Remove from heat.  Stir in the alfredo sauce, 1/2 cup of the cheese, the milk and nutmeg.  Then stir in the cooked pasta, broccoli, and chicken and mix thoroughly.

Transfer to an 8-in square baking dish.  Top with the remaining 1.5 cups of cheese and the bread crumbs. Sprinkle with paprika, cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 mins.  Uncover and bake until golden brown, 10-15 mins. more.

Do-Ahead:  This casserole can be made 1 day in advance and refrigerated.  It can also be assembled and then frozen.

Cottage Mama's Note:  About 3 cups dried penne pasta yields 4 cups cooked.

Fun With Leftovers!

Ok, so it was Monday night and my family had just left after coming into town for my daughter, Matilda's baptism, and I was thinking.........what are we going to have for dinner?  We had many leftovers in our fridge after having company stay with us and having just had a big baptism party.

Like I said in one of my previous posts, I am really trying to be better about not wasting food so I had to figure out how to use up all of these little bits of leftovers.  We had 1.5 bowls of Taos Taco Soup left, about 1/6 of a roast chicken (Crock-Pot Chicken ) and a big tupperware full of mashed potatoes.  So here's what I came up with - Southwestern Shepherds Pie!

Ingredients:
Leftover Taos Taco Soup
1/6 Roasted Chicken (shredded)
3 cups homemade mashed potatoes
2 chopped green onions
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Garnish - Chile powder, Sour Cream, Cilantro, and Tortilla Chips

Mix shredded chicken with remaining Taos Taco Soup and spread into the bottom of a 9 x 13 glass baking dish.  Mix mashed potatoes and green onions together and spread on top of Taos Taco Soup.  Sprinkle cheese on top of potatoes and sprinkle chile powder (for a bit of extra flavor and to make it look pretty).  Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes or until cheese is melted and everything is heated through.  Serve with a dollop of sour cream on top, a sprinkle of cilantro and a few tortilla chips.

Yipee for not wasting any food and for coming up with a new recipe!!!  Enjoy!

Semi-Homemade

I was searching my cupboards, freezer and fridge this past week trying to think of something for dinner with what little we had on hand.  I've been trying to be really good lately about using what we already have and grocery shopping less.  

Isn't it amazing how much a trip to the store adds up?  And I always feel so bad when I waste food or have fresh food go bad.  So I've been trying to buy a lot of frozen and can goods to remedy this problem.

So here's what I came up with - Fiesta Green Chile Burrito Bake.  I remembered seeing a similar idea to this semi-homemade recipe in my Real Simple magazine several months ago.

Preheat oven 375 degrees. Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

Olive oil

1 teaspoon garlic

1 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoons flour

2 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

Black pepper, to taste

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

8 oz. package shredded cheese

4 oz. chopped green chile

Frozen Family Pack Bean and Cheese burritos (I used El Monterey)

Chile powder - for garnish

Saute garlic in olive oil until soft.  Then add butter and flour (making a roux) - cook for 2-3 minutes.  Add 2 cups milk, salt, and pepper.  Bring to a boil.  Once the mixture begins to thicken, add 6 oz. cheese and green chile.

Lay frozen burritos in a single layer in a 9 x 11 glass baking dish.  Pour cheesy green chile mixture on top of burritos.  Sprinkle 2 oz. cheese and chile powder on top.  

Bake for 45 mins. or until heated through.

Additional notes:  

1) Would be delish with sour cream and green onions on top.  Also great to serve with Uncle Ben's Ready Rice (Santa Fe Style) and tortilla chips.
2) I also added frozen tri-color bell peppers (from Trader Joe's) on top.

3) To make the dish even easier (I didn't have it on hand at the time) but you could forgo making the roux (butter, flour, garlic and olive oil) and adding the milk by just using a can of cream of chicken soup instead - thin with some water, then add cheese and green chile.