Tis the season

I have just recently wrapped my brain around Google Reader. I tried it a while ago and we didn't get along very well, then I decided to give it another try and we are getting along much better. Turns out that it was me...go figure! Now, instead of going to all of my favorite haunts to see if they have a new post, I can just look at one spot, Google Reader, on igoogle--my google homepage. I've also added Google Analytics to my page to monitor the activity of my blog, turns out there are more people coming by than I thought. Just so happens more don't want to comment than do, that's ok with me. What can't Google do? Having carved a good 30-40 minutes of my day free, I can post on my blog. So far, I'm on a steady roll with a post every day this week. That's how it used to be when I first started.

Going to a wedding anytime soon? This seems to be the season for attending weddings. We'll be going to five or six this season alone. I can't tell you how many baby showers, bridal showers, and weddings we attend each year. Kendra and i always try to find something unique and special to give to the guests of honor. For bride's to be we love to give them practical things that will help them settle into being married.

There is a certain time in a bride's life, and groom too, when the new appliances aren't really all that fun anymore, and the excitement of being "newlyweds" begins to wear down because you've spent the last six weeks addressing than you cards. And, have now realized your new husband has not even a clue how his underwear made it from the bathroom floor, where they were dropped as he got in the shower back into his dresser! That's when our gift kicks in and keeps on giving.

Here's just one idea for you to give to a new bride. An ovenmit, the long kind so arms aren't burned, into which you have stuffed some handy tools (spatulas, spoonulas, whisk, french spoon) and a recipe for Custom Casserole.

Ingredients:

Base:
1 (8-ounce) carton sour cream

1 cup milk

1 cup water or any of the following liquids: chicken broth, white wine, sherry

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

Choose one from each category:

Sauce Makers:

1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup, undiluted

1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of celery soup, undiluted

1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of chicken soup, undiluted

1 (10 3/4-ounce) can Cheddar cheese soup, undiluted

2 (14 1/2-ounce) cans Italian-style diced tomatoes, undrained

Choose one Fish/Meat/Poultry:

2 (6-ounce) cans solid white tuna, drained and flaked

2 cups chopped cooked chicken

2 cups chopped cooked ham

2 cups chopped cooked turkey

1 pound ground beef, browned and drained

Choose one Pasta/Rice:

2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni

1 cup uncooked rice

4 cups uncooked wide egg noodles

3 cups uncooked medium shells

Toppings:

1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Swiss cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup fine, dry breadcrumbs

Choose one Frozen Vegetable:

1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed

1 (10-ounce) package frozen cut broccoli

1 (10-ounce) package frozen Italian green beans

1 (10-ounce) package frozen English peas

1 (16-ounce) package frozen sliced yellow squash

1 (10-ounce) package frozen whole kernel corn

Choose one or more Extras (Optional):

1 (3-ounce) can sliced mushrooms, drained

1/4 cup sliced ripe olives

1/4 cup chopped bell pepper

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped celery

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 (4.5-ounce) can chopped green chiles

1 (1 1/4-ounce) envelope taco seasoning mix

PreparationCombine 1 (8-ounce) carton sour cream, 1 cup milk, 1 cup water, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper with Sauce Maker (omit sour cream and milk when using tomatoes). Stir in Pasta/Rice, Frozen Vegetable, Fish/Meat/Poultry, and if desired, Extras.
Spoon casserole mixture into a lightly greased 13- x 9- x 2-inch baking dish; sprinkle with your choice of toppings.
Cover and bake casserole at 350º for 1 hour and 10 minutes; uncover and bake 10 additional minutes.
Chicken Casserole: Cream of chicken soup, broccoli, rice, chicken, Parmesan cheese, and breadcrumbs.
Ham Casserole: Cream of celery soup, Italian green beans, wide egg noodles, ham, garlic, and 2 portions Swiss cheese.
Turkey Casserole: Italian-style diced tomatoes, spinach, medium pasta shells, turkey, onion, garlic, mozzarella cheese, adn breadcrumbs.
Vegetarian Casserole: Italian-style diced tomatoes, yellow squash, rice, olives, 4 portions celery, 4 portions bell pepper, garlic, parmesan cheese, and breadcrumbs.
Yield
6 servings

Hand write this on a recipe card and stick it in the oven mit. For a new bride who loves to cook, or a new groom who read a 400 page cookbook on the drive home from Sterling City's Wedding Shower for he and his wife (who me? guilty...one of my altime favorite cookbooks even after 12 years) as they began their journey together. Having an aresenal of go to recipes that do not scare the dog duke out of a new cook, but equip them with the confidence to begin branching out.

ATTENTION ALL NEWLYWEDS: Comeplete meal kits that have become their own aisle at most grocery stores are a joke! Please, Please, Please...one more time...PAAAALEEEASSEEEE do not purchase these. It is so easy to "whip" up a great, easy meal with your own two hands and will be much healthier and better for you.

The Ladies Class I taught in OKC gave me an acrylic box full of their hand written recipes which they have loved over the years. Each lady submitted their top five/ten recipes and each one is handwritten. This is one of my top favorite cherished items in my kitchen. The bos is a little worse for the wear (my son thought of it as a play toy), but the recipes are still entact. Love that box full of recipes.

Now go out there and ignore the Bridal Registry...they will not use that egg and muffin toaster!!