Also, this week was nuts for George in terms of work, meetings, etc. I knew that I would find myself by myself with the kids most nights, so I tried to make meals that could be eaten by the kids and then reheated once George got home from his commitments.
I posted a picture of the Spaghetti Pie on Facebook and on my earlier blog post because I was truly astonished at the damage that my little family did to that casserole. What in the world am I going to do when my kids are teenagers!??! Every person (including the baby) LOVED the spaghetti pie, and it was a great dish to serve at different points in the evening.
I wasn't kidding when I said that I am a morning person. I can get more done in the hour between dropping one child off at kindergarten and the other one or two, depending on the day, at preschool than I can during any other hour of the day. I love to get up before my kids do, have my quiet time, and start preparing for the day. So, when I said that I made the Chicken Corn Chowder before school, those of you who know me probably rolled your eyes with knowing smiles on your faces, with maybe a little voice in the back of your head saying, "well, that's kind of annoying!." ;)
The Shrimp Calzones are oh so delicious. My 4 year old started calling them "shrimp pies," and asked for one again for lunch the next day. They don't take too terribly long to prepare, but they are a little time intensive because you have to peel the shrimp, stand over the sauce/shrimp while they cook, roll out the pizza dough, and allow time for cooking so I would not suggest doing these on a day that is super busy in the evening. You can always use chicken as a replacement for the shrimp in these, but I don't think they would be as good...plus, I have a great "recipe" that I don't even consider a recipe for Chicken Calzones that I'll share at a later date...maybe even this week now that I'm thinking about them!!
So, the Crockpot Green Chili. You could do SO much with this from eating it as chili to wrapping it up for enchiladas, to making tacos, to piling it on nachos. This is one of the easiest and yummiest recipes I have ever come across. George was NOT happy that he was missing this one...don't feel too sorry for him, though, as he was being entertained at Nobles! Just as a side note, this is definitely GREEN, so I try and hide it with lots of cheese in quesadillas for the kids...you know how funny kids can be about how things look. We had friends over the night we ate them, and 3 out of 4 kids cleared their plates! (It could have had something to do with the fact that there were Oreos as a bribe for dessert, but I'd like to just think it was my culinary slyness!)
We had leftovers one night this week, and the other two nights were spent in Augusta with my sister, my dad, and my brother-in-law (Papa Johns and Vallarta were the perfect ending to the week!) We did cook for a baby shower that my sister was helping to throw, so I'll share our artichoke dip recipe with you:
Artichoke Dip: (recipe from my dear friend, Alyssa and her mama!)
2 cans quartered artichokes, chopped
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 clove minced garlic
1 pint cherry tomatoes (halved lengthwise)
Mix together artichokes, mayonnaise, cheese, and garlic. Place in 9x13 glass dish and top with cherry tomatoes. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes until bubbly.
SERVE WITH: Toasteds crackers and chopped veggies (carrots, celery, peppers, whatever you like!)
We made 1.5 recipes of this, and every bite of it was eaten at the party...which is generally what happens with this dish!!
Up this week are: Black Bean Burritos, Chicken Calzones (yes, that was just decided as I have the ingredients on hand,) White Bean Chili, and Chicken and Pesto Farfalle! (Possibly some Crockpot Taco Soup too)
Happy Cooking!!!
