Baby Prep - Meals and Desserts!

**In preparation for the arrival of our little one, I have prepped some posts in advance.  As soon as our lives have some semblance of order (hah!) I will get back to my regular posting and be able to respond to any questions/comments you may have :)

In order to prep for the arrival of our little one I cooked and baked up a storm during the last month or so.  I am hoping that it will make things easier when I can just grab a bag from the freezer, throw the contents in the crockpot, and let it cook away until supper time.

I also baked up some treats so that it will be a bit easier to entertain the visitors as everyone comes to meet the new additions!

I didn't take a ton of pictures, but I have had a few people ask me what I have prepared and where I have found the recipes, so here is a list :) If you have any questions, just let me know!

Cheesy Baked Chicken, Bacon, and Mushroom Pasta

You know how in my last post I mentioned how I may be slightly incredibly busy lately? 


I think it caught up with me.


I have spent the last few days at home. Sure a couple days off of work sound nice, except that I have the worst cold EVER (I may be exaggerating, when I had the good ol' H1N1 it maaayyy have been worse than this. maybe.). Between the stuffed sinuses, runny nose, headaches, aches and pains in places I didn't know could ache and pain, and the inability to sleep at night due to coughing, I am a real treat to be around.


Apparently every once in a while your body forces you to slow down!  So I am going to take this chance and try to catch on my my blog a bit :) Sound good? Then I'll nap, I promise!

Cheesy Chicken and Spinach Lasagna

Here is another winner that was sent to me by my mom!  She found this recipe on cooks.com and said that the family loved it.  With a dish that is made up of chicken, cheese, and pasta, how could one go wrong? Plus, who can argue with the approval of the fam?

Since there are only two of us in our house I decided to half this recipe and make it in a 8" x 8" pan.  I found that having everything ready to go before making the cheese sauce made the whole process very easy.  For the cooked chicken I poached a couple of small chicken breasts, but a rotisserie chicken would be perfect as well!


The recipe fills a 8" x 8" or a 9" x 9" pan, but the original recipe makes enough to fill up a 9" x 13" pan.

Serve this with some warm bread and veggies and you have yourself an awesome weeknight meal! The leftovers are definitely something to look forward to as well :)


Cheesy Chicken and Spinach Lasagna

• 6 oz no-boil lasagna noodles (about 6 noodles)
• 1 cup cooked chicken, shredded
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 cup cottage cheese
• 1 package of chopped spinach, thawed and drained
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1/4 tsp dried oregano

1. In a medium bowl mix together the onion, basil, oregano, pepper, 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, mozzarella and cheese, set aside
2. In a large saucepan melt the butter
3. Add the flour and whisk over medium heat until bubbly
4. Remove the pan from the heat and add the milk and chicken broth
5. Return the sauce pan to the heat and whisk it while bringing it to a boil
6. Let boil for about a minute, and then add the cheese/onion/spice mixture
7. Continue stirring over medium heat until the cheese is melted and the sauce begins to thicken
8. When ready to assemble, preheat the oven to 350 F
9. In a 8" x 8" (or 9" x 9") square pan, add 1/4 of the cheese sauce (a generous 1/2 cup)
10. Cover the cheese sauce with some of the lasagna noodles
11. Add 1/2 cup cottage cheese on top of the noodles, spreading evenly
12. Top the cottage cheese with another generous 1/2 cup of cheese sauce, and then another layer of noodles
13. Cover the noodles with the remaining 1/2 cup cottage cheese, the chopped spinach, the chopped chicken, and another generous 1/2 cup of cheese sauce
14. Add the remaining noodles, cover them with the rest of the cheese sauce, and then top the dish with the remaining 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese
15. Bake for about 40 minutes until the top is lightly browned and the edges are bubbly
16. Let sit for about 10 minutes before serving
17. Enjoy!

My Noodle Hands! - Daring Cooks July 2011 Challenge

Blog-checking lines: Steph from Stephfood was our Daring Cooks' July hostess.  Steph challenged us to make homemade noodles without the help of a motorized pasta machine.  She provided us with recipes for Spätzle and Fresh Egg Pasta as well as a few delicious sauces to pair our noodles with.

I decided to make the Spatzle because I had never had it before, and to be honest I had no idea what it was! I do plan on trying to make fettucini or ravioli too, if I have them ready before July 14 I will put them up in this post as well.

It turns out that Spatzle is incredibly easy to make! It requires simple ingredients, and comes together very quickly.

I decided to add dill and parsley to my spatzle and I really liked the flavour of the dill in them.  I topped them with the Butter and Breadcrumb sauce that was provided and it was really tasty.

You can add any herbs or spices that you wish to jazz these up.  I halved the recipe, but if you make the full recipe (listed below) it makes about 4 servings.

German Spatzle

• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp dill (I used dried dill)
• 1 tsp parsley flakes

1. In a bowl whisk together the eggs, milk, dill, and parsely
2. Add the flour about 1/2 cup at a time and mix until smooth after each addition. After the last of the flour is added the dough will become very thick and elastic
3. Bring a large pot of water to a boil
4. Dip a spoon in the hot water, and then scoop about half a spoonful of the dough
5. Drop the dough into the boiling water, and repeat with the remaining dough (they will puff up a lot)
6. Boil for 15 - 20 minutes.  While the spatzles are boiling you can make the sauce
7. Drain well before serving
8. Enjoy!

Butter and Breadcrumbs Sauce

• 6 tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• herbs and spices of your choice (optional)

1. Melt the butter in a microwave safe bowl 
2. Stir in the breadcrumbs (and any herbs or spices you may be using)
3. Dab onto the drained spatzle
4. Enjoy!

Cheesy Stuffed Pasta Shells with Meat Sauce

Here is a recipe that takes a little bit of work, but makes a wonderful meal.  The jumbo shells are stuffed with three different kinds of cheese (delicious!), and the topped with a great meat sauce that you can customize based on what is in your cupboard!


We had this with some biscuits, but it would also be amazing with a side salad and garlic bread for a complete meal.


I found this recipe on thepioneerwoman.com, but since it makes such a large meal I halved it.  I have my modifications listed below, but if you are looking for the original recipe it can be found here.


On the next cold Sunday, make this meal!

Cheesy Stuffed Pasta Shells with Meat Sauce

• 20 - 24 jumbo pasta shells
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 2 - 3 cloves garlic, diced
• 2 - 3 links italian sausage (casing removed)
• 1/3 cup red wine
• 398 mL can crushed tomatoes
• 213 mL can tomato sauce
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp parsley
• 500 g ricotta cheese
• 100 g parmesan cheese, grated
• 1/2 cup romano cheese, grated 
• 1 egg
• 6 - 8 basil leaves, chopped
• 1 tbsp parsely
• salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
• 2 - 3 basil leaves chopped

1. Cook the pasta shells in boiling water for about 8 minutes, remove from heat, rinse and drain (they will not be fully cooked)
2. In a large sauce pan, heat the olive oil and then add the diced onion and garlic
3. Cook for a couple minutes until onions begin to soften
4. Add the italian sausage and break it up as it cooks
5. When the sausage is fully cooked, pour in the red wine and let it simmer for a couple minutes
6. Add the two cans of tomatoes and the parsley, and stir well. Sprinkle in some salt and pepper to taste
7. Let the sauce cook for about 30 to 45 minutes at a simmer (stirring every so often)
8. Preheat the oven to 350 F
9. While the sauce is simmering, mix together the ricotta, parmesan, and romano cheeses
10. Add the egg, salt, pepper, basil, and parsley to the cheese mixture, and mix well
11. Fill the shells with the cheese mixture (but do not overfill, you want to be able to close the shells)
12. When the sauce is ready, pour some on the bottom of your baking dish
13. Place the shells seam side down onto the sauce, and then cover the shells with the remaining sauce
14. Sprinkle on the remaining parmesan and basil, then bake for about 20 to 25 minutes
15. Enjoy!

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

This recipe is originally from skinnytaste.com, so despite the creamy, cheesy, deliciousness that it is, this is actually a fairly healthy choice! win-win!


I will admit that I threw in extra cheese, and some bacon as well, but when does bacon not make a meal better?


If you don't like spinach, you can throw any type of vegetable in with this: broccoli, peas, mushrooms, or leave the vegetable out all together.

Here it is ready to go in the oven! I threw the leftover grated cheese on top, you can't let cheese go to waste.

And here it is right out of the oven, nice and golden!


The original recipe can be found here.  I halved it because the original recipe would have made way to many leftovers.


Baked Macaroni and Cheese

• 6 oz fiber macaroni
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp flour
• 2 tbsp minced onion
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup chicken broth (reduced sodium)
• 1 to 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (depends on how cheesy you like it)
• 4 cups fresh baby spinach
• 6 slices cooked bacon, cut into pieces
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan
• 1/4 cup unseasoned bread crumbs (I use Panko bread crumbs)
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Cook your pasta as per the directions on the package, drain and set aside
2. Preheat the oven to 375 and spray your baking dish with cooking spray
3. In a large pan, melt the butter
4. Add the flour and whisk it into the butter
5. Add the onion, and cook for about 2 minutes
6. Pour in the milk and the chicken broth, then continue mixing until it is smooth and has thickened
7. Sprinkle in some salt and pepper while mixing
8. Remove the pan from the element, and then stir in the cheese
9. Continue stirring until the cheese has completely melted, and the mixture is smooth 
10. Pour over the macaroni and add the spinach and bacon 
11. Mix thoroughly, and then pour into the prepared baking dish
12. Top with breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, and any leftover shredded cheese
13. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes, or until golden
14. Enjoy!