Slow Cooker Lasagna

1 pound bulk italian sausage
1 onion, chopped
3 cans (15 oz each) italian style tomato sauce
2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 container (15 oz) ricotta cheese
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
15 uncooked lasagna noodles

Cook sausage and onion in skillet until sausage is no longer pink; drain. Stir in tomato sauce, basil and salt. Mix 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese and the ricotta and Parmesan cheeses. Spoon 1/4 of the sausage mixture into slow cooker; top with 5 noodles, broken into pieces to fit. Spread with half of the cheese mixture and one fourth of the sausage mixture. Top with 5 broken noodles, remaining cheese mixture and one fourth of the sausage mixture. Top with remaining 5 broken noodles and remaining sausage mixture. Cover and cook on low heat 4-6 hours or until noodles are tender. Sprinkle top of lasagna with remaining 1 cup of mozzarella cheese. Cover and let stand 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Serves 8

Baked Salmon with Tomatoes, Spinach and Mushrooms

4 salmon fillets (4 oz each)
2 cups chopped fresh spinach
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 medium tomato, chopped
1/3 cup sun dried tomato dressing

Place salmon fillets, skin sides down, in 13x9 dish that has been sprayed with nonstick spray. Mix remaining ingredients until well blended; spoon over salmon. Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes or until salmon flakes easily when tested with fork.

Serves 4

Cheesy Mashed Potatoes

2 pounds yukon gold potatoes, unpeeled and cubed
1/4 cup milk
2 oz velveeta, cut up
1 green onion, sliced

Place potatoes in large pan. Add enough water to completely cover potatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to med-low; simmer 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Drain potatoes; return to saucepan. Mash potatoes until light and fluffy, gradually adding milk alternately with the velveeta. Sprinkle with green onions.

Serves 8

Big Changes!!

Big changes in our house...We have worked really hard, we have prayed really hard...and now, I can quit my job and stay home to take care of my family full time.

God has truly blessed us for this to be able to happen right now. I've been wanting to do this for quite some time, but we had to pay off a few bills first. So, we did that. Then, John had to get comfortable with the idea. And he's there now. He occasionally has a bout of anxiety, but, I would imagine, that's normal.

It will be a pretty big change. We won't have the money to "play" as much as we did before. Don't get me wrong, we won't be poverty stricken...John has a great job that pays him well enough that we can pay our bills with ease and have a little extra. But we will have to be careful about what we spend our "extra" on.

Several people have told me that they are surprised I am quitting because I worked so hard during nursing school. I know they are just nicely trying to say, "You were crazy (really crazy) during school trying to make an A, why are you giving it up?" Well, I have a desire in my heart to be at home for my kids after school and cook my family dinner every night. I want to have dinner on the table when John gets home at 5:30 (I really should've been a wife and mother in the 1950s). I want to take my kids to school every day and pick them up. I want to drive them around to their activities (within reason, Katie!!). I want to do laundry! Yes, I said it. I want to scrub my kitchen floors with a toothbrush (see, I'm still crazy!). I want to actually be able to focus on my kids and John when they walk in the door. I truly want to know how their day was and I want to be able to hear them when they tell me. I don't want to be distracted by something else I need to take care of at work tomorrow or thinking I only have this many hours before I need to get to bed and I've got all these things to do.

I want my house to be a haven when John and the kids get home. I don't want them to dread coming home because it's chaos and I'm stressed (and you know, if Momma ain't happy, nobody's happy). And right now, I feel like that's what it is. I am not balancing work and home. I don't know how single parents do it. When John is traveling and I'm a single parent, physically and emotionally, it's more than I can take. And I know he'll be home at the end of the week. And I don't have to worry about money. Even if he's traveling, I still get his paycheck. Wow, single parents....you have my respect!

God has placed this desire on my heart. I haven't always had it. I have peace about this situation. And I KNOW that's from God, cause I'm a worrier through and through.

I am hoping to have a flex position at the hospital that allows me to work maybe one day a week. This way, I won't lose my skills as a nurse. I really like being a nurse. I love being able to make a difference in people's lives and enjoy the medical side of it also. It will also give us a little bit of play money (that makes John feel a little better). But, I can work when it's convenient for my family. And it'll get me out of the house occasionally.

Hope everyone has a merry Christmas! And remember Jesus. He is the reason for all the goodness in our lives and he gives the BEST gifts!

Slow Cooker Tex Mex Chicken

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch wide strips
2 Tbsp taco seasoning mix
2 Tbsp flour
1 green bell pepper, cut into 1 inch wide strips
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1 inch wide strips
1 cup frozen corn
1 1/2 cups salsa
1 cup shredded four cheese blend

Toss chicken with seasoning and flour in slow cooker. Stir in all remaining ingredients except the shredded cheese; cover with lid. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Stir just before serving. Top with shredded cheese.

Lasagna

1 – 2 boxes lasagna noodles, uncooked
1-2 jars spaghetti sauce
2 pounds hamburger
1 pkg uncooked Italian sausage, liners removed
2 large container Ricotta cheese
3 (6oz each) pkgs sliced mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese
Dash Oregano, garlic powder, Salt , pepper

Mix sausage with hamburger meat (crumble as small as you can). Brown meat mix and drain fat really well. Use several paper towels to soak up as much of the grease as possible. Let this cool a little and then mix in the Ricotta cheese. Heat spaghetti sauce in saucepan. Mix in all the spices. Spray a 13x9 pan with cooking spray. Spread just a little sauce in the bottom of the pan. Place 1 layer of noodles in the pan. Next spread a layer of the meat/ricotta mixture. Place a layer of mozzarella strips over meat mix. Place another layer of noodles over mozzarella strips. Pour a generous portion of sauce over the noodles (don’t be stingy with the sauce, but don’t drown it either - the moisture from the sauce helps the noodles cook). Now start over again with the meat mix, then mozzarella, noodles, and sauce. To finish, the last layer should be noodles then sauce. Sprinkle heavily with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Towards the end, make sure you watch closely because the noodles will burn and get crusty. If it looks bubbly and the cheese is melted then it is done. If you are using a smaller pan, then it will probably only need to cook about 30 minutes.

Every time I make this recipe I end up having to go back to the store to get more ingredients. I always have extra of something. By the time I’m done, I’ve quadrupled the recipe and I end up with 4 13x9 pans of lasagna. It freezes great.

serves: a lot!

Nilla Apple Crisp

8 cups thinly sliced peeled Granny Smith apples (about 2 pounds)
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/3 cup old fashioned or quick cooking oats
1/4 cup cold butter
25 nilla wafers, crushed
1 1/2 cups thawed cool whip

Preheat oven to 350. Toss apples with 1/4 cup of the brown sugar and 1 tsp of the cinnamon. Spoon into 8 inch square baking dish. Combine oats, the remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon in medium bowl. Cut in butter with pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add wafer crumbs; mix well. Spread crumb mixture evenly over apples. Bake 30-40 minutes or until apples are tender. Serve warm or cooled. Top with cool whip.

Serves 12

Southwestern White Chili

2 Tbsp italian dressing
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
1 small onion, chopped
2 cans white beans, drained and rinsed
1 can chicken broth
1 can (4 oz) green chiles, undrained
1 tsp cumin
1 1/2 cups shredded four cheese blend
2 tsp chopped cilantro

Heat dressing in pot. Add chicken and onions; cook 7 minutes or until chicken is cooked through, stirring occasionally. Stir in beans, broth, chilies, and cumin. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to med-low and simmer for 10 minutes; stirring occasionally. Serve topped with cheese and cilantro.

Serves 6

Chile Caribbean Shrimp Skewers

1 1/2 tsp olive oil
2 Tbsp minced onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp lime zest
3 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1 1/2 tsp dried cilantro
3/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp salt
36 large shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails off (about 1 pound)

Heat oil in skillet. Add onion and garlic; saute 3 minutes or until onion is tender. Add lime zest, lime juice, cilantro, red pepper flakes and salt. Mix. Add shrimp and cook until shrimp are tender and pink.

Serves 4