Fix-It and Forget-It

It has been a nutso week. I could feel it coming last weekend.

On Monday we’d be launching work on a new cookbook, including bringing in some new staff.

On Tuesday, several of us on the editorial team were driving to meet with publishing staff for the American Diabetes Association. (Watch for some great new books which we’ll collaborate on again in the future!)

Wednesday and Thursday we would have back-to-back, face-to-face meetings in our office with our key designer who lives 10 hours away.

Not much cooking time in the days ahead. But I really like to eat at home when I’ve had a pressured non-stop day.

So I started early Sunday morning, making a batch of spaghetti sauce before we headed off to church. Our older daughter was coming over at noon to watch football with Merle. (If you’re interested, more about the truce we reached on football-watching when the kids were little, at the asterisk below.*) A couple of weeks ago she told me how hungry she was for the spaghetti sauce I made when she was a little kid. Well, that’s a veiled request that’s pretty hard to resist.

I started to see a solution developing here about to how to cook this week when I would really have no time. If I made a good-sized batch of my Long-Ago Spaghetti Sauce, I’d have enough left to make a Spaghetti Pie. So I cranked up the amount of pasta I cooked for Sunday lunch to be sure I’d have enough of it for the Pie, too. I would absolutely not have time or interest in cooking as the week went along. So Sunday was the day.
Continue Reading...

Facing a little fear about having the kids at home all summer? Wondering how to keep them occupied in good ways? Wishing for a little hand-holding and inspiration about how to keep the days full but not too full?

Since we all seem inclined to eat whenever we’re kinda bored, and since we’re often perversely drawn to eat the wrong things, here’s a website that might give you some fresh ideas. Plus some companionship in the effort to teach kids how to eat well and to cook, too.
Continue Reading...

There is something down-right delicious about melted cheese, creamy sour cream, and tangy cottage cheese combined with a just-right mixture of browned ground beef, mushrooms, olives, and chilies.

We can’t stop eating this Casserole Verde. It’s the perfect weeknight meal after a long day. Bet you can’t stop with just one serving either!

Casserole Verde
Fix-It and Forget-It Christmas Cookbook, page 126

Prep. Time: 35 minutes
Cooking Time: 2-3 Hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 4-qt.

1 lb. ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
⅛ tsp. garlic powder
oil
8-oz. can tomato sauce
⅓ cup chopped black olives
4 oz. can sliced mushrooms, drained
8 oz. container sour cream
8 oz. container cottage cheese
4 ¼ -oz. can chopped green chilies, drained
12-oz. pkg. tortilla chips, divided
8 oz. Monterey Jack cheese, grated, divided

1. Brown ground beef, onions, and garlic in skillet, in oil if needed. Stir frequently to break up clumps. Continue cooking until no pink remains in meat. Drain off drippings. Continue Reading...