Leftover Bird Casserole

I am not going to candy coat it, being a working Mom is tough. There is just so many things to do and only so much time. So the only thing you can do is plan, plan, plan. I must admit that I don't usually do this. Not that I am a spontaneous person (just lazy) but this week I was good. Today I roasted a turkey breast in my crock pot (Turkey, chicken broth, lemons and some fresh rosemary). Tomorrow my son is having a friend over, so I decided to make this easy casserole since it is like Mac & Cheese (and what kid or adult doesn't like that). I am not sure where the recipe really came from except that it turned up in my much used church cookbook with my mom's name on it and it is always a staple for the day after Thanksgiving. It is my type of recipe. I think the hardest part is either cutting up the cheese or opening the cans. Enjoy!

Leftover Bird Casserole

2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
2 cups cooked bird (chicken or bird)
1 can Golden Mushroom Soup
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
1/2 lb Velveeta Cheese, cubed
2 cups milk

Mix all ingredients together in a covered bowl and let sit in the refrigerator overnight. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Baking Bonanza - Soup, Sauce & Biscotti

Sometimes you feel like a nut. Today I guess I was a baking nut. I didn’t have any real plans (besides chores) and I think I was trying to convince myself that a marathon cooking session would burn as much calories as going to the gym. So I started at 10 am and ended at 4 pm with only a few breaks for lunch, laundry loading and playtime with my son. Here was today’s lineup:
1. Goya Bean Soup - I have had this package of beans to make soup since last June. For my first time making bean soup, I think it turned out pretty yummy. I ended up freezing a bunch of it for lunches.
2. Homemade Tomato Sauce (recipe below)– I like making a big batch of sauce to have on hand for last minute dinners. Although this is not as good as my mother-in-law’s sauce (a true Italian), I have found this recipe easy so when I get a free day I cook up a ton. You do have to have a few hours to let it simmer. I used this sauce to also make up lasagna that we had at a friend’s house tonight.
3. To top it off I had some very ripe bananas that I needed to use, but wanted to do something different than a bread. So I found a recipe on Cooking Light for Banana Pecan Biscotti. Yum!

So it was a busy day, but lots of fun. I defiantly think it made up for yesterday when I sat on my butt all day!

Homemade Tomato Sauce (I usually multiply this by 4)

4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes (or use several fresh tomatoes)
2 cups water
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
2 leaves of fresh basil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon each salt and black pepper

In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, sauté onions in the oil until golden brown. Add crushed tomatoes, water, tomato paste, basil, garlic, salt and pepper. Let the sauce come to a boil, lower heat to low and stir occasionally until desired thickness. Sauce is ready when oil rises to the top. Skim off oil.

Dream Bars – Feeling a little spontaneous

Sometimes exactly what we are looking for can be right in front of our face and we don't see it. For this week's recipe I found exactly what I needed on the back of the ingredient I wanted to use. I have a bag of coconut that I have been wanting to use up. It is taking up space in my pantry and it is not like extra chocolate chips that I could just pop in my mouth as I am walking by. And I don't think I could incorporate it in my regular dinner meals. Spaghetti & Coconut just doesn't sound right unless I lived in the Caribbean. So as I had it in my hand pondering the mental recipe book in my head and before heading to my internet recipe book I glanced down and saw it....Dream Bars! Something new, something easy, something I had the ingredients for already. They are baking right now and if they turn out nice I am taking some to share at a Training class I am doing tomorrow. A little treat to make our 8 hour day of lecture a little sweeter.

As a side note, I added RSS feed and email subscriptions to my blog this week (upper right corner). So in case you forget to check it each week you can now get it sent directly to you. I just didn’t want my fans to miss out of any Baker Babe Action!!!

Dream Bars (taken from Chef's Select Coconut Package)

1 1/2 cups Flour
2 Cups Brown Sugar
1/2 cup butter
3 eggs
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups coconut

Combine flour, 1/2 cup brown sugar and butter until it makes a crumble mixture. Press into bottom of ungreased 13 x 9 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Beat 1 1/2 cups brown sugar with eggs just until blended. Mix in remaining ingredients. Spread over baked crust. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Cool and then cut into bars.

Scalloped Corn - Bringing back Sunday Dinner

We are a fast pace, go, go, go family so often times I have to remind myself to slow down. One of the ways I like to do this is to have a nice, quiet Sunday dinner together as a family. Of course that means only three of us since our other family members live far away. It is still a special time to enjoy each other and enjoy the foods we really like that we may not have the time to make during the week. Tonight it is hovering around 30 Degrees with a chance of sleet, so we are doing comfort foods (and lighting up the fireplace). We are having Korv (a special Swedish potato sausage that my husband likes), Homemade Mac & Cheese, and Scalloped Corn. This recipe has been in my family since I can remember and is always a favorite. Plus it is really easy and I always seem to have the ingredients on hand which is an added bonus. Enjoy!

Scalloped Corn

2 cans creamed style corn
2 eggs
Salt & pepper
1-2 cups Bread crumbs or crushed crackers

Put corn in a baking dish. Add eggs and salt & pepper to taste. Stir. Add bread crumbs or crackers. Stir again. Bake 400 degrees for 45 minutes.

Baker Babe is Burglarized!

I was all set to do a Valentine's day baking feature when my plans were altered this week. I became one of those people you read about in a forward email. My front passenger window was smashed in and my purse with wallet was stolen. The good news was that no one was hurt. The bad news is that Baker Babe lost valuable time in her life canceling credit cards and getting a new driver's license so no time to cook up a yummy dish this week. So instead of a recipe I will do a free Public Service Announcement on what I have learned.
1. Crime is everywhere - even in New Hampshire.
2. If you can carry your valuables with you at all times. I plan to bring the fanny pack back into style for this.
3. If you have to leave items, lock them in your trunk. Don't leave it on your passenger seat with a big note on it that says "Take Me".
4. My purse was taken but my lunch bag was dropped outside the door. So I am planning to use my lunch bag as my new purse and my purse as my lunch bag. So next time the robbers get a nice day old tuna sandwich.
5. Keep a credit card at home that you can use when everything else is stolen. It is amazing how much of your life needs money.

So my friends instead of eating goodies this week, we will be taking a bite out of crime!

Bad Mom Mac & Cheese

I used to love potlucks. Figuring out what to make, choosing the great recipe, baking it up and sharing it with others. Then I had a child and my time devoted to showcasing recipes quickly got replaced. Faced with my child's daycare Christmas pageant this past holiday season I really, really wanted to make something that the kids would like and that could showcase my baking talents. I thought they might be way too many desserts or cookies so I decided to make homemade Mac and cheese. I had all the ingredients and was ready to go until the night before and then between work, grocery shopping and a late night soccer game I just didn't have it in me. And then the guilt started. Am I going to be a bad mom if I pick up something from the store. Now a days it is just too easy to stop at a supermarket or restaurant for something to bring. Sure it is more expensive, but I figured the time it gave me was priceless.

So here is the recipe I was going to make: A great dinner meal that you can dress up with with vegetables in it (Peas, broccoli, etc...) and ham or tuna if you like. Prefect for those cold winter nights.

The recipe I ended up doing : Three large containers of Boston Market Mac & Cheese because it was on my way to the daycare and it is so cheesy. And I was happy to see other parents walking in with supermarket bags and buckets of chicken. My crock-pot will just have to wait to shine another time.

If you can't drink, Bake! - Fat Tuesday King Cake

I consider Fat Tuesday one of those great holidays. No gifts to worry about buying and lots of fun adult drinks. Unfortunately, since it always falls on a Tuesday this working mom doesn't get to participate very often. So this year I decided to bake for celebration and look up some traditional recipes. The story of the King's Cake is interesting. You are supposed to bake a miniature plastic baby in it and whoever finds it gets good luck for the year. I say the people that don't get the baby are the lucky ones, because they probably do not get poisoned with lead tainted plastic. Since I don't have little plastic babies hanging around (and didn't think a Diego doll would have the same effect) I passed on this part and just made a simple recipe version called King's Delight Cake found on Ivillage. It is baking right now, and smells great with a mixture of cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla. I hope it turns out so I can share with my friends at work. Too bad we can't wash it down with a Hurricane or Mint Julep. Happy Belated Mardi Gras!

Rice Krispie Treat Footballs

Sport watching is not my favorite activity ( I would rather be playing), but I have the admit that I do love a good Superbowl party. Not for the game of course, but for the food & drink! Going to a party is always fun, because of the wide variety of food and beverages. Of course, having your own party is even more fun, because you get to choose the menu. In honor of the Superbowl this year, my son and I "cooked" up these football rice krispie treats to bring to a party. These old school treats are easy (melt 3 Tablespoons butter, add 4 cups marshmallows and melt, then add 6 cups rice Krispies). Two lessons I learned from making ours. 1. I used Cocoa Krispies for brown footballs, but the marshmallows make them a white brown mix ( and not in a good tan kind of way). Add food coloring to marshmallows if you want all brown results. 2. Don't try to form footballs right away. You will end up with a handful of sticky cereal. Put it in the fridge for 10-20 minutes, then form by rolling into a ball and squeezing down the ends. Now I am off to stuff my face, watch some commercials and see if the New England Patriots can pull off their undefeated season (just wanted you to know that I do know a little about the sports world).