Aunt Tammy's Casserole

After going out with my boyfriend for a few months I asked him what his absolute favorite food was and he responded, "Aunt Tammy's Casserole". After a little bit of research I was able to find this recipe and make it for him. I've made it twice and so far every time he's eaten it faster than I can take a picture! (haha, JK, I just forgot).

Recipe: 1 lb. ground beef

small chopped onion

3-4 ounces cream cheese (or 8 ounces per my boyfriend's request)

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can corn with liquid (don't drain)

1 "soup can" milk  (this was confusing to me so I just assumed evaporated milk so that's what I used)

1 package egg noodles (nearly cooked)

Bring water to boil for noodles. Brown ground beef and onion. Salt and pepper to taste. Add cream cheese and mix up until cheese is mostly melted. Add soup, corn, and milk; stir together. Add egg noodles. Add more milk if needed to cvoer all noodles. Put in casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Even though I dont' have a picture of Phil getting his Aunt Tammy's casserole, here is how he looked when I gave it to him. This picture below is a good example of what happens several times a day in our apartment :) Here he was getting the Oatmeal-coconut chocolate bar aka flapjack.

After I made it twice Phil told me that his Aunt Tammy didn't acutally bake it in a casserole dish that she just cooked and served it from a large crock-pot. I have really wanted a crock-pot for quite sometime so this may be the motivation I need to finally invest in one! And below is a picture of him getting one of his favorites: Ice cream-coffee milkshake (served in a wine glass).

"Dats a happy shugy"

Arbonne party

As a way to get to know some ladies in California I decided to throw a little makeup party with the help of an Arbonne consultant I met a few weeks ago at a boutique in Sherman Oaks called Roni B with Larissa. The Arbonne consultant named Kristie Destefano came over and presented all of her products; they are really great products and I am purchasing some interesting items to try out. I prepared by making some homemade treats that all turned out well. Everyone thought I was a really good cook~! I made the coconut flapjacks and mini quiches (that I have mentioned on previous blogs) as well as some apple gingerbread. I had a cheese and cracker platter, strawberries, hummus, pistachios, baguette, and wine. I am also pleased to say the whole feast was completley vegetarian : ) I really had fun and hope I can do it again sometime!

As you can see I need some more serving platters~! The plastic surfboard shaped plate my mom bought me for $0.10 cents at Big Lots came in handy! ~~A~~

Lemon bars for Larissa and Miriam

When Larissa and Miriam came over to visit I wanted to welcome them with something so I made some lemon bars; however, my boyfriend ended up liking them more than anybody and practically ate the entire plate!

Recipe:

Crust: 1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup natural apple sauce

2 tablespoons of melted margarine

Lemon filling:

1 cup granulated sugar

2 egg whites

1 whole egg

1/3 cup natural apple sauce

1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

1/4 cup lemon juice

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

additional powder sugar (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 8 inch square pan with nonstick cooking spray.

2. To prepare crust, in a small bowl, combine 1 cup flour and powdered sugar. Add 1/4 cup apple sauce and margarine. Stir with fork until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake 10 minutes.

3. To prepare lemon filling, in bowl, beat granulated sugar, egg whites and whole egg until smooth. Add 1/3 cup apple sauce, lemon peel, lemon juice, 3 tablespoons flour and baking powder. Beat until blended. Pour lemon filling over baked crust.

4. Bake 20-25 minutes or until just very slighly brown. Cool completley on wire rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired.

The only problem with these (yes, there is always some little problem) is that I did not have the right sized pan. I made an effort to "section" off my rectangle pan but the filling just pooled around it; thus causing some of the filling to be wasted and the crust to be too thick in relation to the filling. My boyfriend definitley didn't care though! ~~A~~