Bruschetta

If you like to cook and you haven't seen Julie & Julia- you should go rent it today. Ever since watching it I have wanted to eat the bruschetta Julie makes. Winter in Oklahoma is not the best time of year for buying tomatoes, so I will have to try it in the summer.



First I selected some bread, and cut it into pieces. I cut mine a bit too thick.


Heat up some olive oil in a pan.


Toast the bread until brown on each side.


In a bowl mix together various types of tomatoes, garlic, and chopped basil leaves. Spoon the tomato mixture on top of the bread and sprinkle with cheese.

"Zesty chicken-noodle casserole"

This year I am going to make at least one recipe each month out of my cook books, so I make more of an effort to use them.
Here is one I made this week:

And sorry, no step by step for this one.

You will need:
6 oz wide noodles
1 T olive oil
4 t flour
2 C FF milk
1 red onion, chopped
2 T chopped canned green chiles
1 T dijon mustard
4 t dried bread crumbs

First cook the noodles, following the directions on the package. Preheat your oven to 375.

In a medium nonstick saucepan over medium heat, heat the oil. Sprinkle with the flour; whisking constantly for about 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk and cheese, whisking constantly until thickened, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in the noodles, chicken, onion, chiles, and mustard. Pour into a 2 quart casserole dish that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Sprinkle the bread crumbs on the top. Bake until browned and bubbly 20-25 minutes.


This was out of my Weight Watchers cook book and it was 9 points. I have liked the recipes I have tried out of it, but I did not love this one. I'm not sure I would call this recipe "zesty". The onions were crunchy and a bit strong and the taste overall was a bit bland. It I were to make it again, I would use white onion and saute them a bit before adding to the casserole. I think mushrooms would also be a good addition that would not raise the point value. You live and learn-part of the adventures in cooking! :)

crock pot liners

How I have cooked with my crock-pot and not used these? I used one this week when I made this chicken, and it worked wonderfully! The bag lifted out with all of the contents, was thrown away, with no mess left behind! If you haven't tried them before you should!