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Posts Tagged ‘Savvy Entertaining’

Autumn Celebration

Posted in Entertaining at Home, Entertaining Ideas, tagged , , , on September 23, 2013| Leave a Comment »

New York City Central Park alley in the Fall.Now that autumn has officially arrived, think about hosting a Autumn Celebration.

An Autumn  party theme is a great way to celebrate the season simply.

Send out invitations shaped like fall leaves or use stationery with a pumpkin or apple theme.

Bring the colors of the season into your home using shades of crimson red, burgundy, sage and earthy greens, golden yellow, and deep orange. Use accent pillows or throws to really create that warm and cozy atmosphere we associate with fall.

(Side note: you can easily recover a pillow using a swatch of felt since the edges won’t fray. Cut a piece big enough to cover the entire pillow and glue the edges or simply connect the edges by stitching with a piece of thin ribbon.)

Decorations for your party can be something as basic as a few potted mums, bundles of wheat tied with raffia bows or a pile of mini pumpkins and squash. You don’t have to get carried away with something fancy.

Your meal can be simple as well. Make a big pot of stew or a filling casserole. Finish the meal with a pumpkin flavored dessert.

If you want the party to be a more hands-on experience, do a fun activity before the meal like apple picking or visiting a pumpkin patch.

Or host an autumn bonfire. Serve up hot dogs, potato wedges and mulled cider.

However you decide to entertain this fall, just remember to enjoy the experience and not get too wrapped up in the details.

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Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole

Posted in Captain Cavedweller, Easy Recipes, Fast Recipes, Main Dish, tagged , , , , on September 20, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Cheesy Chicken Casserole Plated

If you’re looking for an easy to make dinner recipe, this one is really simple.

You can use leftovers to mix this casserole in a snap and serve a piping hot, tasty meal in no time with minimum fuss!

Captain Cavedweller likes this one, as long as I use mixed veggies without the green beans. (Talk about picky eaters… we have two at our house!).

Ingredients

Ingredients – the unknown substance in the bowl is chicken stock that I had in the freezer and had not yet thawed.

Cook your veggies in the chicken stock for about two minutes in the microwave. Just to get them hot and start the cooking process. You can either add in the minute rice and cook with the veggies (using the stock instead of water) or use left-over rice. Either works fine, although the chicken stock gives the rice a nice flavor.

Cook your veggies in the chicken stock for about two minutes in the microwave. Just to get them hot and start the cooking process. You can either add in the minute rice and cook with the veggies (using the stock instead of water) or use left-over rice. Either works fine, although the chicken stock gives the rice a nice flavor.

Mix in a can of Cream of Mushroom soup. You could also use cream of celery or cream of chicken.

Mix in a can of cream of mushroom soup. You could also use cream of celery or cream of chicken.

Layer pre-cooked chicken into a casserole pan (sprayed with non-stick spray - the pan, not the chicken). I cut the chicken into bite-size pieces before layering in the pan. Top with veggie and rice mixture then cover in foil.

Layer pre-cooked chicken into a casserole pan (sprayed with non-stick spray – the pan, not the chicken). I cut the chicken into bite-size pieces before layering in the pan. Top with veggie and rice mixture then cover in foil.

Bake about 20 minutes, until everything is bubbling and looks cooked. Remove from oven, sprinkle with cheese and return to oven for a few minutes until cheese melts. Serve and enjoy!

Bake about 20 minutes, until everything is bubbling and looks cooked. Remove from oven, sprinkle with cheese and return to oven for a few minutes until cheese melts. Serve and enjoy!

Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole

2 cups cooked chicken (cut into small pieces)

1 1/2 cups cooked rice

Small bag of frozen veggies

1 small can cream of mushroom soup

1 1/2 cups chicken stock

1 cup shredded Colby-Jack cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray a casserole pan with non-stick cooking spray. Layer in chicken and set aside.

In a micro-wave safe bowl, cook veggies in chicken stock (or water) for about two minutes. You can also add your minute rice and cook with the veggies and chicken stock if you don’t have left-over rice to use.

If you aren’t cooking the rice in the stock, drain excess off veggies before mixing with rice and soup.

Otherwise, mix in the soup then spread over the chicken.

Cover the pan with foil and back about 15-20 minutes, until everything is hot and bubbling. Remove from oven and sprinkle with cheese. Return to oven (uncovered) and bake about five minutes, until cheese is a  melted pool of gooey deliciousness.

Serve and enjoy your one-dish meal.

She Who Needs to Pick Out the Green Beans Next Time

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Autumn Party Theme Ideas

Posted in Entertaining at Home, Entertaining Ideas, Party Theme, tagged , , , , on September 17, 2013| 2 Comments »

autumn party ideas

If you’re looking for some autumn party ideas, here is a list that might help give you some ideas!

She Who Needs to Host a Party

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Fried Taters

Posted in Comfort Food, Recipes, tagged , , on September 6, 2013| 2 Comments »

fried potatoes

Growing up, on the rare occasions when all the men were gone and my brother’s kids weren’t at our house, my mom would make a meal that never failed to taste wonderful, despite its simplicity.

She’d start with left-over boiled potatoes. Since we ate potatoes at least once a day, there were always left-over potatoes at our house. Always.

More often than not, they were potatoes we’d grown. In the summer and early fall, those potatoes packed such a delicious flavor.

Starting with a big ol’ glob of butter, she’d warm it in a cast iron skillet then thinly slice the potatoes into the pan. Sometimes she’d add onion slices and salt and pepper. Other times I’d catch her before she added the onions and beg and plead for her to leave them out since I disliked them as much as broccoli.

While the potatoes pan-fried to a lovely shade of crispy golden brown, she’d cut big, juicy, ripe tomatoes (still warm from the summer sun) into slices and sprinkle them with just a pinch of salt.

To finish off the meal, she’d cut slices of cheddar cheese that had just enough tang to be the perfect side to the potatoes and tomatoes.

Mom, my sister, and I would eat this simple meal and enjoy every bite. I’m not sure if it was the meal, the fact the house was quiet, there weren’t a bunch of dishes to wash after the meal, or that we could savor every delicious forkful that made it so wonderful.

Whatever the reason, it was always one of my favorite “harvest” meals.

If you’ve never made pan-fried potatoes, here are some tips. Better Homes and Gardens offers three ways to fry your potatoes – pan fry, oven fry, or pan fry pre-cooked potatoes.

She Who Needs to Fry a Potato

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