I don't make weird food

The day before high school starts shouldn't have felt chaotic but for some reason it did feel chaotic. There was zero reason for it. One trip there to drop an instrument off, then a return trip to pick up a girl who found a friend and wanted to walk a schedule, then back home to get a few things done at home. Dinner felt rushed but easy. Andy fighting electrical wiring that just wouldn't behave at all. Still won't... not entirely sure what our plan will be on that front, but we'll figure it out. I was trying to sneak around him and get out of his way while making dinner. This dish does make more dishes than I think it should... had I bought frozen broccoli, that would have been easier. I could have tossed the broccoli in with the pasta water at the end... didn't... All in all, it was a very easy dish, with ingredients that were normal and not weird. I don't make weird food... I keep telling people that. Anyway... easy dinner, things that taste good all put together and baked to perfection. It was great. Something we will certainly make again, and it could be meal prepped so you could just toss the breadcrumbs on top and toss it in the oven, even easier.

Ham and Broccoli Pasta Casserole
1 pound of your favorite pasta shape, such as penne, rotini, elbow macaroni, or shells.
4 cups of fresh or frozen broccoli florets.
2 cups of diced cooked ham
1 (10.75 ounce) can of condensed cream of mushroom soup.
1 cup of milk
2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese, divided into 1 ½ cups for the casserole and ½ cup for topping.
2 tablespoons of unsalted butter.
½ cup of breadcrumbs, plain or Italian seasoned.
1 teaspoon of onion powder.
1 teaspoon of garlic powder.
Salt and Pepper: To taste.

 
Instructions
Preheat Your Oven and Prepare Baking Dish: Begin by preheating your oven to 375°F (190°C). While the oven is heating, lightly grease a 9×13 inch baking dish. This step is crucial to prevent the casserole from sticking to the bottom and sides of the dish, ensuring easy serving and cleanup later on. You can use cooking spray, butter, or oil to grease the dish.
Cook the Pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add your pasta and cook according to package directions for al dente. Cooking the pasta al dente is important because it will continue to cook in the oven as part of the casserole. Overcooked pasta will become mushy and lose its texture in the casserole. Once cooked, drain the pasta thoroughly in a colander and set aside. Running cold water over the pasta is generally not recommended for casseroles as it can wash away some of the starch that helps the sauce cling to the pasta.
Steam or Boil the Broccoli: While the pasta is cooking, prepare the broccoli. If using fresh broccoli, cut it into bite-sized florets. You can steam the broccoli until it is tender-crisp, which usually takes about 5-7 minutes. Alternatively, you can boil the broccoli for about 3-4 minutes until it is bright green and slightly tender. If using frozen broccoli, you can steam or boil it directly from frozen, or thaw it slightly and then steam or boil it. Avoid overcooking the broccoli, as you want it to retain some texture and not become mushy in the casserole. Drain the broccoli well after cooking to remove excess water.
Prepare the Sauce Base: In a large bowl, combine the can of cream of mushroom soup and milk. Whisk these two ingredients together until smooth and well combined. This mixture forms the creamy base of your casserole sauce. Ensure there are no lumps of soup remaining to create a consistently smooth sauce.
Combine Ingredients: To the soup and milk mixture, add the cooked and drained pasta, steamed or boiled broccoli florets, and diced cooked ham. Gently stir all these ingredients together until they are evenly distributed and coated in the creamy sauce. Make sure the ham and broccoli are spread throughout the pasta for a balanced flavor in each serving.
Add Seasonings and Cheese: Sprinkle in the onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper to the pasta mixture. Season generously to taste, remembering that cheese and ham are salty, so adjust accordingly. Then, add 1 ½ cups of the shredded cheddar cheese to the bowl. Stir everything together until the cheese is melted and incorporated into the sauce, creating a wonderfully cheesy and flavorful mixture. Reserving some cheese for the topping will create a beautifully browned and bubbly crust.
Transfer to Baking Dish and Top with Cheese: Pour the pasta mixture into the prepared 9×13 inch baking dish, spreading it evenly. Sprinkle the remaining ½ cup of shredded cheddar cheese evenly over the top of the casserole. This layer of cheese will melt and create a golden, cheesy crust as it bakes.
Make Breadcrumb Topping (Optional but Recommended): In a small skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the breadcrumbs to the melted butter and stir constantly until the breadcrumbs are golden brown and crispy. This should only take a few minutes, so watch them closely to prevent burning. The buttery breadcrumbs add a delightful crunch and textural contrast to the creamy casserole.
Sprinkle Breadcrumbs Over Casserole (Optional): If you made the breadcrumb topping, sprinkle it evenly over the cheese layer of the casserole. This breadcrumb topping adds an extra layer of flavor and a satisfying crispy texture that complements the creamy casserole beautifully.
Bake the Casserole: Place the baking dish in the preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the casserole is heated through, bubbly around the edges, and the cheese on top is melted and golden brown. The baking time may vary slightly depending on your oven, so keep an eye on it. You want the casserole to be heated throughout and for the cheese to be nicely melted and slightly browned.
Let it Rest and Serve: Once baked, remove the casserole from the oven and let it rest for about 5-10 minutes before serving. This resting time allows the casserole to set slightly, making it easier to serve and preventing it from being too runny. Resting also helps to distribute the heat evenly throughout the dish. Serve hot and enjoy this comforting and delicious Ham and Broccoli Pasta Casserole!

Muffining our way out of the Summer

We are about to travel for the last time this summer and it's been a busy summer for travel! This time it's to Wisconsin, so not too long of a ride and no camping required when we get there. Not a bad way to end things up this summer. I try to bring some breakfasty things since Nicholas and I are early risers. It's been a crazy could of months and I just struggled this time to figure out what to make, decided these muffins were it. Also some banana bread muffins because everyone loves those... I'm pretty sure everyone is going to love these too, oh, how do I know? Well... it's possible two didn't fit in the container and well, sometimes you just have to sample your work, so that's what I did and I'm glad I did, these are going to be winner muffins! Heated up with a little butter on them, oh man, delicious! I forgot the glaze too. I was laying in bed last night and realized I forgot the glaze, I don't think you need it. Maybe you want it? Sure! Go for it, but need? Meh... these are good enough without it.

Sour Cream Coffee Cake Muffins
Filling & Topping:
⅔ cup all-purpose flour
⅔ cup packed light brown sugar
2 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, divided
¼ teaspoon salt
4 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Muffin batter:
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ cup packed light brown sugar
⅓ cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, at room temperature
½ cup full fat sour cream, at room temperature
2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
⅓ cup sunflower oil
¾ cup whole milk, at room temperature
Glaze:
½ cup powdered confectioner's sugar
1 tablespoon light (half & half) 10% cream

Make the filling/topping. Combine flour, brown sugar, 2 teaspoons of cinnamon and salt until blended. Add the melted butter and stir it in until it evenly blended and the mixture forms clumps. To make the filling, take ¾ cup of this mixture and place in a separate bowl and stir in the other ½ teaspoon of cinnamon. Cover the bowl with the rest of the mixture and set it aside for topping.
Make the muffin batter. Sift flour, baking powder and baking soda into a large bowl. Add brown sugar, granulated sugar and salt and whisk to blend well. Press out any lumps of brown sugar so the mixture is well combined.
Combine eggs, sour cream, vanilla, oil and milk in a medium bowl and whisk until completely smooth.
Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with dry ingredients and gently fold together to combine. Stop right as the batter is uniform, being sure to reach down to the bottom to pull up any pockets of flour. Cover the bowl and set aside to rest for 30 minutes while the oven preheats.
Preheat the oven to 425°F for tall peaked muffin tops. Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. Or for extra large muffins, make 10. If making 10 then you definitely need 2 pans so you can space out the muffins every other cup since they will spread out to make large muffin tops.
Use a 1.5 oz scoop to portion batter and add one scoop to each muffin cup. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of cinnamon filling evenly over top, then cover with batter so the cups are full. Pile the crumb topping on (really pile it on!). Don't be shy with the topping because it will spread out as the muffins rise in the oven. Bake for 5 minutes. Then, with the oven door still closed, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and bake for another 15 minutes. Let muffins cool for 5 minutes in the pan and then transfer muffins to a cooling rack. They're best served warm but also store really well and stay moist for days!

Gather all the random odds and ends and make dinner

This dish was perfect to use up all sorts of random things I had on hand.
A garden brimming with cherry tomatoes? Check.
Partial box of orzo pasta? Check.
Boursin cheese from the Hope Store for 33 cents? Check.
Lots of herbs from the garden? Check.
Chicken from the freezer? Check.
Left over chicken broth? Check.
The marinated mozzarella balls I bought specifically for this? Almost became victim to Andy's snacking habits. "Any of those left?" um... no, they were for this dish. "Oh I could just eat those no problem. They looked delicious." Saved from Andy's snacking habits... Phew!
This recipe was very easy to toss together while I was busy doing something else, stir a few times, add a few things, but easy to get together and really delicious leftovers too!
I did bake the chicken a few days before with seasoning because I didn't have precooked chicken but you could easy use a rotisserie chicken.

Chicken Orzo Bake
3 heaping cups cooked shredded chicken rotisserie chicken, leftovers, or air fried/baked chicken breast - shredded; about 1.5 lbs raw
2 cups orzo pasta uncooked
2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
salt & ground black pepper to taste (½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper; this will depend on your chicken and broth used)
1 (5.3-oz) package Boursin cheese
3 oz spinach chopped
½ cup freshly grated parmesan
splash of cream optional
1 cup mozzarella balls optional
chopped parsley and/or basil, lemon juice, extra parmesan to serve (optional)

Prep: Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray a 9x13 inch casserole dish with nonstick spray.
Assemble: Add chicken, uncooked orzo, tomatoes, broth, seasoning, salt and pepper to the prepared dish. Stir to combine. Nestle Boursin cheese in the middle.
Bake covered: Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Carefully uncover, stir in the spinach and parmesan.
Finish baking uncovered: Stir in a splash of cream if you want a creamier dish. Scatter mozzarella balls on top, if using. Bake uncovered for another 5-10 minutes, or until the orzo is tender.
Serve: Let the casserole sit or 5-10 minutes before serving with fresh herbs, lemon juice and parmesan, if you like.

Crowd pleasing with hot fudge and cookies

What's better than just chocolate chip cookie bars? Hot fudge chocolate chip cookie bars... oh my yes, add some hot fudge in the middle and the game has been changed, gooey and wonderful any time you want one, not just warm from the oven! The hardest part of these bars was locating the hot fudge which honestly wasn't that hard, just not at the stores I was looking. This recipe is quick and delicious. Another crowd pleaser for sure.

Hot Fudge Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
1 cup (2 sticks / 227 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 ½ cups (300 g) brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 ¼ cups (282 g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups (364 g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 jar (11 ounces) hot fudge, warm

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
To a large bowl, add butter, brown sugar, and vanilla. Using a hand-held mixer, cream ingredients until they are light and fluffy. Add in eggs, mixing until completely incorporated.
Add the flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix at low speed until combined.
Mix in the chocolate chips.
Press half of the cookie dough into the prepared baking dish in an even layer. Set the remaining cookie dough aside.
Bake for 15 minutes.
Carefully remove the cookie bars from the oven and place on a heat-safe surface.
Pour the warmed hot fudge over the bars, making sure to get it into every nook and cranny.
Using the remaining cookie dough, form small discs and place them over the top of the fudge. It is okay if there is some fudge showing.
Bake for an additional 20-22 minutes, or until the fudge is bubbling and the cookie is golden brown.
Allow bars to cool to room temperature (about 1 ½ hours) before cutting and serving.

Happy Smiling Blueberries from Michigan

We have this wonderful woman at church who will text us during the summer "How many boxes of blueberries would you like?" Blueberries? Yes please! I mean that's my family’s response, my response is "Why would you eat blue food? Blech!" but I never turn her down. Fresh blueberries from Michigan. What to do with them? What ever shall we do? My family will eat them, Nicholas made some into muffins, I decided to try this yogurt cake for Andy's guys. Sure, I needed help with zesting and juicing, but after that I was good to go. I really wasn't sure how this would go over but I try to make a chocolatey dessert and a fruity dessert each time they come. When the kids and I came home after the meeting - there was one half slice left. Apparently, they loved it THAT much. Wow! Nicholas ate the last half piece and declared we should make this one again. Good thing we have more blueberries, and I have the best zester and juicer in town (Nicholas). We'll get another one in the oven soon.

Lemon Blueberry Yogurt Cake

1 ½ cups plus 1 tbsp (224g) all-purpose flour, divided
1 ¾ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup (200g) granulated sugar, divided
2 tablespoon lemon zest from 1-2 large lemons
2 large eggs, at room temperature
⅓ cup (80ml) olive oil or sunflower oil (you can also use vegetable oil or canola oil)
1 cup (237ml) whole milk plain yogurt, at room temperature
1 teaspoon (5ml) pure vanilla extract
1 ½ cups (180g) frozen blueberries
Lemon Yogurt Glaze:
1 cup (120g) powdered confectioner's sugar
1 tablespoon (15ml) full fat plain yogurt
1 tablespoon (15ml) fresh lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease the sides of an 9-inch round non-stick springform pan with a round of parchment paper.
Sift 1 ½ cups (215g) flour, baking powder and baking soda into a medium bowl. Add ¼ cup (50g) of sugar and salt, then whisk until evenly blended.
Make the cake batter. Place ¾ cup (150g) of sugar in a large bowl. Add lemon zest and rub it between your fingers until very fragrant and pale yellow-colored. This will extract all of the delicious lemon oils to flavor the cake. Add eggs, oil, yogurt and vanilla extract and whisk until smooth.
Gradually whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until the batter is smooth. If it becomes too thick, switch to a rubber spatula to fold them in. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Toss blueberries with remaining 1 tablespoon of flour and then scatter them over the batter. NOTE: if you use fresh berries, then you don't need to coat them in flour.
Bake for 40-45 minutes until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cake cool for 20 minutes. Then, remove the sides of the pan and transfer to a serving plate.
Make the glaze. Combine powdered sugar, yogurt and lemon juice in a medium bowl and whisk until very smooth. Pour the glaze over the slightly warm cake, letting it drip over the sides. Let the icing set for about 15 minutes, then slice and serve!
If you want, you can also add more powdered sugar to make a thicker icing, but I like this donut-glazed effect.