Welcome Home Mr. and Mrs. Wiley

Sausage and Pepper Baked Ziti:

Amount: Serves 8 (makes 2 casseroles)

Ingredients:

- 1lb sausage (hot, sweet, or smoked)

- 4 cloves garlic (crushed w/ press)

- 2 large peppers (color of your choice)- cut into strips

- 1lb (1 large) onion

- 1lb mushrooms

- 1 28oz can of whole tomatoes in puree

- 1 15oz can of tomato puree

- 1 teaspoon salt

- 1lb Ziti

- 1 80z package (2 cups) of mozzarella

- 1/2 cup of grated parmesan

Directions:

1. In a large skillet cook sausage for 10 minutes or until brown

* after cooked, remove and put in a large bowl

2. Cut onion, peppers, mushrooms, and garlic

3. Cook pasta according to package, then put aside in a separate large bowl

* reserve 1/2 cup pasta water to add later

*** pre-heat oven to 400

4. Cook onions, peppers, mushrooms, and garlic in same skillet that sausage was cooked in (use sausage drippings to cook veggies)- cook for 8-10 minutes covered- stir and cook 8 more minutes uncovered, or until veggies are tender

5. Add tomatoes in puree, and tomato puree to veggies- bring to a boil (use spoon to break up whole tomatoes while cooking)

6. Reduce heat to medium low and cover- cook for 10 minutes

7. Add sauce/veggies to large bowl that the noodles are in, toss

8. Add sausage, toss

9. Add mozzarella cheese, toss

10. Divide evenly into 2, 2 1/2 quart dishes

11. Bake 1 casserole for 20-25 minutes (uncovered) or until top browns

* freeze or cook the second casserole depending on how many people you are serving :)

Congrats Katie and Dan!!!! Your weekend was perfect and soo much fun!!! It was so good seeing everyone, we miss you all so much!!!! Now we need to plan another get together :):)

So, Kel and Christi are in Atlanta and decided to decorate Katie and Dan's new house for when they get home. We also made this delicious, looking, meal for them to eat when they get home. This way they can relax, unpack, open presents, and enjoy themselves as newlyweds :) We hope you enjoy and we love you both!!

Love,

Kel and Christi

Healthy Loaded Mash Potatoes

Hey loves, so I have been thinking about posting something on here for months, but haven't gotten around to it. Today is my first attempt,ever, blogging (I don't even know if it'll work). This mash potato recipe I got from Hungry Girl (food network girl) and they are SOOO good, especially for being healthy!!!

Cauliflower Loaded Mash Potatoes

Ingredients:
3 oz. cubed red potatoes (about 1 - 2 small potatoes), not peeled
1 1/2 cups chopped cauliflower

1 1/2 tbsp. fat-free sour cream

1 tbsp. fat-free non-dairy liquid creamer (like Coffee-mate Original Fat Free)
 
1 slice fat-free American cheese

1 tbsp. real bacon bits (like the kind by Oscar Mayer or Hormel)

1 tsp. chopped chives

dash salt

Optional: black pepper, additional salt, to taste

Directions:
Place potatoes and cauliflower in a medium microwave-safe bowl with 2 tbsp. water. Cover and microwave for 6 minutes, until very tender.

Once the bowl is cool enough to handle, drain any excess water. Transfer potatoes and cauliflower to a large bowl, and set the medium bowl aside for later use.

Add creamer, sour cream, and salt. Using a potato masher or fork, mash until completely blended. If you like, season to taste with pepper and additional salt. Place mixture in the medium microwave-safe bowl.

Lay cheese slice over the potato-cauliflower mixture. Microwave for about 30 seconds, until the cheese has melted.

Top with bacon bits and chives. Enjoy!

MAKES 1 SERVING



(Serving Size: entire recipe

Calories: 181

Fat: 2g

Sodium: 758mg
Carbs: 28g
Fiber: 5g

Sugars: 7g

Protein: 13.5g)


I couldnt figure out how to add pictures from this device I am on; maybe next time.

They are really easy too!!
I hope everyone is doing well, I love you and can't wait to see you all at Miss LeBlanc's wedding:):):):)

Xoxxo

Love from Asheville and the Stansell's ;)
(haha Im gay, I know...seriously though love you all!!!!!)

Spicy Chicken Spaghetti

This is one of my favorite (unhealthy) recipes from Thomas' Mom! Oh and don't worry it's definitely not spicy, just great flavor! I hope y'all enjoy!


Spicy Chicken Spaghetti

Ingredients:

(1) 8oz. package of spaghetti

Vegetable Cooking Spray

1/4 cup margarine

1/2 cup large onion chopped

(1) 8oz. Velveeta cheese, cubed

(1) 10oz. can tomatoes & chiles (Rotel)

4 cooked chicken breast halves, chopped

(1) 10oz. can cream of chicken soup


Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook spaghetti according to directions, drain. Place in 13x9 baking dish coated with cooking spray. Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and saute 3-5 minutes until tender. Add cheese and tomatoes and chiles, storing until cheese melts. Stir in chicken and soup, blending well. Pour mixture over spaghetti in baking dish.

Bake at 350 degree for 25 minutes or until bubbly.

Tip: I think it is easier and the recipe tastes better if you split the amount of spaghetti and mixture in half and bake it two separate dishes. Otherwise, you will have trouble fitting everything in to one dish and the finished product is saturated in the mixture and can be quite overwhelming.

Blue Cheese Bacon Dip!

I made this at the shower this weekend for those who were there! You might want to 1/2 the recipe if you don't have very many people! I serve with Triscuits or Wheat Thins. Soo yummy! Love y'all!


-Linds

Ingredients

• 7 bacon slices, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1/3 cup half-and-half
• 4 ounces crumbled blue cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
• 3 tablespoons chopped walnuts, toasted
• Grape clusters
• Flatbread or assorted crackers

Preparation

Cook chopped bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat 10 minutes or until crisp. Drain bacon, and set aside. Add minced garlic to skillet, and sauté 1 minute.

Beat cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Add half-and-half, beating until combined. Stir in bacon, garlic, blue cheese, and chives. Spoon mixture evenly into 4 (1-cup) individual baking dishes.

Bake at 350° for 15 minutes or until golden and bubbly. Sprinkle evenly with chopped walnuts, and serve with grape clusters and flatbread or assorted crackers.

Spiced Pumpkin and Brown Sugar Granola

Hi friends!

So as you know Granola can be super high in calories and fat and well, I just don't do that ;) You can tweak this recipe as much or as little as you want. For instance, I use chopped almonds instead of pistachios. Also, sometimes I use a little less brown sugar and a little more pumpkin. I also don't use cardamom - no clue what it is, but it's expensive!! And I always add more cranberries! You really cannot go wrong. I leave the batch in the oven about 10 minutes longer than it says just to make sure it is extra crunchy. Enjoy!!

Love, Austin

Servings: Makes about 5 cups (large batch: 15 cups)

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup canned pumpkin puree (large batch: 2 1/4 cups)
• 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar (large batch: 1 1/2 cups)
• 2 Tbsp. canola oil or olive oil (large batch: 6 Tbsp.)
• 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract (large batch: 3 Tbsp.)
• 2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (large batch: 6 tsp.)
• 1 tsp. ground cardamom (large batch: 3 tsp.)
• 1 tsp. kosher salt (large batch: 3 tsp.)
• 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (large batch: 9 cups)
• 1 cup roughly chopped pecans (large batch: 3 cups)
• 1 cup pistachios (optional; large batch: 3 cups)
• 1 cup golden raisins (large batch: 3 cups)
• 1 cup dried cranberries (optional; large batch: 3 cups)

Directions

Active time: 15 minutes
Total time: 45 minutes

Preheat oven to 325°. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin, sugar, oil, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, cardamom, and salt. Add oats, pecans, and pistachios (if using), and toss to coat. Spread evenly on prepared baking sheet and bake 30 minutes, stirring halfway through. Stir in raisins and cranberries (if using), and continue baking until oats are just crisp, about 15 minutes more. Stir one last time, then set aside to cool completely. When hard, break into chunks and store in an airtight container.

New Blog!!!

Hi Friends!

We have lots of fun recipes and thought this would be a fun way to share them! Post everyday or whenever you have a fun recipe! We are making it private so it's just us that can see them :).