Super Easy Pizza Casserole

5 or 6 ingredients.  One skillet or micro cooker and one 9x13 pan.  35 minutes and you are ready for one super easy pizza casserole for dinner.  This may just be The Farmer's favorite.

Remember when I was lucky enough to have Ann-Marie from Chaos is Bliss  visit our family farm... well we were lucky enough to meet up again recently thanks to Indiana's Family of Farmers.  A few weeks ago, Ann-Marie and I visited 3 grocery stores with the help of a wonderful dietitian, Kim.

Our mission was to buy the ingredients for one recipe at 3 different stores to compare the selection, prices, and such.

It was so much fun and tiring.

We visited Kroger, Trader Joe's, and Meijer.

The selection and prices at Kroger and Meijer were very similar.  In fact if I wanted, I was able to purchase the same brands of all of the ingredients at Kroger and Meijer,.  Trader Joe's was a little different, but I was able to find all of the necessary ingredients with a little bit of improvisation.  (They didn't have any bulk Italian sausage, but they had Italian sausage links.)

Now different sales were taking place at all 3 locations, but on the day that I purchased my groceries I spent $13.52 at Meijer, $15.82 at Kroger (my receipt shows $18.82 as I bought an extra package of pepperoni), and $18.83 at Trader Joe's.

I must admit I had never been to a Trader Joe's prior to this visit.  The closest Trader Joe's is over a half hour away and a full-time off-farm working mom of 3 busy kids, I tend to shop at the local Walmart where I can get almost everything we need from deodorant to milk without breaking the bank.  It was interesting to visit Trader Joe's and I could see if you were looking for something specific, it might just be the place to go.

Now the best part of all of this was getting to visit the stores with Ann-Marie and Kim.  I think I can speak for Ann-Marie when I say we learned so much from Kim.

One of the things we discussed were quick and easy way to increase the nutritional value of a recipe.  Specifically in regards to this super easy pizza casserole we talked about adding diced tomatoes, mushrooms, spinach, and many other veggies much like you would a pizza.  Based on this conversation, I did decide to add diced tomatoes to my recipe.

We also talked a lot about how confusing all the labels are at the grocery store since some of them are marketing labels and some are nutritional.  It can be so confusing so it was nice to have Kim with us.
It truly was a great day and then it was time to head home to use all those ingredients we bought.

So let's talk about the super easy pizza casserole that is The Farmer's favorite.  This truly is such an easy recipe that won't disappoint.

Super Easy Pizza Casserole

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground Italian sausage
• 12 oz. wide lasagna noodles (prepared per directions)
• 2 14oz. jars pizza sauce
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 6 oz. sliced pepperoni
• 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes

Cooking Directions

1. Brown Italian sausage; drain.
2. Drain tomatoes and combine with pizza sauce in a batter bowl.
3. In lightly greased 9x13 pan, layer one half noodles, one half sausage, one half pepperoni, one half sauce mixture, and one half cheese.
4. Repeat with second layer of noodles, sausage, and remaining ingredients, reserving several pepperoni slices to garnish top.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.

Print Recipe Here

Enjoy!!

This post was sponsored by Indiana’s Family of Farmers, but all words and opinions are 100% my own.

One Pot Spaghetti

One pot.  3 ingredients.  30 minutes.  What more could you ask for in a family dinner recipe that pleases every time.

 Recently I was lucky enough to have Ann-Marie from Chaos is Bliss visit our family farm for a one-on-one tour thanks to Indiana's Family of Farmers.  Ann-Marie and I talked about all kinds of things from the similarities in our families, how we raise our pigs, and my favorite pork recipes. Although my all time favorite pork recipe is a good ole pork burger, I must admit I'm quite fond of this one pot spaghetti with pork Italian sausage and it is definitely becoming a go-to recipe at this pigpen.

I must give props to Ann-Marie's excellent self-timer abilities for this photo.

It was very exciting for me to have Ann-Marie visit our farm.  As you know, I'm very passionate about agriculture and our family farm and love talking about both anytime we get.  I realize I'm probably a little biased when I talk about our farm so I encourage you to visit Ann-Marie's recap of our visit as I assure you she asked a lot of great questions as nothing was off limits.  (You might even find a yummy pork recipe when you visit.)

Now that being said, let's get back to this one pot spaghetti.  I'm not lying when I say this is so easy as it truly only uses one pot (OK.  I may have used 2 as I used my micro cooker to brown the italian sausage to speed up the process.) and 3 ingredients.

One Pot Spaghetti

Ingredients

• 1 lb. ground Italian sausage
• 7 oz. package spaghetti, uncooked and broken into 1-inch lengths
• 2 24 oz. jars spaghetti sauce

Cooking Directions

1. In stock pot over medium heat, brown sausage for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring often.
2. Drain; stir in broken spaghetti. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring often.
3. Add spaghetti sauce and stir until well blended. Heat to boiling.
4. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer about 20 minutes, until spaghetti is tender.

Print Recipe Here

Enjoy!!

This post was sponsored by Indiana’s Family of Farmers, but all words and opinions are 100% my own.

6 ingredient Beer Bread

Some of you may know I have a fear of baking with yeast.  My first experience was in 4-H and not a very good one so I have tended to shy away from baking with yeast my entire adult life even though I love baked goods made with yeast.  So that being said when I found the recipe for Beer Bread in Gooseberry Patch's Hometown Harvest cookbook, I knew I had to try it especially since was recommended for serving with that Fried Corn Chowder we happened to love.

Beer Bread

Ingredients

3 c. all-purpose flour

1/4 c. sugar

1 T. baking powder

1 t. salt

12 oz. can beer or non-alcoholic beer

2 T. butter, melted

Directions

In a bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.  Add beer; mix well.  Pour into a greased 9"x5" loaf pan.  Drizzle butter on top.  Bake at 375 degrees for about 40-50 minutes, until golden.  Slice while still warm.  

Enjoy and I may or may not be able to speak from experience when I tell you that this bread is pretty dang good with the melted butter accidentally gets omitted.  (I found the melted butter in the microwave as I was cleaning up the kitchen after we ate our Fried Corn Chowder and Beer Bread.)

We have loved every recipe we have tried so far from Hometown Harvest so don't forget to enter for your very own chance to win a copy of the cookbook!

Special thanks to Gooseberry Patch for providing me with this great cookbook to try and share with you. If you would like to purchase this or other cookbooks, please visit their store. Additionally, this post does contain an affiliate link.

8 tips for meal planning

Feeding a farmer during planting and harvest season is not always an easy task and more than likely every farmer has their own "rules" for eating when they are busy in the fields. Over the past 13 years, I've tried to learn the "rules" of The Farmer and his dad, but even then it isn't foolproof.

However, I will say that these 8 tips usually serve my mother-in-law and I well.

8 tips for meal planning on the farm

1. Supper will never ever be at the same time every night especially during planting and harvest season so we must be flexible as well as the meals we make and/or buy.
2. A slow cooker can be your best friend, especially one with a keep warm feature.
3. Sometimes fast food or carryout from a restaurant are your best option.
4. Messy is never good whether we are talking about sauces, sandwiches, etc...
5. Easy to eat is essential.  
6. Planning is good essentially when it comes to meals, but you must also be flexible that plans can always change.
7. Never try to guess what they are thinking.  Sometimes they will want to grab their food and go and sometimes they will stop and eat with you on the tailgate of the truck.  
8. Be flexible, never take it personal, and enjoy every moment as some of our kids' best memories involve taking dinner to their dad or grandpa and sneaking in a ride in the tractor, combine, or semi.

So while following #1, #2, and #4, and possibly #5, #6, #7, and #8, I'd like to share this quick and easy recipe from Gooseberry Patch's Hometown Harvest for Layered Potatoes & Onions.  

Layered Potatoes & Onions

Ingredients

3-4 lbs. potatoes, thinly sliced

3-4 lbs. yellow onions, thinly sliced

1 c. butter, sliced

salt and pepper to taste

chopped fresh chives to taste (optional)

Directions

In a slow cooker sprayed with non-stick vegetable spray, layer 1/4 each of potatoes, onions, and butter; add slat, pepper, and some chives.  Repeat layering, ending with butter and seasonings.  Cover and cook on high setting for one hour.  Turn slow cooker to low setting; cook for 5 hours more.  Serves 10-12 or one hungry farm family.  

Be sure to enter my giveaway to win your very own copy of Hometown Harvest!

Special thanks to Gooseberry Patch for providing me with this great cookbook to try and share with you. If you would like to purchase this or other cookbooks, please visit their store. Additionally, this post does contain an affiliate link.

Additionally, I am participating in Indiana's Family of Farmers Table Talk Series and received a gift in exchange for my participation.  I'm one lucky girl!

Fried Corn Chowder

The temperatures are starting to drop a little and on days like that soup sounds perfect to me.  So when I found this recipe for Fried Corn Chowder in Gooseberry Patch's Hometown Harvest , I knew we were going to have to try it and we were not disappointed.  Even my normal non-soup eaters liked this chowder.

Fried Corn Chowder

Ingredients

3T. butter, divided

2 c. fresh or frozen corn

2 T. dried, minced onion

2 c. potatoes, peeled and finely diced (this was 4 potatoes)

2c. hot water

2 T. all-purpose flour

2 c. milk

1 t. salt

1/8 t. pepper

Directions

Melt one tablespoon butter in a saucepan over low heat.  Add corn; cook, stirring often, until tender.

Meanwhile, melt remaining butter in a separate large saucepan or stockpot.  Add onion and cook until lightly golden, stirring often.  Add potatoes and hot water. Simmer until potatoes are tender.  Drain half of the liquid.

In a bowl, add flour to milk; whisk until no lumps are visible.  Add salt and pepper.  Stir flour mixture into hot potato mixture; blend well and stir in corn.  Simmer until flavors are blended, about 10 minutes.  

Serve hot with Beer Bread and bacon bits if desired (unfortunately, we didn't have any bacon.).  Makes 6-8 servings.  

This chowder was relatively easy to make but my hands were busy so I apologize for the lack of photos during the cooking process.

This was the perfect lunch on a rainy Sunday even if we were slightly depressed since the rain is slowing down the harvest season on our family farm.  

Be sure to enter my giveaway for this awesome cookbook and good luck!

Special thanks to Gooseberry Patch for providing me with this great cookbook to try and share with you. If you would like to purchase this or other cookbooks, please visit their store. Additionally, this post does contain an affiliate link.

Easy On the Go Harvest Granola Rounds

Rain, Rain, Go Away, Come Again Another Day...

This isn't the first time I have said this. Unfortunately, this summer, we haven't seen a lot of it which hasn't been good for our corn and soybeans trying to grow in the fields.  Although it hasn't been quite as dry as last summer, it has definitely been less than desirable which is why rain this time of year is not exactly welcome. Rain this time of year will not help our crops as their growing season is over and harvest season is upon us; however, we can't harvest our crop if the ground is wet.  So after the rain this week, we will wait for it to dry up before heading to the fields and hope that harvest will begin soon.

That being said, I am always looking for quick and easy snacks that The Farmer can take with him when he is in the fields as harvest usually means long hours.  And this recipe is a super double bonus as it is not only quick and easy, but also rather nutritious, and can serve as a snack or breakfast.  I had seen a few recipes for these "health balls" floating around on the Internet, but when our great friend Nancy made some for The Farmer and I this summer, we were hooked and they will be the perfect snack for me to keep on hand during the upcoming harvest season.

Easy On-the-Go Harvest Granola Rounds

Ingredients
2 cups oatmeal
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup ground flaxseed
1 cup chocolate chips
2/3 cup honey
2 tsp vanilla

Directions

Mix all ingredients together.  Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or longer.  Roll into rounds and store in air tight container.  (I made approximately 40 one inch rounds.)  Enjoy!!!!

Tips

• Store in refrigerator if desired.
• Pre-package 4-5 rounds in a sandwich bag for a grab 'n go snack or breakfast.
• Perfect with a glass of milk

I am participating in Indiana's Family of Farmers Table Talk Series and received a gift in exchange for my participation.

Kid Friendly Apple Cranberry Pops

Now, I wouldn't have made it through the Farm Girls Freeze event without the help of Big Sissy and Little Sissy so it was only fitting that they decided to whip up their own recipe during the event as well from the same Gooseberry Patch Freezer Friendly Recipes cookbook.

Big Sissy and Little Sissy decided to make Apple-Cranberry Pops

Apple-Cranberry Pops

Ingredients
12 oz. can unsweetened frozen apple-cranberry juice concentrate, thawed
2 c. plain yogurt
2 t. vanilla extract

Directions
Mix ingredients together.

(After some trial and error and few messes, I would recommend adding the ingredients in the order of yogurt, concentrate, and vanilla and use a whisk to mix the ingredients together.)

Pour into small paper cups.

Insert a wooden treat stick into the center of each yogurt cup.  (We also learned through trial an error that they are some tricks to this step too, but you will have to stay tuned for those.)

Freeze overnight.

When ready to enjoy, let stand at room temperature for a few minutes; peel off paper cups.

Super Easy Freeze and Bake Lasagna

So last weekend while college friends, Tequila, Tutti Fruity, The Captain, and Miller, were heating it up on the beaches of Florida, I was freezing it up in the kitchen with some of my fellow Real Farmwives.  (Unfortunately, my work, farm, and mom schedule didn't make traveling to Florida to possible, but that allowed me to join in on the freezer day fun and watch Big Sissy and Little Sissy's soccer games while The Farmer watched Bubby's football game at the same time.)

Thanks to Gooseberry Patch and their Our Favorite Freezer-Friendly Recipes cookbook, I had a bunch of new recipes to choose from for the Farm Girls Freeze event.  Now I have learned a few things since our last freezer cooking day so I had a few requirements when looking for a recipe.  I was looking for one with relatively few ingredients and one that was easy to put together.  From my experience this is key when making a recipe in bulk and I had 11 batches to make.  (Thankfully I had Big Sissy and Little Sissy to help me.)

This is how I stumbled upon Freeze & Bake Lasagna.  8 ingredients which actually became 7 because I couldn't find one of them and it call for uncooked lasagna noodles so it my opinion it more than met my requirements.

Freeze & Bake Lasagna

Ingredients
28 oz jar spaghetti sauce
1 lb. ground beef, browned or I used 1 lb. Italian sausage, browned
8 oz. jar mushroom pieces, drained
16 oz. container ricotta cheese
1 egg, beaten
1 T. Italian seasoning
8 lasagna noodles, uncooked and divided
2 c. shredded Monterrey Jack cheese ( I couldn't find any plain Monterrey Jack cheese so I just substituted mozzarella cheese)
2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions
Combine sauce, beef/sausage, and mushrooms; set aside

Mix ricotta cheese, egg, and Italian seasoning together; set aside.

Layer as follows in each of 2 ungreased 9x5 loaf pans (I couldn't find disposable 9x5 loaf pans so I improvised with a 9x13 pan and doubled my ingredients when layering):

once cup meat sauce,

2 lasagna noodles,

1/2 cup ricotta cheese mixture,

1/2 cup Monterrey Jack cheese and 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese.

Repeat layers.

We then covered with Press 'n Seal and then aluminum foil as it is ready for the freezer.

When ready to prepare, thaw overnight in the refrigerator.  Remove Press 'n Seal, cover with foil, and bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours.

And then enjoy!

Who says you can't go home

Home is where the heart is...

This summer has been full of events that have made me think of "home."  And not just where I live today, but where my heart has been over the years.

The summer started with a major focus on 4-H at this pigpen.  Big Sissy is a 4th generation 4-Her as this was her second year of 4-H.  With our county fair the last week of June, Big Sissy spent the majority of her time the month of June working on her many 4-H projects.  As I've said before, 4-H has always played a big part in the lives of The Farmer and me and it is such a joy to watch Big Sissy love 4-H.  Now I'm not quite sure how we will make it when all 3 kids are in 4-H, but we will find a way just like The Farmer and I's moms did.

 



Any way, Big Sissy had a pretty amazing second year of 4-H that will continue into the State Fair next week.  I'm so glad that she is enjoying carrying on this tradition that was started many years before her and is even seeing some success in the show ring like my mom did many years ago which was  lot of fun as my mom and Aunt S were there to share in the fun that night along with The Farmer's parents and Uncle K. 

 



I even got to visit my "home" county fair this year.  This was my youngest cousin's last year of 4-H.  He was the last of my generation to finish 4-H in our county.  There had been someone in 4-H in my home county since I started 4-H more years ago than I'd like to admit... 1987.  That is a lot of years of family picnics, traditions, and fun at the fair.  Hopefully next year, my niece will start 4-H and start the tradition of the next generation of 4-Hers in my home county. 

Some things have changed but many have stayed the same including many of the faces.  It was great to visit my home fair even if I do like my own recipe for Beef and Noodles better than theirs now, but this is where my love of Beef and Noodles started. 

This past weekend I really did get to go to one of my past "homes." 

 



Several of my sorority sisters and I converged on Purdue University for the weekend to relive our college years.

 



It was amazing to see so many women that had an impact on my life and to visit one of the houses that really built me. 

So I don't know who says you can't go home, because I've been going "home" all summer long. 

And although this summer has gone by in the blink of an eye and isn't officially over, the start of school is coming sooner rather than later at this pigpen as Big Sissy and Bubby head back to school on July 31st.  This just may or may not be the same day Big Sissy's pigs and muffins go to the State Fair for judging later in the week.  (No pressure on The Farmer or I.)  That being said hopefully we can still squeeze in a few trips "home" either down memory lane or making new memories with what is left of the summer of 2013. 


Thanks to Indiana's Family of Farmers for getting me to return to my "home" of blogging.  Although this is a sponsored post as I'm a Table Talk Contributor this month for Indiana's Family of Farmers, my love of my "homes" and the traditions and recipes of them are all my own opinions and thoughts. That being said, be sure to check out Indiana's Family of Farmers on Facebook, Twitter, or their blog as they have a lot of fun stuff happening especially with the upcoming Indiana State Fair.