Cook Now – Eat Later

This seems to be my motto lately, and so far, it’s working out quite well. Tanner works weekends overnight, so I’m left to entertain myself. This weekend, I had fun in the kitchen.


Two weeks ago, I had such a busy weekend. I was going non-stop, from a class, to babysitting, to a meeting for work, etc. I had no time to cook. Consequently – and I’m kind of ashamed to admit it -- we ordered pizza three times last week.


But this weekend… this weekend was glorious! On Saturday I made Mexican Casserole; on Sunday, Chili; and on Monday morning (which I have off!) I made Lasagna. Now, our fridge is jam-packed, but I’m excited about eating leftovers this week. And excited about the relaxation that can happen after work! Unfortunately, this week, I’m working late three nights, so we won’t get to have dinner together, but I’m going to keep up this idea next weekend, hoping this could be a very nice trend!  :-)

And, because I LOVE to share recipes, here they are:

Mexican Chicken

Combine in saucepan & cook until smooth:
1 can cream of celery
1 can cream of chicken
5.3 oz evaporated milk
10 oz tomatoes & green chilies (Rotel)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Crush 1 large bag of Nacho Cheese flavored Dorito chips.  Place half of the bag in a greased 9 x 13 pan.  Top with 3 drained 5 oz cans of chunked chicken.  Pour soup mixture over the top and sprinkle with the remaining chips.  Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. 

Bob's Famous Chili

3 lbs ground beef
1 lg sweet yellow onion
3 lg cans diced tomatos
1 6 oz can tomato paste
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
3 16 oz cans chili beans
2 Tbsp chili powder
4-5 cups water (or tomato juice)
3 Tbsp sugar
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/2 tsp salt & pepper

In a large pot, brown hamburger & finely chopped onion.  Drain off fat.  Add diced tomatos, paste, sauce, beans & water.  Heat to medium-high & reduce to simmer.  Add chili powder, salt & pepper.  In a small sauce pan, heat vinegar until hot. Remove from heat & dissolve sugar.  Add to chili.  Simmer for about 2 hours.