Easy weeknight dinners.

Alright, lets face it.. I have a ton of stuff to do today. For one, i have probably like 6 chapters worth of anatomy homework due by midnight tonight. I have LOADS of laundry (remember how much I hate laundry)? Everything needs to be dusted and vacuumed, and I'm not even going to go into the smell coming from my husbands side of the bed (which means baking soda, my upholstery attachment and LOTS of Febreeze before I put on new sheets). 

So what's a girl to do for dinner? I'm obviously not going to roast a whole chicken tonight, and I'd like something that requires very little effort. Well I can across a tasty little casserole when I was pregnant. Well, more like invented it because my need for potatoes, meat and cheese wasn't being fulfilled. Here is the recipe:

Cheesy Potato and Corn Casserole:

1 box of Betty Crocker Au gratin or Scalloped Potatoes

1 lb of lean ground beef

1 1/2 cups of frozen or canned corn (drain if you use canned)

1 cup of shredded cheese.

1.) Pre-heat oven to temp. on box of potatoes. Brown ground beef. 2.) Prepare potatoes in a 9x13 baking dish according to directions on box. Drain grease out of ground beef. 3.) Mix ground beef and corn into potatoes and bake. 4.) take out 5 minutes early, sprinkle cheese on top and continue baking remainder 5 min.

OK, so its pretty simple and oh-so tasty! You could do home made scalloped potatoes if you are stuck up about boxed, but it takes the point away from this being an "easy" casserole. After last nights wildly successful soup (recipe to follow), I hope the husband likes it at least.

Creamy tomato tortellini soup:

(OK, so i kind of just threw some stuff into a pot and tasted as I went, but this is pretty much went into it)

1 can of Italian stewed tomatoes, 1 cup of milk, 1 cup of frozen green beans, 1 package of Bertolli cheese tortellini, 2 small cans of Hunts tomato sauce, 1 diced Roma tomato, 1 can of kidney beans-DRAINED, 2 garlic cloves-sliced, salt, pepper, garlic, Italian seasoning, oregano, rosemary, PINCH of Cinnamon, fill rest of pot with water

-> toss everything BUT milk, tortellini, and seasoning in pot with water. Heat on medium about 5 minutes, STIR IN milk. Heat to boiling, add spices (for maximum flavor since this is a quick soup). Reduce heat to low (or about a 2) and cook for 30 minutes. Add tortellini and cook another 30 minutes. 

NOTE: so the reason I don't have specific amount of spices on here is because every one's capacity to judge spices is different. I taste as i go and add more as needed. My husband is so immune to spices that I have to over season everything. So add what your palate can handle but don't add more then a pinch of Cinnamon!

So I'm sure I will have another post later, but for now I have a ton of stuff to get done and I still haven't eaten today (sigh). Until next time :)