Land That I Love

Phew, what a week! Having Independence Day fall in the middle of the week has worn. me. out. How do you know you've graduated from the "party like a rock star" phase of your roaring 20's and hit the "can't handle that amount of excitement" phase of your late 20's? You spend a little time in the heat, have two jam-packed days of fun-filled activities and wake up day three with what feels like the hangover from hell - complete with a splitting headache and aching body. It's taken me three days to recover from all the festivities. 


We celebrated this year with two full days of patriotism. On 4th of July eve, we went into town for their yearly celebratory event in the park - complete with a mini fair, lots of vendor booths, fresh squeezed lemonade that is the perfect combination of tart and sweet, crispy funnel cakes smothered in powdered sugar and crisp roasted corn. Especially exciting to my girl was the rides, face painting, and fireworks.

Once the sun was asleep and the moon was high in the sky, we settled onto our quilt in the middle of the park to watch the fireworks. Surrounded by thousands of people, we admired the brilliant colors as they dazzled in the night sky above us.

The next morning, we dragged ourselves out of bed, exhausted from the night before, and journeyed back into town for the annual Independence Day Parade. Once the marching bands, color guards and vibrant patriotic floats concluded their mile-long haul, we jumped in the car and headed to our next destination: the lake house! Once there we enjoyed an amazing lunch of fall-off-the-bone ribs, potato salad, coleslaw, macaroni salad, and rolls all homemade by my amazing parents (is there anything better than a home cooked meal from your parents? probably not.). We had the time of our lives boating, tubing, knee boarding (my Momma's new love...if only she could make it onto her knees), and swimming in the sunshine.

My girl and my Momma

I hope you had a wonderful 4th of July weekend that left you worn out in that I-am-so-blessed kinda way. I hope you spent time with loved ones and cherished friends making memories that will last a lifetime.


So tell me, how did you celebrate your Independence Day?

Spinach & Ravioli Bake

We love casseroles 'round here. They're so convenient, they're portable and are always a crowd pleaser at a potluck. They're also one of the best ways I can figure to sneak some veggies into each meal, because everything is better when it's covered in a lovely sauce and baked to perfection. This recipe is a new addition to our menu - it was quick, easy, and soooo good. It's fast and easy weeknight meal or Sunday supper that's sure to be a knockout with your family and friends.

First, take a jar of spaghetti sauce and pour half in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish that's sprayed with cooking spray. Spread it all out evenly along the bottom. 

Then grab your fresh spinach, lop off the stems with a knife and lay a few leaves on top of each other, like this:

Now we want to chop up our spinach. So roll it up lengthwise and hold it in place...

then use your knife chop it up. It will form long narrow pieces like this: 

Do this a couple times until you've chopped up about a half a cup of spinach. Simple, right? Okay. Now sprinkle your spinach over the sauce in your baking dish. 

Now it's time to add your frozen ravioli. Lay it out in one even layer on top of your sauce/spinach mixture. It'll look like this: 

Now sprinkle half of your cheese evenly over the ravioli.

Once you've given it plenty of cheese, start all over again and form another layer of sauce, spinach, ravioli and cheese. Then cover it in foil and pop it the oven. 

Voila! You have an amazing meal that everyone will love for minimal effort. Now that's my kinda of supper!

Spinach & Ravioli Bake


What you'll need:
1 (26 oz.) jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce (I use Ragu Garden Vegetable)
2 (1 lb.) packages frozen cheese ravioli, uncooked
1 cup fresh spinach
2 cups shredded Kraft Italian Five Cheese 


Preparation:
Pre-heat oven to 400°. Spread one cup of spaghetti sauce evenly along the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Chop and layer 1/2 cup of fresh spinach evenly on top of the sauce, then layer 1/2 of your frozen ravioli and 1 cup of cheese on top. Top with remaining spaghetti sauce, spinach, ravioli and cheese. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 400° for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 more minutes or until cheese is golden brown and bubbly and ravioli is cooked through and tender. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. 

Chicken & Biscuit Casserole

I love this recipe. So I'm sharing it with you. I found this recipe on the back of a Bisquick box once, and I tweaked it (shocking, right?) to my family's liking. The best part about this dish is that it's extremely versatile. You can substitute any meat that you'd like, keep it vegetarian, and change up the types of veggies you add. I keep my creamed soups, canned veggies and Bisquick on hand all the time so it's a wonderful go-to meal when I'm in a bind. It's a great stick-to-your-ribs family meal, and it has a way of magically disappearing in our house. I've taken some pictures of the different steps so you can get a clear picture of how to build this baby...or maybe I just like taking pictures...or maybe you just like you :) Either way, I hope you enjoy this casserole.

Season your chicken with a little bit of  pepper, and toss it in a skillet with a bit of olive oil (or cooking spray) that's been heated over medium-high heat. Get it nice and golden brown so it's a little crispy on the outside and still nice and juicy on the inside. 

Here comes the tough part. Dump in all of your canned goods - Cream of Chicken Soup, Cream of Mushroom Soup, drained Veg-all and drained Carrots. Fold it all in together until it looks like this:

Now pepper it all up nice and good so it has lots of flavor. I don't use salt in this recipe because you get plenty of that from your creamed soups. Now comes the step where I got distracted from all the excitement of cooking this wonderful meal and forgot to take a picture. Oops. Anyway, whisk up your Bisquick and milk. It should drop easily from the whisk but shouldn't be runny. Does that make sense? Good. If your mixture is too thick, add a little more milk. A little too thin? Add a little more Bisquick. No big deal.



Ok, once you've done that, pour your sauce mixture into your baking dish that's been greased with cooking spray. Spread it all out nice and even, then dump the Bisquick mixture right in on top of it. 

Spread that out evenly, too. It doesn't have to be perfect, see?

The biscuit layer may be thin, but it will thicken up dramatically while it cooks. Now pop that baby in the oven and cook it for about 25-30 minutes or until your biscuits are golden brown. Insert a toothpick in the center to be sure they're cooked through if you're like me and don't want to chance doughy biscuits. Now dish it up and dive in, it won't last long.

Hearty Chicken & Biscuit Casserole


What you'll need:
Sauce:
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed in 1/2-1" pieces
1 (10.75 oz.) can Cream of Chicken Soup, undiluted
1 (10.75 oz.) can Cream of Mushroom Soup, undiluted
1 (14.5 oz.) can sliced carrots, drained
1 (14.5 oz.) can Veg-all veggies, drained
Pepper to taste


Biscuit Topping:
2 cups Bisquick
3/4-1 cup milk


Preparation:
Pre-heat oven to 350°. Season chicken with pepper to taste. In a skillet that's been heated over medium-high heat, brown chicken with a bit of olive oil or cooking spray. Cook through until golden brown. Lower heat to medium-low and add Cream of Chicken Soup, Cream of Mushroom Soup, sliced carrots and Veg-all. Fold mixture until combined into a sauce. 


In a medium mixing bowl, mix Bisquick and milk with a wire whisk until combined. Mixture should easily fall from whisk without being runny (similar to a drop biscuit). If biscuit mixture is too thick, add more milk, if too thin, add more Bisquick.


Grease a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Pour chicken & veggie sauce mixture into baking dish and spread evenly along the bottom. Drop globs of biscuit topping over chicken & sauce, spread evenly with spatula. Biscuit topping will form a thin layer, but will rise while cooking. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or biscuit topping is golden brown and toothpick inserted in center of biscuit topping comes out clean. 

This recipe has been linked up at French Country Cottage.

Starbucks Gift Card WINNER announced!

The winner of the $5 Starbucks Gift Card has been chosen! Are you excited? 

And the winner is....................

Comment number #5 from awagoner, with her comment, "Pick me for your give away! Happy Birthday Dusty!"

Congratulations, I'll be getting your Starbucks gift card to you lickety split. 

THANK YOU to everyone who participated in my first giveaway! There will be many more to look forward to!

Time's Up!

Well folks, that's it for the giveaway. I'll be randomly selecting one lucky person from the comments to win their free $5 Starbucks gift card, and will announce the winner tomorrow, so be sure to check back! Thanks for participating :)

WOW.

I logged on this evening to a wonderful surprise - my blog has now received a page view count of over................

That's 5 zeros (and 5 exclamation points). WOW! You guys are amazing! I just want to express my sincere thanks to everyone who's visiting or is a regular. This little 'ol blog that was originally started as a hobby has turned into a real passion of mine, and all of you are the driving force behind that. 

THANK YOU!!!!  

A Trip to Lazy Five

One of our favorite "day-cation" locations is Lazy Five Ranch, about an hour from our home. Going there brings a real sense of peace with it's exotic animal exhibits, drive-through safaris, wagon ride tours, and exotic birds roaming all around you. It's beautiful! We usually pay a few extra bucks to do the wagon ride. Shy littlePrairie Dogs quickly run from their burrows to grab food, and if you're lucky you might spot one. Brightly colored Parrots sing from high above on their throne of branches and Peacocks wander about the trails you while you walk throughout the ranch.

Lemurs frolic in their naturally enclosed play area as kids surround their domain to sing, "I like to move it, move it!" at the top of their lungs. 

Cows slowly saunter over for a handful of food, and are eager to have a sweet caress or pat on top of their head.

Llamas look right into your eyes as though they're speaking to you right from their soul saying, "I'll be your friend, you can tell me anything". These two had a very sweet disposition.

Water Buffalo lug their large, sluggish bodies over to the wagon for a bite to eat, so patiently waiting for you to drop the food in their mouths, while their friends cool themselves in a large pond, content with having only their head visible to the crowd. 

Deer frolic and play without a care in the world, while the baby deer and piglets stare with an inquisitive interest of all there is to discover in their brand new world. 

The Zebras are absolutely exquisite with their intricate stripes. They keep their distance and go about their distance as if they know what a novelty they are.

A lone Rhinoceros relaxes in the shade after cooling off in a mud bath, oblivious the audience surrounding his enclosure.

Towards the end of the safari you come upon one of the most amazing exhibits of all - the Giraffes. The elegance that exudes their statuesque bodies is absolutely breathtaking. 

There's something about Lazy Five Ranch that brings a peacefulness to your mind, makes the world seem a little less chaotic, and helps you to really stop and think about all of the little wonders of the world that make up this big, big world. Every visit is a different experience, another chance to make more family memories that will last a lifetime.

What's been your most cherished family memory so far this year?