Cheesy Chicken Lasagna

Hello Studio 5 Viewers!!!  Thanks for watching!  Cheesy Chicken Lasagna is a quick, easy, family friendly favorite at our house and I wanted to share with all of you.  This is one of the many recipes that are in my newest book "Busy Moms on the Go!!!"  You can purchase today at over 20 percent off or both, "Busy Moms on the Go" and "Families on the Go" for a screaming deal!!!!

Remember, the actual launch party of the new book is at Seagull Book in Perry, UT on Saturday, March 16th from 10-1.  Prize drawings and samples!

Cheesy Chicken Lasagna

3 cups cooked and cubed chicken

12 ounces lasagna noodles

2-12 ounce cans evaporated milk (not fat-free)

1 pkg. dry ranch dressing mix

1/8 tsp. pepper

2 cups cheddar cheese

                                                                                     2 cups mozzarella cheese

Cook the lasagna noodles according to package directions, half the time if freezing. Rinse in cold water and set aside. In a heavy saucepan, pour evaporated milk and add dry ranch dressing mix. Heat over low heat until dry ingredients are dissolved. Add chicken and pepper. Simmer uncovered for 25 minutes stirring frequently. If freezing, see directions below. Otherwise, in a greased 9X13 pan layer half of the lasagna noodles, chicken mixture and cheese. Repeat. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Freezer Directions: Layer in a greased disposable pan. Cover with foil and freeze

Release Date of "Busy Mom's on the Go!"

March 12th is the date of the release of the long awaited

"Busy Mom's on the Go"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It is a new and improved version of the SOLD OUT "Girlfriends on the Go"  Thank you "Girlfriend on the Go" fans for being patient for this new one!  It is the same book, now in color and with lots of new tried and true make-ahead-meals to add to your freezer!  There will be a launch party on March 16th from 10 am to 1 pm at the Seagull Book in Perry, UT.  There will be samples and drawings. I will see you there!



When my grandparents replaced their windows in their hundred year old home, and tore down the barn on their farm, I snagged the salvageable windows.  I wanted to find something to do with them so I could have the memories of the home my father grew up in and my wonderful grandparents.  I have decorated them for my and some other family members homes and every time I look at them it makes my heart happy.  That's what I love to have on the walls of my home.  Since then, my dear grandfather has passed away and I think of his hard work and example every time I see the original dirt and peeled paint on these windows.


This one has a bead board background that I have painted red.  I got cardboard chunky letters from Joann's and spray painted them with a textured spray paint.  I got a wreath for the "O".  To make this window like a shadow box to fit the letters in between the glass and the bead board, I put strips of 1x2 wood on the back of the window frame and then nailed the bead board to that.

This next one I also use bead board painted a soft yellow.  I used faux cherry blossom branches with a bird nest in the middle.  this is one of my favorites!

This one is special because I used a picture of both of my grandfathers.  The one of my paternal grandfather who was the farmer was when we went to Washington for a family reunion.  We were on the Puget Sound and went sailing.  He took the wheel and was as happy as could be.  The picture of my maternal grandfather whom I have never met because he passed away before I was born, was in front of one of his "luggers" from the pearling industry that he owned in Broome, Australia.  I used these pictures in my bathroom that I have a beachy theme.  I just hung the window on the wall, no glass, just decorated it with fish net, SEA letters and sea shells.

This window was fun to do because I love old knobs.  I picked up this knob at Hobby Lobby and it made the window look more like an old door than a window.  I put fabric behind the glass.

This one I made for my sister-in-law for her birthday.  Used natural colored bead board for the background and I used silk flowers that look dried and spanish moss along the bottom.  I put a saying on the front in vinyl.

This one I took a picture of my kids with the actual window in sepia and placed the picture between 2 pieces of glass.  (Had another child after this so she is left out)

These are some of my favorite things in my home.  I think your home should have what you love and not necessarily what the latest style is.

Letter from a Girlfriends on the Go fan!

Hello Suzie!


I am a newly (for about 5 months) converted freezer meal mom and I just wanted to take a second to tell you how thankful I am for your books! I am not kidding when I say that they've/you've changed my life! I too, am a busy mom of 5, with a husband who is finishing up his degree. Freezer meals have allowed me to spend less time in the kitchen and more time with my busy family.



I was introduced to your G.O.G book by a friend of a friend who was thinking about starting a group. She was kind enough to let me borrow it so I could glance through it. I fell in love with it, so the very next day I bought one of my own from our local LDS bookstore (Farr West Books). Since then, I have joined my friend's group PLUS started my own group. Now I am enjoying (at least) 20 freezer meals a month. Your books have given me the tools and motivation that make preparing freezer meals fun and easy(not to mention affordable)! I very rarely have to prepare dinner now and I am even finding some nights that I actually want to because I miss it. I know weird, huh!? Usually on those nights I plan on feeding my family a meal from the freezer, then I freeze the meal I prepared. It's wonderful! I've also been experimenting with "test freezing" some of my family's favorite recipes so we have those on hand, too.



Slowly I am mastering the art of freezer meals and am less overwhelmed with the stresses of preparing dinner every night. I have converted several of my close friends and family members and they too are so thankful! I was even asked to give a brief talk in one of our additional R.S meetings on how freezer meals have helped in my life and I referred the people who attended to your books. Honestly, I wish I was this good at sharing the gospel with others. Maybe I should start working on that with the little extra time I have now. :)



I recently started following your blog and I look forward to trying out your new recipes and ideas from F.O.G. Thanks again for your help and inspiration.





Here's to stress-free dinner nights and more time with my sweet family!



Sincerely,

Marcy Butterworth

Chicken Cord-on-Bleu Casserole

Hello Studio 5 viewers!!!   Here is a copy of the recipe from the show and some tips on menu-planning.  Thanks for watching! 

Chicken Cord-on-Bleu Casserole

3 cups chicken, cooked and cubed

2 cups cubed ham

1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 ½ cups (12 ounces) half and half

½ cup chopped onion

2 Tbsp butter

3 Tbsp flour

Topping: (mix together following ingredients)

½ cup dried bread crumbs

1 tbsp melted butter

½ cup grated Swiss cheese



Sauté onions in butter, add flour. Stir half and half and bring to a boil until thick, stirring constantly. In a separate bowl, mix together chicken, ham and cheese. Pour sauce over and mix well. If freezing, see directions below. Otherwise, Pour into a 9x13 pan. Sprinkle with topping. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Freezing directions: Place in a disposable pan, sprinkle with topping. Cover with foil and freeze.

Menu Planning for the New Year!

Now that the new year is here, it is a great time to make a change! Dinnertime is one of the most important times of the day for family bonding so let’s talk about some ways to make dinnertime simple and painless! The best thing you can do to simplify dinnertime is to PLAN AHEAD!!! Here are some ways to do that!


Menu planning: This sounds like a daunting task for some, but I promise, there are some different ways to do this that will work for you.

1: The first way to plan a menu is probably the way most of you would be familiar with and that is to have a calendar and write what will be for dinner that night on each day of the month. Of course, this is a great way to do it, but let’s doctor it up a bit! For instance, to make this easier you could set a specific day of the week for a specific “type” of meal. (Monday – Fish, Tuesday – Soup, Wednesday – Pasta, Thursday – Chicken, etc…) That makes it easier for the person who gets stuck in a rut making the same meals and can’t ever come up with ideas. It’s also important to incorporate your children into the menu by getting their input and possibly having a kid’s cook night. To do this you will want to choose your least busy night of the week and assign one child that night to prepare the meal for the family. Let them choose the meal and teach them to prepare and follow through with that meal, including planning the shopping list for that meal.

2: The second way is similar to the 1st way, but incorporating freezer meals. The best way to do this is to be a part of a freezer meal group. I have 10 people in my group and at home we each make 10 of the same meal, freeze it, and get together once a month and exchange so we come home with 10 different meals. So I always have meals in my freezer for those crazy nights. So on my monthly menu, I would choose my craziest nights, like the nights we have soccer games or other activities going on, and on that night I would write in “freezer meal”. That way I am planning ahead and can take that out of the freezer in order to have that ready at dinnertime.

3: The third way to plan a menu is my favorite. The reason I don’t like to plan a menu is because I am not always in the mood to eat what is on the menu that night, or I don’t have the time to make that meal. I make a list of 20 meals (the reason for 20 is that allows left-over and pizza nights or what we call FFY nights, (fend for yourself!). When I make this list of 20 meals, I look through my fridge and pantry and figure out a shopping list. I then go to the store and get everything else that I need for those 20 meals. Now I know that I have everything I need to make all these meals so at any time throughout that month, I can choose any of these meals and not have to make a trip to the store to get the ingredients.

Of course there are many ways to simplify dinnertime, freezer meals being my favorite and also the crock-pot and delay timer on my oven. The thing I have found helps the very most is to make sure I know by lunch time what we are having for dinner. (For working moms, the night before.) That way, when everyone gets home from school and the craziness starts, you can be on top of things!

You can find more tips and many freezer meals in my cookbooks “Girlfriends on the Go”, and “Families on the Go”. Visit my blog to order at a discount onthegocookbook.blogspot.com!

Angry Birds Cake

My cute sis-in-law always does a birthday cake representing something their child loved or was really into that year.  One year her son's was a construction site, or her daughters was a princess.  This year she was having a hard time figuring out what to do for her 4 year old boy's cake and he came out and said, "can I play Angry Birds?"   Thats where the idea came from.  What kid isn't into Angry Birds?  What's even greater is that she let her 5 year old make the birds and decorate it!  It was so fun and cute and they were both so proud of that cake!!!  I love that they will always remember what their child's favorite thing was that year by looking at birthday pictures!!!