My children love good food. When they were younger, of course, I did the easy chicken nuggets, fish sticks and all that jazz, but for the most part, I introduced them to foods so that they would not be picky eaters. They have grown up in this Southern household eating southern staples as well as my somewhat exotic kitchen 'must-trys'.

While planning the weekly dinner menu, my daughter asked for squash casserole. I admit that I had never made it before, but I was  not going to disappoint her, so I called up the only woman who has ever gotten me to eat squash and enjoy it--my mom.

Her sqaush casserole is so good. It reminds me a bit of cornbread dressing. She uses cornbread in it and bacon pieces. Add in cheese and oh yeah---golden squash heaven.



My mom moved too fast for me to take step by step photos telling me "I'm cooking for my grandbabies, not for your camera". I had to laugh. In this house, we eat what is cooked and photographed for this blog. Nothing gets posted that we do not eat. That means I usually end up photographing my actual plate and if not my own, I better move pretty darn fast if I want to take a photo, because they simply will not wait and they don't want to eat cold food. Ha! They make me work fast for a photo.

Southern Squash Casserole

You will need:
4 cups cooked and crumbled cornbread
7 Yellow Squash
1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 egg
2 tsp melted butter/margarine
1 or 1/2 cup of cooked bacon, chopped
1 cup chicken broth
1-2 tsp salt
1-2 tsp pepper

Rinse your squash and begin cutting into 1/2 inch slices. Discard the ends.  In a pot filled with water, bring to a boil, once boiling, reduce heat to low and cook for ten to fifteen more minutes.  This helps tenderize the squash. Drain the water.

In large bowl, add in all your ingredients except the squash, broth and egg. Add in your salt and pepper 1 tsp at a time, tasting to get it to your liking.  Add in the broth slowly until the mixture is of a creamy consistency. You may not use all of it. You want it creamy, not soupey.  Add in your egg and mix well. Then add in your squash. Pour into two round cake pans or one 11x7 baking pan. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes until top is slightly crusted and golden brown.

I love making sandwiches. With a family consisting of four children, it is quick, simple and the kids love them. Being that I love sandwiches, I am always trying different combinations so it does not get boring. Peanut butter and jelly is so good but this Italian Stallion meatball sub with tons of meat and marinara sauce is soooo much better.

Sometimes making the perfect sandwich is just throwing everything but the kitchen sink onto that bad boy. The possibilities literally are endless when it comes to making them, only your taste buds and creativity is the limit!

For this sandwich you will need:
Bread (of course or you can even try it in a lettuce wrap or tortilla)
Marinara Sauce
Meatballs
Pepperoni
Canadian Bacon
Salami
Fresh Mozzarella

I did not get my camera out in time but for my meatballs, I mixed in sauteed sundried tomatoes that I diced, chopped fresh parsley and italian seasoning with a bit of Creole seasoning. I mixed well and formed into balls.

I cooked my meatballs on low/meduim while covered in a skillet until done.



Now you just assemble your sandwich. Start by spreading marinara on the brea, then layering the salami, canadian bacon and then slices of pepperoni. Add your meatballs, top with sauce and then slices of mozzarella. Place sandwich open in oven on broil until cheese melts into some seriously ooey gooey goodness.



Remove and serve hot and toasty. Kinda messy but seriously tastes like a pizza! It would have been even better topped with sauteed mushrooms and some sliced black olives. Oh yes, please!

It is so cold here. Not New York or Chicago kind of cold but for us Southerners, it is freezing. 34 degrees and it felt like a chili kinda dinner night. This recipe is super easy, as it calls for seasoning packets and canned beans. Usually, I have dried beans on hand, but when you are in a hurry, canned and packets are great.

This surely hit the spot for us and the chipotles added a nice flavor. A quick and super warm dinner. Yes.



You will need:

2 lbs ground beef
3 chili seasoning packets
3 cans of diced tomatoes and chiles
3 cans of crushed tomatoes
1 can chipotles (chopped)
2 cans of black beans
2 cans of red kidney beans

Garnish: Sour cream, cheese, fresh jalapenos, cilantro

Brown your ground beef with one packet of the chili seasoning. Once cooked, drain the grease and add in another packet of seasoning. Add in your tomatoes and stir. Transfer to a large pot on meduim heat. Add in your beans. When it begins to bubble, lower your heat to low and continue to cook for an hour or more.




This makes a large pot. You can cut in half for a smaller crowd. This feeds 6 people.

We are preparing for a really cold day tomorrow so that has my mom in the kitchen preparing her homemade chicken noodle soup for dinner tonight. While we all bundle up and share our day over a bowl of soup, I thought it would be nice to share some other warm bowls of goodness that I have pinned on pinterest.

Make dinner a warm and soothing soup or stew night!

Here in the South there are certain 'traditional' foods that you just 'have' to make and eat on New Year's Day. For as long as I can remember, our meals on that day have never changed. It has been the exact same. This year was no different. My mother made ham hocks, neck bones, fried chicken and pig feet.

Why the pig feet? I mean, I can understand ham hocks, they at least have meat, but pig feet? Um, that is pure-dee fat.



Here it is day two of 2015 and guess what...the pig feet are chilling in the refrigerator in a sealed container because no. one. touched. them.

But everything else....gone!  The greens are supposed the be for money and the black eyed peas mean luck. I have no idea what the ham hock and pig feet are supposed to mean other than 'let's be daring and eat something completely fattening'....who knows.



Alas, it was an excellent dinner and I am so thankful to see another year.

Happy 2015!



*This twice baked sweet potato recipe will be up next week!