Mostaccioli Casserole Recipe

Be prepared to be amazed by my food photography….

Nate’s mom was kind enough to feed me about once a week during tax season.  I think she was secretly working with my mom.  They both worry about my lack of cooking skills.

Nate’s mom made this fantastic casserole last week.  It was so fantastic that I had to make it for Nate on Saturday night.  Well, he actually ended up making it…but I gave him the recipe.  Awesome Wife of the Year award, right here!

Mostaccioli Casserole (modified from Taste of Home)

Ingredients

• 1 package (16 ounces) mostaccioli
• 1-1/2 pounds ground beef
• 1-1/4 cups chopped green pepper (I skipped this because it’s a vegetable.)
• 1 cup chopped onion (We don’t chop onions.  We use onion powder.)
• 1 jar (26 ounces) spaghetti sauce
• 1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cheddar cheese soup, undiluted  (mmm, secret ingredient)
• 1-1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 3/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided

Directions

• Cook mostaccioli according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook the beef, green pepper and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the spaghetti sauce, soup, Italian seasoning and pepper.
• Drain mostaccioli. Add mostaccioli and 1-1/2 cups cheese to beef mixture. Transfer to two greased 11-in. x 7-in. baking dishes. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.
• Cover and freeze one casserole for up to 3 months. Cover and bake the remaining casserole at 350° for 20 minutes. Uncover; bake 5-10 minutes longer or until bubbly and cheese is melted.
• To use frozen casserole: Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Cover and bake at 350° for 50-60 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted. Yield: 2 casseroles (6 servings each).

How sweet is that?  A casserole to eat and a casserole to freeze.  Bonus!!  Write that one on the pantry doors!

Mmmmm, casserole.


Any favorite casserole recipes you would like to share?  Feel free to e-mail them or leave them in the comments!

We Moved…

The blog was a little quiet last week because we were busy moving…

Busy moving stuff off of our counters so we could reseal them.

(I sure hope I got some of you on that one.  I wasn’t around on April Fool’s Day and that made me sad.  I’m making it up for today. Mwah ha ha.)

The company that installed our granite recommended we seal the countertops every year.  3 1/2 years later we finally got around to it.  We started to notice that the counters were losing their glossiness and water did not pool on top as it previously had. 

Bring on the sealer.

We went with Dupont’s BulletProof Sealer.  We choose this sealer because it was inexpensive and got good reviews on Amazon.  We’re pretty scientific when it comes to choosing products.  (Also pictured is our favorite granite cleaner, Method’s Daily Granite.  The cleaner is easy to use.  Just spray it on the counters and wipe dry.)

The sealer was fairly easy to use.  We cleaned the counters well with a wet rag.  We let the counters dry for an hour.  Nate then applied the sealer with a foam brush.  He let the sealer sit for 15-30 minutes and then wiped the excess with a towel.  There were a few spots that were hazy. He had to rewet with the sealer and then wiped it clear again.  We let the counters fully dry overnight.

In the mean time, our table looked like this.  We had a nice, cozy supper on Saturday night.

On Sunday, we put everything back and enjoyed our shiny counters.  (In between Words With Friends and Draw Something.  We are now both addicted.  Just what we need.)

We would definitely recommend granite countertops.  They are low maintenance.  Our dark granite doesn’t stain.  We haven’t noticed any scratches after 3 1/2 years of use.  Our favorite thing about granite is the ability to set hot pans directly onto the countertop.  It only took me about a year to fully trust this fact but now I’m not even sure where our hot pads are!

What are your favorite type of countertops?  Did you complete any projects this week-end that you’ve been putting off?  Any other Draw Something fans out there?

Guest Bathroom Update

I’m in decorating limbo now.  I want to start a project but the timing isn’t right.  There’s always time for decorating day dreaming though, right?  Right!



I was debating another shower curtain from West Elm. I ultimately decided it wasn’t the right choice.  And then I decided to forget the bathroom for awhile until I could find some inspiration.  Or time enough for Nate to forget how many shower curtains I have purchased and hated.  Oopsie daisy.

I started pondering the bathroom again this week-end.  I haven’t purchased anything just yet because I want to be sure this time.  You know, like REALLY sure.  Like my marriage depends on it sure.

I figured I’d get your opinions as well.  I like opinions.  Usually.  Most of the time.  Sort of.

Here are my thoughts…

Sources: rug (Crate and Barrel), double shower curtain (Hazardous Design), fabric (black chevron, yellow chevron, polka dots)

I would like to do a double curtain like Carrie's.  I think the use of the double curtain will help break up the long room.  (I’ll also take Carrie’s awesome floor too.  But that’s not currently in the plans.)

I like the idea of a runner in place of two bath rugs.  I also like the price of the Olin Rug from Crate and Barrel.  This bathroom isn’t a high traffic bathroom so I have zero concerns about using a runner in here.

I think I am going to make my own shower curtains.  That doesn’t sound like a disaster waiting to happen. Nope. Not. At. All.  I can’t find a shower curtain that I like though.  I do, however, like all of the fabrics above.  I just can’t decide. What are your thoughts?  I should be over chevron.  But I’m not.  It speaks to me.

How high would you hang the shower curtains?  Any ideas on art?

We plan to add some form of molding on the long wall.  We are also going to frame out the mirror.  I’d like to replace the he-giant mirror with two smaller ones but I don’t think I can talk my carpenter into that one.  Darn carpenter.

What are your thoughts?  Do share.