Let Crock Pot Season Begin!

We all know Adam is the real cook in this family,

but when I find recipes that even a baker like me can pull off,

I get so proud of creating a delicious meal for my little family.

Now that it's November,

the weather might actually start cooling down one of these days.
When it does - comfort food kicks in!
Ravioli Crock Pot Casserole is SUPER EASY
and goes over great with the kids.

In a saucepan, brown a pound and a half of ground beef,
along with onion and garlic.
Then toss it in your crock pot and add 
one can stewed tomatoes and one can of tomato sauce.

Add your seasonings and leave it on low to cook for 4-6 hours,
or if you're in a hurry like me, 
throw it on high for two to three hours and keep an eye on it,
stirring occasionally.

When you're about 45 minutes out from eating, 

cook a box of bow tie pasta according to package directions.

Stir the cooked pasta into the crock pot meat mixture.

Next, grab a bag of fresh spinach and dump it in.

Then add in a half cup of Parmesan cheese -

and a cup of Mozzarella cheese.

Give it all a good stir and sprinkle another half cup of mozzarella on top. 

Let it cook on high for about thirty minutes.

Serve it up with some crusty bread and you've got an easy and delicious weeknight meal!

Crock Pot Ravioli Casserole

1 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
salt/pepper to taste
9 oz. bag fresh spinach
16 oz. bow tie pasta, cooked
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
1 1/2 cup mozzarella, shredded

Brown ground beef with onion and garlic. Place meat mixture in crock-pot and add sauce, tomatoes and seasonings. Cook for 4-6 hours on low. About 45 minutes before eating, cook pasta according to package instructions. Add spinach, pasta, Parmesan and 1 cup of mozzarella. Mix thoroughly. Top with remaining 1/2 cup of mozzarella and cook on high for 30 minutes before serving.

Haven't Decorated for Halloween?

My kids didn't think I'd decorated enough for Halloween. 

Two cute $3 signs from the Target sale bin were all I had put up.

My kids weren't impressed. 

I had seen this cute bat project on Pinterest,

I figured I had black paper and scissors lying around!

So I gathered the children and we traced and cut,

and cut and traced

and had a great time doing it!

If you want a quick, fun Halloween activity to do with your kids,

grab a bat template HERE.

We followed it loosely. Walt liked adding pointy ears.

Initially, the kids got a little hung up on perfection

and were worried that their bats didn't turn out as good as mine.

But I made them press on and showed them 

how awesome all the bats looked together up on the walls.

You can't tell who made what.
They just all look great!

Make sure to bend the wings along the joints to give them some dimension.

The kids loved running around the house finding places to hang them.

We just used tape for most of them,

but busted out some fishing line for the chandelier.

Grab some scissors and get your house in the Halloween spirit!

Both Kids Back At It!

It's a nice little Saturday at the Gustafson house.

The morning started with skating.

Ruby loves it.

 Then in the afternoon, 

Walter hit the ice as well.

It sure is fun watching them do things that make them happy!

Micky Mouse Cake

I was up early to make Miss Emily's birthday cake.

She even strolled out in her jammies to join me!

We went with two stacked 8 inch rounds.

She loves Mickey Mouse Clubhouse,

so we traced out Mickey ears and outlined them in white frosting -

before filling them in with a black gel frosting.

Then I whipped up some pink frosting and piped on a border

and popped a 2 on top of the Mickey ears.

I think the cutest part of her cake was along the sides. 

I wrote Emily across the front -

and alternated little Mickey Mouse ears 

and polka dots all around the outside.

You just need both regular-sized and mini M&M's 
to make the little Mickey ears.

Aren't they cute?

And speaking of cute . . .

 Here's the birthday girl herself with her cake.

She's getting so big!

Anybody Miss Me?

I took a summer hiatus from blogging. 
I'm thinking about returning, 
but haven't quite decided yet. 

I did, however, take some "First Day of School" photos 
that are too cute not to share.
So here you go -

My Walter headed to 1st Grade!

And Miss Independent, Ruby, is off to Kindergarten!

I wanted to take Ruby to her first day of Kindergarten, 

just like I did Walter last year. 

I enjoy dropping them off on their first day

and taking cute pictures along the way.

But Ruby wasn't having it.

She wanted nothing more than to ride the bus on her first day.

I was a little disappointed, but when I finally gave in, 

I got to watch her run excitedly all the way to the bus!

She was so happy!

And just like that, she was off.

Lucky for me,

this little guy still wanted his Momma take him to school.

He moved to a new school this year that has grades 1-5 in it.

I was happy someone still needed me!

He didn't want to hold my hand or anything,

but I got a sweet photo of him headed into his new, big school.

 I hugged him tight right outside his classroom and

sent him on his way to conquer 1st grade.

Love this kid.

They had a great first day.

We're so proud of our little babies.

They are growing fast!

Chicken Enchilada Quinoa Bake

How delicious does this

Chicken Enchilada Quinoa Bake look?

Yeah, I know.
Here's what you need -

First, grab your Quinoa.

Prepare enough, according to the directions on the package,
to have 2 1/2 cooked cups available.

While that's cooking,
dice a small onion -

and cook until tender in about two tablespoons olive oil.

Add in shredded chicken -

We went easy with Rotisserie chicken!

Next, open and rinse a can of black beans -

and dump them in as well.

Then, add a can of green chiles.

And then it's time for enchilada sauce!

After a dash of chili powder -

Your dish is really starting to take shape.

Grab 2 1/2 cups of cooked quinoa -

and add it to the mix.

Mix until fully combined -

and then add in some cheddar cheese.

Transfer everything to a baking dish 

before topping it with Pepper Jack cheese.

Toss it in the oven at 350 degrees for about 10-15 minutes

and then broil it for a minute or two to get the cheese bubbly.

While it is cooking, slice up an avocado -

Chop some cilantro and grab sour cream for topping.

It comes out looking so amazing you'll just want to dive in!

Seriously good. 
We've already had it twice. 

Chicken Enchilada Quinoa Bake

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped

2 1/2 c. cooked quinoa (white or red)

1 1/2 c. shredded cooked chicken breast

1 (15 oz) can black beans

1 (4.5 oz) can chopped green chilies

1 Tbsp chili pepper

2 c. enchilada sauce (from 19 oz can)

1/2 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 c. shredded pepper jack cheese

Serve with:

Sour cream 

Sliced avocado

Fresh cilantro

tortilla chips

Heat oven to 350°F. Spray a 2-quart backing dish with cooking spray. In a medium skillet, add oil and onion, cooking until onion is soft. Reduce heat to low. Add cooked quinoa, chicken, black beans, green chiles, chili powder and enchilada sauce; stir to combine. Remove from heat.
Stir in Cheddar cheese. Transfer quinoa mixture to baking dish. Top evenly with pepper Jack cheese. Bake 10 to 15 minutes. Then place baking dish about 5 inches from broiler and broil 1 to 2 minutes or until cheese is golden and bubbly. Top with sour cream, avocado, cilantro.