The Foodie Review = Week Ending 10/3/20

AKA: Casseroles and Caveats (When One of You Isn't a Casserole-Person)

Growing up in Pennsylvania, I have always looked at casseroles as comfort foods in the fall and the winter. I love them. The ooey gooey, savory creations have been staples of my childhood years and I prefer them for ease and simplicity during busy life. They also typically are super budget friendly.

However, Erik is my significant other. He ISN'T a casserole person. His family is into smoked meats and barbeques...and his mother often told him that a casserole isn't cooking saying "It's just something that you throw together hoping that it works out." So imagine his chagrin when I asked him on one of my busy days to whip up the casserole recipe I chose for this week. "Ugh...really?"

Yes, really.

In the meantime, he followed through. He told me that my chicken noodle bake would have been far better if I had opted for fresh ingredients rather than all pre-packaged prepared items. Ok, I will give him this. I opted for this casserole to include frozen diced grilled chicken and peas from Kroger as well as a casserole staple Campbell's Cream of Chicken Soup. We amped it up a bit by adding panko breadcrumbs to get the crumbly goodness I wanted and get it browned. But...it fell flat. I wasn't the kick of the comfort I was wanting and I think I know why.

Here's the recipe we used: https://www.spendwithpennies.com/quick-chicken-and-noodle-bake/

First off...I think we should have bit the bullet and seasoned and cooked our own chicken breasts and diced the meat. That would have added instant flavor. In addition there was no addition of added herbs or even salt/pepper which even being a white-girl knows we under season our food sometimes realized upon first bite that this was b-l-a-n-d. However, nothing ventured and nothing gained and we did gain a lot of knowledge as well as a new task for this month.

Find some casseroles that will turn Erik into a CASSEROLE person...without caveats.#challengeaccepted

Comments

Abandonment, Fear and Thanks

I woke up today very early. My significant other and I have a young puppy so that's part of the life at this time. Disturbed sleep. I woke up and just thought well, it's Thanksgiving, let's just be thankful today. I was in a good frame of mind. I had made the decision to just be present today as much as possible. But...in the wee small hours of the morning my always present depression and anxiety had other plans. I went to message a friend of mine. I connect a lot on Facebook so I went into messenger to just let her know I was thinking about her and I couldn't find her. At first I didn't worry, I figured that she and I were both struggling with the election stress and maybe she just went dark for a bit. I get that. I understand taking the mental health break if need be. Alas, she didn't just go dark. Upon investigation I came to understand that I had a friend in real life that I care about deeply. I would try hard to check on her and send Erik over with various...

Why Do Adults Ghost Each Other?

I'm not sure I understand why we do this to each other...as adults. In so many ways, it feels like we are just grown ups who never outgrew high school. I have been jealous of others and that jealousy has lead me at times to make moves to guard my own heart because I definitely have fomo (fear of missing out), anxiety, depression, abandonment issues and the feeling that no matter what I do, I will NEVER ever be good enough and in full honesty, I have been guilty of blocking people who have hurt me and people involved in certain things that trigger me because at times I have to look at certain parts of my life like they were addictions or toxic relationships. I have to accept that no matter what, there are going to be a large and sometimes very visible/vocal group of people who rather than work through things with me person to person and come to an understanding or workable position would rather just make me out to be a bad person. Maybe I'm delusional thinking that I'm act...

What I DIDN'T Set Out to Do with My Life: Polarize

If you've read any of my blog posts or have been through my dips in depression via my Facebook feed, you'll know that I think a LOT about what other people think. I'm trying hard to reverse that tendency but honestly the deprogramming to want to be liked by everyone (or most people); is a harder knot to unravel than I had previously thought. In many ways, I believe I have what is called a polarizing personality. It wasn't something I intended in any way, shape or form to have but as I do an inventory of my life and relationships I find that either people like me a lot or basically just hate me or want nothing really to do with me. I suppose I have a large brushstroke of people who are lukewarm but I have come over the years to realize that the toxic traits in myself that I continue to work towards uncovering or better yet evolving past really do tend to alienate people that I once honestly would have gone the distance for. I think it's my tendency to over commit the...

THE AMUSED LIFE BLOG

Search This Blog