Something Saturdays (12/6/14)

I'm so stoked to have a DVR this year so I can record some Christmas movies!!! (So far I've watched all 3 Santa Clause movies, Rudolph & Frosty's Christmas in July, and Year Without a Santa Clause)

Last weekend was insanely busy but full of so much fun and family! And today Michael and I are decorating our house for Christmas-I'm so excited! Yay Christmas! I'm sure I'll instagram photos so keep an eye out ;P

ANNOUNCEMENT--Have you been using ZipList? In case you don't already know, it is shutting down completely on December 10th! Check out this page for FAQ's about the shut down and go here to find complete instructions for how to export your saved recipes and lists!

JORD Watches Review

I love my future father-in-law. He's more a part of my life than my actual dad. But he is SO HARD to shop for! Every year Michael and I agonize over the perfect Christmas gift for him, and we usually come up short. But not this year. This year I think he is going to be very happy with his gift, thanks to JORD watches!

The word "jord" is Swedish for earth, soil, or land.  

And Jord Wood Watches is all about an appreciation for natural elements, but with a modern design. 

Made up of a collective of artists, designers, and seasoned watchsmiths, JORD watches not only incorporate wood-they feature it! The intricacy and multiplicity of the woods they use means each watch is one of a kind. And, a super sweet feature, on the website there is a JORD watch specialist there to chat with you if you have any questions or concerns!

Whether you're shopping for a special man or woman in your life-JORD has got you covered! Ranging from the uber masculine (and rare) 746 watch to the super pretty (and my personal fave) Cora series (their 1st official lady's watch) with tons of versatile (and unisex) options in between, you will have no problem falling in love with a beautiful, unique, wood watch!

Michael's dad is classic and timeless-like the Fieldcrest watch (in black) that we got him. They ship the watch in a gorgeous box with a super stylish cushion to keep it safe and looking good. When you see and hold the watch there is no doubting the quality craftmanship. It is a beautiful, great, timepiece. (And, splash and scratch resistant--which is always awesome because...you know...life.)

I cannot wait until Christmas!

And, if you're thinking about getting a watch for yourself-or are curious for styling or fashion tips for JORD watches-you can check out the JORD blog or #jordwatch. (I *squeeeed* a little when I saw some contestants on The Voice wearing this exact watch! Oooh Chuck is going to be so cool.) And go order yourself your own wood watch!

Or win one !!!

GIVEAWAY(CLOSED)

A winner has been chosen!

One lucky Cooking Actress reader will win an $120 gift certificate for JORD! So you can pick whichever watch you like and apply the certificate towards it (depending on which watch you choose, that could mean you get one for free)!

Giveaway closes December 11, 2014, 11:59PM EST.  After the contest is over, I will send the winner an email (so please make sure you provide an email address or some other way to get in touch with you), and get you your prize. The winner will have 3 days to respond or another winner will be chosen, all prizes will be awarded. The winner will be chosen via a random number generator. Open WORLDWIDE for people over the age of 18. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY.

How to enter: (REQUIRED FOR ENTRY IN THIS GIVEAWAY) 

Fill out the entry form here: http://www.woodwatches.com/giveaway/signup#1 and when you're finished leave a comment on this blog with the unique code generated from the entry form.

Additional (optional) entries: (you will receive one additional entry for each of the following--so if you leave a comment for all of them, you can have a total of up to 9 entries/chances to win!) MAKE SURE TO LEAVE A SEPARATE COMMENT FOR EACH ENTRY-these entries are optional, not required.

• "Like" The Cooking Actress on Facebook-leave a comment on this post to let me know you did so.
• Follow The Cooking Actress on Pinterest-and leave a separate comment letting me know. 
• Follow The Cooking Actress by email-leave another comment.
• Follow me on Twitter @kayleblogna-leave a separate comment on here to tell me.
• Follow me on Instagram @kayleblogna-leave another comment, saying you did so.
• "Like" JORD Wood Watches on Facebook-leave a comment on here letting me know.
• Follow @woodwatches_com on Twitter-leave a comment telling me you did.
• Tweet this about the giveaway:  (and leave a comment on this post afterwards)  
• I want to win the @woodwatches_com #giveaway from @kayleblogna #thecookingactress http://bit.ly/1s0kp2l

**If you already like/follow any of these, it still counts. Just let me know you already follow each in separate comments**

Disclaimer:  JORD provided me with a complimentary watch and is sponsoring this giveaway, and I was under no obligation to review if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or host a product giveaway in return for the free product. My opinions, as always, are all my own. We are not liable for technical failures or typographical errors, or resolving identity disputes related to the winner.VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. 

Toasted Marshmallow Brown Butter Krispie Treats

When it comes to Rice Krispie Treats....I'm usually a purist. Those recipes that put chocolate, peanut butter, etc. etc. in a krispie treat? Nope. Not for me. I prefer them the old fashioned way. However....when I saw that you could brown the butter and toast the marshmallows...I figured...it's like all the same stuff you put in a classic rice krispie treat....but elevated. Taken to another level. Made epic to the nth degree!

Rice Krispie treats were one of the things that my mom made best growing up. I can still smell the marshmallow and butter, I can still see her with a greased up ziploc bag on her hand (so she could smooth the treats in the pan), I can still taste them all gooey and perfect. Sometimes, if I was feeling impatient for her to make some, I would buy those pre-made rice krispie treats...but....they never tasted right. So I would spread a little butter on top, drizzle them with a bit of vanilla extract, and heat them up for a few seconds in the microwave. For some reason that made them a bit better. Weird.

But now I'm a grown up and can make my own treats. So I did.

You know...you may think rice krispie treats are just something you eat. The end. Buuuut-not true! They make great gifts (they're sturdy so they travel well), you can use them for chocolate fondue, serve them with/in hot chocolate, or...ok...just eat them. I like them when they're gooey so I like to reheat leftovers in a microwave for 5-10 seconds...it just makes them a little bit extra special.

Speaking of extra special-these krispie treats taste pretty standard. But the differences are such wonderful bits of subtle nuance....the browned butter you occasionally will get hit with when you take a bite and it's extra buttery and a bit nutty. The toasted marshmallows give you that campfire/s'moresy little twist, just giving these an extra bit of oomph.

Yeah. I think this is just how we should make Rice Krispie treats from now on.

CHANGE APPROVED!

One Pot Garlic Parmesan Pasta

Rich, creamy, flavorful, healthyish pseudo-alfredo that makes minimal dishes and Michael actually likes.

It's a pre-Christmas miracle.

IT'S DECEMBER. Which means it's officially the Christmas season. Which means I can figure out how to decorate my new house. It means I get to watch Christmas movies. I can listen to Christmas music and no one can say anything about it! 

And there's gonna be cookies. Lots of cookies.

But sometimes we need to eat non-cookie things. And maybe we want that thing to be pasta.

I've already made this pasta twice. Because it is so good (also it doesn't make a ton of pasta so it was gone allll too quickly). Listen up to how this goes down: you make a sauce from chicken broth, milk, butter and garlic. Then you cook the fettuccine right in the sauce! This means you make everyone in one pot and it also means that the noodles soak up that flavor as they cook and this thickens the sauce in the process. You finish it off with some parmesan cheese (and maybe fresh parsley if you have it) and you're done!

The result is super creamy and rich and no one will ever believe that you didn't use heavy cream and tons of butter. Which is awesomeness. I will give you a couple pieces of advice: it's easy for the noodles to stick together so I suggest breaking them in half before throwing them in to cook and also just consistently stir and try to keep them separated. Also, the sauce gets extremely thick and somewhat clumpy as it gets cooled so it is definitely best served fresh, but you can add some milk and try to heat it back up to thin it back out if necessary.

Looking at these pictures...mmm....I think it's time for another batch!

Something Saturdays (11/29/14)

Hiya guys! Did you have a great Thanksgiving? Me too! I went to Michael's stepmom's family earlier in the day (and brought cookies) and then went to his mom's side of the family later on (and brought what was left of the cookies). We had so much fun and the only not so great part was the hour long drive home from Michael's grandpa's that took 2 hours because it had just snowed a couple inches and the roads were not in great shape. EEp! At least he was driving and not me!

Then yesterday we went back to our cake bakery for the wedding (Tiffany's) and Michael tried some fruit fillings while I went over the design and locked in the flavors and price, etc. We got so lucky-we go an awesome deal! And we're going to have 3 different flavors of cake: white cake with vanilla custard filling, white cake with strawberry filling, and chocolate cake with chocolate mousse filling. And they all taste incredible! Yayyy! Then we went back to Michael's aunt's (where we'd had our first dinner on Thanksgiving) and ate some leftovers and visited and played games. Then we went to Youngstown to a big benefit/variety show that his family puts on every year. Michael and his brothers were so so hilarious...the highlight was the 3 of them dressing up in 80's gear and performing "Pop" from Music & Lyrics. Everyone died laughing. And theeeen we left early so we could go to his dad's side of the family's cousin game night. Which was SO much fun and so funny.

So now I'm exhausted and this holiday's festivities aren't even done yet. Today I'm baking cookies for my grandma's birthday tomorrow. Tonight we're having another dinner just with Michael's mom and siblings. And tomorrow is my grandma's 80th birthday!

I'm gonna sleep like a baby on Monday.

#HillshireSnackPros Review

So. Didja have a good Thanksgiving? Yes? 

Great. Back to real life!

Which means packing Michael a lunch and finding me a (non-chip or sweet) snack. 

That's where Hillshire Snacking comes in! 

Do you like the sound of 15g+ of protein, premium meats, and super bold flavors? ME TOO. And Hillshire Snacking offers all of that in 8 different varieties.

• Grilled Chicken Bites with Teriyaki Sauce
• Genoa Salame with Gouda Cheese & Toasted Rounds
• Grilled Chicken Bites with Honey Mustard Sauce
• Grilled Chicken Bites with Mango Habanero Sauce
• Italian Dry Salame with Gouda Cheese & Toasted Rounds
• Hot Calabrese Salame with Pepper Jack Cheese & Toasted Rounds
• Peppered Salame with Pepper Jack Cheese & Toasted Rounds
• Grilled Chicken Bites with Sweet Chili Sauce

I was lucky enough to get a bunch of packages of the grilled chicken bites with sweet chili sauce to try (although I would love to get my hands on some of the other varieties in the near future)! Michael went gaga---these are right up his alley. Unique and flavorful (therefore breaking up the monotony of his usual lunch and snack options) the chicken has a delicious grilled flavor and the sauce adds a fun bite of zesty spice.

Hillshire Snacking products are perfectly portioned to be an everyday snack or the thing to grab on the go but they are also encouraging you to get creative and think of these as a unique way to snack! Share your unique Hillshire Snacking experience with the hashtag #UniqueWay.

For the most part we just ate these in a straightforward way---however I did create a sandwich with 1 pack of the Grilled Chicken Bites with Sweet Chili Sauce. I used the sauce as spread on each piece of bread and placed the chicken and a slice of cheese in the middle. It was gooooood.

So, to sum up--I'm sad we're almost out and I think I need to locate a Target near me that carries Hillshire Snacking products!

#spon: I'm required to disclose a relationship between our site and Hillshire. This could include Hillshire providing us w/content, product, access or other forms of payment.

Recipes for Thanksgiving and Post-Thanksgiving

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving! And, for the first time in 4 years, I'm home! Which means my days of making Thanksgiving dinner are over-for awhile, at least (I just get to choose between a minimum of 4 different places to go---we're going to Michael's stepmom's family and then his mom's family later on. Then on Sunday is my mom's family.) Instead, this year I've been tasked with making cookies. Apparently my cookie reputation precedes me. So-I'll be making cookies. But maybe you're making some of the actual Thanksgiving things? And perhaps you're still looking for inspiration? Lucky for you, I have rounded up my favorites--and included some awesome recipes for you to use up any leftovers you end up with! Hooray!

And if you're reeeally looking for even more Thanksgiving options, check out this post from last year.

Chocolate Molten Cakes

I love lava cakes. LOVE EM. 

I mean...chocolate cake with a molten, decadent, rich rich rich chocolate center. There's nothing not wonderful about it. My first taste of lava cake was at a dinner theatre (that is now closed) when I was a teenager, and I fell head over heels. Then...I started eating these packaged microwaveable lava cakes. And now-I make every recipe I get my hands on.

Thus far my favorite lava cake recipe came from Michael's stepmom--it is foolproof (a PERFECT molten center) and delicious. This recipe is a very close second place---the only reason it's not number 1 is I could not get them out of their ramekins unscathed, so I couldn't get that pretty picture of a cake with lava-like chocolate oozing out. Instead you're safer just eating them out of the ramekins. However the molten center is on point and the level of chocolatey decadence is FAB.

One of the beautiful things about lava cake is how perfect it is for entertaining. You can easily make these ahead of time and just bake them when you're ready to serve. They're sorta fancy. And they're impressive-people are going to think you're an exquisite chef and nothing beats the wow-factor of breaking in to a cake to find that liquid chocolate goodness, ready to make your tastebuds siiiiing.

And...although Thanksgiving is generally all about that pie game...maybe you wanna mix things up and serve some chocolate indulgence? I know if I showed up to a Thanksgiving dinner and was given a lava cake for dessert I would think to myself, "This person is a total rock-star. I want to be their best friend for liiife."

Don't you want people to think that about you? Yeah, me too.

Something Saturdays (11/22/14)

Have you decided on what you're making for Thanksgiving? I have a post coming up this week with my favorites but you can also peruse this list from last year for ideas!

Michael and I (after much deliberation) decided on our wedding invitations! We still have to sort out specifics such as fonts, wording, etc. but here is a little sneak peek at the design (and it would have K M for the initials instead of the K B):

Source

In acting related news: You may or may not remember me mentioning a comedic horror feature film I starred in ,"You Can't Kill Stephen King". I shot that movie over 4 years ago but it is FINALLY coming to the US! It will be released on December 9th and is available for pre-order on sites such as Amazon. It's sort of insane seeing myself on Amazon and knowing that people can buy a movie and see me! AND in a few months it will also be on VOD (probably including Netflix?)-I am SO excited!

Disclaimer-I used Affiliate links to link to my movie. Because I might as well try to make some money off of this thing lol.

Ever since this performance on The Voice I've been obsessed with the song "Take Me to Church" and every time it's on the radio I get crazy excited and turn the volume up super high and sing along. I also walk around singing it constantly.

Does anyone remember The Big Comfy Couch? SO MUCH NOSTALGIA.

Aaaaand do you like cookies? OF COURSE YOU DO! Don't forget to enter my giveaway for some free cookies from The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen Bake Shop.

The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen Bake Shop Review

You guys may remember my friend Susan (AKA The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen)-she is the first blogging friend I ever met "in real life" and she's an award-winning baker/cook, a super talented food blogger, a proud pug-owner, a totally fun and sweet girl AND now a bake shop owner!!

Thanks to an insanely successful Kickstarter campaign (and a LOT of research and hard work) Susan now has her very own bakery that is all about-wait for it-COOKIES! SHE SELLS COOKIES! Um....I love cookies. LOVE THEM. So I'm all about a bakery that only sells cookies. And you want to know what's even better? These cookies are all preservative free, small batch, and baked with THE BEST ingredients-mostly organic ingredients and fairtrade chocolate. That is so incredible and something I am completely 100% in love with. 

I've had Susan's baking in the past, and can attest that she's fabulous. But she was sweet enough to give me a little reminder and send me a small sampling of the cookies she sells in her bake shop. And I am a lucky, lucky lady because she has totally outdone herself with what she is selling!

I was able to try Susan's 3 main varieties of cookies that she sells:

• Peanut Butter & Jelly Cookies-These are the first cookies you see pictured above. Susan takes 2 soft (and delightfully crumbly and full of peanut butter flavor) peanut butter cookies and sandwiches all-natural strawberry preserves in the middle for the perfect spin on all of our fave childhood comfort food. I packed these in Michael's lunch and he completely loved them.
• Peanut Butter Cookies-These are the same cookies used for the PB&J Cookies. They're made with all-natural organic peanut butter (which accounts for the extra powerful punch of peanut buttery goodness) and brown sugar (which equals soft, chewy, cookies).
• Triple Choc-o-lot Cookies-Susan uses THREE kinds of chocolate. THREE! Dark chocolate, red cocoa powder, and chocolate chips all create a super decadent chocolate lovers' dream (trust me, I'm a certified chocoholic)-and as if that wasn't perfect enough....there's vanilla sea salt on top. Which completely makes the cookies. It's the perfect little bit of salty to balance the sweet. Completely died over these.
• Signature Chocolate Chip Cookies-I cannot decide if these or the Triple Choc-o-lot were my favorites. Methinks it's a tie. All I know is I will always go for a classic CCC, especially when it is done as impeccably as this one. Crisp edges...chewy inside...delightfully gooey chocolate chunks (microwave these babies for 10 seconds to take them to the next level)...pretty little specks of vanilla (hello lovahs) aaaand again with that vanilla sea salt! As usual, it completely elevates the whole thing. 

The main sum up I can give about The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen Bake Shop is this: you can taste the quality. Every nuance of flavor has been meticulously thought out and your taste-buds get to enjoy the results! AMAZING.

One Hour Dinner Rolls

Did you know that I AM A LADY?

...Well....I'm not. So I figured out pretty early on in my life. My dad used to constantly scold me for...I don't know...stuff (sitting cross legged maybe?) and tell me I needed to be "a lady". (Which is hilarious if you know my dad. It's a drunk redneck telling someone to be a lady...sheesh.) In Girl Scouts we took an etiquette class and there was one singular moment that made 7 year old me say, "What? Eff this. No. WAY." (I didn't say eff this...at that age I was very unsure of what that word meant but I knew I wasn't supposed to say it.)

The moment? We were told to break off one tiny piece of dinner roll, butter it, eat it. Repeat. IT'LL TAKE YOU A THOUSAND YEARS TO EAT A ROLL AT THAT RATE (or so I felt). You cut a roll in half, butter each half, then shove each half into your face. The end. Everyone is happy.

Since obviously that is the way to do things, I made my peace with the fact that I would never be a proper lady. Because I will never butter my rolls one tiny piece at a time. Rolls are too good to ruin with etiquette.

And much like I don't want to wait many many minutes to butter and eat a roll....I don't want to wait hours and hours for homemade rolls to be made. Sometimes I just don't have the time or energy to make my absolute favorite roll recipe. Which is why I wasted no time in making these rolls when I learned they only take ONE HOUR-beginning to end. Total. Period. UNO HORA!

And look....yes...they don't hold a candle to my fave rolls.

BUT they are super fluffy and pretty and tasty and are perfect for those days where you're crunched for time or just lazy! Like...maybe you're making a bunch of other dishes for a certain holiday where we all eat so much we have to undo the top button of our pants (or just wear a dress if you're a prepared non-lady). 

Like that.

Melting Roasted Potatoes

Look....I'm gonna tell you right now....this week's recipes are not not supposed to be potential recipes for Thanksgiving....

...if you are aware of the way double negatives work...then you know....the recipes in fact are kinda supposed to be potential things for you to make for Thanksgiving. Full transparency on this blog, people.

I really really really adore potatoes. They're my side dish of choice. So OF COURSE I fully support various kinds of potato sides for the big fat day we call Thanksgiving! And....every day really. And when I find a new potato recipe it gets made pretty darn quick. Like...within the week, generally. Such is the case with these. Especially because of the name...like...potatoes...that melt? What?

I'm gonna end the suspense: they don't really melt.

They just sort of melt in your mouth because they are sooo tender!

You just roast some sliced potatoes until they're pretty much falling apart (but crisp on the outside)--and they cook for a little bit with a yummy broth/garlic-y sauce which you serve over them. Somehow they're both rustic and sophisticated....how...how you do that, potatoes?

Hoo...can I just like...talk to you for a sec? Yeah? Awesome. 

Currently I need to put some new glasses that I received away (they're from our registry-Michael's mom adorably couldn't wait to buy from it so that's my birthday gift :P)--which means I need to rearrange the cabinets a bit. I also need to address some of the Save the Dates and try not to stress about the fact that I'm still waiting on address lists from Michael's families. I also need to do some price comparison shopping for new tires for my car because I have practically no traction and snow is coming and I'm halfway (ok....more than halfway) convinced that driving in the snow will result in my untimely death. Plus I need to keep up with this blog and make food to eat and keep the house together and...ya know...life.

This is unrelated to potatoes except for the fact that they're delicious and comfort food and pretty easy to make. So...yeah. I should probably make myself some, yeah? You should too.

Something Saturdays (11/15/14)

I picked the dresses for the bridesmaids! It's a gorgeous short dress from David's Bridal with a lacey one-shoulder top and a flowy, like, chiffon overlay situation on the bottom. This picture doesn't do it justice but here's the idea:

Source: davidsbridal.com

My birthday was this week!!! I had all kinds of fun! My mom took the day off and we went to these adorable shops in a neighboring town (called Hudson). We did some fun window shopping and ate lots of popcorn samples (and mom bought a couple bags to take home :P)

Then we got lunch at this fantastic pizzeria/bakery called 3 Palms. They have authentic Neapolitan pizza (and like...legit. They make it correctly and even their pizza oven is from Naples. This is the first pizza I've had since I moved from NY that I went-YES!) and we got to chat with the super nice owner. Plus...best cannoli I've had since I left NYC. They use house-made ricotta and it is just perfect-there's even a little bit of cinnamon in the cannoli shells which added sort of a fun surprise.

Then we came home, watched The Big Bang Theory, and my mom went home. After that I went over to Michael's dad and stepmom's house where I got to hang out with them and they gave me my super sweet present. Finally I went home and Michael got back from class. He was very extra sweet to me and then he quickly changed and we headed to this super nice restaurant in the Sheraton hotel that's downtown (like 5 minutes away from us)-called Beau's On the River. I've been wanting to go for awhile but sort of needed an excuse. It was such a breathtaking place-so nice and fancyyy and there are floor to ceiling windows that give a view of the river/falls (which were hard to see in the dark but there was still something magical about the lights inside and the windows and darkness outside...I dunno). Our waiter was crazy nice and all the food was INSANE. At our waiter's recommendation we tried their mozzarella sticks which--I'm hesitant to even call them that because they are in their own class. They melt in your mouth and are made from bread (made from scratch) and cheese and deep fried and...I don't remember I just know I went to heaven when I bit in. Michael had some mussels which were served in a sauce that even I went "mmmm" (to the sauce...I still can't do seafood). And then I got a filet mignon and he got fish and chips. Unfortunately, by this point, Michael was full so he just had a couple bites (which he said were great) and we took the rest home. My steak was cooked perfectly-but I wasn't in love with the lack of seasoning (still good, just not my fave steak)-the mashed potatoes were awesome, though! And finally..I got a piece of peanut butter pie (homemade by the owner's mother-so sweet!). WHICH WAS ALSO AMAZING. The texture was light and silky and I think there might have been crushed butterfingers on top? All I know is YUM! Such a wonderful end to a great birthday :)

And tonight I get to go to my old high school for their fall play! They're doing the female version of The Odd Couple and Michael's sister is in it! I haven't been to a play at Central since I graduated, so it should be fun!

This is for all my fellow Supernatural/Dean Winchester fans.

Michele's Totally Awesome Gourmet Popcorn Review

It's official. I am now a quarter of a century. And I had an awesome time of it. Really...the only other gift I'd ask for at this point? MORE of Michele's Totally Awesome Gourmet Popcorn!

This is not my first time talking about this utterly amazing popcorn on here. Essentially the thing is: I was introduced to Michele's popcorn when I was on location in Maine filming a movie. I became fully addicted (like...to a real degree. Ask anyone who was on that set.) And now when I know that I want some super delicious, homemade, totally awesome popcorn-I call up Michele's!

Peanut Butter Cup Popcorn, one of my personal favorites.

SO...when I decided to whip up some caramel corn chocolate chip cookies...I gave my old friend Michele a little email...and begged for some caramel corn.

And she very sweetly obliged. And sent me a couple other kinds because she knows how deep my love for her popcorn is.

Michael's fave--Maple Bacon Caramel Corn!! I couldn't find this variety on their website, perhaps it's coming soon?

Michele's popcorn is good because it is hand-made in small batches with fresh, quality ingredients! You can definitely taste that this popcorn is real-no processed stuff here! PLUS they have SO MANY DIFFERENT AMAZING FLAVORS-savory and sweet and anything in between (like the above maple bacon)! My favorites are pretty much all the ones involving chocolate. DUH.

Fun fact, though: Michele's isn't just about popcorn! They also make a variety of other treats (pretzel sticks...oreo's....STUFFED oreo's....oh yeah) and even PUPcorn for your pooches!

The classic-Caramel Corn.

So, obviously...you need to try some of Michele's Gourmet Popcorn for yourself!

Visit their website.

Like their facebook.

Follow them on twitter.

Or send 'em an email: questions [at] michelesweetshoppe.com

Disclaimer: Michele's Totally Awesome Gourmet Popcorn provided me with samples of product to review, and I was under no obligation to review if I so chose.  Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review in return for the free product. My opinions, as always, are all my own.

Chicken Noodle Casserole {from scratch}

My mom, rather famously (in my family), made a few vows about things she would never do when she had children:

1. Never be absent (her parents owned a business and were very busy. She knew she always wanted to be really involved with us and she was! She was a girl scout troop leader AND a cub scout leader, she volunteered at our schools, and she was just always very present.)
2. Never make her daughter cut her hair. Apparently there was a somewhat traumatic incident where my grandparents forced my mom (kicking and screaming) to chop off her very long hair-into something of a boy-length cut. She promised she would never force that fate upon her future daughter--me! Thank goodness. She somewhat regretted that vow occasionally but she never made me cut my hair off.
3. She would never ever make meatloaf or tuna noodle casserole.

I know. The last one seems a bit random. Apparently those were food items that were fairly common in her household and she hated them. So...she was like "never again." And she never did. I'm ok with this because I don't like meatloaf or tuna noodle casserole. It all worked out. 

What this has to do with this recipe is: Chicken Noodle Casserole was my mom's adaptation of the dreaded Tuna Noodle Casserole. Essentially, she subbed in things she liked for things she hated (chicken instead of tuna, cream of chicken soup instead of cream of mushroom). And what resulted was probably my favorite meal growing up.

Since I was (and am) such a picky eater (and since my mom is not in love with cooking, and is pretty picky herself)-if I found something I liked...we ate it. Alot. Like...there was a point where this casserole was made weekly. My poor brother was so tired of it. But I could not get enough! I requested it constantly. I was sick? Chicken noodle casserole. It's my birthday? Chicken noodle casserole. It's Tuesday and I'm hungry? Chicken noodle casserole. And then....I moved away. And I started to learn how to cook. And I realized I had overdone it with the casserole...and sorta didn't want it anymore. And somehow here I am and I haven't eaten chicken noodle casserole in over 5 years.

Correction-I hadn't eaten chicken noodle casserole in over 5 years.
That dry spell has ended!

The other day I was hungry and itching for a recipe I hadn't made before...or at least recently. And I was thinking about all the ingredients I had and what could be done with them and...my brain just thought of this casserole. And I knew it was time to bring it back. So I talked to my mom and got the original recipe (for the tuna noodle casserole) as well as what her substitutions were. And I knew I was going to have to make my version a bit more from scratch (although I suppose since I bought the noodles and the breadcrumbs it's not technically from scratch...whatever). So I created what you see here. It tasted just like I remember. And it was still so darn simple to make (yes...even with me making homemade cream of chicken soup and roasting the chicken). It just tastes like comfort and home and like a creamy chicken noodle soup in casserole form. 

Perfect to make you feel cozy on a chilly day.

And to make you feel home.

And to make you want to give your mom a big hug. <3

(Speaking of giving my mom a big hug: Tomorrow is my birthday! And I was super sad because it was looking like I wouldn't have anything to do until the evening, when people got off from work. BUT my mom decided to take the day off so she and I can spend the earlier part of the day together. We're going to go shopping and out to eat and I'm sooo excited. Best mom ever!)