Squash and Zucchini Casserole

My mom has made squash casserole for years and got the recipe from my grandmother a long time ago. I made it for Thanksgiving this year but decided it would be nice to add zucchini to the mix to make it more colorful. This would be a great dish to make for the holidays or any other gathering. I made it a day ahead, stored in fridge and cooked it right before eating. I ended up with enough for 1 1/2 casseroles since I bought extra ingredients so you can easily adapt it to what size you need but below is the recipe for a 13 x 9 size dish.

Squash and Zucchini Casserole
from my grandmother, makes one 13 by 9 dish

Ingredients:
- 8 large zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch slices
- 8 large squash, cut into 1/2 inch slices
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 eggs, beaten
- fresh ground pepper
- about 3 cups of freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese (adjust cheesiness level as desired)
- cooking spray
- 13 x 9 dish


Boil zucchini, squash and onion in a big pot of water until squash and zucchini are tender. Drain. Smash well with a fork to get all the water out. You may need to let this sit for a bit for the water to all drain out and for it to cool.

Once cool enough to not scramble the egg, transfer to a large mixing bowl and add beaten eggs and season well with pepper. Stir in about half of the cheese, leaving the rest for topping. Spray 13 x 9 dish with cooking spray. Spread mixture into dish and top with remaining cheese.

 

Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.

This was the first time I've brought this to Eric's family Thanksgiving and it was a big hit! Enjoy!

DIY Wood Block Nativity Set

I made this DIY Wood Block Nativity set last December for my godmother and by the time I finished it was too late to post for it to be of use to anyone else so I've been holding onto this for almost a year. But now you have about a month to make one for yourself or for a gift for someone else! It wasn't a quick craft  considering paint drying time and such but I am really happy with how it turned out.

DIY Wood Block Nativity Set

Materials:
- 2 by 2.5 inch piece of wood, at least 20 inches long
- 2 by 4 inch piece of wood by at least 42 inches long
- a thinner pieces of wood big enough for a 13 inch by 14 inch piece and a 7 inch by 7 inch piece (I think I used a piece that 1 or 1.5 inch thick piece)
- craft paint of your choosing
- for the images I cut white vinyl on my Silhouette machine using purchased nativity set shapes that I sized all together to fit on the blocks ($3 for 3 sets of shapes). If you are a painter you could also just paint or draw on the images but I am not a painter. I did the stable by making the shape with painters tape to get the shape I wanted but every other shape was from the Silhouette shape "store".

Cuts: (inches length listed first, then inches height - all widths are 2 inches except the camel and the stable)
Joseph                               2.5 by 6
Jesus                                 3 by 2.5
Little sheep                        3 by 2.5
Mary                                 4 by 3
Standing Shepard (x2)          4 by 6
Kneeling Shepard                 4 by 4.5
Big sheep                           4 by 3
Camel                               7 by 7
Wiseman kneeling               4 by 4.5
Wiseman 4 point crown        4 by 5.5
Wiseman 3 point crown        4 by 5.5
Donkey                              6.5 by 4
Cow                                   7 by 4
Stable                                13 by 14

Cut the blocks as shown above or ask your husband nicely to cut them :)  I wrote a name on the bottom on each one in pencil so I could keep track of what it was. 

Paint the blocks on at least the sides that will be showing or you can go ahead and just paint all the sides. You can use cheap sponge brushes.

Follow the Silhouette instructions for adhering the vinyl to the blocks. Here are close ups of all of the blocks.

There is extra of your 2 by 2.5 inch piece of wood so I used that to stabilize the stable since it is a bigger piece of wood and could easily fall over. Pun intended. I just screwed it into the back at the bottom.

My godmother loved her gift and it was fun to make a handmade nativity set that will last for years to come! This would also be a great set for kids to play with that they couldn't break. If kids are playing with it just make sure all the edges of the wood are sanded well.

Enjoy!

What I Wore: Fall Tailgating Purple Dress

The key to successful tailgating attire in the fall is layers since it starts off cool in the morning and gets warm mid-day and then can get cool again in the evening. That is exactly what I did for a Clemson game near the end of October. I had a denim jacket on in the morning and evening (plus a tiger hat that evening since it was a night game) and then below is what I wore the rest of the time. I could have easily taken off my fleece leggings too when it got warm but we were in the shade most of the time so I was fine to leave them on. A shift dress can also be a great game day option so you can fill up on all the delicious tailgating food!!

Purple dress: Hourglass Lilly from Ivy & Leo, similar, similar, similar, similar, same dress in black/white
Black fleece leggings: Marshalls, similar, similar
Cognac boots: Born, similar, similar, similar
Football field scarf: Julie's Boutique, I've only found this online in wholesale so check boutique near you - I know it also comes in red/white and red/black
Orange chandelier earrings: Towne & Reese, similar, similar, similar
Orange Purple bracelet: made by my godmother
Denim jacket (not pictured): Old Navy, similar, similar

And just for fun here is one of me and the husband. He hardly ever gets cold so layers weren't necessary for him.

Linking up to: What I Wore Wednesday, What I Wore to Work, Because Shanna Said So, Tucker Up, PTMT Get Pin-spired, Tip Junkie

Quinoa and Veggie Stew

I got excited when I saw this recipe and it said crock pot. Well it is not really a crock pot recipe per say... I suppose while it cooks for about an hour and a half that could happen in a crock pot but this is not a dump in the crock pot and forget about it kind of meal so it was easier for me to do it on the stove top. I was in the mood for a dish filled with lots of delicious veggies so it fit perfectly and would also be great with some grilled chicken. Just a fair warning that there is A LOT of chopping so if you have a chopping tool or something, use it!

Quinoa and Veggie Stew
from foodfulife, serves 4

Ingredients:

- large onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 medium carrots
- 2 stalks of celery
- 2 large potatoes
- 3 zucchini
- red bell pepper
- pint of cherry tomatoes
- can of cannellini beans or northern beans
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 3/4 cups of water
- olive oil
- salt and pepper

Peel and chop all vegetables. You don't need to peel the ones you wouldn't normally like the zucchini, tomatoes, etc. Yes this is so much chopping. Cook onion in olive oil and add garlic after a few minutes. Go ahead and do this in a really big pot that you will be using for the stew. When onions are golden add the rest of the vegetables, the bay leaves and the water. Stir.

Cook over low heat for 1 hour and 20 minutes but add the beans halfway through. Wash the quinoa using a strainer. After the 1 hr 20 min, add the quinoa, stir and cook another 10-15 minutes.

Season with a little olive oil, salt and pepper.


I would make this again but make sure that I cooked the quinoa long enough. It was a tad undercooked... I think we were too eager to eat. Hope you enjoy!