Potato Casserole

Here is a yummy potato casserole.

2 pounds frozen hash brown potatoes
1 pint sour cream (light works fine)

10 3/4 ounces can cream of celery soup
10 3/4 ounces can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 teaspoon salt, adjust to taste
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, adjust to taste
1/2 cup butter, melted and divided
3 cups cheddar cheese, grated
2 cups corn flake crumbs

Servings: 12

Container: 9" x 13" baking dish, lightly greased
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour


Preheat oven to 350º F.
In a large bowl, mix frozen hash browns, sour cream, soups, onion, seasonings, and cheddar cheese. Add 1/4 of melted butter to potato mixture. Spread into prepared baking dish.
Combine corn flake crumbs and 1/4 cup of melted butter and spread over top of casserole.
Bake uncovered for 1 hour. Serve hot.

Not a Brown Hot Dog

Recently, Joanna has stopped adding her just-one-snake-not-two-snakes request when she wants a hotdog. Now asks for a hotdog and adds, "not a brown one" and I have NO IDEA what she is talking about. Aren't all hotdogs brown? Well, there are those red ones, but she has never had one that I know of. So, here's to a new mystery to figure out!

She also has started asking for other ways to prepare things. Again with the hotdog, she's started asking me not to make it too hot. Sometimes, it ends up being a tad too hot so she has to wait until it cools. I'm still getting used to only needing to microwave something for 15 seconds.

This morning, she looked at the hotdog (yes, a hotdog for breakfast) and asked "Is that a brown hot dog?" I asked, "Why don't you taste it and tell me if it is brown." (I mean, obviously it looks brown, so there must be something else to this.) I promise a post if I figure it out.

This girl loves hotdogs!

September 2010

A night out on the town...

Four Steps

Tuesday, Thomas took four steps to Jason! He didn't make it all the way, but it was an awesome attempt. He was holding the round end table and Jason was sitting in the dining chair when Thomas set off to go to Daddy.

Thomas First Year!

Amadeus

I had the privilege of going to Amadeus opening night performance at the Clarence Brown Theater last Thursday. I had such a good time that I am still "enjoying" myself even days later. Just the experience of going to the Theater was amazing. The production was spectacular and me, the audience, into the story, made me love and hate the characters, and feel the emotions and passions of the characters portrayed by the actors. The music was perfect and the opera singers really were fantastic. The lighting and scenery were so integral to creating the atmosphere--there is just nothing like this in a film production.

One of the best scenes was when Siveli first encountered Mozart, quite by accident, while inadvertently hidden in an armchair in a sitting room where he witnessed Mozart acting immature and lude with his soon-to-be fiance. Mozart's music was then played and Siveli talked through his first experience of how the music moved him and how he was so upset that the perfect god-like music was coming from out of the infantile man. The first act made me dislike Mozart and feel pity on Siveli. The second act took me on a different journey to dislike Siveli and feel pity on Mozart. The play was complete with classic themes and mechanics of drama and comedy that told a moving story. I'm so glad that I got to see this production!

I really could write so much more about this! I just wish I had time!

Thomas' first candy

Today, Thomas ate his first piece of bona fide candy. There was no fanfare. In fact, no one noticed until it was too late. Now, we've not come across the point of no return. I would still not want Thomas to have candy for a long time. He simply doesn't need this in his diet.
Here's what happened: Jason gave Joanna three pieces of candy. She sat two down and ate one. At some point she was going to get the other two pieces ... Jason said he spotted Thomas chewing and had something in his raised fist.