Food - Cooking semi-homemade

I know the Food Network has a show semi-homemade but I don't know a better term for it. I like to cook semi-homemade. It's like gourmet and/or homemade dishes with a little help. Last night at the ladies night extravaganza I made a lot of dips, pound bread, beer bread etc - all so good and so easy. It was all Tastefully Simple Products - delish! You can always take a jar sauce and make it your own etc.

So anyways, mom is coming over to join me and lil man for lunch today. Earlier in the week I made 2 spaghetti pies (from the Hungry Girl 300 under 300 book - love that book): 1 for lunch with the girls at work and 1 for home. I am going to heat up the second pie for our lunch today and make Kale to go with it. yummo I should try kale chips instead though maybe.... decisions...

Anyways, for dinner I am making cajun beans. They are made with dry kidney beans. I have a love affair with kidney beans. My absolute favorite bean. I love to add them to pasta. Or eat them plain. I have a package of the dried beans and seasoning mix. You just add water and a can of diced tomatoes. And sausage - I will add Morningstar Farms Veggie Italian Sausage. It's in the crock pot right now. I'll probably serve it with Quinoa (if you don't know what quinoa (pronounced keen wah) is - totally look it up. amazing. http://www.savvyvegetarian.com/vegetarian-recipes/basic-quinoa.php). Oh, and I'll add onion. I love onion. Poor Jay.

Here's the spaghetti pie (in my beautiful Princess House casserole dish - I really do love the princess house stuff I got a few years ago. so pretty) and the bag the beans and seasoning came in.



I also signed up to be a House Party hostess (www.houseparty.com) for their Thai Kitchen party. I really, really want to be a hostess of this party. You get like 9 products to try, many of them are vegan, and it's right up my ally. Customize them with whatever veggies, meat, or meat substitutes you like, put em over rice, noodles, etc and show of how awesome your dinners can be with very little effort. Man I hope I get that party.