Dodged a bullet and cooked up "a mess of grub"...........

We were spared when it came to the storms yesterday and I pray for the families that weren't.  Both those that lost their lives and those that lost their homes.
 I kept busy by cooking and baking yesterday as I needed a new meal and a dessert.  For the main course I looked to my favorite but not low-cal cookbook by the Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond who lives on a cattle ranch in Oklahoma with her husband and 4 youngin's and also has a blog,The Pioneer Woman
She has her own show on the Food Network too but I've been following her and cooking up her recipes long before that happened.  She has a new cookbook out now which I have yet to get.  I'm still cooking from her first one but let me tell you....there's not a recipe in her first cookbook that I don't like and I've made a lot of them!

 One of my favorites is Chicken Spaghetti or what I like to call "Cowgirl Spaghetti" cuz it's "rootin' tootin'" good!  I'm giving Ree full credit but I did change things to accommodate my smaller household. 

Cowgirl Spaghetti (makes 3-4 servings) 
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2 poached boneless chicken breasts chopped up 
1/2 lb thin spaghetti broken into 2 inch pieces
1 C chicken broth (1 can is 2 cups so I freeze the remaining for the next time or another recipe)
1/2 small onion chopped
1/4 C green pepper chopped
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
1 1/2 C grated cheddar
1/2 tsp Lawry's Seasoned Salt
black pepper to taste
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper or to taste (cayenne is red pepper and strong, in fact I used less than that but I didn't taste it so next time I'll use a full 1/8.  For a cowgirl, I was a little chicken!)


Here's the chicken breasts "poaching"...........

Break up your spaghetti......

Chop up your onion , green pepper and grate your cheese so you'll be ready when your chicken is done.  (The cheese got grated, I just forgot to take a picture.  I can barely walk and chew bubble gum so cooking and taking pictures too is a bit much for me!) 
If that looks like more onion and green pepper than the recipe called for you are correct!  I always chop up the whole onion and/or green pepper and freeze what I don't use.   I know me, and if I stick it in the frig it will be spoiled by the time I go to use it so I just always freeze but as long as I'm chopping, why not just chop it all?  It saves you time for the next recipe.  I also do that if there is a special on peppers or whatever at the store.  I buy them and chop them up and freeze them.  When my children were young I used to do that in big bags always at the ready so it would save time when I got home from work.  When I was a working Mom I did a lot of pre-cooking and prepping on the weekends.  In fact, in this recipe I actually poached 4 breasts and chopped them all up and froze the other 2.  Just some tips from an "old cow gal"! LOL!

Cook and drain your spaghetti and place in a large bowl.  Add the Cream of Mushroom soup and 1 C of the cheddar cheese.  Then add the onion and green pepper and seasonings.  Finally, add the chicken and the broth.  Stir together well and pour into large casserole dish.  Top with the remaining 1/2 C cheddar cheese and bake for 35-45 minutes at 350 degrees or until bubbly.

Before it went in the oven..........

After it came out of the oven..........

This is comfort food at it's best and I needed it last night after all the stress of storms and warnings.  I also made Ree's Oatmeal Crispies for dessert which I'll share with you tomorrow.  They are THE best oatmeal cookies ever and crispy like I like 'em!
Happy, cheery, delightful Monday to all!
P.S.  Thank you SO MUCH for your comments....I love them and I appreciate all who take the time to write them!