As Ive mentioned before, almost to the point of sounding like a broken record, I have a huge family. I love my huge family and I wouldnt (on most days) trade them for all the tea in china. But it is a big job getting all 11 fed.. Well 10 since baby paisley still only drinks formula and baby cereal. But 10 is still a big number.



I don't want to toot my own horn too much, but.. I have been known to turn 1/2 lb of ground beef into a meal to feed them all and got rave reviews while doing it..

Its all in how you prep it. For instance if you use 1/2 lb of ground beef for burgers you dont get very many servings but if you use that same 1/2 lb ground beef into a taco casserole it goes alot farther.

Casseroles, soups, stews, and chili, those are the keys to stretching a food budget.

Tonight was a casserole, and thats what i want to tell you about. I am an artist at heart so I think of cooking as art and I like to start with a blank canvas.. By blank canvas I mean any base ingredient that is versatile and can lend itself to a plethora of different toppings..

some examples of that blank base canvas are
- pasta
-biscuits
-tater tots
- cornbread
- rice
- tortillas
-mashed potatoes
- even fritos, tortilla shells, and ritz crackers have been my base at times

These are your starters, as you will notice all of those listed are starchy foods and are fillers.. Starchy foods are known to fill you up quick. The list isn't limited to these things but these are some I am familiar with and have used.

Next you need to decide what flavor you are going for,  italian, mexican, american, cajun, all of those blank canvases listed can be taken in any direction...

some ideas for your content are, buffalo chicken, pepperoni and tomato sauce, ground beef and mushroom soup, campbell's chunk soup , the ideas are unlimited

here are a few ideas

- campbell's chunky chicken soup and biscuits for a pot pie type casserole
- tortilla chips base with taco seasoned ground beef and sour cream and cheese topping
- tater tots with ground beef, manwich sauce and cheese
- fritos, or doritos, chili and cheese (sour cream and chives if you have it)
- bicuits, baked beans hot dogs and cheese
-tater tots, baked beans, hotdogs and cheese
-chili, corn, cornbread mix and cheese
-pasta alfredo sauce and ground beef covered in french fried onions and cheese

Really the sky is the limit in the casserole kingdom.. Go forth and create something fantastic that doesn't require a recipe per se... Just some ingredients and the right dish.

Cheese as a topping is a must around here but you dont have to add cheese but you get the basic idea.. any 3 or 4 course meal can be combined to make a casserole

some things that lend themselves well to the casserole life as toppings as awesome toppings

-french friend onions, cheese, chips, doritos, fritos, crackers, croutons, brad crumbs
Casseroles can take your ingredients to a whole new level..

Here are some great casserole recipes on Pinterest

check out this awesome spaghetti casserole

or this Dorito layered casserole

Or how about this shrimp and grits casserole

The beauty of the casserole is that you can turn a few ingredients, a few leftover into a one dish meal in no time. If you've never delved into the world of casserole possibilities you should certainly consider it. Especially if you have lots of mouths to feed.